Chapter 234: Clash of Laws

When all things approach death, they tend to become sentimental.

This was a war between Blue Star and Starry Sky Star. The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit. As the old king, he did not have much time left to live. After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, he would die.

For the final bloom of his life, Qiao Yi did not wish to die so silently and unnoticed.

“I, Qiao Yi, once single-handedly overthrew the old dynasty and established a new one. Unfortunately, my ambition did not lie in power. So, disregarding the ministers’ dissuasion, I journeyed alone to the distant starry sky in pursuit of the supreme Transcendent power.”

“In those places, I learned of the various forms of Transcendence—Transcendence that transcends Transcendence itself.”

“Some call it the ‘Way,’ others promote it as the ‘Ultimate Truth,’ while still others refer to it as the ‘Law.'”

“I wasted half my life, finding it difficult to make any progress on the path of Transcendence. By chance, I glimpsed that thing on a great master and, nearing the end of my lifespan, I managed a breakthrough.”

Qiao Yi’s expression was entranced, as if lost in some memory.

Jiang Yan raised his hand, and two flames rose—one black, one green.

Qiao Yi’s expression froze, his face slightly moved.

“Yes… yes, that’s the aura in your hand. Ridiculous. Something I searched for countless years to comprehend, yet a junior like you can master it to this extent at such a young age.”

After speaking, he also raised his hand.

A wisp of golden light appeared at his fingertip.

“Do you know the difference between the Law in your hand and mine?”

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow, naturally unaware. He had only just grasped a hint of the “Law” embryo.

Qiao Yi smiled and explained, “If I am not mistaken, the wisp of aura in your hand should be a trace of a Law Embryo.”

“Normally, only Ninth Rank Transcendents in the universe can comprehend a Law Embryo. Through continuous refinement, they perfect the Law, reaching Ninth Rank Perfection.”

His eyes flashed with envy.

“Those with exceptional Talent spend a thousand years integrating the complete Law into their own Transcendent understanding, ultimately achieving the realm of Tenth Rank great masters!”

Qiao Yi understood all too well the hardships of the Transcendent path.

Just comprehending a Law Embryo alone blocked the vast majority of geniuses. Then, perfecting the Law filtered out another large portion of prodigies.

The final step—condensing the Law and integrating it with one’s own Transcendence—stopped ninety-nine percent of those who succeeded in the previous steps!

The path to the Tenth Rank was long and arduous.

“I, Qiao Yi, can hardly even perfect a Law. In this lifetime, I have no chance of reaching that realm.”

His expression was sorrowful as he looked at Jiang Yan.

“Your Talent makes me envious. I spent half my life condensing only a small part of the Law, still far from the path of Perfection.”

Qiao Yi’s expression was sincere, looking at Jiang Yan as if gazing upon an uncut gem.

“If only we came from the same place and were not enemies, how wonderful would that be?”

He took a step forward, his skin rapidly aging. It turned out the previous radiance was merely the final bloom on his Transcendent path.

Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly.

According to Qiao Yi, if his combat power were converted using Tianyuan Star’s Martial Way standards, it would be…

Ninth Rank—Divine Intent!

Eighth Rank: perceiving the world.

Ninth Rank: summarizing the world.

Tenth Rank: integrating the world’s ultimate truths into one’s own Martial Way, achieving the Supreme Martial God.

Qiao Yi’s monologue made Jiang Yan’s understanding of the Martial Way increasingly clear.

Perhaps he should thank this sentimental, dying king.

Then let him send this old king on his final journey with his full effort!

“Former King, are you ready?”

Jiang Yan took a step forward, activating all his Traits. Spirit Ink enveloped his entire body, and the Myriad Soldier Talisman transformed into a supreme divine weapon. He channeled the Heaven Demon Origin Source to unleash the complete form of the Chaos Void World.

Black and white merged into a world, trapping Qiao Yi within a landscape of mountains and rivers.

A brilliant golden light erupted from Qiao Yi’s body, and an indescribable sharpness emanated from within him.

Sizzle—

Sizzle—

Countless golden streaks roamed through this world. The beautiful scroll-like scenery began to show dense, intricate cracks, faintly hinting at imminent collapse.

The full power contained within a Seventh Rank Martial Artist ultimately paled in comparison to the might of a Law.

