Chapter 32: An Overwhelming Victory

Han Lin’s expression darkened. This feeling of being humiliated right in his face was infuriating. He finally understood the murderous impulse that Junior Brother Yang had felt earlier.

"I must not get angry. Junior Brother Yang was blinded by rage, lost his composure, and was defeated by this brat in a single move. I must not repeat his mistake."

Yes, although Li Yao had defeated Junior Brother Yang with one strike, Han Lin did not believe it was entirely due to Li Yao’s overwhelming strength. He had noticed that Junior Brother Yang’s state at the time was completely clouded by fury—his mind had been far from clear. Han Lin was confident he could have easily defeated a version of Junior Brother Yang in that state as well.

To Han Lin, Li Yao’s true combat power remained a question mark, as there was a suspicion that he had merely used a clever trick. He suppressed his anger and curled his lips into a smirk, acting as if he had already seen through Li Yao’s scheme.

"I will not get angry. In battle, rage leads to the loss of reason. Don’t think you can use that kind of tactic on me."

Li Yao: "..."

Though he didn't know what the other party was rambling about, he had no intention of wasting any more time.

*Boom!*

With a stomp of his toe, the ground beneath Li Yao cracked, the dense web of fissures looking as if a massive boulder had plummeted from the heavens. A sonic boom erupted as the terrifying force tore through the air, and Li Yao’s figure transformed into a blur, charging forward with lightning speed.

Han Lin’s pupils constricted violently. He hurriedly formed hand seals, and brilliant radiance surged from his body, coalescing into a divine protective barrier around him.

"Sun God Shield!"

*Bang!*

A palm enveloped in holy light slammed fiercely into the shield. With a sharp crack, the divine barrier was instantly covered in a dense web of fractures. Han Lin was sent flying several yards back, and as he hit the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

This was the result even with the protection of the Sun God Shield; had that palm truly landed on his body, he likely would have been torn asunder.

"How is this possible..." Han Lin was shocked. Although he was only at the Divine Bridge realm, as a disciple of Dragon Head Peak, his combat power was by no means inferior to those in the Other Shore realm. His Holy Light Shield was supposed to be capable of blocking a full-force strike from an Other Shore cultivator; that was precisely why he had been so confident in his ability to defeat Li Yao.

Yet now, Li Yao had shattered his shield with nothing but his bare palm.

He realized now that there was no "clever trick"—Junior Brother Yang had been insta-killed simply because Li Yao’s strength was overwhelming.

"No wonder you were so confident. It seems you really do have some skill," Li Yao remarked, genuinely surprised that Han Lin had managed to block the first blow. "But this is the end."

As he spoke, Li Yao’s figure surged forward once more. He raised a hand, his palm wreathed in intense, brilliant holy light. It looked as if it had been forged from refined gold—mystical and dazzling, appearing not like flesh and blood, but like a blinding artifact.

*Bang!*

The Holy Light Shield shattered again. This time, however, Han Lin did not fare nearly as well. The first time, Li Yao had used only sixty percent of his strength, fearing he might accidentally kill the man. Now, knowing Han Lin’s defensive capabilities, he unleashed eighty percent.

As the shield exploded, the palm struck Han Lin’s chest with unstoppable force. First came a muffled thud, followed by the incessant, crackling sound of breaking bones, much like roasting beans.

Han Lin collapsed on the ground, most of his bones shattered. Even for a cultivator, he wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least a year.

The onlookers were stunned, witnessing an incredible scene. The disciples of Dragon Head Peak could hardly believe their eyes—Han Lin had been defeated, almost crushed. Within the Divine Bridge realm, there were few in the entire Yaoguang Sacred Land who could outmatch Han Lin, and even those few would need a grueling, protracted battle to defeat him—it shouldn't have been this easy.

If Li Yao could crush Han Lin, did that not mean there was no one left in the Divine Bridge realm who could be his match?

"But he only just broke through to the Divine Bridge realm!" A wave of shock rippled through the disciples.

The Yaoguang Sacred Land was about to be shaken to its core! Once word of this reached the higher-ups, it would surely cause a stir. Everyone would know that a true dragon had emerged within the Yaoguang Sacred Land.

Li Yao looked toward the Dragon Head Peak disciples. Those who had been so arrogant moments ago now quickly averted their gazes or stared at the ground, pretending to be incredibly busy the moment they felt his eyes upon them. This was the benefit of strength: when you are powerful enough, even if others hate you to the core, fear will outweigh that hatred when they face you.

Li Yao turned away, ignoring the Dragon Head Peak disciples, and strolled over to Han Lin.

"I take back what I said earlier. When you tell stories to your children in the future, you can say you fought a fierce battle with me and only narrowly lost by a single move."

"Consider that... a reward for blocking two of my strikes, even though I didn't use my full power for either."

Han Lin spat out another mouthful of blood and fell into a dead faint.

What a brutal way to crush a man’s spirit! The other disciples looked at Han Lin with pity. After this, he was essentially ruined; if he couldn't overcome the mental demon born from this defeat and rise again, he would sink into obscurity forever.

Yet, no one stepped forward to intervene. This was the world of cultivators, where everything was decided by strength. No one cared about Han Lin’s future; they only knew that Li Yao had won this fight beautifully, ascending by stepping over the bodies of his opponents to forge his own myth of invincibility.

Li Yao looked back at the Dragon Head Peak disciples and asked in a flat tone, "Who is next?"

No one responded. The Dragon Head Peak disciples dared not even look at him, terrified that a mere flicker of their eyelids might be interpreted as a provocation.

"Hmph." Li Yao shook his head in boredom and turned to leave.

Although this went against his principle of keeping a low profile, he would not stand idly by when people brought trouble to his doorstep. As for whether this would attract the attention of the Supreme Holy lineage, Li Yao had pondered this, but would they ignore him if he didn't act?

When he first joined the Sacred Land, the two major factions had fought over his affiliation; that was certainly no secret within the Yaoguang Sacred Land. Furthermore, his disappearance had caused the Rising Sun Divine Island to panic as if they had severed a major artery—all of this revealed one thing: his talent was immense, and the Rising Sun Divine Island valued him highly.

With all that in mind, it was impossible for the Supreme Holy lineage not to notice him.

As for the fact that he was merely a "mortal physique," did they truly believe that? Looking at his cultivation speed, he hardly resembled a mortal. Even the Supreme Holy lineage likely doubted it, and the Rising Sun Divine Island was probably wondering right now what unique, unprecedented body type he actually possessed, leading them to misidentify it as a mortal one.

"Sigh, I really am just a mortal," Li Yao sighed to himself. "My cultivation is so fast only because I’ve been 'cheating' a little. It’s all the Heavenly Book’s fault for causing such a huge misunderstanding."