## The Heavenly Mandate Stage

Today, upon the Heavenly Mandate Stage, Jiang Wang stood tall, his gaze fixed on the structure rising four stories before him. His thoughts chased the echoes of the Dao, seeking its profound grasp.

The path of the Seven Stars unfolded in the void, the four great sacred structures connecting and shining. He seemed to tread upon the mountains and rivers, suspended beneath the Northern Dipper, a figure of unmatched bearing in the world.

Across from him stood the resplendent Qing Yang Zi. The entire assembly fell silent, as if beholding a divine Buddha.

And then, Chong Xuan Zun, clad in white that surpassed the snow, offered a languid smile and simply asked, “Good?”

It was as if a spring breeze melted frozen snow, or a bright moon illuminated the rivers. His light strokes, his casual demeanor, in an instant dissolved the “momentum” Jiang Wang had built.

He was the worldly young master, refined and graceful, why should his life be plagued by hardship? Let you be renowned throughout the world, a king, a marquis, a general, let you be as brilliant as the heavens and the earth, unmatched in the world. To me, you are like wind and snow, like clouds and moon, no different from anything else in this world. I do not look down upon you, but I, Chong Xuan Zun…

Within the same realm, I am invincible.

The two most outstanding youths of the Qi Kingdom, contemporaries of their generation, now faced each other, their eyes locked.

Their Qi machines intertwined, their momentum clashed.

The battle between them had already begun, even before this very day. They contended with momentum, with intent, with power.

Jiang Wang took a step back and said, “Thank you for your long wait.”

You wait, and I will rise another story. I will concede a step in momentum, in the spirit of fairness.

Yan Ping, unbeknownst to anyone, had already opened his eyes. Ruan Qu, hands clasped behind his back, watched with delight.

A golden light quickly traced a circle, enclosing both Chong Xuan Zun and Jiang Wang. This vast golden circle would not impede their fight, but it would contain the ripples of their struggle, preventing them from affecting those outside the designated area.

Then, only Cao Ji’s voice was heard: “Then, let it begin!”

“Begin!”

“Begin!”

“Begin!”

As this word descended, it transformed into a whistling sound, echoing continuously, instantly stirring a roar of thunder. Suddenly, the thunder startled the birds, and flames drew their forms.

To say “begin” was to have already begun! Cao Ji had merely uttered a single, ordinary sentence, unlike the unintentional catalyst provided by Ku Bing of the Suspended Temple. But Jiang Wang controlled its sound, imbuing it with the Vajra Thunder Sound of the Outer Path, creating time where none existed! Due to time constraints, his mastery of this sound-killing technique was not yet perfect, but merely triggering the thunder was enough. With one sound, he brought forth ten thousand.

In an instant, thunder light washed the ground, illuminating Chong Xuan Zun’s surroundings. The thunderous flame-birds shrieked and exploded, a sound that seemed to pierce the heavens and earth! He sought to replicate the battle at the Suspended Temple, to seize the first move! To this day, looking across the world, among cultivators below the Divine Abode realm, who would dare to make the first move against Jiang Wang?

The benefit of the battles among the heavenly talents at the View River Platform was multifaceted. Besides showcasing the future of the human race and assessing the potential of various nations, it also allowed the young geniuses of different countries to gain a certain understanding of one another. The winds and clouds of the next hundred years would, to a large extent, be inseparable from the clashes between them.

Jiang Wang had asked himself more than once: Facing Chong Xuan Zun, where was my advantage? If focused solely on the specific Yellow River Meeting, his advantage lay in the fact that, even fighting all the way to claiming the Kui position, he had not entered a near-death state. In other words, on the View River Platform, he had not exhibited his limits at that time. Chong Xuan Zun, on the other hand, had faced a terrifying opponent like Dou Zhao and fought to the point of exhaustion! Compared to Chong Xuan Zun’s understanding of him, he wanted to understand Chong Xuan Zun more. This was because Chong Xuan Zun had displayed more on the View River Platform.

