Only moments ago, Lu Changsheng's Domain had crushed over a hundred enemy Domains with overwhelming force, and now, it instantly crumbled against his would-be assassin.

Wu Qingyi had not moved from her position, but her Domain kept spreading and freezing everything in his path, including Lu Changsheng's Domain. This was the might of a Divine Treasury expert: instantly dominating the battlefield without so much as lifting a finger.

Once a true Domain was unleashed, everything changed. Something like this was beyond ordinary martial arts, closer to the spells of Immortal Masters.

"Lu Changsheng is done for! Against Wu Qingyi herself, even the strongest Divine Fortification martial artist will fall!"

"Absolutely incredible! So this is what the Divine Treasury Realm is like! Wu Qingyi's not even among the strongest in that realm, and yet she's about to crush Lu Changsheng, like stepping on a dry twig!"

"He might be the undisputed foremost martial artist in the Divine Fortification Realm... but look, he's powerless against a Divine Treasury expert. I guess the gap is just that big."

"An unbridgeable gap."

Ten li from the Golden Swamp, a crowd of martial artists stood watching. Some of the top Divine Fortification martial artists who had escaped earlier also lingered at a distance. Naturally, everyone was eager to see a Divine Treasury martial artist in action, and it took only a few seconds for them to be astonished.

This was sheer, undisputed domination. Lu Changsheng was outmatched, and any other martial artist present was no more than an ant before Wu Qingyi. Even if they all teamed up against her, the outcome would be the same; they would be turned into ice statues the moment her Ice Domain swept over them. Without special treasures, no Divine Fortification martial artist could hope to contend with someone in the Divine Treasury Realm.

And yet, Lu Changsheng did not panic. His mind was calm and collected, his mind sharp. He was aware that ordinary techniques and martial arts were meaningless against a Divine Treasury expert.

Hence, he would wait—wait for the perfect opening that would allow him to deal a decisive, lethal strike. He needed to finish this in one blow. That kind of chance would likely come only once, and if he failed to seize it, the consequences would be dire.

Even so, he was worried about dying. Worst case scenario, he could simply use a teleportation talisman to escape. As long as he was not completely sealed within the Ice Domain, he could escape at any time. In fact, that was the reason Liu Yuan and the others had stopped trying to convince him to flee, as they knew about the teleportation talisman.

If it came to that, the Heavenly Lin Squad could very well become the target of Wu Qingyi's wrath, but that was a risk they had already accepted when agreeing to come here and compete for the Golden Fruits.

The Ice Domain kept spreading across the battlefield, freezing everything it touched. If unleashed again, Lu Changsheng's Starry Sky Waterfall Domain could only hold for an instant—but that was plenty for him.

"Sever!"

He swiftly unleashed the Heart Sword. Although he had already used it dozens of times, his mental strength had yet to be depleted. This was the moment he had been waiting for. The Heart Sword needed some time to activate—a negligible delay, but a delay nonetheless. Regardless, his aim was testing its effects against Wu Qingyi. He wanted to see whether it had any impact on a Divine Treasury martial artist

Whoozzz!

Lu Changsheng poured nearly all of his mental strength into this single strike. With deadly precision, the invisible and formless Heart Sword pierced Wu Qingyi's mind directly.

Rumble...

The Nine-Character Mantra rippled through Wu Qingyi's mind, attempting to shake it. However, shaking the mind of a Divine Treasury martial artist was like trying to shake a mountain.

Still, the sharpness of the Heart Sword was undeniable, as it cut through the mind like a true sword. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"A mental secret technique?"

Wu Qingyi frowned slightly. Pain surged through her mind. The strike did not shake her foundation or shatter her mental strength, but it still managed to send a jolt—though that kind of pain was nothing to her.

Still, the moment her expression shifted, Lu Changsheng found his opening. Her Ice Domain was just a step away from completely freezing his Domain. That sliver was just enough to keep him alive, and to allow him to retaliate.

Buzzzzz!

Lu Changsheng held nothing back. In the next moment, his heart force surged out of his body and poured into the Domain.

Rumble!

His Domain roiled violently. A vast and dark starry sky descended. Even Wu Qingyi raised her head to gaze at the void, and she saw a boundless expanse of stars.

What?

It was still daytime, and yet she could clearly see stars above her. More than that, she felt like she stood within the endless expanse of stars, and one glance at the infinite void was enough to make her feel utterly insignificant.

