Chapter 109: Black and White

"Puff..."

In an instant, the battle between the two engulfed the entire realm. Amidst the chaotic heavens, no one remained unaffected under such oppressive force. Even one as powerful as the Daoist of Withered Wood had to retreat a few paces.

"Hiss... The wrath of an Immortal King truly brings about the annihilation of heaven and earth! Is this the senior's true strength?"

At this moment, everyone was dumbfounded. They gazed at Ye Qiu, who stood high above in the sky with a golden scripture in his hand, looking like a god looking down upon all living things. He stood there, yet he possessed an unreachable stature; even the most exalted deities would have to bow their heads before him.

"I finally understand the true meaning behind the senior's words: 'Even should three million demon gods descend, they must bow their heads before me.' We who walk the path of cultivation should possess such spirit. Even when facing an opponent stronger than oneself, one must have the courage to draw their sword—this is the Daoist heart we have always pursued..."

Under the display of Ye Qiu's divine might, all living things submitted. Even those arrogant ancient beasts and supreme prodigies were forced to yield. Their clash sent tremors through the chaotic sky, and in a flurry of chaos, many fell from the Heavenly Abyss, a scene of extreme spectacle.

With the scripture in hand, Ye Qiu stared into the void, his gaze piercing through to the shadow at the end of the darkness, his heart deeply tense.

"Is this the so-called source of the calamity? Truly terrifying. That last strike actually caused damage to my spirit. Fortunately, the aura of righteousness within me happens to restrain him; otherwise, I would have been defeated by that blow!"

While others were unaware, Ye Qiu knew perfectly well that while it appeared he held the upper hand, in reality, the opponent was the one in control. Ye Qiu lacked battle experience and possessed almost no combat techniques, whereas his opponent was a seasoned ancient monster—perhaps even a titan from the dawn of the Immortal Age. Facing such an adversary, Ye Qiu was simply too young.

"Damn it, why hasn't the Heavenly Book appeared? If I had the Heavenly Book in my hand, this guy would be dead today..."

Ye Qiu complained inwardly. The scripture in his hand was not the Heavenly Book, but merely a book he had picked up at random, titled the *Primordial Dao Sutra*. Yet, even as this book unleashed its true power, it struggled to contend with his opponent. The Heavenly Book, which he had accidentally activated once before, had never appeared again, and Ye Qiu had no idea how to summon it, leaving him deeply troubled.

It seemed that if he wanted to finish these people off today, he would have to resort to some drastic measures.

High in the void, after trading blows with Ye Qiu, the figure behind the skeletal hand revealed an expression of surprise. A cold, astonished exclamation echoed from the other side of the embankment, carrying a decaying and ominous aura so icy that it made everyone tremble and their skin crawl. Clearly, Ye Qiu's strength had caught the attention of the entity on the other side, though the entity merely glanced at him with surprise, not giving it much further thought.

Suddenly, the skeletal hand launched another attack. Faced with a suppression akin to the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, Ye Qiu felt his breath hitch.

"Master..."

Below came the miserable cry of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow. It could not withstand this pressure at all; if not for the protection of Ye Qiu's aura of righteousness, it would have been torn apart.

"Stand back! Today, I’m going to have some fun with him..."

He was going all out. Having spent over twenty years acting like a lazy fish, Ye Qiu was done with that. Damn it, it was just a fight—who was afraid of whom? With the same level of cultivation, there was no way he was going to be intimidated!

In a flash, Ye Qiu shoved the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow back into the chaotic void. A jar of wine suddenly appeared in his hand, and he downed it in one go, his face already flushed with the onset of intoxication.

"Wine God Incantation!"

With a cold shout, an immortal zither appeared in Ye Qiu's hands. He played a soaring melody, and the surrounding world instantly froze.

"Hiss... Is this... entering the Dao through the music of the zither?"

When Ye Qiu played this tune, the whole world was shocked! Whether it was Yue Chan, Ruo Xi, or the Daoist of Withered Wood, everyone cast looks of pure amazement. This melody sounded like music from the Nine Heavens; as the notes rippled, the killing intent surged, and a heaven-shaking force began to coalesce.

The sky burned with kaleidoscopic colors as the two sides erupted into another fierce battle. This time, Ye Qiu entered into a wager with his opponent—a contest to see who possessed the greater number of secret techniques. The silhouette in the void was clearly intrigued, and so, the duel began.

In this contest, Ye Qiu unleashed everything he had spent twenty years dismissing as "distractions that ruin one's ambition" or "lack of progress." First, he used the zither music to shock the soul, then he cast a chess formation across the void to lure his enemy into a trap, followed by manifesting a holy image through his writing, suppressing the foe with his aura of righteousness, and finally... trapping them with a *Painting of the Supreme Three Purities*.

By now, Ye Qiu was lost in his drunken dream, his consciousness blurred. He didn't even know what techniques he was using; he simply unleashed whatever he had learned. He was completely unaware of the immense pressure he was exerting on his opponent. If he were sober, he would probably have died laughing at the thought, "I didn't expect myself to be this powerful!"

Unfortunately, Ye Qiu couldn't realize this; he was only focused on defeating his opponent, regardless of the moves he used, reaching a state of true spontaneity. Indeed, drinking too much fake liquor makes people violent—Ye Qiu was the perfect example. He didn't move at all, but once he did, he left everyone stunned.

"Ah, this... the senior is truly hiding his depth. He usually seems like such a gentle person; how is he so fierce when he gets angry?"

"Damn, the two were evenly matched, but suddenly the other guy is being suppressed! I bet the person on the other side is just as confused! What kind of immortal arts are these? One is more bizarre than the next."

This was what he called "not attending to his proper work" and "ruining his ambition"? Please, have some mercy... He was drunk, fighting with no regard for restraint—who could withstand that?

In less than half a day, the silhouette in the void was beaten to the point of collapse. The skeletal hand in the darkness had a segment severed by the brush and ink in Ye Qiu's hands. At this, the World-Destroying Elder and his cohorts, who had been sheltered by the hand, revealed looks of despair.

"Hmph! Such petty tricks, daring to act so brazenly..."

The silhouette at the end of the darkness was enraged. For millions of years, Ye Qiu was the first to make him feel so stifled, and he could not swallow this humiliation. The giant hand suddenly extended, regrowing the severed segment, and a black fog with immense corrosive power surged forth. In an instant, the World-Destroying Elder and the others were overcome, their eyes turning red; within a hundred-mile radius, no one was left unaffected.

"No, it's the ominous..."

Suddenly, everyone was horrified. Compared to the disk of the World-Destroying Elder from before, this skeletal hand was the true source of darkness. The black fog it released instantly eroded everyone's minds, plunging them into a state of bloodlust within moments.

"Presumptuous!"

Suddenly, a loud, resonant voice rang out, echoing through the void like a transmission from the Great Dao, long and lingering. It was the call of Ye Qiu. Underneath his aura of righteousness, a golden light bloomed, instantly swallowing the black fog.

"Hmm? To think he could swallow my black fog? Just what is this brat's origin?"

At this moment, the shadow at the end of the darkness panicked. For millions of years, Ye Qiu was the first being to make him feel threatened. Especially this aura of righteousness—it existed solely to restrain him. Such power must not be allowed to remain. Under the heavens, there was only darkness or light; the two could not coexist!