Chapter 431: Battling Heaven and Earth

Chapter 431: Battling Heaven and Earth

The Formless Spirit General piloted by Zhang Yu suddenly opened its maw, unleashing a searing beam that cut through the air, sweeping away a vast legion of Yellow Turbans a hundred meters out and leaving them in total disarray.

Simultaneously, the Golden Jade Disk hovered above the Spirit General’s head, firing off volleys of solar and cryogenic rays that shattered the approaching Yellow Turban warriors one by one.

Yet, a Yellow Turban warrior over ten meters tall charged through the barrage, its body encased in meters of heavy armor that rendered conventional long-range attacks ineffective.

Just then, the Formless Spirit General struck out with a palm, the howling gale carrying a crushing, overwhelming force as it descended upon the giant.

As the warrior attempted to dodge, the Spirit General activated the Earth-Suppressing Seal in its palm, an invisible field of pressure instantly stalling the creature’s movements.

The next moment, the massive palm slammed into the warrior’s crown, the cataclysmic force channeled with surgical precision to pierce through layers of armor and detonate deep within its core.

Amidst a series of thunderous explosions, the once-unstoppable warrior shuddered and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Roar!

The Formless Spirit General opened its mouth again, a long streak of light piercing the sky like a lightning bolt, lashing out at the distant Yellow Turban legion.

Surging shockwaves erupted in the distance.

At the same time, the Spirit General twisted its frame, unleashing layers of kinetic energy to propel itself like a cannonball, crashing headlong into the enemy ranks.

In this moment, Zhang Yu poured his entire cultivation, his technical mastery, and the full power of his artifacts into the Formless Spirit General.

The avatar he piloted became a primordial beast, tearing through the tidal wave of the Yellow Turban legion and leaving a wake of broken limbs and shattered ruins.

Similar fierce battles were unfolding at other examination sites ten or twenty kilometers away.

As the final wave of the Yellow Turban offensive arrived, the pressure on the candidates surged dramatically.

Su Yanyang and another candidate were suddenly plunged into a desperate crisis.

Only Ping Han, Zhang Yu, and Xiao Yunjie maintained their rhythm, holding enough reserve strength to keep their formation cores intact.

But this was not yet their most perilous moment.

As the military certification exam entered its final minute, the Yellow Turban legion underwent a terrifying transformation.

Over a dozen massive Yellow Turban warriors converged, their bodies contracting and shifting until they fused into a single, multi-limbed monstrosity.

The creature resembled a mountain of flesh, its back and chest covered in twisted, inverted arms, its lower half supported by spider-like legs, while distorted joints and torsos writhed together like a nest of snakes.

Roar!

The heads of the dozen warriors crowded together, erupting in a collective, deafening howl as they spat out streams of iron-clad divine thunder, a metallic torrent that peeled back the earth and exposed Su Yanyang’s underground palace.

Behind this monstrosity, more Yellow Turban warriors were already merging, forming even more of these horrors.

...

On the flying ship.

Chief Gao’s gaze sharpened: "The final minute, the most critical minute, has arrived."

Not far away, True Lord Qiyun wore an expression of keen interest: "Let me see what other surprises these students have in store for me."

True Lord Tianxiang remarked: "These Yellow Turban warriors must have been manufactured before the major advancements in artifact and Dharma-remnant transformation technology."

"The combination techniques are a bit crude, still relying on methods that were only in the laboratory stage back then."

True Lord Qiyun nodded: "Indeed, they aren't standardized products, but once combined, they share weaponry and their armor becomes significantly denser, greatly enhancing their combat capability."

"The biggest drawback is likely their lack of endurance, which is probably why this batch of warriors never became popular."

"But for this final minute of the exam, they are perfectly suited."

True Lord Tianxiang: "In this last minute, these warriors are unleashing their peak combat power, forcing the candidates to show their limits. Only then can we distinguish the best from the rest."

As the two judges spoke, the situation on the battlefield continued to evolve.

...

Su Yanyang’s underground palace was laid bare, as if its skull had been pried open, fully exposed to the Yellow Turban monsters.

With a series of earth-shaking tremors, the monsters charged down, using a mindless, irresistible violence to dismantle Su Yanyang’s defenses, digging him out along with his formation core.

Just as Su Yanyang and another candidate were eliminated, Xiao Yunjie, transformed into a high-speed train, triggered sonic booms repeatedly, cutting across the land like a streak of white lightning as she pierced through one monster after another.

But soon, more and more monsters clung to her frame like tumors, dragging on her chassis and slowing her momentum.

Dharma-remnant synchronization: 80%

Dharma-remnant synchronization: 79%

Feeling her body hindered by the growing mass of monsters, Xiao Yunjie let out a roar, her entire being wracked with agonizing pain.