Even though Qiao Yi’s Law was incomplete, it still effortlessly tore apart Jiang Yan’s Chaos Void World.

Reflecting mid-battle, Jiang Yan thought, “Perhaps I can refine the Law within my Domain. Otherwise, when facing beings like Qiao Yi, even the sturdiest world can be easily destroyed.”

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Jiang Yan swiftly retreated, for a golden streak had already shot toward him.

Jiang Yan summoned 81 battle phantoms to intercept it.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

An incredibly sharp golden sword appeared in Qiao Yi’s hand.

Sword light cascaded down like a waterfall. Aside from that Sword Cultivator Martial God from Tianyuan Star, Qiao Yi was likely the strongest sword cultivator Jiang Yan had ever encountered.

Qiao Yi was, without a doubt, the most formidable opponent Jiang Yan had ever faced head-on.

The battle phantoms were severed one after another, and Qiao Yi closed in.

Jiang Yan had no intention of taking this sword strike head-on. Protected by the War Ruins Engraving, his figure retreated at extreme speed.

He overlaid the Life and Death Law Embryo onto the Myriad Soldier Talisman and swiftly unleashed waves of Saber Qi.

Qiao Yi’s figure flickered rapidly, his body covered in a layer of golden light.

The Saber Qi struck the golden light, sending ripples across its surface.

It was difficult to breach his defense.

Heaven Rewards Diligence ensured that his attacks would inevitably damage Qiao Yi’s protective barrier, but if calculated numerically:

Qiao Yi’s protective barrier had a value of 100,000.

Each of Jiang Yan’s saber strikes dealt a pitiful hundred or so points of damage.

The drawback of the [Instant Kill Law] was also evident here—it could only trigger after damage was inflicted.

Qiao Yi’s Law was already half-refined, comparable to a Ninth Rank Divine Intent Middle Stage cultivator from Tianyuan Star.

His speed, bolstered by the power of heaven and earth, surpassed Jiang Yan’s.

Yet, at this moment, Qiao Yi still could not harm Jiang Yan.

For no other reason.

Jiang Yan’s Battle Intent was overwhelmingly powerful. The War Ruins Engravings he absorbed seemed endless, with their generation and destruction rates eerily balancing each other out.

Qiao Yi frowned, unable to comprehend what method Jiang Yan was using.

Gritting his teeth, the golden light around him intensified.

A massive sword coalesced, its aura locking onto Jiang Yan before slashing down at the speed of light.

No time to react, no way to dodge!

Jiang Yan didn’t understand, but he was utterly astonished.

Boom!

The golden light erupted, shattering the Void into fragments. Several chaotic currents surged forth, creating a scene of true cataclysm—the heavens torn asunder and the earth split open.

Heaven-Slaying Battle Intent: When you suffer fatal damage, it will consume a large amount of Battle Intent to resist this damage.

Most of Jiang Yan’s War Ruins Engravings shattered simultaneously, transforming into Battle Intent to defend his body.

This attack was negated.

Qiao Yi was already panting heavily, and the protective barrier around him had dimmed considerably.

In his early years, while seeking the Dao and exploring a Secret Realm, he had been injured, losing too much vitality. As a result, the amount of Law he could wield was limited. The lethal strike he had just used had consumed half of his reserves, and using it again would require a significant amount of time.

Now, his protective barrier was dim and flickering.

He couldn’t understand why Jiang Yan remained completely unscathed.

It defied all logic.

“Hah, how could someone who comprehends the Law at such an age be considered reasonable?”

Qiao Yi let out a bitter laugh, then swung his golden sword toward Jiang Yan.

The space ahead shattered, and the two fought their way back into the Starry Sky.

After all, the Ninth Rank was still the Ninth Rank, and the foundation it concealed was only slightly inferior to Jiang Yan’s.

The overwhelming advantage in Realm allowed Qiao Yi and Jiang Yan to fight almost evenly.

“Life and Death Law… Remnant!”

True Word Leveling Method Boost: 96%

“It can actually be boosted!”

Visibly, the Law Embryo, which had been in its nascent form, suddenly surged, faintly revealing half of its original state.

Seeing this, Qiao Yi’s pupils contracted sharply, sensing an Aura from the Law Embryo that did not belong to its current stage.

“This… has he achieved a Breakthrough!?”