The space fell silent, filled only with the labored breathing of countless onlookers.
The scene that had just unfolded was too surreal.
Mere moments ago, Yu Chen stood majestic as the Black Bird General, a top-25 genius on the Golden List. Now, after facing Wen Lang, all that remained was a headless corpse, slowly plummeting.
"Is that Wen Lang's true strength?" Countless minds reeled, sensing something familiar yet unable to pinpoint it.
"No… impossible!" Bai Yang shook his head, dazed, his pupils dilated to their limits, a chill running from head to toe.
Yu Chen, ranked just below him on the Golden List, had died so easily. If it were him, the outcome wouldn't differ much.
Even the women were stunned. Though they knew their husband was formidable, they hadn't imagined he was this terrifying, instantly claiming the life of a Mid Void Refinement genius.
At that moment, Bai Lie's face twisted. He recalled a Memory Jade from the Sea Continent, shouting in realization,
"I remember now… that movement technique, that fist technique you used! You're not Wen Lang!"
His words jolted the crowd, triggering their memories. In an instant, their hearts pounded, muttering in disbelief,
"How could it be him? Why is he on our Yellow Sand Continent?"
Lan An smirked, no longer intending to hide his identity. He tore off his mask, revealing a strikingly handsome face—otherworldly, with black-and-white pupils exuding a devilish charm, his lips curved in supreme confidence.
"The disciple of the Raging Storm Queen! Lan… Lan An!"
The truth confirmed, countless onlookers were speechless, stammering in shock.
If asked who the most prominent figure on the planet was recently, Lan An's name undoubtedly topped the list.
With Spirit Transformation cultivation, he repeatedly battled Void Refinement experts, turning the Sea Continent upside down. Linked to the Poisonous One, he clashed with the Fire Underworld Sect and the Dan Clan, drawing out four Transcending Tribulation experts.
It was beyond imagination for a youth in his early twenties.
Now, he led a host of powerful women to assault the White Sand Dynasty. This was defying the heavens!
"If it's this monster, Yu Chen's defeat wasn't unjust…" An old man sighed, his eyes filled with awe.
Though they'd seen Lan An fight Void Refinement experts via Memory Jade, witnessing it in person revealed his true terror.
"Monster" was an understatement.
"Lan An, don't think having a Transcending Tribulation master lets you act recklessly! Stop this fight, and I'll overlook everything!" The White Sand Emperor's heart sank. Learning Wen Lang's true identity, he considered retreating.
"Hahaha, stop the fight?"
Lan An laughed heartily, his voice, infused with spiritual energy, shaking all directions, audible to all.
"This young master joined the Earth Battle Grand Assembly as Wen Lang for training. But your White Sand Dynasty grew greedy, luring me into the Scenic Land to seize the Desert Monarch's Veil. If I lacked strength, I'd already be a ghost!"
Many nodded in realization, understanding why Wen Lang—no, Lan An—was so enraged, risking everything against the White Sand Dynasty.
He'd joined the Earth Battle Grand Assembly fairly under a humble identity, winning convincingly. Yet a Ninth-Grade power like the White Sand Dynasty coveted his technique, scheming to steal it. They'd kicked an iron plate, as Wen Lang was the terrifying Lan An.
No wonder. Anyone would fight back in rage.
Lan An cleverly shouted to justify himself, though he conveniently omitted his own aim for the Ancient Ferocious Prison Earth.
"Lies!" The White Sand Emperor roared in panic. He couldn't admit it, or the White Sand Dynasty's reputation would collapse, giving Wu San Niang a legitimate reason to destroy them.
Splurt!
Mid-shout, he took a Polar Ice Palm from Hua Qing Zhu, spitting blood and flying back.
"I can testify, Lan An's words are true. The White Sand Emperor's shameless actions are unforgivable!" Hua Qing Zhu, after knocking him back, declared coldly, her voice echoing.
The crowd nodded vigorously. As the Empress, her words carried weight. Unable to tolerate the White Sand Emperor's disgrace, she turned against her kin for justice.
"Nonsense! Hua Qing Zhu and I are only married in name! The Hua Clan conspired with Lan An to frame me!" The White Sand Emperor roared, desperate to preserve the dynasty's honor.
