Tyrannical

Tyrannical . . .

As tension crackled in the air, a formidable standoff unfolded between Zhao Yuyan and Qin Wentian. The atmosphere grew heavy with animosity as both combatants locked eyes, their expressions a tumultuous dance of defiance and determination.

Qin Wentian's eyes, once dark and calm, now gleamed with a fiery intensity, a reflection of the latent power simmering within him. In response to Zhao Yuyan's aggression, a subtle, eerie light flickered in his gaze. The aura of a predator ready to pounce emanated from him as he prepared to face the oncoming storm.

"You're treading a perilous path," he hissed, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. In a heartbeat, the tranquil skies transformed into a maelstrom of danger. His powers surged, and like a maestro conducting an otherworldly orchestra, millions of gleaming swords manifested around him, humming with a lethal symphony. These ethereal blades spun and danced, forming an impenetrable fortress of steel that thwarted the incoming astral shackles.

With a series of shattering crescendos, the shackles clashed with the sword screen, but they were mercilessly repelled, fragments of celestial energy scattering in their wake. Qin Wentian's defenses remained resolute, a testament to his unwavering resolve.

Zhao Yuyan, her indignant eyes fixed on her unyielding opponent, perched upon her white lotus treasure, her presence radiating with an air of superiority. Her voice dripped with condescension as she confronted Qin Wentian's defiance. "You dared to spurn my offer, thinking you could hold on to the Sky Demon Oracle Bone. You're nothing more than a defeated loser, arrogant and utterly devoid of shame."

Qin Wentian, however, showed no mercy, his words cutting like a double-edged sword. "A defeated loser like you struts around, flaunting your so-called strength. You're nothing but an empty vessel, ignorant of shame."

Zhao Yuyan's features contorted with a chilling fury, her eyes flashing with the cold fire of vengeance. Swish! Metallic astral shackles surged like a tsunami, filling the heavens and blotting out the sun. The ominous sight was akin to an inescapable prison, each shackle a link in the chains of doom.

"Initially, I was inclined to spare your life, even after obtaining the Sky Demon Oracle Bone. But your insolence has sealed your fate," she declared, her voice a venomous hiss. With a deliberate gesture, the astral shackles solidified, imprisoning the very space around them. Her intentions were clear—Qin Wentian was to meet his end in this claustrophobic trap.

Yet Qin Wentian harbored no illusions of mercy. His eyes simmered with the desire for retribution, an urge to claim the life of another human being—a first in his journey through the immortal realms. Back in the Qin Clan, individuals like Qin Feng and Qin Qing exuded purity and innocence, a far cry from the ruthless machinations of Zhao Yuyan.

This time, though, something had snapped within him. Zhao Yuyan's arrogance and her presumption of superiority over him had ignited an inferno of rage. Her privilege, stemming from her affiliation with a major power and her exceptional talent, had bred an insufferable arrogance that fueled her audacity.

"Swish!"

A chilling chorus of whistling noises pierced the air as astral shackles, guided by Zhao Yuyan's unrelenting will, bore down upon Qin Wentian. Their speed was incomprehensible, their trajectory unfathomable. In the blink of an eye, they closed in on their target, poised to strike.

Qin Wentian's words reverberated through the charged atmosphere like a thunderclap, shattering the illusion of Zhao Yuyan's supremacy. His silhouette, a blur of movement, hinted at the unleashed tempest within. With each step, the intensity of his power surged, radiating an overwhelming pressure that engulfed the space around them.

His fourth constellation, an embodiment of sheer might, materialized behind him—a colossal figure shimmering with golden brilliance. It exuded a presence that dwarfed even the grandeur of celestial phenomena. Qin Wentian stood at its heart, akin to a deity of war, indomitable and invincible.

Defiance burned in his gaze as he confronted Zhao Yuyan's assault. The astral shackles, driven by her formidable will, swarmed in a frenzy. Yet, against the maelstrom of her attacks, Qin Wentian stood unwavering, surrounded by a field of suppressive pressure. The shackles' frenzied advance was halted in its tracks, the invisible barrier of his power serving as an impregnable fortress.

"Die!" Zhao Yuyan's determination blazed in her eyes as she pressed forward. The astral shackles intensified their onslaught, but they remained futile against Qin Wentian's impervious defense. His incarnations multiplied, each radiating a golden runic aura, reminiscent of divine fiends.

"I'm not qualified?" The words reverberated once more, their echo carrying an unparalleled declaration of dominance. Qin Wentian's aura soared to its zenith, his presence transcending mortal boundaries. In the eyes of the spectators who had rushed to witness the spectacle, he had become an unparalleled force.

The revelation was staggering—Qin Wentian's innate strength, untethered by augmentation sources, eclipsed all expectations. Even Zhao Yuyan, a prodigious talent of the Golden Armor Sect, found herself outmatched and outclassed by this second-level ascendant.

As the battle raged on, an air of disbelief enveloped the onlookers. They marveled at Qin Wentian's extraordinary combat prowess and resilience. He had become an indomitable force, a veritable god of war.

Yet, as the conflict escalated, Zhao Yuyan's astonishment grew in equal measure. Her once-confident expression waned, replaced by a somber realization of her predicament. She retrieved a resplendent white pearl, shattering it to unleash a cascade of runic lights that enshrouded her form. Her aura surged to new heights, and even the astral shackles seemed to pulse with newfound vitality.

