The entire arena had nearly become a domain of thunder and lightning.
Xu Jin gripped a longsword, his gaze fixed firmly on Daoist Yuyang as he cautiously advanced, only to be met with a storm of crackling thunder.
There was no denying it—today’s Daoist Yuyang seemed like an entirely different person compared to their last encounter.
Or perhaps he had specifically trained to counter Xu Jin’s techniques.
Xu Jin felt the surrounding space being twisted and pulled by Daoist Yuyang’s divine arts, all while searching for the right opportunity to strike.
Against such an opponent, no amount of caution was excessive.
Though Xu Jin might have held the upper hand in terms of raw power within the same cultivation realm, that didn’t mean he could afford to let his guard down.
Daoist Yuyang hovered mid-air, his violet spirit treasure wooden sword transformed into surging lightning, swirling protectively around him.
For Daoist Yuyang, this was an absolute battle of attrition—yet also a pure delight.
Unlike Chu Xingchen, who was fond of verbal taunts, Xu Jin’s fighting style was straightforward and silent, making the clash far more enjoyable, at least in terms of mood.
"Divine Art—Eightfold Instant."
Daoist Yuyang raised his hand and seized the surging lightning beside him. In the next moment, he flickered through space as if teleporting, appearing right beside Xu Jin.
Lifting the lightning in his grasp like a divine judgment, he slashed down with full force.
"Divine Art—Nine Thunderbolts to the Heavens!"
Xu Jin immediately sensed the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him. He retreated swiftly, his eyes shifting—only to be met with an endless sea of lightning.
The thunderbolts surged with terrifying speed, swallowing Xu Jin whole in the blink of an eye.
BOOM!
Like heavenly wrath descending from the skies.
The terrifying shockwave swept through everything. Outside the arena, defensive formations flared with blinding radiance, absorbing the rampant lightning threatening to spill outward.
Yet, in the next instant, a pure white light erupted from within the storm of thunder, shaking the raging tempest apart.
Xu Jin’s eyes gleamed with that same white light, his body enveloped in an aura of profound truth as his sword pierced through the violet lightning, thrusting straight toward Daoist Yuyang.
A faint smile tugged at Daoist Yuyang’s lips as he raised his own lightning-wreathed weapon, pressing forward to meet Xu Jin’s strike.
The moment their blades clashed, the violent aftershock blasted the surroundings into a massive crater.
Feeling the terrifying force transmitted through their exchange, Xu Jin couldn’t help but let a smile of his own surface.
Two men who refused to lose—both now fully immersed in the heat of battle.
Outside the arena, Yanyun watched the duel with calm eyes.
In her mind, she continuously simulated how a confrontation between herself and either of the two might unfold.
But after a moment, her gaze suddenly shifted to the side—her master and Chu Xingchen were absent.
Her master had a reason for not attending, but for Chu Xingchen to miss such a spectacle was unlike him. It didn’t fit his personality at all.
Yanyun’s eyes then turned toward Bai Xuanling beside her.
Bai Xuanling leaned back in his chair, his gaze seemingly fixed on the two combatants within the watery screen of the arena.
But Yanyun quickly discerned that Bai Xuanling’s attention wasn’t truly on the fight. She spoke softly,
"Senior Bai."
Bai Xuanling’s eyes flicked toward Yanyun, his tone questioning,
"What is it?"
Yanyun asked calmly, "Where did my master and Chu Xingchen go?"
Bai Xuanling chuckled lightly. "In that brat’s own words—probably off courting death."
Yanyun frowned slightly, not quite understanding the meaning.
Bai Xuanling replied indifferently, "Focus on the match. I trust your master to handle things seriously. You’d do better to worry about your next opponent."
Chu Xingchen’s expression was slightly tense as he stared up at the composed figure of Li Moze.
As the sect master of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect, Li Moze couldn’t possibly bully a junior by relying on his superior cultivation—that would be shameful even in victory.
The dignity of the Eighteen Immortal Sects had to be maintained.
Thus, his cultivation was naturally suppressed to the same realm as Chu Xingchen’s.
