Chapter 702: The Shift of an Era

Long Xiao's low growl rumbled across the Western Loam.

Since the fall of the Celestial Phoenix, the ancient Thunder Dragon, renowned for his domineering nature, had remained a uniquely dangerous existence that every human faction treated with extreme caution.

He was fiercely protective, vengeful to the extreme, and exceptionally cruel. Moreover, he was also immensely powerful, with an unmatched understanding of the Dao of Lightning and a collection of extraordinary artifacts.

While the ancient Thunder Dragon had the strength to break through the barrier of the Abyss, he simply chose not to. If he did, he would surely be a force to be reckoned with in the starry skies.

In recent years, he spent most of his time slumbering within the Dragon Lair Sect, rarely meddling in worldly conflicts. Even so, no one dared to ignore his presence.

What had originally been a simple intent to shatter the Glazed Purification Divine Array, humiliate the Pure Land Sect, and kill a few Immortal Realm cultivators to vent his wrath rapidly spiraled into full-blown rage.

Li Jie from the Li Family of the Divine Treasure Sect dares to come to the Pure Land Sect's aid, even after Li Yuanli's soul lamp was extinguished.

A newly ascended heretical True God has the gall to step forward on behalf of the Pure Land Sect.

Dong Shangqing of the Ancient Law Sect used to take wide detours around the Sacred Soul Continent just to avoid provoking me. His combat prowess ranks near the bottom among the True Gods. Even this cowardly person has come to the Western Loam.

Why have these people grown so bold?

Long Xiao wondered.

Realization struck.

It's because of Li Zhaotian!

Long Xiao's failure to gain the upper hand in his recent clash with Li Zhaotian and his subsequent retreat to the Sacred Soul Continent had brought his prestige crashing down. Now, even people like Li Jie, Dong Tianze, and Dong Shangqing dared to meddle in his affairs.

Once that revelation took hold in his mind, the volatile ancient Thunder Dragon lost his grip on reason. He was determined to unleash devastation on the Abyss and restore his prestige before breaking through the barrier.

Sensing that Long Xiao was on the verge of going berserk, Dong Shangqing, in his Dharma Idol form, hastily unfurled a flurry of talismans from his sleeve and called out, "Elder Long, please calm yourself!"

Dong Shangqing received only a thunderous roar in return.

Long Xiao, still in his human form, recklessly unleashed the might of the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, thrusting branches crackling with volatile lightning into the bloody rivers of light.

Despite this, Dong Tianze stood unflinching. He merely closed his eyes before slowly opening them once more.

A vast expanse of crimson spread outward. The eerie, blood-red glow engulfed the rivers of light, the thousand-zhang-tall Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree, and the tens of thousands of mu of surrounding skies.

Dong Shangqing's eyes widened. "A divine domain!"

Even Outer Gods required time to learn how to summon a divine domain. Shockingly, Dong Tianze could already unleash one despite only recently ascending.

Dong Shangqing sensed no immediate disruption outside the vast expanse of crimson, but Long Xiao gave a muffled grunt.

"You still claim you had nothing to do with Liu Fu's death? Even my bloodline is being suppressed, and the flow of my divine power is being hindered! Are you not relying on the Blood Vault that Liu Fu once guarded?"

Furious, Long Xiao summoned the Mirage Dragon Pearl. Hazy, dreamlike worlds appeared one after another within the vast expanse of crimson. The ancient Thunder Dragon moved freely between them, using those illusory worlds to sever and disrupt Dong Tianze's blood-colored rivers of light.

Long Xiao sometimes appeared from the illusory worlds in human form, and other times emerged as a massive dragon, claws outstretched toward Dong Tianze's gaunt figure.

Dong Tianze stood alone with his Bloodthirsty Sword, holding his ground in the crimson of his divine domain, struggling to fend off the ancient dragon's relentless assault.

Even Dong Shangqing, a fellow True God, was shaken.

Long Xiao unleashed both the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree and the Mirage Dragon Pearl, but still failed to seriously wound Dong Tianze.

This left Dong Shangqing stunned. Even he would have been injured under such crushing pressure.

"I'm getting old. I'm afraid the rising stars of this era will soon cast me aside," Dong Shangqing muttered.

The greater the calamity, the more likely it was to give birth to prodigious talents. Li Zhaotian and Pang Jian were the living proof of this.

Dong Shangqing had long since accepted that someone stronger would inevitably inherit his position. Even so, the sudden brilliance of Dong Tianze, a mere disciple of the Sinister Soul Temple, filled him with an unexpected sense of defeat.

A greenish-black light streaked upward, arriving above the Western Loam.

The demonic light shot forth like a piercing spear, tearing through Dong Tianze's vast expanse of crimson and Long Xiao's sea of lightning, abruptly appearing in the middle of the fierce battle.

Wu Yuan's stern figure could be seen in the demonic light.

"Veiled Demon."

He tapped the center of his brow, causing a deep, swirling void to bloom on his forehead. Tiny demonic figures swam like fish in the depths of his eyes, and threads of his demonic will transformed into what he called Veiled Demons, scattering into Long Xiao's sea of consciousness and seeping into his heart.

The ancient Thunder Dragon's mind was thrown into disarray. Restlessness swelled within him, and his thoughts became a tangled mess.

The branches of the Nine Heavens Thunder Divine Tree that had been thrusting at the blood-colored rivers of light came to a quiet halt. Even his ability to switch between human and dragon forms faltered.

As the Blood God, Dong Tianze could suppress Long Xiao's blood and disrupt his bloodline abilities.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan used the secret techniques of the Demon Races to target Long Xiao's heart and soul, stirring his darkest desires and malicious instincts.

The raging ancient dragon found himself unable to focus, his thoughts unraveling in chaos.

These two newly ascended True Gods worked together seamlessly, having long since refined their teamwork after fighting alongside each other in Absolute Heaven.

The ancient Thunder Dragon found himself thoroughly cornered and restrained by what he saw as two brash juniors who had yet to even come of age.

"How's the situation over there?" Pei Yishan asked through a communication artifact.

The True God from the Ancient Law Sect replied somberly, "Our era is coming to an end."

Back in the Resolute Expanse, Pei Yishan sat across from the black turtle, the floating fragmented land still steadily rising toward the First World.

Dong Wenjian's voice from the communication artifact in Pei Yishan's hand was left unshielded, and the black turtle could hear every word with perfect clarity.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The black turtle's expression remained unchanged, as if he had long expected this moment.

Pei Yishan could not help but sigh. "Before Zhu Ji's rise, not a single True God of the human race could defeat that ancient dragon.

"Even in the era of the five Sword Gods, none among them could take him down one-on-one with certainty. But in this era, Zhu Ji, Li Zhaotian, and Pang Jian can defeat him outright. Now, Dong Tianze and Wu Yuan have also appeared. This will be a heavy blow to his pride."

Pei Yishan similarly felt the weight of a world moving on without him.

"New things are often stronger than the old. That's the nature of progress," said the black turtle, resting his hands on his knees as he leaned back against a stone, his gaze distant with remembrance. "You, Gui Mu, and Su Wanrou were once considered the towering talents of your time. Now, it's Pang Jian, Dong Tianze, and Wu Yuan's turn to surpass you.

"That's what makes you humans so terrifying."