Chapter 1395: Splitting Heaven and Earth The two halves of the attack clashed with each other.
The spiritual sea began to burn, as though it had been ignited by the scarlet steam, forming spiritual flame. The scarlet steam, bolstered by the spiritual sea, grew even hotter. Contact with the steam seemed to sap at one's very soul. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.
Zhang Lie had allowed these two disparate sources of energy to combine, and their merger was so intense that the distinction between the real and illusory began to blur.
The clash between reality and illusion affected the entire arena.
The space distorted like papier mache as the two attacks clashed against each other. The spectators in the stands began to murmur to each other. They could only see a patch of fuzziness before them; the arena had turned distorted.
The surface of the sea frothed with angry waves, like dragons emerging with the tide. The waves roared through the sea like galloping steeds, like thundering dragons. From afar, the waves looked like a coven of flaming phoenixes spreading their wings and taking flight; from close up, they looked like flaming dragons.
These manifestations all drew from Zhang Lie's immense spiritual and genetic energy reserves, along with the sword techniques and willpower that he had honed over countless battlefields.
The spiritual sea seemed to belong to a separate dimension altogether, whereas the scarlet water-attuned genetic energy was in Zhang Lie's current dimension. The two sources of energy were linked and made manifest by Zhang Lie, and they both surged forward as Zhang Lie swung his twin blades.
The two blades combined spiritual and genetic energy, willpower and time. All that melded into a tsunami which surged toward Silver.
The combination of these disparate energies was so potent that it could destroy any lifeform's body and soul.
It clashed against the storm of golden blades. The intersection of reality and illusion generated a force so extreme it could shatter space, crushing the storm and cutting apart countless golden vines.
Resplendent Sun was near collapse. Sand seeped out of his body and into the void.
"I can't be defeated here. I'm going to surpass my father, to advance from undefeated into invincible!"
Resplendent Sun roared and transformed his invincible will into strength. His body glowed with golden light, burning with incandescent strength like a blazing sun.
If the spectators could see what Resplendent Sun was doing, they would be shocked. He was burning away his mind and soul for temporary, explosive strength.
Although he would be able to obtain thrice, maybe even ten times his usual strength in the short term, the side effects were commensurately intense. His mind and spirit would suffer severe damage, and he was guaranteed not to be able to participate in any match beyond this one.
In effect, Resplendent Sun was giving up his future and the rest of the Cup for a victory in the qualifiers, preserving his title and legend.
"Even if I'm not invincible, I'll remain undefeated!"
The remaining tendrils rushed into the air, twining and protecting the main vine. They formed a corkscrew that soared into the air and burst with scintillating light, tearing apart the papier-mache like space. All that strength condensed into one burning blow reminiscent of the blazing sun.
This was the strongest blow of this battle, penetrating natural law and tearing apart reality and illusion. The two combatants' attacks went beyond what the virtual realm could support, and even beyond what Resplendent Sun's own body could support. If not for the tendrils protecting his body, Resplendent Sun's attack would have torn himself apart before it ever had a chance to strike Zhang Lie.
The tendrils cracked and burned, transforming into fuel for Resplendent Sun's shocking attack.
"No one is ever invincible or undefeated," Zhang Lie replied coolly, his eyes calm. Ripples of energy emanated from him. His bones cracked and popped; his blood and flesh vibrated.
"[Ninesoul Dragonblade—Third Form: Separating Earth and Sky]!"
The runes of the Keys of the Elder Gods appeared once more. Strands of black hair floated around Zhang Lie. His eyes were like lightning, as though he were a martial god who had descended from the heavens.
With a sudden shout, as runes flared all over his body, his bones creaked, and his flesh trembled, his essence transformed into a dragon that soared into the air. The radiance around him intensified.
At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to go silent. the world stopped revolving on its axis, and everything was still. He felt as though he had returned to a primordial era far into the past, to the creation of the universe itself.
As his mind resonated with the realm, Zhang Lie felt as though he was witnessing the creation of the virtual realm itself.
Zhang Lie raised Guicang high into the air. Dawn light shone all around him. His heart and soul seemed to unite with the world all around him, as though he were part of creation itself.
"Open!" Zhang Lie murmured softly, but the sound of his voice carried.
A divine chime rang out as Zhang Lie emitted radiant light and cut apart the horizon. The skies split; the black- and white-colored energy that went into the slash erupted like a volcano. White energy drifted toward the skies, and black energy caused the sea to quake.
Part of the virtual realm was destroyed. The sky turned dull; the sword strike was one of primordial genesis, of void and chaos.
At that moment, the virtual realm's natural laws began to shift. The realm itself seemed to have been cut apart from the inside, transforming everything into chaotic energy.
This blow went beyond what could be described as strength. It bypassed structure and power, instead dealing with the fundamental forces of the world, of atavistic regression and subsequent evolution.
Zhang Lie's overwhelming strike snuffed out Resplendent Sun's sword attack. This was a disaster, an apocalypse, an attack from which no one would be able to escape.