The apocalyptic lightning storm and the radiant celestial vortex violently strangled each other in the high heavens!
Amidst the cataclysmic collision of natural Luck, the residual energy instantly swept across a vast area, filling the sky with the sharp scent of ozone. Down on the ground, countless grand structures, ancient pavilions, and stone arches were torn into fragmented debris and swept directly into the upper atmosphere.
The low-tier Martial Artists and the invading Demon Race members fled in absolute panic, their faces frozen in horror.
Everyone unconsciously held their breath. A battle of this terrifying magnitude was entirely beyond their comprehension. The human cultivators were tense; Li Xuanxiao was now their solitary lifeline. If Li Xuanxiao were defeated and died, every single person present would fail to escape with their lives.
But if Li Xuanxiao could win, this entire calamity would be resolved instantly!
"Can that Lord... truly manage to pull through?"
"This power resembles a true natural disaster. I cannot even imagine the weight of being caught in the middle of it."
"My Lord, you must survive!"
In stark contrast, the surrounding Demon Race members were filled with feral optimism.
"With such a terrifying vortex storm crushing him, that human kid is probably going to be utterly annihilated!"
"Serves him right! This is the consequence of opposing Lord Eton!"
"Get ready for a grand feast! Lord Eton promised to give us half the humans to devour after their spirits are assimilated!"
Time ticked away slowly. Maintaining such a high-intensity clash demanded an incredibly profound capability to mobilize Luck.
As time passed, Eton's aristocratic, detached expression gradually turned grim.
This ferocious, godly power did not originally belong to his own cultivation. Sustaining it for this long had already pushed his physical body to its absolute limit. Yet, the opponent's Luck showed no sign of decline, appearing entirely endless—truly bizarre!
And...
Eton took a deep, measuring look at Li Xuanxiao.
For some unknown reason, the aura surrounding this fellow had suddenly reached the Late Stage of the Void Realm!
Could he also be invoking divine grace from a higher plane?
What a strange kid!
Eton took a deep breath, mobilizing all the unholy power he could command to launch a final, fierce assault!
Boom—
However, the towering vortex storm disintegrated in an instant.
"What!?" Eton was shocked, his pupils reflecting Li Xuanxiao's rapidly enlarging figure as it tore through the vacuum.
The Martial Path and Buddhist Path dual Lucks, carrying a terrifying, oppressive majesty, squeezed down upon him from both sides!
Eton instinctively tried to mobilize his own Luck to wrap his body and flee from the area.
But the moment he tried to circulate his energy, he discovered that the Luck surrounding his body had seemingly solidified. No! It wasn't solidified! It had been entirely occupied and overwritten by the Martial Path and Buddhist Path Lucks, making it completely unusable for him.
The terrifying oncoming strike was unavoidable. Eton couldn't help but show a look of sheer panic.
Worse yet, the effect of the divine grace reached its end at this exact moment.
His temporary cultivation tier dropped instantly, falling from the Late Stage of the Void Realm and returning to his original level. Now, he had to withstand the ultimate strike of a genuine Late Stage Void Realm Martial Artist with only the strength of the Middle Stage Void Realm!
How could he possibly block it!
Driven by pure survival reflex, Eton crossed and tightly clasped his hands, his face showing a look of frantic, devout piety.
"Above the myriad heavens, O God, Your servant Eton begs for Your divine protection to ward off all evils of this world."
"May Your Holy Light surround me and build an indestructible barrier for me!"
Eton prayed devoutly, and a faint azure light slowly rose around him. The surrounding Luck was forcibly condensed, transforming into layers upon layers of light screens, like a grand curtain woven by the gods themselves, completely enveloping and protecting Eton. The light screens flowed with complex, ancient runes, emitting a sacred and inviolable aura.
[Divine Grace—The Curtain of Ten Thousand Defenses!]
The exact moment Li Xuanxiao's sweeping attack touched this miraculous curtain, it dissolved into nothingness, like a clay ox entering the vast sea.
Seeing the lethal strike directed at him neutralized, Eton finally breathed a long sigh of relief, his expression showing a mixture of lingering fear and profound relief.
Good thing my reaction was quick enough!
This damned kid was unexpectedly so powerful!
In a brief exchange of blows, he had been forced to completely expend the Power of Faith he had painstakingly accumulated over many years of devotion.
Up in the skies, Li Xuanxiao stopped his advance, squinting at Eton behind the protective curtain.
