Yang Cheng's gaze didn't waver. His right hand formed a sword seal and sliced forward in front of him.
In an instant, sword qi filled a three-zhang radius around him, forming a crimson Sword Domain. Countless sword energies, as fine as strands of hair, moved like living threads within the domain, shredding every incoming blood-colored palm imprint.
"Kill."
Yang Cheng pointed forward with his sword finger. The countless streams of sword qi within the domain suddenly gathered together, condensing into a massive crimson sword shadow nearly three zhang long. With a piercing sound that split the air, it stabbed straight toward Huang San.
Before the sword even landed, its edge alone carved a deep trench into the ground.
Huang San sneered viciously. He didn't dodge. Instead, his palms glowed with metallic light as he reached out to grab the sword shadow barehanded.
"Just a mere sword qi, and you dare—ah!"
His words ended in a scream.
The sword shadow exploded into hundreds of razor-thin streaks of light, darting between his fingers like fish through water.
Pu! Pu! Pu!
Blood sprayed through the air. Dozens of tiny holes instantly appeared across Huang San's chest.
He staggered back three steps, eyes filled with disbelief. "W-What… what kind of Sword Domain is this?"
Around them, the faces of the Ouyang Clan elders turned grim. Clearly, they were shaken by Yang Cheng's terrifying power.
Yang Cheng gave him no chance to breathe. His figure blurred like a ghost, appearing right before Huang San, sword finger thrusting straight for his throat.
But just before it touched his skin, Huang San's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"Bloodfiend Purgatory!"
A blinding blood-red light erupted from within his body, and a horrifying aura surged toward the heavens. This was the true power of a mid-stage Insight God.
Yang Cheng's sword finger stopped against a crimson barrier that had formed before Huang San's chest, unable to pierce an inch deeper.
The entire Ouyang Clan's grand hall trembled violently under the oppressive force. The beams groaned as if ready to collapse.
"You little bastard," Huang San rasped, his voice hoarse and cruel. "To force me to reveal my true strength—consider yourself honored even in death!"
Then he completely lost control.
Whoosh—!
Waves of blood poured out from him, flooding the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
The blood was terrifying—it melted stone, corroded trees, and sent chills through the hearts of even the surrounding Insight God experts.
The roaring tide of blood surged toward Yang Cheng like a crimson tsunami.
Yet the invisible sword qi surrounding Yang Cheng's body expanded outward once again, forming a barrier that stopped the blood completely.
"Hmph."
Huang San's eyes were cold and sharp. "Then feel my Blood Dragon Transformation!"
Crash!
The flood of blood twisted and rose, taking shape into a massive dragon formed entirely of blood. It roared and lunged straight at Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a sword appeared in his hand—it was the Shura Dao Sword.
With the Shura Dao Sword's power joining his own, his strength surged dramatically.
He slashed.
Behind him, the faint image of an Asura appeared—its form vast and imposing, exuding a divine killing aura.
The sword light he released shone brilliantly, dazzling and terrifying, embodying the purest essence of destruction in the Dao of slaughter.
The blood dragon collided with the sword light—then was cleaved in two from head to tail. Its massive form burst apart into countless droplets of blood that exploded in every direction.
Boom!
The entire Ouyang Clan courtyard was obliterated in an instant. The shockwave flattened nearby buildings. Any guards standing too close were torn apart by the violent energy.
Yang Cheng stood unmoving at the center of it all. The blood mist parted around him—none of it even touched the hem of his robe.
"Impossible!"
Huang San stumbled backward, his once-arrogant face now filled with disbelief and fear.
At that same moment, in another corner of Linjiang City—
The estate of the Cang Clan.
This was the seat of the Cang family's influence, second only to the Ouyang Clan in Linjiang City.
Cang Dingtie, patriarch of the clan, had just emerged from seclusion.
A powerful aura burst out from the Cang estate, shaking the skies.
"Congratulations, Father, on your breakthrough to upper-stage Insight God," said Cang Xuanji, bowing deeply.
"Hahaha, just a stroke of fortune."
Cang Dingtie's presence was vastly stronger than before. "Before I came out, I overheard your conversation with the others. It seems you went to the Wasteland Realm and offended someone named Yang Cheng?"
Cang Xuanji's expression froze for an instant.
Cang Dingtie frowned. "What's wrong? You think I don't know? That Yang Cheng is the Crown Prince of Great Zhou in the Wasteland Realm—the one who killed Su Lingchen over a year ago. But that boy's nothing special. If I wanted, I could easily have someone destroy him."
