The black monster’s form flickered and vanished into the mountain forest. In an instant, its aura disappeared completely, as if it had never been there at all.

SWOOSH...

A moment later, a streak of light shot across the sky. The powerful gale it created carved a long trench through the sea of trees below, which took quite some time to return to normal. The figure was none other than Chen Yu, who had rushed over from outside the Secret Realm.

Chen Yu’s expression was grim. Along the way, he had discovered that the Secret Realm had indeed changed a great deal. The Primordial Beasts that were once a common sight had all vanished, and a deathly stillness hung in the air, devoid of any sign of life.

’It seems something really has happened in the Secret Realm!’ Chen Yu thought. At that, he picked up his pace and sped toward the palace ruins at the center of the Secret Realm...

After Chen Yu disappeared over the horizon, the black monster’s figure reappeared. It stared in the direction Chen Yu had gone, its scarlet tongue lolling out. Viscous saliva dripped from the tip, corroding a hole in the ground below.

"Finally, a delicious meal has arrived. If I devour him, my injuries will heal completely!" the black monster boomed, its cavernous maw wide open. Its sinister voice echoed through the forest. It seemed the creature intended to attack Chen Yu.

Although the black monster had devoured countless Primordial Beasts and recovered from most of its external injuries, the damage from the explosion of Shen Haoran’s condensed Spirit Seed was far from simple. That Spirit Seed may have been a pseudo-form of the Heaven and Earth Spirits, but it still carried their might—the very thing the black monster feared most, its ultimate nemesis. All this time, only its surface wounds had healed. The might of heaven and earth still lingered within its body, and the Energy provided by those Primordial Beasts was not enough to dispel it.

The black monster had been wondering how to dispel this lingering power, and now Chen Yu had delivered himself right to its doorstep. At this thought, the monster let out a sinister laugh. Its form flickered, and it began to creep silently in Chen Yu’s direction...

A short while later, a figure slowly materialized above the palace ruins. Chen Yu stared down at the enormous crater and the fractured earth surrounding it, unable to stop himself from sucking in a sharp breath. He was utterly shocked.

"This... was this caused by Shen Haoran’s attack?" Chen Yu finally managed to say after a long, stunned silence. According to Shui Ruolan, Shen Haoran had sacrificed himself, taking the black monster with him to buy them time to escape. But as Chen Yu stared at the bottomless crater before him, he couldn’t believe it. ’How could a mere Spirit General unleash such a terrifying attack? How much Energy would that require? Even a full-powered strike from a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse would barely be this destructive!’

Yet the evidence was right in front of him, and Chen Yu had no choice but to believe it. His estimation of Shen Haoran rose even higher, and so did his curiosity. ’Just how many secrets is that young man hiding?’

Landing slowly at the edge of the crater, Chen Yu reached out and grabbed at the air. A strange surge of energy materialized and forcefully repelled his hand.

"The might of heaven and earth!" Chen Yu cried out in alarm. ’Such a dense concentration of it... What in the world did Shen Haoran do?’ He scanned his surroundings but found no one, nor could he sense even a trace of Shen Haoran’s aura.

"Did Shen Haoran and that black monster really wipe each other out?" Chen Yu murmured, frowning as he gazed into the depths of the crater.

WHOOSH...

A light breeze rustled past. Suddenly, a wave of danger washed over him, and the hair on his arms stood on end.

SWOOSH...

A sound tore through the air. A black Bone Spike, wreathed in fierce, Powerful Qi, sliced toward Chen Yu. In an instant, it reached his throat and slashed straight through.

However, as the black Bone Spike passed through Chen Yu’s neck, not a single drop of blood sprayed out.

"Hm?" The black monster grunted at the bizarre sight. The image of Chen Yu, pierced by the Bone Spike, began to slowly fade away...

’Damn it!’ the black monster cursed inwardly. It whirled around just as a massive palm descended from the sky, slamming down toward it. With no way to dodge, the monster could only raise its arm, meeting the attack head-on with its black Bone Spike.

BOOM!

With a muffled bang, the two attacks collided. The black monster was sent flying backward, its feet gouging a long trench in the earth before it finally slid to a halt.

"So you’re the monster that slaughtered my Sect’s disciples?" a cold voice rang out as Chen Yu’s true form slowly descended from the sky. The previous figure had been nothing more than bait to lure the monster out.

Seeing the figure before it, the black monster stood up and shook its numb arm. It snorted coldly, "Hmph. Well, I’ll be. The older the ginger, the spicier the bite. You actually tricked me!"

Chen Yu’s brow furrowed as he saw that the black monster was completely unscathed after taking his palm strike. "You slaughtered my Sect’s disciples," he shouted coldly. "Surrender now, or I will not show you any mercy!"

"Heh, you’re welcome to try!" Hearing Chen Yu’s threat, the black monster licked its black Bone Spike with its scarlet tongue. It gave a sinister laugh, its body flashed, and it shot toward Chen Yu without another word.

"Hmph!" Watching the monster blur into a black afterimage, Chen Yu snorted. With a flick of his long sleeve, he infused it with immense Spiritual Power, turning the soft fabric as hard as iron.

CLANG!

The two attacks met with the crisp clang of striking metal. The next moment, sparks flew. A visible wave of Powerful Qi radiated outward from the point of impact, instantly slicing the surrounding ancient trees in half and sending them crashing to the ground.

"Heh!" the black monster cackled. It then began a frenzied assault, its black Bone Spike a whirlwind of strikes that left no openings for Chen Yu to exploit.

Chen Yu’s expression darkened. The monster’s strength was formidable, at least on par with his own, and its Bone Spike was exceptionally sharp. He had no choice but to face it with his full power. In the next instant, the two were locked in combat, sending violent ripples of Powerful Qi blasting outward.

Both combatants were Spirit Emperor Powerhouses, and the scale of their battle was terrifying. After a few dozen exchanges, the surrounding land was completely ravaged. Cracks as thick as a man’s arm spread across the ground, leaving a scene of total devastation.

Their battlefield shifted from the ground to the sky. A moment later, they shot toward the heavens. Explosions rang out continuously in mid-air as the aftershocks of their fight stirred the chaotic ambient Energy into a frenzy. Storms of Energy swirled around them, quickly forming a massive vortex. In an instant, sand and stone were swept into the air, and the very sky seemed to change color.

BOOM!

Another explosive collision sent them both reeling backward.

They faced each other, standing on empty air, both panting heavily. The high-intensity battle had taken a massive toll on them. In that moment, by a tacit understanding, both sides ceased their attacks...