Chapter 431: Battling Heaven and Earth
Zhang Yu, riding atop his Wuxiang Lingjiang, suddenly lunged forward, opening his maw and unleashing a searing beam that sliced through the sky, sweeping away a vast swath of the Huangjin Army a hundred meters away—men and horses thrown into chaos, sprawling across the ground.
At the same time, the Golden Thread Jade Disc hovered above the Wuxiang Lingjiang’s head, firing volley after volley of blazing solar rays and freezing cold beams that obliterated every approaching Huangjin Warrior in their path.
Yet one colossal Huangjin Warrior—over ten meters tall—pushed through the barrage, its body armored in layers of armor several meters thick. Conventional long-range attacks proved utterly ineffective against it.
Just then, the Wuxiang Lingjiang swung out a massive palm, unleashing a hurricane-force surge that bore down on the giant like a collapsing mountain.
The warrior tried to dodge—but suddenly, the Zhendi Yin at the center of the Wuxiang Lingjiang’s palm flared to life, unleashing an invisible force field that momentarily paralyzed the beast.
In an instant, the colossal hand slammed down onto the warrior’s skull with crushing force. The power surged through the layers of armor, not simply shattering them, but detonating violently within the creature’s core.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The once-unstoppable giant trembled violently, then slowly collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Roar!
The Wuxiang Lingjiang opened its mouth again, spewing forth a long, crackling beam—like a lightning bolt tearing across the sky—racing toward the distant Huangjin Army.
Pulsing shockwaves exploded across the battlefield.
At the same time, the Wuxiang Lingjiang twisted its body with explosive force, transforming into a living cannonball, charging headlong into the swarm of Huangjin Warriors.
At this moment, Zhang Yu poured every ounce of his cultivation, every technique he’d refined, every ounce of power from his Spirit Artifacts—into the Wuxiang Lingjiang.
The beast became a primordial monster of destruction, tearing through the tide of Huangjin Warriors with merciless ferocity, scattering limbs and wreckage across the battlefield.
Similar battles raged across the exam halls, tens of kilometers away—or even farther.
As the final wave of the Huangjin Army surged forward, the pressure on all candidates skyrocketed.
Su Yanyang and another examinee were quickly pushed to the brink of elimination.
Only Ping Han, Zhang Yu, and Xiao Yunji still maintained control, their composure intact, their Array Eye still fully intact.
But this was not yet their most dangerous moment.
As the Military License Exam entered its final minute, the Huangjin Army underwent a sudden transformation.
More than a dozen massive Huangjin Warriors converged, their bodies contracting and reshaping—then fusing together in a grotesque, seamless union.
In an instant, they formed a monstrous, multi-limbed abomination.
The creature resembled a living mountain of flesh, its back and chest lined with twisted, inverted arms, its lower body a cluster of spider-like legs, while its body twisted and coiled like a writhing serpent nest.
ROAR!
The dozen heads pressed together let out a unified, deafening roar, spewing forth torrents of iron-armored divine lightning—like a flood of molten metal—ripping open the surface layer of the earth and exposing Su Yanyang’s underground palace beneath.
And behind this beast, more Huangjin Warriors continued to merge, forming even more monstrous forms.
—
On the Flying Barge, Director Gao’s gaze sharpened.
“The final minute has arrived. The most critical moment.”
Beside him, Xi Yun Zhenjun’s lips curled into a faint, intrigued smile.
“Let’s see… what surprises do these students still have left?”
Tian Xiang Zhenjun mused, “These Huangjin Warriors… they were likely manufactured before the great advancement in Spirit Artifact and Spirit Armor transformation technology.”
“Their combined form is crude—still relying on old lab techniques.”
Xi Yun Zhenjun nodded. “True, not a standardized product. But after fusion, they share weapons and their armor becomes significantly thicker. Their combat effectiveness has increased dramatically.”
“The biggest flaw? They can’t sustain this form for long. That’s probably why they fell out of favor later.”
“But for the final minute of this exam hall? Perfectly suited.”
Tian Xiang Zhenjun added, “The last minute is when these warriors unleash their peak strength. It’s a test—pushing the candidates to their absolute limits. Only then can we truly see who’s worthy.”
As the two judges spoke, the exam hall erupted into chaos.
—
Su Yanyang’s underground palace—his burial crypt—was now fully exposed, like a skull ripped open.
With a violent quake, the monstrous forms surged forward, crushing his defenses with brutal, mindless force, tearing through the defenses like paper, dragging Su Yanyang and his Array Eye out into the open.
Just as Su Yanyang and the other examinee were eliminated—
Xiao Yunji, transformed into a high-speed train, tore through the battlefield, unleashing sonic booms with every pass—like a white lightning bolt carving across the earth, piercing through wave after wave of Huangjin monsters.
