Everyone who witnessed this scene was utterly horrified.
That was three Yin God experts.
Though they weren't the top-tier Yin God powerhouses, their combined strength was definitely on par with the very best.
This situation was terrifying.
"Your Highness Yang Cheng, stop!"
Huang Guinian clutched his chest and shouted hoarsely, "We admit our defeat. We were blind and foolish to ambush you here."
"Admit defeat?"
Yang Cheng sneered.
"I know you're furious, and we're willing to pay a heavy price."
Huang Guinian said, "Our three great forces are willing to offer vast resources to make up for this mistake. We only ask Your Highness to let us go."
Lu Canglan added, "That's right. Let's end this battle now and turn hostility into friendship."
Even though He Tianfu was seething with hatred, he had no choice but to suppress it under absolute power. He growled, "I agree."
Yang Cheng chuckled. "Just how thick is your skin to say something like that?"
Huang Guinian held back his rage. "Yang Cheng, we can't beat you, but killing all of us won't be easy for you either. Why push it? It'll only lead to mutual destruction."
The fact that he said this showed they were truly afraid.
Their understanding of Domains topped out at the Three-Star level. But somehow, Yang Cheng's sword domain felt abnormally strong—like it was beyond Three-Star.
Yet calling it a Four-Star Sword Domain was hard to believe. That just seemed impossible.
Yang Cheng stood tall with his sword, the sword qi from the Shura Sword Domain slowly swirling around him, not dispersing right away.
He looked coldly at the three battered opponents, the corner of his mouth curling into a chilling smirk.
"Mutual destruction? You three think you're even worth that?"
Before his words even finished, it was as if something inside Yang Cheng shattered.
An aura even more terrifying than before erupted like a sleeping volcano waking in full force.
The true qi around him reversed madly, forming a massive vortex that surged into his body.
Even in the spirit-rich Horn Constellation Realm, the spiritual energy was being devoured by Yang Cheng like a whale swallowing the sea.
Inside him, the true qi compressed and transformed, rumbling like a raging river.
The gaseous true qi liquefied in an instant, turning into drop after drop of violet-gold true liquid, each brimming with terrifying energy, rushing through his meridians.
His aura skyrocketed.
He broke through from Half-Step Insight God and ascended into the Insight God realm.
Insight God First Layer… Second Layer… Third Layer…
Eventually, his cultivation stopped at the Insight God Sixth Layer.
"Damn it, he broke through mid-battle!"
Huang Guinian, Lu Canglan, and He Tianfu's pupils shrank to pinpoints. All color drained from their faces, leaving only sheer panic.
How was this even possible?
In the middle of such an intense fight, Yang Cheng actually broke through.
And that breakthrough didn't just boost his realm—it was a fundamental leap in power and gave him a flawless state instantly.
A dazzling light shot from Yang Cheng's eyes like twin bolts of violet-gold lightning.
He didn't give them any time to react.
The moment the breakthrough completed, his Shura Dao Sword resonated perfectly with his new strength, unleashing an ecstatic, high-pitched sword cry.
"Die!"
Yang Cheng stepped forward. His figure seemed to merge with space itself, reaching a speed beyond imagination.
A violet-gold sword light, condensed to the extreme and sharp enough to split heaven and earth, cut through the night sky and slashed straight at the closest target—He Tianfu.
Behind him, the phantom of a massive nine-clawed violet-gold dragon coiled in the air.
"No—!"
He Tianfu's pupils contracted, but all he could do was let out one last hopeless scream. The protective true liquid around his body shattered like paper.
The sword light flashed.
He Tianfu froze. The light in his eyes faded.
A thin red line appeared from the center of his forehead, running straight down through his nose, throat, chest…
"Pfft!"
Blood gushed from the line like a fountain.
His body was cleaved cleanly in two, straight down the middle by Yang Cheng's sword.
The head of the He clan, a mighty Yin God expert, died just like that.
"Shit, run!"
Huang Guinian and Lu Canglan were scared out of their minds. They didn't care about face or injuries anymore.
They poured their entire life's cultivation into escaping, turning into twin streaks of light, fleeing in opposite directions.
Right now, there was only one thought in their minds—run.
The farther, the better.
This Yang Cheng was a monster.
"Hmph, do you really think you can escape?"
Yang Cheng's eyes turned icy cold as he stepped forward.
"Divine Ability · Shrinking the Earth to an Inch."
His figure flickered for a moment where he stood.
In the next instant, he bizarrely appeared less than 30 feet behind Lu Canglan.
It was as if space beneath his feet had been completely compressed.
"Lu Canglan, since you care so much about your grandson's death, why don't you go join him!"
His cold voice was like a death sentence.
The Shura Dao Sword rose again, and a dark-golden sword light, even brighter than before, ripped through the sky, instantly catching up to the fleeing Lu Canglan.
"No, Yang Cheng, spare—"
Lu Canglan's plea was cut short.
The sword light pierced straight through him.
His body suddenly went stiff mid-air, and the next moment, his head flew off.
Another Yin God fell.
Although Huang Guinian didn't look back, the scream behind him and the sudden disappearance of Lu Canglan's aura drove his fear to the limit.
He burned his blood essence and fled in panic toward the Huang clan, desperate to survive.
Yang Cheng didn't even glance at Lu Canglan's falling corpse. His cold eyes, as sharp as arrows, instantly locked onto Huang Guinian's escape route.
"Old dog of the Huang clan, your turn."
His figure flickered again. Using Divine Ability · Shrinking the Earth to an Inch, he teleported like a ghost, chasing after Huang Guinian.
Lin Shu stood motionless, watching the direction Yang Cheng disappeared toward. There wasn't a hint of worry in her eyes.
She hadn't joined the fight at all before this.
With her current strength, she wasn't qualified to step into a battle of this level.
But that didn't mean she had nothing to do.
Her trip to the Horn Constellation Realm wasn't just for returning to the Lin clan. That was just a cover.
Her real purpose was to use this as an opportunity to bring the Blood Shadow Tower's influence into the Horn Constellation Realm.
To ensure success, she had secretly brought 300 Blood Shadow Guards with her.
By now, those 300 Blood Shadow Guards had already spread out and gone into hiding across the Southern Region.
Now that the Yin God experts of the He and Lu clans were wiped out, Lin Shu planned to have the Blood Shadow Guards seize the opportunity and take over their resources.
But with just her and the 300 Blood Shadow Guards, that clearly wasn't enough.
Before, she might've let the Lin clan take part in this plan. But now, there was no need.
That didn't mean she had no allies to choose from.
Her choice was the Song clan.
The Song clan wasn't as strong as the Lin clan, but it was still a prominent family.
Plus, when Song Zhen offended her and Yang Cheng at the start, the Song clan didn't retaliate afterward.
That proved the Song clan's higher-ups were still sensible.
So, she'd give this opportunity to the Song clan.