Chapter Fifty-Two: The Divine Word Annihilates All Mystical Arts

At this moment, the luxurious golden robe was already tattered beyond repair, the snowy white long hair disheveled and streaked with the scent and marks of burn, and the once pale face of Wang Yongping now mottled with black stains. He stood rigidly, staring at Wang Weixue, who was pointing at him with one hand and clutching his belly while laughing heartily, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, as if he had forgotten entirely who was responsible for his current predicament.

Wang Yongping erupted in a tirade, “Old ghost, do you want to fight me?”

Fortunately, Wang Weixue had not yet replied when Qian Zhouliang, standing nearby with a somewhat helpless smile, interjected, “Brother Yongping, now is not the time to fuss over these things.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yongping responded with a hint of annoyance, “I don’t need your advice. I know what needs to be done.” He then turned to He Yongde, who had been smiling in silence, and said sharply, “The Holy Word Art that annihilates divine powers is truly formidable.” Yet he shook his head afterward, his tone tinged with regret, “But you are not a true Sage.”

He Yongde replied with a smile, “If I were a Sage, you would not be worthy of my intervention.”

Wang Yongping narrowed his eyes, his voice calm, “Do you think that adding you to today’s battle will change the situation?”

He Yongde did not answer him, instead turning to Qian Zhouliang and Qian Jiashun, “My intentions are not against you.”

Qian Jiashun laughed dismissively, “He Yongde, do you think that simply mastering the Holy Word Art’s annihilation of divine powers makes you our equal? Have you forgotten how many years you’ve spent reading dead books?”

The foundation of cultivation cannot be achieved in a single leap. Even the Sage Master himself could not—

Qian Zhouliang narrowed his eyes, his tone flat, “You intend to take on both of us alone?”

Such was the situation: even with He Yongde added to the Chen and He families’ side, their apparent strength was still at a disadvantage. To turn the tide, someone from their side would have to take on two opponents by himself.

“Why not?” He Yongde smiled, then began to step forward, circumventing Wang Yongping and Wang Weixue, walking slowly toward Qian Zhouliang and Qian Jiashun. As he advanced, his tone remained even, “In terms of talent, how do you measure up to me, Qian Jiashun? Today, it’s just one more old fool on your side—nothing to fear.”

“Well, well, well.” Hearing this, Qian Zhouliang threw his head back, repeating the word “well” three times. The next instant, he gathered his energy, both arms transforming into the hands of the poisonous dragon. His wrinkled eyes revealed a gloomy look as he stared at He Yongde, his voice sharp, “Today, I intend to see for myself whether the Holy Word Art that annihilates divine powers is as formidable as rumored.”

The next instant, Qian Zhouliang accelerated, charging at He Yongde.

“Arrogant fool….” Qian Jiashun shouted angrily and likewise rushed at He Yongde.

At that moment, Chen Yuxuan looked at He Yongde with concern, “Brother Yongde, ….”

“It’s nothing,” He Yongde replied with a smile. The next moment, with a thought, thunder and wind erupted on the dock square.

Wang Weixue squinted at the scene, recalling a phrase once widely spoken in the South Sea years ago.

“There is a dragon in the He family—not even the South Sea can contain it.”

He faintly remembered a Dao Palace master, who, while traveling the South Sea in pursuit of learning and enlightenment, passed through Beihai City and saw the young He Yongde practicing the unity of sea and sky on the southern shore. For some reason, the master left behind this remark.

Now, thunder and wind raged across the dock square, with rolling thunder crashing down. Whenever darkness descended on the square, the thunder seemed to sense it and struck down, illuminating the entire dock. Amid the chaos, a streak of black light and a streak of red brilliance sped across the square, as if linked by a mysterious intuition, dodging thunder as they advanced—both heading straight for He Yongde.

“Hah… hah….”

With a single thought from He Yongde, the dock square lit up, and two bolts of thunder struck down, each targeting Qian Zhouliang and Qian Jiashun.

“Boom….”

Qian Zhouliang raised one poisonous dragon arm to block the blazing thunder. Smoke billowed from the arm, perhaps scorched, but much of its power was dissipated. He cared little for that, his gloomy gaze fixed on He Yongde, who commanded the thunder with the aura of a Sage. He sped up again, charging once more.

“Boom….”

Qian Jiashun fared little better. The blazing thunder with dazzling lightning struck him; though he tried to resist, he could not avoid being knocked to the ground. As the thunder struck him, the red brilliance around him contracted sharply. He lay there like a bird with broken wings, felled by the thunder.

“Boom….”

No sooner had Qian Jiashun been struck down than he immediately rose, ignoring the minor wounds, gathering his energy again. The red light around him surged as he rushed at He Yongde. This battle concerned the fate of the family; injuries, even mortal wounds or death, could not make him retreat.

Wang Yongping squinted at He Yongde, who now commanded thunder with the presence of a living Sage, feeling a surge of dissatisfaction. He took a step forward.

“Hah….”

But before he could fully step, a bolt of thunder crashed down on the flagstone barely an arm’s length from him, sending dust flying.

He Yongde looked in Wang Yongping’s direction, his tone calm but his expression serious, “Wang Yongping, I have no intention of targeting the Eastern Ridge Wang clan. But if you wish to trouble me, I shall respond in kind.”

As the dust settled, He Anjian blocked Wang Yongping’s path, his gaze sharp, “Wang Yongping, you'd best behave, or else….”

Wang Yongping looked at the spot where his foot had almost landed. Once the dust cleared, there remained only a modest pit. He watched it for a moment, then slowly raised his head, signaling to Wang Weixue with his eyes—the meaning was clear without words.

Wang Weixue caught the glance, immediately crossing his arms, tilting his head skyward, whistling softly and tapping his right foot—a picture of indifference and detachment.

He was not here to deal with the Chen and He families. As long as he was certain the mysterious object was not present, helping the Qian clan unify the South Sea was of little concern. Besides, they were hardly idle! Wasn’t Wang Yongping restraining He Anjian? Wasn’t he himself keeping Chen Yuxuan in check? Chen Yuxuan hardly needed much attention, but their support for the Qian clan was just that—support. Their presence as mere deterrence was already a generous gesture. He doubted the clan leader and the fourth prince truly wanted them to help unify the South Sea for the Qian clan, rather than have them spend their strength in internal conflict. The main purpose was likely still to search for the mysterious object.

Wang Yongping saw Wang Weixue’s indifference and frowned but said nothing about his refusal to assist.

With a trace of reluctance, Wang Yongping gazed at He Yongde but could do nothing more.

“Hah….”

Thunder and wind continued to rage on the dock square, blazing thunder rolling endlessly, as if He Yongde’s strength would never run dry. The spectacle left all present astonished, especially Qian Zhouliang and Qian Jiashun, whose scalps were nearly numb from the thunder. But as they rushed He Yongde, they found, again and again, that one bolt of thunder barely faded before another followed. Qian Zhouliang was fortunate—his cultivation was exceptional, and his poisonous dragon arm was a formidable technique. But Qian Jiashun was much worse off; his cultivation was not on He Yongde’s level, and his techniques lacked the overwhelming force of He Yongde’s Holy Word Art. He had already been struck dizzy by the thunder, and if not for his thoughts of the Qian family’s legacy and his role as the current patriarch, he would have given up long ago.

“Jiashun, hold on a bit longer.” Qian Zhouliang used his poisonous dragon arm to block another bolt of thunder, calling out to Qian Jiashun nearby.

Though Qian Jiashun heard the words he least wished to hear, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and persist.