Jian Hong's body felt increasingly pulled into the dark circle forming beneath the sky. No matter how hard the man struggled to break free, his nearly depleted strength was no match for the endless formation of darkness created by Luo Tianqi.
"There really is no chance. Am I going to die without even seriously hurting Luo Tianqi?" In his rebellious effort, Jian Hong kept muttering to himself, feeling his bones as if they were being crushed.
Meanwhile, Luo Tianqi smiled down below. There were two crowns on the left and right sides of the man's head that resembled horns with three branches like a stag's antlers. His eyelids had turned purplish black, and his lips had darkened to black. Then his hand extended, producing a pagoda that held a golden light within.
It was clearly the soul light of Jia Lin. Although she was from the demon clan, all souls, in essence, were pure and made of light. That was why its color remained golden. Moreover, Jia Lin had even released her demonic power and given it to Jian Hong earlier.
Luo Tianqi continued to observe the object closely. "It seems you really mean a lot to that sword. What if I play with you a little? Even though your body is shattered, your soul trapped here will still give me an advantage."
After saying that, Luo Tianqi let the pagoda float elegantly in the air, trying to lure Jian Hong's attention. The object slowly spun as its golden light glowed around it. Even Jian Hong, still struggling, noticed this.
For a moment, his body felt stiff and immobile. His brows furrowed, "Is that—Lin'er's soul light?" He shook his head slowly, Impossible. I saw Luo Tianqi discard that pagoda earlier. Could it be that Luo Tianqi was just toying with me all along?
Luo Tianqi closed his eyes with a skillful hand motion. Then energy light began to spread around the pagoda in a chaotic rhythm. "Oh pure soul, bearer of the light of eternal purity. I summon you to merge with my spirit, unite within me, and grant me your power."
Miraculously, the pagoda grew to five times its previous size. Its spinning speed increased. Then slowly, the golden light began entering Luo Tianqi's body from all directions.
In his rebellious effort, Jian Hong's gaze caught the scene before him—what Luo Tianqi was doing to Jia Lin's soul. "No, no! It can't be! I've already lost her; I cannot let her suffer more than this. Letting the remaining soul of Lin'er be absorbed by Luo Tianqi is the same as surrendering Lin'er to never be reborn."
The circle pulled him faster and faster. Yet Jian Hong's determination to break free was equally strong. When the distance between him and the circle was only one meter, he held himself back. Closing his eyes, he endured the pain as if his body was slowly being destroyed.
"Jade of the Gods, though you were born pure and holy, I have purified you so that you can be wielded. So no matter what my origins are today, you must help me. For the sake of me who once fought darkness with Luo Tianqi, for me who once defended the divine realm with the pure souls, today help me take revenge!" Jian Hong spoke slowly but with emphasis.
Meanwhile, the light inside the pagoda dimmed as it was absorbed by Luo Tianqi. Just as the last shard of light was about to enter his body, a flash of blue light struck Luo Tianqi. It caused the man to fall—dropping the pagoda he had been holding—and all the light he had absorbed returned back into the pagoda.
Above, Jian Hong stared at Luo Tianqi with sharp eyes. His two irises, once red, now each shone blue. The wind blew his clothes there. The black cloak he wore had already fallen off at some unknown time, leaving one side dressed in golden white and the other in deep black.
Without waiting any longer, he stretched out his hand and grabbed the pagoda to bring it closer. The object had stopped spinning, the light inside glowing, indicating Jia Lin's soul had truly returned there.
Meanwhile, Luo Tianqi, who had fallen, suddenly panicked at what was happening. Quickly, he straightened up. A pair of black wings then spread clearly from his back. "That brat still refuses to die. Only a little more and the spiritual energy of the demon girl's soul would have fully entered my body. But no matter, I want to see how he withstands every one of my attacks."
With lightning speed, Jian Hong was now right in front of Luo Tianqi. Honestly, Luo Tianqi felt quite panicked at Jian Hong's arrival, especially with the intimidating aura so strong. But the man would of course hide it and try not to appear weak.
A sarcastic smile appeared on Luo Tianqi's face as if mocking, "What's wrong? Got your precious item? But what use is it all? The person inside is already dead, and soon it will be your turn."
Jian Hong's gaze never left Luo Tianqi, not even blinking. He said nothing until his forehead emitted a blue light that immediately struck Luo Tianqi's body.
