Chapter 656: Holy Judgment

Chapter 656 -652: Holy Judgment

“I will slaughter the Centaur Race!”

Hong Yu hovered in the air above a boundless sea of fire, its flames licking at the sky. The powerhouses of the Centaur Race scattered in every direction, a pathetic sight.

In that single instant, he had not only slain four War Kings but had also nearly destroyed a third of the Centaur Race’s main encampment—a home they had painstakingly built over hundreds, even thousands, of years.

Countless Centaur powerhouses had perished in the sea of flames.

Had they heard Hong Yu say such a thing before, the Centaur powerhouses would have certainly dismissed it as shameless boasting, perhaps even sneering at his audacity.

But now…

The scene of the four War Kings’ deaths was still fresh in their minds. With the inferno raging below, every powerhouse of the Centaur Race fell silent, some even beginning to regret ever provoking Hong Yu.

But now, the two sides were as irreconcilable as fire and water.

It was clear that neither Hong Yu nor the Centaur Race would let the matter rest.

One of them had to be annihilated.

Otherwise, this blood feud could never be settled.

“Brothers! Today is a matter of life and death for our Centaur Race! Can we retreat in the face of the butcher who slaughters our people?” Ma Tengtian bellowed.

“We cannot!”

The powerhouses of the Centaur Race roared in fury.

Their eyes, fixed on Hong Yu, burned with venom and hatred, as if he had come to their home and begun this massacre without any provocation.

Hong Yu roared with laughter. “No wonder you’re such monsters, neither man nor beast—your hides are as thick as a horse’s! Search your hearts! Would I be doing this if you Centaurs hadn’t pushed me time and time again? If you hadn’t shamelessly harmed Chenxi just to threaten me?”

“You dregs! When you committed your atrocities, spinning endless schemes to steal my Venerable Golden Bone, you were no different from the most vicious bandits and demons.”

Hong Yu took a deep breath and his taunts continued. “What I despise most in this world are hypocritical bastards like you—whores trying to build monuments to their own purity.”

“Ptui!”

He spat viciously.

The glob of saliva landed right on the face of a War King.

The War King’s face flushed crimson with rage, but he didn’t dare to move a muscle.

“Hahaha! Aren’t you furious? Don’t you all wish you could skin me alive and rip out my bones? So why is no one moving now?”

Hong Yu roared at the heavens, leveling his Godslaying Spear at the Centaur powerhouses. “You pack of curs! You dared to plot against me, and you dared to harm Chenxi. For that, you must pay the price!”

“Come on! Come at me! One by one or all at once, I don’t care. Today, I’m going to unleash a massacre!”

Hong Yu stood proudly in the void.

He had thrown down the gauntlet.

And yet…

Though the Centaur powerhouses glared, wishing they could butcher Hong Yu and tear him limb from limb, the memory of his recent, savage onslaught kept any one of them from being the first to attack.

Ma Tengtian’s face paled and flushed, a hideous sight to behold.

‘He had intended to rile up the others with his words, to have them charge first and wear down Hong Yu’s strength while he launched a sneak attack from the side.’

‘But Hong Yu had seen right through his ploy.’

He had single-handedly suppressed the Centaur powerhouses with his overwhelming, unstoppable momentum, leaving them paralyzed with fear.

Ma Tengtian knew he had to be the one to make the first move!

Otherwise, even if they eventually killed Hong Yu and won, his own prestige within the Centaur Race would plummet.

‘Damn you, Ma Qi! Things have come to this, and you still haven’t made a move? Do you plan to let my Centaur Race fight Hong Yu to the death, exhaust his strength, and then swoop in to claim the spoils?’ Although Ma Tengtian was furious, even wanting to scream curses at Ma Qi, he knew he had no choice but to bite the bullet and charge.

“Arrogant whelp, I’ll kill you today if it’s the last thing I do!” Ma Tengtian roared.

At that moment, he threw all caution to the wind.

Ma Tengtian knew the very survival of the Centaur Race hinged on this battle; it was unavoidable.

If they failed, the Centaur Race would be wiped out by Hong Yu, reduced to dust and consigned to history.

Their only option was to fight to the death!

“Fight to the death!”

“We’ll leave Hong Yu here, even if it costs us our lives!”

Spurred on by Ma Tengtian, the remaining Centaur powerhouses rallied and charged after him.

In an instant…

An overwhelming barrage of attacks thundered toward Hong Yu.

The attacks were all immensely powerful.

They roared with the force of a thunderclap and charged with the fury of a ten-thousand-horse stampede.

“Heaven-Devouring Demon Elephant, come forth!”

Hong Yu didn’t dare to be careless either.

The Centaurs were clearly prepared to die fighting, and the powerhouses of the Celestial Horse Race were still lurking in the shadows. He decided to end this quickly, before any other complications could arise.

As the Heaven-Devouring Demon Elephant appeared, Hong Yu’s momentum surged to its peak. He charged, spear in hand, and unleashed a sweeping strike. The golden Spear Aura solidified into a wall of light that rushed toward the Centaur powerhouses with a deafening BOOM.

RUMBLE!

Sweeping Thousand Soldiers.

That single strike sent more than a dozen War Kings flying, crashing to the ground heavily wounded.

Hong Yu didn’t pause for a second.

On the battlefield, especially in a chaotic melee, a moment’s hesitation could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

WHOOSH!

The Divine Demon Wings glowed with a black radiance.

The wings were incomparably sharp, rivaling a Primordial Weapon.

They vibrated, tearing through the air in a flash.

He ripped a huge gash through the center of the Centaur formation. Powerhouses on either side were wounded by the concussive force. A few, caught off guard or attempting a sneak attack from the flank, were sliced open by the wings themselves.