Jiang Wang believed he possessed the advantage of “knowing.” He had some understanding of Chong Xuan Zun’s five Heavenly Palace divine abilities: Sun Wheel, Moon Wheel, Star Wheel, Cut Delusion, and Heavy Xuan. All were within his “knowledge.”

At this moment, with the Vajra Thunder Sound of the Outer Path, he unleashed thunderous flame-birds to seize the initiative, instantly spreading thunderous sounds across the field. Even if Chong Xuan Zun’s movement technique was world-class, it would be impossible not to touch a single lightning bolt or be affected by a wisp of sound pattern. If Chong Xuan Zun used the Sun Wheel for defense, he would then replicate the battle at the Suspended Temple; no matter how solid Chong Xuan Zun’s Sun Wheel was, it could not be stronger than the Indestructible Subduing Dragon Golden Body! If he were to contend for the first move, Chong Xuan Zun might even use the Star Wheel to resist injury—that would be an even greater gain! To exchange the effect of one Star Wheel with a single thunderous flame-bird, how could that not be a gain?

In the instant he raised his hand, the infinite variations of the entire battle were reflected in his heart.

Then, he saw—

A streak of blade light!

Blazing white blade light tore through the heavens and earth, splitting the sea of thunder, ripping open cracks in the sound and electricity, and directly targeting the fundamental, chopping forth! It seemed to have never been obscured, never confused, as if from the very beginning it knew where to swing the blade and where to end.

This was the power of the Dao, the wonder of Cut Delusion! Cut Delusion was both his divine ability and his Dao. Just as Dou Zhao took the Dao of Battle, striving for invincibility and killing without equal, Chong Xuan Zun took Cut Delusion as his Dao, invincible without delusion. Every strike of his blade targeted the opponent’s weakness.

Thus, a single blade strike cracked the sea of thunder and chopped towards Jiang Wang. He walked the most direct path, his blade light sweeping across the most uninhibited trajectory.

The blade light was suddenly close. In that instant of blazing white, it solidified within the sea of thunder. Jiang Wang’s Qian Yang Chi Pupils reflected the manifestation of that blade light. He first saw a slender, powerful hand extending from the sleeve of a snow-like robe, its color not inferior to snow in the slightest. And this hand… grasped a wheel of moonlight!

Naturally, Chong Xuan Zun had unleashed moonlight! The Moon Wheel divine ability! In an instant, pillars of moonlight stood like a forest, spreading across the field, fixing countless thunderous flame-birds and sealing off Jiang Wang’s maneuvering space!

Chong Xuan Zun had actually used the Moon Wheel as a blade, driven by the power of the Dao. This single strike not only broke the sea of thunder and divided the sound tide, but it also imprisoned the target and directly aimed at the vital point.

Too fast! Too strong! Too decisive! Too precise! How could there be such a magnificent blade strike?

During the Yellow River Meeting, Chong Xuan Zun’s blade technique had not yet reached its peak, somewhat inferior to heavenly talents like Dou Zhao and Gan Chang An. But judging by this single strike… What need was there for world-class blade technique? If your every strike directly targets the fundamental and penetrates the root, then how could your every strike not be the peak of blade? The myriad laws of the world, different paths leading to the same destination!

Within the sea of thunder, the Moon Wheel light shone so quietly. You could almost feel its peace. Only the blade light still advanced. In an era of imprisoned freedom, this blade chopped towards the original truth!

In Jiang Wang’s pair of red-gold eyes, the reflected snow-bright blade light was instantly covered in red light. The Single Rider Breaking Formation Map unfolded within his divine soul world. Jiang Wang’s body, like a red sun, directly smashed into Chong Xuan Zun’s Heavenly Palace through this map. The divine soul diagram volume passed down by the Xiang clan was truly useful in divine soul combat. Without this map, it would not have been so easy to complete the “great army entering the city.”

