"Exactly. Star-Extinguishing Evil has been hesitating, unsure if he should unleash his killing move. Five million Skyfiends detonating at once… the force of that annihilation would be unimaginable. It could injure even a Longevity-realm expert. But after the mass detonation, he'd have to capture new Skyfiends to replenish his treasure. It's troublesome and wasteful. Judging from how he's fighting, he won't use that technique. He has other trump cards. Besides… I can sense it—Fang Han's Hell Diagram is in the middle of a metamorphosis. He can't draw out its true power right now. Without the Hell Diagram, Fang Han has no way to defeat Star-Extinguishing Evil."
The elder with the shifting, void-like aura spoke again.
His name was Elder Moving-Stars, a master whose entire cultivation was centered on manipulating the power of the heavens—shifting the positions of small celestial bodies, adjusting star-arrays, influencing the stellar currents above the Xuanhuang World.
Outside the great world's skies hung countless minor star-islands, dim and lifeless, blocking the brilliance of true suns. For the disciples of the Starry Sky Sect to absorb the pure stellar force, these floating dead stars had to be arranged precisely into formation. That was Elder Moving-Stars' work. Without overwhelming power, no one could move such titanic objects.
Of course, he could only move dead, lightless stars.
A true star that radiated celestial energy was a sun, an eternal titan of the cosmos—vast beyond imagination, unmovable except by immortals themselves.
Still, even shifting star-islands thousands of miles wide exceeded the strength of anyone below the second realm of Longevity. Elder Moving-Stars had already touched the laws of the universe itself—his judgment carried tremendous weight.
And indeed, he was right.
Without using the Hell Diagram, Fang Han—even with ninety divine abilities fused into his life-seal—could not overpower Star-Extinguishing Evil.
High above the battlefield, Fang Han's Life Talisman Seal floated above him like a blazing halo, feeding power into his flesh. His speed reached its peak, flickering from angle to angle, assaulting Star-Extinguishing Evil from all directions. Every punch shattered mountains and blew apart the surrounding miles of qi.
But none of it mattered.
The stronger Fang Han struck, the stronger Star-Extinguishing Evil's astral soul-form became—his spear thrusts grew fiercer, every jab perfectly intercepting the force of Fang Han's fists, dissolving every ounce of power Fang Han threw at him.
"Man and Seal as One!"
Fang Han's body quaked. The Life Seal compressed again, condensing into glowing runes that merged into his skin. Ninety-nine layers of divine-ability power flooded into his meridians.
His whole body wrapped itself in a shimmering coat of runes.
His power exploded.
He stepped out, space detonating beneath his foot. A single punch shattered the sky—this time, it actually knocked Star-Extinguishing Evil's astral body backward. Fang Han lunged, intent on diving into the core of his defense and subduing him completely.
"My flesh is as strong as a Dao-artifact! My organs are fortified by the Five Emperors' True Qi, merged with the Six-Eyed Sealing Tablet! Man and Seal united—Heaven and Earth break before me! Star-Extinguishing Evil, concede!"
His next punch tore apart most of the golden protection of the Ancient Buddha Lantern Parasol, reaching toward Star-Extinguishing Evil's physical body.
Break his protective treasure, seize his body—force him to yield.
It was a friendly duel, not a death match; both had refrained from killing blows.
But Star-Extinguishing Evil let out a cold shout. His spine straightened, and golden radiance burst from his flesh. His entire body turned a molten, sacred gold—identical to the Buddha-spirit residing within the lantern parasol.
A pure golden, indestructible physique.
Few cultivators trained body-tempering arts. The human body was fragile—one step wrong, and one died. Fang Han could follow such a path only because he had the Yama King's golden body as a foundation, had swallowed countless pills, had the Five Elements Demonforce protecting his organs, and had refined the Six-Eyed Stele into his viscera.
But Star-Extinguishing Evil, improbably, had also cultivated a profound body-tempering technique.