But soon, more and more of the creatures clung to her body like tumors, latching onto her frame, dragging her down, slowing her relentlessly.
Spirit Armor Synchronization Rate: 80%
Spirit Armor Synchronization Rate: 79%
The more she was weighed down, the more agony tore through her.
With a scream of pure anguish, Xiao Yunji roared:
“I will get the Military License!”
“I want to keep studying!”
“I don’t want to work in some company!”
In a flash, her body split apart—shattering into five pieces, each a segment of the original train, rocketing in all directions, shredding the surrounding monsters to pieces.
As her body fragmented, her Spirit Armor synchronization rate plummeted—crashing to 50%.
“Hurts… so much!”
“Why are you still alive after all this?!”
“Why won’t you just die?!”
Pain flooded every nerve, threatening to consume her mind. She wanted nothing but to destroy everything—tearing apart the monsters with blind, furious rage.
But as she raged across the battlefield, one Huangjin Warrior had already reached the Array Eye.
Array Eye Integrity: 98%
The alert flashed in her mind.
With a blood-curdling roar, Xiao Yunji charged—five bodies, five lightning bolts—slamming into the beast and tearing it apart.
—
“Xiao Yunji… too bad,” Xi Yun Zhenjun said calmly from the Flying Barge. “She’s out of the running now.”
Tian Xiang Zhenjun waved a hand dismissively. “What’s there to regret? Ping Han’s breakthroughs have already placed him above all others. Xiao Yunji failing to secure the license is expected.”
“But Zhang Yu… he’s surprising.”
Xi Yun Zhenjun nodded. “Indeed. I didn’t expect him to hold on this long.”
At this moment, only Ping Han and Zhang Yu remained with 100% Array Eye integrity.
Ping Han stood in full power, his Spirit Armor blazing, his Spirit Artifacts operating at maximum output, shaking the entire exam hall like a collapsing world, crushing the monstrous forms beneath him.
Zhang Yu, meanwhile, rode the Wuxiang Lingjiang like a berserker—rampaging through the battlefield, meeting each attack with ferocious resolve.
Their will, their strength, their bodies, their Spirit Artifacts—all pushed to the absolute limit. They unleashed every ounce of potential, every drop of endurance.
This was the peak of battle.
Tian Xiang Zhenjun grinned. “Remarkable. I thought one Ping Han was enough to astonish me—but now I see Zhang Yu matching him step for step.”
Xi Yun Zhenjun watched the battlefield with growing anticipation. “So far, Ping Han holds the upper hand. But… do they still have hidden cards?”
Meanwhile, the fifth-rank Zheng Shen, Geng Chen Yi, reviewed the profiles of both candidates in his mind.
One—Ping Han—had spent years honing his craft, a true prodigy of the Civil Engineering Department. Once, he had fallen into disgrace due to crypto trading, but he never gave up. Now, riding the momentum of the Hua Shen Coin, he harnessed the power of heaven and earth, determined to sweep through the exam hall and claim the Military License.
The other—Zhang Yu—was a genius beyond measure, fusing civil engineering, Spirit Artifacts, and martial prowess into a single, seamless force. He had pushed every bit of strength, every spark of potential to its limit—facing the Huangjin Army not just as a warrior, but as one who battled heaven and earth itself.
At this moment, Geng Chen Yi looked down upon the battlefield—and saw not just candidates versus monsters, but Ping Han and Zhang Yu locked in an epic duel.
No. Even beyond that.
He saw, through the distant, silent thought of the Qiongjiang God, the sky itself trembling from a mere glance from afar—watching Ping Han dance through the heavens, and Zhang Yu fight desperately beneath the storm.
Geng Chen Yi thought to himself: Zhang Yu… perhaps he isn’t fighting Ping Han at all. He’s enduring the unconscious thought of a God, a thousand miles away.
Director Gao, watching the battle from the Flying Barge, felt his pulse quicken.
“Zhang Yu… made it this far?”
“This kid… had this plan all along? He was aiming for the Military License all along.”
He had thought he knew Zhang Yu’s talent, but this year’s growth had far surpassed his expectations.
“Who will win? Who will claim the Military License?”
In that moment, Director Gao realized—no matter who won, he would feel a deep sense of regret for the one who lost.
Beside him, Lin Director stared coldly at the battlefield.
“Ping Han… Zhang Yu… War Faction… even in this dead-end mindset, how do they keep producing geniuses?”
Just then, Tian Xiang Zhenjun’s eyes narrowed.
“Less than ten seconds left…”
He turned to Ping Han’s battlefield and smiled.
“Ping Han… still has a trump card?”
At that instant, all eyes turned to Ping Han.
The earth trembled. Dust and smoke roared into the sky. The horizon began to rise slowly, as if the world itself were shifting.
(End of Chapter)
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