"Then what about Princess Bai Lian Hua?" Someone couldn't help asking. If their marriage was nominal, where did the princess come from?
"Hua Qing Zhu used a pill to conceive on her own, unrelated to me!" The White Sand Emperor gritted his teeth, his face red with shame, a sense of powerlessness rising.
The crowd's expressions turned odd. Marrying a beautiful wife but unable to touch her? What a pitiful Emperor, a complete failure.
"Run!"
Unnoticed, a miniature figure identical to Yu Chen emerged from his body, trying to escape. Seeing Yu Chen's Nascent Soul, Lan An sneered, unleashing a Star-Piercing Finger.
"No… Lan An, I'll haunt you as a ghost!" Yu Chen screamed in fear and hatred, his voice chillingly tragic.
"You won't get the chance!" Lan An said calmly. After the Star-Piercing Finger destroyed Yu Chen's Nascent Soul, he used Soul Capture to refine his soul.
Yu Chen was utterly erased, with no chance to become a ghost.
A Mid Void Refinement soul wasn't even enough to fill Lan An's teeth; his Soul Cultivation remained stagnant.
"Your turn!" Lan An's eyes locked onto Bai Lie and Bai Yang, his killing intent surging.
"White Bird Army, White Dog Army, stop him!"
"White Dog General, protect us!"
The two, terrified to the point of wetting themselves, shouted orders. Their strength wasn't much greater than Yu Chen's; how could they face Lan An?
Under the princes' commands, the sole Mid Void Refinement White Dog General rushed to escort them to safety.
Thousands of White Dog and White Bird Army soldiers swarmed Lan An. These were the White Sand Dynasty's elite, with cultivations from Nascent Soul to Late Spirit Transformation, highly formidable.
Unlike mortal kingdoms, cultivation nations didn't prioritize army size but the strength of their soldiers. A million Foundation Establishment soldiers would fall to a single expert's slaughter.
"Hmph, I'm not your opponent…" Lan An sneered, the Golden Crow Void Flame blazing, a proud Golden Crow phantom behind him.
Its claws roared, incinerating dozens of charging soldiers to ash.
Trained fearlessly, the soldiers pressed on, aiming to surround him.
Suddenly—
ROAR!
A colossal elephant's bellow, as if from ancient times, echoed. A massive ice-imbued axe appeared, radiating domineering pressure, sweeping toward the thousands of soldiers.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Chaos ensued. The terrifying axe crushed dozens into pulp, a gruesomely bloody scene.
"My brother-in-law said I'm your opponent, hehe!"
Bing Ling Er, hefting the Heavenly Ice Axe on her shoulder, her Snow Jade Robe fluttering, stood heroically against thousands, her eyes blazing with battle intent, fearless.
Facing her, the White Dog and White Bird Armies felt mountain-like pressure. This gentle-looking girl was brutally unreasonable, her axe slaughtering dozens without hesitation.
"You're not fighting? Ling Er will!"
Bing Ling Er giggled, her eyes turning stern, her rosy lips shouting,
"Heavenly Ice Myriad Elephants Art – Elephant Axe Technique!"
As she spoke, she stomped, shaking the ground, charging violently, swinging the Heavenly Ice Axe.
ROAR!
In that moment, a faint giant ice elephant phantom appeared behind her, amplifying the axe's power.
BOOM!
The ground exploded, White Dog Army soldiers tumbling, dazed and disoriented.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Bing Ling Er grew more excited, ignoring countless attacks hitting her. As a Late Fifth Transformation Body Cultivator, she fought recklessly, trading blows with hundreds, thousands of soldiers.
Indeed, Bing Ling Er was a dual Spirit-Body Cultivator. In her last seclusion, using the Heavenly Ice Myriad Elephants Art, she'd reached Late Fifth Transformation in Body Cultivation.
Her Snow Jade Robe was stained red with enemy and her own blood.
Each brutal axe swing killed over a dozen soldiers, though her delicate form bore wounds.
"This woman is too terrifying! Unite and overwhelm her!"
