The news that Luo Ya was preparing to fight Harvey had been kept secret by neither side.
So even though the news had only circulated for three short days, it had already caused a huge stir throughout the city, becoming a hot topic among the people of Black Moon Royal City. If the fight had been put off any longer, it might even have attracted countless powerful figures from other countries to come and watch.
After all, the chance to witness a battle between two Saint Realm experts was not something that came along every day.
"I wonder who's stronger, the Night Orchid Sword Saint or the Phantom Sword Saint from the Parosi Empire?"
Perhaps Harvey wanted to make a name for himself, or perhaps it had been the idea of the First Prince, Osm. In any case, once the battle had been arranged, Harvey's title of "Phantom Sword Saint" had spread throughout nearly the entire Black Moon Kingdom.
"Why even wonder? The Night Orchid Sword Saint is definitely stronger. He's the pride of our Black Moon Kingdom!"
Although the battle had nothing to do with ordinary people like them, that did not stop them from supporting Luo Ya. After all, Luo Ya was also from the Black Moon Kingdom. If he could defeat his opponent, they would share in the glory.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The weather was fine that day. A few wispy white clouds drifted across the deep blue sky, and the wind was mild. The soft breeze against one's face felt as soothing as a lover's touch.
Red Rock Mountain, outside the royal city!
The small mountain stood barely a thousand meters tall and stretched only a few miles around. It was no great mountain, and was far smaller than the Holy Mountain where the Dark Church's headquarters stood. But today, the area around it had been neatly divided into sections, marked off with paint, while more than ten thousand city guards maintained order.
A battle between two legendary Saint Realm experts was bound to draw a huge crowd. A rough estimate put the number of spectators at no fewer than several hundred thousand. They had been arranged in neat formations, with royal city guards stationed around each one.
Not a soul stood on Red Rock Mountain. Above it, a tall, lean man with dark green hair and a hooked nose hovered in midair!
There was no doubt about it: this dark-green-haired man was the Phantom Sword Saint—Harvey!
"I wonder if Luo Ya can handle the Phantom Sword Saint." Even though they were hundreds of meters from the foot of Red Rock Mountain, Harriman and his family were exceptionally anxious.
They and the reigning king, Brian, shared the same fate, for better or worse. If Luo Ya lost today and Brian lost the throne, Harriman's entire family would surely suffer as well.
"Ah, I should never have listened to Jones and married Bi Xi off to Brian." Harriman now felt a twinge of regret, but there was nothing he could do about it.
If he could have, he would rather have married his daughter to Luo Ya. Unfortunately, Luo Ya had no interest in her, and Harriman could not force him.
"Ah, what's that? Is it the legendary phoenix?" The people of Black Moon City stared into the distant sky, their mouths falling open in shock.
A gigantic bird with a wingspan of over a hundred meters flew through the distant sky, its entire body wreathed in flames. Black feathers covered it from head to tail, and its regal crest resembled a crown, making it look even more majestic. It was a Saint Realm magical beast, the legendary Hellfire Phoenix!
The Hellfire Phoenix was a Saint Realm magical beast of both the dark and fire elements. Even among Saint Realm magical beasts, it was one of the most powerful.
High above the earth, the Hellfire Phoenix hung over Red Rock Mountain like a dark cloud. A young man with short black hair, dressed in a black robe, stood on its back, his cold gaze fixed on the dark-green-haired man hovering opposite him.
Luo Ya wore a simple black robe that day. His looks were merely handsome, and at first glance he even seemed a little youthful. But the murderous aura surrounding him made him seem imposing, while his bright black eyes shone like brilliant stars in the dead of night, setting him apart from everyone else!
"Lord Luo Ya is here!"
"Night Orchid Sword Saint!"
"Lord Luo Ya!"
The hundreds of thousands who had been waiting impatiently suddenly erupted into cheers. Their voices swept across the land like a tidal wave and lingered in the air for a long time.
Above Red Rock Mountain, Harvey glanced briefly at the Hellfire Phoenix beneath Luo Ya, then turned his attention back to Luo Ya himself.
The fact that Luo Ya had subdued a Hellfire Phoenix meant his strength might be far greater than Harvey had expected. After all, no Saint Realm magical beast was an easy opponent. But Harvey had already arrived, and there was no way he would back down at the last moment.
The two drew close and faced each other in midair. When they were only a few hundred meters apart, the area around Red Rock Mountain fell silent.
Not a sound came from the hundreds of thousands gathered around the mountain. They seemed to be holding their breath, overwhelmed by an excitement and tension they had never felt before.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the two figures high above. Quite a few people were also captivated by the legendary Hellfire Phoenix.
Some even believed that with the Hellfire Phoenix's help, the Night Orchid Sword Saint was sure to defeat his powerful opponent that day!
"You think I'll be afraid of you just because that beast is helping you?" Harvey, tall and lean in his brown robe, spoke with a sinister look in his eyes.
Luo Ya merely gave him a faint smile. "Enough talk. If you want to fight, then make your move."
Luo Ya had always been a man of few words and decisive action. As he spoke, he drew a sturdy sword made of Black Jade. His cool black eyes immediately fixed on Harvey.
"Since you're so confident, let's see what you're really made of!" Harvey was taken aback by the retort and grew irritated. He, too, drew an ornate green sword from his Spatial Ring, then pulled a blood-red glove onto his right hand.
Luo Ya and Harvey faced each other in midair, only a few hundred meters apart. Both had infused their voices with battle aura, making them carry far. Naturally, many of the spectators below could hear them clearly.
"Lord Luo Ya, you can do it!" Many spectators below shouted words of encouragement.
High above, just after the Phantom Sword Saint Harvey finished speaking, thick black waves of energy appeared around his sword. As they surged, they gave off an eerie sense of oppression.
"Don't blame me when you die today, kid!" Though Harvey had sensed that Luo Ya was not to be trifled with, he still had great confidence in himself. After a cold shout, he darted forward like a phantom.
In the blink of an eye, Harvey had closed in on Luo Ya. The dense dark battle aura surging around his green sword burst forth without mercy!
"Don't bother showing off tricks like that in front of me." Luo Ya had not mastered the Shadow Clone Technique, but his soul perception was much stronger than that of ordinary Saint Realm experts, and his reactions were astonishingly fast.
"Boom!"
The Black Jade sword in Luo Ya's right hand moved after Harvey's, yet struck first, precisely intercepting his lunge and rendering the probing attack useless.
But as their swords clashed, the violent dark battle aura surged like a dam bursting. Even the slightest shockwave whipped up a gale around them!
The howling wind swept wildly across the land, rushing toward Red Rock Mountain below. With a sharp crack, a large tree at the summit snapped in two. The other trees bent beneath the gale, their leaves blown into the sky. Countless fallen leaves and rocks went flying down the mountain.
The hundreds of thousands below squinted, trying to get a clear look at the battle above.
"Harvey's fast, all right, but he's still nowhere near as fast as Milia." Milia was a friend Luo Ya had met who cultivated the Laws of Wind. She was the fastest Saint Realm expert he had ever encountered.
Luo Ya was still able to appraise Harvey while fending off his attacks, which showed just how confident he was.
Of course, his confidence was founded on his formidable strength.
If confidence was unfounded, it was just arrogance.
Before you continue