The Solar and Lunar Stars

That person’s strength is immense, and those blood-red eyes…

Chi Qiu forced herself to remain calm. Though her expression betrayed nothing, her mind raced with a myriad of thoughts.

Could this be Ye Yan, the one the Tianyan Sect has been searching for?

Those blood-red eyes instantly triggered a memory for her. She recalled the mission scroll the Tianyan Sect had issued to Su Hanxing, which depicted Ye Yan with a pair of eyes like a sea of blood. This competition was a clash between the Tianyan Sect’s strongest disciple and the Heart God Sect’s most formidable. Given Ye Yan’s animosity towards the Tianyan Sect and his feud with the Heart God Sect… it seemed Ye Yan certainly had ample reason to appear here.

Chi Qiu dared not look in that direction again, shifting her gaze to the arena. Yet, her mind remained preoccupied with Ye Yan. From the moment she scanned the crowd, to her gaze meeting the mysterious figure, and then her looking away—though it felt like an eternity to her, in reality, less than a breath had passed.

On the arena, Su Hanxing wore a faint smile. He neither dodged nor evaded, simply watching as the wailing fluctuations from the ethereal soul figure washed over him.

Hum—

A strange vibration instantly resonated throughout the entire arena. The wave of energy, upon entering Su Hanxing’s body, vanished as if a mud ox had plunged into the sea, stirring not a single ripple. Su Hanxing continued to advance unhurriedly, as if nothing had transpired.

“He actually defied the Soul Lament Art!”

“Just now, the Soul Lament merely grazed me, yet it sent my spirit reeling and filled me with dread. Now, he faces its initial attack head-on, treating it as nothing. What terrifying strength!”

The murmurs of the crowd gradually drew Chi Qiu’s thoughts back. Seeing Su Hanxing silently withstand Zhu Yan’s Soul Lament head-on, she tilted her head slightly, a smile gracing her lips. At that moment, Zhu Yan’s expression remained composed. He seemed unconcerned that his secret art had failed to uncover even a hint of Su Hanxing’s true strength, maintaining an air of complete calm.

However, while he managed to conceal his facial expressions, several uncontrollable subtle movements betrayed him. His subtly trembling fingers, his noticeably hurried breathing, and his slightly dilated pupils all revealed the tension and unease within him.

Then, Su Hanxing made his move.

He raised a hand and pointed, causing the myriad stars behind him to instantly swirl. Streaks of starlight coalesced from thin air, piercing forth in the direction of Su Hanxing’s finger, striking towards Zhu Yan in a blink.

Zhu Yan waved his hand, his spiritual power surging forth to form a light screen. Simultaneously, he retreated rapidly, clearly unwilling to engage with the starlight.

Screech—

The protective light screen, conjured by Zhu Yan’s spiritual power, was instantly pierced by the starlight, unable to even momentarily impede its advance. Fortunately, Zhu Yan had anticipated this outcome and had already pulled back, thus avoiding being impaled.

Witnessing the astonishing power of Su Hanxing’s casual strike, Zhu Yan resolved himself. He pushed off with his feet, soaring into the sky, then merged with the ethereal soul figure mid-air. He grew to a height of four or five zhang, emanating a terrifying might.

“Come, try my Heart Demon Body of the Heart God Sect!”

After Zhu Yan fully merged with the ethereal soul figure, his aura intensified dramatically. His spiritual power surged erratically, and with every movement, immense force tore through the void, creating an extremely grating sound of rushing wind.

“Heart Demon Body? Nothing more than that.” Su Hanxing sneered. With a flick of his finger, several more streaks of starlight pierced through the void, aiming directly for the head and neck of the massive figure.

“That move won’t work on me now!” Zhu Yan roared, immediately swinging his fists. His vast spiritual power surged, directly intercepting and halting the starlight.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With a series of thunderous impacts, the soul giant that Zhu Yan had transformed into was repeatedly forced back. Yet, he ultimately managed to block Su Hanxing’s assault, shattering all the streaks of starlight.

