Chapter 279: End

Chapter 279: End

At the Tianyuan Federation Command Center.

Aside from Fu Qingtian and Yuan Zhenchuan, the two world-class figures, several Top-Tier and Master Astral Cultivators were working non-stop.

"Is the feed still not restored!?"

"How did Li Pin manage to leap over a hundred meters in one go? And how did he jump sixty or seventy meters into the air? A Martial Saint shouldn't have this kind of power!"

"Has the connection with Xiang Tianxing come through?"

Before long, Mo Wangqing received a report and approached Fu Qingtian. "There are three possible reasons for the feed disruption. First, the Martial Saints may have activated their astral equipment. While their interference isn't as strong as that of Astral Cultivators, their numbers might still cause many devices to malfunction. The second possibility is the storm... and the third..."

"What is it?"

A voice interjected.

—I'll explain.

Just then, two figures appeared through special devices, forming virtual image-like starlight projections. They were Master Astral Cultivator Chong Guang and Xiang Tianxing, far away in Taibai Jiang Province.

The two offered a slight bow to Fu Qingtian and Yuan Zhenchuan.

Fu Qingtian waved his hand and motioned for them to explain.

Chong Guang was the one to speak first.

—According to our theories, when the cultivator reaches the second stage of Stars Overlord, they gain remarkable abilities. They can not only manipulate but also merge with and ultimately command the Celestial Force Field.

He paused.

—Additionally, based on Xiang Tianxing's observations, Li Pin has evidently optimized and integrated aspects of the Stars Overlord technique. His manipulation leans more toward the Celestial Magnetic Field. Theoretically, this allows him to not only sense the movements of celestial bodies but also interfere with the magnetic field, disrupting signal transmissions.

The Master Astral Cultivator exchanged glances. "Interfering with the Celestial Magnetic Field... to disrupt signal transmissions?"

"Is that even possible for a Martial Saint?"

Xiang Tianxing responded.

—No, a Martial Saint can't. But... the Stars Overlord Secret Art was developed through the collective effort of dozens of Top-Tier and Master Astral Cultivators, including ourselves.

"Sensing the celestial movements..."

In the crowd, Su Dongfeng recalled a moment from the King of the Century Competition. He had seen Li Pin glance up at the sky, his gaze piercing through the clouds as if it had locked onto the satellites orbiting in the vast expanse of space.

At the time, Su Dongfeng thought it was a coincidence, but after hearing Chong Huang's explanation... he couldn't help but come to a terrifying conclusion.

Could it be real!? But... how is that even possible!? How could a Martial Saint possess such an incredible level of perception!? Not even Master Astral Cultivators could sense the movement of satellites in orbit.

It was simply... too far away. We're talking hundreds of kilometers!

"Let's wait." Fu Qingtian dismissed further speculation. "Try your best to restore the feed. Until then, wait patiently."

Tianyuan had meticulously prepared for this King of the Century grand battle. With Wang Liancheng as their trump card, he had absolute confidence. Though they'd lost the feed for now... with time, it would surely return, and the truth would eventually surface.

They still held the advantage.

***

The same was true for other nations. They each had faith in the contingencies they had set. However, they didn't believe the disruption would last forever.

Once the feed was restored, the results would be clear.

As for sending someone to investigate... that was out of the question. The rules were explicit—no Astral Cultivators were allowed within three hundred miles of Crimson Flame Island! The island was sealed, only entry, no exit!

Besides, the past King of the Century grand battles often lasted for days, sometimes even ten or more. The battlefield might be smaller this time, but it had only been a few minutes.

Surely the battle wouldn't be over in ten minutes, right? Waiting was their only option.

As people of prominence, they had the patience for it.

***

With no external interference, Cang Shengjie, empowered by the Golden Blood, had fully transformed. As of this moment, he had truly become a monstrous force capable of sweeping through the King of the Century battlefield.

That surging, terrifying qi and blood, that savage and menacing aura... all of it made it clear he now possessed the strength to slaughter Martial Saints.

"This... monster..."

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Some Martial Saints, lacking firm resolve, felt a surge of fear wash over them as they watched Cang Shengjie's transformation. Even the Supreme Martial Saints turned palpably grim.

If they had to face such a monster... What would happen?

"Nothing can stand in the way of my desire for victory!"

With a roar, Cang Shengjie channeled his qi and blood, along with astral energy into the Arbiter Spirit Weapon, causing it to grow from 1.3 to 1.8 meters.

This was one of the traits of rare spirit weapons. They could shift in size, responding to the wielder's will.

Of course, this transformation had its limits; the weapon could only double or halve in size at most. It couldn't stretch from a meter to tens of thousands of meters. Still, it resembled something straight out of legend, like a spiritual treasure or an immortal weapon.

Having transformed into a hulking monster weighing over a thousand pounds, Cang Shengjie roared and charged at Li Pin again with his enlarged weapon.

"Martial God Li! Fall back!" A Martial Saint in the crowd shouted. "His qi and blood rival that of a high-tier ferocious beast, and he wields the power of Aura Force. He's far more dangerous than any beast!"

"That's Golden Blood! Forged from Purgatory Crystals! It can mutate a living being and grant them terrifying power. But the blood also severely corrodes the user's body. It won't be long before his body collapses! Fall back!" Xi Mi warned, clearly aware of the horrifying effects of the drugs.

Li Pin glanced at the Martial Saints. "Clearly, you don't understand where a Martial God's true power comes from."

Seeing the massive figure charging toward him like a tyrannosaurus, carrying an overwhelming aura of ferocity, Li Pin pressed down with his empty hand.

