As the smoke cleared, Yue Ling had already retreated a hundred feet, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth. The black-clad figure had only stepped back a few dozen feet, pausing without pursuing to expand his advantage. He turned his gaze toward Li Sheng in the forest below, his cold voice echoing, "Where is my brother's aura... where is he?"

"He's dead!" Li Sheng responded calmly, directly admitting the truth.

The black-clad man shuddered, a wave of murderous intent radiating from him as he declared, "You have guts! When I peel your skin and strip your tendons, I hope you can still remain this calm!"

Yue Ling noticed Li Sheng below and quickly moved closer, her expression grave. "Master Li, what about Qingyi and the others?"

"They're safe; don't worry!" Li Sheng replied softly.

"You take Qingyi and the others away. Leave this to me!" Just then, a dazzling rain of light filled the sky, and the black-clad man transformed into a streak of light, merging with it.

Suddenly, countless massive red stones appeared, crashing down from the sky like meteorites. The energy in the air boiled, accompanied by piercing howls.

"Is this the true form of his divine power?!" Yue Ling's face darkened. In the realm of masters, a hallmark of divine power was its materialization, achieved through a profound understanding that could significantly amplify its destructive capacity. Earlier, she felt confident in her ability to stall him; now, that confidence had vanished entirely.

"Retreat!" Yue Ling shouted, backpedaling.

"This is the embodiment of divine power..." Li Sheng did not retreat, his expression unchanged as he stared into the sky, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes.

A golden sphere rose behind him, expanding to a size of ten feet in an instant. A massive golden tiger, over ten feet long, emerged, exuding an overwhelming aura of ferocity.

Li Sheng leaped onto the tiger's head, his body slowly sinking into it. A deep, low roar erupted, the powerful force causing the falling stones to momentarily freeze in mid-air. The golden tiger's form surged, tripling in size before coming to a halt.

Hearing the commotion, Yue Ling turned in astonishment, just in time to witness Li Sheng's display of power.

"Divine power materialization!"

"Embodiment of divine power!"

"How is this possible?!!!"

The golden tiger's eyes sparkled with life as it let out a roar and soared into the sky. Its sharp aura sliced through the massive trees below, reducing them to fist-sized fragments.

"Boom!" A thunderous explosion resounded, scattering the light rain and shattering the meteorites. The sky was thrown into chaos, and the terrifying energy surged like giant waves, forcing even Yue Ling to retreat several miles to avoid the aftershocks.

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The golden tiger, glowing brilliantly, appeared as if forged from molten gold, its immense form pushing against the torrent of energy. All approaching energy waves were shredded apart by an invisible razor-sharp force.

"Heavenly grade! You actually possess the seed of heavenly-grade divine power?!!!" a voice from above echoed with trepidation.

The giant tiger remained silent; though this technique was formidable, it consumed immense energy and required a quick resolution.

"Arrogant!" As if sensing Li Sheng's intent, the black-clad man reappeared. Countless rays of light coalesced into a giant over ten feet tall, wielding a massive spear formed from meteorite.

The golden tiger shifted slightly, its thick tail shimmering with divine radiance as it lashed out at the spear.

"Clang!" The sharp sound of metal reverberated as the two forces pushed against each other.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Sheng focused his mind, transforming the tiger into a phoenix.

"Chirp~" Accompanied by a clear cry of the phoenix, torrents of golden flames rained down like falling stars, exuding an overwhelming force.

The giant swung its spear, the brilliant light slicing through the air and dispersing the surrounding golden flames, creating a circular vacuum zone.

The phoenix soared high into the sky, releasing endless flames that gradually enveloped the giant. The scorching heat warped the air around them as the giant's form rapidly melted under the relentless flames.

Just as the golden phoenix dove down to deliver the final blow, a fierce sense of danger enveloped Li Sheng, causing the hairs on his body to stand on end.

"Not good!" he thought, the enormous phoenix vanishing in an instant.

A flash of lightning appeared, re-materializing him several miles away.

"Boom!" The core of the flames erupted violently, followed by a deafening roar.

"That was close!" Li Sheng gazed at the energy surging in the air, his expression grave. "This black-clad man is decisive... Had I hesitated even slightly, I might have been severely injured, if not dead."

At that moment, Yue Ling and the others approached, gazing at the terrifying scene with astonishment.

"Thank you, Master Li, for saving us; the consequences would have been unimaginable!" Yue Ling said, still shaken.

"No need for thanks; Qingyi has already promised a reward," Li Sheng chuckled. "With such a commotion, it might attract the attention of the demons. You all should leave quickly!"

They nodded in agreement, exchanging a few pleasantries before parting ways. Just then, Yue Ling turned back.

"By the way, Master Li, would you consider marriage? My niece is beautiful and kind-hearted, renowned as the first beauty of Dayan. Are you interested..."

"Aunt!" Qingyi interjected helplessly, pulling her away. Her aunt's bluntness had always amazed her; it was no wonder she hadn't married by nearly forty.

"Master Li, I will arrange the resources as soon as possible... Until we meet again!"

"That's fine. Safe travels!" Li Sheng replied, bowing respectfully.

"Stop pulling me! If someone like Master Li were to slip away, it would be a waste. You really don't know what's good for you!" her aunt's voice trailed off as they walked away.

Li Sheng smiled but didn't take it to heart. At that moment, he was solely focused on growing stronger.

Once they disappeared, he moved to the explosion site in the forest but found no storage bags or useful items, so he turned to leave.

On his way back, he encountered several waves of demons—groups of them heading northwest. Curiosity piqued, he followed them at a distance.

After two hours, just as he was losing patience, he spotted a massive canyon several miles wide, shrouded in thick, eerie mist, emitting an unsettling aura. The mindless demons seemed to be drawn to something, quietly making their way into the canyon.

The atmosphere felt strangely silent, as if the world had muted itself. This eerie quietude deterred him from approaching.

After observing for a while without uncovering any useful information, Li Sheng shook his head slightly and turned to leave, marking the location for future exploration.

As he departed, dark mist within the canyon began to roil as if something was stirring. Moments later, two yellow vertical eyes, each ten feet wide, lit up within the mist, fixated on the direction Li Sheng had just gone.