The swirling sandstorm obscured everyone's vision.

"This is impossible!" the Blue Demon exclaimed in disbelief. To him, it was strange. It was obvious that Chen Pingchuan had been freed from his restraints.

"The Second Palace Master can't be dead! He is War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!"

Lilia and the others were equally dumbfounded.

In their hearts, they had believed they were chosen by Chen Pingchuan for their notable skills. But as they went through these experiences, something felt increasingly amiss.

The enemies Chen Pingchuan faced were always far beyond their own capabilities. Any random adversary he fought possessed peak eighth-level strength. In the outside world, people of that caliber were either regional overlords or high-ranking members of major powers; they had absolutely no connection to talented but still minor individuals like themselves.

As the dust settled, a Xuan-black War God Mecha appeared before them. The Mecha was streamlined, its surface carved with complex and mysterious runes that radiated a powerful energy aura. However, a few scratches marred its otherwise perfect form.

"Hahaha... Brother-in-law, you're full of surprises! I thought I would have to step in myself, but it seems you've already recovered some of your former strength. Congratulations!" Yang Jian said, his words bafflingly casual as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

Chen Pingchuan heard him and snorted coldly. "Hmph! Nonsense!"

"Desert Death God—Divine Descent!"

With that, he plunged his hands into the sand. His body began to swell rapidly as yellow sand gathered around him at a frenzied pace.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Pingchuan transformed into a towering Sand God, dozens of meters tall. The Sand God exuded an intense, evil aura, and its eyes glowed with a blood-red light that instilled fear in all who saw it.

"What the— Brother-in-law, are you for real?" Yang Jian exclaimed at the sight of the Desert Death God.

The Blue Demon, watching from a distance, also shouted out at that moment. "Second Palace Master, he's been possessed by the Evil God! He is no longer the one destined for the Third Miss! You must be careful!"

Hearing the Blue Demon's cry, Yang Jian frowned. A complex look flashed in his eyes. Something isn't right. This is trickier than I imagined.

"Chen Pingchuan, if you recognize me, blink!"

Instead of answering Yang Jian's question, Chen Pingchuan launched the first attack. He raised his mountain-like arm and brought it crashing down toward Yang Jian's Mecha. The strike carried an overwhelming force, compressing the air until it let out a sharp whistle.

Yang Jian's eyes sharpened. He swiftly maneuvered the Mecha to dodge to the side. At the same time, two Energy Cannons popped out from the Mecha's arms, firing a continuous stream of radiant, Xuan-black energy beams at the Sand God's arm.

"Brother-in-law, you've lost your mind! Don't force my hand!"

The energy beams struck the Sand God's arm, erupting in a dazzling flash and a thunderous roar. Huge dents appeared on its surface as sand scattered everywhere. But in the next second, the arm had already returned to its original state.

The massive Desert Death God seemed to feel no pain. Its other arm swung out like a great stone pillar, sweeping horizontally toward the Mecha.

Yang Jian didn't dare to take the hit head-on. Powerful streams of energy shot from the back of the Mecha, propelling it swiftly into the air. The Sand God's arm narrowly swept past the Mecha's underside.

He's really lost it. Looks like I have no choice but to use a few tricks, Yang Jian muttered to himself.

In the next moment, the energy core on the Mecha's chest flared with a brilliant light. A massive energy column shot out from its chest, hurtling straight toward Chen Pingchuan.

"Dark Death Flame Wave!"

The black beam, carrying world-destroying energy, flew toward Chen Pingchuan. Seeing this, he swiftly condensed a thick sand shield in front of himself with his hands.

The energy beam struck the sand shield, causing a blinding flash and a powerful shockwave. The shield was pierced instantly. After piercing the Sand God's right chest, the beam continued, shooting far into the distance.

A gaping hole now marred the chest of Chen Pingchuan's Sand God form. The sand attempted to heal the wound, but the shimmering black energy constantly resisted it, causing more and more sand to gush from the void.

"Haha, brother-in-law, don't blame your big bro for being a little rough. Don't worry, I'll take you back to the Celestial Palace, and you can peacefully settle into your role as the Palace Master's live-in son-in-law."

Just as everyone thought Chen Pingchuan was done for, he made an astonishing move. With a shocking motion, Chen Pingchuan reached into his own chest and tore out the corrupted section, taking the black energy and a portion of his sand body with it. In the next instant, he used his other hand to sever the arm that was now tainted by the dark energy.

BANG!

With the corrupted parts removed, Chen Pingchuan's Sand God body was restored to its previous state once more.

"Holy crap, you can do that?!"

Wait, didn't we agree I'd only have to step in once? It looks like I'm going to take a loss on this deal.

Watching Chen Pingchuan's maneuver, Yang Jian felt that this process was going to be much harder than he had anticipated. Although his last attack might have seemed ordinary, even a renowned peak eighth-level master would be grievously wounded, if not killed outright, by a blow like that. Yet Chen Pingchuan showed no signs of injury whatsoever.

The wounded Chen Pingchuan let out a heaven-shaking roar filled with pure fury.

He thrust his hands into the sand again, and the surrounding desert instantly began to boil. Countless sand tendrils erupted from the ground like a swarm of frenzied, writhing pythons, surging toward Yang Jian's Mecha.

Yang Jian didn't dare to be careless, swiftly evading the dense thicket of tendrils. However, the sand tendrils this time were different from before. They clung to the Mecha's armor like a bone-deep poison, multiplying furiously the moment they made contact. This was bizarre, as the Xuan-black Mecha was equipped with an automatic cleaning function that should repel even dust particles, let alone clinging sand.

What is this stuff? I can't just stay on the defensive!

Yang Jian gritted his teeth. The Energy Cannons on the Mecha's arms activated again, firing a rain of Xuan-black energy beams at the sand tendrils. Wherever the beams landed, the tendrils snapped and dissolved into clouds of dust.

However, Chen Pingchuan's seemingly infinite supply of sand power put immense pressure on Yang Jian. The sand tendrils surged forward endlessly, constantly draining the energy of the Mecha's shield.

This is bad. We're usually the ones using swarming tactics, but now the tables have turned. Damn it!

Yang Jian dodged the attacks while rapidly formulating a counter-strategy.

Then I'll just have to attack! The best defense is a good offense!

"Come forth! Demon-Vanquishing Three-Pronged Spear!"

Suddenly, the heavens and the earth transformed. The sky, which hadn't been particularly clear to begin with, was abruptly veiled by inky black clouds. The clouds roiled like angry waves as violent, deep-purple lightning tore through them, unleashing deafening roars.

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