Bang!

It was as if Cang Shengjie had slammed into an invisible wall. A violent shockwave burst outward, tearing through the rain within dozens of meters. A whirlwind of debris, with countless stones and clumps of mud, was blasted in all directions.

Several Martial Saints, already weakened from the earlier clash with their qi and blood severely depleted, were swept up by the violent winds and thrown back dozens of meters, crashing hard into the muddy, rain-soaked ground.

Cang Shengjie let out a furious roar and swung his Arbiter Spirit Weapon down with force. "Break!"

As the starlight exploded, Li Pin's Lifeform Force Field was struck as if by a cannonball. A dazzling flash of light, followed by an even fiercer shockwave, ripped through the air.

The ground beneath them trembled, sending up showers of stones and debris, as if unable to bear the weight. With this single blow, Li Pin's Lifeform Force Field was violently shaken, as if on the verge of being shattered.

"I'll be the one with the last laugh!" Cang Shengjie roared, his monstrous form smashing through the rippling Lifeform Force Field. With a mighty stride, he pushed against the field's suppression and lunged forward, his Arbiter Spirit Weapon raised high. "As for you... there is only one outcome! Die!"

"As I have said before, you don't understand where a Martial God's true power comes from."

Just as the Arbiter Spirit Weapon was about to descend, an immense force, as crushing as a celestial millstone, enveloped Cang Shengjie.

In that instant, Cang Shengjie felt as if he were being crushed under a colossal mountain or trapped in a gravity field ten or a hundred times stronger. He struggled to keep his body upright, let alone maintain his grip on the raised Arbiter Spirit Weapon.

"No!"

With a thunderous roar, he slammed the Arbiter Spirit Weapon into the ground, bracing himself against the immense pressure. His muscles rippled and convulsed as his qi and blood surged like raging flame, erupting in a desperate attempt to counter the crushing Celestial Magnetic Field.

Li Pin said, "Even though you've taken banned drugs and relied on external power, you've still forced me to push the Celestial Magnetic Field beyond my physical limit... This alone shows your strength is enough to dominate Martial Saints."

As Li Pin tapped more and more into the Celestial Force, the strain on his body began to mount. Over the past two months, his comprehension of the Celestial Force Field had gone from crude and destructive, as seen in his annihilation of the Gao Feng Squad, to a more nuanced understanding.

With his innate "Clairvoyance" talent, he can now manipulate the Celestial Force Field with greater precision. Despite his power ceiling remaining unchanged, he can now modulate the strength of the Celestial Force Field to suit his needs.

Before, the Celestial Force he harnessed was within his body's tolerance. Now... as he said, he had exceeded his physical limitations.

"Who do you think you are, daring to command me?"

Cang Shengjie trembled violently. His blood vessels burst in several places, releasing black blood. He struggled to hold himself upright, managing to stand and raise the Arbiter Spirit Weapon.

"I have said before, there can only be one winner in this battle, and that will be—"

Bang!

Li Pin swung his hand! Aura Force erupted!

The Arbiter Spirit Weapon flew off Cang Shengjie's grip and was sent spinning through the air. Li Pin stepped forward, seized Cang Shengjie's arm, and twisted it, ripping off the gauntlet embedded with Power Stones and tossing it aside.

With another flick of his hand! Aura Force shook!

The powerful strike shattered Cang Shengjie's battle armor, the medicines within, and the necklace he wore, sending what remained of them to the ground.

Without the astral equipment's enhancement, the starlight radiating from Cang Shengjie dimmed visibly. With its infusion gone, only his raw qi and blood remained, which was far from enough to withstand Li Pin's Celestial Force Field.

Bang!

Cang Shengjie collapsed, just like Ao Haichuan and Fangs before him. As he crashed to the ground, mud splattered everywhere, making the once-supreme Martial Saint appear utterly pitiful.

"It's over," Li Pin said calmly.

"I can't lose... I promised my elder brother... I haven't fulfilled my vow... to bring him vict—"

Sprawled on the ground, Cang Shengjie struggled fiercely. He relied on his unwavering will to squeeze out every last bit of his qi and blood. He desperately sought to regain his power, to support himself, and rise again to fight.

Unfortunately for him... there existed an insurmountable chasm between him and Li Pin, one that couldn't be bridged using fighting spirit alone.

No matter how hard he struggled, no matter how recklessly he pushed his qi and blood, causing his veins to rupture and black blood to splatter across his body.. he couldn't stand.

With each passing moment, his aura waned... and waned....

"This... is the power of a Martial God!"

"No matter how many banned drugs you take or how strong your astral equipment is, a Martial Saint can never surpass a Martial God!"

The Martial Saints witnessing this scene felt a mix of awe and longing. A longing for the Martial God, the realm beyond the Martial Saint.

"Our path beyond Martial Saint!"

Their eyes turned to Li Pin, standing atop the cliff, reverence shining in their gazes as if they beheld a deity.

Li Pin swept the hundreds of Martial Saints around with his gaze, his voice echoing across the sky of Crimson Flame Island. "From now on, no Martial Saint will need to rely on the King of the Century Competition to burn themselves out in pursuit of a fleeting chance for ultimate transcendence. The Martial Saints now have a new path.

"I declare the King of the Century Competition officially over!"

The Martial Saints looked at the figure controlling the Celestial Force Field with his Lifeform Force Field, untouched by rain or thunder.

Ultimately... they cupped their hands and bowed, fully convinced. "We obey the command of the Martial God!"