What is a true strong person? Right now, there's the perfect explanation.
The old national teacher held a blood-red ancient sword. With just one strike—just one sword—he cleaved off the arm of the Magic Ape that was about to break into the mysterious realm of the Immortals. In that moment, the old man, who had always seemed like a kindly, frail elder, emanated a pressure so intense it was almost suffocating.
"With one sword in hand, the clouds of the eight directions move. Who in the world dares to compete?" This was the true representation of the old man in that instant.
Tian Fan watched this scene in admiration. Though he had never practiced cultivation himself, he knew clearly how powerful that one sword strike was—it could obliterate everything in its path.
Even Dragon Aotian, who had realized the old national teacher's strength, was left speechless. The aura from the Magic Ape was no weaker than his own—possibly even stronger—but it was cleaved off with just one sword strike from the elder.
Long Yueying's mouth opened in an "O" shape, and then she switched to an expression full of admiration, her eyes filled with stars. "The old man is amazing!"
The Magic Ape, its snow-white fur stained with blood from its severed right arm, contorted its face in fury. Two streams of white smoke began rising from its nostrils, its rage palpable.
It roared and, with its remaining arm, began violently pounding its muscular chest, which was covered in black fur. The scene looked almost comical, and Long Teng Yueying couldn't help but laugh.
"Haha, this guy is so funny..."
Upon hearing her words, the Magic Ape became completely enraged. With a furious roar, it charged toward her. Its lone arm surged with black light, carrying a corrosive power as it aimed to strike down the "annoying" woman before it.
"How dare you!"
Seeing the Magic Ape charge toward his beloved daughter, Dragon Aotian roared in fury. Golden light erupted from his body as a divine dragon made of light burst forth from within him. The dragon coiled around him and then became a golden aura that enveloped his right hand.
With a mighty roar, Dragon Aotian swung his fist, crashing into the charging Magic Ape. The two fists collided, and the black demonic light clashed with the golden divine brilliance, creating an explosion of blinding light.
"Boom..."
A violent explosion erupted from between the two fists, sending Dragon Aotian stumbling back three paces. His hand trembled slightly.
"Impressive, this ape's cultivation is above mine!" Dragon Aotian thought, his heart shaken, though his face remained unchanged.
In comparison, the Magic Ape was also forced back five steps from the earlier clash. After taking the elder's devastating sword strike, it had suffered significant injuries.
"You have cultivated hard to reach your current level. If you retreat now, I will not make things difficult for you," the old national teacher said calmly as he appeared three paces in front of the ape. He spoke to it in a measured tone.
The Magic Ape stared at the human who had suddenly appeared before it, its black, primal face filled with shock. The old man's speed was terrifyingly fast! Upon seeing the blood-red sword in the elder's hand, a look of fear crossed the ape's face.
It instinctively took a step back, gazing at the ancient sword and then at its severed arm. After a moment of consideration, it let out an enraged roar and stood tall once more.
"Ao..."
In that moment, the ape's muscles began to bulge exponentially. A suffocating aura began to spread through the air, and a series of ripples radiated from it, blowing dust across the ground. Sensing this overwhelming aura, Dragon Aotian's face darkened, and he braced himself for battle, ready to intervene if necessary to protect the old national teacher.
The elder, sensing the ape's overwhelming power, remained unfazed. Slowly, he raised his right hand, gripping the ancient sword. The red light from the sword flared, and a pressure equivalent to the Magic Ape's erupted from him.
The two forces clashed violently, the air crackling with energy, and small arcs of electricity flashed between them. The power was so immense that space itself began to distort. This was no longer a mere battle—it was an almighty clash of divine realms!
Such individuals from the Immortal Realm were rare on the Divine Martial Continent, often being tyrants ruling over entire regions. Normally, such beings would never engage in casual combat, as their strength could shake the heavens and wreak havoc on the world.
After forcibly pushing the limits of its power, the Magic Ape had temporarily reached the early stage of the Immortal Realm. However, this came at a great cost: if it defeated its opponents, its cultivation would fall back by an entire stage, back to the initial level of the Chaos Realm. It would take years to return to its peak.
