The Last Sentinel

Demonic energy condensed into ice, enveloping the entire lake surface.

A chilling, demonic cold spread across the lake's surface, instantly freezing the surrounding air and even the howling evening wind. In a flash, the once turbulent, surging water froze solid, layers of purplish-black ice patterns spreading and crisscrossing like dragon scales, covering the entire lake. The undercurrents beneath the ice were completely sealed off, exuding a deathly, chilling pressure.

Mo Lijie stood tall on the icy shore, his black robe billowing slightly in the invisible demonic wind, his dark hair moving without wind.

He slowly raised his left hand, his fingers long and white, his index and middle fingers pressed tightly together, the tips of his fingers frosty, carrying a chilling, demonic aura, and pointed at the false man's brow from afar.

The fake man stood calmly in the middle of the frozen lake.

"When you don't know the ending, the ending is the most important."

"When you already know the ending, the process becomes the most important."

"When you don't care about the outcome, the present moment is the most important."

The three sentences were spoken in a calm and gentle tone, yet each word contained hidden meaning, as if the cause and effect of this battle had already been seen through.

Mo Lijie's narrow eyes were filled with a cold, frosty light; his pupils were clear but devoid of warmth. The icy light at his fingertips grew increasingly sharp, and the surrounding ice patterns trembled violently. "So, what's your situation now? Knowing the ending, is the process the most important thing?"

The fake man shook his head slightly, his smile unchanged, but a hint of confident sharpness flashed in his eyes: "Yes, but the ending I know is different from what you think."

"You think I'm doomed?"

"But I know I won't die, and you can't format me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his aura subtly expanded, revealing no defensive posture whatsoever, but rather an air of complete composure and certainty of victory.

Mo Lijie's lips curled into a cold smile, his malice lurking beneath the surface: "Then let's give it a try!"

Before he finished speaking, his left hand suddenly slammed down, the movement swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. A deep, cold, and chilling blue-purple icy light shot out from his two fingers, the beam as sharp as a blade, without the slightest dispersion, carrying the demonic power to freeze all things, tearing through the stagnant air, and with a piercing whistling sound, it shot straight towards the false man's brow. Wherever it passed, fine ice shards condensed in the void and fell down in a flurry.

The fake man stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as steady as a rock, his back straight, his gaze fixed on the rapidly approaching demonic light, his eyes as firm as an ancient rock, and the contempt on the corner of his mouth becoming clearer, completely ignoring this demonic attack that was capable of freezing everything.

Just as the blue-purple ice light invaded three steps in front of him, the world suddenly trembled. A circle of dark golden light, visible to the naked eye, rose up around the pseudo-human. The light layered and expanded, condensing into a solid and heavy barrier. The spiritual light flowed and the patterns were intricate, like the ultimate self-defense mechanism triggered by the body's instinct. The powerful divine pressure swept in all directions in an instant, violently clashing with the dark demonic energy of Mo Lijie, stirring up layers of ripples in the void.

Facing this imposing golden barrier, Mo Lijie's expression remained unchanged, his eyes still cold and indifferent, and he increased the force of his fingertips once more.

The surging demonic energy surged and gathered around him, pouring into the ice light. The originally condensed demonic light suddenly increased several times, becoming even more powerful. With an overwhelming force, it directly penetrated the layers of defense of the golden barrier without any hindrance.

The barrier trembled and roared, and the golden light flickered violently, but it did not collapse.

The dark golden halo flowed and swirled, reversing the trajectory of the demonic light's impact and floating in mid-air. A magnificent golden phantom, half-human and half-beast, slowly solidified behind the pseudo-human, with divine light descending and suppressing the entire frozen lake surface.

Upon closer inspection, the phantom has a human body and a dragon's head, with a ferocious beast's head, protruding fangs, and a pair of golden dragon horns pointing skyward, exuding an aura of overwhelming power!

The body's muscles are sharply defined and powerful, with flowing and radiant divine seals engraved on the chest and abdomen. The lines conceal ancient Taoist charm, and the right arm is adorned with a three-dimensional dragon relief with lifelike scales that seem to burst forth from the wall. The shoulders and back are covered with ferocious thorns that stand upright, exuding a wild and fierce aura.

A simple and heavy Xuanhuang Dao belt was tied around his waist, and his lower body was covered with layers of dragon scale armor in beast patterned battle pants. The armor was cold and sharp, with unparalleled defense. His huge golden claws slowly rose as the pseudo-human's fingertips lightly touched them. His fingertips were filled with killing divine light, carrying the ferocity of eternity, pointing directly at the Demon Ritual, with a chilling killing intent.

