On the battlefield, only two individuals could react within this fleeting moment.
The first was the Sea God Douluo, Chen Xinjie, whose spiritual power had reached the Divine Origin Realm.
An overwhelming force imbued with the infinite will of the sea burst forth instantly, colliding with the mountainous power unleashed by Di Tian.
The second was the Battle Sky Douluo, Qiangu Dieting. Perhaps due to the subconscious connection between father and son, his reaction speed even surpassed Chen Xinjie's by a fraction.
Years of refined combat instincts drove him to lock onto a single direction. His right hand gripped the Panlong Staff even tighter, muscles bulging and tearing through his battle attire, while veins coiled like dragons around a pillar.
With a powerful swing, the Evil-Breaking Dragon let out a deafening roar. The tip of the Panlong Staff slashed through the sky, leaving behind a streak of destructive light as it hurtled towards the attack targeting Qiangu Dongfeng.
As the most explosive quasi-god, Qiangu Dieting was confident that he could rescue Qiangu Dongfeng—just as he had previously intercepted Di Tian's Dragon Tail Sweep.
What's more, he wasn't alone this time. Chen Xinjie, who was even stronger than him, had also unleashed his full strength.
However, just as the three forces were about to collide, the overwhelming power in Di Tian's palm suddenly exploded just before impact. The immense energy shattered into a vacuum, tearing open space, and forming jagged cracks in the void.
Chen Xinjie and Qiangu Dieting's strikes landed on nothing but air, as though punching into cotton—completely ineffective.
Yet, this did not mean that Di Tian's attack had ended.
From the rift in the sky, an enormous black dragon claw suddenly reached out.
Its trajectory bypassed Qiangu Dongfeng entirely.
Di Tian's target had never been the weak, loudmouthed Qiangu Dongfeng.
It was his father, the Battle Sky Douluo—Qiangu Dieting.
If an ordinary quasi-god were to ignite their life force, they could briefly ascend to the level of a true deity.
For Di Tian, killing such a temporary deity wasn't difficult.
But preventing them from igniting their life force in the first place? That was much trickier.
The moment the spatial rift extended before Qiangu Dieting, the black dragon claw struck.
The Panlong Staff had already been thrown away in his desperate attack, leaving him with no way to recall it in time for defense.
Chen Xinjie's focus was still on Qiangu Dongfeng, making him too late to intervene.
"Clang!"
A piercing metallic screech echoed through the sky.
"Crack, crack!"
The sound of shattering divine metals rang out as Qiangu Dieting's four-word battle armor fractured under the devastating impact.
The next moment, his body was forcefully hurled thousands of meters away by the black dragon claw.
He crashed through space itself, shattering it. The fragments of broken space collapsed, and the endless void completely swallowed him.
A quasi-god—vanished. His fate unknown.
For the powerful humans who fell into Di Tian's grasp, their end would likely be no different from the soul beasts dissected by Spirit Pagoda researchers—dissection, experimentation, and perhaps even fates worse than death.
In the eye of the storm, Qiangu Dongfeng stood frozen.
He could not believe what had just happened.
His father—his invincible father—had been slain by Di Tian in a single move.
His older brother, Qiangu Qingfeng, had at least managed to hold off Di Tian for a moment, giving him and their father time to escape.
But now?
There was only one explanation—Di Tian had never been using his full power before!
Perhaps even now, he still wasn't!
Yet at this moment, no one had the time or energy to concern themselves with Qiangu Dongfeng anymore.
"Attack!"
Chen Xinjie roared, and the entire army moved as one.
Seven major military corps and dozens of soul engineer divisions initiated their battle formations.
According to the Federation's military strategy, the Southern Army was to stage a controlled retreat, while the forces from the other three directions launched an all-out assault.
The entire battlefield was deliberately shifted further and further south—toward the ocean.
Only over the ocean could the Federation's new ultimate weapon, Chen Xinjie, unleash his full potential.
Only at sea could he wield the divine artifact bestowed by Tang San, the Sea God.
Only there could he summon the power of the ocean to achieve his strongest state and slay Di Tian.
This plan was so obvious that there was no way Di Tian wouldn't see through it.
In fact, before this battle had even begun, he knew the human army would attempt such a strategy.
The southern route from Spirit Pagoda's headquarters was the shortest path to the ocean.
And over the sea, Chen Xinjie would don the Sea God's Helmet, invoking divine power.
However, Di Tian did not bother to disrupt this plan.
Instead, he chose to go along with it.
Because he wanted to give these human powerhouses hope.
No living being was truly unafraid of death.
As long as they saw a glimmer of hope, they would hesitate.
They would treasure their own lives.
And that hesitation would give Di Tian the perfect opportunity to harvest them for the materials he needed to forge his divine artifact.
With the war between humans and soul beasts now in full motion, Di Tian prepared to fulfill his promise.
"Not a single Spirit Pagoda Limit Douluo will survive today."
Two down. Three to go.
The battle had only just begun, yet the three remaining Spirit Pagoda Limit Douluos were already dangling on the edge of death.
At that moment, a low droning sound filled the air.
From the distance, waves of humming vibrations approached—the Federation's news drones had arrived to document the battle.
Using cutting-edge soul technology, they were capable of long-range aerial photography, ensuring that the entire human world could witness this battle for the fate of their species.
A passionate voice erupted from the broadcast.
"Citizens of the Federation!"
"No matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, drop everything and focus on this broadcast!"
"The greatest battle in ten thousand years is about to unfold before your very eyes!"
"All of humanity's strongest warriors are now facing off against the legendary Beast God, Di Tian!"
"According to unconfirmed sources, this king of soul beasts has survived the million-year tribulation—a feat previously thought impossible!"
"His power surpasses that of any individual human. This is a battle beyond all imagination!"
"As a journalist, I can feel my blood boiling!"
"Our drones are capturing every moment of this historic clash!"
Yet as the enthusiastic announcer spoke, his brows furrowed.
Because he noticed something deeply unsettling.
In theory, soul engineers had always claimed that any altitude above three thousand meters belonged to machines, not living beings.
The sheer cold, the thin air, and the ferocious winds at that height would pulverize any living creature in an instant.
Yet now, on the battlefield before them…
Humans and soul beasts alike were fighting at over four thousand meters in the sky.
The commentator in front of the camera had to maintain professionalism and could not voice his doubts. However, the off-camera journalists had no such restrictions and could speak freely.
"What's going on?!"
"Weren't the experts saying that any altitude above three thousand meters is not a realm for living beings? That it should be the exclusive domain of soul tools and aerial combat machines?"
At such extreme heights, the air was not only freezing cold and incredibly thin, but also ravaged by violent gales.
If an ordinary creature were to suddenly appear in this environment, they would be instantly torn apart and reduced to dust.
(End of Chapter)