Xie Ru looked arrogant, as if proud of cracking Chen Tian’s formation. Chen Tian said calmly, "I really didn't expect that there would be someone among the Xie Ling race who understood formations. This was a small oversight on my part, but it won't happen again."
Chen Tian's indifferent expression made Xie Ru's face turn grim. He had intended to strike at the opponent's morale and emotions, but the other party seemed unfazed. Xie Ru then asked, "Two of you, who will go first to test the waters?"
"I will. I've waited long enough."
A youth beside Xie Ru stepped forward, walking on air and standing atop the city wall. He roared, "General of the Xie Ling Army: Xie Ku. Who among you dares to fight?"
"I will!"
Shu Zi flew towards the sky. A general against a general, a king against a king – that was the rule. Before the main armies engaged, the victor of the initial duel would significantly boost their side's morale. Shu Zi stepped forward. Among their side, only Shu Zi and Chen Tian could contend with Xie Generals. The other warriors were barely capable of dealing with the Xie Ling creatures, let alone supporting them.
Shu Zi arrived before Xie Ku. Xie Ku sensed that Shu Zi's aura was comparable to his own. It seemed this battle would not disappoint. Shu Zi's strength surpassed that of another in the Divine Spirit Realm. Shu Zi’s awakening had been completed long ago, his full strength was formidable, and the intertwining of his two primal energies made his power far exceed his past.
Shu Zi clenched his hands, which made a cracking sound. Xie Ku raised his black claws. Instantly, a gale collided, and their auras clashed. The collision of Shu Zi and Xie Ku's auras generated winds that swept across a hundred-mile radius. Chen Tian's eyes opened, and he conjured a barrier to protect the city wall. The temporary wall Chen Tian had erected could not withstand the force, so Chen Tian had to intervene to safeguard it.
Shu Zi and Xie Ku attacked simultaneously. Their figures blurred as they clashed, fists and claws meeting, sparks flying. Both their fists and claws were as hard as steel. Shu Zi threw a series of punches at a steady pace. Xie Ku, facing Shu Zi's blows, lightly swiped with his claws, sending out slashes. Shu Zi's fist struck a claw mark, causing an explosion. From the explosion, Xie Ku's figure shot towards Shu Zi, his claws aiming for Shu Zi's neck, intent on killing him.
Shu Zi executed a special footwork, his body rotating with the steps. This rotation allowed him to evade Xie Ku's attack. Xie Ku's expression showed surprise. The opponent had just dodged his attack by moving mere centimeters. What kind of evasion technique was this? How much confidence did one need to act like this?
Shu Zi had trained alongside Chen Tian, and he had long mastered Chen Tian's limit-evasion technique. He approached Xie Ku's attack with a trial-and-error mindset. Fortunately, it had been successful; otherwise, he would have been severely injured or killed.
Shu Zi followed with a side kick, like the arrival of death, sweeping towards Xie Ku. Xie Ku crossed his arms, black energy condensing into armguards.
*Bang!*
Xie Ku's figure was sent staggering back a few steps. Shu Zi's kick, delivered with full force, only managed to push him back a short distance. Shu Zi's expression turned solemn. Xie Ku was more powerful than he had anticipated. He might not be a match for him. The aura emanating from Xie Ku was the same as his own, which was correct.
Chen Tian observed the entire scene and quickly deduced the outcome. Shu Zi and Xie Ku were evenly matched at best, with Shu Zi having only a 40% chance of victory. Xie Ku's aura was similar to Shu Zi's, but his full power was not on display. He was under the dual suppression of the plane and the Heavenly Dao. Chen Tian guessed that Xie Ku's true strength was far greater.
However, unleashing his full power would cause the world to collapse, which was contrary to the Xie Ling race's intentions. They would rather be suppressed than fight with their all, all for the sake of finding a place to survive.
The Xie Ling race's idea might be correct from their perspective, but in Chen Tian's eyes, it was wrong. Was finding a dwelling place worth invading other worlds? Was it worth plunging the world into darkness?
From the Xie Ling race's standpoint, their people were not wrong. From humanity's perspective, they were.
Right and wrong were merely different viewpoints.
Shu Zi and Xie Ku faced each other. Xie Ku's lips curled upwards, his claws becoming infinitely sharper than before. His entire body exploded with speed, and Shu Zi couldn't even track Xie Ku's movements. Shu Zi closed his eyes, realizing that sometimes one should not trust their eyes, but rely on their senses.
Shu Zi clenched his fist and swung it behind him. *Rumble!* A shockwave spread, and a sound echoed in the sky. Both Xie Ku and Shu Zi were forced back. Xie Ku praised, "Not bad. You actually managed to block my full-power punch in this state. I hope you can last a little longer against me, otherwise, it won't be fun."
Xie Ku spoke with a playful tone and expression. Shu Zi's face remained calm, unfazed by the other's words.
Maintaining composure in battle was the most basic requirement of a warrior. Xie Ku stomped his foot, and his figure split into over a hundred doppelgängers, surrounding Shu Zi. Shu Zi looked at the numerous Xie Kus around him, each radiating Xie Ling energy. A normal person would assume they were all the real bodies.
