Chapter 127: Not Bad

The hundreds of sword qi strands intertwined in an instant, and the fragile peach-blossom marks they left behind felt like tacky, slapped-on advertisements, randomly plastered across the [Indra] as it was enveloped in a web of lightning.

Within the abilities unleashed by the White Emperor:

To the Obsession-Bearers, Lan Yi's most terrifying capability was his speed. As long as his speed was restricted, they would have ample reaction time to counter either the Vajra Pestle (Geng-Metal Sword Qi) or the Thunder God’s Breath (Palm Thunder), or even deal a critical blow before [Indra] could react.

The momentum was vast, like the scorching sun.

The lightning plunging from the nine heavens began to disintegrate in large swaths due to the high-speed accumulation of the fragile marks and the resulting magnetic field disturbances. Its stability, already tenuous, shattered; the falling high-energy plasma resembled feathers shed by a thunder-phoenix in flight.

Even in this low-velocity space, the escaping lightning scattering from the outer layers of [Indra] painted a beautiful, yet lethal, picture.

"Good! Finish it off in one go!"

Seeing the Azure Emperor succeed, the Red Emperor and the others felt their morale surge.

It was already disintegrating.

The life of [Indra] was now like a candle in the wind. If the three of them could join forces to shatter the most troublesome lightning cloak, the White Emperor would deliver that final, fatal strike. Even if [Indra] did not perish, it would certainly be driven out of the Demon City ruins, where it would be met with an endless pursuit by ghosts.

With the Demon City ruins cleansed, the Obsession-Bearers could use it as a base to sound the horn for a counterattack against the future tide of ghosts.

True Name Release!

The Red Emperor’s obsession weapon was a long banner radiating red and black energy—a trophy seized from a Demon-King-level ghost, known as the "Human Emperor Flag." Upon its release, crimson waves surged, staining the horizon red for a thousand miles. Countless heroic souls who had fought and died there were awakened, launching a one-time, desperate charge against the enemy.

The number was always in the thousands.

It was a bombardment of thousands of True-Demon-level entities burning their life force to strike their most powerful blow. Though it was a single strike, the sheer scale of the power was a terrifying, city-leveling weapon.

They used this "map weapon" to strip away [Indra]’s outer lightning defenses.

The moment the Human Emperor Flag was unleashed, the spirits that had long slumbered in the chaotic, filthy emotional field of this land opened their eyes. They had once fought blood-soaked battles against ghosts, singing as they sacrificed themselves to buy time for the underground city to evacuate.

"If the motherland is invaded, the hot-blooded men shall stand tall. Drain this bowl of hometown wine; the warrior goes forth, never to return..."

"Rolling Yellow River, surging Yangtze..."

"Forward! Forward!"

Even the most filthy and insane emotions could not tarnish this sacred will. From the unfurling banners, phantoms in the uniforms of the Azure Dragon Federation—armed with rifles, tanks, and swarms of drones—charged toward the lightning-drenched sky.

If it was to slay ghosts, they were willing to be awakened again and again, driven to roar and launch a desperate charge, projecting their sublimated will like cannonballs toward the enemy.

Boom!

In the low-velocity world, the lightning was shattered by one full-power strike after another. In the blink of an eye, the red fireworks swallowed most of the searing white thunder. From a distance, it looked like a massive cloud of cotton being engulfed and slowly dissolved by a surging, blood-red storm.

Under the relentless assault of the Red Emperor’s map weapon, [Indra], trapped within the White Emperor’s release, could only offer instinctive, passive resistance.

The Geng-Metal Sword Qi and Palm Thunder triggered automatically to meet the onslaught of the Human Emperor Flag. Even with solidified Taoist arts, it was forced onto the defensive.

The cognitive speeds of the two sides were not on the same level. If Lan Yi was a 1, the White Emperor’s release brought his speed to a terrifying 50, or even 100.

Yet, the White Emperor was the most shocked of all.

Although Lan Yi was being beaten and his lightning defenses were being rapidly stripped away, the fact that he could still retaliate while trapped in the White Emperor’s Sacred Sword release sent a chill down the White Emperor's spine.

'Could it be that [Indra] possesses the same ability as me?'

'No! Decisive action is required!'

Just then, the Flame and Yellow Emperors completed their own True Name Releases, fully unleashing their obsession weapons.

Their secret weapon was a true surprise.

They had... merged.

This was no comedic display; it was a true union. These two Obsession-Bearers, who shared a bond of life and death, synced their thoughts and opened their hearts. Upon merging, their power broke through the barriers, reaching the Demon-King level.

Until now, no Obsession-Bearer had ever broken the shackles to reach the Demon-King level.

Ghosts of this rank could compress their domains, maintaining a permanent state of release. They possessed immense will and microscopic energy cohesion; the gap between them and the True-Demon level could no longer be bridged by numbers alone.

Most terrifyingly, a Demon-King-level entity could command true "Mind-Spirit Power"—the power of Dharma-Images, and even the ability to manifest the divine.

What kind of world was Artificial God Realm 2055? It was a world of despair, madness, and cycles, but also one where spirits were uniquely gifted with nearly inexhaustible reserves of accumulated Mind-Spirit Power.

The moment the merged Flame-Yellow Emperor stepped into the Demon-King level, he struck [Indra] with thousands of punches in an instant.

Each blow was like a hundred-armed giant wrestling a sky-supporting dragon, stirring up violent hurricanes. The resulting Dharma-Image absorbed the surrounding Mind-Spirit Power, gripping the lightning-white light—already half-devoured by the red clouds—between its countless phantom arms, just as a giant might grasp a basketball.

Accompanying a thunderous roar, it visually appeared as if he had forcibly torn the white sphere apart.

"Well done. Leave the rest to me."

Whoosh!

The moment the White Emperor’s domineering intent surged—the pinnacle of speed in the three realms, the deadliest in the mortal world—the White Emperor’s Sacred Sword pierced through myriad obstacles before anyone, including Lan Yi, could react. It was as if thousands of White Emperors had struck the same blow; the condensed white sword seemed to have been there all along, simple, unadorned, and lethal.

[Indra] looked down at the sword piercing its chest.

"Not bad. You have finally managed to touch the hem of my garment."

Simultaneously, twenty thousand kilometers above, the true body of Lan Yi—having shed his electromagnetic avatar to endure the bombardment of the high-altitude gale—spoke softly.

"Next, I shall use two percent of my power to kill you."