This is... a true Domain!

Wu Qingyi's heart stirred, and for the first time, emotion flickered on her face, betraying her cold composure. Neither the Golden Fruits nor Lu Changsheng had managed to break her indifference.

Going against the so-called foremost martial artist in the Divine Fortification Realm, someone who had dominated a hundred other individuals by himself with a half-materialized Domain? None of that mattered to Wu Qingyi. Dominance within an inferior realm would not impress her. After all, nothing mattered if you were not in the Divine Treasury Realm.

Ultimately, it was the dark expanse of stars that shattered her composure.

The mark of a Divine Treasury martial artist was the materialization of a Domain. Lu Changsheng had yet to step into that realm, and yet he had just unleashed a true Domain here in the Golden Swamp.

Is it his heart force?

The thought occurred to her. But to forcibly materialize a Domain with just heart force... Just how vast would that heart force need to be? Not even a hundred marks would be enough. Regardless, if one was at that level, why would they remain in the Divine Fortification Realm? Why not open the Mind Space and advance?

"Hmph. So you managed to materialize your Domain, huh? Without nurturing it in your Mind Space, the heart force it takes is unimaginable. How long can you keep this up?"

She quickly steadied herself, her expression settling back into cold composure. Although momentarily impressed, she still could not take Lu Changsheng seriously. His Domain had materialized, but it would not last more than a few moments. Lu Changsheng would not achieve anything with this, unless he killed her right in that instant.

But that was nonsense. Wu Qingyi was a true Divine Treasury martial artist, and her Ice Domain was superior to any other. The idea of her falling to a Domain barely sustained by a Divine Fortification martial artist was utterly absurd.

However, she was missing something: the fact that Lu Changsheng's Starry Sky Waterfall Domain greatly reduced his heart force expenditure. She was right about how long this Domain could be sustained in its fully materialized form. Indeed, he could only sustain it for half a breath, but that was plenty.

Wu Qingyi had no idea just how powerful this Domain was.

Rumble...

A faint rumble suddenly echoed through the dark starry sky, and it grew louder and louder until it resounded across the entire expanse.

"What the..."

Wu Qingyi's eyes widened in shock. A colossal waterfall stretched across the starry sky. She had never witnessed something as sublime as this. This was no ordinary waterfall; it poured through the heavens as though even the stars would be swept away, as though nothing in existence could escape its flow.

She tried responding with her Ice Domain, but it was suppressed immediately. Though it did not shatter, it was forced back to a mere few dozen zhang around her. Compared to the endless sky, that small area was insignificant—merely a speck of dust.

Woosh!

At last, the waterfall descended, crashing down on the Ice Domain and shattering instantly, without the slightest resistance.

"No... Impossible..."

Only then did Wu Qingyi realize the danger she was in, but it was already too late. She had never imagined that Lu Changsheng's Starry Sky Waterfall Domain was the fusion of two Perfect Domains. Because of that, the moment it took form, it rose to the very peak, crushing everything in its path. Even if Wu Qingyi had stacked ten Domains against him, it would have made no difference. They would have been washed away all the same.

Boom!

The waterfall engulfed Wu Qingyi completely, and she vanished without a mark. Nothing remained. Not even Lu Changsheng had imagined that his materialized Domain could unleash such devastating power.

"Withdraw."

He immediately drew back his heart force, or rather, what was left of it. He had nearly exhausted it, which left him feeling hollow. Fortunately, Wu Qingyi was already dead.

She had been convinced that this outcome was impossible, and the price for that mistake was her life. From this day forward, Wu Qingyi would be remembered in the Ancient Region as the Divine Treasury martial artist who had been bested by Lu Changsheng, a Divine Fortification martial artist. Now, Lu Changsheng stood as the man who had achieved the impossible.

The entire Golden Swamp had gone silent. No one made a sound, and in the stillness, they could hear their own hearts pounding in their chests, gripped by shock and awe. They had witnessed something unbelievable, something that did not feel real. Wu Qingyi was gone, slain before their eyes, with not the tiniest trace of her remaining.

"Was that... Was that a fully materialized Domain?"

"A Divine Fortification martial artist can materialize a Domain? How is that possible?"

"Could it be... heart force?"

At once, excitement ignited in their hearts. Lu Changsheng had proven that materializing a Domain was possible even in the Divine Fortification Realm. This was a tremendous discovery, a new path carved by Lu Changsheng himself!