Chaos.
Haotian and Candle Dragon arrived one after the other.
Haotian covered himself with the Haotian Tower and held the Haotian Sword in his hand.
Candle Dragon, meanwhile, held a Bright Silver Spear, while a dragon pearl the size of a bushel spun ceaselessly above his head.
As the Dragon Pearl spun, streams of clear light poured down.
They shielded Candle Dragon from the erosion of the Chaos Qi.
Seeing that Haotian hadn't immediately used his Law Domain, Candle Dragon understood that Haotian wanted to test his mettle, too.
Candle Dragon then spoke. "After you, fellow cultivator!"
Haotian replied, "You go first, fellow cultivator Candle Dragon!"
Hearing Haotian's words, Candle Dragon didn't stand on ceremony.
He immediately swung his spear and attacked Haotian.
As a Quasi-Saint, Candle Dragon could cross the short distance between them in an instant when fighting.
When Candle Dragon appeared before him, Haotian saw a flurry of spear strikes.
At the sight, Haotian calmly raised the Treasure Sword in his hand.
The sword instantly became a bolt of lightning, thrusting straight toward the center of the spear strikes.
No matter how dazzling the feints, the center of the spear strikes was always the real attack.
"Clang!"
With a light ring, Haotian's sword was knocked back.
Candle Dragon's flurry of spear strikes also came to a halt.
Though his move had been broken, Candle Dragon's expression didn't change in the slightest.
This was only the beginning, and could barely be considered a test of their basic skills.
From that exchange alone, it was clear that both of them had solid foundations in the basics.
Candle Dragon's expression remained unchanged, but he couldn't help feeling a little puzzled.
His own solid fundamentals came from years of real combat and killing.
He had built them up bit by bit through battle.
But what about Haotian?
Before becoming the Heavenly Emperor, that fellow had stayed in Zixiao Palace the entire time.
And since taking the throne, he hadn't been seen fighting many cultivators, either.
Where had he found the chance to hone his skills?
Though these thoughts crossed his mind, Candle Dragon's hands didn't pause for an instant.
In the blink of an eye, he split into countless clones and sent them all charging at Haotian.
Haotian remained calm at the sight.
He tossed the Treasure Sword into the air.
Then, with a thought, the sword split into countless copies.
A vast sea of swords blanketed the battlefield between him and Candle Dragon.
Just as Candle Dragon and his clones were about to make their move,
the countless swords descended like bolts of lightning.
As they fell, Candle Dragon's clones were instantly wiped out.
Only Candle Dragon's true body remained unharmed, protected by the Dragon Pearl.
He continued thrusting his spear at Haotian.
Haotian didn't even recall his sword. Instead, he pointed a finger at the spear tip thrusting toward him.
Seeing Haotian meet his attack with a finger,
Candle Dragon could barely suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
What was Haotian trying to show off for?
They were both Quasi-Saint cultivators.
And he thought he could block Candle Dragon's attack with a single finger?
If Haotian actually pulled it off, what would the cultivators of the Primordial World think of him?
At the thought, Candle Dragon accelerated the flow of Mana through his body.
In the blink of an eye, the Bright Silver Spear in his hand met Haotian's finger.
Candle Dragon, gripping the Bright Silver Spear, felt its forward momentum suddenly halt.
Then he felt an immense force surge through the spear.
Before he could react, Haotian thrust his right arm forward.
Candle Dragon was sent flying a great distance.
A moment later,
Candle Dragon steadied himself.
Confusion showed on his face as he asked, "What kind of divine ability is that?
How can your physical strength withstand my attack?"
Haotian replied calmly, "I gave it a name: 'Sky Imprisoning Finger.'
What do you think?
Does this finger of Mine meet with your approval, fellow cultivator?"
Candle Dragon offered no opinion.
He simply raised a hand and unleashed a Water Filth Thunder.
Seeing this, Haotian said softly, "Thunder arts?
I've learned a little about them, too."
Before he had even finished speaking, Haotian raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of Zixiao Divine Thunder.
"Rumble!"
A thunderous boom rang out.
The two bolts of divine lightning collided in the Chaos.
In an instant,
the Chaos Qi around them burst apart.
Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire scattered in every direction.
Yet after colliding, Haotian's Zixiao Divine Thunder didn't vanish completely.
The remaining lightning shot toward Candle Dragon.
Seeing the remnants of the Zixiao Divine Thunder coming at him,
Candle Dragon hurriedly urged the Dragon Pearl to protect himself.
After a series of crackles like beans popping in a pan, Candle Dragon dispelled the remaining lightning.
Haotian said, "Do you have any other tricks, fellow cultivator Candle Dragon?
If that's all, I'm afraid this contest is about to end."
Hearing Haotian's words, Candle Dragon felt a flicker of anger.
He knew he couldn't beat Haotian.
But if Haotian talked like that, wouldn't it make him sound utterly useless?
If he didn't show some real skill, wouldn't Haotian look down on him?
And then the Dragon Race would have no standing in the Heavenly Court.
With that thought,
Candle Dragon's form shifted, transforming into a colossal true form.
A one-eyed giant dragon appeared in the Chaos.
As the giant dragon's lone eye opened and closed, divine light flickered within it.
Seeing that Candle Dragon had brought out his true strength, Haotian didn't underestimate him.
His form shifted, and in an instant he became a giant.
The moment his form stabilized, Haotian didn't wait for Candle Dragon to attack first.
He stretched out his massive hand and reached for Candle Dragon.
Seeing the giant hand coming at him, Candle Dragon wasn't about to sit still and wait for death.
The lone eye on his forehead opened, and a beam of pitch-black divine light burst forth.
Seeing the black divine light coming at him, Haotian couldn't help frowning.
A dark aura that made his heart tremble emanated from the beam.
Having sensed the danger, Haotian naturally wouldn't take it head-on.
He raised his left hand slightly and sent a bolt of Zixiao Divine Thunder straight at the black light.
This bolt of Zixiao Divine Thunder was undoubtedly much larger than the previous one.
It was also countless times faster.
In an instant, the Zixiao Divine Thunder caught up despite having started behind.
Before the black light could reach Haotian's palm, the thunder had already collided with it.
What happened next left Candle Dragon dumbfounded.
The black divine light he had unleashed crumbled inch by inch upon meeting the Zixiao Divine Thunder.
As the Zixiao Divine Thunder faded, his black light disappeared with it.
But Haotian didn't give him a chance to stand there in a daze.
The moment the black divine light disappeared, the giant hand reached for Candle Dragon once more.
At the sight, Candle Dragon whipped his tail.
His body slipped away from Haotian's massive hand like a loach.
Seeing this, Haotian immediately turned his hand.
He reached after Candle Dragon's moving form.
As his Spiritual Sense swept over the giant hand pursuing him like a bone-deep itch,
Candle Dragon felt a little helpless.
Damn that Dao Ancestor!
How in the world had Haotian trained?
His fundamentals were solid, and his divine abilities came one after another.
Most importantly, the divine abilities he displayed were all incredibly powerful.
At the very least, Candle Dragon would have trouble withstanding them.
Haotian, however, didn't care what Candle Dragon thought.
His giant hand chased Candle Dragon through the Chaos,
swooping up and down, darting left and right.
A grand spectacle of loach-catching played out in the Chaos.
After chasing him for a while, Haotian suddenly raised his left hand again.
He unleashed another bolt of Zixiao Divine Thunder, sending it streaking toward the path ahead of the fleeing Candle Dragon.
Purple lightning split through the Chaos.
As he fled, Candle Dragon felt his scalp prickle.
Then he forcibly twisted his body and narrowly dodged the lightning.
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