Chen Tian and Xie Shaotian stood opposite each other, their beam struggle ending in a draw, a result neither had anticipated. Both had aimed to gain the upper hand in this clash, but the stalemate indicated that their strengths were equal. Xie Shaotian's full power was equivalent to only five percent of Chen Tian's strength. However, Chen Tian could only utilize five percent of his power within the sealed space, as exceeding this limit would cause the entire space to disintegrate, with spatial turbulence flinging them both to an unknown destination.
This was Chen Tian's greatest fear, which was why he hadn't used his full strength from the start. Xie Shaotian's figure trembled, gaining a new understanding of Chen Tian. Xie Shaotian resolved to defeat Chen Tian with his full power, recognizing Chen Tian as a significant threat. A light emerged on Chen Tian's arm, and both were gathering energy for their next moves. Though they remained still, they were secretly preparing their attacks. The light on Chen Tian's arms intensified, his left arm appearing armored and increasingly substantial, transforming into a multi-colored arm guard. A five-colored wrist blade adorned the guard.
Slowly raising his arm, Chen Tian then lifted his left leg. As his arm descended, a beam of light shot out. The wrist blade on Chen Tian's arm detached, transforming into a five-colored beam that hurtled towards Xie Shaotian. Witnessing this, Xie Shaotian realized Chen Tian's attack was faster than his own, yet he felt no fear. His intention was to meet the five-colored wrist blade head-on, to withstand it directly. He stood his ground, waiting for Chen Tian's attack, as if it posed little threat. Chen Tian found this peculiar; Xie Shaotian's willingness to face his attack head-on seemed suicidal, given Chen Tian's clear understanding of its power.
The blade, the beam of light, collided directly with Xie Shaotian's body, causing an explosion before him. From the center of the blast, a figure slowly emerged, entirely unharmed. Xie Shaotian was remarkably unharmed, as if Chen Tian's attack had no effect. Chen Tian's expression grew solemn; Xie Shaotian had withstood his attack without a scratch, showing no sign of even a minor injury.
Chen Tian was fully aware of the power of his attack, and he sensed something peculiar about Xie Shaotian, likely related to his abilities. The Xie Ling tribe was known for their potent abilities, and Xie Shaotian, being a native, might possess even more formidable ones. Chen Tian entered a state of caution, uncertain of Xie Shaotian's capabilities and hesitant to launch a rash attack, as it might prove ineffective given Xie Shaotian's apparent resilience.
Seeing Chen Tian's defensive stance, Xie Shaotian initiated his own attack. If Chen Tian wouldn't attack, Xie Shaotian wouldn't hesitate. His claws elongated, doubling in size from their normal human proportions, and he lunged at Chen Tian. Chen Tian defended himself with sweeping movements of his arms, all the while observing Xie Shaotian's body, trying to discern his abilities through their combat. Chen Tian was actively attempting to decipher Xie Shaotian's powers.
Chen Tian's arms moved in precise arcs, deflecting countless claw strikes. Xie Shaotian found himself unable to break through Chen Tian's defense; Chen Tian remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch. Chen Tian's combat experience was on par with Xie Shaotian's, and every attack, its landing point, and its force were calculated. Chen Tian's analytical abilities had evolved through numerous battles, allowing him to predict future combat scenarios with remarkable accuracy.
Even in a defensive posture against Xie Shaotian, Chen Tian remained an insurmountable obstacle. The furiously attacking Xie Shaotian recognized Chen Tian's peculiar resilience and retreated, facing Chen Tian once more. Xie Shaotian's claw attacks had proven ineffective. He sighed, admitting that Chen Tian's combat experience was nearly equal to his own, and Chen Tian even anticipated his rhythm, predicting his next move and its force several seconds in advance, leaving Xie Shaotian feeling powerless.
Xie Shaotian looked at Chen Tian, realizing that if unarmed combat was insufficient, he would have to resort to weapons. He doubted Chen Tian could anticipate his weapon-based attacks. Xie Shaotian's claws retracted, returning to their normal human-like form. From his back, several long, black spears sprouted, resembling spider legs. Xie Shaotian's hand plucked one of these spears, the sound of it breaking free echoing. He grasped the entire spear in his hand.
Pain was a familiar sensation for Xie Shaotian. With a flick of his arm, the spear transformed into a black lance. Holding the black lance, Chen Tian sensed Xie Shaotian's aura intensify significantly the moment the spear appeared. Chen Tian felt compelled to be more serious. He channeled energy into his hands, forming a pair of physical blades. With the blades in hand, Chen Tian's strength felt entirely different. This time, Chen Tian chose to attack proactively, unwilling to give Xie Shaotian any openings.
Chen Tian had no prior experience with Xie Shaotian's weapon-based attacks, making precise calculations difficult. However, he could gradually understand Xie Shaotian's attack patterns during the fight. Chen Tian's blades descended, while Xie Shaotian swung his lance. They clashed, and both immediately began channeling their strength. As Xie Shaotian swung his lance to the right, Chen Tian moved with him, easily being flung backward. Seizing this opportunity, Xie Shaotian attacked, his lance repeatedly stabbing forward, showering Chen Tian's face with black shadows.