But even at the same level, Li Moze was a sect master who had clawed his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His combat experience, comprehension of divine abilities, and even his understanding of cultivation realms were on an entirely different level—his methods were also unpredictably vast.
At the very least, the bizarre domain he had deployed at the start of the fight was already unusual enough.
This also revealed that despite his calm demeanor, Li Moze’s intention to teach a harsh lesson was unmistakable.
Li Moze held his sword in one hand, spiritual energy faintly pulsing around him—yet the entire world seemed blanketed in pure white.
The surrounding heaven and earth appeared entirely under his control, bending to his will.
With a casual grip on his sword, Li Moze suddenly traversed an immeasurable distance in an instant, his blade sweeping down with effortless grace.
Terrifying spiritual energy condensed into a single point, as if slicing through space itself as it descended toward Chu Xingchen. All the while, he offered a polite reminder:
"Be careful."
Chu Xingchen raised his own weapon, "Myriad Transformations," now wreathed in flowing water-like spiritual energy. His "Spirit Response Grand Method" was operating at full power as he met Li Moze’s strike without backing down.
The moment their blades clashed, Li Moze’s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing the overwhelming force surging toward him like an unstoppable tide.
This was… a top-tier divine ability he had never seen before.
Though it seemed somewhat unrefined, still far from mastery, there was no doubt—this technique was among the very pinnacle of divine arts.
Had the Heavenly Derivation Sect been hiding this all along?
Chu Xingchen, meanwhile, gauged Li Moze’s strength. Though the sect master’s presence was intimidating, now that they were fighting at the same level…
It wasn’t so overwhelming after all. At the very least, Chu Xingchen didn’t feel at a disadvantage.
A grin suddenly spread across Chu Xingchen’s face. "Senior Li, be careful now."
In the next instant, his "Myriad Transformations" morphed into a massive blade. A terrifying bloodlust erupted from Chu Xingchen’s body, like a demonic slaughter incarnate, surging forth like a crimson tide. It devoured spiritual energy as it madly rushed toward Li Moze.
Li Moze’s brow furrowed. His spiritual energy flared violently as a pure white light flashed—his sword cleaving apart the incoming wave of blood energy.
This was an extremely refined blood technique, the hallmark of a high-level demonic cultivator!
Li Moze’s expression turned grave as he stared down at Chu Xingchen. But in the next moment, Chu Xingchen’s weapon shifted once more—the great blade reverting to a sword.
Then, Li Moze’s eyes widened.
A surge of righteous energy erupted from the sword, transforming into countless sword qi that rained down upon him.
Li Moze had always prided himself on having seen everything in his lifetime—every kind of opponent, every bizarre encounter, every eccentric individual.
But this?
This was something that truly broadened his horizons.
A top-tier demonic cultivator wielding the power of righteous virtue?!
At first, he had assumed the Heavenly Derivation Sect had simply abandoned all principles… but this? This was downright absurd.
Though, rather than believing that righteous energy had "changed sides," Li Moze was more inclined to think there was another explanation for the blood energy.
Still, this was undoubtedly an eye-opener.
Li Moze didn’t dwell on it. Whatever the truth, it could be settled after the fight.
Facing the incoming storm of righteous sword intent, he raised his own blade and slashed downward.
Terrifying spiritual energy erupted, effortlessly crushing the righteous sword qi.
To Li Moze, this righteous sword intent was even more unrefined than the water-based sword technique.
As the remnants of the shattered sword qi dispersed, Li Moze’s gaze locked onto Chu Xingchen.
Just as he prepared to show the young man what true intensity meant—
Chu Xingchen's body surged with rolling spiritual energy as countless manifestations transformed into a million blades behind him, blotting out the sky like a tidal wave. He shouted sharply:
"Spirit Response Great Art—Silent Water Mirror!"
Li Moze narrowed his eyes, his expression solemn. Indeed... the new generation surpasses the old.
Yet, mountains rise through the accumulation of time.
"Mysterious Profundity—All Things Return to One!"
A faint smirk curled at Chu Xingchen's lips as he silently recited:
"White Azure Great Art—Flowers in a Mirror, Moon on Water."