Any act of injustice will come at a cost.

Xu Linglong looked at Chu Xingchen's joyful smile. Her expression was utterly calm, the oppressive aura radiating from her was incredibly heavy, and her tone was unexpectedly tranquil:

"For a troublesome opponent like you, I usually give ample time to leave last words. It is a form of respect."

"But unfortunately, you are so troublesome that I feel it is unsafe to even let you speak your last words."

"Therefore, rather than trying to bluff and stall for time, just leaving your last words right now would be enough."

Chu Xingchen gripped Wanban in his hand, just about to speak, but the rainbow light before his eyes arrived in the blink of an eye. The longbow in Xu Linglong's hand transformed into a longsword and slashed down.

Obviously, those words just now were all the talking Xu Linglong was going to do in this clash.

The origin power around Xu Linglong boiled and burned. Just the spreading shockwaves began to boil the ocean for a radius of hundreds of feet.

Yet, this full-force sword strike from Xu Linglong was blocked by an invisible barrier.

No matter how unstoppable the incoming attack was, it was entirely intercepted.

Even though the frenzied crimson energy had the power to part seas and level mountains, at this moment, it could not advance even an inch.

Xu Linglong recognized it with a single glance—the Innate Primordial Dao-Fixing Dual Qi Pearl.

Was not this cleaved apart by Donggua's sword strike?

How did Chu Xingchen have the time to manipulate this thing again?

The only answer was probably that Chu Xingchen had never relinquished his control over it. The sword strike that hit Donggua was also a fake, a deliberate ploy by Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen stared at Xu Linglong's incredulous eyes. A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he tightened his grip on Wanban and said softly,

"Are you interested in chatting for a bit now?"

Xu Linglong did not speak, directly beginning to burn her origin blood. The energy, which was originally somewhat restrained and controlled to the extreme by Xu Linglong, began to go completely berserk.

It was as if she wanted to tear open the firmament and burn the sky to ashes.

The entire sea began to tremble, blasting apart for tens of thousands of feet to reveal the ocean floor.

The smile on Chu Xingchen's face faded as he gripped Wanban tightly.

This was on the surface of the sea. The one who truly held the advantage was not Xu Linglong.

It was Chu Xingchen, who possessed the Yingling Great Art.

After all, the ocean was entirely made of water, which was the very confidence that emboldened Chu Xingchen to venture out to sea to find Xu Linglong.

Li Yingling's talent was truly heaven-defying, and her level of divine abilities had already been cultivated to a somewhat bizarre realm.

Although Chu Xingchen was currently only in the early stage of the Tribulation Transcendence realm, he relied on the geographical advantage and held a spiritual treasure like Wanban in his hand.

Wanban in Chu Xingchen's hand instantly turned an azure blue, resembling a longsword made of flowing blue light and water.

Although the Innate Primordial Dao-Fixing Dual Qi Pearl was strong enough, it was not a defensive magical treasure. Naturally, it could not truly withstand Xu Linglong's frantic bombardment.

Moreover, if he truly wanted to make Xu Linglong stay here forever, blindly defending would not work.

A clash of give and take was the right path.

Chu Xingchen's eyes were calm. He thrust out Wanban in his hand, his tone tranquil:

"Benevolent Water—Competing Currents."

A vast ocean whipped up raging waves. Within the deep sea, countless azure energies resembling specks of spiritual light began surging toward Chu Xingchen. Furthermore, the seawater that had been pushed away by Xu Linglong's might now ignored that force, restoring the sea to its original appearance.

The azure Wanban clashed against the red longsword in Xu Linglong's hand.

The moment they connected, Chu Xingchen felt that the force was much lighter than he had anticipated, and the pressure did not feel like an insurmountable chasm.

Perhaps it was the might of Wanban, or perhaps his home-field advantage was simply too great.

But at this moment, Chu Xingchen truly did not believe he would lose to Xu Linglong.

The energy contained within this vast ocean began to swarm toward Chu Xingchen in droves.

The energy hidden within the boundless sea was not necessarily much less than that of a spirit vein; it was just extremely difficult to extract. Yet, the purity and might contained within this energy were somewhat more tyrannical than standard spiritual power.

Chu Xingchen's state of mind was steady, his gaze firmly fixed on Xu Linglong—it ends today! Bring it on!

His Tribulation Transcendence cultivation was no longer concealed, and Wanban in his hand also harbored an absolute resolve to never retreat.

