Chapter 687 - 683: Where Is He?

Chapter 687: Chapter 683: Where Is He?

A City Lord-level expert finally made a move.

The void was torn asunder—a display of supreme might that only an exceptionally powerful being could accomplish.

All City Lord-level beings had mastered Void Power, putting them on par with the Yin Yang Realm. Some had even fully ascended to that level.

Before them, the void was as fragile as tofu.

With a casual tear, a Dharma Body descended.

Of course...

If a Realm Prohibition had been present, then even Xiahuang the First—the Great City Lord of Xiakang Divine City, hailed as the strongest in single combat—would have found it difficult to tear through the void and manifest his Dharma Body across the prohibitions of two regions.

The War Spirit Holy Land was peculiar, however.

But it was merely a place on par with the Celestial Essence Secret Realm. A City Lord-level expert could still tear through its void and manifest a Dharma Body, albeit at a certain cost.

The only caveat was that the Dharma Body could not remain for long.

It was a colossal, pitch-black hand, covered entirely in black scales, like the hand of a demon.

The moment it appeared, it moved to suppress Hong Yu.

It was terrifying beyond measure, wreathed in wisps of Demonic Qi. It felt as if contact with the slightest trace would sever one’s ties to reincarnation, causing them to dissipate completely from the world.

RUMBLE!

The terrifying palm plunged Hong Yu into despair.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Under the immense pressure, his wounds tore open, spilling fresh blood. His flesh was a mangled mess, and in several places, grim white bone was exposed.

"Kneel!"

A mighty voice echoed from the void.

The voice carried an endless, malevolent divine power. Even a Half-step City Lord-level expert in their prime would find their knees buckling before such might, to say nothing of the heavily injured Hong Yu.

But he did not kneel.

Even as his legs trembled and his bones threatened to snap, he stubbornly refused to let his knees bend.

Hong Yu clenched his teeth so hard they threatened to shatter. Blood welled in his eyes as he glared up at the pitch-black hand in the sky and roared, "I, Hong Yu, kneel to neither heaven nor earth—only to my parents! Who the hell do you think you are? You want *me* to kneel to *you*?"

"You won’t kneel? Then die!"

A cold snort echoed from the void.

The black hand descended again, intent on crushing him.

Watching this terrifying attack, the faces of the experts in the distance changed drastically. Bear Tao and the others turned pale, their faces masks of indescribable horror.

An agreement existed between the Four Great Divine Cities and the Eight Great Battle Clans: City Lord-level experts were not to act rashly. Yet a City Lord had suddenly attacked Hong Yu. It was a blatant violation of the rules, but no expert from the War Race intervened. This could only mean the City Lords had reached a consensus.

’Damn, Brother Hong Yu actually drew out a City Lord?’

"This aura is filled with an incredibly powerful killing intent. It must be that Eastern Asura from the Eastern Divine City! No one else has such a terrifying lust for slaughter!" Tiger Wei’s face was pale, and his whole body trembled.

A City Lord!

On the True Dragon Battlefield, they were supreme beings.

A surviving Divine King from the Eastern Divine City burst into laughter, roaring with ecstatic glee, "The City Lord’s divine power is absolute! Hong Yu, you’re dead for sure today!"

"Eastern Asura?"

A flicker of grim resolve lit up Hong Yu’s crimson eyes.

His World-Burning Golden Lotus, Thunder Emperor’s Divine Eyes, and Star Eyes all activated in a frenzy.

His aura condensed to its absolute limit, and his body began to crack under the immense pressure. If he hadn’t cultivated a powerful Body Refining Technique like the Nine Transformation Dragon God Technique, his body would have already exploded and he would be dead.

"Not even the Celestial King himself could take my life today!"

Hong Yu threw his head back and spat a mouthful of thick blood. It shot through the air like a divine arrow, atomizing into a crimson mist.

The dark-golden Nine Netherworld Burning World Flame erupted around him, instantly evaporating the blood. He abruptly raised his right hand.

He was channeling the last of his energy, activating the Venerable Golden Bone for a final, desperate counterattack!

VMMMM!

A golden radiance swirled around his right hand, so dazzling and blinding it was as if a blazing sun were coiled there.

BANG!

A bloody light suddenly burst from Hong Yu’s right arm. After the earlier explosive blood sacrifice, his arm could no longer withstand the terrifying power of the Venerable Golden Bone. His blood vessels ruptured, filling the air with a crimson radiance.

His brows were tightly knit, and his eyes, like two clashing swords, blazed with a blinding, furious fire.

At this moment, Hong Yu’s rage had reached its peak!

He would risk it all!

"Venerable Golden Bone, help me one last time!"

Hong Yu roared to the heavens.

VMMM!

His entire right arm exploded, leaving only the Venerable Golden Bone exposed to the void, wreathed in brilliant golden light, countless mysterious runes spinning around it as Order Divine Chains coiled tight.

It suddenly shot forward in a punch!

BOOM!

The golden bone shot out a fist of pure bone.

Formed entirely of golden bone, it was majestic and its power was unparalleled. The golden radiance blotted out half the sky.

RUMBLE!

The golden Bone Fist slammed into the black, scale-armored fist, unleashing a terrifying wave of energy. The surrounding void shattered, the shockwave spreading in every direction.

As the void trembled, cracks tore open the sky.

Terrifying spatial storms surged from the fissures in the void, their power immense and unbelievably sharp.