Some had their necks snapped, their heads hanging half-severed from their bodies.

Others had their chests shattered, sliced clean in two at the waist by the Divine Demon Wings!

SPLASH!

A rain of blood filled the sky. On this day, the Qingfeng Grassland was fated to be dyed red.

“Damn you, Hong Yu! I want you dead!”

Ma Tengtian’s eyes were bloodshot. He was on the verge of a rampage.

These dead War Kings were the backbone of the Centaur Race, its pillars of support, the very foundation upon which the race stood.

Every single one of them was priceless.

But now…

…they were being butchered by Hong Yu’s Slaughter Knife as easily as cutting melons. Ma Tengtian’s heart ached. He grew more furious, more venomous, wishing he could tear Hong Yu apart with his bare teeth. “All Centaurs, listen to me! Today is a day of life and death for our race! I need your power…”

“Chief, are you planning to use *that* technique?”

One of the War Kings looked on in horror.

‘He knew how terrifying that technique was. If it succeeded in killing Hong Yu, then all would be well. But if it failed… after using it, extinction would be all that awaited the Centaur Race!’

Ma Tengtian nodded grimly. “Do we have any other choice?”

“I…”

The War King was at a loss for words.

Of course, some War Kings objected. One, his eyes bloodshot, roared, “Ma Tengtian, we only provoked Hong Yu today because of you and your stupid son! You’re the ones who dragged our entire race into this spiral of destruction! I’m done playing your game! I refuse to die to pay for your and your son’s foolishness!”

This War King had once contended with Ma Tengtian for the position of chief.

He ultimately lost and became an Elder.

Several War Kings loyal to him stirred, ready to leave with him.

A cold, crazed light flickered in Ma Tengtian’s eyes. “You’re courting death!”

He swung his blade.

Caught off guard, the War King was cleaved in two, split straight down from the crown of his head. Blood gushed out in crimson arcs.

“Ma Tengtian, have you gone mad?”

The War King’s Primordial Spirit flew out, glaring with fury.

“Defying me? Sowing discord among the ranks? What use are you?”

Ma Tengtian was utterly merciless.

His form blurred. His palm conjured a wondrous attack, forming a dragon of light that seized the Primordial Spirit. He then tossed it into his mouth, chewed with a sickening CRUNCH, and swallowed it whole. The act was so chilling it made one’s blood run cold. Even the powerhouses of the War Race broke out in a cold sweat, utterly terrified by his brutality.

Even the few War Kings who had been on the verge of leaving were now frozen with terror, daring not to move.

Ma Tengtian’s stern gaze swept over the remaining War Kings before he barked, “All powerhouses of the Centaur Race, follow my lead! We will perform the Forbidden Combat Skill—Holy Judgment!”

“ROAR!”

“For the glory of the Centaur Race!”

“No regrets, even in death!”

In an instant, hundreds, perhaps a thousand, Centaur powerhouses soared into the air, arraying themselves behind Ma Tengtian.

Every single Centaur powerhouse held the exact same posture.

They placed their hands on the shoulders of the one in front, forming long chains.

Ma Tengtian stood at the very front.

Behind him, they formed nine lines, each a column over a hundred strong.

It was a combination Combat Skill.

Its power was terrifying beyond compare, earning it the name of Forbidden Combat Skill.

As the name suggested, using it meant wielding a Forbidden Power.

「Deep within the Centaur Race’s main encampment…」

The powerhouses of the Celestial Horse Race were gathered here. Seeing Ma Tengtian rally his people for the forbidden battle formation, they turned to their leader, Commander Ma Qi. “Commander, if we don’t intervene, I’m afraid Ma Tengtian and his men won’t make it!”

Ma Qi glanced at the speaker and smiled confidently. “Relax. They’re about to use the Forbidden Combat Skill, Holy Judgment. Even I might not be able to withstand that attack. Hong Yu is a dead man.”

“Commander, is Holy Judgment really that incredible?” someone asked, curious.

Ma Qi nodded. “I once heard my grandfather mention it. Apparently, an ancestor of the Centaur Race found this Combat Skill in a Secret Realm. It requires fusing the power of numerous warriors to summon the Judgement Divine Spear and annihilate an opponent. When the Centaurs first arrived in the Central Area, they faced several calamities that could have wiped them out. It was Holy Judgment that saved them!”

“It is their greatest trump card, its power is utterly terrifying, for it contains a Forbidden Power. If it didn’t, the Peacock King would have wiped out the Centaur Race long ago!” Ma Qi said with conviction.

“So, Hong Yu is doomed?”

Ma Qi nodded, his expression a mixture of indifference and feigned regret. “He’s doomed, of course. I just didn’t expect Hong Yu to be this powerful. It truly gets the blood pumping; I can’t help but want to go up and have a good fight with him myself. A pity he’s about to die.”

「Meanwhile.」

The hundreds of Centaur powerhouses behind Ma Tengtian had already channeled their power into him. He raised his hands high above his head. A dark void opened in the sky, and golden thunder boomed.

And then…

…a magnificent, terrifying pressure that made the heart tremble emanated from the dark void.

This pressure, like the advent of Deities, was enough to startle even Hong Yu.

HUMMM!

A golden Long Spear, over three hundred meters in length, appeared. It radiated a vast, holy pressure, like a punishing Celestial God come to judge all the sins of the world.

“Judgement Divine Spear—Strike!”

Ma Tengtian roared.

With a WHOOSH, the golden Judgement Divine Spear bore down on Hong Yu. The terrifying pressure pinned him in place, leaving him unable to move, forced to watch as it hurtled toward him…