The next second, the dark golden divine light and the blue-purple demonic ice light collided violently!

A deafening roar shattered the heavens and earth, and a violent shockwave spread wildly from the point of impact. The ice surface stretching for miles beneath their feet instantly cracked like a spiderweb, and fine ice shards, carrying demonic energy and divine light, shot into the sky, swirling everywhere. The ultimate powers of the black and white paths were locked in a fierce stalemate, neither willing to yield, their strength precisely balanced, completely evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand in the slightest.

Mo Lijie's gaze suddenly darkened, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes, quickly replaced by a chilling aura. His brows furrowed slightly: "This is something! Is this phantom a ferocious beast from the mountains and seas?"

The fake man spoke calmly, yet with an undeniable certainty: "Wrong, it's Yinglong, the Dragon Clan's First War God, under Xuanyuan's command!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Lijie's expression hardened slightly. He suddenly exerted his strength in both arms, and the dark demonic energy around him surged into the sky like a tidal wave, gathering wildly. The rolling demonic energy surged and steamed, piling up layer upon layer behind him, finally condensing into a vast, boundless, terrifying, and majestic pillar of destiny.

The Heavenly Pillar is as black as ink, its body entwined with countless patterns of fortune. The boundless fortune of heaven and earth flows freely, suppressing the eight wastelands and six directions. Its domineering and unparalleled pressure crushes all directions, even causing the surrounding void to collapse slightly.

Yinglong Shenying suddenly lowered his waist and stomped on the ground, his thick beast feet landing heavily on the frozen lake surface, instantly blasting a huge crater into the hard ice.

Golden ripples spread outwards from the toes of his feet, while dark golden flames and swirling clouds coiled and entwined around his body. The blazing golden light enveloped his entire body like chains of flames, and the scorching divine aura dispelled the biting demonic chill around him.

Its body was as heavy as a mountain, its shoulders slightly slumped, its fists tightly clenched with power, its muscles and bones creaking. Its savage and violent beastly nature was perfectly blended with its supreme divine majesty, like a primordial behemoth that had been dormant for eons and had awakened to return.

The next instant, Yinglong raised his head and let out a roar that shook the heavens. The sound waves rolled and shattered the clouds, overturned the turbid air of the eight wastelands, and unleashed boundless divine power.

Before the roar subsided, Yinglong unleashed a deafening roar! Vast and dazzling golden fist light howled through the air, layer upon layer, with countless tiny dragon shadows entwining the fist force, carrying an unstoppable killing power, all rushing towards the pillar of destiny behind Mo Lijie. Wherever the fist wind passed, the void trembled and hummed incessantly.

"Like a mayfly trying to shake a tree! Completely overestimating its own strength!"

Mo Lijie snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain, and his wide black robe suddenly billowed out. The majestic pillar of destiny behind him trembled in response, carrying an overwhelming and powerful force as it crashed down!

The boundless power of fortune surged forth, heavy, domineering, and invincible, crushing all things in heaven and earth. Even the supreme divine shadow of Yinglong, the war god of the dragon race, was unable to withstand it.

A sharp cracking sound rang out, and the massive Yinglong beast head was instantly covered with fine cracks. The cracks spread rapidly, and the ferocious fangs and hard horns crumbled inch by inch. In the blink of an eye, the entire beast head exploded, and golden fragments scattered and vanished into thin air.

A faint, indifferent smile slowly spread across Mo Lijie's face, his eyes radiating a sense of superiority as if he controlled the entire situation: "The Origin, how about it?"

Ripples of dark golden light slowly spread out, and tiny fragments of divine light gradually gathered and reassembled. The expected dissipation did not occur; instead, a hazy, handsome human face slowly materialized from the shattered beast head, its features clear and its aura extraordinary.

The newcomer's face was covered by a half-mask of Yinglong fangs, obscuring most of his features, but the familiar, calm and unrestrained smile on his lips instantly froze and wiped away the smile from Mo Lijie's face.

Mo Lijie's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart sank, and his voice tightened abruptly, filled with disbelief and gravity: "Sentry!!

His demonic energy surged and churned instantly, and he instinctively retreated several feet, his toes scraping the ice surface, leaving two thin ice marks. His face was filled with surprise and wariness, and his previous composure and domineering demeanor had vanished completely.

