Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 279: Heaving the Sky and Devouring the Heaven

“You… you’re the one who heaves the sky?” The Sky Illusionist who had just fought Chu Tianyu asked, his voice slightly trembling.
Without waiting for Chu Tianyu to reply, he shook his head in disbelief and muttered, “Impossible. Lord Devourer of Heaven said they wouldn’t get involved in worldly affairs. Otherwise…”
At that critical moment, another Sky Illusionist beside him pulled him back, stopping him from continuing. Pointing at Chu Tianyu, he said to the first man, “We’ll find out if he really is him soon enough. Let’s not lose our composure. With our Sky Illusion bodies, no one can kill us. What’s there to fear?”
“Devourer of Heaven? Heh. One heaves the sky, the other devours the heaven. There’s no need to ask further. Just by looking at these two opposing names, we can tell how hostile they are. And from what Master Ao Xue did just now—bowing to them—it seems these two mysterious behind-the-scenes controllers never let their subordinates see their true faces. Otherwise, this situation wouldn’t have arisen. It’s simply a case of the wrong person being credited.” Chu Tianyu thought to himself.
On the surface, however, Chu Tianyu remained cold, staring at them and saying, “Stop talking nonsense. I won’t repeat myself. Since you don’t value this opportunity, I’ll have to take action!”
Though he said he would act, Chu Tianyu didn’t make any move, which made the two Sky Illusionists nervous. They quickly adopted a stance ready to fight with all their might.
The scene indeed carried a sense of fortune shifting from one side to another. Just think how arrogant those two had been toward the Heavenly Saint Sect and the Zhan family—how domineering and supreme they seemed!
Chu Tianyu shook his head with a scornful smile, his expression filled with irony that made the two Sky Illusionists feel ashamed instantly. They roared loudly and launched their attacks. Their figures blurred as they turned into two black shadows, shooting toward Chu Tianyu from left and right.
Chu Tianyu also shouted, “Perfect timing!”
He drew two circles with his hands, creating two pale yellow light barriers that met the attackers’ attacks head-on. Then he stepped forward, his hands changing from open palms to fists. The Breakthrough Army Fist technique was instantly deployed.

The two Sky Illusionists found it extremely difficult to cope with the first two waves of energy attacks. The energy gathered throughout their bodies could barely withstand this initial assault. Just as they hesitated, Chu Tianyu’s flurry of fist shadows struck again at lightning speed, appearing from various unimaginable angles, leaving them utterly defenseless. They were like two straws in the wind, tossed back and forth by the fist shadows, unable to fight back at all.

Those watching could only see three blurred figures entangled together, faintly hearing the sound of energy cutting through the air, but nothing else was clear.

As everyone was stunned by the three people’s formidable strength, a loud thunderclap suddenly rang out. The three figures separated, and Chu Tianyu reverted to his original state before attacking. As for the two Sky Illusionists, their situation had become utterly dire.

They were completely naked, with skin as tattered as old leather covering their skeletons, resembling two dried corpses that had been exposed to the sun for thousands of years, standing in the wind…

Though they looked pitiful, Chu Tianyu knew the real punishment for them had just begun. What had happened earlier was merely a test, and the results matched his expectations.

Those so-called Sky Illusionists were indeed made of energy. Their current human forms were just superficial shells. No matter how fierce the attacks, they would be ineffective against them. The earlier attacks had only managed to shatter their clothes.

“You’re really not Qing Tian!” said the first Sky Illusionist, licking his lip, which had been hit by Chu Tianyu’s fist, expressionlessly.

“Oh, is that so? Maybe you’ll say that again in a moment!” As soon as Chu Tianyu finished speaking, illusions appeared, and he vanished from everyone’s sight. Even the two Sky Illusionists only saw a blur before Chu Tianyu disappeared.

But soon, they saw him again. One of them felt a severe pain in his abdomen as Chu Tianyu’s fist landed on him. Unlike before, this fist emitted a layer of yellow light mixed with streaks of purple, with energy that pierced through his “skin” and struck the energy entity inside his body.

“Ahh!” A scream that echoed in the distance rang out. This kind of pain originating from the soul was something the Sky Illusionist had never experienced in thousands of years, so he couldn’t bear it and cried out immediately.

And it wasn’t just the unbearable pain inside his body—Chu Tianyu’s punch had thrown him to the ground, folding his torso into a large “Y” shape at the waist. After a series of irregular twists and convulsions, he could no longer stand.

Faced with this sudden change, the other Sky Illusionist, though shocked, reacted quickly. He immediately gathered energy at a single point and unleashed it in an instant, charging at the nearby Chu Tianyu.

