Chen Tian's sword fell, and what seemed like a fearsome strike merely produced sparks upon hitting the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's carapace. He found it unbelievable. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's defense was so high that Chen Tian's attack caused no significant damage. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's body began to shake. Chen Tian flashed and leaped off its back. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider stared at Chen Tian before it, its eyes filled with rage. It then charged forward on its spider legs, heading straight for Chen Tian.
Its pincers and stinger extended, attacking Chen Tian from both sides. Chen Tian's long sword split into two, unleashing his dual-sword style. He swung both swords, which clashed against the pincers, stinger, and carapace. Chen Tian felt a dull ache in his arms; the creature's strength and power had increased. Chen Tian needed to exert more force. Cracks appeared on the ground from the friction of his feet as he retreated continuously. Chen Tian planted his feet firmly on the ground, standing as unyielding as a mountain, refusing to retreat further.
Chen Tian skillfully wielded his long sword, which seemed to disappear from view. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's pincers and stinger struck down. A smile flickered across Chen Tian's lips. He moved his two swords, placing their hilts directly at the joint of the pincers and stinger, jamming their connection points. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's attack halted. It swiftly changed its move, retracting its stinger and closing its pincers. If Chen Tian didn't pull his sword out, it would be crushed by the pincers. Chen Tian had anticipated this. He pulled back, and a "zizizi" sound echoed, the friction of the sliding sword producing sparks and fire. Chen Tian's sword scraped down the inner surface of the pincers, leaving a clear sword mark.
Since external attacks were ineffective against its outer shell, he would attack from the inside. Chen Tian had confirmed this earlier: its internal defense was weaker than its outer carapace. The sword mark Chen Tian left was proof of this.
The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider showed no outward change in expression, but being wounded by Chen Tian was an insult. A mere human had managed to injure it. Humans were insignificant ants. Now, it had been wounded by an ant. This was unbearable. It wanted to crush the human before it into a pulp, consigning his soul to eternal damnation.
Chen Tian distanced himself, and neither moved. Chen Tian currently had no way to deal with the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider. Its outer shell was too strong; his attacks were ineffective. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider also couldn't do anything to Chen Tian.
The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider roared, "Kid, you're not bad. You're the first person to injure me in hundreds of thousands of years. I swear I'll tear you to shreds."
"Hmph, who can't boast? If you have the guts, show me your real skills."
Chen Tian taunted him, but the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider didn't fall for it. It knew Chen Tian's intention and that it shouldn't lose its temper easily, as that would lower its chances of winning.
Seeing that the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider wasn't taking the bait, Chen Tian decisively attacked. Just as he was about to move, the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider appeared behind him, silently. Chen Tian felt a sense of crisis and instantly teleported away, vanishing from the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's sight. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's pincers missed, smashing into the ground, and the entire area exploded. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider stood in the center of the crater.
Chen Tian's expression became puzzled. When had this creature appeared behind him? Chen Tian hadn't detected it at all. If it weren't for his sixth sense, he would have been killed by those pincers.
"System, what's going on? The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's information didn't show any such ability or skill."
"Ding, Host, its abilities and skills differ in its various forms. Each form has independent data."
Chen Tian's face darkened. Why didn't it mention this earlier?
System: "You didn't ask this system."
Chen Tian was speechless. He opened his Divine Eye, instantly understanding all the information about the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider. Indeed, the information interface had changed compared to before. Chen Tian murmured, "So that was its ability... Wait, this trait is...!"
Chen Tian's eyes widened at the trait. He thought of a solution, a way to deal with it. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider was currently in its spider form, with a characteristic of doubled Earth element damage. Chen Tian happened to master the Earth element and could use it for attack.
Chen Tian's long sword turned into a beam of light. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider watched Chen Tian's actions, thinking the human had given up, even abandoning his weapon. It seemed it had won. Chen Tian raised his hand, gathering Earth element power. A ball of earth floated above his palm, growing larger as more earth gathered. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's expression turned to horror. How could this person know its weakness?
Its weakness was well hidden, and this person shouldn't know the weakness of this form. While the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider was confused, Chen Tian's earth ball was thrown directly, charging like a meteor. The earth element-condensed earth ball was vast and heavy, pressing down like a mountain. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider instantly opened its pincers, firing two beams of light. The beams collided with the earth ball, and for a moment, they were evenly matched. Chen Tian threw a second earth ball, which merged with the first. The earth ball instantly charged forward, breaking through the beams of light and advancing. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider watched the earth ball approach its body. Its entire carapace was enveloped in a layer of Earth element armor.
