Jasmine's figure flashed into a scarlet red light, bursting toward Xing Juekong like a comet. Her speed was so fast it felt like she tore through the space, appearing suddenly right in front of him, her God Slaying Blade just inches from his face!
Bang!
Xing Juekong's expression stayed calm as a silver light glinted in his hand. He held a silver broadsword, inlaid with twelve stars. With a single slash, he met her attack and blocked it.
Clang!
The force of the attack pushed both of them back a step, but before he could gather his profound energy again, Jasmine's figure flashed once more, splitting into seven shadows that attacked him from every direction.
Star God's Broken Shadow!
It was a famous movement skill all Star Gods were known for, but among them all, the one most skilled at it was Jasmine, despite being less than 20 years old.
Xing Juekong completely ignored the shadows and focused his energy in his palm, slamming it at the one above him. But the moment he did, his expression changed. The shadow vanished like a mirage, and suddenly, Jasmine's figure appeared sharply on his left side. Her blade was less than an inch from his neck, grazing his skin!
Swoosh!
Xing Juekong's waist twisted back at an unnatural angle, and the blade grazed his chest, leaving a small cut on his clothes. Still in that position, he swung his sword down with his right hand. The sword sliced through Jasmine's body, cutting it in two before fading into a blur.
He had once again only struck an afterimage.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The father and daughter clashed nonstop, each strike sending shockwaves that tore through space itself. Black shards were scattered across the vast void, and lightning surged wildly in every direction.
Each of them was going all out with their attacks, and each attack carried enough force to wipe out a Low-level Star Realm completely!
As the confrontation continued, Xing Juekong's frown sank deeper as the pressure on him intensified. Although Jasmine was weaker in direct fighting, that only mattered if their profound energy was the same. But now, he had to admit he was slightly weaker in profound energy, and at this moment, he could barely hold his ground.
But that wasn't what worried him. He was a God Emperor; if he wanted to leave, no one could stop him, even if there were two more Jasmines.
He was confident in that.
What put pressure on him was the state of the other fights. The three Star Gods had already lost the moment Luo Guxie appeared. They were all soaked in their own blood, barely putting up any resistance, just to cling to their pathetic lives.
If this kept going, it wouldn't be long before the first one fell.
As for Tumi, his situation was even worse. He was fighting a 10th level Divine Master alone and already had more injuries than he'd ever suffered in his whole life combined. One of his hands was shredded into meat paste, and four deep cuts ran across his face, completely disfiguring him.
If it weren't for him being at the peak of the 9th level Divine Master and Hua Jin going easy on him, this old man, who had lived through two generations of God Emperors, would have died long ago.
"This can't go on," Xing Juekong blocked another attack from Jasmine, this one coming from behind. As the Star God Emperor, even with the situation this grim and messy, he stayed calm. He cast one last glance at Tumi, who was once again tossed around like a broken doll, thrown upward, then slammed down hard. Xing Juekong made up his mind, 'I need to run. This place isn't far from the Eternal Heaven Realm. That old man won't refuse to take me in.'
Because he was also a Star God Emperor, he was ruthless. Once he decided the situation was hopeless, he gave up on everyone without hesitation. Even his teacher, Tumi, whom he deeply respected, and Moonflower, his lover, were abandoned in that cold moment.
Making up his mind, he patiently waited for the right moment as he blocked Jasmine's sneaky and deadly attacks. Then, when her figure suddenly appeared behind him and thrust her God Slaying Blade at him, Xing Juekong exploded violently. All the energy he had been gathering surged like a roaring ocean, slashing straight at her!
Bang!
Jasmine's eyes widened. She quickly pulled back her blade and held it in front to block the attack, but the force blasted her away like a shooting star!
Although Jasmine had grown strong recently, reaching the peak of what any living being in the Primal Chaos could reach, attaining the exalted status of peak Divine Master realm, her combat experience was still pitifully low. After fighting her for a while, Xing Juekong, whose combat experience dwarfed hers countless times, had already grasped her rhythm and predicted her patterns of attacks. With this, he easily foresaw her future moves.
Without Jasmine's entanglement, Xing Juekong turned heel and shot in the direction he came from, toward the Eternal Heaven Realm! He used all his speed. Never had he exerted his utmost speed like this since he became a God Emperor.
In less than a fraction of a second, he crossed an immeasurable distance, leaving everyone behind. However, as he flew, a frown crept onto his face and a sense of unease settled in his heart. Although he successfully blew away Jasmine, it was strange that she didn't chase him, or that none of the other women did either.
He tried to ignore the feeling and kept flying. Right now, his only hope was to return to the Eternal Heaven Realm since the Star God Realm was still far away.
As he flew, suspicion grew in his mind, 'Speaking of which, with all this intense commotion, why haven't the other realms reacted yet? Given the Eternal Heaven's meddlesome nature, they should've already responded and come here,' he thought.
The fight between Divine Masters, especially those in the Late Stage, is extremely destructive. Each attack causes immense damage, they're like walking star destroyers. If two of them fought close to a Star Realm, that realm would literally shake from the aftershocks. Every attack produces ripples that spread incredibly far. There's no way the others can't sense them.
Bang!
In the next moment, Xing Juekong's doubts were answered.
Suddenly, his figure slammed into something invisible. Because of his speed, the impact sent him flying back like a bouncing ball. He quickly steadied himself and stared into the void ahead. His heart sank, and his expression twisted with shock, fear, and anger. "What? An invisible barrier?"
"How is that possible?!"
They had clearly just come from this path not long ago. How could a barrier suddenly appear? Xing Juekong clenched his fists and muttered, "No wonder, no wonder even after fighting for so long, it didn't attract the attention of anyone."
"Dear father, where did you go?" Jasmine's voice came from behind him. "Don't tell me you went to buy milk?"
She flew leisurely, a dark, mocking smile on her face. Her eyes stared at him like he was a monkey performing in a circus, just there to entertain her.
'Buying milk? WTF is she talking about?!' Xing Juekong tried to keep his expression normal, but couldn't stop his face from twitching. "When? When did you set up the barrier?"
A barrier this size, one that could stop a God Emperor's charge, wasn't something set up easily, no, it was almost impossible. He had never heard of such a thing happening in the history of the God Realm, even if just for a short time.
The only barriers that could stop a God Emperor were those of the King Realm's protective shields.
"I brought it from IKEA. It's complicated to set up, but it gets the job done," Jasmine said cheerfully as she caressed her blade. After spending so much time with Yun Wuji, her way of speaking had started to sound more like his.
"..." Xing Juekong didn't understand a word she said. He abruptly turned around, gathering all the energy he had been building while talking to her onto his sword, then slashed at the invisible barrier with all his might!
He refused to believe that even with his full strength, he couldn't break through a simple barrier!
Bang!
Upon contact, a huge rumbling echoed through the vast void. The invisible barrier, like a giant mirror, suddenly trembled. Small fine cracks appeared everywhere, then those cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire surface!
Swoosh!
Just when Xing Juekong thought the barrier was about to break, it recovered in an instant! All the cracks faded immediately and returned to its original shape!
"Bad, bad father, how could you be this irresponsible? Leaving your dear daughter all alone?" Amidst his shock, Jasmine's voice came from behind him. "Fortunately, I know your bad habits and set up this place to settle our family bonding."
"Xing Tong! Stop this!" Xing Juekong's chest heaved. No wonder Jasmine didn't bother chasing, no wonder the other two women ignored his escape... It was because they weren't afraid of him getting away!
...
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