The true body was only one. Shu Zi was well aware of this technique. When the Divine Spirit Realm was invaded, he had witnessed it before. Countless Xie Kus attacked at once. Shu Zi opened his palm, holding a long spear. He swung the spear, its blade creating a spinning storm that enveloped him. The blade storm annihilated all the Xie Ku figures. Xie Ku appeared elsewhere. As the blade storm dissipated, Xie Ku immediately attacked. Xie Ku was indeed a combat veteran.
In this situation, Shu Zi had no opportunity to dodge. The moment he stopped his technique, there was a brief pause of a few seconds. For a fighter of Xie Ku's caliber, these few seconds were an opportunity; a moment's carelessness could lead to severe injury. Xie Ku's claws aimed for Shu Zi's back.
As Shu Zi's technique ended, a sense of crisis washed over him. By the time he reacted, Xie Ku's claws were about to pierce his back. Chen Tian threw a beam of light, which arrived behind Shu Zi. Chen Tian said, "Shu Zi, grab it."
Shu Zi knew Chen Tian was helping him. His arm touched the light, and instantly, a shield-like fragment appeared behind him. The claws struck the fragment, but the shield remained unharmed. The impact of the collision sent both Shu Zi and Xie Ku reeling backward. Shu Zi looked at the shield, realizing it was his shield. This time, he was truly grateful.
Shu Zi steadied himself. Xie Ku flicked his claw, flinging the token fragment away. The token fragment flew towards Chen Tian. Xie Ku looked at Shu Zi and said, "Kid, you're lucky. But how many more life-saving methods do you have? I'm curious to see."
"Wait, we forfeit this match."
Chen Tian spoke. Both Chen Tian and Shu Zi knew Shu Zi was no match for Xie Ku, and there was no point in continuing the fight. The opponent's intention was clearly to probe the number and strength of Chen Tian's high-end combatants. By having Shu Zi conserve his strength for now, it would make the opponent slightly more wary.
It was not the time to reveal their trump cards. Chen Tian's words caused the morale of the soldiers on the city wall to plummet. If their general had lost, did they truly have hope of defending the wall?
Shu Zi approached Chen Tian, displeased. "Chen Tian, are you doing this a bit...?"
"If I didn't do this, would you go to your death?"
"Don't worry, I'll handle it from here. Go and cultivate. In the final moments, you and I will need to fight together. It's not time to use that move yet."
"Alright."
Chen Tian's reasoning was sound. Shu Zi turned back and asked, "Give me that thing. I'll take it to him."
"Certainly."
Chen Tian handed the shield fragment to Shu Zi. This item would be delivered by Shu Zi to Pigeon.
This shield fragment was one of Pigeon's intrinsic weapon fragments. Each time it was merged, Pigeon's shield's strength would increase exponentially. Pigeon's shield was the strongest shield in the universe, impenetrable by anything. This shield was forged by that old man.
Chen Tian wondered what that old man was capable of, but he was determined to find him one day.
They had made a promise.
"Kid, who among you will fight me next!"
Xie Ku's aura grew stronger and stronger, while the morale of Chen Tian's soldiers continuously weakened, losing confidence in themselves. Chen Tian said, "The first match counts as your victory. It's already past midnight since you arrived here. The second match will continue tomorrow. You must be tired, aren't you?"
"Kid, you want to play delaying tactics? Fine, I'll play along and see what skills you have."
Xie Ru, as the strategist, saw through Chen Tian's intention. Xie Ru did not refuse Chen Tian's proposal. Xie Ku looked annoyed, as the fight had ended just as it began, not satisfying him at all.
"Then, see you tomorrow!"
Chen Tian chuckled. Xie Ru couldn't decipher Chen Tian's grand plan. Whatever his thoughts or intentions, as long as that esteemed one succeeded, the world would belong to their Xie Ling race.
"Xie Ku, Xie Xie, come here."
Xie Ru was the strategist, and both Xie Ku and Xie Xie were wary of him. Xie Ru was too cunning; a moment's carelessness could lead to their demise. They dared not offend him. The three of them were of comparable strength, but in terms of wisdom, they were no match for Xie Ru.
Xie Ru and the other two gathered, enveloped by a black light shield. Chen Tian showed no reaction; everything was proceeding as he had anticipated. Chen Tian waved his arm, and a swirling vortex appeared beside it, expanding continuously. What Chen Tian was doing was summoning the doppelgänger from the Northern Fortress, along with the cultivators and martial artists.
With their involvement, the chance of winning this battle would be ninety percent. The battle at the Northern Fortress had already concluded, and Chen Tian's doppelgänger had repelled the Ancient Xie Ling. It would take several days for them to recover from their injuries.
A figure identical to Chen Tian emerged from the vortex. The doppelgänger Chen Tian said indignantly, "Main body, I am still stationed at the Northern Fortress. Isn't it inappropriate to bring everyone here?"
"No, I have my reasons."
Chen Tian's vortex condensed into a large gate. The other side of the gate was the Northern Fortress. Chen Tian directly connected the two locations. Chen Tian said, "Doppelgänger, place this gate in the center of the Northern Fortress. Connecting these passages will greatly speed up future reinforcements."
The doppelgänger Chen Tian took the gate from Chen Tian. As a doppelgänger, he naturally understood his main body's intentions.
The doppelgänger Chen Tian opened the gate and entered. The gate closed, and soon, it emitted a glow. Chen Tian was delighted; it was successful. The two locations were now connected.