Chen Xiao simply smiled faintly, not denying the Earth Demon's statement. Those watching the spectacle, however, were filled with confusion.
Not a Dharma manifestation? Then what was it?
Li Miaozhen tentatively looked at Xu Weizhou, hoping to glean an answer from him.
Xu Weizhou shook his head with a wry smile, indicating he was unaware.
He was clearly also a master of the Hedao realm, so why did he feel as though he couldn't quite grasp the current situation?
"Kid, today I'll show you what a true Dharma manifestation is. A fake is always just a fake!"
The Earth Demon's voice, low and filled with arrogance.
"If you want to fight, hurry up. Stop dawdling. I told you, when I make my move, you'll be dead!"
Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow, adopting a flippant demeanor.
"Hmph, you boastful brat. Good. You've successfully angered me!"
The Earth Demon channeled his vital energy, concentrating it on his fists. The pure black true essence transformed into a perfectly round ball of light in his hands, as if it were tangible.
Simultaneously, the Dharma manifestation behind him mirrored the action.
The only difference was that the black ball of light in the Dharma manifestation's hand was larger and more solidified, resembling a black hole capable of devouring everything in existence.
The jagged edges on its periphery were like thorns, radiating outwards in all directions!
This was truly a case of "multicolored black"!
Merely a glance at the dazzling black ball of light made the onlookers feel as though their eyes were going blind.
At this moment, Xu Weizhou was already offering his thanks to heaven and earth.
He was incredibly fortunate that the Earth Demon hadn't used this move against him earlier, otherwise, he would have already turned to dust...
Even Chen Xiao displayed a rare seriousness on his face!
His gaze was extremely solemn, for the energy accumulated in this black ball of light made even him feel immense pressure!
"This is getting more and more interesting..."
Chen Xiao smiled playfully. Despite the pressure, he wasn't flustered.
Without pressure, where would motivation come from?
Besides, he was eager to test the strength of the Seven Gods' Dharma manifestations.
This time, standing behind Chen Xiao was the Ice God!
With a thought, the towering deity behind him transformed into thick, hard ice crystals, enveloping Chen Xiao.
The ice crystals continuously expanded, eventually growing to the size of a small mountain!
"Heh heh, you shrinking turtle, die!"
Finally, the Earth Demon's power reached its peak. He roared, and the black ball of light hurtled towards Chen Xiao!
*Swish—*
The black ball of light moved with incredible speed, leaving a trail of afterimages in the air before striking the ice mountain squarely.
*Rumble—*
The sound of thunderous explosions rolled in!
Streams of dazzling light radiated outwards from the explosion!
Some cultivators who couldn't dodge in time were instantly blinded by the light beams, including some in the Divine Sea and Void Transformation realms!
This world fell into a deathly silence, or rather, into nothingness...
White light enveloped and filled the entire Hou Tu City, lingering for a long time!
However, as long as this white light remained, everyone had no idea of the final outcome of the Earth Demon's attack.
Had he won? He must have won!
Even the residual force of the explosion was so powerful, one could only imagine the might generated during the blast itself.
One truly didn't know the origin of this Earth Demon.
It seemed they were truly going to die here. Alas, such formidable power was terrifying.
The crowd was in a state of uncertainty, their thoughts varied.
It wasn't until nearly a minute later, when the white light became less blinding, that everyone dared to open their eyes.
The scene before them astonished them all.
The black-robed figure was gone. In his place stood a young man in tattered clothes.
The young man's clothes were almost entirely shredded, with only a few scraps of cloth covering his private parts.
The young man was severely injured, gasping for breath... However, the wounds on his body were healing at a visible, rapid pace.
"Hiss— Such terrifying self-healing speed!"
Li Miaozhen gasped, taking a sharp breath. With this level of regenerative ability, the young man's body was practically an immortal vessel.
So, he was the black-robed figure? Had his black robe been destroyed? I recall that black robe seemed to be a very powerful magical artifact.
However, he had ultimately survived the Earth Demon's full-power strike.
Li Miaozhen's small head was filled with a jumble of chaotic thoughts.
But whose mind was not in a state of utter disarray?
Everyone present was likely as confused as she was...
Su Meinan clenched her fist and shoved it into her mouth, biting down hard. She wasn't hungry; she simply didn't want to cry out loud, and tears were streaming down her face like a bowl of beef noodles.
He had survived. That was wonderful. He had survived!
"You, how are you still alive?"
In mid-air, the Earth Demon looked down at Chen Xiao from above, his eyes filled with disbelief.
After using the previous move, a hint of fatigue appeared on his face.
