188: A fateful showdown, the first display of imperial power

Above Falling Star Valley, the Pavilion Master Tianji's starlight projection and Xiao Chen's Chaos Dharma Form faced each other from afar. Two terrifying auras of the Five-Turn Dou Saint Peak collided like two ancient divine mountains about to crash! The space groaned under the strain, and dark spatial cracks spread like a spiderweb! The remaining Heavenly Secret Pavilion disciples in the valley and the Dragon Guards who were fighting the enemy were all intimidated by this pressure, trembling uncontrollably.

"A mere projection dares to block me?" Xiao Chen's hundred-thousand-foot Dharma Form's voice was like thunder from the nine heavens, making the entire valley hum. He could feel that although the power contained in this projection was strong, it was ultimately rootless and wouldn't last. The real threat was the unfathomable depth of the Pavilion Master Tianji's true body, which the projection represented!

"Block you? Hehe..." The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection let out an ethereal sneer. No expression could be seen on his starlight-condensed face, only a pair of eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate the River of Destiny, coldly staring at Xiao Chen. "This Venerable One is here... to guide you... to your ultimate... fated destination!"

Before he finished speaking, his hands slowly rose! From his palms, countless black and white intertwined threads of destiny surged out wildly, instantly weaving into a colossal Fate Compass phantom in front of him! The compass slowly rotated, and countless fragments of Xiao Chen's life, from childhood to the present, appeared on it. Even... some vague future trajectories flickered unsteadily!

"Destiny... Retrace! Karma... Sever!" The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection let out a low shout and flicked his finger! On the compass, a certain karmic thread representing Xiao Chen's 'past' suddenly became clear—it was the tragic scene of his family being annihilated in his childhood! At the same time, another 'love' karmic thread connecting him and Flame Heart was forcibly pulled by an invisible force, becoming precarious!

"Pfft—!"

Far away in the Pill Tower, Flame Heart suddenly felt a pang in her heart, and her chest felt as if it had been struck hard. A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out without warning! Her face instantly turned pale! The soul connection between her and Xiao Chen had become significantly weaker at this moment!

"Xin'er!" Xuan Kongzi and the others were greatly alarmed!

"Bastard! How dare you!" Xiao Chen was furious! He hadn't expected the Pavilion Master Tianji to be so malicious, not directly attacking him, but instead manipulating destiny and karma to attack the most important person to him, shaking his Dao Heart!

"Chaos Sacred Realm! Suppress oneself! Invulnerable to all laws! Untainted by karma!" Xiao Chen roared, and the Chaos Sacred Realm around him burst into brilliant light! The two-hundred-zhang world rapidly contracted, tightly enveloping his Dharma Form! Within the world, earth, water, fire, and wind were stabilized, and the origin qi seed emitted a soft light, forcibly repelling the power of destiny that tried to retrace the past and sever the emotional connection! But the faint sensation from Flame Heart still caused a ripple in his mind!

"Hmph! Let's see how long you can last! Destiny... Reverse!" The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection sneered, forming hand seals again! The Fate Compass's light intensified! This time, the compass began to spin backward! A strange power enveloped Xiao Chen! Xiao Chen immediately felt that the punch he had just thrown seemed to have a tendency to attack himself in reverse! The flow of surrounding heaven and earth energy also became chaotic! It was as if everything was against him!

"Manipulating destiny, reversing karma?! Truly bizarre!" Xiao Chen's eyes were grave, but his fighting spirit grew even stronger! "Too bad! My Dao is the Chaos Heaven Opening! One force breaks all laws! No matter how destiny changes, I will... cleave it with an axe!"

"Chaos Heaven Opening Axe! Sever karma! Open up a new heaven!"

In the hand of Xiao Chen's hundred-thousand-foot Dharma Form, the Qi of Chaos madly gathered, condensing into a colossal axe phantom that seemed capable of cleaving chaos! On the giant axe, the light of Origin Qi flowed, containing Xiao Chen's unyielding will and his determination to open up everything! He raised the giant axe high with both arms and fiercely brought it down upon the gigantic Fate Compass!

"Buzz—!"

This axe strike had no earth-shshattering momentum, but it carried a supreme artistic conception of severing all shackles and opening up one's own path! Where the axe light passed, the intertwining threads of destiny shattered and dissipated as if encountering their nemesis! The power of karma attempting to reverse was also forcibly stabilized and smoothed out by the heaven-opening will contained within the axe intent!

"Crack—!"

The Fate Compass trembled violently, and a tiny crack appeared on its surface! The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection let out a muffled groan, and his figure swayed slightly!

"What?! Your Dao... can actually restrain destiny?!" For the first time, a trace of surprise and uncertainty appeared in the projection's voice!

"Restrain? No! It's transcendence!" Xiao Chen's voice was like a great bell, pressing his advantage, and the giant axe was raised again! "Your destiny can only manipulate the weak! But my strength is enough to... break destiny!"

"Chaos Return to Void! One axe... opens the heavens!"

