Ling Han battled against Ji Wuming.

This wasn’t their first battle, and it most likely wouldn’t be their last, either. Neither person went easy on the other. They both fought with their full strength, unleashing their full power.

Going easy would be an act of humiliation toward their opponent!

Meanwhile, Dongfang Rui bared his teeth on the side. Ji Wuming’s kick had been extremely heavy, and he was still aching in pain even until now. This was a miserly pain that reached all the way to his bone.

He wore a baleful expression as he glanced at Ji Wuming and then Ling Han. He boiled with killing intent.

A single slumber had changed everything. He had once been an invincible monarch star, and it had been difficult to even find an opponent. Now, however? Not only were there several monarch stars, but there were even ones who were more powerful than him.

In the past, he had yearned for a powerful opponent. Now that he had found such opponents, however, he couldn’t accept his inferiority.

This was mainly because Ling Han and Ji Wuming were far too powerful. They were vastly more powerful than him, so much so that he couldn’t even see a glimmer of hope.

He had to exterminate such opponents.

He tightened his grip on his sword, and he channeled his power to the peak state. If Ling Han and Ji Wuming both suffered heavy wounds, he would lash out and kill them without hesitation.

At that time, he would immediately enter the Heaven Forbidden State, pushing his battle prowess to the level of Celestial King. He would then kill them with a single stroke of his sword.

The other youth glanced at Dongfang Rui, imperceptibly exchanging a glance with him.

Dongfang Rui immediately understood his intention. The youth was saying, “Leave one for me.”

He gave a slight nod before turning his gaze to Ling Han. This was to signal that Ling Han was his.

The other youth also gave a slight nod. He then locked his gaze on Ji Wuming.

Dongfang Rui stopped focusing on Ji Wuming. He was completely confident in the other youth’s ability. This was because his background was no weaker than his. In the past, he had also been invincible in his cultivation level. Similarly, he had also been sealed until recently, awaiting the great opportunity of this Celestial Path.

He was called Xuan Rong, and he was the grandson of the Jiuwu Heavenly Venerate. At the same time, he was also the most powerful successor of the Jiuwu Clan.

Ling Han felt extremely delighted and satisfied at this moment. Ji Wuming was definitely a good opponent. If there were anyone else who could rival him, that would be Huai Jian from the Foreign Realm, regarded as the most powerful monarch star in history.

However, Ling Han was still more powerful. This was because Ji Wuming’s Evolution Index had yet to reach 11. It was only infinitesimally close to 11.

Even though this was only a minuscule difference, it was this tiny difference that rendered Ji Wuming’s battle prowess slightly weaker than Ling Han’s. After battling for a long time, this gap would be magnified further and further.

“Very well!” Ji Wuming didn’t cower at all. With a roar, a mysterious wave emanated from his body, instantly elevating his battle prowess by a significant amount. Not only had he equaled Ling Han, but he had even surpassed Ling Han by a significant amount.

Right now, Ji Wuming’s strength was infinitesimally close to that of a Celestial King.

He hadn’t ingested any Crimson Demonic Earth, and he had instead entered some sort of mysterious state. This state allowed him to rival the power of Celestial Kings.

Heaven Forbidden State!

This was a state that even the heavens forbade. This was because Celestial Kings represented the will of heaven and earth. Thus, was for measly Ascending Origin Tier cultivators to rival this not an act of provocation toward the heavens? Thus, it was naturally forbidden.

After entering this state, Ji Wuming became even fiercer than before. His battle prowess rose by more than 100-fold.

Because Ji Wuming had been a Celestial King in his previous life—a most powerful Ninth Heaven Celestial King, at that—his mastery of Regulations could almost surpass that of all Celestial Kings. When others reached the Celestial King Tier, they only enjoyed an increase in cultivation level. However, things were different for him. Upon reaching this level, he could better wield the power of Regulations, therefore allowing his battle prowess to rise significantly.

Ling Han was instantly pushed to his back foot.

For other people, their cultivation speed would grow slower the higher that they advanced. They would need longer and longer to accustom themselves to each cultivation level. However, things were different for Ji Wuming. His cultivation speed would grow quicker the closer he came to becoming a Celestial King. Moreover, he didn’t need to familiarize himself with anything. He had already been the strongest Celestial King in his previous life.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ji Wuming was extremely domineering, and his black hair streaked through the wind as he brandished his sword, making him appear extremely handsome. However, his aura was like that of a demon, uncanny yet mesmerizing at the same time.

