Three months passed in a blink of an eye.
When the first ray of morning light pierced the mist on top of Tu Jiao Mountain, this formerly silent mountain peak had already been surrounded by crowds of people. The number of people watching Red Flame River was even greater than three months ago. From the Yulan Continent Curious people, warriors, nobles, and spies from all over were crowded at the foot of the mountain and on the mountainside, and even used methods to float in the air, just to witness the collision between Dragonblood Warrior and Rock Sword Saint.
The imperial army had already blocked the main route up the mountain and marked out a huge circular area on the top of the mountain as a battlefield. His Majesty Joanne, along with members of the royal family, important ministers and several Saint Realm disciples of the War God Sect, such as Lanke, Carlost and others, sat in the viewing seats with the best view. The atmosphere was solemn and tense.
Lin Qin still chose to be alone. He appeared on the top of an abrupt rock on the edge of the battlefield, standing with his arms folded, his gray clothes fluttering slightly in the morning breeze, and his eyes calmly falling on the center of the field. His presence did not attract much attention, and most people's minds were drawn by the two protagonists who were about to appear.
The sun completely jumped out of the horizon, spreading golden light all over the mountain tops.
A stream of earthy yellow light shot from the northern sky and landed calmly on the side of the battlefield. It was none other than Rock Sword Saint Hederson. He was still dressed in the same simple style, carrying the heavy sword on his back, and his face was calm, as if he had just come to participate in an ordinary morning exercise. But as he stood there, the thick aura naturally exuding from his body made the crowd near the sidelines feel a chest tightness.
"Hedereson-sama!"
The crowd burst into enthusiastic cheers, which was a sign of respect for the strong and belief in the myth of invincibility.
Hedereson nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the south.
There was no waiting for long. A blue-black figure, like a shadow blending into the wind, appeared quietly on the other side of the battlefield. It was Linley.
Compared with three months ago, his aura seemed to be more restrained, but his eyes became deeper and sharper, giving him a vague feeling of being completely transformed. He was wearing close-fitting black clothing, and his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline had not yet been activated, but the majestic power hidden under the calmness had already made those with keen senses secretly frightened.
"Linley!"
"Dragonblood Warrior!"
The voice of support for Linley is equally loud, especially among many young warriors. Their eyes are full of expectations and enthusiasm, hoping to see new stars challenge the old legends.
"You're here." Hedereson spoke with a steady voice.
"Arrived as scheduled." Linley responded, his tone neither humble nor overbearing.
Without any unnecessary nonsense, the two people's eyes met in the air, and their fighting spirit was instantly ignited.
"Please."
"Please!"
Almost at the same moment, the two of them moved!
Hedereson took one step, the ground shook slightly, and he rushed forward like a cannonball. He punched Linley's face with an unpretentious punch. The punching style was concise and full of pressure.
Linley did not choose to fight hard, and his body floated back as if he had no weight. At the same time, he held his right hand empty, and the wind elements in the air gathered rapidly, forming a series of translucent wind blades, like a flock of birds returning to their nest, cutting towards Hedereson from various tricky angles.
"Tsk tsk tsk!"
The wind blade hit the earthy yellow halo on Hedereson's body, making a dense cutting sound, but it was difficult to break through the solid defense.
Hedereson's fist posture remained unchanged, but his speed suddenly increased, closing the distance.
Linley's eyes narrowed, he stopped retreating, and let out a low drink, Dragonblood Warrior's bloodline was activated! The body instantly lifted up, the muscles tensed, and fine cyan scales covered the skin, and a strong sense of power surged out. He stopped dodging, and punched out with the same punch. There was a cyan stream of light surrounding his fist, which was the power of the wind being extremely compressed.
"Boom!"
The two fists collided, like two giant hammers smashing together. The shock wave visible to the naked eye spread in a ring, rolling up dust on the ground. Linley's body swayed and slid back several meters, with two shallow grooves forming under his feet. Hedereson's body only paused slightly.
The first confrontation of strength, a decisive decision.
But Linley was not discouraged in his eyes, but instead had more fighting spirit. He kicked his feet, and his figure became blurred, moving around Hedereson at high speed. Sometimes it was like a breeze blowing on his face, thrusting out the extremely fast wind-pointing sword light, sometimes like a violent wind and rain, swinging out a heavy and fierce punch, combining the speed of the wind with the burst of power more and more skillfully.
Hedereson stood firmly in the center, staying steady to cope with all changes. His movements seemed slow, but he was always able to accurately block or deflect Linley's attacks. The heavy long sword was never unsheathed, and it was only a pair of fists and strong strength that kept it intact. Occasionally, a punch counterattacked, forcing Linley to dodge or block it with all his strength, causing blood to boil.
"Linley's attacks are more agile, and the conversion of speed and power is much smoother." Lanke commented in a low voice in the audience seat.