The methods of the Devil Race are truly inscrutable, he mused internally, one is stranger than the next.
Whether it was the temporary boost to personal cultivation strength, the terrifying attacks resembling natural disasters, or this unreasonable defensive ability now. In every aspect, it was clearly very different from the orthodox paths of the Martial Path, Buddhism, and Daoism.
But such an extraordinary invocation of foreign power cannot be without an immense price!
If they could release it at will without paying any cost, then starting today, I would abandon my arts and become a member of the Demonic Sect!
Li Xuanxiao chuckled to himself, quietly waiting for this ability of the opponent to dissipate. He refused to believe this curtain could be maintained indefinitely.
As expected, in less than a minute, the vibrant azure curtain began to gradually fade and lose its light.
Eton, hiding behind the fracturing defense, also showed a look of complete despair. In his current, depleted state, he did not believe he could continue fighting Li Xuanxiao. His own cultivation boost was temporary, but the opponent's breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of the Void Realm was real and showed zero signs of receding!
When the curtain completely vanished, Li Xuanxiao acted decisively, immediately charging toward Eton with his palm outstretched, intending to capture him alive.
He had far too many questions that needed answers. For example, their method for instantaneous group teleportation, their unholy assimilation abilities, and the Devil Race's subsequent grand plans for the continent. After learning the answers to these questions, killing him wouldn't be too late.
However, facing Li Xuanxiao's fierce and predatory advance, Eton, whose defeat was sealed, suddenly revealed a morbidly liberated smile. He spread his arms wide, displaying the final, terrifying fervor of a martyr.
"God! Your servant is about to embark on the journey home. At this moment of culmination, I shall dedicate my entire body to Your glory."
"Though my flesh will turn to dust in this soil, my Soul will return to Your Divine Kingdom. There, I shall continue to serve Your holy will, eternally."
As Eton finished his fanatical prayer, a volatile, terrifying Luck enveloped his body.
Li Xuanxiao instinctively stopped in his tracks, reversing his momentum to immediately create distance from Eton.
The next second, Eton's body cracked like shattered glass, revealing glowing streaks of fissures. The cracks accumulated more and more, finally covering his entire visage and limbs.
BOOM—
Eton's body instantly exploded, not into gore or blood, but into a blinding sky full of pure, searing white light.
Simultaneously, the familiar System notifications popped up before Li Xuanxiao's eyes:
[Successfully slain a Fourth Layer Void Realm Devil Race member, obtaining 4 million Demon value Points.]
[First time slaying a Devil Race member, obtaining 200 million Demon value Points.]
Li Xuanxiao shook his head slowly as the white light dissipated. This fellow was too severe. The moment he realizes he cannot win, he simply chooses to self-destruct!
It truly had the flavor of a fanatical ritual suicide.
What a pity; all that effort, and I didn't get to interrogate him at all before he pulled the plug.
His understanding of the Devil Race remained quite limited. This particular Devil Race member differed significantly in his attack style from the last one he had encountered in the borderlands. This guy relied almost entirely on invoking gods, using the so-called power of a deity to fight. The previous one leaned far more toward the close-quarters fighting style of a traditional Martial Artist.
It seems the Devil Race also has different divisions of labor and specialization...
Making these quiet guesses in his mind, Li Xuanxiao turned his head to look coldly at the massive crowd of remaining Demon Race members.
Thanks to this late Devil Race officer, he had conveniently gathered an incredible concentration of Demon Race members in one spot. Roughly estimating, there were at least tens of thousands arrayed across the horizon, right?
It seemed their original ambition was to completely wipe out this medium-sized nation, the Silver Deer Kingdom, in one foul swoop.
Tsk, tsk... and now all of this premium bounty has fallen straight into my lap, hehehe!
Without a single moment of hesitation, Li Xuanxiao directly executed the 「Sky-Ripping Astral Slash」! A colossal, sky-obscuring blade light manifested across the heavens, its sheer sharpness causing the atmosphere to scream.
Sensing the absolute, unavoidable death descending from the sky, several Origin Realm Demon Race officers were greatly alarmed. They completely broke formation, falling to their knees in mid-air as they shrieked frantically for mercy:
"Spare my life, My Lord! I know what the high command is planning!"
"Lord Eton was only a vanguard! There are many more like him currently deploying across the Southern Domain!"
"Their ambitions are enormous! My Lord, if you spare my life, I will confess everything to you!"