Cang Xuanji's heart skipped a beat.
If Yang Cheng died, would the methods he used to control her vanish as well?
Just as that thought surfaced—
Boom!
The entire city of Linjiang trembled violently.
Moments later, countless people lifted their heads to the sky and saw two blinding lights shoot upward, colliding with each other in midair. The explosion shook the heavens.
"Are those gods… fighting?"
Cang Dingtie's expression turned to shock.
High above, the two figures battling fiercely were none other than Huang San and Yang Cheng.
The two clashed like ancient beasts, roaring and colliding again and again.
In the span of a single breath, they exchanged over dozens of devastating blows. Each impact tore through the clouds, scattering divine energy across the skies.
Yet, against all reason, Huang San—the mighty mid-stage Insight God—was being completely overwhelmed.
It was absurd.
Someone of his level, a being worshiped like a deity, was being crushed by a boy barely at the half-step Martial Sovereign realm.
"Break!"
Huang San roared in fury, his body twisting as his divine power surged. Waves of blood burst forth and shattered into hundreds of millions of droplets, shooting toward Yang Cheng like countless hidden weapons.
This was his ultimate killing move—his hidden trump card.
But Yang Cheng's eyes remained calm, utterly unmoved.
A heartbeat later—
A terrifying sword intent erupted from him.
The fusion of his Innate Sword Intent and Shura Sword Domain unleashed a force so deadly that the very air screamed as it split apart.
Endless sword qi poured forth like a storm. Every drop of blood that came near was sliced into nothingness.
Rip!
Blood splattered across the sky. A severed arm spun through the air before falling to the ground with a thud.
Huang San had failed to dodge—his entire arm had been cut off.
Even after falling, the detached arm twitched on the shattered ground.
"Damn it!"
Huang San's face twisted in rage and pain, veins bulging like coiled snakes beneath his skin.
"Mid-stage Insight God… nothing more than this," Yang Cheng said coldly.
At that moment, a surge of emotion welled up inside him—a long-locked shackle in his heart finally broke free.
In his past life, to him, gods were untouchable existences—beings that mortals could only kneel before and worship from afar.
Even as the feared Asura Demon Lord, he couldn't defeat top-tier Martial Sovereigns, let alone challenge a true god.
Back then, every time he faced one, he could only bow and endure humiliation.
But now—he had just crushed one beneath his sword.
'So this is what it feels like,' he thought. 'In my last life, the so-called Asura Demon Lord was nothing but a joke in the eyes of the gods. But in this life—if they still call me that—it will mean I've become their nightmare.'
"Nothing more than this?"
Huang San's face darkened, his eyes burning with hatred. "Patriarch, this brat is tougher than expected. I'll need your help to finish him!"
A calm yet powerful voice echoed across the sky.
"Young man, I must admit, your strength surprises even me."
A figure walked through the air—it was Ouyang Lin, the patriarch of the Ouyang Clan himself. His aura was vast and oppressive, his every step shaking the air.
"I'm curious," he said, staring at Yang Cheng. "What secret lies within you that gives you such power?"
Yang Cheng stood tall, his gaze proud. "You see me as your enemy, yet you know nothing about me. Then let me enlighten you."
"I was born with innate divine strength. At the age of one, I awakened the Ancestral Dragon Sword Body, comprehended Sword Intent, and drew down the Dark Bird from the heavens."
"At two, I climbed the Tianyuan Tower, revealed my exceptional Zither Dao talent, and created the piece Voyage Across the Vast Sea."
"At five, I entered the Ancient Desolation Tower and obtained an Innate Sword Talisman."
"At eight, I was crowned Crown Prince and Vice-Emperor of Great Zhou. My Sword Dao, Blade Dao, Fist Dao, and Alchemy Dao all reached Perfection."
"At ten, I comprehended both the Sword Domain and the Pill Domain."
His voice was calm, yet every word carried the weight of thunder. He wasn't boasting—he was declaring his truth.
Every one of these achievements had been made public before. Now he simply wove them into a complete, logical tale, leaving no room for doubt or suspicion.
Better to let others believe him to be an invincible prodigy than to make them guess at his secrets.
Sure enough, as Yang Cheng's words echoed through the sky, the faces of every Ouyang clansman turned pale. Shock spread through their ranks, then regret.
They realized it too late.
They had provoked a monster.
Such a person… even the greatest genius of the Horn Constellation Realm couldn't compare.
He wasn't just a prodigy—he was a heaven-born saint's seed, destined to stand above all beings.