If it were in a normal situation, the ape would never consider using such a drastic tactic. The elder's sword had already severed its arm, and the damage was immense. But if it could defeat the humans in front of it, it could devour the half-awakened dragon bloodline of the jiao. Once that happened, it would breakthrough to the Immortal Realm, transform into a human form, and regenerate its severed arm.
With this temptation in mind, the ape had no choice but to push forward, choosing to sacrifice its cultivation for a brief surge in power, hoping to defeat these humans.
"Roar..."
The Magic Ape faced the sky and let out a defiant roar, its entire body radiating black light as it transformed into a massive, radiant ancestor ape. It charged toward the elder with overwhelming force.
The elder, seeing the enormous energy heading straight for him, raised his ancient sword in his right hand and formed a nameless seal with his left hand. A golden sphere of light appeared in his palm. He then gently moved his left hand forward, and the golden sphere transformed into a dazzling beam of light, meeting the incoming energy from the ape head-on.
"Boom..."
The two forces collided, creating a deafening explosion. The surrounding air turned into a violent storm, sending everyone flying back. Several princes were flung a yard away, and Tian Fan would have been thrown far away if not for Dragon Yuyun pulling him behind her.
Among them, Long Yueying was the most relaxed. She simply stood behind Dragon Aotian, doing nothing. With her father's cultivation, withstanding such shockwaves was no problem at all—it was a piece of cake.
Seeing that his powerful attack could still do nothing to the tiny human before him, the Magic Ape was filled with intense rage. A powerful aura suddenly retreated back into its body. In the next moment, it transformed into a streak of black light in the shape of an ape, now with even greater strength—its power had doubled compared to before. It let out a thunderous roar and charged at the old national master.
Long Aotian was deeply shocked, his face showing signs of fear. He knew that such an attack was beyond his ability to withstand. The several princes struggled to withstand the overwhelming energy. Particularly Long Yuyun, who was burdened even more heavily as he was protecting those behind him. Sweat started to bead on his forehead, and Tian Fan, seeing all of this, was moved deeply.
The Flood Dragon was also filled with worry. This battle would determine its future!
"Sword without shadow, Chaos returns to the origin..."
For the first time in this battle, the old national master spoke. Raising his right hand high, the blood-red ancient sword pointed straight upward. The sword's blade shone with an intimidating cold light, captivating the soul. A beam of sword light, as bright as the heavens, erupted from the ancient sword, and the old man's aura exploded with a sudden increase in power, suppressing the Magic Ape's violent energy fluctuations. The others immediately felt lighter, and the oppressive atmosphere around them was alleviated.
"Slash!" The old man whispered.
The dazzling sword light descended from the sky, directly striking the Magic Ape. The ape raised both hands to the sky, manifesting a black shield of light to block the attack, but it was ultimately powerless to resist this fatal blow. With a final, unwilling roar, the Magic Ape disappeared without a trace under the radiant sword.
"One may forgive heaven's crimes, but one cannot forgive one's own crimes..." The old man's voice was calm, and a mighty presence that could rival the initial stage of the Immortal Realm was destroyed by his sword in an instant.
The Magical Forest, usually shrouded in a white mist and considered a mysterious and dangerous place filled with powerful beasts, now stood still. In the eyes of the world, the Magic Ape—who had reached the Immortal Realm—was effortlessly slain by the old man, leaving not even a trace of dust behind.
"How powerful is this old man? Could he be at the peak of the Immortal Realm?" Long Yueying asked, her eyes sparkling as she ran out from behind Long Aotian, gazing at the old man as if she were looking at a strange object.
"Brother Jiao, begin your breakthrough to the Divine Dragon Realm now. I will not break my word!" The old national master once again addressed the Flood Dragon.
The Flood Dragon looked at the old man, pondered for a moment, and then nodded its massive head. It lay down on the ground, glowing faintly with light. Having witnessed the old man's power, it fully believed that with the old master's strength, defeating or refining it would not be difficult.
"Alright, Aotian, you and the others follow my instructions. In order to prevent the aura from disrupting the surrounding area and attracting even stronger magical creatures, I will now set up the 'Heaven-sealing God Array' to block the energy fluctuations!" The old national master said, turning to Long Aotian and the princes.