With a renewed surge of power, the astral shackles redoubled their assault, homing in on Qin Wentian. However, he met her challenge with unwavering determination. His divine radiance blazed with ever-greater intensity, casting an imperious shadow over the battlefield. In every direction, his golden figures emerged, each a testament to his overwhelming might.

The heavens and earth quaked under the weight of his supreme pressure, rendering everything within this space immobile. The astral shackles, momentarily stymied, faltered in their advance. Even Zhao Yuyan, a victim of the mounting oppression, felt the heaviness weigh upon her. She gazed upward to witness Qin Wentian's constellation—a radiant, all-encompassing entity capable of subduing both heaven and earth.

"I'm not qualified?" Qin Wentian's voice boomed, a defiant proclamation against all odds. The shackles, suppressed and powerless, could neither draw near nor assail him.

In that moment, Zhao Yuyan grappled with an unthinkable truth: a second-level ascendant, once deemed unworthy, now stood as an indomitable force before her, shattering her illusions of invincibility.

"Poor, misguided soul, did you truly believe yourself peerless in this vast world?" Qin Wentian's voice carried a tone of weary disdain as he turned his apathetic gaze toward Zhao Yuyan. A potent, destructive energy began to emanate from his constellation, suffusing the atmosphere. It was a power that rendered Zhao Yuyan utterly immobile. Her complexion drained of color as she grappled with the overwhelming might of Qin Wentian's constellation. How could his suppression-type constellation be so terrifying? And how had he achieved such mastery?

A resounding buzz echoed as Zhao Yuyan frantically attempted to produce yet another treasured item. Yet, in the same instant, Qin Wentian snorted with cold detachment, intensifying the pressure upon her until her movements were forcibly arrested. The numerous golden incarnations he had summoned chanted in unison, their combined energy forming an oppressive cocoon around him. Slowly, Qin Wentian advanced, his measured steps exuding an air of command.

"DIE!" Qin Wentian's roar reverberated with unrestrained fury, sending shivers down the spines of the onlookers outside the confrontation. The formidable heaven-chosen of the Golden Armor Sect, Zhao Yuyan—was Qin Wentian truly about to end her life?

With wrathful intent guiding his actions, Qin Wentian knew no mercy. Just as he had displayed his unyielding nature within the formation diagram, so too did his temperament now stir dread in the hearts of those who witnessed his resolve. He feared nothing; not even Zhao Yuyan's status as a heaven-chosen disciple.

"YOU DARE?!" Zhao Yuyan's cry of defiance pierced the air. Yet, what was there that Qin Wentian would not dare to do? An unrelenting surge of destructive energy continued to bear down on her, and in that moment, Zhao Yuyan groaned in agony. Her ashen face was streaked with fresh blood, yet the implacable pressure showed no sign of relenting. It sought to snuff out her very existence.

"This young man is unwavering in his determination," the crowd murmured in hushed awe. They had not anticipated his sheer strength. Those who had originally harbored ambitions of seizing the Sky Demon Oracle Bone now hesitated, and those whose cultivation paled in comparison quickly abandoned such ambitions.

"Perish!" As Zhao Yuyan tenaciously clung to life, Qin Wentian advanced with divine resolve. He was poised to deliver the final, fatal blow when an unimaginable burst of white light radiated from her, coalescing into a protective corona of immortal radiance. Within this ethereal glow emerged the figure of an elderly man with golden irises. His gaze pierced through the very soul as he stared down Qin Wentian.

An expert at the immortal foundation realm, an entity with the ability to manifest his own immortal sense—this was a power that transcended mortal comprehension, capable of myriad applications.

"Who dares to threaten my disciple?" The words thundered forth from the supreme elder of the Golden Armor Sect, his eyes seeming to pierce through the very fabric of reality. Though he appeared in the form of a mere immortal sense, the sheer presence he exuded held the power and pressure of immortality itself. Immortal energy operated on an entirely different plane, and facing it, Qin Wentian couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Nonetheless, his own gaze remained unyielding, unwavering in the face of the immortal's scrutiny.

"Your disciple, useless as she may be, still sought to take my life and claim my treasure. Tell me, do you believe she deserved to die?" Qin Wentian responded candidly, his frankness drawing a disdainful snort from the immortal. "Impudent! You dare speak with such arrogance in my presence? Have your elders never taught you respect?"

As the immortal spoke, an overwhelming energy bore down upon Qin Wentian, shattering his defenses with ease. Immortal sense held myriad applications, and in the immortal realms, immortals typically left a strand of their immortal sense upon their disciples for protection. This was the very protective immortal sense that Zhao Yuyan's master had bestowed upon her.

Though this strand of immortal sense wouldn't save Zhao Yuyan from an attack by an immortal-ranked expert, it could, however, identify her assailant. Hence, within the immortal realms, extreme caution was warranted when dealing with descendants of powerful individuals. They often bore these protective immortal senses, further delineating the hierarchical structure of this realm. Few would dare provoke those with such influential backgrounds.

Qin Wentian's countenance soured as he grimaced in response, his gaze fixed upon his adversary. His cultivation was far too inadequate; a single strand of immortal sense proved enough to subdue him. Just as he contemplated using a treasure to make a hasty escape, a figure appeared in the distance. Clad in pristine white robes, this newcomer exuded an aura of profound significance. Qin Wentian sensed his presence the very moment he arrived, and a flicker of satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. Senior Bai Wuya had not misled him; true to his word, Bai Wuya had arrived, leaving a strand of immortal sense that now guided him.