Chapter 22: Eightfold Divine Might Shatters the Shimmering Light

In the source region of the Sacred Ground of Fluctuation-Light, a middle-aged man sat atop a Suanni beast at the center of a group of knights. His iron armor shimmered with a chilling luster, and fifteen blood-red banners planted behind him erupted with terrifying, ocean-like fluctuations.

Mounted and alone, he drew one of the banners and charged forward. His speed was so extreme that the human eye could not follow, capturing only a fleeting afterimage.

"Jiang Yi, the Ninth Great Bandit?!" The cultivators of the Sacred Ground of Fluctuation-Light were stunned, their expressions shifting instantly to one of dread. They dared not even attempt to block his path, turning to flee, but against a Great Power, such efforts were far too slow.

The blood-red banner whipped through the air with violent force. A dozen cultivators from the Sacred Ground let out agonizing screams as their bodies shattered on the spot. Streams of blood converged into the banner, and their corpses plummeted from the sky.

"Jiang Yi, you hail from an ancient family; you should understand the might of a Sacred Ground. How dare you act with such unbridled arrogance?" A figure appeared, shouting the question.

"Enough talk! It is precisely the Sacred Ground of Fluctuation-Light that I have come to strike!" Jiang Yi spurred his beast forward; the Suanni’s roar shook the very mountains and rivers. The blood-red banner in his hand thrust forward like a spear, piercing through the void.

The man’s expression changed, and daring not to be careless, he hurriedly sacrificed a heavy seal to meet the banner.

*Crack.*

The blood-red banner was indestructible. Its shaft, sharp as a spearhead, struck the mountain-sized treasure seal and shattered it instantly.

"This..." The elder left behind an afterimage as he retreated rapidly. Alas, he could not match Jiang Yi’s speed. The banner thrust forward, tearing through the void and impaling the elder.

*Bang.*

With a flick of Jiang Yi’s hand, the elder’s body, still skewered on the banner, burst into pieces, his blood absorbed into the fabric.

"Insolence!" Zhang Chong roared. With a flash of his form, he lunged forward. Blinding holy light erupted to envelop him, making Zhang Chong appear as a scorching sun. It was the world-renowned holy technique of the Sacred Ground of Fluctuation-Light: the Sacred Light Art!

The sight of this technique shocked everyone. As the most famous divine art of the Sacred Ground, countless legends of it circulated throughout the Eastern Wasteland.

Jiang Yi let out a cold snort and scoffed, "If Li Daoqing were here to wield this, I might truly have to avoid its edge. But you? You are not worth the effort."

The banner jolted, and blood-red light cascaded like a surging sea, crushing toward Zhang Chong. Upon contact with the blood-red light, the searing holy radiance was instantly extinguished. The gap in cultivation was absolute; though the difference between a Half-Step Great Power and a true Great Power was merely one realm, it was a chasm as deep as heaven and earth, impossible to bridge.

*Bang!*

Zhang Chong was sent flying, blood spraying into the air. As a Half-Step Great Power, he could not withstand a single strike; a gruesome wound on his chest nearly tore him through.

*Whoosh!*

At that moment, two more streaks of incandescent light flashed across the sky, their pressure sweeping over tens of miles. It was the power of the Sacred Light Art—divine radiance, like a rushing galaxy, shooting forward. Wherever it passed, the void shattered; cultivators beneath the Immortal Platform stage perished upon mere contact.

"Numbers are of no use," Jiang Yi sneered. He brandished his banner, its surface unfurling like a painting that blotted out the heavens. The void collapsed, and even the formidable defense of the Sacred Light Art could not hold, failing as they retreated in a spray of blood.

*Clatter!*

Jiang Yi made another move. He waved both hands, and the fourteen blood-red banners behind him shook, blocking out the sun. It was as if the dawn of creation had returned; chaos swirled, completely shrouding the firmament. The two Supreme Elders of the Sacred Ground and Zhang Chong were trapped within, struggling to break through the blood-red domain.

The banners rippled, each standing a hundred feet tall. With every movement, they unleashed sword lights that were indestructible, their sharpness pressing down upon the sun and moon.

"Jiang Yi, with your cultivation, only Divine Source is of use to you. Plundering our source region like this is entirely meaningless."

Just as one of the Supreme Elders finished speaking, a sharp sword light illuminated the sky like a bolt of lightning, cleaving off a corner of his sleeve.

"You..." His expression turned grim.

"I can use the source to trade for what I need," Jiang Yi replied calmly, sitting atop his Suanni, his hands moving slowly.

"Why waste words on him? Do you expect him to just let us be and leave?" Zhang Chong punched, shattering a streak of sword light. His radiant holy attacks were peerless, and for a moment, the terrifying sword energy could not draw near.

"Haha, little one, you must be a Supreme Elder from the Sun God Island lineage. Your temper is exactly like that old dog, Xun Zhan." Jiang Yi laughed, yet he did not stop for a moment. He even hurled the banner he had been holding.

The fifteen blood-red banners surged like a tidal wave, shifting their positions rapidly. Jiang Yi’s hands moved with a demonic grace; though the movements were slow, the terrifying pressure they exuded caused hearts to tremble as they resonated with the fifteen banners.

*Bang.*

The void rippled violently, as if a massive millstone were crushing through the sky. The two Supreme Elders and Zhang Chong all paled. Strong as they were, they were like duckweed in a raging sea, swaying in the sky, unable to stabilize their forms.

The fifteen banners vibrated violently, clanging with an unparalleled power that threatened to tear the heavens asunder.

"The Eight Divine Savage Arts!" Zhang Chong’s expression shifted drastically; he recognized this forbidden technique.

Jiang Yi’s hands moved ever slower, yet the energy they projected became increasingly horrifying. His hands possessed a demonic quality; the heavens trembled at his touch, and the void collapsed continuously. Under this power, the fifteen banners stood like fifteen blood gods, their might overwhelming.

The Eight Divine Savage Arts were a top-tier divine skill for controlling implements, imbued with a demonic nature. Once cultivated to the peak, it could break through anything, becoming truly unstoppable. This supreme secret was a masterpiece of the Jiang family’s ancient scripture—much like the Sacred Light Art of the Sacred Ground of Fluctuation-Light—but it was far superior, for it had been created by a Great Emperor.

Jiang Yi’s hands slowed until they seemed almost frozen in the air, yet the effect was even more terrifying, as if eight divine spirits were truly exerting their savage strength. The sky felt like a swamp, a field of demonic force that slowed the three Half-Step Great Powers more and more, threatening to bind them in place. The fifteen blood-red banners forced the three together, shrinking their space to nothing.

*Bang.*

Just as Jiang Yi’s hands came to a near-halt, he gave them a sudden, sharp jolt.

The space ahead collapsed instantly. The fifteen banners shook violently, and the force of the Eight Divine Savage Arts—like ten thousand crashing waves, wild and peerless—struck, sending the three Half-Step Great Powers flying, blood gushing from their bodies.

Those who witnessed this scene felt a chill of terror. These were three Half-Step Great Powers, beings capable of shaking the Eastern Wasteland, yet now, they had been routed by Jiang Yi, one of the Thirteen Great Bandits.

Undoubtedly, this would lead to terrifying consequences; all the major Sacred Grounds of the Northern Region would soon find themselves in great trouble.