Powerful divine soul energy surged like a myriad army. But from within that vast Heavenly Palace, a figure clad in white leaped out. Chong Xuan Zun directly faced this divine soul offensive, charging into the sky, a faint smile seemingly playing at the corner of his mouth. He precisely raised his palm like a blade, cold and solemn, chopping down upon this setting sun falling westward. Divine soul energy tempered into blade light, brilliant and dazzling within the divine soul world! Before even approaching, it had already caused the setting sun to crack.

The delusion of the divine soul also could not confuse. The gate of life and death, for whom did it open?

From within that cracked setting sun, Jiang Wang manifested the sword spirit of Long Xiang Si and counter-killed with a single sword. Divine soul clashed with divine soul! Sword light and blade light collided, transforming into clouds of smoke. Jiang Wang, with a thought, released several hundred divine soul hidden snakes as a diversion, then turned and exited the divine soul struggle. He had the advantage in divine soul power, while his opponent had the home advantage of the Heavenly Palace. It was difficult to achieve much on the divine soul layer. The dilemma on the physical body layer, however, was urgent.

At this moment, the Moon Wheel light fixed the sea of thunder, making everything so quiet. And that blade light was close, right in front of his eyes!

Between Jiang Wang’s chest and abdomen, five groups of dazzling light sources lit up, marking the first step of opening the Heavenly Palace of the body. Surging power drummed against his body. Long Xiang Si was already unsheathed.

After a streak of frosty brilliance that divided the heavens and earth, came countless howling threads of sword Qi! A single sword’s sword Qi had already become silk, ten thousand threads of silver snow colliding with the moonlight— In an instant, the sensory world seemed to have stagnated. People only saw a group of dazzling blazing white! Suddenly, it was as if a spring breeze arrived overnight, bringing forth thousands of pear trees and ten thousand blooming pear flowers. The heavens and earth were all snow, the vision all vast!

Snow white collided with moon white, threads of sword Qi collided with the Moon Wheel light. A sharp, tearing sound indicated the myriad intersections of sword Qi and moonlight. In that white, vast world, there was an existence shining with five mansions of divine power. Suddenly, another five mansions of divine power light flared! The vast majority of people could not clearly see the two people intersecting within that white, vast world, only roughly knowing that at this moment, Heavenly Palace was clashing with Heavenly Palace.

The feeling of white vastness in their vision gradually receded. But the figures around the two bodies, radiating Heavenly Palace light, became clearer.

Too fast, too fast! So fast that vision struggled to capture it. One white, one green, two figures, swirling like lightning.

Chong Xuan Zun’s white clothes fluttered, like goose feathers, like flying snow, like moonlight. He was ethereal and agile, suddenly left, suddenly right, suddenly up, suddenly down, wantonly playing with the power of Heavy Xuan, both controlling himself and restricting Jiang Wang. Jiang Wang, however, had red smoke rising around his body, surging up and down, making him like a figure in a painting.

This was precisely the Misty Feather Smoke Armor created by Zuo Guang Shu, which could adapt to the complex Heavy Xuan environment, combined with the self-control of the Heavenly Palace of the body, and his footwork of the Azure Cloud Mark, allowing him to stroll through the air with the Azure Cloud Immortal Technique! His familiarity with the secrets of Heavy Xuan was not recent; his usual rigorous practice of the Heavy Xuan Scripture was precisely for this moment, facing the Heavy Xuan divine ability with freedom.

They saw the Moon Wheel strike Long Xiang Si, and the two individuals chased and killed each other within a square inch! One green line and one white line continuously intersected, circling each other, weaving a network of beautiful light. Amidst the clang of metal and iron, those dense light marks had already woven a sphere of light more than ten zhang in size. Every point within this sphere of light was a mark of their intersection. Space “remembered” their battle!

Even though it was so short, it was again… so long. The old traces had not yet dissipated, and new ones were already born. The two figures seemed to be challenging the limits of the viewers’ eyesight, suddenly up, down, left, right, suddenly forward, backward, folding and flying, wanting to complete every intersection’s judgment within the thousandth of an instant— What kind of confidence, what kind of strength, was needed to complete such intersections?

