In the midst of the frenzied attacks, Tian Wei cautiously distanced himself from his companion, ensuring their safety by shifting the battle further away.
His ethereal golden hue still faintly illuminated his body, while his robes gracefully fluttered in the misty winds.
Fixing his gaze upon his formidable opponent, the rock-like amalgamation of a peron, Tian Wei knew that he needed to employ additional tactics to overcome this challenge.
Directing his attention to the blade of his chi sword, he delicately raised his perfectly golden fingers—the index and the middle finger.
With a sweeping motion, he ran those two fingers across the blade, as if wiping away impurities and infusing it with empowering energy.
As his hand glided over the blade, a lingering trail of golden steam materialized, intertwining with the radiant chi sword.
Suddenly, the entire length of the blade erupted in a magnificent blaze of golden flames. The fire seemed concentrated with an incredible surge of energy, manifesting in the form of both seething steam and dancing flames.
A powerful pulse of energy rippled through the air, electrifying the surroundings.
Hovering the sword in front of him, Tian Wei prepared for a devastating strike.
"Since you refuse to depart, this immortal shall dispatch you," he proclaimed with a cold, resounding voice that reverberated through the air like a lethal sonic wave, capable of instantly extinguishing the life force of an average mortal.
Aware that the forthcoming attack would be far from ordinary, the rock person swiftly descended, landing on the ground with an earth-shattering thud.
The impact echoed as if a mountain had collided with the earth, causing the ground to sink and ripple in a tsunami-like wave, spreading out in a destructive manner.
"Where did this monstrous being emerge from?" Xuani Yu couldn't help but exclaim as the wave surged in all directions.
Reacting swiftly, Qing Fu seized Xuan Yi and swiftly lifted him high into the air, away from the path of imminent annihilation, considering that Xuan Yi had yet to fly.
With a forceful thrust of his hand, the rock person plunged it into the ground, as if the solid earth were nothing but a viscous liquid. From within, he extracted an enormous chain, nearly twice the size of the previous chain.
Each link of the chain was large, resembling the dimensions of an entire person. Jagged and entwined with ice and rock, they exuded an ominous presence.
In a fluid motion, the rock person yanked the chain, causing a ripple to surge through it like a massive rope.
The chain tore free from the ground, which cracked rigidly, and immense fissures spread throughout.
Swinging the chain with awe-inspiring might, he unleashed it towards Tian Wei, and space itself seemed to yield in its path.
Rocks were sent hurtling through the air, while shards of ice and mist scattered in all directions, accompanied by a resounding rumble that seemed to provoke the wrath of the heavens.
Undeterred, Tian Wei remained steadfast. He tapped the sword in the familiar "two-finger" gesture. The blade crackled with a fully charged and amplified energy.
The chain met the sword.
And the world seemed to have stopped.
A blinding light.
A silence.
A rumble.
A roar.
A silence.
The sound of things breaking.
A silence.
A high pitch ringing in the ear.
A cloud of dirt and mist.
Coughing up blood, Xuan Yi and Qing Fu painfully landed on the charred grounds within the safety of the golden shield.
Despite their protective barrier, minor injuries were inevitable in a battle of such immense scale. They had endured, but the toll was evident.
The chain, once formidable, now lay shattered. The rock person had been reduced to a pile of motionless rubble.
The vast network of canyons that spanned hundreds of kilometers trembled under the impact, the ground near the epicenter of the assault bearing the brunt of the devastation. Several kilometers of the canyon lay flattened, a chaotic mess in the aftermath of the fierce clash.
Tian Wei descended to the ground, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
This level of destruction was beyond anything he had faced before, and exhaustion weighed heavily upon him. All he desired now was a moment of respite.
The ramifications of such wanton destruction dawned upon them.
They had likely attracted the attention of too many individuals, including the Yang, the ones they least wanted to draw attention from. In this grand conflict, they had inadvertently revealed their location, as if shouting it out in a game of hide and seek.
The sky, oblivious to their plight, continued its turbulent churn, flashing with unrest.
A tribulation was brewing, a manifestation of heavenly wrath set to descend upon those who wielded such immense power beneath the heavens, a retribution for leaving such scars upon the land.
"Tian Wei," Xuan Yi called out, rushing towards his side. Tian Wei was visibly staggering, his arm held tightly as Xuan Yi helped him settle into a meditation posture.
"I am fine," Tian Wei responded in a cold and emotionless tone, attempting to reassure them despite his obvious exhaustion.
Exhaling heavily, Xuan Yi joined Tian Wei in sitting down, while Qing Fu hurried over to join them.
The two companions felt torn, torn between the urgency to leave swiftly and their understanding that Tian Wei needed time to recover after his formidable battle with the titan.
"We'll depart shortly, before the lightning descends," Tian Wei assured them in his detached manner.
The clouds continued their churning above, but there remained a glimmer of hope that the impending tribulation might disperse in mercy once the ground conflict ceased. However, that decision lay solely in the hands of the swirling clouds.
Tian Wei swallowed a greenish recovery pill, swiftly initiating the process of mending his injuries.
As if mirroring his mending state, the clouds above showed signs of sympathy. The erratic flashes became less frequent, and the swirling motion less violent.
Suddenly, Tian Wei's eyes shot open, and he took a deep breath.
A weak gentle breeze wafted through the air. A faint scent of spring.