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While Emperor Xue Yang and Ye Zichen fought, Emperor Hades stood by the side lines, arms crossed, observing in detail.

He took note of every detail of Ye Zichen's every move. Gradually, he seemed to lose interest. He sighed and shook his head.

If this was all Ye Zichen had, there was no way he'd let him take the Xuan-Yuan Sword.

That went for the Yao-Sealing Pagoda, too. It would have to remain behind.

Turbulent times were upon them.

The Yao-Sealing Pagoda and Xuan-Yuan Sword were treasures that would make even the rulers of the Three Realms mad with desire. If this was all Ye Zichen had, if he took those ultimate treasures out into the world, neither he nor his treasures would be safe.

Letting him keep his artifacts was equivalent to sending him to his grave. It was better to keep him and the artifacts here, in the palace.

At the very least, with Emperor Hades present, no one would dare invade the palace itself. If Ye Zichen stayed here, he'd be safer.

Although they'd only exchanged twenty attacks, victory and defeat were already clear.

Emperor Hades glanced at Xue Yang, who nodded back at him.

They were ready to end this.

Countless winds rose up around Xue Yang, and his long hair danced in the howling gusts.

He casually plucked a few leaves from a nearby tree, but when his divine power infused them, they straightened. The leaves swept forward, and waves of divine power visible to the naked eye sent rippled through the surrounding space. The waves advanced quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they reached Ye Zichen.

Although the leaves fired waves of divine power, they contained Xue Yang's enlightenment towards heaven and earth. The attack didn't look like much, but it blocked off all of Ye Zichen's possible escape routes.

Ye Zichen's pupils violently constricted. He held the Xuan-Yuan Sword to his chest.

Boom!

A massive bang stirred up a cloud of smoke. Those outside couldn't see what was going on inside at all.

"It's over."

Xue Yang tossed his leaves to the ground. Emperor Hades walked over, and when he saw the smoke, he shook his head and sighed.

Although Ye Zichen had yet to emerge, Emperor Hades trusted that Xue Yang hadn't crossed any lines.

"This is good too. The Xuan-Yuan Sword and Yao-Sealing Pagoda can remain here, in my palace. So long as we're here, even if word spreads, no one will dare attempt to steal them. Even if we can't use them, at the very least, both artifacts will remain the property of our God Realm."

Xue Yang nodded, but suddenly, laughter filled the air.

"I caught you!"

Xue Yang looked down, and for the first time, realized that a puddle of water had formed around him.

"Great Emperor Xue Yang, we're sparring! You'd best take this seriously! Otherwise, even a great emperor like you might suffer at the hands of a mere sky supreme like me! Thunder, strike!"

Lightning dragons roared overhead. It was then that the two emperors realized that, although they didn't know when, a vast sea of lightning one hundred thousand meters in diameter had formed in the sky.

The dragons roared and came crashing down. Xue Yang wanted to dodge, only realize that the puddle beneath his feet had solidified into ice.

With his cultivation suppressed down to the third-stage sky supreme level, he couldn't break through right away.

He remained calm even in the face of disaster.

Even with his movements restricted and the lightning dragons on the verge of hitting him, Xue Yang showed no signs of panic whatsoever. He even put his left hand behind his back, while his right pointed into the sky.

"Break!" The sound waves were like a dragon's roar. When those words left his lips, the dragons distorted, then disappeared into thin air.

"Not bad." Xue Yang nodded approvingly, and his gaze contained a hint of admiration. "But that's still not enough."

The ice around his feet had melted back into clear water. Xue Yang didn't want to let this match drag on any longer, so he dashed towards Ye Zichen of his own volition.

"Come to me, rain!" The clear skies suddenly filled with clouds. Rain poured down in buckets.

"You want to try this trick again? That's not at all wise of you." Xue Yang noticed what he was up to, and by the time the magic rain fell, he'd already created a barrier around himself.

He was certain that the rain would harden in ice on its way down. As expected, the downpour solidified in mid-air, forming sharp blades of ice that stabbed deep into the earth.

Xue Yang's gaze seemed to say, "I've seen right through you!"

Little did he know, Ye Zichen was grinning gleefully, as if he'd gotten away with something. "Come to me, fire!"

Countless fireballs appeared alongside the falling rain. Although rain and fire ought to oppose each other, the fire didn't go out, and the rain didn't stop…

When the fireballs hit the ground, they set the grassy plain ablaze.

The ice blades stuck in the earth gradually melted, transforming the entire plain into mud.

"The winds are fanning the flames." The winds howled and blew into the flames. The water on the ground only blazed even brighter. The ferocious gusts surrounded Xue Yang.

"Water, condense!" The melted ice resolidified. Ye Zichen twisted his neck, then snapped his fingers. "Try my Double-Layered Sky of Fire and Ice!"

Even though Xue Yang was on guard, the water still splashed onto his body.

The water condensed into ice, and the fire blazed furiously. More importantly, Ye Zichen had infused the power of the five elements into his attack.

"The Dao of the Five Elements."

Xue Yang's expression shifted slightly. Emperor Hades knew of Ye Zichen's proficiency in the five elements, but he didn't. However, although the five elements were troublesome, Ye Zichen's comprehension was still too shallow. It wasn't enough to put Xue Yang out of sorts.

He exploded with silvery light and dispersed the ice.

As for the sea of fire, he disregarded it completely. He swung his fist right through it and punched Ye Zichen right in the face.

Ye Zichen had never looked down on Xue Yang, nor did he think his Dao of the Five Elements was enough to do him any meaningful damage. However, he never would have guessed that the emperor would escape his Double-Layered Sky of Fire and Ice so easily.

The punch shook Ye Zichen to the core. He raised his sword to block it.

However, the force of the blow transmitted through the blade and rattled his bones.

"Hmph." Ye Zichen stabbed the Xuan-Yuan Sword into the earth. Even so, the impact still forced him a dozen steps back.

He let out a low grunt, then focused his gaze ahead of him, only to see Xue Yang shaking his head.

"You performed decently, but both your ploys and your comprehension of the Dao of the Five Elements are too immature. Anyone with just the slightest bit of experience would be able to see right through you. If that's all you have to show me, then…. You've lost."

"Who says I lost?"

Ye Zichen suddenly brushed aside the hair covering his brow. Something opened between his eyes, a vertical slit, almost like a third eye. Before long, a holy sword seemingly formed of golden light emerged from his forehead.

When he saw the holy sword, Xue Yang arched his brows. "A godhead?"

Ye Zichen raised the Xuan-Yuan sword high into the air.

The sky darkened and rumbled continuously.

Ye Zichen raised his sword, his expression cold yet proud. Golden light appeared around the Xuan-Yuan Sword. In the darkness, it illuminated him in seemingly holy light. He looked like a saint.

"The Heaven Plundering Strike, Fourth Stance: Shattered Sky."