The White Emperor’s body was covered in impenetrable scales, a testament to his formidable divine-demonic bloodline that couldn’t be underestimated. While Xu Qi An wasn’t confident about piercing those scales, he was quite sure about stabbing a certain vulnerable spot.

First, the abdomen lacked scales, making it relatively weak. And the reproductive organ was any creature’s most vulnerable point—surely even divine beings couldn’t avoid this biological weakness.

Using the “Star-Shifting” technique, Xu Qi An concealed his presence. The White Emperor, not being trained in martial arts, lacked the instinctive sense of danger. By the time he noticed Xu Qi An beneath him, the Nation-Stabilizing Sword had already erupted with golden light, thrusting toward his vulnerable area with overwhelming force.

The White Emperor remained motionless.

At that moment, as Xu Qi An thrust forward with the Nation-Stabilizing Sword, he saw the White Emperor’s abdomen suddenly bulge, followed by a swelling in his target area.

A martial artist’s danger sense surged within Xu Qi An as an image flashed through his mind—the White Emperor about to pierce his skull with a stream of urine!

As a descendant of divine beings born with the power to control water and lightning, the White Emperor could relieve himself at will, anywhere, anytime.

Not worth it… After weighing the consequences of following through with his strike, Xu Qi An promptly abandoned the plan. He rolled sideways, tumbling out from beneath the White Emperor.

The next instant, a water stream as thick as a fist shot out from between the White Emperor’s legs, piercing deep into the ground like a knife through tofu, its depth unfathomable.

One could imagine that if that stream had hit Xu Qi An’s face, his head would have exploded instantly.

The White Emperor’s form suddenly froze, then scattered in the wind—it was merely an afterimage.

His true body attacked Xu Qi An at an inconceivable speed, his massive frame rearing up as his claws struck down viciously.

Such incredible speed… Xu Qi An had barely risen from his roll when the cutting wind struck his face like a blade. He brought his sword horizontally across his chest, left hand bracing the blade, forcefully blocking!

Clang!

The claws struck the blade, and the First Divine Sword of Great Feng’s strength withstood the White Emperor’s physical force.

But Xu Qi An couldn’t hold his ground. His energy exploded as he was sent sliding backward like a train with rocket boosters.

The cowhide boots sewn for him by Xu Ling Yue burst apart.

During his uncontrolled retreat, an image flashed through Xu Qi An’s mind—the White Emperor appearing in his path, opening his bloody maw to bite off his head from behind.

Xu Qi An didn’t panic. He released the Nation-Stabilizing Sword, and spread his arms wide in a circle, frantically gathering and channeling the Power of All Beings. Meanwhile, his body expanded into a two-zhang tall muscle giant, bursting through his cyan robes.

The Pagoda of Imprisonment materialized above his head, its imprisoning power rippling out to suppress all enemies in the vicinity.

Bang!

He spun around, pushing out both palms to meet the White Emperor’s lunging bite head-on.

The collision between man and beast created an avalanche-like impact. The ground within several hundred zhang suddenly sank, dust billowing up only to be instantly dispersed by the raging energy.

Xu Qi An’s arms exploded instantly, though he felt no pain, having already lost all sensation.

He was thrown like a small boat in a tsunami, completely unable to dispel this tremendous force through his martial techniques. This kind of uncontrolled “launching” was lethal.

His opponent could easily use this opportunity to close in with a series of attacks, crippling or destroying him.

The White Emperor naturally wouldn’t miss such an opportunity. The Pagoda’s imprisoning power only caused him slight hesitation—true imprisonment was impossible. Even if Dharma Victory Bodhisattva himself were present, he couldn’t imprison the White Emperor.

He transformed into a gust of wind, pursuing the airborne Xu Qi An.

In such a situation, if Xu Qi An were an ordinary Second-Rank warrior, he would die miserably, with virtually no hope of turning the tables.

Within similar power systems, the gap between First Rank and Second Rank was insurmountable.

But Xu Qi An was no ordinary Second-Rank warrior—he commanded another system entirely: Gu Sorcery!

Xu Qi An’s body rapidly “shadowized,” using shadow-jumping to evade the White Emperor’s pursuit.

Maintaining his launched posture, his figure appeared in ground crevices, in the shadows of boulders, in tree shadows, manifesting and vanishing among the shadows of various objects around them.

He continued his shadow-jumping without pause, using it to disrupt and evade the White Emperor’s pursuit.

Twenty-seven lightning tribulations… The White Emperor glanced at Luo Yu Heng, then returned his attention to Xu Qi An’s flickering form reflected in his azure vertical pupils. Understanding the peculiarity of Gu Sorcery, he immediately abandoned the chase, refusing to waste effort.

“Crack!”

Electric arcs danced between the White Emperor’s horns.

Crack! Crack! More and more electric arcs jumped through the void, filling the entire space, and transforming this realm into a domain of lightning.

The heavenly tribulation made the lightning energy here exceptionally abundant—a tiger gaining wings for the White Emperor.

Of course, the downside was that the Garuda Tree no longer dared target Golden Lotus Daoist.

