The two different auras clashed in midair, creating a terrifying sight.

The Spirit Clan's Ranker could still remember his elders' warnings before descending. They also ordered them to lie low, but as a Ranker, he had virtually encountered zero setbacks his entire life.

Hence, the warnings of his elders carried only so much weight.

Ling Que acknowledged Lu Yuan's strength, sure, but so what? They were both Sages. Whatever gap existed between them couldn't be that vast. The two of them also had great talent. The difference couldn't be that big, unless Lu Yuan was strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with those Holy Sons and Saintesses.

However, figures like that were exceedingly rare. Across the hundred clans and races of the Outer Cosmos, only a handful had ever earned such a title. They were destined to become true powerhouses in the future. Anyone weaker than such figures wouldn't deserve such a title.

Ling Que was proud, and he wanted to see for himself exactly what this human named Lu Yuan from the Milky Way Starfield was truly made of.

"My patience has run out," Lu Yuan remarked. Upon seeing that the other party wasn't budging, he stopped releasing his aura. Instead, he took a single step forward, and his power as a Sage burst out of him.

"Good! Then let's see just how far you can go!" Ling Que exclaimed with clear amusement in his gaze.

He hadn't released the power that had been suppressing the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-tailed Fox King, but he diverted the greater portion of it toward Lu Yuan. He knew Lu Yuan was no ordinary opponent, and he would need to take things seriously against him.

The other Spirit Clan members standing nearby didn't make a move, but their auras linked together into a unified whole. It wasn't that they feared Ling Que would lose. They simply wanted to be prepared for any variables, considering Lu Yuan's fearsome reputation.

Ling Que struck first, seizing control of the surrounding world force. He then brought it crashing down on Lu Yuan to try to suppress him.

It was an invisible yet extraordinarily formidable force.

After all, a mere human could never hope to contend against the world itself. This was the Spirit Clan's greatest advantage. They were born with an innate spiritual connection to the cosmos. Without it, how could they have claimed a position among the top one hundred starfields?

How could they have secured their footing in the Outer Cosmos? 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Lu Yuan could keenly feel that formidable force bearing down on him. But he paid it no mind and simply threw a single punch.

Boom!

The power of a Sage churned within him, and his golden vital qi came roaring out with the punch. It transformed into an ocean of power so overwhelming that the surrounding space itself began to warp and buckle beneath its influence.

Ling Que's expression changed. The heaven-earth energy powering his world force was actually disintegrating.

"You didn't disappoint me, after all. You're strong enough to make me fight with all my might!" he exclaimed and stopped suppressing the two mutated beasts.

Rumble!

The aura radiating from him grew thicker and denser. He waved both hands through the air, and streams of radiant light converged on him as he made use of world force to draw in heaven-earth energy.

In mere moments, the radiant light coalesced into towering mountains. Judging by their appearance, they mirrored the mountains around them.

Ling Que had borrowed world force and manifested these mountains into existence using his clan's innate ability.

"You're strong, I'll give you that. But I want to see whether you can truly stand against the world itself. I also want to see just how far you can go against me," Ling Que remarked, and the amusement in his eyes deepened.

As the world force inside him became even stronger, it became clear that these manifested mountains were no mere illusions. They carried genuine, devastating power. This was the Spirit Clan's innate divine ability, and the strongest Spirit Clan member could even manifest stars.

"So, this is your innate ability?" Lu Yuan was seeing it for the first time. He had to admit that it was a formidable innate ability. His opponent did have a reason to be so arrogant and proud.

But so what? Lu Yuan quietly faced the mountains hurtling toward him. Before they could crush him, arcs of lightning burst out of him, and dark clouds appeared overhead.

Crackle!

Purple lightning dragons writhed and roared within them before descending at breakneck speeds. The mountains, radiant lights, lightning dragons, and their deafening dragon roars created a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

BOOM!

As soon as they collided, a cataclysmic explosion rocked the world. The manifested mountains trembled once before shattering into pieces one after another.

This was a battle between Sages, and every move on their end could easily reshape the terrain. Moreover, Ling Que was not an ordinary Void Sage but a genius Ranker of his clan.

"Great!" Ling Que exclaimed. The sight told him that his opponent would not be easy to handle, and he intensified his efforts once more. Another wave of mountains materialized, blotting out the sky and radiating an aura that threatened to crush everything flat.

In the distance, the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-tailed Fox King wanted to join the fight, but they quickly learned that it was impossible. The best they could do was stay out of the way. This was a battle between Sages, after all.

The other Spirit Clan members exchanged uneasy glances. The truth was plain to see. Their lord was already fighting at full strength. That human, Lu Yuan, really was as powerful as the rumors had claimed him to be.

Through it all, Lu Yuan did not even frown. Lightning dragons roared, and golden vital qi rushed out of him, shattering mountain after mountain. However, Lu Yuan did not want to waste time. After all, he hadn't come here for a fight. He had come here for one of the Nine Cauldrons.

Lu Yuan flipped his hand, and the Great Luo Sword Embryo appeared. An overwhelmingly fierce sword intent seeped out of it.

"You can borrow this world's force?" Lu Yuan said. "Then, I will cleave the world in one strike."

Rumble!

He drew upon the power of the Heaven-Earth Sword. Facing the endless tide of mountains flying toward him, he brought the sword down in a slow, deliberate strike.

Hum!

A resonant sword hum echoed as a streak of brilliant sword light manifested from a supreme sword intent. Before it even made full contact with the mountains, they crumbled one after another, dissolving into nothingness.

Even the clouds in the sky were sliced apart by the attack. The mountains down below trembled violently, and swathes of forest were also torn down. It was just a single streak of sword light, yet it cleaved everything within its reach.

"This is just..." Ling Que's smile vanished in an instant. The supreme sword intent had sent a chill down his spine. He even felt as if his soul was in its sights. In response, he drew upon world force, wrapping himself with heaven-earth energy.

But Lu Yuan had assumed a stance with the Great Luo Sword Embryo and slashed out with the Heaven-Earth Sword.

Hum!

The same resonant sword hum reverberated, and the heaven-earth energy around Ling Que was sliced apart. Deep gashes tore open across him, and blood sprayed outward in every direction. His aura instantly became extremely weak.

"My lord!"

It had all happened far too quickly. By the time the Spirit Clan members snapped back to their senses, they were already rushing forward to shield him. One of them even attacked Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan took a step forward, and the attacking Spirit Clan member crumbled into nothingness. They could not withstand even a fraction of Lu Yuan's power. Ling Que had only survived because he was a Sage. The rest were merely Venerable Kings, and Lu Yuan could crush them as easily as stepping on insects.

After all, there was a reason people called him invincible among his peers.

Lu Yuan's single step froze the remaining Spirit Clan members in place. Not one of them dared to move. As for the gravely wounded Ling Que, he trembled in shock as his gaze locked onto Lu Yuan—no, his gaze was transfixed on the Great Luo Sword Embryo as he stammered, "W-what you're holding... is that Eternal Divine Gold?"