"Ahhh!" The man groaned in pain. He fell, landing on a large floating piece of earth. Blood poured from his mouth, his heart felt like it was about to burst. Leaning on his hands, Luo Tianqi then looked up at Jian Hong still hovering above. There was a look of surprise and disbelief as he witnessed what Jian Hong had done. "How is this possible? Jian Hong just used the forbidden god technique? Even I, the God of War, have never mastered that technique. How could he, a mere lowly sword, do it?"
When Jian Hong's feet landed firmly before Luo Tianqi, the waves of his energy even blew Luo Tianqi's long hair wildly scattered. It could even make the man—still kneeling where he had fallen—block dust that might have entered his eyes.
"I once gave you a chance, but you ignored it. So today, even if you kneel in a sea of blood, I swear I will drink it all and not leave you a single drop," Jian Hong explained. His face showed no expression. Until Luo Tianqi then saw a sword appear in the man's right hand.
"You're using forbidden techniques. Even if you manage to kill me, you will not escape death and the laws of heaven!" Luo Tianqi shouted, feeling more and more cornered.
A corner of Jian Hong's lips curled up at hearing this. He walked slowly toward Luo Tianqi. The pressure around the God of War increased so much that he could no longer stand, "Do you think after all this I'm still afraid of death? My only goal is to kill you. Even if I have to go to hell afterward, I will not go alone. Today, live or die, we end this."
"Impudent!" Luo Tianqi stood up, waving both hands. Anger surged inside his rumbling chest. His facial expression could no longer hide his fury. The man spun with deft hands, creating waves of such dense darkness that Jian Hong could feel it.
"You're so proud of the forbidden technique you use. Though I don't know how you use it, I'll show you what I can do," Luo Tianqi continued.
Without waiting, Luo Tianqi's body floated upward. He gathered all the dark energy from creatures and elements left in the three worlds. It happened so fast that before he realized it, he had sped toward Jian Hong. Fortunately, Jian Hong had good reflexes and dodged swiftly, striking Luo Tianqi's nape.
But it didn't stop there because the next moment Luo Tianqi was already behind Jian Hong, ready to strike. Jian Hong realized this, turned, and blocked Luo Tianqi's attack, then tried to counterattack with one hand.
Seeing this, Luo Tianqi smirked cynically. He used one leg to leap in a curved motion and kicked Jian Hong's body, immediately sending the man flying dozens of meters.
Jian Hong spat blood, clutching his chest which felt like it was stabbed. Without giving Jian Hong a chance to fight back, Luo Tianqi kept attacking brutally. Repeated punches from left and right, combined with jumping kicks.
Jian Hong could only dodge as best as he could because he was nearly out of energy to counterattack. He kept retreating without once landing a hit, This is bad. If this continues, I will truly lose. Luo Tianqi is not just a demon cultivator; he is the demon itself.
This time, Jian Hong chose to stop, planting both feet like brakes pushing him backward. Crossing his arms in front to block Luo Tianqi's attack. Taking advantage of the moment, he kicked Luo Tianqi's leg, but the man managed to leap away.
Jian Hong didn't waste the chance, summoning his sword in his right hand and countering Luo Tianqi's attack. Still, several of Jian Hong's strikes were blocked by Luo Tianqi, though not easily. Quickly, Jian Hong jumped behind Luo Tianqi and managed to wound the man's face as he turned.
When Jian Hong landed, his breath was heavy. He used the sword stuck in the air as support for his body. Meanwhile, Luo Tianqi wiped the blood flowing down his face from Jian Hong's attack.
"How dare you wound me, damn sword!" Luo Tianqi growled. "HAAAAHHHH!!" He roared again as the shattered elemental fragments reunited and enveloped his entire body. All those elements formed armor that looked strong and invincible—covering him. Explosions sounded everywhere as Luo Tianqi stepped closer to Jian Hong.
In his hand now appeared a giant war hammer made from the collected energy. "Death War Hammer!" he shouted. He kept advancing toward Jian Hong, "You sure like to play around. Didn't you say, live or die, all of this must end? Fine then, I'll grant your last wish."
Jian Hong's eyes never left Luo Tianqi's legendary weapon. He swallowed hard, "Even at my prime, I would never be able to match Luo Tianqi in power. My strength is six levels lower than his. Especially now, when all my energy is almost gone," he murmured inwardly.