This old Earth Sect daoist had accumulated vast merit over hundreds of years—killing such a person would incur heaven’s punishment, and with tribulation clouds covering the area, the punishment would be even more severe.

The Garuda Tree Bodhisattva had already learned this lesson once.

Bzzt bzzt bzzt… Powerful currents spread throughout the space, forming an electric net that caused Xu Qi An to become sluggish and rigid during his shadow-jumping.

Seizing the opportunity, the White Emperor spat out a jet of black water that pierced Xu Qi An’s chest.

Thud thud thud! He immediately galloped forward, caught Xu Qi An’s neck in his jaws—crack—bit through his neck, and began devouring him viciously, chewing and swallowing the young man’s upper body in an instant.

“Xu Qi An!”

Under the lightning tribulation, Luo Yu Heng suddenly let out a piercing scream.

Boom!

Immediately after, a lightning bolt as thick as a water tank engulfed her, forcing her to focus all her energy on resistance.

Success?

The distant Garuda Tree heard Luo Yu Heng’s scream and eased his assault, turning to look at the White Emperor.

His pupils contracted as he shouted:

“Be careful!”

Behind the White Emperor stood an unharmed Xu Qi An, gripping the Nation-Stabilizing Sword. He had collapsed all his energy, and suppressed all emotions, with the Power of All Beings adhering to the brass sword.

He spoke in a deep voice:

“Second Wish: Let this sword be unstoppable!”

A faint golden light emerged from his dantian, concentrating on the Nation-Stabilizing Sword, adding another layer of power to the Jade-Shattering technique.

He had used the Offering Official position that A Su Luo had obtained in exchange for the Taiping Blade.

Before the battle began, Great Feng’s transcendents had gathered once, meticulously analyzing both sides’ combat capabilities and devising numerous tactics.

They had planned down to the smallest detail—what treasures to use when, what techniques to employ when, what damage they could inflict on the Garuda Tree and White Emperor, how they would defend… It was a brainstorming session that could only be called a tactical storm.

In this “defensive battle,” Xu Qi An faced the greatest danger, having to confront a First-Rank powerhouse alone.

What he lacked wasn’t offensive capabilities, but rather control techniques (fancy tricks), so the Taiping Blade went to A Su Luo, while the relic went to Xu Qi An.

The previous Xu Qi An had been fake—a duplicate created by the Offering Official position, a perfect copy.

The Offering Official position could perfectly replicate an individual. Xu Qi An only needed to silently wish:

First Wish: I need a helper identical to myself.

Apart from having less actual combat power than the original, it was identical in every other aspect.

Earlier, during the shadow-jumping, Xu Qi An summoned this false body, then used the Heaven Gu’s Star-Shifting technique to conceal his presence, using shadow-jumping to appear behind the White Emperor.

While the White Emperor devoured the false body, Xu Qi An had completed charging his power!

“Jade-Shatter!”

The golden sword light flashed and vanished.

In the White Emperor’s azure vertical pupils reflected that golden radiance. He had already learned detailed intelligence about Xu Qi An from the Garuda Tree and Xu Ping Feng.

He knew this strike couldn’t be dodged or blocked with magical tools—it could only be met head-on with raw power.

The White Emperor’s horns began gathering water essence and lightning—the left horn taking on an ink-black hue, the right becoming incandescent white.

His forelegs bent slightly as his body lowered, and after a brief charge-up, he launched forward like a charging antelope.

The White Emperor transformed into a streak of white light, rushing at Xu Qi An. He intended to shatter his opponent’s killing move and destroy his confidence.

To let this human understand the true gulf between First Rank and Second Rank.

Clang!

Between the two horns erupted dazzling sparks and brilliant golden sword light.

The sword light didn’t simply slash through—it pressed hard against the horns. The White Emperor’s azure eyes were cut by the radiance, streaming crimson blood. The scales on his spine rippled as his dragon head trembled, struggling with all his might.

Crack!

The sword light severed the horns, its power exhausting itself in the process.

The White Emperor let out an anguished roar, but simultaneously, he had charged to Xu Qi An’s front. The broken horns, now sharper from being severed, viciously pierced Xu Qi An’s chest.

Bang!

Xu Qi An’s skull exploded—Jade-Shatter’s damage rebounding.

At the same time, the White Emperor’s broken horns erupted with blinding lightning, engulfing him.

This electrical radiance was so brilliant, so magnificent as if it would extinguish all life force from the Second-Rank warrior in one strike.

Within the lightning, Xu Qi An let out an agonized roar.

At that moment, as the White Emperor continued his frenzied assault, his surface scales suddenly burst open. Streams of electricity coursed out from within, exploding against his snow-white body and leaving trails of scorched marks.

Jade-Shatter!

The returned damage interrupted the White Emperor’s assault, winning Xu Qi An a moment’s respite. Seizing the chance, the Pagoda of Imprisonment’s power rippled out, following up on Jade-Shatter to maintain control.