Chen Tian's blades moved hundreds of times per second, their light colliding with the shadows. Chen Tian was pushed back, Xie Shaotian's offensive overwhelming him. Chen Tian was not using his full strength. His dual blades moved hundreds of times per second, unleashing hundreds of lights. Chen Tian roared, unleashing an arc blade. The arc blade collided with the shadows, resulting in an explosion. A figure retreated rapidly, covering several hundred meters before stabilizing.
This figure was Xie Shaotian, who exclaimed, "Impressive, you managed to find my true form. Kid, you are indeed the greatest obstacle I've faced."
"You want to kill me? Let's see who kills whom!"
Their killing intent enveloped the entire space, turning the dark world blood red. Chen Tian and Xie Shaotian clashed, the clang of metal echoing. One figure slammed directly into the fortress, his body embedded in its wall. Xie Ku stood in the sky, looking down contemptuously. "Is this all the strength you have? Who else dares to fight me!"
Shu Zi's defeat seemed to have been anticipated by Chen Ling and Ling Fengyun. Chen Ling lowered her staff, and Shu Zi's figure appeared beside her. Chen Ling cast a healing spell, and Shu Zi's body was enveloped in green light, his wounds slowly mending.
Xie Ku stood in the sky, having expected a more engaging battle. He found Shu Zi to be disappointingly weak, defeated before Xie Ku could unleash his full power. However, compared to before, Shu Zi's endurance until this point was commendable. Xie Ku had refrained from killing Shu Zi, hoping he would become stronger, which would make their fight more interesting.
Ling Fengyun was about to step forward when Chen Tian suddenly appeared beside Chen Ling. Chen Tian said calmly, "Don't step forward yet. Let me face him."
Chen Tian's clone surged towards the sky. His clone approached Xie Ku, who looked at the figure before him with recognition, as his race, the Xie Ling, were intimately familiar with such faces.
"You are still within the cycle of reincarnation. In that case, I will kill you."
The higher-ranking members of the Xie Ling tribe were all aware of Chen Tian's appearance. Chen Tian had no intention of concealing his face; it was the visage of the Xie Ling tribe's first creator.
Chen Tian sighed, "Have you prepared for death after betraying me?"
As Chen Tian's lament echoed, a sense of dread, rooted in their very origin, surfaced in Xie Ku's heart. Chen Tian, as the creator of the Xie Ling tribe, instilled a natural fear of him within them. Xie Ku roared, "If I kill you, the Xie Ling tribe will be a new race, and there will be nothing left to fear."
"Trapped in reincarnation, your strength can only match mine. Let's see how capable you are."
Xie Ku transformed into afterimages, seven or eight of them encircling Chen Tian. Chen Tian shook his head wordlessly, unleashing his aura, which alone shattered all of Xie Ku's afterimages.
Xie Ku's attack reached Chen Tian. Chen Tian calmly extended his hand, and with a slight clench, Xie Ku's claw was caught. Chen Tian then flung Xie Ku away.
Chen Tian's strength far surpassed Shu Zi's, and he was stronger than Xie Ku, a fact Xie Ku had sensed from their previous collision.
Xie Ku stood in the sky, finding this more interesting, this being the kind of battle he craved.
Xie Ku unleashed his full power, plunging the entire sky into darkness. Evil Spirit energy formed dark clouds above, obscuring the original ones, casting a heavy pall over the fortress.
Chen Tian paid no heed. He stepped forward, and Xie Ku moved. Two beams of light clashed fiercely in the sky, their collision as beautiful as fireworks in the night sky.
Black and five-colored lights collided on different trajectories, locked in an inseparable struggle.
"Xie Ru, do you think Xie Ku will win?"
Xie Xie's expression grew serious. Xie Ru replied, "How could Xie Ku possibly win? But his strength hasn't fully recovered. Defeating Xie Ku will come at a cost. Don't forget one thing: Xie Ku is a battle fanatic. His actions in pursuit of a fight are unpredictable."
"Furthermore, he is on the kill list of a certain great figure. We have no way out. There is only one choice: either he dies, or we die."
Xie Ru explained that if it weren't for Xie Ku's nature, he would have already joined forces with Xie Ku to kill Chen Tian. Xie Ku's insistence on not interfering for a third time, after already blocking twice, was a condition he had set. Xie Ru could not intervene in this third battle, or Xie Ku would turn his attention to punishing him as well.
Xie Ku was powerful, but his personality was too strong, leaving Xie Ru helpless. If their three brothers had joined forces, would Chen Tian have stood a chance?
Chen Tian had not recovered his full strength, and facing all three of them simultaneously would have led to his swift demise.
Alas, the opponent was Xie Ku, whose battles disallowed any interference.
Chen Tian and Xie Ku's collision was intense, their impacts echoing throughout the sky. When their figures finally stabilized in the sky, Chen Tian's clothes were tattered, and Xie Ku was similarly disheveled. Chen Tian and Xie Ku had fought to a draw.
"Compared to the first generation, you are far weaker, but you have indeed become much stronger."
"Even without recovering your full strength, you can contend with me. It is indeed true that you cannot be allowed to achieve transcendence. You will die here today."
Xie Ku uttered a menacing threat, his body covered in armor, his claws merging into twin swords. Wrist blades grew from both arms, and wings of black liquid sprouted from his back.
This was Xie Ku's strongest state. He dared not conceal his strength when facing Chen Tian.
Xie Ku had not used his full power in his previous clashes with Chen Tian.