482: Heavenly Way, lend me your power!

The gentle and benevolent aura of the civil official receded like the tide, replaced by a sharp, piercing edge that could sever metal and jade and penetrate the nine heavens!

His wide sleeves fluttered without wind, snapping loudly as if concealing a storm within.

"I have been favored by Your Majesty's trust, holding the light of the morning star and presiding over the order of the dawn."

Venus's voice remained calm: "However, before the morning light comes the deepest darkness. Before order, there is often slaughter."

He still held the whisk in his right hand, but slowly raised his left, grasping at the Void Realm.

"Clang!" A clear, resonant sword chime echoed throughout the Tongming Hall square!

A long sword with a simple design, a narrow blade, and a body shrouded in hazy Geng metal white Qi appeared out of thin air in his left hand.

The blade possessed no dazzling brilliance, yet it seemed to condense the very concept of all sharpness in the world; a single glance caused one's Divine Soul to sting with pain.

At the same time, the three thousand silver strands of the whisk in his right hand straightened, their ends intertwining, extending, and solidifying on their own, instantly transforming into a bright silver spear!

The cold glint at the tip of the spear was like the loneliest and sharpest star in the night sky.

One hand held the sword, the other gripped the spear. The sword was named [Dawnbreak], and the spear was called [Fading Star].

At this moment, Venus no longer bore any trace of an elderly civil official.

"Once, they called me the White Emperor's Son, complaining that I killed too much!"

His white hair flew wildly, and deep within his eyes, galaxies seemed to swirl, concealing murderous intent. The Geng metal Qi around his body pulsed, repelling the surrounding auspicious immortal energy to form a Domain filled with sharp, murderous intent.

Just by standing there, he was the first ray of light to slice through the darkness, and the final edge to end everything.

"God of Justice Erlang Shen," Venus's voice turned cold: "It is my duty. I ask the True Monarch... to bow your head and surrender."

Erlang Shen watched the completely transformed Venus in silence, the last trace of doubt in his eyes vanishing, replaced by boiling Battle Intent and solemnity.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the cloud patterns on his silver armor seemed to come alive, beginning to shimmer with a faint light.

"What a White Emperor's Son, what a Morning Star... what a number one killing star of the Geng metal Dao in the entire universe!"

Erlang Shen laughed: "Erlang Shen has wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace several times, but never saw Venus make a move. Today, I can finally get my wish!"

He said no more and stomped his foot violently!

"Boom!"

The jade floor tiles shattered, and Erlang Shen's figure turned into a silver thread tearing through space. His three-pointed, double-edged blade stirred up violent gales and Dragon roars, the blade light condensed like a chasm in the sky, slashing directly at Venus's face!

This strike pushed speed and power to the limit!

Venus's left hand merely flicked the [Dawnbreak] sword upward ever so slightly.

"Ding!"

A crisp sound, so sharp it almost pierced the eardrums, exploded! The tip of the sword and the edge of the blade collided with extreme precision at a single point.

Erlang Shen's strike, which seemed capable of splitting everything apart, was actually held back by this light, airy sword, unable to advance even an inch!

Geng metal white Qi swirled on the blade, clashing fiercely with the silver radiance on the three-pointed, double-edged blade, emitting countless tiny yet dangerous sparks. Each spark carried the sharpness to cut through space, piercing dense holes into the surrounding ground.

At the same time, Venus's right hand launched the [Fading Star] spear.

The spear thrust silently, stabbing straight at Erlang Shen's chest and abdomen, which were slightly exposed due to his swing.

That cold glint at the spear tip rapidly magnified in the vision of Erlang Shen's Heavenly Eye, transforming into a starry sky of death!

Erlang Shen's pupils shrank, and he let out a sharp shout. His left hand suddenly released the blade handle, and he struck horizontally with a clenched fist. An image as heavy as a mountain condensed over his fist, smashing fiercely against the spear shaft!

"Dong!"

The fist and spear collided, emitting a muffled sound like a giant drum being beaten.

