Black Flames
Bigge's displayed strength stunned everyone present. Although many knew Bigge was powerful, no one had anticipated that Bigge possessed the power to slay Five-Star Low-rank God. Had Queen not reacted correctly, Bigge would likely have won the battle just now.
After the giant blade shattered, the Emperor Projection above Bigge's head gradually dissipated, but Queen was now truly intent on killing him. Bigge ordinary Five-Star Low-rank God were completely powerless against Big's attack. This peerless prodigy was already a mortal enemy of the Fei Me Universe Country; if he were to grow stronger and return to seek revenge, no one could stop him. Therefore, she chose to draw her sword and nip him in the bud.
She drew her longsword, its light aimed Bigge's throat. Bigge was already severely exhausted from the previous attack, barely able to stand, let alone dodge.
Just as the sword light was about to reach Bigge, a Black Flame suddenly appeared, engulfing the sword light. A figure also darted out at terrifying speed, appearing in front of Bigge.
When the figure stopped, everyone could see that it was Gu Ding who had made the move.
Gu Ding's slender figure stood in front of the massive Bigge, the odd height and size difference creating a strange and subtle visual effect. In any other place, this scene would likely have elicited chuckles, but this pair— Gu Ding and Bigge— felt perfectly natural, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. This was because everyone subconsciously assumed that Gu Ding, as the captain, was no weaker Bigge, even though Bigge's performance had just been nothing short of phenomenal.
"He has already lost." Gu Ding stood firmly, his gaze fixed on Queen. He dared not relax for a moment. "Robert, Bigge is yours."
Robert appeared Bigge in a flash, helped him up, and quickly withdrew from the battle.
Queen did not intervene, but instead carefully examined Gu Ding. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Your flames are indeed somewhat special, but if you think you can defeat me with just flames, you're being a bit too naive."
"Whether we can win or not, we'll only know after we fight," Gu Ding said. With a wave of his right hand, a black Flame Storm swept out, chasing directly in the direction Queen was.
His attack caused many to reassess his Combat Strength. Previously, the flames that Gu Ding used to extinguish Queen's sword aura were only the size of a fist. But now, this storm of Black Flame was tens of meters high. Even if Queen were caught in it, he would likely be injured.
"Hmph!" Queen snorted coldly, thrusting his longsword forward once more. The white sword light was several times stronger than the one that had attacked Bigge. The sword light shot out, crashing into the Flame Storm.
Strangely, there was no sound of collision as everyone had expected. The sword light simply disappeared into the flames, and then vanished without a trace, as if a stone had sunk into the sea.
Gu Ding knew very well that the sword light was disintegrated and decomposed the moment it entered the Flame Storm, and instead became the energy source of the Flame Storm, causing the Flame Storm to grow larger.
"Hey, why did that black Flame Storm not only not decrease after the sword light pierced through it, but actually increase a little?" someone in the crowd couldn't help but ask.
"You think it's gotten bigger too? I thought it was just my imagination," someone nearby chimed in.
"This kind of move is practically unbeatable, isn't it?"
Gu Ding didn't learn this move from "Burning Heaven"; Gu Ding only mastered one form of it. But Sea Emperor passed on to Gu Ding wasn't just "Burning Heaven." It also included the learning experiences of various predecessors regarding flames, containing extensive descriptions of the characteristics of different flames and techniques for using them.
The first move of "Burning Heaven" requires two types of flames, while the second requires three. Therefore, Gu Ding didn't waste time studying the second move. After successfully mastering the first move, he immediately turned to reviewing the Cultivation Experience. These Cultivation Experience included the use of the Devouring Flame and the Destruction Flame. This Flame Storm was also one of his moves, said to be a perfect match for the Devouring Flame, as the Devouring Flame would continuously grow stronger under external attacks.
Gu Ding's intention in using this move was merely to test the waters, but he did not expect the power of the Flame Storm to be so strong, completely ignoring Queen's sword attack.
