Chapter 723: The Beating

The sky was ablaze with a boundless sea of fire, and within that blazing inferno stood a towering Divine Pagoda. At this moment, Liu Xi was raining down an unrelenting barrage of blows upon it.

The next instant, a surge of terrifying Spiritual Energy erupted from the pagoda, forming a tidal wave that swept outward with unstoppable might—so overwhelming that even Liu Xi was blasted backward by the force. Even this peerless saint artifact was reaching its breaking point.

In the blink of an eye, a massive Celestial Body, tens of thousands of feet tall and radiant beyond compare, rose between heaven and earth. Its sacred, ancient aura spread across the vast lands—ten thousand miles, a hundred thousand, a million miles… Even Futu Xuan himself had not wanted to summon his Celestial Body, for once it appeared, its immense Spiritual Pressure would be impossible to conceal.

The entire West Heaven Continent would sense it immediately. Behind him, Mo Tong and Xuan Guang, who had been worried their lies might soon be exposed, also felt the energy. Their faces lit with joy—they never expected that it had already come to blows! The two quickened their pace, eager to witness Liu Xi's suppression firsthand.

In their minds, with Futu Xuan taking action, subduing a mere Immortal Grade cultivator like Liu Xi was as easy as crushing an ant. Unfortunately for them, when they arrived, disappointment would be the least of their feelings.

Elsewhere, countless powers across the West Heaven Continent also felt the overwhelming energy. After much hesitation, the leaders of many factions began rushing toward the source. They truly never learned.

Greed, after all, was the abyss that swallowed reason whole. They had forgotten the lessons of their last encounter—and when they saw Liu Xi again, their expressions would no doubt twist into pure disbelief… and agony multiplied.

At the heart of the fire sea, Liu Xi raised his head toward the colossal figure before him. The aura it emitted was vast and sacred, far more oppressive than the Great Pagoda Celestial Body that Qing Yanjing once displayed—at least ten times stronger.

"The Great Pagoda Celestial Body, born from one of the Five Primordial Bodies—the Endless Radiance Body. Ranked seventeenth on the Sovereign Celestial Body Ranking. Impressive… truly worthy of its name," Liu Xi chuckled in quiet admiration.

The Buddha Clan possessed several inherited Celestial Bodies—the Great Xuan Ming Celestial Body, the Great Netherworld Celestial Body—but among them, the Great Pagoda Celestial Body reigned supreme.

Standing beneath his own Celestial Body, Futu Xuan's gaze turned ice-cold as his aura swelled to its limit. Even so, there was disbelief within his eyes. That a mere Immortal Grade Heavenly Sovereign could force him to this extent, to reveal his Celestial Body, was inconceivable. The youth possessed neither the Spiritual Array Master's methods nor the Battle Formation Master's arts, yet he could withstand an attack from a peerless saint artifact with sheer physical might alone. What was he—some relic of the Ancient Desolation Clans?

"You are indeed powerful," Futu Xuan said grimly. "For a mere Immortal Grade Heavenly Sovereign to achieve this is unheard of. But you defiled the Saintess of my clan. No matter what excuses you make, the old man will not forgive you!" Even now, he refused to believe Liu Xi could defeat him.

Liu Xi simply smiled, shaking his head. "Defiled?" he murmured. "You'll soon learn the difference between accusation and humiliation."

In the next moment, infinite Chaotic Spiritual Energy erupted from his body. Though Futu Xuan's Saint Grade aura was immense, the quality of Liu Xi's energy was no less refined. In terms of purity, Liu Xi was his equal—perhaps even superior.

Since mastering the Nine-Turn Profound Art, his physique had transformed beyond mortal limits. His Sovereign Sea had expanded once more; even compared to a true Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereign, the gap was now infinitesimal.

Boundless chaotic radiance gathered, and from within it, a colossal figure stepped forth—its presence ancient and eternal, its body forged from purest chaos. The Azure Lotus Undying Body. It had been tempered countless times by Chaotic Spiritual Energy until it reached perfection, standing on par with the Five Primordial Celestial Bodies themselves.

Against it, even the Great Pagoda Celestial Body paled in comparison. The void trembled as an aura of unyielding immortality swept across the heavens. The moment the Azure Lotus Undying Body appeared, the overwhelming momentum of the Great Pagoda Celestial Body was forcibly suppressed, crushed beneath an invisible weight.

Futu Xuan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Once again, Liu Xi shattered every expectation. While the old man stood frozen, Liu Xi moved—his form glowing with blinding golden light as he shot forward like a meteor. Behind him, the towering Azure Lotus Undying Body advanced as well, every step shattering the void into fragments.

The battle of Celestial Bodies began in earnest. Waves of Spiritual Energy burst outward like storms; mountains crumbled and skies split apart.

Shockingly, the one driven back was none other than Futu Xuan's Great Pagoda Celestial Body. If not for its unmatched defense, it would have already collapsed. But Liu Xi didn't stop there—while the Celestial Bodies clashed, he charged in person, raining blows upon Futu Xuan himself.

Chaotic Spiritual Energy roared forth like a tidal wave, devouring Futu Xuan's Spiritual Energy and hurling it back against him. Yin and Yang united form the essence of Buddha—but even the Buddhist path could not stand against Chaos itself!

"Buddha's Void!" Futu Xuan bellowed. Endless black and white energy condensed into a sphere that pulsed with crushing weight before expanding into a vast black hole that swallowed light itself. It was not evil, merely suffocating in its divine oppression.

Liu Xi sneered. "Demonic Flame World Destruction!"

Azure flames erupted from his palms, merging into a cataclysmic inferno that threatened to incinerate all creation.

For a fleeting instant, he mused that Azure Lotus World Destruction might have been a more fitting name—but this was still the technique of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, and he would one day surpass it to forge his own Divine Ability. The azure flames surged into the black hole—and the black hole began to tremble, unable to digest their fury.

The next instant, it shattered. Azure fire exploded outward, engulfing heaven and earth in an inferno that even tore apart the void.

A golden flash burst through the flames—Liu Xi himself, his fist gleaming with boundless divine power. He appeared before Futu Xuan in an instant and struck.

Boom!

The old man's body exploded into a storm of light. In moments, black and white Spiritual Energy reassembled, and Futu Xuan's form regenerated—Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereigns possessed near-immortal vitality as long as their spirits endured. Yet before he could speak, Liu Xi's fist struck again. Boom! Explosion after explosion.

Futu Xuan's body shattered and reformed, shattered and reformed, until even his Great Pagoda Celestial Body was annihilated under the relentless blows of the Azure Lotus Undying Body. Golden radiance cascaded through the sky like divine fireworks, brilliant yet fatal.

Below, Qing Yanjing gazed up in awe. Her eyes shimmered with devotion and admiration, overflowing like a tide. Liu Xi had just crushed a Mid-Stage Saint Grade expert head-on—a feat beyond imagination.

"He's… too strong…" she whispered, her body trembling, her heart consumed by love and reverence. Indeed, true power carried its own irresistible charm.

(End of Chapter)

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