On the other side of the battlefield, Starlight and Xia Duo had already exhausted all their efforts to resist the mysterious person’s tidal waves of attacks, yet their progress was minimal.
The opponent hadn't even moved a single step, suppressing the two with a barrage of attacks like a rainstorm. From this composed demeanor alone, it wasn't hard to infer that his strength might far exceed that of Ming Ye, who was being held back by Po Kong.
Facing that duplicate of Ming Ye meticulously crafted from death power, Starlight, being a mage, had to be extra cautious. He moved constantly around the area, repeatedly casting various spells to block the opponent's strikes.
Unlike attacks from a real person, anywhere the death power swept through rapidly lost its vitality—even inorganic objects like the floor and ruins were no exception.
If not for his agile movements, which far surpassed those of ordinary mages, he would likely have been a corpse by now.
“Do you plan to just keep running like this? If so, it’s quite a disappointment!” The mysterious person’s voice drifted from the black mist, seemingly dissatisfied with Starlight’s evasiveness.
Facing this accusation, Starlight did not respond directly. Instead, his steps became even swifter as he used instant movement to skillfully dodge another sharp strike from the duplicate Ming Ye.
His actions weren't merely for evasion; he was waiting for the perfect moment to counterattack. The first step was to thoroughly understand the opponent's true nature.
While Starlight was dodging and weaving, Noah was not idle either. He was using his soul power to scan the duplicate, trying to find its weakness.
Although he had diverted part of his strength to maintain the soul link between them, making the scanning progress extremely slow, his soul ripples were perfectly hidden thanks to the clever cover of Starlight's mana. Thus, he did not trigger any alarms from the opponent.
In stark contrast to Starlight’s experience, Xia Duo’s fierce flanking attacks were being steadily suppressed by the mysterious person, a truly startling sight.
This wasn't because Xia Duo lacked skill, but because the opponent seemed to possess an extraordinary insight that could see through all her movements.
No matter how Xia Duo changed her position or the angle from which she fired her arrows, the opponent could easily avoid them with subtle movements that were almost imperceptible. He even managed to launch counterattacks while maintaining his defense with ease.
It should be noted that even among the elves, there were very few experts who could reach such a level. Even Ming Ye, known for his keenness, could certainly not do it so effortlessly.
Even more baffling was that, judging by his fighting style, the opponent was undoubtedly a master of spells. This was particularly unbelievable according to conventional wisdom.
“Starlight, Po Kong! How are things going on your end? This guy is too weird!” Xia Duo’s voice echoed through the soul link, sounding very anxious.
All the arrows she had just fired in succession had once again been easily avoided by the opponent, not even touching the hem of his clothes. For an archer known for her precision, this was undoubtedly a huge psychological blow.
What made Xia Duo even more uneasy was that the opponent seemed to be playing with her like a cat with a mouse, completely unbothered by her attacks. This feeling of being looked down upon filled her with even more humiliation.
“I’m almost ready on my side, and Noah’s preparations are basically complete. Now we’re just waiting for the signal from Po Kong!” Starlight replied immediately.
Just as the two were communicating, a massive explosion sounded in the distance, followed immediately by a terrifying shockwave.
After dodging another attack from the duplicate Ming Ye, Starlight quickly turned to look. Not far away, the sky was filled with intersecting red glows and surging battle qi, painting the horizon a deep crimson.
The mysterious figure also couldn't help but turn his head slightly, whispering in a low voice.
“Is this your strategy? Although Ming Ye isn't particularly strong, you don't really think those two can defeat him, do you? That’s far too underestimating of us.”
Facing the opponent's contempt, Starlight simply smiled and raised his head to answer, “Of course we don't dare underestimate you. But you also have no idea that Po Kong actually has a trump card he hasn't used yet, do you?”
As Starlight's words fell, the battle at the bottom of the crater changed once again.
Ming Ye, who was closest to Po Kong, immediately noticed something was wrong, but his attack was already like an arrow from a bow—there was no room to take it back.
Po Kong, who had looked like he was at the end of his rope, suddenly jerked his head up. A heart-stopping smile appeared on his blood-stained face.
At some point, his left arm had been enveloped in a brilliant golden glow. An ancient and solemn golden greatsword appeared out of thin air, its aura seeming to have traveled from the far distant past as it was firmly grasped in his palm.
“This is...!? A spirit armament? No!! This is... the power of a Divine Artifact!”
Ming Ye’s eyes widened in horror. He could clearly sense the aura emanating from that golden greatsword. Even as a Saint Rank powerhouse, he couldn't help but feel waves of uncontrollable trembling and awe. This was definitely not a pressure that could appear on an ordinary weapon.
“No! This is impossible! How could you possibly possess a Divine Artifact!? This is absolutely ridiculous!!”
“If you don't believe it, old geezer, then experience it for yourself! Air... Rending... Slash!”
The moment he sensed something was wrong, Ming Ye made a split-second decision to abandon his original offensive and attempt to retreat.
However, Po Kong simply raised the golden greatsword in his hand, and an aura originating from the blade instantly froze the entire space.
Ming Ye looked around with difficulty, only to find that his movements had become extremely sluggish, as if he were bound by invisible shackles.
This feeling was as if time and space themselves had been infinitely stretched, or as if his nerves were being controlled, slowed down countless times.
Even with his experience and knowledge, he couldn't fathom the mystery hidden behind this strike. He could only watch helplessly as that golden light, which seemed capable of tearing through space, swept toward him like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
“I won't... no...!”
Before his cry could escape, the golden light spanning across heaven and earth completely swallowed his figure.
This was Po Kong’s true trump card—the Divine Artifact he had obtained in the underwater world.
The last time Po Kong had activated it by exhausting all his strength, it had been dormant within his body ever since.
During these days, Po Kong naturally hadn't stopped exploring it. He discovered that this weapon was like an insatiable glutton, absorbing his War God battle qi almost every moment.
It wasn't until they were on their way back from Night Lotus Valley that the sword finally completed its charging, and Po Kong gained a sliver of preliminary control over it.
Rate on N.U.
