The night was deathly still, leaving only the sound of wind whistling through the trees and the heavy breathing of the two opponents. The cold moonlight shone down, turning the clearing into a silver arena.
There were no more words.
Eleventh was the first to move. He didn't charge forward recklessly; instead, his body suddenly blurred, then split into three identical black shadows, lunging at Lam Minh from three different directions. Compared to the confrontation with Twelfth, his cloning technique was clearly a level higher. All three clones carried a genuine aura, with no hint of falsehood.
Faced with three lines of attack, Lam Minh was not flustered. His eyes were half-closed, his Golden Core spiritual sense radiating outwards, perceiving every minute change in the air.
He didn't choose to confront all three. He stomped his foot, his body retreating backward as gracefully as a leaf, while simultaneously swinging his God-Slayer sword.
A small but extremely condensed and sharp beam of turquoise sword qi shot out, not aiming at the three clones, but at an empty space between them.
CLANG!
A piercing clash rang out. Lam Minh's sword qi seemed to have struck an invisible wall. Instantly, two of Eleventh's three clones shattered like soap bubbles. The remaining clone, which was his true body, was forced back several steps, a look of astonishment in his eyes.
"You... how could you see through my true body?" Eleventh couldn't believe it. His cloning technique was one of his proudest skills, relying on concealing his true self in a small, secondary space, making it nearly impossible to detect.
"Just a lucky guess," Lam Minh replied curtly, but in his heart, he knew it was thanks to the sensitivity of his spiritual sense after his breakthrough, as well as the guidance from the Sword Soul of God-Slayer.
Eleventh snorted coldly. "I'll admit you have some skill. Then try this."
The black energy from his body erupted violently, condensing onto his two Ya Ying short swords. This time, it wasn't pythons, but hundreds, thousands of dark arrows that filled the sky, then shot down in unison, creating a rain of arrows with no gaps.
This was an area-of-effect attack, giving the opponent no room to dodge.
Lam Minh looked up at the rain of black arrows hurtling down. He had no intention of dodging.
He stabbed the God-Slayer sword into the ground. His hands began to form seals.
Myriad Waters Return to Origin – Heavenly Water Curtain!
The Water-element spiritual energy in his body surged out, forming a giant turquoise water dome that enveloped his entire body. The water dome spun continuously, its surface rippling, neutralizing all incoming force.
Plink... plink...
As the thousands of dark arrows struck the water dome, they were either deflected by the swirling currents or corroded by the pure Water-element spiritual energy, dissolving into the air. The sound of impact was not of explosions, but of raindrops on a lake's surface, yet it held a deadly danger.
Eleventh was stunned. "A Water-element technique? You... just how many types of techniques do you cultivate?"
A person who cultivated Dragon race techniques and was also proficient in a top-tier defensive Water-element technique. What kind of monster was this human?
While Eleventh was still in shock, Lam Minh acted.
He didn't stay within his defense. He suddenly dispelled the water dome, his body shooting upwards, piercing through the remaining rain of arrows, and appearing right above Eleventh.
"Surprise!"
He raised his leg, concentrating all his Golden Core power, and unleashed a devastating axe kick, slamming it straight down on Eleventh's head.
Startled, Eleventh hastily raised his two short swords in a cross block.
BOOM!!!
A world-shaking explosion rang out. The entire forest trembled violently, and the ground beneath Eleventh's feet caved in, forming a large crater.
Though he had blocked it, Eleventh was still forced down by a colossal force, his legs sinking deep into the earth. His arms trembled, and fresh blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. He had suffered internal injuries.
The battle had only just truly begun, but he was already on the back foot.
The arrogance on his face vanished completely, replaced by a grave and frenzied expression. He knew that if he didn't use his trump card, he would surely die here today.
...
Forced deep into the ground by Lam Minh's kick, Eleventh let out a roar of fury. He had never been so humiliated. He was a Holy Messenger, a superior existence, yet he was being overpowered by a pure human.
"You... have succeeded in angering me!" he ground out, the black energy from his body erupting once more, but this time it was far more violent and malevolent than before.
He blasted Lam Minh away, then slowly rose from the deep pit.
His body began to transform.
The black robe on his body was torn to shreds. His skin turned jet-black and glossy like metal. His muscles bulged, covered in purple veins. And most terrifyingly, from his back, six jet-black tentacles, like giant leeches, sprouted, whipping through the air. The tip of each tentacle was a mouth filled with jagged, sharp teeth.
He had abandoned his human form, revealing his true combat state. This was the result of genetic fusion at a much higher level than that of ordinary "Saint Children."
"This is the 'Holy Body' bestowed upon me by the Holy Master," Eleventh said, his voice now polyphonic, as if multiple voices were speaking at once. "In this state, my power is tripled. Let's see how you'll defend against this."
Lam Minh narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming extremely serious. He could feel that Eleventh's aura had now surpassed that of a typical Peak Golden Core expert, almost touching the threshold of the Nascent Soul realm.
Eleventh's six tentacles suddenly shot out, as fast as black lightning, lunging at Lam Minh from different angles. At the same time, his main body also charged forward, the two Ya Ying short swords in his hands tracing deadly arcs.
Lam Minh dared not face him head-on anymore. He pushed his movement technique to its limit, constantly dodging.
The battle erupted once again, but this time, the situation was completely reversed.
Lam Minh, who had been on the offensive, was now on the defensive. He had to constantly move, dodging the tentacles that lashed out like steel whips, while using God-Slayer to parry Eleventh's demonic sword strikes.
SWISH!
He had just dodged a tentacle when a short sword grazed his shoulder, leaving a deep gash, and the black energy began to invade again. He hastily circulated his Dragon Qi to suppress it, but this only drained his spiritual energy even faster.
"Haha! Where can you run, little mouse?" Eleventh laughed, his voice filled with madness. He had completely seized the upper hand, continuously cornering Lam Minh.
Lam Minh fought as he retreated, his mind racing.
"This guy is too strong. His power and speed are both superior. If I keep defending like this, I'll be defeated sooner or later."
He knew he could no longer rely on ordinary Golden Core power.
He needed to use his trump card.
In a brief moment after dodging an attack, he suddenly leaped back, creating a safe distance.
"What's wrong? Out of strength?" Eleventh sneered, slowly approaching.
Lam Minh didn't answer. He just closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He let out a roar.
A roar that was not human, but the roar of a true dragon.
Instantly, a domineering, ancient, and wild aura exploded from him.
Black and red dragon scales began to appear, quickly covering his entire body. A majestic, complete Dragon God Battle Armor materialized.
Lam Minh's aura, in that instant, also skyrocketed. Though he was still at the Initial Stage of Golden Core, his power could no longer be measured by common sense.
Eleventh was stunned. The smile on his face froze. "Wh-what is this? A full... bloodline awakening?"
He couldn't believe it. A pure human who could activate the combat state of the ancient Dragon race. This was something unprecedented in history.
Lam Minh opened his eyes. They had now completely turned the golden color of a dragon's, cold and full of pressure.
He looked at Eleventh, who was in his "Holy Body" state, and smirked.
"You like to transform, do you?" he said, his voice now deeper and more resonant. "Let's see, your 'Holy Body' versus my 'Dragon Body,' which one is stronger."
He wasted no more words. He stomped his foot hard on the ground.
BOOM!
The ground beneath his feet shattered. His entire body shot forward like a black and red meteor, carrying a primal, destructive force, charging straight at Eleventh.
Two true monsters had finally clashed head-on.