Wanban's sweeping azure light directly devoured the incoming origin power, simultaneously surging forward to drown Xu Linglong.

In the Tribulation Transcendence realm, one could comprehend the corresponding authority of the Great Dao. Although one could not wield the true might of that authority, they could still unleash its corresponding abilities.

"Tribulation Transcendence...?" Xu Linglong finally could not help but speak. Looking at Chu Xingchen's completely transformed state, she said coldly, "So, you have been acting from the very beginning?"

"That is right. Was not the resolve Donggua just displayed also very realistic?" Chu Xingchen replied with a smile. "Donggua genuinely suffered severe injuries to help me put on this play."

"Once you are all dead, Donggua will be the leader of the Heavenly Demons."

Donggua lay limply on the recently restored surface of the sea, completely devoid of strength, only to hear Chu Xingchen still spreading rumors on its behalf to draw Xu Linglong's fire.

However, it currently did not care whether Xu Linglong believed it or not.

Its drained divine sea burned continuously as if on fire, and its body, pushed to the absolute limit, throbbed with a severe pain as if it were being torn into pieces.

Its cultivation realm had long since plummeted to the Foundation Establishment realm. Everything from all these years had been reduced to nothingness.

Donggua understood that if Chu Xingchen won, he would not let it go, and if Xu Linglong won, she would not care about someone who could not even ignite their remaining embers.

Not to mention, it was highly likely that it would not even survive the aftershocks of this clash.

The only reason it was still alive now was that Chu Xingchen still wanted to use it to affect Xu Linglong's state of mind, so he spared a tiny bit of energy to shield it.

As soon as their clash reached a fever pitch and they could no longer spare any attention for it...

Everything would naturally come to an end.

Donggua struggled to open its eyes, gazing at the azure sky and the warm sun hanging high in the firmament.

This was probably the last time it would see them.

It should try its hardest to remember them well.

The azure light surged against the current, and Xu Linglong's figure was sent flying backward.

In this simple exchange, it was unexpectedly Chu Xingchen who gained the upper hand.

Even Chu Xingchen looked at Xu Linglong, who had been blasted into the distance, with some disbelief. He quickly understood the situation:

"My injuries have healed, but to think your injuries still have not fully recovered after all this time."

"Burning your origin... I am afraid what you are burning is your cultivation realm and your own power."

"It looks like the tables have turned."

"You may begin saying your last words."

Xu Linglong slightly twisted her body and stabilized herself. Her gaze looked ahead at Chu Xingchen, seeing the water origin constantly bubbling up from the ocean and surging into him.

The Tribulation Transcendence realm...

Even if Chu Xingchen had returned to the Mahayana realm, Xu Linglong could have accepted it. But to actually rise back up to the Tribulation Transcendence realm...

It was truly so absurd that it felt like a joke.

Xu Linglong quickly adjusted her state of mind and assessed the situation before her.

Now that things had reached this point, there was no longer any question of fleeing.

"Do you think you have definitely won?" Xu Linglong swept a freezing gaze over Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen naturally replied, "What else?"

Xu Linglong chuckled disdainfully and leisurely stood up straight.

Although Chu Xingchen's tone was casual, he did not truly underestimate Xu Linglong. As soon as his voice fell, Wanban, carrying endless azure light, slashed down directly at Xu Linglong.

The azure light that tore through the sky pronounced the purest death sentence.

Xu Linglong raised her eyes, her previously crimson irises turning into a radiant gold.

She raised the longsword in her hand.

Xu Linglong's tone was calm: "Reverse Truth!"

The next moment, the flowing light surrounding Chu Xingchen reversed, and his spiritual energy began to flow backward.

Although Chu Xingchen remained unswayed by the phenomenon, he could intimately feel the anomaly within his spiritual energy. It was slipping entirely out of his control, retreating and dissipating like a receding tide.

Xu Linglong elegantly raised her sword. Her own origin power remained completely unaffected as she brought the blade slashing down toward Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen used everything he had to resist the terrifying might of the sword strike, his gaze locked onto the brilliant gold shining in Xu Linglong's eyes.

Feeling how his spiritual energy would instantly dissipate and reverse the moment it flowed out, Chu Xingchen came to a realization:

"This is... the power of Authority."

Xu Linglong's supremely cold and ruthless golden pupils captured every subtle shift in Chu Xingchen's expression:

"This is the price of the Heavenly Dao's injustice, and the cause of your death today."