"Diamond Arhat. Bodhisattva. Tenfold Pure Lands. Indestructible Vajra Body! Fang Han, did you think my flesh was weak? I have cultivated the secret Buddhist art of the Undying Golden Body. Once I step into the Longevity realm, my flesh and Dharma Form will merge—I'll far surpass ordinary immortals!"
His golden form roared like a lion. One punch countered Fang Han perfectly, angles flawless, force flowing like a cannon blast.
Simultaneously, his astral soul-form circled behind Fang Han, weaving a massive stellar formation around him.
"Ancient Buddha Lantern Parasol—Suppress!"
Star-Extinguishing Evil's will roared.
The parasol exploded in golden light.
Millions of Skyfiends inside chanted in unison.
Their combined faith transformed into crushing force.
A mountain of golden radiance slammed down on Fang Han.
Instantly, he was trapped within a cosmos of dense star-light. Scripture-chants echoed everywhere, each syllable weighing down on his soul, making his heart sink like lead.
"This Lantern Parasol… its internal space is far stronger than my Five-Prisons Cauldron. Even with eight million Skyfiends, the cauldron can't convert them into worshippers supplying endless will-power. If this treasure were mine… with so many fiends praying, my cultivation of the Pan-Wu Titan Arts would skyrocket…"
Even under suppression, Fang Han stayed calm.
Blood Cangqiong—the Blood Night Dao-blade—merged with his own blood and the White Emperor Golden Qi.
A flash.
A roar.
Fang Han became a primordial god splitting heaven from earth. The blade-light tore through the star-cocoon, cleaving the formation apart.
He burst free.
Star-Extinguishing Evil was strong, but subduing Fang Han—armed with a Dao-artifact and ninety divine abilities—was anything but easy.
The Blood Night King could not store objects, but its killing power was unmatched. Combined with Fang Han's White Emperor Golden Severing art, it became devastating. His blood now carried faint draconic force, intensifying his attacks even further.
Once free—
A strange blood-light shimmered.
Fang Han's blade-aura shrank to only several meters in length, but the condensed edge swallowed everything it touched. Every sweep shattered the surrounding qi, creating dozens of swirling black vortices.
The knife sang—an endless buzz like a swarm of bees.
Like a storm of miniature black holes, blade-vortices surrounded Star-Extinguishing Evil, ripping apart the qi around him, shaking even the lantern parasol above his head.
Star-Extinguishing Evil's expression finally shifted.
"Fang Han, you truly are formidable. But if this continues, I'll lose unjustly. This is the Starry Sky Sect's Cave Heaven—you're fighting me on my own ground. I'll use the art of Stars as One… and call upon the power of the heavens!"
His will shot upward like a flare.
The entire Cave Heaven shuddered.
The Power of the Cave Heaven Awakens
High above, the dome of the Starry Sky Sect's domain lit up.
Countless stars shimmered into existence—accumulated celestial power gathered over tens of thousands of years.
Without cost, without resistance, without limit—
All of it poured into Star-Extinguishing Evil.
A tidal wave of star-essence slammed into him.
The thousand qi-vortices shattered instantly, blown apart like dust.
This was the power of Heaven and Earth—the Cave Heaven itself aiding its master.
The Starry Sky Sect's Cave Heaven had absorbed stellar force for eons. Any disciple fighting within could draw upon this boundless ocean of power. It was the ultimate form of "environmental advantage."
It wasn't "fair"…
but they had never said they wouldn't use their domain's force.
And Star-Extinguishing Evil was already perfectly attuned to this Cave Heaven—after countless years of cultivation within, he had nearly fused with the realm itself.
As the Cave Heaven's might surged into him, his power doubled.
His astral soul-form ballooned into a mountain-sized colossus, descending like a god peering down from nine heavens at an insignificant mortal.
He thrust his colossal spear.
Space around Fang Han cracked like glass.