Since Long Yueying's cultivation was lower, she did not participate in this arrangement, and Tian Fan, as a mere mortal, was not needed. The old national master began to arrange the formation, while Long Aotian and the three princes each took their positions to form a pentagram shape with the old man in the center. The Flood Dragon stood at the core.
After everyone took their positions, the old national master nodded and tossed five small flags, planting them in the ground. The flags fluttered in the wind, each covered in strange symbols. The old man's expression became solemn as he raised both hands, making complex hand seals. The flags immediately began to glow with a faint azure light, and a five-pointed star formation slowly emerged from the ground, rising above their heads, slowly rotating. Strands of blue light fell from the formation, completely isolating the group's energy.
At this moment, Long Yueying felt no energy from anyone around her. If she could not see them with her eyes, she would have thought they had disappeared. As for Tian Fan, he felt nothing at all.
"Alright, just stay in place and channel your energy into the small flags beneath you. Everything else will depend on the formation itself," the old national master instructed.
Within the formation, the Flood Dragon began to glow faintly with golden light. Those inside the formation could clearly feel its energy gradually increasing. Its aura grew stronger, and the golden light around it intensified. The dragon's scales began to shed, blood flowing down its massive body. The whole body was becoming a mass of blood and flesh as it let out a pained groan.
Slowly, the dragon's scales completely fell off, leaving its body in a bloody, flesh-like state. Even the antler-like horns on its head broke off, turning to ash before hitting the ground. Its long tail began to decay, and the Flood Dragon now seemed to be suffering greatly.
Finally, the dragon's body shattered, leaving a mangled mess of flesh.
"Did it fail after all?" The old national master gazed at the bloodied mess in the center of the formation, his expression filled with disappointment. Long Aotian and the others also had grim expressions on their faces.
In the center of the five-pointed star, the Flood Dragon's aura gradually diminished. The once majestic form of the dragon had now been reduced to a pile of broken flesh. Everyone felt a sense of sorrow for the Flood Dragon, and Tian Fan silently sympathized with it as well.
Just as the old national master was about to dismantle the five-pointed star formation, the mass of blood began to slowly twitch. A faint aura began to emerge and gradually strengthened. In a moment, an unmatched, powerful energy spread across the surroundings. The formation's star map began to tremble, and endless spiritual energy from the surrounding world rushed in. The white mist-like energy swirled into the golden light, rapidly fueling it, and the power grew even stronger—surpassing even the might of the old national master's Immortal Realm sword.
The five-pointed star formation seemed unable to bear such overwhelming energy, and cracks began to appear. The old national master decisively withdrew the five small flags, sensing that the Flood Dragon had finally succeeded in breaking through to the Divine Dragon Realm!
"Roar..."
At the same time, a deafening dragon's roar echoed through the sky. It shook the heavens above and the earth below, and golden light burst forth. In the center of the formation, an immensely powerful and sacred creature appeared. Its giant antlers rose from its head, its thick serpent-like body covered in golden scales. Its four powerful dragon legs each had five sharp claws, capable of tearing the void apart with the slightest movement.
This was a true Divine Dragon!
Long Aotian, trembling with excitement, whispered, "A Divine Dragon, it's really a Divine Dragon! I, Long Aotian, never expected I would witness one in my lifetime!"
Even the old national master, despite his strength, was deeply moved. This was the legendary creature of myths!
The golden Divine Dragon lowered its head, showing a kind expression to the people below. Then, in an instant, it soared into the sky and let out another tremendous roar.
"Roar..."
In the Magical Forest, all the powerful beasts in the surrounding mountains trembled at the sound of the roar. They fell to the ground, filled with fear and reverence, bowing their heads in worship toward the direction of the Divine Dragon.
The Divine Dragon had emerged, and all the creatures bowed in submission!
However, just as the Divine Dragon basked in its glory, a much darker and more terrifying energy exploded from the depths of the Magical Forest. A massive black hand reached from the darkness and shot up into the sky, aiming directly at the Divine Dragon...