The second axe strike was even more powerful! The axe light transformed into a vast, grayish-white band of light spanning heaven and earth. Wherever it passed, space was not torn, but directly transformed into the most primordial Qi of Chaos! It was as if it sought to cleave this heaven and earth back into the state of unformed chaos!

"Arrogant! Destiny... Judgment!" The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection roared, pressing his hands fiercely onto the Fate Compass! The compass spun wildly, shooting out a gray-black pillar of light condensed from the grievances and karmic debts of billions of living beings! Within the pillar of light, countless wronged souls seemed to be wailing, cursing those who defied destiny!

This was destiny's backlash! It was the karmic judgment of all living beings!

"Rumble—!!!!"

The gray-black pillar of light and the Chaos Heaven Opening Axe light collided violently! This time, an earth-shattering roar erupted! A destructive energy storm swept out! The entire Falling Star Valley was as if wiped clean by an invisible giant hand; mountains collapsed, and the earth cracked! The remnants of the Star-Gazing Platform instantly turned to dust! If the warring parties below hadn't been protected by Xiao Chen's residual Sacred Realm power in advance, they would have long since been annihilated!

At the center of the explosion, the pillar of destiny light and the Chaos Axe light furiously eroded and annihilated each other! Ultimately, Xiao Chen's Chaos Heaven Opening intent was superior! The axe light cleaved through the pillar of light, and although it itself dimmed considerably, it still carried an indomitable momentum, fiercely striking the true body of the Fate Compass!

"Crack—!!!!"

A crisp explosion! The Fate Compass could no longer hold on, and it shattered into countless fragments with a bang! The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection let out a shrill scream, and his figure became extremely ethereal, as if it could dissipate at any moment!

"Xiao Chen!!! You... you actually dared... to destroy my magical artifact! Ruin my grand plan!" The projection roared venomously, "This Venerable One... will never let you go! The day my Emperor Body is achieved, will be the time... your soul is utterly extinguished!"

"Too much nonsense! Die for me...!" Xiao Chen's eyes were cold, and the third axe strike... followed closely! This axe strike condensed all his killing intent and power! He vowed to completely leave this projection here!

"Want to destroy my projection? It's not that easy! Destiny... Flee!" The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection sneered, and his remaining body suddenly exploded, transforming into countless tiny streams of destiny light, shooting off in all directions... to escape! Each stream of light contained a trace of his divine sense; as long as one escaped, the projection could be reassembled!

"Hmph! Can you escape? Chaos Sacred Realm! Devour the heavens and earth!" Xiao Chen had anticipated this. The Chaos Sacred Realm suddenly expanded! The thousand-zhang world was like a giant maw, enveloping the ten-thousand-zhang space, along with the scattered streams of destiny light, all within it!

"Buzz—!"

Within the Sacred Realm, earth, water, fire, and wind roared, and the power of the world crushed! Those streams of destiny light were like snowflakes falling into boiling water, rapidly dissolving and refining!

"No—!!!" The Pavilion Master Tianji's projection let out a final, unwilling roar, completely... annihilated within the Chaos Sacred Realm!

The projection... was destroyed!

However, just as the projection completely dissipated! An extremely subtle destiny imprint, like a bone-deep parasitic worm, silently... branded itself deep within Xiao Chen's soul origin!

"Hm?" Xiao Chen frowned slightly, feeling an extremely faint discomfort, but upon careful investigation, he found nothing. "Is it the Pavilion Master Tianji's trump card? Hmph, no matter your schemes and tricks, I will break them with sheer force!"

He reined in his aura, and his hundred-thousand-foot Dharma Form slowly dissipated, returning to normal size. His gaze swept over the now-ruined Falling Star Valley and the pale-faced Heavenly Secret Pavilion remnants kneeling and begging for mercy below, a trace of cold indifference flashing in his eyes.

"Ao Zhan, clear the battlefield. Those who stubbornly resist, kill without mercy! Those who surrender, abolish their cultivation and escort them back to the Pill Tower for interrogation!"

"Yes! Saint Xiao!" Ao Zhan solemnly accepted the order.

Xiao Chen turned and looked towards the Pill Tower, transmitting a soul message: "Teacher, is Xin'er alright?"

"Chen'er, rest assured. Xin'er's karmic connection with you was merely temporarily interfered with, causing a slight backlash. After taking the medicinal pill, she is fine now." Xuan Kongzi's relieved voice came.

Xiao Chen's heart eased, but his gaze grew even more solemn. The Pavilion Master Tianji's troublesome and mysterious nature far exceeded expectations. Although he had won today, it was only by destroying one of the opponent's projections and a stronghold. The true decisive battle, he feared... had only just begun!

He looked up, gazing towards the depths of the Soul Burial Mountain Range, still shrouded in the mists of destiny. He seemed to feel a pair of cold and calculating eyes, staring fixedly at him across the endless void!

"Pavilion Master Tianji... the next time we meet, will be... the time of life and death!" Xiao Chen clenched his fists, and his figure flickered, disappearing from the spot. He needed to return as soon as possible, consolidate his cultivation, digest the gains from this battle, and prepare for the impending... final storm!