Ling Han roared with laughter. He continued to wield his sword with his right hand, while he clenched his left hand into a fist. He then activated his Body Art and unleashed his self-founded Fists of Fury. This was a combination of Regulations and Body Arts. Thus, it didn’t matter even if he hadn’t cultivated the Heaven Forbidden State.

These were two completely different powers. In fact, this was equivalent to the combined power of two Pseudo-Celestial Kings, one with a Vitality Index of 4999, and the other with a Vitality Index of 4900. This was extremely terrifying.

This allowed Ling Han’s battle prowess to immediately jump to 5000. He was no weaker than Ji Wuming.

They both unleashed their trump cards, yet neither side was able to defeat the other. Their strength was incredibly close.

As they watched the battle between the two freaks, even Jia Lan and the other monarch stars could only click their tongues in wonder.

Too powerful!

Even if they entered the Heaven Forbidden State or ingested the Crimson Demonic Earth, their battle prowess could only grow infinitesimally close to the Celestial King Tier. How could they possibly surpass this level?

This was the restriction of heaven and earth. If one weren’t a Celestial King, they could only remain beneath the level of Celestial King.

However, these two people were defying the heavens.

In fact, only by defying the heavens could one become a Heavenly Venerate. This was because Heavenly Venerates were born from defying the heavens. They didn’t belong to heaven and earth, and they would even be targeted by heaven and earth.

Perhaps… two Heavenly Venerates were going to appear in this generation?

Jia Lan and the others all wore envious expressions. However, they immediately told themselves that they also had a chance.

The flawless Celestial Seed, one of perfection, and one that was nurtured from the essence of heaven and earth for several epochs. This Celestial Seed could provide them with a sliver of hope to advance to the Heavenly Venerable Tier when ascending to the Ninth Heaven.

‘I have to obtain this!’ they all thought to themselves. In order to obtain this flawless Celestial Seed, they would kill those beside them with no hesitation.

Ling Han and Ji Wuming were still engaged in an intense battle. At this moment, their respective battle prowess had soared to around 5100. This was absolutely terrifying. Just the shock waves of their attacks alone could easily kill Ascending Origin Tier elites. If the spectators weren’t all Pseudo-Celestial Kings, many of them would have definitely been killed.

However, in a strange sight, the furious battle between the two Pseudo-Celestial Kings failed to affect the grass and vegetation of the island. It was as if these plants were one with the island. If someone wanted to damage them, they would need to destroy the entire island.

This was extremely uncanny. After all, the battle prowess of Celestial Kings was already great enough to easily shatter celestial bodies in the sky. As such, wouldn’t destroying a small island be a simple task?

This place… was indeed strange!

After battling for another two hours, Ling Han and Ji Wuming stopped attacking at almost the exact same time.

“Hahahaha!” The two of them exchanged a glance before bursting into hearty laughter. They both felt indescribably satisfied.

It was rare to find such a worthy opponent!

Ling Han had a feeling that he could become a Heavenly Venerate 10 times quicker with Ji Wuming around.

A good opponent could provide him with endless motivation.

Ji Wuming clearly felt the same as well. Thus, there was also fighting spirit and appreciation in his eyes as he gazed at Ling Han.

Dongfang Rui and Xuan Rong exchanged a glance, both wearing slight frowns. They hadn’t expected that Ling Han and Ji Wuming would stop their battle so soon. They were far from wounding each other. As such, they had no chance to attack, either.

Ling Han glanced over, and said, “Don’t be rash, and don’t seek death!”

He didn’t attack them carelessly. This was because everyone had a final trump card—advancing to the Celestial King Tier. Not only would their battle prowess remain at the Celestial King Tier, but it would even surge by a significant amount.

Thus, unless one could succeed in launching a surprise attack, it was better not to waste their energy trying to kill others.

Of course, Ling Han didn’t need to give Dongfang Rui and Xuan Rong face, either. After all, could they become so enraged that they chose to advance to the Celestial King Tier?