On the top floor of the Nine-Treasured Immortal Ordeal Palace, two individuals stood face to face at a distance of a few meters. They stared at each other, the other party maintaining a scrutinizing gaze before they finally smiled behind their pink veil.
"Have you finally come before me to accept the trial, Master Davis?"
"That's right."
Davis stood before Lereza before he nodded his head to her question.
"Still, I'll have to warn you before you take the challenge." Lereza gestured, "Once you challenged me to a battle in order to reveal the contents of the Chaotic Genesis Physique and become the full-fledged owner of this inheritance, you must defeat me. Otherwise, you fail as there's only a single chance, so if you lose, everything you cultivate goes to waste. I advise you to think again."
Lereza warned with her eyes narrowed, causing Davis to shake his head.
"This time, I really might die of enemy attacks, so I think I'm going to have you step into the Immortal Emperor Stage. For that, I'm going to have to defeat you."
"With my bloodline, I can still fake that kind of aura if you wan- "
"No, I'm no longer playing games. I'm going to slaughter my enemies and possibly commit genocide. If you don't want to help, that's fine. I won't force you, but in exchange, I want you to look after my family after I leave. I have just voluntarily exiled myself from the Aurora Cloud Gate moments ago, so I have a day to leave."
Davis spoke with determination, but his voice was laden with politeness. He was asking her to help him, causing Lereza to purse her lips.
"You're being hasty, but that's not new. I can sense that it's required as people crossed your bottom line multiple times, and you have my support. I'm coming with you as your protector."
"…"
Davis looked at her with a complicated gaze. He knew she had her support but not for going out to slaughter people. He still recognized this fey in front of him as a child, even though she had scandalous proportions. He guessed that she was an innocent fairy, for she had been locked here for too many years, literally millions but thousands in her perspective, similar to how the Heavenly Ice Stasis Valley operated.
"But for that, you still have to defeat me," Lereza added, her voice cocky.
"Hehe. That's not a problem."
"So I take it that you're accepting the trial?"
"Indeed." Davis cockily shot back, but he suddenly narrowed his brows, sensing that something had marked him.
Lereza became solemn once again.
"The formation of this trial will rob you of your cultivation if you fail to defeat me and seal your Immortal Vessel once and for all, so even if you recreate it, you still wouldn't be able to use it unless you seek out an apothecary at the level of this formation."
"What's the level of this sealing formation?"
"Peak Immortal Emperor Grade."
"…!"
Davis's pupils dilated, "Is this also a test?"
"I don't think so, but if you can indeed destroy the seal, I guess you would've earned back the right to cultivate your Immortal Vessel."
Davis lowered his head, "Fine. Let's start."
"Don't be so arrogant. Since I'm above you in cultivation base, I'll let you make the first move."
Lereza shook her head, causing Davis to sigh.
"Then I'll take you up on your offer!~"
Davis raised both his hands, keeping them a set distance apart.
"Here goes nothing…"
*Whizzzzz!~*
Black-crimson lightning and jade-crimson wind abruptly surged above his palms, crackling with terrifying destructive energy that filled the air.
The atmosphere grew heavy with a sense of impending dread as the windstorm brewed in the palace, followed by a low, guttural rumble, gradually intensifying into an ear-splitting roar that echoed through every crevice and corner. The very palace seemed to tremble under the weight of the impending tempest, sending shivers down Lereza's spine as she flinched back.
'This is…!'
As the thick undulations drew near, the air became dense with palpable tension. She felt like she could not breathe nor circulate energy as gusts of wind howled like tortured spirits and reverberated along with lightning as though the world was going to end, the sound tearing through the chamber with unrestrained fury. It was as though the world became a maelstrom of sound and fury, where even the most familiar surroundings became distorted and unrecognizable.
Time itself seemed to stretch, each passing moment feeling like an eternity as she watched him condense the two powers into one, yet she was unable to guard herself against the sheer terror having seeped into her heart.
"Should I unleash this technique?"
Resounded a calm voice, causing Lereza to feel like she could suddenly see hope amidst this impending windstorm that threatened to tear her to pieces.
"No… you win…"
Lereza's voice was bated. When she realized this, she recognized that sweet droplets formed all over her body from perspiring, causing her to become shocked at herself. Was she that scared when realizing the difference between their prowess?
She was at Level Nine Immortal King Stage, but he was at Level Seven Immortal King Stage, yet his prowess was at ten levels while hers were eight levels high. By all means, she felt the both of them should've retained an uphill battle, but she couldn't believe his prowess spiked far ahead, reaching eleven levels higher.
Soon, the annihilative heavenly lightning and annihilative heavenly wind gradually receded, leaving behind a sense of unease as she knew if it had been released, she could've been utterly devastated by it.
"Ah, thanks! Honestly, I cannot perform this move with control and precision, so I'm grateful that you conceded. I don't want to see you harmed."
Davis awkwardly laughed as he rubbed his head in embarrassment. He knew he probably went too far in intimidating Lereza into giving up, but he had no other choice if he wanted her to give up before she could get hurt.
On the other hand, Lereza could only watch him with complex emotions as she bore witness to his growth from the time he was a mortal who obtained this palace.
His growth was too quick and could be exaggerated to be out of this world.
Even now, she failed to recognize how his prowess had not only not lowered but also grown to this kind of level that he was able to combine heavenly lightning and heavenly wind, giving birth to an ungodly destructive might.
She wasn't aware of what he accomplished in his training chamber because when he was with his women, nothing good came out of him in her eyes. She was watching the entrance to his cultivation chamber and saw many things happen, like Isabella, Shirley, and even Lea entering his chamber on the fifth and sixth days.
They still hadn't come out, but he was here, going out as he pleased before he came back to challenge her.
Her eyes glazed over, wondering how easily he surpassed that person's expectations.
'Was I wrong…? Was this inheritance palace meant for you and not Saintess Myria…?'
Her glazed eyes suddenly cleared up, looking at Venerable Warrior Zermatt bringing his Ethereal Solstice down on her.
'If that's the case, I'll protect your life with my life on the line!'
Her dragon horn that twisted to the back of her head shone with a jade green light, causing more and more thorns to appear as it shot towards Venerable Warrior Zermatt.
*Ripp!~*
The vines glittering with pink shades of thorn clashed with the sword ray, breaking it apart as it slammed against Venerable Warrior Zermatt's diamond body.
*Bang!~*
A vine smacked him right over his torso despite the fact that he tried to defend against it using his sword, sending him flying but not as it abruptly wrapped around him and threw him back to the side.
*Bang!~*
Another vine smacked him and caught him, ripping his diamond body as it threw him around again!
*Bang!~* *Bang!~* *Bang!~* *Bang!~*
As Venerable Warrior Zermatt struggled to regain his footing, the relentless assault of the green wooden vines continued. Each strike reverberated with bone-shaking impact, shattering the air with thunderous cracks.
His diamond body, once a symbol of invulnerability as he dominated the battlefield, now bore deep gashes and cracks, evidence of the vines' formidable strength. The emerald light emanating from the dragon horn atop Lereza's head seemed to fuel their power, causing the thorns to multiply and grow sharper with each passing moment.
*Puchi!~*
It finally pierced through his stomach, causing him to spit a mouthful of blood as he was hung above in the air like a prisoner on death row execution, his blood flowing out in copious amounts as it stained the vines bloody.
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