He Is Between Heaven and Earth, He Is Under the Light of the Sky

"Is that Junior Brother Li Mo?"

"It really is him!"

"But isn't he known for his swordsmanship?"

"Yet... he’s only at the Inner Breath Realm. How is his aura so strong?"

"That battle spirit must be some kind of immensely powerful secret technique, but even with that, it’s hard to believe he can stand against the Observation Divine Realm."

The crowd below could vaguely make out the scene above.

Everyone was stunned.

Li Mo, renowned for his swordsmanship, had suddenly pulled out a hammer and declared he would "hammer to death" an Observation Divine Realm expert—along with another foe of comparable strength.

An Inner Breath cultivator fighting an Observation Divine Realm opponent?

Even the wildest storytellers wouldn’t dare spin such a tale.

Of course, such things had happened before—but only under the most extraordinary circumstances, where heaven, earth, and human effort aligned perfectly.

No one could say whether Li Mo’s current situation counted.

And it wasn’t just one Observation Divine Realm opponent he was facing.

"At this point, there’s no need to hold back."

"End this quickly."

Han Zhen spoke these words slowly, each syllable dripping with cold intent.

This so-called Blood Phoenix Secret Realm was a remnant pocket dimension left within his inherited "Palm Mystic Bone."

After its original owner perished, it had weathered millennia of erosion. Its sturdiness was but a shadow of its former self, barely held together by the Blood Phoenix Essence—just enough to allow Observation Divine Realm cultivators to enter.

Now, this pocket dimension was on the verge of collapse.

Once it shattered, the powerful figures outside would undoubtedly sense it.

Yin Huaxuan nodded in agreement.

An overwhelming domain unfurled, growing more tangible by the second, as if an ancient demonic serpent was awakening. Its baleful aura shook heaven and earth.

Ying Bing’s body ignited with phoenix feathers once more as she gripped her frostblade, Tian Shuang:

"Leave Yin Huaxuan to me—"

"No need."

Li Mo exhaled a wisp of white mist. The battle spirit’s surging fighting intent made his voice sound slightly distorted:

"Focus entirely on refining the Blood Phoenix Essence."

"For the next quarter-hour, no one will disturb you."

The moment he finished speaking, he heard footsteps halt behind him.

He didn’t need to look to know.

Those ice-mirror eyes were fixed on his back—what expression did they hold? Perhaps a trace of silence?

The silence lasted only a moment before the fluctuations of refining the Blood Phoenix Essence resumed.

"Showing off in front of others… doesn’t feel half bad."

Little Li mused to himself, tightening his grip on the "Punjie Meteor Hammer."

Then, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly:

"Why did it have to be a hammer…?"

BOOM—

A figure lunged forward—not Yin Huaxuan, but Han Zhen. His eyes were bloodshot, his entire being consumed by madness.

The Blood Phoenix Essence was his foundation, his lifeline.

Without it, he would lose any chance of starting over.

Another death would be final—no resurrection, no return.

"DIE!"

The word seemed to solidify in the air.

Runes on the Palm Mystic Bone blazed with light, unleashing an aura so intense it seemed to burn away Han Zhen’s lifespan. His middle-aged appearance rapidly withered into old age—yet his power only grew more terrifying.

A single punch sent forth a wave of death before the fist itself even arrived.

"You should’ve been buried long ago."

Li Mo charged with hammer in hand.

Blades of killing intent crisscrossed the air. The sheer force of their clash made the bronze palace tremble. The two fought fiercely, neither gaining an immediate advantage.

After a few exchanges, Little Li realized his opponent was tougher than expected.

Too damn hard.

Was a Palm Mystic Bone truly unbreakable, even against a divine weapon?

Then again, maybe he just wasn’t hitting hard enough.

Han Zhen’s strength was monstrous, his body impervious, and his movements shrouded in a distorting force field—like striking cotton with a sledgehammer.

The "Blood-Soaked Battle Spirit Talisman" had granted Li Mo a semblance of the Observation Divine Realm’s divine intent, manifesting the form of a hundred-battle hero. It temporarily elevated him to that level.

But it would last only a quarter-hour.

Even at the Observation Divine Realm, he couldn’t sustain the world’s power for long.

