"It is the Star-Emperor!"
"Lord Star-Emperor!"
Following a cry of alarm, everyone from the Star-Sea World fixed their gaze on Qi Ping.
With just a single look, everyone was shocked. This was a scene they had completely failed to anticipate.
The Unity Stage battlefield had not ended. It was only because the hidden world-core had been shattered by the terrifying shockwaves of the battle that the battlefield had entered the next phase early.
In other words, the battle that might decide the fate of everything was still ongoing.
As they witnessed this peak battle between two worlds, nearly everyone was left dumbstruck.
The horror of this combat exceeded everyone's expectations. They had thought the Unity Stage battlefield would be terrifying, but they never imagined it would reach this level.
In everyone's eyes, Qi Ping was clad in powerful golden armor, holding the Mountain-River Seal that contained vast heavenly majesty. His aura was strong enough to shake the heavens and earth; even a leak of his pressure made people feel fear.
Furthermore, the strength Qi Ping displayed was not limited to this. The Yin-Yang dragons carrying the Five Elements Laws and the Spatial Wings that shattered everything all possessed the power to destroy worlds.
With so much world-destroying power gathered in one person, it was impossible to imagine how monstrous Qi Ping's strength had become.
Undoubtedly, everyone knew Qi Ping had achieved an unimaginable breakthrough.
If they hadn't seen this with their own eyes, everyone would have firmly believed Qi Ping had the strength to crush any enemy. They wouldn't have worried at all. After all, with such power, how could he fail?
But at this moment, after seeing the enemy fighting Qi Ping, an unspeakable worry rose in everyone's hearts.
"That black dragon... what kind of existence is it?"
When saying this, some people's bodies were uncontrollably trembling. This wasn't because of inner cowardice; it was a supreme suppression from the level of life itself. The gap was perhaps like a mortal ant looking at a divine beast.
The crowd watched that super dragon, wreathed in black flames, their hearts trembling wildly. Only those with top-tier strength, talent, and Dao-hearts could barely resist the pressure. If just looking at it was this extreme, then Qi Ping, facing it directly, was in a position beyond words.
Fortunately, through the apocalyptic scenes of destruction, one could barely see that the battle was incredibly fierce—it wasn't a fight without a chance of victory.
Compared to the reaction of the Star-Sea World, the reaction of the demons on the other side of the barrier was even more exaggerated.
At this moment, every demon—regardless of rank or strength—actually knelt toward that black dragon in unison! Even the Integrated-stage Saint Demons were no exception.
This scene made the Star-Sea crowd even more shocked. Without a doubt, this was a demon whose status was exalted beyond imagination.
What the demons felt at this moment was infinite humility and fear coming from their very bloodline, alongside uncontrollable fervor and worship.
"*"
An incomprehensible sound was chanted by every demon, as if praying to the true name of a supreme being.
What the Star-Sea crowd didn't know was that the internal shock of the demons was not a bit less than theirs—in fact, it was more extreme.
Although the vast majority of demons didn't know the supreme existences of the Demon Realm or the mysterious king in the demonic nest, the moment the black dragon appeared, memories rooted in the depths of their bloodline surfaced.
Just like now, almost none of the demons present knew of this black dragon's existence or its true form. But that didn't stop them from knowing—via memories emerging from their blood—that this was an unspeakable supreme existence!
Before it, even high-and-mighty Saint Demons were but humble slaves.
Yet, because of this, they were so shocked to see Qi Ping fighting the black dragon. The Star-Sea World had actually produced someone capable of contending with such a supreme existence? Who exactly was this Qi Ping?
Every Saint Demon on the battlefield was more shocked than anyone else. They had never known there were such transcendent existences in the Demon Realm; a mere thread of bloodline memory made it so that even they, as Saint Demons, couldn't even harbor a thought of resistance.
Such unimaginable methods made their hearts tremble with madness and fear. They didn't want to be like this, but even if they used all their strength, they couldn't suppress the impulse in their blood.
Because of this, no one knew better than them just how strong that black dragon was. It was a supreme existence that was absolutely impossible to contend with!
Yet, such a supreme existence was actually meeting a formidable rival!
Its dragon scales were constantly breaking and falling...
A section of its tail had been sliced off...
One of the dragon horns representing supreme dignity had been smashed off...
There was a super deep crater on its chest that seemed impossible to heal.
Such a state could already be described as miserable. And the one who caused all this was that human boy they once thought they could squeeze to death at will!
What was happening?
Back then, this man honored as the Star-Emperor struggled a bit against a Void Refinement junior like the Black Hole Demonic God. But now, he was actually fighting a mysterious supreme existence of the Demon Realm on equal terms?
Even though it was just a thread of that supreme existence's Divided Consciousness, it was enough to shock every demon.
However, what made them breathe a slight sigh of relief was that the state of the guy called the Star-Emperor didn't seem much better.
His golden armor was battered and broken.
Blood flowed incessantly from his seven facial orifices.
His chest had been pierced through, leaving a large hole where a terrifying black flame was frantically preventing the wound from healing.
Most frightening were the hideous, scorched wounds covering his skin.
All of this indicated that this was a tragic battle.
With every breath that passed, countless more wounds appeared on both sides, and they were nearly blasted to pieces.
The battle between Qi Ping and the black dragon was too horrific. Almost every move was an apocalyptic scene of heaven and earth collapsing. Every technique carried world-destroying power—the erosion of time, the roar of Yin and Yang, the annihilation of space.
Such a battle truly exceeded everyone's imagination.
"Damn it! Can I still not completely kill him even with my current combat power?"