"But it's still far from breaking through Hedereson's defense." Carlost shook his head.
His Majesty Joanne's eyes were fixed on the battlefield, and his palms were slightly sweaty. He not only hoped that Linley could create a miracle, but also worried that Hedereson's defeat would affect the empire's prestige, and he had mixed emotions.
Lin Qin stood on the giant rock and nodded slightly. Linley has indeed made significant progress in the past three months. He has initially touched the threshold of combining the agility of the wind with the power of the earth. It is no longer a rigid switch, but a coherent rhythm.
But, it's not enough. Hedereson's defense is like a real rock, the foundation is too solid.
On the battlefield, Linley was unable to attack for a long time, knowing that conventional methods would not work. He took a deep breath, and his speed surged again. His figure almost turned into a cyan stream of light surrounding Hedereson, and the attacks poured down from all directions like a violent storm.
Hedereson frowned slightly, Linley's aggressive attack without any expense did put some pressure on him. He waved his fists, and the khaki light shined, protecting himself airtight.
Just after a fierce collision, Linley took advantage of the force and flew backwards, seemingly trying to distance himself again. But at the moment when his body leaned back, the toes of his right foot suddenly tapped the ground, and a strange wave of power spread along the soles of his feet into the earth.
"Huh?" Hedereson was keenly aware of the subtle tremors on the ground beneath his feet.
The next moment, the ground where he stood arched upwards and shattered without any warning! An impact force that did not come from Linley's fist, but from the earth itself, suddenly acted on him!
This force was not particularly powerful, but it was extremely abrupt. It instantly broke Hedereson's perfect defensive posture and caused a slight imbalance in his body!
That's it now!
Linley's eyes burst with light, and his left fist, which had been gathering momentum, suddenly shot out like a dormant poisonous snake! This punch was no longer a simple wind pressure or brute force. Above the fist, the wind element was compressed to the extreme, forming a high-speed rotating cyan drill, emitting a piercing scream, and piercing Hedereson's tiny gap exposed due to imbalance - just below the left rib!
He combined the extreme penetrating power of the wind with the skill of causing disturbances in the earth, and at this moment completed a brief but crucial collaboration!
"What?!" In the audience seat, Lanke and others stood up suddenly.
Hedereson's pupils shrank, the sudden underground impact and the fatal drilling that followed were completely beyond his expectation! In a hurry, he could only forcefully lower his left arm, and the khaki light instantly condensed on his elbow to block the blow.
"Pfft--!"
A dull impact sounded. The cyan drill bit rotated wildly, violently rubbing against the thick earthy yellow light and annihilating it.
Hedereson's body was shaken violently, and the sleeve of his left arm instantly shattered, revealing the skin underneath that was slightly red and even had slight blood stains! He grunted, and stepped back three steps in a row, each step leaving deep footprints on the hard rock ground!
Linley was also bounced away by the force of the counter-shock and fell to the ground, panting slightly. The phalanges of his left fist were stinging, but he stared at Hedereson with bright eyes.
The whole place fell into dead silence for an instant!
Everyone stared at the field with wide eyes and disbelief.
Hedereson----Repelled? Even slightly injured?
Although the scar was insignificant, it was undoubtedly an unprecedented first for Rock Sword Saint, who claims to have invincible defense and has never retreated from a head-on confrontation!
"Okay!" I don't know who shouted first, and then a tsunami of cheers suddenly erupted, most of which were for Linley! He did it! He really shook Rock Sword Saint!
Hedereson glanced down at the bloodstains on his left arm, and when he looked up at Linley, his eyes completely changed. The previous peace and scrutiny disappeared, replaced by a kind of real dignity, even with a hint of——appreciation?
"Very good." Hedereson spoke slowly, his voice still calm but more serious, "Linley, you gave me a surprise. These three months were not in vain."
He slowly raised his hand and grasped the hilt of the heavy sword behind his back.
"You are qualified, let me draw the sword."
"Cheng--!"
The thick khaki long sword was unsheathed. The sword body had no gorgeous luster, but it seemed to carry the weight of the earth. A heavy sword force that was several times stronger than before, like a waking mountain, suddenly descended and enveloped the entire battlefield!
The cheers stopped abruptly.
Everyone felt a suffocating pressure.
Linley took a deep breath, suppressed the roiling blood, and his eyes became sharper. He knew that the real battle was just beginning now. He held his hands empty, and the power of wind element and earth surged through his body again, preparing to face the violent storm after Hedereson drew his sword.
Lin Qin looked at Hedereson holding the sword, his eyes slightly condensed. Hedereson with the sword and Hedereson with his bare hands are two different concepts. Linley can force him to draw the sword, which is already a great success. But the next test will be more severe.
Tu Jiao Mountain is at the top, the atmosphere is tense to the extreme!