After achieving success with one move, Chu Tianyu remained calm in the face of the attack. He sidestepped along the opponent’s punching trajectory, then spun 360 degrees to roll into the open space created by the attack. Pressing close to the man’s chest, he used his shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers in a series of strikes, bringing his fighting spirit to its extreme.

This time, Chu Tianyu specifically released a unique energy mixture—combining Purple Void True Qi, Ink Dragon Aura, and Lunar Energy—into the man’s flesh to counter the energy entities within him.

No natural energy could withstand such attacks. Not even the two Sky Illusionists reborn through borrowed bodies, nor the fierce Ink Dragon Aura or the scorching Pure Illusion Flame Meridian, could resist Chu Tianyu.

As a result, under Chu Tianyu’s continuous strikes, the second Sky Illusionist was forced to retreat step by step, moving back over ten meters before finally stopping when Chu Tianyu ceased attacking. His eyes were filled with despair…

Chu Tianyu, without even glancing back, turned around and leaped gracefully, tracing a beautiful arc. When he landed again, he precisely stepped on the head of the Sky Illusionist who had been knocked to the ground and was now writhing in pain.

At the same time, the Sky Illusionist behind him split open with a tearing sound, his body rupturing like rotten leather to reveal his hollow abdomen. His flesh shattered into pieces that fell to the ground, turning into powder that vanished with a gust of wind.

Witnessing this scene, those watching vomited out of fear on the spot. Even Ao Xue struggled to hold back her nausea and buried her head in her master’s arms.

Meanwhile, Chu Tianyu, standing on the other Sky Illusionist’s head, continuously sent energy from his feet into the man’s brain. As he instantly devoured the energy entities within, he also took control of the man’s mind through the energy, sensing his thoughts directly.

The once bustling warehouse square was now utterly silent, with only gusts of cold wind blowing by, seemingly reminding everyone of what had happened earlier. When Chu Tianyu stepped back, the body of that Illusionist instantly turned into pieces of flesh and flesh, shattering into powder and disappearing into the wind in no time. Facing Chu Tianyu’s gradually turning figure, Zhan Tian and the others were instantly choked with fear, their hearts filled with dread. However, the middle-aged woman and the disciples of Tian Sheng Gate behind her showed no sign of panic. Apparently, they believed Chu Tianyu was indeed the Celestial Sovereign mentioned by the woman. Thus, in the face of such a scene, their expressions only grew more devout, respectful, and fanatical. After all, they had just received the Sovereign’s grace, which not only healed their wounds but also greatly enhanced their martial skills. Only Ao Xue’s eyes showed disbelief. Shocked, she simply couldn’t connect this man, who possessed the strength of a deity, with the gentle and refined Young Master Chu from her master’s stories—the one they worshipped as the Sovereign and the man who saved them! “Sigh, it seems they’re worth a fight after all. Well, enough time has been wasted. Let’s settle accounts now…” At these words, Chu Tianyu paused, his expression turning cold as he stared straight at Zhan Tian and Zhan Yupeng, making them tremble with fear and lower their heads to avoid his gaze. After a while, Chu Tianyu continued in a cold, deliberate tone, “The Zhan family stays. Everyone else step aside for now!” “Sovereign, the Zhan family is the family we of Tian Sheng Gate keep alive in the world. Every year, new disciples undergo the Sacred Blood ritual—they’re all your people…” Seeing this, Ao Xue’s master, though dissatisfied with the Zhan family’s current behavior and unaware of how they had offended the Sovereign, had no choice but to speak the truth to prevent the Sovereign from harming his own followers. The members of the Zhan family nodded in response to Yun Qing’s words, confirming their identity, as they had witnessed everything that had just happened. After hearing this, Chu Tianyu secretly chuckled to himself: “I never expected that a random experiment would make them think they’re some kind of Sovereign for them. It seems that in Ao Xue’s master’s mind, only their powerless Sovereign could control the blood mist and grant them power again. So, under such preconceived notions, they mistook me for him. Well, I’ll reluctantly play the role of this so-called Sovereign tonight.”

After making up his mind, Chu Tianyu didn’t reveal his intentions. He continued to keep a cold expression and spoke in the same tone, “Oh, since it’s our vassal family, then this Holy Lord bestows upon you…” He paused, noticing that everyone from the Zhan family looked relieved, thinking they had found their roots and everything was fine. So he changed his tone and firmly said the last two words: “Commit suicide!” The others hadn’t reacted yet, and a few careless ones even shouted without thinking, “Thank you, Holy Lord, for your grace!” But after saying that, they realized what they had done—there was no need to thank anyone; he was telling them to die!