Qi Ping looked at the black dragon before him that seemed impossible to kill, and a sense of powerlessness rose in his heart.
It was too hard!
He had originally thought that under the Gilded Providence of the Four Great Mysteries, he would have the strength to suppress the opponent. Based on the combat power the black dragon had displayed before, it should have been possible.
But just now, he had exerted his full effort, erupting his entire foundation and all his combat techniques. He had even hit an extreme combat state during the fight. He truly couldn't have done better; this was the most absolute lethality he could muster.
Yet, it still couldn't kill this guy. The opponent hadn't even lost much combat strength.
As Qi Ping once again held the Mountain-River Seal and collided with the black dragon's terrifying claw, the space turned into a void under the horrific impact, and the fragile laws snapped directly.
Under such a fierce impact, even the Mountain-River Seal seemed unable to endure, as a hideous crack opened on it.
Qi Ping's right arm was snapped straight through by this attack. Golden-glowing bones pierced out from his skin, and blood sprayed along with the protruding bone. At the same time, several more hideous scorch marks appeared on his body, and one of his eyeballs was blasted to pieces.
Intense pain radiated from every corner of his body!
Most extreme was that this damage originated from the soul and laws. It was unavoidable and impossible to cut off; he could only endure it.
Although such damage looked terrifying, Qi Ping was already accustomed to it. In an instant, he forced his broken arm to recover violently.
The power of growth belonging to the Jungle Druid erupted within his body, quickly allowing his flesh to regain its combat capacity. His burst eyeball regrew amidst the fragments.
Without waiting for a full recovery, Qi Ping again smashed the Mountain-River Seal toward the black dragon!
In fact, this wasn't the first time Qi Ping had suffered such injuries. This wasn't even one of the most serious ones. The blood scabs that kept vanishing and reappearing on his body were the best proof.
Qi Ping didn't even know how much longer he could hold on, or when he could kill this terrifying guy. He didn't even know if he would be completely destroyed in the end.
Now, the only thing he could do was endure the soul-deep trauma and pain, focusing all his attention on the battle. Persistence and focus were all he had.
He didn't know what the final result would be, but if he didn't persist, there wouldn't even be a chance for a turning point.
This was the most difficult and painful battle Qi Ping had fought since embarking on the path of cultivation. Most difficult of all was that he had zero possibility of retreat. Neither his current status nor his inner convictions allowed him to shrink back.
'I don't know if I can win, but before my last drop of blood and the final spark of my consciousness are burned away, I will never retreat!'
Thinking of this, Qi Ping forcibly broke through the interference of pain. His fighting spirit rose instead of falling. He held the Mountain-River Seal and smashed it at the black dragon even more crazily, each strike carrying world-shaking lethality.
Because of this change, the golden armor on Qi Ping's body shone even more intensely. The Yin-Yang dragons circling him became more ferocious, even showing a tendency to turn the Five Elements Laws into his own armor and weapons.
"Madman! Madman! Madman!"
"How could such a human madman appear in the Star-Sea World?"
The black dragon's mental state was also nearing the edge of collapse. Just now, Qi Ping, whose momentum had surged again from the brink of decline, had used the Mountain-River Seal to break its other dragon horn!
That kind of terrifying damage was making its supreme Divided Consciousness almost unable to endure.
It didn't remember how many times it had pushed Qi Ping into a desperate situation, or how many times it had seen Qi Ping rise from decline to peak again. This intensity of combat was making an existence that had lived for countless ages almost unable to hold on. Yet, Qi Ping fought more fiercely in this state, his will growing at an incredible speed.
Even it had to view him in a new light. It hadn't expected that its attempt to seize the initiative and obtain the Immortal Key would almost result in its own Divided Consciousness being buried here.
It really couldn't understand: how was Qi Ping holding on until now?
If he only relied on that bit of Sovereign Power, it would be absolutely impossible. So what terrifying changes had the Gilded Providence brought to Qi Ping?
It had already started burning its Divided Consciousness! The price was unimaginably large. Even if it obtained Qi Ping's Sovereign foundation, it would only barely compensate for this part of the soul loss.
At its current level, the consumption of every action was unimaginable. Normal resources couldn't replenish it; it was essentially gone once used. If it weren't for having enough confidence, it wouldn't even have chosen to awaken.
It could be said that at this step, it had already lost thoroughly—unless it could successfully obtain the Immortal Key.
'This is the only choice... if I can't get the Immortal Key, I can't accept this result. I don't have any more time.'
Thinking of this, the fierce light in the black dragon's eyes grew more intense, and the aura on its body became more violent.
The intensity of the battle between Qi Ping and the black dragon actually increased by another level! Under such intensity, the injuries on both sides worsened rapidly.
But to ensure they didn't fall, they had to forcibly use various means to maintain their combat power.
Maybe persisting a bit longer would lead to victory!
This was a thought both sides held, and neither side seemed to have a reason to back down.
Such an increasingly horrific battle also completely shocked the living beings of both worlds. No one expected that a battle already fierce enough would continue to intensify.
By now, it could almost be described as tragic.
Anyone with eyes could see that both sides had exhausted their means, fighting until they were at their wits' end, unleashing every bit of combat power they could. Now, it seemed to depend on who could endure more.
The beings of both worlds felt increasingly anxious and tense. Whether it was Qi Ping being blasted apart or the black dragon being smashed by the Mountain-River Seal, it was possible they would never recover.
The demons of the Demon Realm also didn't expect that their supreme existence would be fought into such a pathetic state by such a weak world.
And everyone in the Star-Sea World felt an unspeakable heaviness. Especially Qi Ping's old friends; seeing him in this state brought them unspeakable pain.