Chapter 1048: Self-Detonation

A deathly silence enveloped the field; none had foreseen that Lord Sichen, master of the embryonic Temporal Dao Fruit, would be vanquished by the mysterious immortal as easily as autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves.

The once-insufferable Lord Sichen was denied even the chance to strike back, a jarring disparity from his overarching grandeur mere moments before!

With the Azure Edge Sword in his left hand and the Heaven-Splitting Axe in his right, Lu Yang wielded two immortal weapons of slaughter, his killing intent piercing the high heavens.

Lord Sichen had to be taken back, yet bringing him back alive posed too much trouble; it was far simpler to hack him to death, stash the corpse within the miniature world of the Azure Edge Sword, and lock his soul in the mental expanse, ensuring nothing would be delayed.

Just as Lu Yang prepared to strike, a magnificent divine talisman manifested between Lord Sichen’s brows, its light evolving into the form of an emperor ruling over all under heaven.

"Leave a margin in your actions; why must Your Excellency press so relentlessly?"

"Why not grant me face and spare Sichen's life? Whatever wrongs Sichen has committed, I shall offer apologies on his behalf."

"Emperor Zhongtian?" Lu Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly, realizing Emperor Zhongtian had left a contingency upon Lord Sichen; the Emperor's incense avatar would intervene the moment mortal peril arose.

"He is the legendary Emperor Zhongtian?" A commotion stirred among the crowds outside West Heaven City, astonished that even Emperor Zhongtian had intervened.

"Merely a single avatar, yet you deem yourself qualified to apologize for him?"

Seeing that Lu Yang granted him no face, Emperor Zhongtian abandoned his pretense, his demeanor hardening with iron resolve.

"A moment ago, Your Excellency spoke of acting despite bearing the weight of the boundless heavens' karma; surely you are entangled in its web, and a reckless move would trigger the punishment of fate. Under such circumstances, does Your Excellency truly believe victory over my avatar is assured?"

Lu Yang’s gaze turned icy, looking upon Emperor Zhongtian as though inspecting a corpse: "This venerable one has commanded the winds and clouds for countless millennia, yet none have ever dared threaten me!"

"Then let there be war!"

"War!"

The avatar of Emperor Zhongtian merged as one with Lord Sichen, consuming the embryonic form of the Dao Fruit of Years.

The sovereign avatar leapt boundlessly, soaring into the firmament.

"The Great Whale Devours Heaven and Earth!"

Instantly, the sky and earth shifted color as the spiritual energy above West Heaven City was sucked dry; yet this was but the beginning, for this technique could swallow all creation, intending to consume West Heaven City below along with it.

"Then let us see just how vast your appetite truly is—The Kingdom of Buddha within the Palm!"

A pair of colossal hands emerged, seemingly grasping the sun, moon, and stars, embodying the spatial laws of the universe; one hand pressed from heaven, the other rose from the earth, sandwiching the avatar of Emperor Zhongtian between them!

The sheer magnitude of the palms surpassed the absolute limits of what the embryonic Devouring Dao Fruit could consume!

Rumble!

The hands closed together like the collision of a myriad of stars, unleashing a shockwave so violent that even distant mountains were blown away!

Within the domain of the Immortal Dao, mountains were no different from mere pebbles!

Sensing impending doom, Master Mingyu manifested the immovable Wisdom King Dharma Accord to shield the crowd.

The more people he sought to protect and the stronger the foe, the mightier his Immovable Wisdom King Accord became; yet there was a threshold to this might, for his Accord was not yet great enough to tread into the realm of the "Immortal"!

"Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Ancestor!"

"The Sovereign Fist!"

The sovereign avatar unleashed his self-created, supreme Sovereign Fist, fierce as thunder and swift as lightning, clashing against the Azure Edge Sword; golden runes filled the sky alongside brilliant sword qi, blinding all onlookers and obscuring who held the upper hand.

"Devour, go!"

In rapid succession, the sovereign avatar conjured over a dozen devouring black holes that tore at the fabric of space, twisting and distorting reality in a grotesque display; any cultivator of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage touching but one would be consumed until not even ashes remained.

