Chapter 845: Forge of the Dao

Chapter 845: Chapter 845: Forge of the Dao

The air surrounding the four combatants collapsed under pressure. The three generals of the Divine Wind Empire unleashed the full measure of their power, deploying their Spiritual Transcendence Realm domains to coat the sky in a storm of energy, wind gusts, and mountain-shattering strikes.

Facing them, Ethan stood at a severe realm disadvantage. The gap between their cultivation tiers was abyssal; the pressure emanating from the three generals would have shattered the bones of any ordinary cultivator before they could draw a blade. Yet Ethan relied neither on the Orb of Death, nor summoned additional undead, nor tapped into the system’s abyssal abilities. Holding the Black Chaos Sword with both hands, he closed his eyes for a second, locking his consciousness onto the core of his martial path: his Sword Heart.

CLANG!

The first spark erupted in the void. The light-sword general thrust forward like a beam of light, aiming a strike at Ethan’s throat. With a flick of his wrist, Ethan deflected the blade, demonstrating a technique so refined that it allowed him to match warriors from higher realms. The impact’s vibration coursed through his arms, resonating within his soul.

At that moment, the fan-wielding general snapped his runic weapon from the rear, unleashing hundreds of wind blades that sheared through the clouds, while the bare-fisted general materialized behind Ethan with a punch coated in condensed mana.

Ethan did not retreat. Dancing through the abyss, he swung the Black Chaos Sword, tracing arcs of pure sword intent. Every parry, block, and strike neared technical perfection. The realm disparity squeezed his physical frame like a vise, yet Ethan channeled that energy to forge his resolve and polish his cultivation’s rough edges. The blade was a direct extension of his spirit, seeking the spark of enlightenment to shatter his bottleneck.

BOOM!

A strike from the bare-fisted general slammed into the side of Ethan’s blade, driving him back several meters through the air due to the difference in power. Blood trickled from the corner of Ethan’s lips, yet his eyes reflected neither pain nor fear, but absolute ecstasy.

"More...", muttered Ethan in a guttural voice that made reality vibrate. "Faster! Feel the weight of your deaths and hit me with everything you have!"

The three generals, feeling the dread of seeing a lower-realm cultivator fight toe-to-toe against three Spiritual Transcendence Realm experts, assaulted in synchrony. The sky turned crimson with explosions and flashes as Ethan held off the onslaught using nothing but the mastery of his edge and the resolve of his Sword Heart, refining his martial intent within the forge of a life-and-death struggle.

Seeing that their coordinated assaults barely managed to fray Ethan’s robes, desperation curdled into terror inside the chests of the three generals. The minor wounds they inflicted closed beneath the violet glow of his bloodline, while his sword intent grew heavier and sharper with every passing second.

"It’s useless!" roared the fan-wielding general, spitting a mouthful of blood as he watched his wind technique rebaned like paper. "He is no ordinary cultivator! He is a creature that does not belong in this world!"

"If this monster does not die here and now, it will be the end of the Divine Wind Empire!" shrieked the bare-fisted general, feeling the bones in his hands crack upon colliding with the edge of the Black Chaos Sword. "He will reach the Capital and leave not a single member of our families alive!"

The three generals locked eyes for a split second. There was no need for words; within their gazes ignited the resignation of warriors who have embraced their demise to prevent the ruin of their lineage.

"For the Empire... and for our blood," whispered the generals in unison.

In that instant, all three detonated their spiritual cores from within.

BOOOOOOM!

A pillar of golden energy shot straight into the firmament, shattering the clouds above the Pass of the Two Gorges. The three generals began burning their life essence and souls at a terrifying speed, skyrocketing their combat power to monstrous levels at the cost of consuming themselves within minutes.

The fan general threw his weapon into the air, where it disintegrated into a tempest of crimson wind blades shaped like a celestial dragon of judgment. The light-sword general fused his body into his blade, turning into a beam of light capable of piercing matter. And the bare-fisted general funneled his life force into his arms, which swelled to twice their size and coated themselves in self-destruction runes.

"DIE, YOU MONSTER!!" roared the three powerhouses in a desperate scream that shook the mountain range.

The three ultimate, kamikaze techniques converged from distinct angles upon Ethan’s body, collapsing the surrounding space into a sphere of destruction that threatened to swallow everything.

Ethan, at the epicenter of the cataclysm, didn’t blink. The pressure squeezed his physical frame like a hot vise, and the invisible barrier holding back his cultivation cracked on the verge of total rupture.

The three destructive techniques struck Ethan’s body simultaneously, unleashing an explosion that began tearing his flesh and shattering his defenses. Yet, amidst the agonizing pain, the barrier blocking his cultivation fractured completely.

Behind his form, the shadow shaped like a Void nightmare manifested in the firmament. This time it was no ethereal projection: the creature turned dense, solid, and terrifyingly real, casting a presence so overwhelming it froze the breath in the chests of the three generals.

The abyssal beast opened its maw and devoured the three suns of kamikaze energy unleashed by the commanders in a single bite.

Ethan’s eyes turned a blood-red hue as an immeasurable tide of primal power flooded his meridians. His consciousness slipped into a trance, hovering between life and death as he absorbed the abyssal surge. The massive shadow at his back began to crack beneath the weight of its energy, letting out a roar that made creation vibrate.

The presence of such unbridled power caused the laws of the world to react with fury.

The clouds high above turned dark as pitch, swirling into a raging vortex. Electric dragons of violet and gold reappeared amid the thunderous sky, roaring with violence and threatening to annihilate everything in their path to punish the entity that dared to defy the limits of the realm.