Chen Tian and Xie San collided, and the entire sky trembled violently. The space around them cracked, and the void slowly emerged. Energy waves churned at the center, and the void shattered, expanding rapidly. In an instant, their figures disappeared into the sky. Within the void, Chen Tian and Xie San retreated. The void was their battlefield. Chen Tian and Xie San locked eyes, and both of them unleashed their full might. Two beams of light collided.
Chen Tian and Xie San attacked simultaneously, fist against claw. Chen Tian's fist was overwhelming, while Xie San's claws were uncanny. They clashed, neither gaining the upper hand, their strength seemingly equal. Chen Tian intensified his power, unleashing his full force to gain a slight advantage. Xie San saw how easily Chen Tian dealt with him. Chen Tian's power had changed drastically compared to millennia ago. He infused his own strength, and with a rumble, sounds erupted from within both of them. The power affected them both. Chen Tian and Xie San's eyes blazed, and with a bang, they were forced back three steps.
Chen Tian retreated half a step further, the difference clear. Chen Tian was at a disadvantage, but he was still not accustomed to his current power. From the start of the battle, Chen Tian had not been proficient in controlling his strength, as he had never used his full power before. Against Xie San, Chen Tian could have easily crushed him by activating his first reincarnation body. Chen Tian had previously activated his third reincarnation body, and he could only activate one reincarnation body per day. His first reincarnation body was unusable, as the system had warned him that forcing the use of two reincarnation bodies would result in irreversible changes to himself.
Chen Tian was unsure what these changes would be, but he knew the system would not lie to him. What the system said was always correct, and Chen Tian only needed to obey. Moreover, his current fight with Xie San was evenly matched. Neither of them could easily kill the other. Chen Tian understood Xie San's approximate strength, as his power could not have regressed or stagnated over millennia. Xie San's claws instantly sharpened, becoming incredibly keen and significantly more powerful than before.
Chen Tian gathered power on his fist, forming a formidable strike. Both took a step forward. Chen Tian's fist swept from the left, and Xie San dodged, narrowly avoiding the blow. Xie San's claws lashed out, and Chen Tian opened his right palm, grabbing Xie San's claw. Seeing his attack blocked, Xie San reacted, raising his left leg high and driving his knee towards Chen Tian's abdomen. Chen Tian knew Xie San's intention. He brought his left fist back to his chest and transformed his right fist into a palm strike, pushing Xie San's raised leg away.
Xie San's claws, released from Chen Tian's grip, slashed out like two beams of light, aiming for Chen Tian's neck. Chen Tian activated his ultimate evasion technique, dodging the attack.
He ducked his neck back slightly, and the claw narrowly missed. Chen Tian's left leg swung in a sidekick, a sudden offense that caught Xie San off guard. Xie San remained calm, raising his arm to block the kick. Their limbs collided, and they stood in the void in a peculiar pose.
Chen Tian's leg attack was blocked. Xie San, seeing this, changed his claw's motion from inward to outward, attempting to seize Chen Tian's leg. Chen Tian immediately changed his strategy, his left and right legs interchanging in a continuous spinning kick. Xie San crossed his arms, and the force of the spinning kicks struck his arms, pushing him back half a step.
Xie San swiped his arm, dispersing the residual force. His claws then transformed into two sharp beams of light, attacking from left and right in a cross strike, aiming to trap Chen Tian. Chen Tian's body was covered in armor, increasing his defense threefold. Facing Xie San's attack, the claws struck the armor, causing Chen Tian's body to merely tremble without any damage. Chen Tian extended his arms, and Xie San, seeing this, retreated.
Xie San's decisive retreat prevented Chen Tian from executing his subsequent attacks. Xie San's combat experience was far beyond that of ordinary opponents. Even with Chen Tian's predictive abilities, he couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success rate for his attacks. Xie San possessed strong combat intuition and instinct. It was a battle where neither could gain an advantage, relying purely on combat awareness, experience, and technique.
Seeing Xie San retreat, Chen Tian immediately pursued, charging towards him ferociously. His palms crackled with the power of the Five Elements, which converged into a single palm strike. Five-colored palm shadows shot out, appearing before Xie San. Xie San watched Chen Tian's move calmly. In Xie San's mind, Chen Tian would seize this opportunity, as his combat experience was on par with Xie San's.
As Chen Tian's palm strike flew, Xie San nonchalantly extended his claws, gathering demonic energy. Claws formed from demonic energy shot out, causing continuous explosions and a cloud of multicolored smoke. Chen Tian used the smoke to obscure his vision and advanced. The residual energy from the explosion should have deterred anyone from approaching, but Chen Tian was different; his body was immune to explosive energy. Xie San watched the smoke, waiting for the explosion to subside.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the smoke and charged towards Xie San. He threw a punch. Xie San quickly defended, unable to comprehend Chen Tian's recklessness in emerging from the center of the explosion. Even he would have been severely injured by the residual energy.
Chen Tian's fist arrived in an instant. With no time to think, Xie San was forced to defend. Chen Tian had gathered the power of the Five Elements and the Yin-Yang forces in this punch. As it unleashed, heaven and earth fell silent, and the entire world seemed on the verge of shattering.
A sky-shattering explosion occurred, and a figure retreated wildly. Xie San forcefully stabilized himself, a deep fist indentation marring his arm. He exclaimed, "Madman."
"Madman, so what?"
Chen Tian knew what Xie San meant, but he was unharmed. His body was immune to explosive energy, and he was as good as new. Xie San sensed Chen Tian's uninjured state and became bewildered. How was this possible?
Emerging from the center of the explosion without a scratch? Was his body’s resilience this formidable? Even he wouldn't dare to do that.
Chen Tian and Xie San prepared for the next round, as neither had won the previous one. There was no need to continue further.
Both Chen Tian and Xie San had the same thought. Chen Tian conjured a sword in his palm, a nine-colored longsword. He shook his body, and a torrent of sword energy swept through the void. Xie San gripped his claw tightly and summoned the Evil Spirit Sword. Xie San's primary weapon was a sword; he was a sword cultivator. Each prince of the Evil Spirit race used a different weapon.
Xie San, like Chen Tian, was a sword cultivator. This battle would ultimately be a clash between swordsmen.