Even with an immortal physique, Lu Yang dared not make reckless contact!

"Let us see how you cope with this!"

Yet, contrary to the sovereign avatar’s expectations, Lu Yang’s offensive momentum remained unabated, fierce and domineering, forging ahead with unyielding resolve, entirely unafraid of the devouring black holes.

The moment the devouring black holes touched Lu Yang, they vanished, leaving him entirely unscathed!

"How can this be?"

Even for an immortal physique forged from incense, there should have been a process where the body was consumed by the black hole before the incense replenished the missing flesh!

"But what of it? Can you even hit me!"

Possessing the embryonic Dao Fruit of Years, the sovereign avatar could now foresee the future; though Lu Yang's sword was swift and ruthless, once the trajectory of the blade was predicted, it ceased to pose a threat!

This was precisely the most vexing trait of time-based Dao Fruits; once the future was known, many attacks were rendered utterly futile!

"This is bad, it seems Emperor Zhongtian has gained the upper hand!" Master Minghuai shouted anxiously, noticing that several of Lu Yang's cunning strikes had been evaded by the sovereign avatar.

"Three Heads and Six Arms!"

"The Sovereign Fist!"

"The Primordial Chaos One Qi!"

"The Supreme Absolute Divine Thunder!"

Pressing his advantage, the sovereign avatar used his three heads and six arms to unleash three distinct methods of attack simultaneously, refusing to believe Lu Yang could emerge unscathed!

Each of these three techniques alone constituted a lethal trump card capable of shattering the heavens and reshaping the earth; to unleash all three at once magnified their power beyond imagination!

Even great cultivators like Mingyu and Minghuai, who had never witnessed such techniques, felt a palpitating power radiating from the sovereign avatar, giving rise to the sudden dread of an impending apocalypse!

The sovereign avatar laughed wildly: "I would see what tricks you have left—"

Before his words could finish, he saw Lu Yang sheathe his sword and sigh.

"I originally preferred not to employ this method."

Before the sovereign avatar could comprehend the meaning behind Lu Yang's words, a blinding sheet of light erupted before his eyes.

An immortal self-detonating?!

The sovereign avatar’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

Boom—

A terrifying explosion erupted above West Heaven Temple, reducing the sanctuary to ruins in the blink of an eye.

The sovereign avatar staggered out from the blast, riddled with wounds; never before had he encountered such a suicidal style of combat, though fortunately, his superior skill allowed him to survive the self-detonation.

"Haha, what of your self-detonation? In the end, victory is mi—"

Then he beheld Lu Yang also flying out from the explosion, completely whole and unharmed.

Lu Yang offered a faint smile toward the sovereign avatar.

Boom, boom, boom—

Consecutive immortal self-detonations.

Before the sovereign avatar could discern what was happening, he suffered one explosion after another, perishing in an instant.

He could flukishly survive a single self-detonation, but he could not endure them repeatedly.

"Tsk, the physical body was completely obliterated, what a pity." Lu Yang inspected his spoils, finding Lord Sichen's physical form reduced to ash, leaving only the soul.

"Still, it counts as a harvest." Lu Yang contentedly gathered Lord Sichen's soul into his mental expanse.

"Then again, this self-detonation business is remarkably efficient." Lu Yang smacked his lips, noting that the sovereign avatar's flashy attacks were indeed inferior to a good explosion.

"Did he win?" Master Minghuai muttered uncertainly, the sudden torrent of consecutive self-detonations having left him terrified, unable to fathom the sheer destruction at the epicenter.

"It appears to be a victory." Master Mingyu was likewise unsure, for this battle had far exceeded the boundaries of his comprehension.

Master Mingyu gathered his courage and soared into the heavens, pressing his palms together in a respectful gesture of gratitude toward the unknown immortal.

"My deepest thanks to you, Immortal Venerable, for lending your aid."

"This seat shares an ancient bond with your Buddhist sect; it was merely a lifting of the hand, nothing more."

Suddenly, a warmth bloomed against Lu Yang's chest. He pulled out three Immortal-Seeking Tokens, only to discover that it was the very token inscribed with the words "Years" that was burning hot.