"I must obtain the military certification!"

"I want to keep studying!"

"I don't want to go work for a corporation!" Her body suddenly shattered, splitting from a ten-meter-long train into five segments that surged outward in all directions, shredding the surrounding monsters.

Simultaneously, as her body divided, her synchronization rate plummeted to 50%.

"It hurts!"

"It hurts so much!"

"Why are you still alive when I'm trying so hard!"

The pain threatened to drown every nerve, leaving Xiao Yunjie with only the desire to destroy everything in sight, as she frantically slaughtered the monsters.

But while she was lost in the frenzy of battle, a Yellow Turban warrior reached her formation core and launched an attack.

Formation core integrity: 98%

Receiving the alert, Xiao Yunjie roared, charging at the warrior with her five segments like five giant lightning bolts, tearing the opponent to pieces.

...

"A pity for Xiao Yunjie."

On the flying ship, True Lord Qiyun said calmly: "She has lost her chance at the military certification."

True Lord Tianxiang replied casually: "What is there to pity? Once Ping Han’s strength broke through repeatedly, he surpassed all other candidates. It is only natural that Xiao Yunjie would fail."

"This Zhang Yu, however, is somewhat unexpected."

True Lord Qiyun nodded slightly; he had not anticipated that Zhang Yu could hold out for this long.

At this moment, only Ping Han and Zhang Yu remained with their formation cores at 100% integrity.

Ping Han had unleashed his full Dharma-remnant potential, his artifacts operating at maximum capacity, turning the battlefield into a scene of cataclysmic destruction as he suppressed the monsters.

Zhang Yu, piloting the Formless Spirit General, fought like a wild beast, blocking every incoming assault through desperate, fierce combat.

In terms of fighting spirit, power, physical prowess, and artifacts, both men had pushed themselves to the absolute limit, unleashing every ounce of their latent potential.

The two were now locked in the white-hot intensity of the final struggle.

True Lord Tianxiang said: "Brilliant. I thought Ping Han alone would surprise me, but I never expected a Zhang Yu to match him to this degree."

True Lord Qiyun watched their battlefield with anticipation: "Currently, Ping Han still holds the upper hand, but I wonder if they have any hidden cards left to play."

Elsewhere, the Fifth-Rank Deity Geng Chenyi was already reviewing the data and evaluations regarding Ping Han and Zhang Yu.

One had spent years accumulating wisdom, a prodigy of the Civil Engineering Department who plummeted into the abyss due to a disastrous gamble in crypto-assets, yet refused to succumb to despair, clawing his way back from the depths. Now, wielding the momentum of the Apotheosis Coin, he harnessed the very forces of heaven and earth, swearing to sweep through the examination hall and seize the military certification.

The other possessed peerless talent, a master who fused civil engineering, magical artifacts, and his own martial prowess into a seamless whole, pushing every ounce of his strength and every shred of his potential to the absolute limit, battling heaven and earth with his own raw power as he faced the legion of Yellow Turban monsters.

At this moment, Geng Chenyi looked down upon their battlefield, seeing not merely a struggle between examinees and monsters, but the fierce clash between Ping Han and Zhang Yu.

No, it was no longer even a duel between Ping Han and Zhang Yu.

It was the aftermath of a distant thought from the Divine Lord of Nectar, ten thousand miles away, which had turned this realm upside down; he watched Ping Han roam freely through this world, while Zhang Yu struggled desperately beneath its crushing weight.

Geng Chenyi mused to himself: "Perhaps Zhang Yu is not so much dueling Ping Han as he is enduring the unintended whim of the Divine Lord from across the vast expanse."

Director Gao watched the two combatants, feeling a tension he had never known before.

"To think Zhang Yu has held on this long?"

"This lad... he must have harbored this ambition long before the exam began, to vie for the military certification."

Director Gao had thought he understood Zhang Yu’s talent and temperament, yet the boy’s progress over the past year had far exceeded his wildest expectations.

"Who will ultimately prevail? Who will claim the military certification?"

Director Gao suddenly realized that no matter who won, he would feel a profound sense of regret for the student who had fallen.

Beside him, Director Lin watched the battlefield with a cold expression: "Ping Han... Zhang Yu... how is it that those stubborn fools in the War Faction continue to produce such geniuses?"

Just then, the True Lord of Celestial Phenomena narrowed his eyes: "Only a dozen seconds remain..."

He turned his gaze toward Ping Han’s battlefield and smiled: "So, Ping Han truly had an ace up his sleeve, didn't he?"

At the same time, everyone turned their focus toward where Ping Han stood.

They saw the earth shudder, a pillar of dust erupting into the sky, as the horizon began to slowly rise.