"You actually dared to chase me."
Cesar sensed the presence behind him and couldn't help sneering.
Still, he didn't underestimate his pursuer. The man's speed was every bit as great as his own, and even pinpointing his exact location wasn't easy.
That alone was enough to prove his opponent's strength. He had definitely reached the Saint-level limit.
The Saint-level experts at the limit on the entire Yulan Continent could be counted on one hand.
Was this Light-style Saint-level expert at the limit Desri?
Among those at the Saint-level limit, Desri was the only one who cultivated the Light-style.
But that seemed unlikely. Desri had been living in seclusion in the Chaotic Territory for years. There was no way he'd come here.
If it wasn't Desri, then it had to be Fang Yun of the South Sea, who'd been making waves lately.
Fang Yun's name had spread across the Yulan Continent, so of course Cesar had heard of him. He knew more than most, too. As a Saint-level expert at the limit himself, he'd personally asked Fudolin about the man and had a clear picture of the battle.
In almost no time at all, the two of them had left the Ernst Institute and reached the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The Ernst Institute was only a little over a hundred miles from the Magical Beast Mountain Range. For Saint-level experts, that was close.
This area was already far from any settlements.
Cesar came to a stop.
Fang Yun stopped a short distance away as well, regarding the middle-aged man with the unkempt hair with interest.
In the early part of the original story, Cesar had always been an important figure—powerful, mysterious, and carefree. He'd even helped Linley a great deal. Fang Yun had always admired him.
"Fang Yun?"
Cesar asked, though his tone made it clear he already knew.
"Looks like even the 'old instructor' of the Saber Organization knows about me now."
Fang Yun smiled as he replied.
Only a few powerful experts and the leaders of the Saber Organization knew that Cesar was its old instructor.
"Who hasn't heard of Fang Yun of the South Sea by now?"
Cesar replied casually, then turned to ask with curiosity, "But I'd like to know—are you from another plane?"
He'd lived through the arrival of powerful experts from another plane five thousand years ago, and he took such visitors very seriously.
Beirut hadn't widely publicized the South Sea Teleportation Array, but he hadn't kept it secret either. He'd even had an island built for it. So the array was no secret to people like them.
That was how the Blue Star had come to their attention.
Though "Blue Star" was likely the name of some other plane, Cesar took it seriously—but he wasn't as wary as he'd been five thousand years ago. After all, the experts who'd descended back then had been super-powerful beings from the Divine Plane.
This Blue Star Plane, on the other hand, was probably just a small plane like the Necropolis of the Gods.
The Blue Star beings they'd noticed were mostly level-eight or level-nine experts. Even the Saint-level ones weren't especially powerful.
Only Fang Yun, who'd suddenly appeared, was particularly strong.
"So what if I am?"
Fang Yun didn't deny it. He smiled.
Cesar nodded casually. "No wonder. No wonder there was no sign of you on the Yulan Continent before."
Cesar considered himself familiar enough with the Yulan Continent. Someone who'd reached Fang Yun's level couldn't possibly have gone unnoticed by him.
He finished speaking, then looked at Fang Yun, a hint of eagerness for battle in his eyes. "Come on. Let's spar. I want to see if you're really as strong as the rumors say."
Experts of the same level were hard to come by. When they met, they always wanted to find a chance to spar.
Besides, Fang Yun's ability to conceal himself was every bit as good as Cesar's. Even Desri, another Light-style Saint-level expert at the limit, couldn't do that.
Fang Yun was the first Light-style expert Cesar had met with that kind of ability.
It was no wonder Cesar had never seen it before. Most experts who cultivated the Laws of Light began with the Profundity of Light Element, the most basic of the Mysteries. Light and Shadow Technique, however, was a high-level Profound Mystery of the Laws of Light. Even Desri hadn't mastered it.
"Sure."
Fang Yun didn't refuse. He'd always kept his displayed strength at the Saint-level limit, but he didn't actually know what that level meant in terms of strength.
That was also why, though he presented himself as being at the Saint-level limit, his strength had already surpassed it and reached the level of becoming a god in one step.
Of course, that still counted as the Saint-level limit.
At Fang Yun's answer, Cesar smiled. "Then watch out."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cesar vanished into the surrounding shadows.
As the King of Slaughter, he excelled at stealth and assassination. Against an ordinary Saint-level expert, he wouldn't need to go all out. He could even kill his opponent in plain sight, showing off his style and bearing as he did so. After all, he thought he was at his most charming when he was killing.
But against another Saint-level expert at the limit, he didn't dare reveal his appearance or presence. His opponent was just as powerful as he was; the slightest lapse could cost him the fight.
Now that Cesar had hidden himself, his presence was almost impossible to detect.
Most importantly, countless trees filled the area, casting plenty of shadows and giving Cesar's abilities an advantage.
"Dark Movement Technique perfected to its limits?"
