Ling Xiao activated the Blazing Sun Feather Robe through the profound meaning of light. Scorching heat began to melt the surrounding chill, and his speed gradually recovered a great deal.
This sight left Jiao Batian rather shocked.
He genuinely had not expected Ling Xiao to figure out a counter to his Frost Current Cavern Heaven so quickly.
Even so, within this cavern heaven, Jiao Batian still held the advantage in both speed and power.
That was beyond doubt.
“Jiao Batian, do you really want to fight me to the death? I have said it already, I only want the Soul Armour, and I will give you something sufficient in exchange.”
Ling Xiao drew the Golden Crow Sword and cautiously observed his surroundings.
Inside this cavern heaven, Jiao Batian was as elusive as a flood dragon in the deep sea. Ling Xiao had to be extremely careful; the slightest lapse could cost him his life.
This was a battle where the difference in strength was vast.
All Ling Xiao could do was use every trick he had.
“Enough nonsense. Breaking into my palace in the dead of night is already a capital offence, yet you still dream of taking something from me? Delusional!”
A cold voice rang out from the pitch-black currents. “Today you will die!”
“It seems peaceful resolution is impossible. Then we fight!”
Ling Xiao gritted his teeth. Suddenly he sensed danger approaching from behind.
Without looking, he swept the Golden Crow Sword backwards. A golden crow burst forth through the water.
Boom!
Crack, crack, crack!
The golden crow collided with more than ten diamond-shaped ice spikes. The freezing spikes exploded, instantly extinguishing the golden crow.
A sinister chill surged straight towards Ling Xiao.
By now, however, most of the cold had already dissipated. Blocked by the Blazing Sun Feather Robe, it instantly turned scorching hot before vanishing completely.
“Not bad, boy. You do have some skill. No wonder you dared to enter my palace alone.”
Through that probing attack, Jiao Batian confirmed Ling Xiao had truly come alone, but he was also somewhat astonished.
Ling Xiao clearly only possessed early Ninth Celestial stage cultivation, yet he felt far more difficult to handle than many half-step Cavern Heaven warriors.
The blazing light enveloping his body could actually drive back the frost so quickly. Dealing with him was truly not easy.
Ling Xiao now had a clearer measure of Jiao Batian’s strength.
This Jiao Batian was definitely a spoiled second-generation official. His power was indeed strong, but compared to many First Cavern Heaven warriors Ling Xiao had seen, he was noticeably weaker.
His actual combat experience, in particular, seemed rather lacking.
If Wu Xiang were here, he could probably finish this Jiao Batian within ten moves.
With this assessment, Ling Xiao’s confidence grew even stronger.
Dealing with the weakest trash among Cavern Heaven warriors, if he could not even manage that, he would have wasted his Tai Chi Eye and his cultivation of the Primordial Spirit Remnant Scroll.
After observing for a moment, Jiao Batian noticed that Ling Xiao showed not the slightest trace of panic and remained completely calm. This inevitably made him somewhat wary.
At the same time, it also annoyed him.
“Though I, Jiao Batian, am not the equal of the Yin-Yang Demon King or the Lightning Demon King, I am still a Cavern Heaven warrior. Dealing with a little brat like you should be child’s play.”
With that thought, Jiao Batian gave a cold laugh, suddenly whipped up a massive wave, and shot towards Ling Xiao like a bolt of lightning.
Ling Xiao did not panic at this abrupt assault.
Even though this was Jiao Batian’s domain, with the Tai Chi Eye he could see through everything.
A sneak attack from Jiao Batian was simply impossible.
The instant Jiao Batian charged, Ling Xiao had already thrust his Golden Crow Sword forward.
A sphere of blazing light condensed on the blade.
Blazing Sun Spike!
Momentarily blinded by the intense light, Jiao Batian inwardly cried out that things were bad. Although he did not know the exact power of the Blazing Sun Spike, he had already tested it with the earlier Golden Crow Sun attack.
He had to block it.
If that thing struck him, even as a Cavern Heaven warrior he would be injured.
He opened his mouth and exhaled. Cold air rapidly gathered, forming a thick shield of ice in front of him.
Frost Shield!
Boom!
The Blazing Sun Spike slammed hard into the frost shield. Its fierce spinning and high temperature constantly assaulted the ice, gradually melting and cracking it.
Seeing this, Jiao Batian was startled.
The frost shield he had hastily formed was not particularly strong, but it was still a Cavern Heaven warrior’s technique. How could it fail to block a single strike from this boy?
Enraged, Jiao Batian pressed both palms against the shield. The entire Frost Current Cavern Heaven transformed into a gigantic flood dragon that crashed forward with tremendous force.
Ling Xiao’s expression changed slightly.
The terrifying impact sent him flying backwards.
Cavern Heaven was Cavern Heaven after all. In a direct clash of strength, he was still at a disadvantage.
Watching Ling Xiao being hurled away, Jiao Batian sneered coldly. His hands danced, and dozens more sharp ice spikes formed around him, whistling through the air as they shot towards Ling Xiao like a storm.
Ling Xiao’s body was still hurtling backwards. Under normal circumstances, dodging would have been impossible.
Normal circumstances, however, never applied to Ling Xiao.
Body of Light!
The moment the attack reached him, his body dissolved into countless flecks of light that scattered in all directions.
Every ice spike struck nothing but air.
Before Jiao Batian could even register his shock, Ling Xiao’s counter-attack arrived.
The points of light recombined into human form. On the Golden Crow Sword now condensed a black-and-white conical energy several times more powerful than the previous Blazing Sun Spike.
Light-and-Shadow Divine Spike!
This mass of energy was like a huge bolt loosed from a ballista. It pierced through every obstacle at terrifying speed, shooting straight at Jiao Batian, who was only a dozen metres away.
In that instant, Jiao Batian nearly had his soul scared out of his body.
He truly had not expected that Ling Xiao could not only easily neutralise his attacks but also launch such a sudden strike under these conditions.
From start to finish, he had shown no mercy; he genuinely wanted to kill Ling Xiao as quickly as possible.
This boy had given him far too many surprises.
Shock was shock, but Jiao Batian could not allow Ling Xiao to run rampant here.
Facing the incoming Light-and-Shadow Divine Spike, Jiao Batian roared. All the frost currents in his cavern heaven domain gathered together.
The freezing chill continuously pressed against the Light-and-Shadow Divine Spike, the viscous resistance constantly slowing the energy.
Yet the fearsome spike kept advancing as if nothing could stop it.
Cold sweat poured down Jiao Batian’s forehead.
In the end, to his relief, the Light-and-Shadow Divine Spike stopped roughly one chi from his head.
Jiao Batian sucked in a cold breath.
He truly had not expected that, although he clearly held the upper hand in direct clashes throughout the fight, after that first exchange Ling Xiao had never given him another chance to build up power properly.