Saying this was merely a mundane battle, two young men fighting for the name of Vanguard of the Summer Purge. In the world, there were countless struggles for power and profit. These two individuals were not special. But the fight itself did indeed elevate them into a kind of beauty, a kind of art! Clearly, it was the most dangerous, life-and-death struggle in a matter of breaths within inches, yet they intertwined and fought like this, in a state of tight nerves and extreme focus, killing until the sky was dark and the earth was desolate!

At this moment, what they contended with was not only technique, not only momentum, not only force.

It was also will! Whose heart was firm as iron? Who was unshakable? Who… would be the first to make a mistake?

And only the truly strong could see— In this extremely dangerous close-quarters battle, Chong Xuan Zun’s every blade strike directly targeted the fundamental. Jiang Wang’s sword technique, meanwhile, had already reached the divine realm. These were two different paths, yet both were performed to the peak of this border. The peak of movement technique, the peak of blade and sword. Worthy of being two world-class heavenly talents!

In Jiang Wang’s pupils, the red-gold light of immortality flowed. He wanted to let Chong Xuan Zun see his eternity. In such intense pursuit and killing, he still continuously opened up divine soul struggles! Outside his body, sword whistling Dao techniques rose, sealing laws and suppressing divine abilities. On the divine soul layer, his sword once again collided with the Heavenly Palace, and once again left distracting divine soul hidden snakes or divine soul flame-birds. Inside and outside the body, physical body and divine soul, everywhere was war!

Jiang Wang’s momentum, Jiang Wang’s intent, declared to Chong Xuan Zun everywhere— Kill until the heavens are desolate and the earth is old, kill until the oil is exhausted and the lamp is dry. I will absolutely not change. I want to contend with you at this level of intersection, consuming the last drop of lamp oil, the last tear of the candle. Jiang Wang was confident that he was more eternal; at least on the divine soul layer, he could be the first to see Chong Xuan Zun’s weakness. With such a psychological advantage, in the increasingly intense pursuit and killing, he was calmer, more determined!

Chong Xuan Zun, meanwhile, always had a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, seemingly not caring much about everything that was happening. But in one strike, he grabbed with five fingers, scattering a handful of moonlight. In his hand appeared a scorching light, manifesting a fierce sun. The Sun Wheel divine ability that suppressed all evil and cleared all turbidity. All evil retreated, gods and ghosts were burned! He changed his move first, scattering the moonlight and grasping the Sun Wheel!

He actually had the confidence to fight Jiang Wang to the end. On the physical body layer, his thousand-times-tempered flesh body could absolutely be the first to see Jiang Wang’s weakness. He absolutely believed that his Cut Delusion could be the first to chop through Jiang Wang’s flaw. But that kind of victory, born after enduring hardship… was inevitably not free-spirited enough! Not romantic enough! His change of move was not forced, but a kind of confidence stronger than Jiang Wang’s!

Jiang Wang insisted on contending to the end, wanting to wait for his change of move, waiting for him to make a mistake, waiting for that opportunity born in change. He then wanted to let Jiang Wang know— Not all opportunities can be grasped, and some changes you cannot receive. Your waiting is a kind of weakness, your endurance is a kind of uncertainty. Your heart has already lost!

Force does not kill until exhausted, but the intent to kill is already there. Relative to the scattered casual smile on the corner of his mouth, his pupils were so cold and solemn, pitch black and bright, grasping the black to contend for the first!

The Sun Wheel was grasped in his hand. His muscles were streamlined and clearly defined. Not like the massive muscles of Kui Mountain, towering high. But when he clenched the Sun Wheel with his five fingers, it was as if great rivers surged within his muscles—that uncontainable, terrifying power of the flesh body!

Hand grasping the Sun Wheel, combined with Heavy Xuan. Wind and thunder howled, smashing towards Jiang Wang’s forehead! He seemed to have an inexplicable obsession with other people’s foreheads. And with this strike smashing down, space actually produced cracks like spider webs— Jiang Wang was right in the center of that spider web!

——Additional Notes——

Grass, just discovered. Yesterday was Jiang Wang’s birthday, and tomorrow is mine. And we’re both working.