Erlang Shen's figure swayed, and he slid half a step back to the side, the silver armor on his fist cracking slightly.

The [Fading Star] spear merely tilted slightly, its momentum unbroken. Like a poisonous Dragon flicking its tail, it traced a strange arc and stabbed at Erlang Shen's throat again!

Fast! Accurate! Ruthless! Continuous and unending, leaving no room to breathe!

Erlang Shen was forced to retract his blade to defend, swirling the three-pointed, double-edged blade into a sphere of silver light, protecting his body airtight.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sword light was like the morning sun piercing the fog, penetrating everywhere; the spear shadows were like meteors chasing the moon, relentless and unceasing.

Venus's offensive did not rely on overwhelming power, but rather condensed his Geng metal killing aura to the extreme; every sword strike and every spear thrust pointed toward the weak points of the Law.

His combat style was completely different from Erlang Shen's broad and open approach of breaking technique with force; it was another extreme—extreme precision, extreme efficiency, and the extreme... art of slaughter.

Erlang Shen was forced to retreat repeatedly by this storm-like assault, new scratches constantly appearing on his silver armor; though not deep, they were shocking to behold.

"Sshhh!"

Sparks scattered, accompanied by a teeth-grinding friction sound. The cold glint of the [Fading Star] spear grazed past Erlang Shen's throat, leaving a shallow line of blood.

If he hadn't used his Heavenly Eye to predict the move and dodged by tilting his head at the critical moment, this spear would have already pierced through his neck.

But this was already his limit.

Venus's sword and spear had already woven an airtight net of slaughter.

The sword light was like threads of dawn, cutting through space and sealing off escape; the spear shadows were like meteors, piercing through defenses and aiming straight for vital points.

Every parry made Erlang Shen's arms ache and go numb. The cracks on his silver armor grew more numerous, and Divine blood constantly seeped out from the gaps between the armor plates, dripping onto the shattered jade floor.

His breathing became heavy, and the circulation of his magic power throughout his body showed clear signs of stagnation.

Venus's Geng metal killing aura penetrated everywhere, not only cutting his Physical Body but also constantly eroding and disrupting his magic power Meridians and Divine Soul's will.

Calm and composed, with ease!

"Clang!"

Another hard collision. The [Dawnbreak] sword struck the weak side of the three-pointed, double-edged blade at an almost devious angle.

Erlang Shen felt an incomparably sharp force penetrate through the blade, causing the Meridians in his entire right arm to ache violently. He could barely hold the handle, stumbling backward, fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth again.

He leaned on his blade, kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily. He looked up, staring fixedly at Venus, who stood ahead, still calm and composed with his white hair flying.

The gap... was too large. This was not just a gap in cultivation and magic power, but a gap in the level of "Dao" and "technique."

"True Monarch, shall we continue?"

Venus did not pursue, merely holding the sword and spear, standing quietly several yards away: "Lay down your weapon and follow me to plead guilty before the Empress; perhaps you can be spared."

"Plead guilty? Spared?"

Erlang Shen laughed in a low voice, his laughter hoarse and filled with mockery and sorrow, "My mother is Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, my father is Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, my sister is Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering! What else is there for me to save? And what sin... is greater than watching all of this happen while being powerless to stop it?"

He suddenly raised his head, and the vertical golden Heavenly Eye between his brows suddenly erupted with blinding light, unprecedented in intensity!

"Since this Heavenly Court is unjust and this Daoist magic is useless..."

Erlang Shen stared fixedly at the firmament, at something higher in the mysterious void: "Give me power, let me use my own way to break the Heavenly Court and shatter Lingxiao!"

The moment his words fell, "Hum—!!!"

An incomparably vast power surged out from the Heavenly Eye, filling his body.

The Heavenly Eye was, by nature, the Eye of Heaven! Erlang Shen was, by nature, the next Heavenly Emperor created by the Heavenly Dao. His body was the best vessel for the power of the Heavenly Dao.