On the frozen lake surface, golden light fully bloomed and spread out freely.

Wearing the mask emblazoned with the fangs of the ferocious beast Yinglong, Ye Feng's divine form was fully revealed. His golden hair flew wildly, gleaming under the divine light. Behind him, a divine crown shimmered with graceful light, exuding overwhelming power. The entire divine figure suddenly rose to a height of a hundred meters, majestic and imposing, standing shoulder to shoulder with the pillar of destiny behind Mo Lijie. The boundless aura of a war god swept across the entire arena, every inch of the void slightly distorted by the pressure of the ultimate battle power.

Without any hesitation, the pillar of destiny hanging high in the sky once again crashed down, carrying an invincible force that could crush the heavens and earth, and smashed down hard on Ye Feng's divine figure, determined to crush this divine figure blocking his way in one fell swoop.

Ye Feng's eyes behind the mask were calm and unwavering, his expression indifferent. Facing this deadly attack that could shatter mountains and split the earth, he neither dodged nor avoided it. His right arm suddenly gathered power and he threw a punch!

The pitch-black pillar of magical energy collided violently with the dazzling golden divine fist!

In an instant, the world lost its color, the sun and moon lost their light, and the entire world trembled violently, with continuous and deafening roars. A violent energy storm swept across the frozen lake for thousands of miles, with shattered ice fragments, scattered divine light and demonic energy intertwining and swirling, raging across the sky.

The incomparably powerful Demonic Qi Pillar, known for its ability to crush anything, remained completely undamaged and stood majestically. Ye Feng, facing the heavy blow head-on, stood tall and steady like a mountain, his body radiating divine light, also without the slightest injury or harm.

The imposter stepped forward slowly, treading across the shattered ice, his posture leisurely. He looked at the solemn-looking Mo Lijie and asked softly, "Young Master Jie, how is it?"

Mo Lijie stared intently at the towering phantom of Ye Feng, then glanced sideways at the composed fake man, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty. After a moment, he suddenly burst into loud laughter, a deep, cold laugh tinged with resentment and clarity: "I understand where your confidence comes from!"

"To format the original will, one must merge with the original will."

"And I cannot merge with the origin that already has a master!"

His gaze suddenly sharpened, and he cut to the chase: "You've already merged with Ye Feng!"

"Unless I can kill Ye Feng, I'll never be able to format you!"

Upon hearing this, the imposter merely smiled faintly and remained silent, tacitly agreeing to everything, his eyes revealing an air of composure as if victory was assured.

Mo Lijie's gaze deepened as he continued his analysis, his tone resolute: "If I'm not mistaken, your true form should be Yinglong, the Dragon Clan's God of War! After the Battle of Zhuolu between the Yellow Emperor and the War Ancestor Chiyou, the Dragon Clan's God of War disappeared without a trace. I never expected you to survive in this way, escaping the pursuit of the Merit Sect, the Ancient Emperor Sect, and even the Jiuli Sect!"

The imposter nodded slightly, interrupting him, his tone calm yet brimming with absolute confidence: "Being able to survive is a skill in itself! The interesting thing now is that Ye Feng is trapped in the River of Time. Even if you could find him, could you defeat him?"

Mo Lijie looked up at the hundred-meter-tall, awe-inspiring figure of Ye Feng, his jaw clenching slightly, a hint of apprehension and solemnity flashing in his eyes. His tone was slow and deliberate: "Others cultivate vertically, climbing to the peak of their realm, while Ye Feng cultivates horizontally, pursuing the ultimate range of combat power, traversing countless ages. I have to admit, this guy can fight those old fogies who have been dormant for countless ages to a standstill; he truly has profound foundations and ruthless methods. I really can't do anything about you."

His tone abruptly shifted, a crazed and chilling glint flashing in his eyes. His demonic energy surged and churned once more, a boundless malevolent aura sweeping across the surroundings: "But if I were to change my approach and physically format this planet, how would you respond?"

The charade vanished from the fake man's face in an instant, replaced by a chillingly cold expression. His divine aura surged, the air seemed to freeze, and he spoke each word with a sharp, metallic tone, carrying a deadly warning: "Then you are courting your own destruction!"

"Hahaha!" Mo Lijie's eyes gleamed with demonic light, his domineering and murderous aura fully unleashed as he roared with laughter: "I'd like to see how you bring about your own destruction!"