War was imminent.
Although the Shitian clan had been engaged with the Ice Sword mercenary group for a long time here, they were also growing weary.
These opponents were too fierce. Even Chen Xiaohan had achieved immortality, making the high-end battlefield difficult for them.
At times, their eighth-realm powerhouses would fall victim to poisoning mid-battle, leaving their opponents with inexplicable victories.
In such life-or-death combat, it was virtually impossible to avoid injury. Once wounded, the Gu worms could exploit the vulnerability. They couldn't manage the situation in time, and ordinary eighth-realm powerhouses wouldn't even have the chance to do so.
However, for the Shitian clan in other realms, this was good news.
At least this world could continue to tie down the Ice Sword mercenary group, allowing the Shitian clan members invading other worlds to avoid encountering them.
Therefore, for Li Qingyun and his companions, every battle in every world needed to be resolved quickly.
...
Smoke spread as both sides entered a state of frenzied combat.
This was not the first clash between them. Despite the humans' valiant efforts, they faced immense difficulty against an enemy force more than ten times their size.
Chen Xiaohan was not infallible. The stronger she became, the more targeted attention she received. It was common to see shameless Shitian clan kings attempting to assassinate Chen Xiaohan.
She did not wish to be a burden to her companions, so she often had to manage her own safety.
This prevented her from focusing her relentless output on the Shitian clan armies.
Moreover, as her strength grew, Chen Xiaohan consciously enhanced her single-target capabilities. The blood butterflies surrounding her, though not as silent as the previous Gu worms, were Chen Xiaohan's life-bound blood Gu. They had survived the tribulation of lightning during her breakthroughs.
These blood butterflies could even directly kill an eighth-realm peak Shitian clansman. If a Shitian clan king was incapacitated, allowing these blood butterflies to operate freely, they could, with enough time, drain him dry.
But the protagonist today was not Chen Xiaohan, but Li Qingyun.
He had sought out a Shitian clan king for a one-on-one duel.
This Shitian clan king, named Falana, felt humiliated when Li Qingyun challenged him alone, and the other members of the Ice Sword mercenary group did not come to assist.
"I might fear you if you all attacked together, but have you grown so arrogant, believing yourselves invincible after winning for so long?"
Falana sneered, producing two colossal hammers and charging towards Li Qingyun.
Li Qingyun offered no unnecessary words. He needed to exude an aura of embracing death, for any deviation from the norm might alert the enemy and cause them to refuse the duel, which would be troublesome.
The [Creation Green Lotus] hovered beside Li Qingyun, continuously supplying him with power.
"Boom!"
With a punch, he was sent flying backward, while Falana remained completely unfazed.
"With such meager abilities, you dare challenge me to a solo fight? Arrogant and foolish! By making this choice, your companions will be too late to save you when I kill you!"
Falana's dual hammers bore a resemblance to Qin Xiaoxiao's [Star Hammer], possessing a certain rule of collapse.
Li Qingyun did not retreat nor speak. He clenched his fist and charged at Falana once more.
Vibrant, multi-colored energy materialized on his body, immediately mending his wounds and bestowing upon him an extreme killing intent.
The so-called power of the world was the origin of chaos, the nascent force that evolved all things.
It could heal injuries, attack, defend, set up formations, refine pills, forge weapons, and more. As long as a rule had evolved within the [Green Lotus Realm], Li Qingyun could utilize it.
Therefore, after achieving immortality, Li Qingyun could be said to be proficient in nothing, or proficient in everything.
However, due to not having achieved the status of Immortal King, each path was immature.
Numerous intricate techniques were unleashed, but they could hardly inflict damage on Falana.
Wang Teng and the others were engaged in group combat against other Shitian clan kings on another front, while Li Qingyun was engaged in a solo duel.
Watching Li Qingyun being brutally beaten, they felt a pang of anxiety.
"Can he hold on? Should we go support him?"
"We just need to fight our own battles. He's more resilient than me!"
"He probably won't die... right?"
"..."
Li Qingyun was suffering greatly, but he was quite resilient. From the start of his cultivation, he was among the more durable ones.
Wang Teng possessed physical toughness, but Li Qingyun had extremely strong recovery abilities.
Despite his potent recovery, it had its limits. Facing Falana, Li Qingyun's body could not withstand the assault.
Before long, he was covered in blood from the beating.
Falana sneered, "Is this physical recovery your only reliance? How pitiful, foolishly overestimating yourself will be your doom!"
He clinked his two hammers together, and a terrifying surge of energy erupted once more.
The immense impact sent Li Qingyun flying back again.
Blood splattered widely, and he became incredibly weak.
Expecting to see an expression of despair on Li Qingyun's face, Falana frowned because Li Qingyun was smiling.
Wiping the blood from his face, Li Qingyun grinned.
He had been taking a beating, constantly on the brink of death, but during this process, he had been furiously channeling the power of the world for attack and healing.
It was akin to buying a new car with extremely high fuel consumption; to reduce the fuel consumption, one needed to drive it intensely and break it in.
The previous moments were Li Qingyun's break-in period. After the [Green Lotus Realm] absorbed a vast number of immortal artifacts, Li Qingyun's use of its rules accelerated the integration of those rules.
And through the process of constantly pushing himself, this integration had now been completed.
"What are you smiling about? Putting on a charade!"
Falana felt a sense of foreboding. Without a word, he stomped on the air and charged towards Li Qingyun.
Li Qingyun took a deep breath, and the [Creation Green Lotus] hovering beside him returned into his body.
A vast wave of Dao rhythm erupted from him.
His Dao fruit also materialized, emitting a golden glow as it neared maturity.
Falana's pupils constricted. He knew where the bad premonition originated.
"You used me to mature your Dao fruit!!"
Li Qingyun's eyes gleamed with excitement. He snapped his fingers, "It seems you're always fixated on humiliating me. In truth, if you had unleashed your full power earlier, it would have been easy to obliterate me! Unfortunately, it's too late now. At this moment, the Dao Palace is formed!"