He had almost exhausted his full power in that attack, making it impossible for him to unleash it a second time in such a short period.
This indicated that he had intended to kill Chen Xiao with that single blow!
Chen Xiao looked at him, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and a sinister smile spread across his face.
"To think you could kill me with this? You're still far from it!"
Chen Xiao displayed a rare arrogance.
The reason was that the opponent's previous attack had indeed pushed him to the brink, almost succeeding.
However, Chen Xiao wasn't bragging. The Earth Demon's attack had only nearly incapacitated him, rendering him unable to fight.
But it was still easy for Chen Xiao to recover.
"You seem to be at the end of your rope. Now, it's my turn!"
Chen Xiao clenched his fist and extended a finger, pointing directly at the Earth Demon in mid-air. "Earth Demon, are you ready to die?"
"Heh heh, you're right. I am indeed at the end of my rope, but you don't seem to be any better off, do you?"
The Earth Demon seemed to see through Chen Xiao. "My Dharma manifestation couldn't defeat you, and your fake won't be able to kill me either!"
Although he said this, the Earth Demon knew he had already lost.
Of course, he hadn't lost to Chen Xiao; he had lost to time!
An hour was neither long nor short. He no longer had the ability to refine the people present.
And once the Earth Sect broke through the city's protective formation from the outside, only death awaited him... Of course, he wouldn't die, but would fall into slumber again, just like five hundred years ago.
Five hundred years. He had waited for five hundred years, only to have an accident in the gutter right after coming out!
A nobody like Chen Xiao could naturally only be considered a gutter!
His final resolve now was to absolutely not die at the hands of this 'gutter'.
He also believed that as long as he defended with all his might, that brat would have no way to deal with him.
"Heh heh, I can't kill you?"
Chen Xiao laughed. "Did you forget what I said earlier? I said that once I make my move, you will only have death as your fate!"
"Brat, on what grounds?"
The Earth Demon roared, veins bulging on his forehead.
From his initial madness, he had devolved into impotent rage!
If his strength allowed, he would have killed that arrogant brat on the ground!
"On the grounds of my Dharma manifestation... Oh, right, what you call a fake."
Chen Xiao said mockingly.
"Hmph, I already told you, with your fake Dharma manifestation, you can't kill me. We're at best evenly matched. I can't kill you, and you can't do anything to me!"
The Earth Demon was very confident in his Dharma manifestation, believing that as long as he defended with all his might, he wouldn't die at the hands of this gutter.
"Heh heh, is that so..."
Chen Xiao let out two cold laughs. "If one fake Dharma manifestation can't kill you, then how about two?"
As he spoke, with a hum, another Dharma manifestation, thousands of meters tall, appeared behind Chen Xiao.
This Dharma manifestation was almost identical to the first, both shrouded in long robes.
Apart from the slight difference in the color of the luster covering their bodies, there was no other distinction.
"You, how can you possess two Dharma manifestations?"
The Earth Demon said in disbelief. "I don't believe it. This must be fake. Even though your Dharma manifestation is a fake, you couldn't possibly have two such powerful fakes!"
The crowd also found it incredible, but they knew little about the Hedao realm and had no special thoughts, merely feeling a sense of awe.
As the only great master of the Hedao realm, Xu Weizhou's understanding was completely overturned... Unity of Heaven and Man had always meant communicating with only one celestial being!
As a follower of a celestial being, one followed the celestial being to obtain the celestial being's divine power!
This was the meaning of Unity of Heaven and Man, the true essence of the Hedao realm!
If there were two Dharma manifestations... it would only be possible if that celestial being was following him.
But how could such a thing be possible?
This thought flashed through Xu Weizhou's mind and was quickly dismissed.
Little did he know, this fleeting thought was infinitely close to the truth.
"Heh heh, it's true that such powerful fakes are indeed impossible to possess two of."
Chen Xiao suddenly grinned, uttering a puzzling statement.
What was this brat talking about? He had clearly summoned two Dharma manifestations, so why did he say it was impossible to have two?
Regardless of whether they were fakes or not, they were no weaker than the Earth Demon's.
Just as the crowd was bewildered, Chen Xiao provided the answer.
"Because, I possess seven such powerful fakes!"
Before his words even finished, the light behind Chen Xiao flickered repeatedly!
*Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum—*
A series of deep and majestic sounds echoed, and five more Dharma manifestations, similarly clad in long robes, stood behind Chen Xiao.
Upon witnessing this, the Earth Demon froze for a moment, then a look of "I see" mixed with utter shock appeared on his face.
"I know now. It's them... It's actually them!"
"The Seven Gods..."