"You completely benefited from the divine source this time," the Sea Emperor suddenly said. "Your divine source is based on eighty-seven small cycles and three large cycles, and you just absorbed that Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine, causing its strength to triple. That's equivalent to having 2187 Energy Source Point. But that woman named Queen has twenty-seven small cycles and three large cycles within her body. Although the strength of her divine source doubles with each advancement from the first-tier god, it's only equivalent to 16 Energy Source Point. Divine fire is based on divine source, and your opponent can't surpass you in the strength of her divine source, so ordinary attacks would hardly extinguish that Flame Storm."
Queen frowned slightly, her attack failing to land. She hadn't expected Gu Ding's seemingly casual attack to be so troublesome. She naturally knew that this elemental energy was usually related to the strength of the opponent's divine source; the fact that she hadn't extinguished it with her first strike meant that the opponent's divine source was stronger than hers. This conclusion was hard for her to believe. She was already Five-Star Low-rank God, and her divine source was more abundant than hers—normally, only a fifth-level god could achieve this. But if the opponent had consumed some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures surpassed hers. In any case, this was not good news for her.
Queen actually had other ways to win this battle more easily, such as temporarily avoiding the Flame Storm and attacking Gu Ding directly, since the Flame Storm's movement speed was far slower than Queen's own. However, she was unwilling to retreat, because she believed she was inherently stronger than Gu Ding, and choosing to evade Gu Ding's attacks would, in a sense, be a defeat. True victory lay in deciphering all of Gu Ding's moves and then defeating Gu Ding.
Queen sheathed her sword, holding it horizontally in her hand, her eyes lowered as she searched her mind for a sword technique to resolve the immediate crisis. A moment later, she suddenly opened her eyes, two beams of light shooting out. She leaped forward, unleashing three incredibly fast sword strikes in quick succession, the three sword lights instantly merging into one. The white light shot out again, colliding with the Flame Storm.
This move is called the Three-Stage Slash, and it's a technique that can stack Divine Source. Three-Stage Slash can double your Divine Source.
This time, however, her attack wasn't swallowed up; only half of the white beam of light pierced into the Flame Storm. Moments later, a series of explosions emanated from the Flame Storm, sounding somewhat like muffled thunder. The Flame Storm's form also began to become somewhat unstable, shifting from its original tornado shape.
Gu Ding naturally noticed the abnormality, but he remained calm and instead grinned, saying, "A senior once encountered a similar situation..."
As Gu Ding spoke, his hands suddenly moved again, his fingers forming several strange hand seals. At the same time, on the battlefield, the unstable Flame Storm suddenly exploded automatically. The violent explosion, suspended in mid-air, directed its energy outburst directly towards Queen's location, spewing out continuous streams of black flames.
Seeing the flames approaching, she immediately swung her sword, tearing them to shreds. Only after the flames were extinguished did she realize something was amiss—they had vanished far too easily.
Looking up, the spot where the Flame Storm had been was now empty.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a burning sensation beneath her feet. Looking down, she discovered that her divine body had been unknowingly tainted by the terrifying Black Flame. Not only was her divine body being damaged, but even the divine source within her was being rapidly devoured. Clearly, this was the work of Gu Ding.
Queen hadn't expected Gu Ding to be so formidable. She had assumed Gu Ding only knew straightforward hand-to-hand combat and was completely clueless about strategy. But now, she knew she was terribly wrong; she had been completely outmaneuvered. The flames had seeped into her body and wouldn't be easily banished. "It seems I truly underestimated you. You're far stronger than I imagined."
"Thank you for the compliment," Gu Ding also noticed that Queen was much calmer than he had imagined. An ordinary person would probably have given up long ago if they found themselves tainted by that terrifying flame, but Queen clearly had no intention of giving up. "Outside my domain, and with an opponent of your level, I don't have the certainty of victory, so I can only resort to some tricks."
"You sound like you're really good at this?" Queen, not knowing why the topic suddenly came up.
"I don't know if it's as powerful as other people's domains, but I personally think it's very useful. If you enter my domain, I should be able to beat you even without this flame." Gu Ding said this with a calm expression, as if stating a fact.
"Oh, really?" Queen didn't object to Gu Ding's words, but instead raised the corners of his mouth. "My field is also very strong. I was just thinking of inviting you to come in and have a look."
"Sure!" Gu Ding readily agreed to Queen's invitation. The reason he agreed so readily was simple: with Queen's strength, she could easily pull him into her domain without even needing his consent.