You’re already in such a sorry state from a minor trick of mine. What if I try this?

Su Hanxing’s expression remained unchanged as he watched the starlight shatter. He was determined to defeat Zhu Yan with overwhelming force, vowing to make good on his word today. With a sweep of his right hand, two massive stars emerged from behind his head. The star on the left was fiery red and scorching hot, while the other was as cold as frost.

It’s the Solar Star and the Lunar Star!

The familiar power emanating from the two stars allowed Chi Qiu to instantly recognize their identities. Even from such a distance, she could feel the extreme heat and icy cold fluctuations contained within them.

Is this the might of the Tianyan Method? To cultivate it to Su Hanxing’s level, capable of summoning True Lunar/Solar Force to construct miniature Solar and Lunar Stars—it’s truly incredible.

Chi Qiu gazed at Su Hanxing, who was now surrounded by myriad stars, her bright golden eyes filled with envy. The two stars slowly rotated, their crimson and icy blue energies intertwining. Swiftly, they coalesced into a massive spear of water and fire, approximately twenty zhang long.

“Can you withstand this spear?”

Su Hanxing laughed heartily, then drew a circle with his right hand before pointing forward. The water-fire spear instantly shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, streaking across the azure arena in a crimson and blue arc, straight towards Zhu Yan’s head.

“Heart Demon Body, Heart God Annihilation Art!”

Zhu Yan’s face, hidden beneath the ethereal soul figure, subtly twisted. Confronting the awe-inspiring water-fire spear, he dared not be complacent, immediately unleashing his strongest attack. The soul giant silently chanted an incantation, pouring forth all its spiritual power. This power continuously accumulated in the sky, ultimately transforming into a colossal black ancient mirror.

Ripples surged across the ancient mirror, from which a jet-black beam of light was refracted, shooting directly towards the rapidly approaching water-fire spear. Upon seeing Zhu Yan unleash this Heart God Annihilation Art, all the disciples of the Heart God Sect rose to their feet, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Pfft—

Amidst the fervent gazes of the crowd, the massive spear and the black beam finally collided. The instant they met, a grating, teeth-grinding sound erupted as both the spear and the beam began to dissolve simultaneously, intertwining with each other.

Zhu Yan’s face had paled slightly, but his form was concealed within the soul giant, rendering it invisible to all. Su Hanxing, however, remained composed, showing not the slightest hint of fear. He calmly watched the water-fire spear, which was rapidly dissolving, without making any further moves.

“That black beam won’t be able to stop Hanxing’s spear,” Chi Qiu instinctively said, trying to reassure the anxious Tianyan Sect disciples around her.

Before her words had fully faded, the water-fire spear blazed with intense light, its speed abruptly accelerating. In the blink of an eye, it utterly dissolved the black beam, then, its momentum undiminished, it slammed violently into the black ancient mirror.

Bang!

After a thunderous crash, the ancient mirror shattered, slowly dissipating into thin air. Seeing his strongest killing move effortlessly broken, Zhu Yan involuntarily felt the urge to retreat. Yet, the thought of the consequences of an unprompted surrender made him hesitate.

Rustle… rustle…

A faint rustling sound pulled Zhu Yan’s thoughts back to reality. He looked down, only to see that the white galaxy, which had previously encircled Su Hanxing, had somehow wrapped around his own body. Zhu Yan was immediately terrified. He frantically flailed his limbs, only to find himself trapped as if in a swamp, unable to move even an inch.

Twang—

A sound rang out from Su Hanxing’s direction. Zhu Yan looked up, only to see Su Hanxing holding a massive bow, drawing it to full tension with both hands, starlight and true qi converging, the arrow aimed directly at him. The destructive power emanating from that star-forged arrow far surpassed even the earlier water-fire spear. Zhu Yan swallowed hard at the sight, then cried out in a hoarse voice:

“I surrender! I surrender!”