Kura's barrier trembled violently under the onslaught, taking some damage from the intense force exerted by the blast. The structure, created by a Dao Lord, strained under the pressure.
It was nearly an hour before the light began to fade, the spectators felt the heat on their faces fade, their eyes eventually opening to witness the aftermath.
Feng Zhiming emerged from the husk of the dark shadow that had shielded him, as if he were a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon.
He was completely unharmed by the tremendous force of the blast, as his body was protected.
Kura, gazing down at him, appeared deep in thought, her face reflecting her internal contemplation.
Feng Zhiming, in turn, met her gaze and gave a cocky smirk, his demeanor radiating assurance.
“It was within the confines of the battlefield, hiding in my very being. Surely it's not a violation of the rules.”
He spoke as he began to slowly walk.
“It is as you say fated one, the rules have not been broken.” She replied.
1. Speaking of the assembly to anyone or anything not a member of the assembly will result in death.
Feng Zhiming had relied on that specific rule of the assembly, and his gamble seemed to have paid off, the shadow had dissipated while shielding him from the suicidal attack.
"It appears they prioritize protecting the assembly's existence over one shadow's life." He mused inwardly as he continued to walk.
The once-lush grass had given way to a monstrous crater almost five hundred meters deep. The blast would have likely excavated even deeper into the earth, were it not for Kura's protective barrier, which acted like a cube, containing the attack in all directions, including the sky and earth.
Feng Zhiming, slow and deliberate in his steps, arrived at the center of the crater to find a nearly lifeless figure - Aaron.
He was beyond recognition, a burnt husk, barely clinging to life. A mere touch would cause him to collapse into ash.
Yet, somehow, he still survived.
Feng Zhiming stood over him, taking in the horrific sight of his disfigured face.
“So, this is what a ‘Holy Knight’ looks like, huh? Seems you're nothing special after all. " Feng Zhiming mocked.
Aaron offered no response, his capacity to speak apparently lost, leaving only silence.
All three of the spectating elders could hardly believe their eyes. The force of the explosion they felt could easily end them. Even if they had been at the peak of their strength.
Grand Elder Claris, his awe evident, murmured, "All this, just from a Qi Condensation disciple, mimicking the might of a level above the Heavenly Eye realm."
Elder Pyari, her usual sarcasm replaced by a solemn tone, echoed, "Such power could obliterate an entire sect in a single blow."
Madam Hua, regaining her voice, spoke in a hushed whisper, her words barely audible, "Such utter destruction, such colossal force."
Daiyu, having been silent throughout the entire battle, finally spoke, her demeanor as if she had been in a trance.
"Krimin, you had asked earlier why the Dao Lords couldn't venture beyond their territory. It's because the Maiden's religion considers them as weapons of mass destruction, capable of plunging an entire continent into chaos. If they knew what he had just done, they would surely place the same restriction upon him," she whispered, her voice filled with horror.
Krimin listened intently, his expression grave.
"A restriction specific to Dao Lords, given to Feng Zhiming, who's currently suppressed to the Qi Condensation realm," Krimin echoed, his grip on his saber tightening. "Such a volatile individual should never possess such a destructive power." The words were a warning, his expression betraying his unease.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Before this, Krimin had considered Daiyu's words as plausible, but watching Feng Zhiming in action now, he found a personal desire to erase his very existence.
Anissa's once-confident expression transformed into one of deep respect and awe. Her trust in Feng Zhiming had clearly not been misplaced.
Lyra and Ellia exchanged a complicated look, both having stuck by Feng Zhiming until this point, even helping him reach the Heart.
"What kind of monstrosity have we unleashed?" Lyra muttered, her Qi trembling with violent fluctuations.
Ellia remained silent, unable to find the right words to respond.
Feng Zhiming, growing impatient, placed a foot on Aaron's abdomen, thinking to himself that Aaron should surely despair by now, if not plead for mercy.
And then, a faint whisper of a word emerged from Aaron's battered lips—"Maiden." It was a desperate plea, a faint hope.
It wasn’t despair, nor profanity, nor a beg for mercy. But a hopeful plea to his Goddess.
Feng Zhiming's anger flared at the mention of the Maiden, causing his face to contort into an expression of extreme rage.