But there was more—atop the pagoda appeared a golden dharma body, plump in form with round cheeks and kind eyes, its brilliant halo behind its head rotating in reverse.

The White Emperor’s intelligence dropped, leaving him dazed like a wild beast.

The process lasted less than a second, but combined with Jade-Shatter and the imprisoning power, it successfully bought Xu Qi An time to escape.

His body dissolved into shadow, reappearing in the distance.

By now, over ninety percent of Xu Qi An’s body was carbonized, completely blackened, and charred. He leaned on his sword, gasping heavily, his breathing like an old bellows.

Trading blows with a First-Rank divine-demonic descendant meant every strike was lethal, every mistake a dance with death.

This was the most dangerous battle Xu Qi An had ever fought, with the lowest margin for error.

The Nation-Stabilizing Sword, Pagoda of Imprisonment, Offering Relic, Gu Sorcery, Power of All Beings… even with his Second-Rank cultivation as the foundation and precise execution, he still wasn’t the White Emperor’s match.

Atop the Pagoda of Imprisonment, the round-faced Wisdom Avatar dispersed, replaced by the Medicine Master Avatar, showering down streams of golden light to heal his wounds.

“Feeling desperate?”

The White Emperor’s abdomen rippled slightly, his breath somewhat chaotic.

While recovering from Jade-Shatter’s damage, he spoke:

“For a mere Second-Rank warrior to wound me to this extent, you should be proud.

“But what of it? You’re already this injured after only half the Golden Core Tribulation, let alone the Four Symbols Tribulation—thirteen full days. No, we won’t even wait for the Four Symbols Tribulation. We won’t give you time to breathe.

“After the Golden Core Tribulation, that Human Sect girl must either force through the Four Symbols Tribulation or help you fight. Either choice leads to death.”

After the Golden Core Tribulation, the heavenly tribulation would temporarily disappear, giving the cultivator ten days to consolidate their cultivation before the second phase—the Four Symbols Tribulation.

But how could they possibly give their enemy time to recover?

Luo Yu Heng wouldn’t have ten days to consolidate her power. She would be forced to join the battle, and if she survived ten days, the Four Symbols Tribulation would arrive as scheduled. By then, how could she, depleted from battle, survive the Four Symbols Tribulation?

They could choose to flee, of course, but without transcendents to check them, the White Emperor, Garuda Tree, and Xu Ping Feng could easily overrun the capital and take the Central Plains.

Whoosh!

The White Emperor suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out a jet-black water sphere toward Luo Yu Heng.

This forced Xu Qi An to stop healing, using his body as a shield before her.

Boom… The water sphere pierced his chest, spraying internal organs stained black with blood.

The White Emperor’s mouth became like a machine gun, continuously firing black water spheres with sharp whistling sounds.

Xu Qi An either slashed with the Nation-Stabilizing Sword or used his body as a shield. Under the fierce assault, he gradually became riddled with holes, slowly breaking apart.

Whoosh!

A flying sword streaked over Xu Qi An’s head toward the White Emperor, but he knocked it aside forcefully.

“Damn woman, do you want to die?!”

Xu Qi An roared: “Focus on passing your tribulation. I’ll handle the dangers ahead.”

“Xu Qi An!” Luo Yu Heng gritted her teeth.

Xu Qi An slashed apart an incoming water sphere, swallowing the blood rising in his throat, and smiled:

“Don’t you dislike me?

“The dual cultivation was just a transaction—a deal to advance to Terrestrial Immortal. You’ve endured twenty years, finally about to complete your merit. Don’t get emotional over a mere tool like me.

“By the way, how many lightning bolts now?”

Luo Yu Heng choked out:

“Fifty-six.”

By this time, the White Emperor had recovered from Jade-Shatter’s damage, though his horns hadn’t yet regenerated—the Nation-Stabilizing Sword’s properties continued to erode the wound’s vitality, preventing the horns from regrowing.

The White Emperor’s body suddenly froze, like a static painting.

At that same moment, Xu Qi An’s danger sense began warning him, every cell and nerve urging him to flee for his life.

The White Emperor’s form scattered in the wind, his true body breaking the sound barrier, appearing before Xu Qi An as if teleporting.

His bloody maw bit down ferociously.

In this instant, the Garuda Tree, A Su Luo, Zhao Shou, and Golden Lotus—who had been partially monitoring this situation—all paused, watching with varying expressions.

It made Luo Yu Heng flash with determination to perish together.

Yet at death’s edge, Xu Qi An suddenly became calm. All desperation strangely settled, transforming into renewed strength.

The Flower God’s essence sleeping within his body partially awakened, surging through his body like spring tide.

Crack… His carbonized skin split open, revealing tender, newborn flesh beneath.

The Power of All Beings swarmed in, empowering him. The Strength Gu raged as his muscles swelled, his body expanding into a three-meter giant.

A fire halo exploded behind his head as Vajra’s divine blood roared through his vessels.

Then, all these powers settled, collapsing inward.

Xu Qi An’s body leaned back, his right arm drew back, and after a brief charge, just as the White Emperor’s bite came, he threw his fist with devastating force.