"Purple Paradise True Monarch, such power cannot subdue me," Lin Fei declared. "Is this the extent of a True Monarch's strength?"

As the dust settled, Lin Fei stood with his hands behind his back, his colossal form towering in the void. His cold gaze was firmly fixed on Purple Paradise True Monarch, an air of defiance surrounding him.

Silence enveloped the vast expanse of space. The surrounding Martial Gods and Deity Transformations stared, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, hardly believing the scene unfolding before them.

They had witnessed something unprecedented: Lin Fei, a Martial God, withstanding a strike from Purple Paradise True Monarch—a strike that embodied the full might of a True Monarch, a force that no Martial God or Deity Transformation could normally resist. Yet, Lin Fei had resisted it.

"It's unbelievable, truly unbelievable! A Martial God contending against a Void Transformation True Monarch, is this for real?"

"The fact is right before our eyes, how can we not believe it?"

"Lin Fei truly deserves to be called the Number One Martial God of the Divine Realm. He just withstood a strike from Purple Paradise True Monarch. Can a Martial God really contend against a True Monarch?"

"Though Purple Paradise True Monarch is only an avatar, the power he wielded was indeed that of a True Monarch. Who would have thought that a Martial God could resist the power of a True Monarch!"

The crowd was abuzz with discussions, all sharing a sense of profound shock. True Monarchs had always been revered, whether they were Void Transformation cultivators who had comprehended the secrets of the void or the Great Martial God who had shattered the void. They were beings far above the divine level, unattainable and supreme.

Yet, Lin Fei was challenging this long-held belief, reshaping the understanding of power dynamics in the Divine Realm.

Purple Paradise True Monarch, merely by deploying his battle avatar, had expected to effortlessly crush Lin Fei. However, his calculations went awry. He couldn't kill Lin Fei, who didn't even suffer significant damage.

The annihilation of just a few particles was a minor inconvenience for Lin Fei, who could recover almost instantly. This showcased the formidable resilience of a Martial God. Though lacking the myriad avatars of Deity Transformations, Martial Gods possessed incredibly robust bodies, sturdy particles, and unparalleled regenerative abilities.

Lin Fei himself was somewhat surprised. He had been prepared to deploy Saber World, but when Purple Paradise True Monarch's strike landed, he found it weaker than he had anticipated. His physical body had reached a critical point, just short of shattering the void. Even without reaching this threshold, Purple Paradise True Monarch's attack seemed insufficient to harm him. Was the True Monarch too weak?

Upon reflection, Lin Fei realized the distinction between different types of True Monarchs. The Void Transformation cultivator is strong, comprehends the secrets of the void, and can control and traverse it – this is what defines Void Transformation.

In the path of Martial Dao, reaching the level of shattering the void also grants the status of a True Monarch. Martial Dao practitioners at this level can traverse the void too, but not by controlling its power. Instead, they break through the void with sheer force, forcibly entering the void passages for traversal.

In terms of raw power, True Monarchs who have shattered the void are actually far stronger than those who have achieved Void Transformation.

Once reaching the level of Martial God in the path of Martial Dao, practitioners actually begin to slightly outmatch those in the path of Immortal Dao in terms of combat strength.

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This is because, while the Immortal Dao offers a multitude of techniques and strong self-preservation skills, Martial Dao focuses power within oneself.

The same principle applies to True Monarchs. Lin Fei, having reached the limit of Martial God and standing at the critical point of shattering the void, possesses strength that rivals a Void Transformation True Monarch. Purple Paradise True Monarch hoped to overpower Lin Fei merely with his battle avatar, but this proved impossible.

Purple Paradise True Monarch's face turned ashen. Caught in a dilemma under the watchful eyes of many, he, a prestigious True Monarch, found himself unable to subdue a mere Martial God. His prestige was at stake, and yet, he realized the danger of underestimating Lin Fei. It was almost certain that Lin Fei would eventually become a True Monarch of Martial Dao, shattering the void. Offending such a being could be costly. However, he had already committed to this course of action.

His only option now seemed to be to eliminate Lin Fei before he achieved True Monarch status and became an even greater threat. Despite realizing the challenge, Purple Paradise True Monarch steeled himself for the task.

"Cursed fate, how did it come to this?" he thought. "To slay Lin Fei with just one avatar is impossible. He's on the brink of shattering the void, the hardest of Martial Dao True Monarchs to kill. But I have no choice now. If Lin Fei becomes a True Monarch, my troubles will only increase..."

Weighing his options, Purple Paradise True Monarch gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "Lin Fei, you have defied the majesty of a True Monarch. Today, I must eliminate you!" he declared.

His daoist robe fluttered without wind, and soon, ripples of space appeared around him, like ripples on water. Then, the void passage revealed itself, and one by one, figures began to step out — one, two, three, four, five... In an instant, the void was filled with hundreds of avatars, all battle avatars of Purple Paradise True Monarch.

Once a Deity Transformation comprehends the secrets of the void, each of their battle avatars inherits this understanding and gains the ability to traverse the void, instantly crossing vast distances. Purple Paradise True Monarch summoned over a hundred such avatars, and if he wished, he could mobilize even more.

Given his strength and the duration of his True Monarch achievement, summoning tens of thousands of avatars would be effortless. This terrifying capability is what makes Void Transformation True Monarchs so formidable: at a moment's notice, they can overwhelm a deluge of avatars capable of instantaneous movement.

For a genuine shatterer of the void, this would not pose a threat; regardless of the number of avatars, each would be vanquished with a single punch. However, Lin Fei had not yet achieved void-shattering status. Though his physical form was at its critical point, annihilating an avatar of Purple Paradise True Monarch with a single punch was far from easy.

"Attack!"

Without giving Lin Fei time to think, Purple Paradise True Monarch's avatars immediately converged on him from all directions, each avatar unleashing simple but overwhelming punches.

Lin Fei, though erupting with the power of his two thousand six hundred Particle Worlds, still took numerous hits. Each punch from the avatars annihilated many of the particles in his body. He managed to repel one avatar with each of his punches, but countless more surrounded him.

In a short time, the number of particles in Lin Fei's body rapidly decreased: ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty percent...

Seeing this, a smile crept onto Purple Paradise True Monarch's face. No matter how strong Lin Fei was, he was ultimately not a True Monarch. Facing the full-on assault of hundreds of avatars, Lin Fei was finally beginning to falter.

The Deity Transformations and Martial Gods watching the battle fell silent at the scene unfolding before them.

Moments ago, Lin Fei stood unassailable, resisting the strike of Purple Paradise True Monarch's battle avatar, seemingly capable of contending with a True Monarch.

However, once Purple Paradise True Monarch showcased a fraction of his true power by summoning over a hundred of his battle avatars to fully engage Lin Fei, the tide turned.

It became clear that a Martial God, even one as formidable as Lin Fei, the first among Divine Realm's Martial Gods, could not stand against a True Monarch. Despite his incredible power, transcending levels to battle a True Monarch seemed a feat too far.

With half of his physical body's particles annihilated, Lin Fei knew he had to make a decisive move. Any further hesitation could lead to his demise. In a moment of realization, Lin Fei understood that only the power akin to a True Monarch could counteract these onslaughts.

"True Monarch's power is needed to combat True Monarch!" Lin Fei declared with an icy gaze. "Since that is the case, I will use the power of a True Monarch to obliterate these avatars! I, too, possess the power of a True Monarch!"

With a cold shout, Lin Fei summoned the Saber World.