Each wisp of the escaping storm was as powerful as a Flood Dragon. Anyone caught in it, even a Half-step City Lord, would be gravely injured. Fortunately, neither attack was at its full power; otherwise, this entire pocket dimension would have been shattered and utterly incinerated.

"Hmph!"

A muffled grunt came from the void.

The black hand abruptly exploded, and the light from the Venerable Golden Bone in Hong Yu’s grasp dimmed.

The Order Divine Chains suddenly contracted.

With a violent cough, Hong Yu was sent flying backward. His right hand was completely limp and useless; he had exhausted all his strength.

He lay weakly on the ground, vomiting mouthful after mouthful of blood, his body a canvas of wounds.

"Th-th-this can’t be real, can it?"

"Hong Yu actually traded a blow with Eastern Asura and fought him to a standstill?"

"My god, I must be seeing things..."

"Not good, another City Lord is descending!"

The cold-faced Tan Hui’s gaze suddenly sharpened as he let out a low growl.

Everyone snapped their gazes toward the void.

The just-calmed void tore open once more. This time, an illusory white tiger descended, accompanied by a faintly mocking voice. "Eastern Asura, you’re really getting worse with age. To think a mere cultivator at the Peak of the Primordial Embryo Realm could destroy one of your Dharma Giant Hands. Just let me handle it and kill him!"

An ecstatic look appeared on King Lingxiao’s face. "The Second City Lord is making his move!"

Everyone gasped.

This was the Second City Lord of Xiakang Divine City, a top expert from the White Tiger Duchy.

"Hmph! If it weren’t for the Venerable Golden Bone, I could have crushed him like an ant!"

Eastern Asura’s furious roar boomed once more as another giant, pitch-black claw tore through the void, hurtling toward Hong Yu with a tremendous wave of Evil Qi.

Both the White Tiger and the black claw aimed to take Hong Yu’s life!

"It’s really over this time. With two City Lords attacking at once, unless a miracle occurs, there’s no way Hong Yu can survive!"

"Such a talent, yet envied by the heavens!"

"What a pity..."

The various experts lamented.

Hong Yu’s expression shifted repeatedly as he watched the City Lords’ attacks draw nearer. They were so immense that the pressure alone felt like it would shatter every bone in his body.

But he was now so weak he couldn’t even move a finger.

His eyes were fixed on the two attacks.

The terrifying pressure felt like Ten Thousand Years Cold Ice, sending shivers down Hong Yu’s spine. His body went ice-cold, and he couldn’t even breathe. This sense of powerlessness and despair was like an endless darkness closing in on him.

In this moment, Hong Yu tasted despair and death.

More than anything, he felt powerless.

He felt like an injured rabbit facing two pouncing tigers, utterly without the strength to resist. He could only watch helplessly as death closed in, about to strike him down. The despair and powerlessness brought Hong Yu to the brink of collapse.

Blood constantly trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Fragments of his memory flashed through his mind: loved ones, friends, family...

It all flashed before his eyes.

He saw Yun Mengyao shaking her fist at him, an innocent, flawless smile on her face.

He saw Beichen Tianshuang shielding him once again, her blood splattering like blossoms of despair.

He saw so much...

Suddenly, the despair in Hong Yu’s eyes transformed into unshakeable resolve. ’No! I can’t die! I absolutely cannot die here!’

"AHHHH!"

"Eastern Asura, Xiakang Divine City..."

"If I, Hong Yu, survive today, I swear I will one day come to the gates of your Divine Cities and flatten them completely, leaving not even a blade of grass standing...!"

Hong Yu roared at the heavens.

Eastern Asura’s furious voice echoed from the void: "Flatten my Divine City? Hmph, you won’t get the chance!"

With that, the two attacks crashed down.

RUMBLE!

The entire world was enveloped in a blinding radiance, followed by the eruption of a mushroom cloud of light a hundred miles wide. The explosion raged for a full ten minutes before gradually subsiding.

When the world grew calm again,

the mountain range that had just been flattened was now a terrifying, massive crater, a hundred miles in diameter.

It was as if their combined blow had obliterated an entire province, leaving only a crater behind.

When all was calm once more,

the two City Lords, having apparently killed Hong Yu, had retreated.

Even so, no one dared to approach.

A full half-hour passed. Only when most of the turbulent energy had dissipated did Kuadi, King Lingxiao, and Ma Yuanpeng cautiously approach.

Their expressions held a poorly concealed mix of anxiety and ecstasy, as if they were searching for something.

The reason was self-evident.

They were searching for the Venerable Golden Bone!

But after a thorough search, they still couldn’t find what they were looking for. They could only look at each other in dismay. "Strange... The Venerable Golden Bone is an artifact of a Venerable. Even a Venerable would struggle to destroy it. There’s no way the City Lords’ attacks could have obliterated it. So where did it go?"

"We never approached this area, yet the Venerable Golden Bone vanished without a trace. Could it be..."

King Lingxiao’s expression changed.

Everyone looked at him. "Could it be what?"

King Lingxiao’s expression shifted inexplicably. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh. "Could it be that Hong Yu isn’t dead?"

Everyone’s expression changed.

Although they were unwilling to admit it, a question kept echoing in their minds.

Hong Yu... was he really...

Truly dead? Or only pretending?

If he isn’t dead, then where in the world did he go?