Seeing Cesar disappear, Fang Yun grew more cautious. After all, he'd only kept his displayed realm at the Saint-level limit. Under normal circumstances, his fighting ability was actually inferior to his opponent's. He simply lacked combat experience.
Still, he'd gained some experience fighting so many Saint-level magical beasts while traveling through the Sunset Mountain Range.
So Fang Yun wasn't too worried.
The moment Cesar vanished into the shadows, Fang Yun disappeared as well.
Light and Shadow Technique was almost the opposite of the Mysteries of the Laws of Darkness, yet both could conceal one's presence. Of course, the principles behind them were different.
They also emphasized different things.
In terms of concealment alone, Dark Movement Technique had the edge. But when it came to increasing speed, it couldn't match Light and Shadow Technique.
The instant Fang Yun disappeared, a dagger glimmering with dark light sliced through the spot where he'd been.
Strangely, the dagger was all anyone could sense. No figure appeared with it, as if it were a wraith. The dagger flashed past and vanished just as quickly, like a gust of wind.
An ordinary Saint-level expert would probably have died before they could react.
But against Fang Yun, that wasn't enough. By the time the dagger passed through, he was already gone.
Hidden in the shadows, Cesar was shocked. His killing style depended on a single fatal strike. Even if he couldn't threaten Fang Yun's life, he'd assumed he could at least touch him.
But he hadn't even noticed when Fang Yun disappeared.
That speed was terrifying.
Suddenly, a powerful sense of dread seized him. It was like being a rabbit locked onto by a lion. Almost instinctively, Cesar shot out of the patch of shadow where he'd been hiding.
The instant he sprang away, an arrow of light elements turned the area into nothingness.
The arrow also forced Cesar out of hiding. At the same time, Fang Yun appeared on a nearby branch, a longbow in his hand.
"How did you find me?"
Cesar was stunned. He could hardly believe it.
He had complete confidence in his ability to conceal himself. Even another Saint-level expert at the limit shouldn't have been able to find him. They were both at the same level, of course, but their strengths lay in different areas. No one could be better than him at concealment.
And yet Fang Yun had found him so quickly.
Fang Yun smiled. "If you'd stayed still, it might've taken me a while to find you. But the moment you attacked, you gave yourself away. You're not a shadow."
"A tell?"
Cesar frowned. "Attacking gives me away? I'm not a shadow?"
He'd spent thousands of years studying Dark Movement Technique. He couldn't believe it had a flaw.
And yet Fang Yun had found him. How had he done it? And if they were both at the Saint-level limit, why hadn't Cesar noticed Fang Yun hiding there from the start?
Was the concealment ability of the Laws of Light stronger than that of the Laws of Darkness? That was impossible.
So how had Fang Yun done it?
I'm not a shadow.
Cesar frowned as he pondered the thought, paying no attention to Fang Yun beside him. He'd already lost the moment Fang Yun forced him out of hiding. Without the advantage of Dark Movement Technique, he couldn't beat Fang Yun in a head-on fight.
In a straight-up fight, he was probably the weakest of the Saint-level experts at the limit on the Yulan Continent. Of course, if he went all out, he believed he could rank among the top three.
Seeing Cesar like this, Fang Yun was a little surprised. The man really was a genius.
It was obvious that Fang Yun's attack and words had given Cesar some inspiration.
Fang Yun put away his longbow, then sat down at ease. He couldn't understand the Laws of Darkness yet, but there'd been something special about the slash Cesar had just made.
It wasn't just an understanding of the laws. It also drew on countless battles and years of experience killing. That experience was something Fang Yun could learn from.
"Hahaha, I get it!"
Before long, Cesar suddenly burst into laughter. He looked so excited he could barely contain himself. "So that's it. That's it! Hahaha!"
Fang Yun looked at him too, smiling faintly. "Looks like you gained a lot."
At Fang Yun's words, Cesar gradually calmed down, but he still couldn't stop smiling. In all his thousands of years, he'd never been this excited.
"Thank you."
As he spoke, Cesar bowed slightly to Fang Yun.
Cesar was confident now. He would definitely become a god within ten years. He'd been stuck at this step because he'd believed he'd mastered Dark Movement Technique and could conceal himself perfectly within the shadows. But his brief clash with Fang Yun had made him see the difference between them clearly.
Fang Yun could blend into the light, yet it wasn't concealment. More accurately, he merged with the light itself. That was why Fang Yun, despite being a Light-style expert, could conceal himself as well as Cesar.
What Cesar needed to do now was become a shadow himself, rather than simply hide within one. The ultimate form of Dark Movement Technique had to be a perfect transformation into darkness.
Once he managed that, he'd probably reach godhood.
After more than five thousand years, he'd finally seen a path to becoming a god.
Of course, he now understood Fang Yun's level as well.
Fang Yun had definitely reached that step long ago. He was unquestionably the strongest person below godhood on the Yulan Continent.
Before you continue