Even if the battle spirit talisman endured, he’d eventually be unable to wield his divine weapon.

If he used the "Seven Fixations of Heaven and Earth"… combined with Karmic Flames…

With a mighty swing, he forced Han Zhen back, then pointed at Yin Huaxuan, who had been lurking on the sidelines, waiting for an opening:

"What the hell are you staring at?!"

"Come down here and fight! I’ll take you both on at once!"

Yin Huaxuan: "?"

He scoffed.

Disciples taught by Shang Wu were all the same—just like their master.

Being taunted by a junior like this was too much, even for his patience.

ROAR—

A demonic serpent coiled through the sky, its shadow descending like a stormcloud, its might overwhelming.

"But Junior Brother Li…"

"Isn’t this supposed to be two versus two?"

Tang Xiaobao hopped lightly atop his blazing Karmic Flame Lotus.

"…Now’s not the time to fuss over details, Senior Brother Xiaobao."

Li Mo’s lips twitched.

"We’re going all out now."

"Got it!"

As Tang Xiaobao spoke—

The Eight-Aperture Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill spun rapidly, unleashing boundless dragon-tiger energy. His blood and qi surged with the roar of tigers and the howl of dragons.

At this moment—

Li Mo’s body gleamed like divine iron. Every movement stirred the winds and clouds.

"FIX THE MOUNTAINS!"

Little Li wasn’t sure why he shouted.

Maybe it just felt more imposing.

This hammer strike carried the weight of toppling continents. The entire secret realm trembled violently under its force.

BANG—

The solidified demonic serpent phantom was crushed under the hammer’s mountain-toppling might.

"FIX THE STORM!"

This hammer’s overwhelming force pinned Han Zhen in place, rendering him immobile for a brief moment.

RIIIP—

A tempest of wind and thunder erupted, plunging the space into darkness.

Li Mo’s hair stood on end as lightning wreathed his body.

The Punjie Meteor Hammer crackled with thunder and flame.

BOOM—

"FIX THE THUNDER!"

This strike engulfed Han Zhen completely.

One hammer after another, the "Seven Fixations of Heaven and Earth" unfolded in rapid succession.

For a time, Han Zhen and Yin Huaxuan were utterly suppressed.

The world itself seemed to pale, teetering on the brink of collapse. The cataclysmic force made it seem as though the secret realm itself was wailing in despair.

……

The spectators below shivered, their scalps tingling with terror.

This was too terrifying.

So… when power reaches a certain level, it can form a vortex?

Tie Qi: "……So, Brother Ouyang, why did Li Mo even bother practicing swordsmanship?"

"Gulp… How should I know?"

Ouyang, who had been sketching the scene, cautiously glanced upward before carefully adding the figure to his parchment.

Amid the ruins of the shattered palace—

Ying Bing knew she shouldn’t let herself be distracted.

Yet she couldn’t help but open her eyes.

"FIX THE COSMOS!"

This was the final hammer of the "Seven Fixations."

Used alone, its power was unremarkable.

But as the culmination of the previous six strikes, its destructive potential reached its peak.

Li Mo’s hair ribbon had long since shattered.

He stood amidst the chaos, his black hair whipping wildly in the storm.

HUM—

The Punjie Meteor Hammer was now fully engulfed in Karmic Flames.

Heaven’s wrath, the cosmos overturned.

"DODGE!"

Both Han Zhen and Yin Huaxuan knew—

This strike could not be blocked.

They exerted every ounce of their skill to evade.

And then, to their astonishment—

They realized this monstrous hammer strike was… surprisingly easy to dodge.

The crowd: "??"

They were left breathless.

After all that buildup… it missed?

"It's over."

"From the very beginning, this was his plan..."

Ying Bing let out a soft sigh of relief.

Crack—

With the fall of the hammer,

the pitch-black sky, like an endless curtain, groaned under unbearable pressure as fine, dense cracks rapidly spread across its surface.

A fragment shattered.

Sunlight from the outside world poured in, piercing through the endless gloom.

Ying Bing lifted her delicate face, her shimmering eyes reflecting a gentle glow cast by a certain figure.

The young man stood between heaven and earth,

bathed in the radiance of the celestial light.