His long sword condensed, formed from internal energy, its hardness surpassing the Xie Long Xie Ling Claws. This time, there was no need to worry about the weapon shattering.
With the sword in hand, their figures moved with sound. In a single second, they exchanged hundreds of blows. The sword flashed with light, its slashes forming a storm. Within the storm, a black claw descended, tearing the tempest apart. The claw's charge transformed into a black beam of light, a dark stream that approached rapidly. The sword body blocked horizontally.
With a slight flick of the long sword, Xie Long's attack was deflected. Seizing the advantage, his figure advanced, leaving behind afterimages. Six or seven figures attacked from all directions. This move proved ineffective. The claws on the Xie Ling Claws shot out, transforming into black spikes that pierced the illusory clones. Even he himself met the spikes head-on. Energy flowed into the sword, the elemental power surging. Elemental sword qi erupted, colliding with the black spikes and exploding. The resulting shockwaves forced Chen Tian's figure to retreat.
He didn't know when new Xie Ling Claws had grown on his fists, but this sight was not surprising. The forbidden arts were his own creation, and he understood perfectly why they were called forbidden. This scene was within his expectations. His figure turned into a beam of light; the real battle was about to begin.
The two figures continued to clash, performing a spectacular display in the void. The collision of light resembled beautiful, destructive fireworks, forming trajectories in the void. These trajectories inexplicably combined into patterns that were quite exquisite. Unfortunately, such a scene could not last long. The patterns vanished, and the two figures reappeared, slightly breathless. His long sword shimmered, appearing both real and illusory. In their previous clash, Chen Tian and Xie Long were evenly matched.
Only he himself knew that he was not Xie Long's match in this state. He could only barely contend with thirty percent of Xie Long's power. After the prior probing, he could confirm that Xie Long had not used his full strength. Currently, it was likely thirty percent, while he needed to use the full power of the Divine Spirit Realm to resist this thirty percent.
Xie Long sneered, "Is this all you've got? You've become so much weaker, unable to even withstand thirty percent of my strength. I really don't know where your confidence comes from."
"You can try!"
His figure stood firm, his face regaining its vigor, his entire being bursting with energy. This aura and presence caused Xie Long to falter. Was he still hiding some strength? It seemed he was testing me earlier, but so what?
I don't believe your strength has recovered so quickly.
Regardless of Chen Tian's recovery, Xie Long was determined to kill him here today. With the power he possessed now, if he continued to grow, he might surpass his first life and perhaps even command respect from the universe itself.
This was the path of reincarnation, the method of reincarnation.
If they could, they too would wish to enter reincarnation and become stronger. But these were all fantasies. To open the path of reincarnation, the help of the cosmic consciousness was required. Without it, entering the path of reincarnation was impossible.
The erupting aura was so potent that Chen Tian felt he had to be somewhat serious. This time, he would use his full strength, thirty percent. Thirty percent was enough to deal with the current Xie Long. His aura climbed, even showing signs of overwhelming the opponent.
Xie Long refused to be outdone. Both unleashed their power, and the surrounding void began to tremble. The void could not bear the energy fluctuations from the two. If they were to collide, the void would shatter. Yet, before any direct confrontation, the mere clash of their energies caused cracks to appear around them.
A vortex formed, swallowing one of the figures. This sensation was familiar. Chen Tian was not alarmed. It was the cosmic consciousness intervening, transporting their battle to cosmic space. The void could not withstand it, but cosmic space could. Cosmic space was created by the cosmic consciousness. Here, the space was as strong as the universe itself.
Unless their strength reached the level of destroying the universe, this space would remain unharmed.
In cosmic space, the two figures attacked. Their swords slashed horizontally, rising and falling rapidly. Sword light flickered. Their fists clenched, Xie Ling Claws extending. Both fists carried immense power, their claw tips swinging. Clang, clang, clang sounds echoed continuously. The sword's attacks were blocked by the claws. Fists and claws exchanged blows, both sides transitioning between offense and defense, making it impossible to determine a victor for a time.
The primary reason was that their combat awareness was nearly identical. Chen Tian could not gain an advantage in combat awareness. The more combat awareness accumulated, the easier it was to reach a limit. At this point, their battle experience had reached its peak, and they could not progress further. This battle was not a test of awareness but of concentration. The moment one of them lost rhythm, it would be the moment of victory or defeat.
Fists and claws, along with the long sword, formed rapid collisions of light. To an observer, they would appear enveloped in light, their movements completely obscured. The speed was astounding. Battles at this level were beyond description.
*Peng!*
A massive sound and explosion resonated. It was the reaction between moves and energy fluctuations that caused the explosion. Fortunately, both retreated in time and were not affected. This was no trivial matter; the shockwaves from this energy reaction were enough to cause them minor injuries.
Furthermore, Chen Tian absolutely could not be injured. Xie Long's abilities were evident. The energy shockwaves were laced with Xie Long's power. Once injured, he would be severely wounded. He had to dodge.
As for Xie Long himself, he didn't need to consider so much; he could afford to tank the shockwaves.
Their eyes met. Xie Long spoke first, "Should the probing be over? There's no need for us to continue this kind of fight; it's quite boring."
"Indeed."
He tacitly agreed. This kind of battle was meaningless. Both understood each other's strength and situation. The next stage was the true battle, deciding life and death, determining victory.
Two types of energy fluctuations erupted from their bodies, entirely different from before. As the energy waves appeared, even cosmic space began to shake, merely from the impact of the fluctuations.
Both sides had to exert their full power to end this battle quickly.
Their eyes opened, and light shot from their hands. The sword light was a nine-colored luminescence, a sword slash combining elemental energy and sword qi. Its power was indescribable. Mastering multiple elemental energies and fusing them together to create even greater power astonished Xie Long.
He knew that in his first life, he had not possessed such a technique. It seemed the new reincarnation had gained new abilities and methods, making him increasingly troublesome. He had to resolve this quickly.
A puff of black qi emerged from his lips, and his entire body was enveloped in it. Xie Ling qi and Xie Ling bloodline were activated, the energy surging to cover an area of a hundred li. This qi and bloodline power gradually dissipated, seemingly vanishing, but in reality, it was entering his fist.
The energy in his fist was compressed. The Xie Ling Claws were tightly clenched on his fist. With a punch, a phantom fist shot out, colliding with the sword light.
One move after another, both sides were evenly matched. As the techniques dissipated, they were still in a draw.
Even in a full-power state, it was still a draw. To what extent had his strength recovered?
This was a question. He had assumed Chen Tian's recovered strength would be at most a fifty-fifty match, but it turned out that even with full power, it was a draw. Judging by his bone age and appearance, he should have only just begun cultivating in this life. This defied logic.
Even for someone who reincarnated, their strength and realm had to be cultivated from scratch. Even if they found their memories, all they had were memories of experience, martial arts, and cultivation methods. Cultivation still had to be pursued.