Chapter Eighty-Three: Mandarin... (Please recommend and add to your favorites!)

When the remnants of the dark world’s follow-up legion retreated before the gates of Jubei City, Yu Tian could no longer restrain himself atop the walls of Po Bei City.

Back in the Sacred Assembly Hall, he had spoken out of turn more than once, questioning the Grand Elder and doubting whether the Dark God had truly awakened. On the day the Dark God returned and his might swept the heavens, Yu Tian’s heart had trembled. The Dark God had vanished for three thousand years, and Yu Tian had risen in the new era, never having seen the deity, only heard the legends. Before the resurrection, he had not truly feared the Dark God—but when that force descended, he realized just how laughably ignorant he had been.

On the path of cultivation, only at the ninth rank does one begin to be called a king; the ninth rank is a heavenly chasm, dividing two worlds. Yu Tian even felt that the Dark God, relying on sheer pressure alone, could have erased him in an instant. The feeling was akin to the way he himself regarded cultivators below the ninth rank—utterly unworthy to be measured on the same scale.

Now, the army he led at Po Bei City had suffered loss after loss, defeat after defeat. He had hoped to redeem himself by being the first to break through the alien blockade, to charge into the other world and retrieve what the Dark God desired. But now, all his plans had been shattered by the technological weapons wielded by the invaders.

At this moment, Yu Tian could wait no longer; swift and decisive action, without hesitation, was the only thought in his mind.

On the walls of Jubei City, Li Tian’s once-calm expression changed abruptly. From Po Bei City, an overwhelming aura broke through the shroud of darkness, hurtling straight toward Jubei City.

Li Tian soared into the air, a ten-meter-long blade condensing rapidly before him. In a flash, he swung it forward.

A thunderous boom.

Yu Tian’s figure appeared out of the void, two arrows of pure energy flickering in his hands as he charged at Li Tian.

Suspended in the air, Li Tian swept his sleeve, and a magnificent arc of energy stretched across the sky, one end in his palm, the other unfurling toward Yu Tian.

The rainbow collided with the two arrows, dissolving them instantly, but its momentum did not falter as it crashed toward Yu Tian.

Yu Tian’s eyes flashed with disdain. He struck the void with a mighty palm, and his power seemed to shatter even the sky above the ruins. The rainbow halted, then shattered like glass.

Yu Tian stood proud before the dark curtain of the heavens, staring directly at Li Tian.

“Are you the Blade Overlord of the other world?” he roared at the man not far before him.

Li Tian replied unhurriedly, “That’s me. And who are you? In all these years on the battlefield of ruins, I’ve never seen your face.”

“I am King Yu Tian, sovereign of the Yu Tian Dynasty! Your strength is impressive, but those two tricks just now are not enough to stop me. If you have nothing else, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”

...

Below, Yang Fan listened to the exchange between the two supreme beings above, a mix of excitement and bemusement filling his heart.

He was exhilarated to witness the pinnacle of martial might, the ultimate expression of power. His choice of path was reaffirmed in this moment.

But he was also speechless—for only now did he realize that the denizens of the dark world spoke standard language. It was almost surreal.

He had known of the ruins and the dark world for some time, and had been in the dark world for over a month, even crossed blades with its people multiple times, yet had never actually conversed with one.

The only time he’d heard the language of the dark world was during a mission with Hu Dao, when the leader of a dark world scout team had uttered the word “Yu Hu.” At the time, Yang Fan thought it was simply their native pronunciation and hadn’t given it much thought.

Just now, listening to Li Tian and Yu Tian’s conversation, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Why are they speaking standard language?” Li Xianyi, next to him, shot him a look of utter disdain, his tone dripping with scorn, making Yang Fan want to crawl into a hole.

Then came Hu Dao’s explanation, which made him blush even more. He was a complete novice—over a month living in the ruins, and yet so ignorant.

But Yang Fan couldn’t help feeling aggrieved. If it hadn’t been for Xie Guotao dragging him all over, causing chaos everywhere, how could he have remained so clueless? At the very least, he should have gotten the basic facts straight.

A voice from the sky cut off Yang Fan’s thoughts.

“Yu Tian? Very well. Since you attack my city, you will not leave!” Li Tian’s aura transformed; gone was the tranquil elegance, replaced in an instant by the presence of a revived warlord. In a heartbeat, Li Tian changed from a graceful immortal to a resurgent overlord.

Yu Tian was about to retort, when a blade’s radiance pierced the heavens, slashing through the void toward him.

Where the blade passed, the sky itself trembled, and the air seemed to ignite in its wake.

Yu Tian had no time for words; his expression grew grave. He thrust both hands forward, silent and swift.

As the blade’s light neared, Yu Tian’s hands turned jet black, reaching out to grasp it.

A series of explosions echoed as his palms closed.

The moment Yu Tian’s hands met Li Tian’s blade, a shockwave erupted from the point of contact, rippling out in all directions.

On Jubei City’s walls, Xiao Deyi was the first to rally his energy, shielding the city. The remaining six tenth-rank warriors did the same.

Yang Fan stood atop the thick city wall, but what once felt solid and secure now seemed to vanish beneath him, offering not a shred of safety.

As the shockwave swept the city, Yang Fan felt as if he’d taken a heavy blow to the chest, struggling for breath.

Looking around, he saw his comrades’ faces pale; some ordinary soldiers’ faces were flushed red from the strain. Even the seven tenth-rank warriors atop the wall looked grim; Xiao Deyi, who had first unleashed his aura to shield them, was sweating profusely.

In midair, Yu Tian crushed the blade’s radiance, but before he could jeer, a surge of danger gripped his heart.

The smoke and haze left by the artillery fire, already dispersed by the two titans’ clash, now shattered completely. The sky split open, and a blade, moving with unimaginable speed and unstoppable will, appeared.

Behind the blade stood Li Tian, no longer white-haired but with long black hair streaming in the void. His once-slender frame was now swollen with muscle, though his spotless white robe remained as immaculate as before.

Gripping his blade in both hands, Li Tian cleaved downward from the zenith of the sky.

Yu Tian’s expression shifted again. In his hands appeared a weapon Yang Fan had never seen before, shaped like a single-legged figure with a pointed head.

Yu Tian swung his weapon, roaring as he met the impossibly swift blade head-on.

From Po Bei City, two surging auras broke through the dark sky, racing toward the battlefield between Li Tian and Yu Tian.

But it was too late. Li Tian’s blade, carrying both man and indomitable will, wrapped in unimaginable speed, collided with Yu Tian.

A deafening explosion rocked the heavens, as if a sun had risen in the sky. Scorched earth below billowed and churned.

Waves of force battered the two cities, relentlessly, despite the distance between them.