The two of us exchanged glances, seeing determination and killing intent in each other's eyes.
Vich's body flickered, disappearing from his spot. The next moment, he reappeared before me.
His long saber, carrying immense power, slashed down fiercely towards my face.
Without hesitation, I blocked with my short sword.
I felt a tremendous force press down on my blade. I was pushed back several steps before I could barely stabilize myself.
But it was clear Vich's attack wasn't over.
The instant the two weapons met, black energy surged, engulfing my short sword.
I felt my short sword become incredibly heavy. The next moment, flames erupted.
With explosive force, they shattered the mass of black energy.
The flames continued forward, blasting towards Vich's face.
As the flames approached, the black energy transformed into a dark shield, directly blocking my fire.
The next instant, an explosion resounded.
The power of the flames reached its apex, but it also clearly drew out that dark energy.
Between us, terrifying energy ripples spread outwards in concentric circles.
A massive pit was compressed into the sea, which then erupted.
The energy ripples swept outwards, waves crashing high. The ship anchored in the center of the sea rose and fell with the swells.
As the waves exploded, I charged again, and so did Vich.
Black energy erupted instantly, its momentum reaching its peak.
The surrounding seawater was stirred, transforming into a colossal Flood Dragon that lunged at me.
The short sword in my hand vibrated slightly as water energy surged forth.
Facing the oncoming Flood Dragon, I swung my short sword.
Accompanied by the spread of energy ripples, the colossal water Flood Dragon was guided by my power, changing direction beside me and smashing towards Vich.
Seeing his own move returned, Vich's expression remained unchanged.
He gripped his long saber tightly and directly collided with the gaping maw of the Flood Dragon.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
With continuous explosions, I clearly saw the water Flood Dragon break apart inch by inch.
As energy ripples diffused, countless splashes erupted outwards.
Then, the long saber cut through the curtain of water, appearing before me.
The two forces collided once more. This time, the black energy and my four elemental powers intermingled wildly.
At the confluence of the two forces, the air itself distorted. The powers reached a wondrous point of equilibrium.
And then...
"Boom!"
Another explosion echoed, and a vast trough appeared on the sea's surface.
The water instantly filled the void, but at that moment, it triggered colossal waves that surged towards the shore.
Our city was located in that direction.
But I didn't even look back.
I knew clearly that this level of power was insufficient to endanger the city.
After all, the Soul Suppressing Stele provided a protective shield. Even if the shield could be broken, Shen Zhi and the others were still inside.
Not yet. After I calmed my breath, I saw Vich standing not far away. Black flames seemed to surge upon his long saber.
Then, the long saber began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The blade became wider and wider, its aura increasingly ferocious.
That terrifying attack directly crashed towards my face.
I only saw the long saber grow larger and larger in my pupils. At this moment, my body became unresponsive.
Just as the attack was about to land before me, my instincts reacted.
I sidestepped to evade the terrifying blade, but I was clearly a fraction too slow.
I hadn't escaped the range of the saber's aura.
A sharp pain shot through my arm. Glancing over, a gruesome gash appeared on my limb, and blood began to drip.
Water energy immediately covered the wound, stemming the bleeding and initiating rapid recovery.
"If this is all the strength you possess, then this battle between us need not continue..." Vich looked at me, his face devoid of emotion.
"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you..." I replied, swinging my short sword. The powers of the four elements enveloped my body.
In an instant, my body was filled with terrifying power.
This energy encased me, and I felt my heartbeat quicken.
I swung the short sword in my hand towards Vich.
Though we were tens of meters apart, this distance was insignificant to me at my current strength.
Energy of four colors roared out, heading straight for Vich.
Seeing the incoming energy, Vich's long saber slashed down fiercely!
A black saber light appeared before the four-colored energy.
Just then, the four energy masses surprisingly changed direction, striking Vich from different angles.
"Boom!" With a piercing roar, the four energy masses impacted Vich's body.
Mist instantly billowed, engulfing Vich.
I clearly felt my attack hit, but I also sensed that Vich was unharmed.
A fierce gust of wind swept through, scattering the surrounding mist. Vich was covered in a layer of black liquid, like armor.
Currently, this black armor was slowly repairing itself.
"How does it feel?" I asked.
"Good..." Vich replied, "As expected of someone who possesses half of the Tree of Life..."
I slowly exhaled, "I think we should speed up our battle now!"
"I agree..." Vich said, his body vanishing from his spot.
The next moment, a colossal long saber suddenly appeared in mid-air.
Then, it began to slash down from above.
I had no chance to evade this attack. The short sword in my hand vibrated. Like them, all things materialized, and I struck upwards towards the mid-air.
The two forces met in the air with a piercing roar.
A fierce wind swept out, snapping all the trees on the ground. Energy surged outwards in waves, and cracks appeared all over the ground.
I felt the immense pressure descending from the sky, my gaze remaining cold.
"Do we need to continue probing?" I asked.
"No need..." Vich said, "You are powerful. At the very least, your strength has far exceeded my expectations... In my predictions, you wouldn't be this strong..."