A commander shouted. Hundreds of White Bird Army soldiers formed a formation, their wings generating a roaring storm, condensing into a destructive tornado aimed at Bing Ling Er's petite frame.
"Hmph, Ling Er fears no one!"
Her eyes shone like stars. Gripping the Heavenly Ice Axe with both hands, she raised it high, ready to strike, shouting,
"Ice Elephant Sky-Splitting Axe!"
ROAR!
An ancient bellow resounded. Above her, countless Ice Spiritual Energies formed an elephant ten times larger than a tank, its body sturdy, tusks ready to tear all.
"Shatter!"
As the White Bird Army's tornado approached, Bing Ling Er roared, swinging her axe.
ROAR ROAR ROAR!
The ice elephant, as if receiving a divine command, stomped, shattering the void, charging the tornado.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Its massive body collided with the storm, piercing through.
"Not good! White Dog Army, assist!"
WOOF WOOF WOOF!
Thousands of White Dog Army soldiers barked, their sonic attacks enveloping the ice elephant, cracking its icy body.
The elephant roared defiantly, charging forward.
"Explode!" Bing Ling Er shouted, clenching her fist.
ROAR!
To everyone's horror, the ice elephant self-detonated, obliterating the tornado.
Splurt!
Hundreds of White Bird and White Dog Army soldiers suffered, some reduced to pulp, others spitting blood, a tragic scene.
Huff huff!
Bing Ling Er's face paled, her fair skin blood-soaked. After such an intense battle against thousands, she was exhausted.
Yet no one dared underestimate her delicate figure. Instead, they were awestruck, unable to close their mouths.
"A general's demeanor! With proper nurturing, the Harem will gain another pillar!" Yan Yue Qi's eyes shone, witnessing Bing Ling Er's prowess for the first time.
Unwilling to be outdone, her Thunder Emperor Staff roared, Thunder-Flame surging, battering the Fifth Elder until his teeth fell out.
Inspired by Bing Ling Er's valor, the women fought with renewed vigor, unleashing novel techniques, forcing the White Sand Dynasty's experts into a defensive stance.
"She's exhausted! Kill her!"
The armies, reduced to a few hundred, rallied to finish Bing Ling Er.
But it was their final dream.
"Eightfold Array – Activate!"
Unnoticed, Hua Yu Feng emerged from the shadows beside Bing Ling Er, chanting.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
To everyone's stunned gazes, a blood-red grand array appeared, its arcane runes lighting the night, exuding a soul-shaking aura.
Within it, six intricate sub-arrays enveloped the two armies.
The Eightfold Array, a Peak Heaven-Grade formation Lan An gifted Hua Yu Feng.
Limited by her Mid Sixth-Grade Battle Array Master level, she could only deploy six of the eight sub-arrays.
"AAAAH!"
Agonized screams echoed from the Sixfold Array, comprising Fire, Thunder, Ice, Water, Wind, and Wood Arrays.
Each sub-array unleashed catastrophic disasters matching its attribute, ready to annihilate those weaker than the Battle Array Master.
This was the terror of Battle Array Masters. With arrays, they needed no specific spiritual roots to unleash devastating group attacks.
Their only limitation was the time required to set up arrays, which Bing Ling Er had bought.
Escaping required vastly superior strength or finding the array's core, a rare feat.
Unfortunately, Hua Yu Feng was a Mid Sixth-Grade Battle Array Master, while the armies were only Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul.
Before they could break the array, disasters overwhelmed them.
Soon, the screams from the Sixfold Array ceased. Hua Yu Feng calmly retracted it.
GASP!
Gasps echoed. Many nearly fainted.
Some soldiers were burned to ash, others frozen solid, and many were shredded by gales—a doomsday scene wrought by a Battle Array Master's success.
"Well done!" Bing Ling Er and Hua Yu Feng exchanged smiles.
Behind them, Lan An had closed in on Bai Lie, Bai Yang, and the White Dog General, his domineering Harmonious Palm forming, aiming to kill all three in one strike.
"Little beast, kill you, and this ends!"
But before he could succeed, a furious roar tore through the void, carrying the apocalyptic killing intent of a Late Integration Realm expert, a pinnacle figure of the continent.
The Supreme Emperor!