"YOU SPEAK OF THE MAIDEN! BRING HER BEFORE ME! CRY OUT, PRAY! LET ME SEE THIS FALSE DEITY YOU CLING TO!" he roared, demanding a response.
But Aaron remained silent.
“JUST LIKE THE REST I’VE FACED. ALL YOU RELIGIOUS FANATICS, WORSHIPING A WEAK GOD, INCAPABLE OF PROTECTING THEIR FOLLOWERS!”
Feng Zhiming pushed his foot down, piercing straight through Aaron's abdomen, now firmly planted on his Ethereal Core.
As the scene unfolded, a chilling image, a vision from the past flashed in his mind, the memory of a burning girl at the stake. An image refusing to be scrubbed clean from his mind.
“IS THAT IT THE STATURE OF YOUR GODDESS?! OF YOUR PRECIOUS MAIDEN!? YOU SACRIFICE CHILDREN TO YOUR SO CALLED GODS! FOR THIS AS YOUR RECOMPENSE!?”
Like before nothing came out of Aaron’s mouth.
The elders, previously supporting Feng Zhiming, now watched the scene with a peculiar sense of unease.
“NOW YOU STAND BEFORE A TAINTED DEMON! THE ENEMY OF YOUR GODDESS AND SHE COWERS! SHE COWERS BEHIND THE SCENES INSTEAD OF AIDING YOU!” Feng Zhiming proclaimed, his words filled with anger.
However, the sight of Aaron, once a formidable adversary, now at the mercy of someone two realms below him, stirred an unexpected flicker of pity within the elders' hearts.
The elders, in that moment, couldn't help but face the hard truth. If it had been any one of them facing Feng Zhiming, they would have undoubtedly met a swift end before the final attack even landed.
The fact that they knew nothing about Qi and the concept of splitting Qi added to the complexity. Kura's efforts to block out all sound left them with few clues, leaving them to speculate that the attack had originated from Feng Zhiming.
The sheer destructive power of the attack from someone of such a low cultivation base stunned them, forcing them to question their faith in their cultivation bases.
Feng Zhiming's frustration flared as he applied pressure to the Ethereal Core, causing it to crack under the tremendous force.
"Weak followers and false gods, defeated by a mere Qi Condensation cultivator," he sneered. "I hope if she's real, she'll punish you for the shame you've brought her."
With one final push, the core shattered, Aaron's body turning to golden light. Before completely vanishing, Aaron spoke one final time.
"Feng Zhiming, tainted creature, to resist a god is to resist fate. The threads of karma will ensnare you, and Your soul will burn in the depths of the Everbright, a promise made as a Holy Knight of the Maiden." There was no malice in his voice, only the conviction of someone stating a truth, an inevitability.
Feng Zhiming responded with a derisive snort.
"If karma truly exists, it would be the gods who should burn first. And If you encounter that false goddess, tell her the Omen of Death looms over her!" he declared.
With those final words Aaron's body vanished completely, leaving Feng Zhiming standing alone in the center of the crater.
There was no sense of triumph or pride within him, no sense of achievement. It was as if he had simply taken another small stride in a journey that stretched out across a million miles.
And the step he had taken had been fraught with imminent danger, how then could he hope to reach the journey's end?
"The title of a god should not be held by a pretender." he muttered, his voice laced with anger and disappointment.
God was absolute, it was not a force that would fall to him or anyone else.
He looked to where Aaron's body had once laid, lost in contemplation.
“You fool of a Holy Knight, Why would a true God send you to your death?”
…
Beyond the horizon, far beyond where Feng Zhiming stood, a woman clad in gold sat upon a throne of radiant light within an ethereal palace. Everything around her was crafted from purest light, the throne itself exuding an almost magical aura. Arching windows revealing an endless void, where stars glittered like jewels in the dark. The palace itself was a sanctuary of tranquility, every corner exuding an aura of purity and divinity.
She stirred from a deep slumber, her heart sensing a subtle shift.
"Feng Zhiming, supported by the abyssal creature of Truth and Veracity?" she murmured in a voice that echoed through an ethereal palace. "Just another fool seeking what can never be his."
After the thought, she quickly cast it aside, returning blissfully to her peaceful slumber.