Shu Zi was fighting Xie Qing. Xie Qing continuously waved his fan, creating gusts of wind. These gusts were all condensed from flames, and the fan contained countless martial arts moves, abilities, and techniques. His offense was relentless, like an endless barrage of bullets.
Facing a tornado, a fiery vortex surged towards him. Shu Zi swung his long spear, raising it above his head and twirling it. A series of spear flowers and shadows combined into a spear wheel, which flew out and sliced the fiery tornado in half before continuing forward.
The fan unfurled, and a barrier materialized. The spear wheel struck it, producing only faint sounds. The fan closed, and with a slight sweeping motion, continuous energy blades shot out. They whizzed with incredible speed, closing in instantly. A circular shield materialized on Shu Zi's palm, spinning.
As the energy blades struck the circular shield and slowly shattered, Shu Zi's figure suddenly appeared behind Xie Qing. The fan had transformed into a spear, which thrust forward with blinding speed, aiming to pierce Shu Zi's body.
"Showing off in front of a master," Shu Zi thought, "You should know that I've been a master of the spear my entire life. It's impossible to harm me with it." He parried the incoming spear with his own. As the spearheads were about to collide, the spear, along with Xie Qing's figure, dissipated. It was a phantom.
The real attack had come from the other side the moment Shu Zi turned. The fan unfurled, and a blood-red aura flowed from its tip, intertwined with demonic energy. A massive black and red mountain appeared overhead, exuding a terrifying pressure that made Shu Zi feel incredibly heavy. The mountain possessed a gravity-limiting effect.
As the mountain descended, intending to crush Shu Zi beneath it, he endured the immense gravity. He infused his long spear with power and forcefully thrust it upwards, piercing the mountain from below. A pillar of light shot out from the center, and the mountain exploded.
Xie Qing's expression remained placid. If he couldn't withstand even this move, he wouldn't be Shu Zi's fated adversary. He closed his fan and remarked indifferently, "You've become more powerful since thousands of years ago."
"You're not bad either. I have no idea about so many of your abilities."
Both sides possessed a high degree of understanding of each other, and their strengths were well-known. Through this battle, they realized that their current powers far surpassed those from millennia ago.
"The real fight begins now. Only one of us will survive."
"I couldn't ask for more."
This fated battle was long overdue.
They adopted their fighting stances, spears and fans ready. The fan unfurled and swung left and right, splitting into countless energy wheels. Behind these wheels was a torrential downpour of sword rain, followed by elemental attacks.
It was unknown how many techniques and abilities this fan had absorbed. For now, the priority was to end this battle.
Shu Zi jabbed forward repeatedly. Illusory figures appeared behind him, growing in number and launching themselves forward as his arms extended. They clashed with Xie Qing's techniques, creating continuous explosions.
When the dust settled, they attacked simultaneously. Shu Zi's long spear was enveloped by heavenly lightning, turning it into a spear of divine lightning with an unstoppable aura.
The spear gathered electricity, which transformed into a roaring lightning dragon that charged towards Xie Qing. Xie Qing opened his demonic fan and alternated his hands, shifting to his right. Shu Zi's expression grew solemn as he recognized the meaning behind this action.
Xie Qing was naturally right-handed, and using his right hand allowed him to unleash the fan's full potential. His left hand was about 20% less efficient in channeling energy.
The fan unfurled, and with a puff of air, a black dragon emerged from its center. This dragon, like the lightning dragon, appeared to be of pure dragon lineage.
The residual energy from both dragons caused both combatants to step back. This exchange of ultimate techniques ended in a draw.
"This is proving a bit difficult."
Shu Zi felt a headache coming on. The fan was the most troublesome aspect. To defeat Xie Qing, he needed to deal with the fan. He pondered for solutions.
Otherwise, this battle would be a stalemate, and like before, it could drag on for years.
An idea quickly formed in his mind, a rather dangerous one. Based on the information he had, the fan possessed a certain ability. He wasn't sure if it was still intact, but if he could trigger it, he might have a chance to win.
Shu Zi abandoned his technique-based offense and switched to a charge. Seeing his opponent rushing towards him, Xie Qing felt that Shu Zi was seeking death by engaging in close combat.
The fan in Xie Qing's hand suddenly disassembled. The scattered parts were drawn to each other, and from their center, armor formed and spread, encasing his body. Fully armored, he clenched his fists and unleashed a punch.
The two figures collided. Ge Zi and Xie Ling Jian were both pushed back. Their battle was evenly matched. Xie Ling Jian was Ge Zi's dark side, possessing identical combat techniques and experience. Their swordsmanship was also on par.
"Are you going to deny your dark side? I am you, and you are me. We've always been one. How can you kill me?" Xie Ling Jian sneered arrogantly. He stated indifferently, "I don't deny that everyone has a dark side. But the dark side should remain locked within the heart. Now, you are ravaging the world, and I must eliminate you."
"Do you think you have the ability to do that?"
Knowing that he couldn't win through psychological warfare, Xie Ling Jian attacked decisively. Sword clashed against sword. Their moves were identical, taught by the same master, making it impossible to break through their defenses. Facing Xie Ling Jian's attacks, Shen Ling Jian easily defended, even forfeiting offensive opportunities.
This puzzled Xie Ling Jian. Why was he only defending and not attacking?
After a period of combat, he realized that Shen Ling Jian was fighting with his eyes closed, his defenses unwavering. For a cultivator, fighting with closed eyes was not impossible. They had spiritual power to act as a second set of eyes. Even if their physical eyes were destroyed, they wouldn't lose their sight.
Their minds would actively render their surroundings and the battle scene. Suddenly, Ge Zi's eyes snapped open. The moment they did, a radiance flashed, and Shen Ling Jian's power erupted.
That power burst forth, repelling Xie Ling Jian. It felt as if his opponent had transformed.
"You... this aura, you're not him. Who are you?" As his other side, Xie Ling Jian recognized immediately that the person before him was not the original.
"I am who I am, just a different me. Let's continue our fight."
His personality had also changed, and Xie Ling Jian had no idea why.
In reality, another identity had temporarily taken control of the body. The original had realized that continuing the fight indefinitely was pointless. Coincidentally, the person in his mind had appeared, and after confirming that they wouldn't harm him, he handed over control of the body.
Indeed, the one now controlling the body was the Third Prince. He had traveled far from this universe and sensed that the created body he had left behind was in dire straits, so he came to help.
This body, Ge Zi, was created by the Third Prince, with a contingency for three interventions. This was the first.
The long sword was gripped tightly by the Third Prince. He stepped forward, his aura growing significantly stronger. His attack methods changed, and in Xie Ling Jian's understanding, this swordsmanship was entirely unknown.
Continuous sword lights flashed, and Xie Ling Jian's body sustained injuries.