A huge explosion echoed, and invisible shockwaves and blasts spread. Chen Tian opened his eyes and looked at the center of the explosion. It should have been heavily injured by that move. Chen Tian's mastery of the Earth element was absolute. Coupled with using seventy percent of his strength to power the earth ball, if it hit, with doubled damage, this was not something the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider could withstand.
"Pity, this isn't a game, and there's no HP display. I don't know how badly this move injured it."
Chen Tian sighed inwardly. It would be great if this were a game world. The opponent's HP could indicate the damage Chen Tian dealt. Unfortunately, there was no HP, and he had to determine the opponent's condition himself. For the first time, Chen Tian felt that games were better; at least games displayed a creature's information and status, which was helpful for formulating battle plans. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's lack of display made Chen Tian tired.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
Dragon roars emanated from the center of the explosion. As the dust settled, Chen Tian exclaimed in surprise, "No way, completely unharmed? How is that possible?"
Chen Tian looked at the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider before him, completely unharmed. How was that possible?
"Ding, Host, don't be surprised. The opponent used its only life-saving means to escape disaster. A warning to the Host: the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider has three lives, corresponding to three forms. Please work hard to fight."
"No way, System, why are you only telling me this information now?"
Chen Tian cursed inwardly. Three lives. How long would this battle take? Chen Tian had to go all out just for the first life, let alone the other two. What kind of game was this?
It was like fighting a boss, only to discover it had three health bars, and you spent half the day just depleting one. Wasn't that tiring?
Chen Tian certainly felt tired. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider spoke human words, "Human, I admit your skill. Your power is greater than any being I have ever seen. You can make me use my innate divine ability. You have no regrets in dying."
"Earth Dragon Wave!"
The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's legs moved erratically on the ground, causing countless earth spikes to grow and charge madly towards Chen Tian. Chen Tian gathered the Five Elements power. Simultaneously, vines grew from the ground, and the surrounding plants and trees sprouted. The vines entwined the countless earth spikes. Wood overcomes Earth in the Five Elements. Chen Tian happened to master the Wood element. Although his mastery was low, it was enough to delay for some time. Chen Tian conjured Spirit Fire and Divine Ice, transforming them into fireballs and ice shards that flew towards the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's face.
The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's legs touched the ground, and a massive earth wall appeared before it. The fireballs and ice shards struck the earth wall without causing any ripples. Chen Tian looked at the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider. Its mastery of the Earth element was quite troublesome. Chen Tian realized that defeating its first life was a long and arduous task.
"How about we make peace?"
Chen Tian shamelessly uttered this sentence. He didn't want to waste time here. With three lives, he would be fighting until the end of time. The trial space had a time limit, and Chen Tian was waiting to find the Earth God's token. He truly had no time to waste here.
"Kid, you injured me, and now you want peace? What are you thinking? Today, it's either you die or I die. You are my disgrace."
After saying this, the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's carapace shone even brighter, and the surrounding ground shook. Chen Tian almost lost his balance. Chen Tian was utterly speechless; it seemed fighting was the only option.
Chen Tian's body condensed with Five Elements armor, and the Five Elements Sword appeared in his hand. The Star Wings on his back unfurled, and his hair turned grayish-white, his eyes glowing with nine colors, sharp and clear. This was Chen Tian's second tier of strength. Chen Tian divided his strength into six tiers. His previous battles with the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider were only at the first tier. The second tier was even stronger and more difficult to master. Chen Tian had only mastered fifty percent of his first tier strength, let alone his second tier.
However, since the creature had said so, Chen Tian would fulfill its wish for death. Chen Tian's current strength and aura surpassed that of the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider. The Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider was shocked but showed no fear. It craved an opponent, and now it had one. It had no regrets in dying.
After a long period of loneliness, it could finally fight with all its might. As an Emperor-grade Demon King Beast, the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's regret was its invincible loneliness. Now, Chen Tian's opponent allowed it to fight. Its aura steadily rose. It was evident how powerful the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider was, given that it hadn't used its full strength yet.
Chen Tian and the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider unleashed their attacks simultaneously. Sword light bloomed like lotuses, stars shone in the sky, and the Star Sword Lotus unfurled.
Earth spikes grew on the Earth Scorpion Dragon Spider's back and shot out, converging into a long spike during their charge. The spike collided with the Star Sword Lotus, and an explosion ensued.