Ling Xiao’s every attack came so suddenly, so powerfully, that Jiao Batian could never unleash his full strength.
He was clearly stronger than Ling Xiao, yet under these circumstances he could not display his power at all. Instead, he was being toyed with, spun around in circles.
A person like Jiao Batian was normally domineering; no one dared go against his will.
But today, he was being humiliated like this by Ling Xiao.
How could he swallow such anger?
“Kid, if I don’t kill you today, what right do I, Jiao Batian, have to remain Emperor of the True Demon Empire? Let me show you my true power!”
As his words fell, Jiao Batian’s entire body changed rapidly.
His original human shape instantly transformed into a bizarre flood dragon.
Only the upper half still retained many human features.
Having transformed, Jiao Batian wasted no time. His enormous tail lashed out viciously, carrying the weight of a mountain and explosive force as it smashed towards Ling Xiao.
In a direct clash, Ling Xiao was certainly no match for him.
If that tail struck true, even if it did not kill him, he would be gravely injured and reduced to a sitting duck.
But that assumed the attack would land.
Would Ling Xiao let it hit him?
The answer was no.
In that instant, black-and-white wings sprouted from Ling Xiao’s back. With Swift Light Divine Movement beneath his feet, he leapt and soared dozens of metres into the air, leaving Jiao Batian only an elegant view of his departing figure.
“What kind of movement technique is this? How can it be so incredible!”
Jiao Batian’s strike missed. His tail smashed violently into the ground, carving a massive trench that vented his fury, yet it did nothing to calm him.
This intruder who had slipped into the palace in the dead of night was no ordinary person. Even in the outside world, he would undoubtedly be an outstanding genius.
At the very least, a super-grade talent.
“What is your name?”
Jiao Batian suddenly stopped attacking and asked.
Ling Xiao folded his arms and hovered in mid-air, smiling. “Only now you think to ask a guest’s name? That’s hardly proper hospitality.”
“Cut the rubbish. I’m sparing you because you have some talent. I don’t want to kill you just like that.”
Jiao Batian was telling the truth.
The True Demon Empire was urgently expanding and badly needed young geniuses like the one before him.
In a few years, this boy would certainly become a pillar of the empire.
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. My name is Ling Xiao, the Chosen Son of the Holy Dynasty. Oh, and by the way, your Plague Demon King, Beast Demon King, and the recently deceased Lightning Demon King were all killed by me.”
Ling Xiao said with a cheerful smile.
Now that he had fully gauged Jiao Batian’s true ability, Ling Xiao decided he might as well go all the way and eliminate him.
One could imagine the blow to the True Demon Empire’s army if word spread that their emperor had been slain by an intruder inside his own palace.
At the very least, morale would plummet.
“So you’re that Ling Xiao. Looks like I can’t let you live!”
Hearing Ling Xiao’s introduction, intense killing intent flashed in Jiao Batian’s eyes.
Now that he knew Ling Xiao’s true identity, how could he possibly let him walk away?
Ling Xiao smiled faintly. “It’s not a question of you sparing me. I suddenly realised tonight that you’re a soft target, so I’ve decided to crush you.”
With those words, Ling Xiao’s aura began to climb rapidly.
Until now, he had not used his full strength, nor had he employed the power of his Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul.
But at this moment, a frenzied momentum shot towards Jiao Batian like a sharp sword. Behind Ling Xiao, the sun and moon shone together.
“How is this possible? You were still holding back!”
Watching Ling Xiao’s aura continue to rise, Jiao Batian’s face once again filled with shock and doubt.
Perhaps sensing his opponent’s might, Jiao Batian lightly touched his storage ring.
A huge trident appeared in his massive hand.
Facing an opponent whose cultivation was far lower than his own, Jiao Batian actually resorted to a weapon. This showed how seriously he now took Ling Xiao.
It also revealed the caution he now felt.
Yet Ling Xiao’s aura kept swelling.
The light of sun and moon radiated through the frost currents, actually compressing Jiao Batian’s Frost Current Cavern Heaven until it was as thin as paper.
A Cavern Heaven expert without the advantage of their domain was not necessarily much stronger than a half-step Cavern Heaven warrior.
By relying on the terrifying effect of his Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul, Ling Xiao had directly stripped away Jiao Batian’s greatest advantage.
From this point on, the fight would come down to experience and combat skill.
Eye of Light!
Suddenly, blinding light burst from Ling Xiao’s Tai Chi Eye. Jiao Batian instinctively shut his eyes.
The instant he closed them, he knew he was in trouble.
He tried to open them again, but a sharp pain suddenly erupted in his abdomen.
When his eyes finally opened, Ling Xiao was still standing in the same spot, yet Jiao Batian’s stomach had clearly been pierced by a sword.
Blood poured from the wound, and many of his scales were shattered.
“Damn it!”
Ignoring the injury, Jiao Batian swung his Heaven-Supporting Trident. Countless ice spikes condensed into even stronger frozen lances that flew towards Ling Xiao.
They attacked from every direction; dodging seemed impossible.
Yet Ling Xiao did not even try. As the Tai Chi Eye spun, a powerful surge of soul force erupted from his eyes.
Heaven-Scorching Flames!
Terrifying flames spread outward. An extraordinarily magnificent scene appeared in the sky.
Crack, crack, crack!
A series of cracking sounds rang out. Every ice lance was melted by the blazing fire into steam and vanished without trace.
“Soul force! A soul secret art! Kid, are you from the Soul Race?”
Jiao Batian was even more shocked.
A warrior capable of unleashing such terrifying soul techniques, if not from the Soul Race, was simply incomprehensible to him.
Ling Xiao ignored Jiao Batian’s question. Once the attack had begun, he had no intention of stopping.
Light-and-Shadow Evasion!
His figure abruptly vanished. When he reappeared, he was directly above Jiao Batian’s head. The Golden Crow Sword plunged downward.
Even more brilliant light blossomed.
This was a deadly convergence of light and shadow.
The speed was too great, the angle too cunning, the strike too sudden.
Facing this attack, Jiao Batian could only swing his Heaven-Supporting Trident upward, hoping to intercept it mid-flight.
By now, all traces of his earlier arrogance had vanished. Against Ling Xiao’s relentless and unpredictable onslaught, all he could do was defend and stay vigilant.
It was frustrating, but he had no choice.
He still believed that in a direct clash of strength, he held the absolute advantage.
Yet whenever he tried to force such a clash, Ling Xiao refused to give him the opportunity.
Eye of Darkness!
The ultimate technique born from comprehending the sixth stage of the profound meaning of shadow was the complete opposite of the Eye of Light.
The moment it was unleashed, darkness swallowed everything around Jiao Batian. He could no longer tell where to direct his weapon.
By the time he tried to locate Ling Xiao with soul force, it was already too late.