The Death War Hammer originally belonged to the god clan. But judging from the symbols of demons engraved on it, it was certain Luo Tianqi had infused it with demonic power. Although the powers of demons and gods always clash, it was not impossible that there was a way to combine them. To unite both energies in one vessel without destroying either. Unfortunately, until now Jian Hong himself never knew how.
"Why? Are you afraid?" Luo Tianqi taunted, looking smug at the man before him.
Meanwhile, Jian Hong rose and stood upright, though staggering, "If I can use forbidden techniques, then I have no reason to fear your weapon."
Jian Hong's body floated upward, his arms spread in the air, face looking up, eyes closed. Soon after, the sound of thunder began. The previously calm sky turned red again. Darker than the presence of the god's eye before. Explosions sounded again, and a tornado began blowing in this place without ground.
Luo Tianqi continued watching what Feng Jian was doing. His shock deepened when he saw something appear in the sky. This time, Luo Tianqi felt the atmosphere was truly terrifying, "This… Jian Hong is actually uniting forbidden techniques and the god weapon he stole? Also, the weapon he's using is heavenly jade, which can destroy demon souls into ashes. This shouldn't affect me. But because my soul has mixed with demonic energy, my body will surely be destroyed beneath it. No, I can't let this happen. Jian Hong must be stopped immediately."
So Luo Tianqi sped up and chased after the man. He took aim before smashing the Death War Hammer into the air, disrupting Jian Hong's unification.
But as everything descended into chaos, suddenly in his subconscious, Jian Hong saw an oval-shaped space inside his body. The room was made of something like skin but thinner and easily torn, "Jia Lin, I need your help."
Jian Hong spoke as if it were Jia Lin's body. But that was not true. What slept inside him was the demonic power implanted by Jia Lin. That power would keep Jian Hong alive, even if his soul were to shatter into pieces.
Soon after, black light shimmered over Jian Hong's body. Moments later, a 6-meter tall monster with horns on its head and a face resembling a bull appeared behind Feng Jian. The monster had eight arms and a pair of large black wings on its back. The figure was ready to attack whenever Jian Hong commanded.
"I have given you many chances, but this time don't expect to escape," Jian Hong said calmly.
"What is meant to happen will happen." Luo Han ran with a giant war hammer in his hands.
"Asura Bull Demon!" Jian Hong shouted. The demon behind him then patted its chest with all eight hands, ready to start the war.
Then with full power, Luo Tianqi attacked Jian Hong and tried to strike him. Jian Hong did not remain passive; he kept dodging and occasionally counterattacking. He kept launching attacks at Luo Tianqi. Sometimes they would leap, block each other's strikes, then fall and be pushed back.
"Forbidden god technique, heavenly jade of destruction, eternal darkness creature, combine your powers!" Feng Jian shouted angrily as his body was pushed back by Luo Tianqi.
A white-purple light appeared from his body, piercing the sky. The man produced a jade the size of a crystal, releasing the demon that had nested in his body. Then all the energy from both was drawn by heavenly thunder and merged above. Creating a very eerie atmosphere until a purple formation appeared right above their heads seconds later.
Jian Hong spat fresh blood again, "My energy is truly depleted this time. For real. After this, I really don't care what happens. Using powers I have never used before all at once definitely won't end well for my soul. But even so, I will make sure Luo Tianqi is destroyed with me."
The blood pouring from Jian Hong's mouth and nose increased in volume and intensity. But Jian Hong really didn't care. He kept raising his hands upward, giving much energy—even his entire cultivation—to the formation. Not only that, even the blood of his soul and divine consciousness he sacrificed. Making all of Jian Hong's nerves and blood feel mercilessly corroded right then.
"Heavenly Destruction Forbidden Formation?" Luo Tianqi knew this formation was more powerful than a demon formation. Even a god king wouldn't be confident to pass through it alive, "He made such a huge formation only to kill me, truly reckless with his life. Though its power is great, its backlash is also something he cannot endure."
Therefore, Luo Tianqi let his green, black, and golden lights glow outward. Making his Death War Hammer float and spin randomly. Forming 11 pillars standing firmly. "Hell's Death Pillars!"
"Today we shall see which is stronger. Your Heavenly Destruction Forbidden Formation or my Hell's Death Pillars?!" Luo Tianqi shouted.
Jian Hong only looked at the man before him fiercely. Both hands aimed at the sky where his formation had just been completed, "Destroy!"