The Eighteen Cloud Layers.
The threefold-gene clone sat cross-legged in midair, watching the other clone, fully armed, plunge toward the ground below.
All five-tier Origin Energy equipment and Xi were on him.
To make them easier to distinguish and control, Li Dui called the threefold-gene clone Number One.
He called the clone wearing the full set of equipment Number 2.
Naturally, the other one was Number 3.
When he reached the first cloud layer, Number 2 stopped descending and let Number 3 out of the World Ring.
Number 3 flew downward at an ordinary Universe Rank speed, heading toward the magnificent city in the distance.
Though it was nighttime, a long line of people still waited at the city gates. Huge characters above them read "Vico World City."
Number 3 acted like an utterly ordinary powerhouse. He joined the queue, paid the entry fee, and entered Vico World City.
The City Lord Mansion was easy to find; its main building had to be the tallest structure in the entire city.
Number 3 slowly made his way closer. He wasn't the main act today; he was here as backup. If anything unexpected happened, Li Dui could fully control both clones and have them work together.
The main act was descending from the sky.
"Boom!"
A deafening crash rang out.
The hard ground of the City Lord Mansion's courtyard shattered into pieces beneath the impact.
In an instant, a terrifying aura surged from the Inner Mansion.
"You're asking for death!" an angry shout rang out.
"Vico World Lord, let's fight in the sky." Number 2 shot upward, his calm voice carrying far into the distance.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Two figures flew one after the other and came to a halt beneath the clouds, facing each other.
Vico World Lord's expression shifted between surprise and suspicion.
The madman who dared to challenge him was only at Domain Level! And yet this Domain Level's speed was so astonishing that even he, a World Lord, could barely keep up.
Li Dui was thrilled. This was his first time facing a World Lord Level powerhouse in the real world. The real world was nothing like the Virtual Universe. A prickling sense of danger pressed in on him, carrying the feeling that the slightest mistake could cost him his life.
What a thrill!
Even though this was only a clone, he couldn't afford to be careless. If it died, sending another one here wouldn't be easy.
"Die!"
Before Li Dui could make a move, Vico World Lord's long sword was already thrusting toward him, its blade flashing with an unstable glow.
He didn't care what level his opponent was. If they were an enemy, Vico never held back.
Li Dui calmly swung his blade to block. He kept his strength around the level of the ninth floor of the Heavenly Bridge. A World Lord around the fifth or sixth level, without an Origin Mark, couldn't be that strong.
Sure enough, Li Dui knocked aside the attack and darted forward with a slash. Vico World Lord raised his sword to block, but the blow sent him flying backward.
Li Dui pressed his advantage, his figure flickering as he stuck close to the retreating Vico World Lord. His blade flashed again and again, sending Vico veering in a different direction with each blow.
Vico World Lord did his utmost to hold his ground. From the start, he'd known that this Domain Level opponent was no ordinary fighter. But he hadn't expected to fall behind after just one exchange.
"Roar!" Vico World Lord, broad-shouldered and long-armed, with the build of an ape, let out a furious bellow. His Internal World unfolded beyond his body as a World Projection.
In an instant, space within several thousand kilometers warped and transformed.
The surroundings changed. The empty sky became a vast forest, its towering trees lush and teeming with life.
The Forest World exerted a terrifying pressure, bearing down on Li Dui.
Li Dui felt as if shackles had been fastened around him. He could clearly sense his strength being restrained and diminished.
After catching his breath, Vico World Lord said angrily, "Who are you? Why challenge me?"
A mere Domain Level fighter was already this powerful. It was best to tolerate someone like this rather than make an enemy of him.
A cold, indifferent voice came through Li Dui's mask. "Don't entertain any wishful thinking. I'm here to kill you. Today, either you die or I live."
Vico World Lord wasn't a pushover, either. Fine, then—they would fight to the death. If he didn't kill someone like this now, would he wait until they became a World Lord and crushed him?
His long sword glimmered with a hazy green light, carrying the force of his World Projection as it cleaved toward Li Dui.
Earlier, Li Dui had used strength beyond the ninth floor, putting his actual combat power at roughly that of a World Lord who had just reached the eighth floor of the Heavenly Bridge. Even so, he'd suppressed Vico World Lord. That meant Vico's normal combat strength was only around the seventh floor of the Heavenly Bridge.
Now Vico was using his World Projection, and Li Dui was under pressure. The balance had shifted; Vico's strength had probably risen by nearly half a floor of the Heavenly Bridge.
Li Dui had no choice but to increase his strength a little. He had no desire to let someone beat him down.
Within the Forest World's projection, the two figures clashed repeatedly. Powerhouses who had followed them from afar watched in astonishment. Was this a dream? How could someone at the early stages of Domain Level force a World Lord into such a miserable state?
Number 3 was among the onlookers, too. By controlling both clones with all his might, Li Dui could bring out ninety percent of their strength. If anything went wrong, he was ready to burst into action and help Number 2.
Vico World Lord had already calmed down. This Domain Level fighter could still increase the force of his attacks; his strength was no less than Vico's at full power. But so what? If Vico landed a blow, Li Dui would only be injured. Would Li Dui dare let him land one?
Now confident, Vico World Lord's sword grew ever more nimble. Several sets of attack techniques flowed together seamlessly.
Li Dui had come to challenge a World Lord mostly because he wanted to fight one. The Xueluo Crystal was only a minor part of the reason.
If Vico World Lord had panicked and made mistake after mistake, Li Dui wouldn't have been happy with that, either.
To give Vico confidence, he deliberately dodged several attacks by the narrowest of margins.
"You can't beat me. Someone at Domain Level can't defeat a World Lord. Why don't we stop here? I'll recommend you to the Immortal Temple. A talent like you will surely earn the temple's attention. What do you say?" After a long battle, neither could gain the upper hand. Vico World Lord spoke, his words earnest.
Li Dui paused. Domain Level? When had he become Domain Level? Oh, right. Judging by his aura, his twentyfold-gene Universe Level 9 strength could indeed make him seem like he was at Domain Level.
Then he laughed and casually made something up. "The temple sent me to kill you."
Before he had even finished speaking, Vico used some unknown method to vanish from in front of Li Dui and appear behind him.
To the onlookers, the move had come without warning, leaving no trace.
But in Li Dui's eyes, an astonished light flashed in an instant.
He dodged sideways at a speed beyond comprehension, casually blocking the attack before using its momentum to retreat.
The fight paused.
Vico World Lord was furious that his ultimate move had been thwarted. He'd used it to defeat many powerful enemies. He hadn't expected a Domain Level fighter to block it today.
As for what he and that Domain Level fighter had just said, he guessed that between the two of them, not even half a word had been true.
Li Dui's expression turned strange. He glanced at Vico World Lord and said, "I've suddenly got somewhere to be. Die."
Vico had just begun to sneer when a streak of light struck him.
It pierced his body and gave a slight tremor, shattering his Life Core.
"Ugh..." His cry of pain lasted only half a breath. His face still wore that sneer, but his consciousness had already vanished.
The surrounding Forest World collapsed with a roar. Vico's corpse burst apart, and the contents of his Internal World scattered across the sky.
The spectators were still stunned. The two had just been fighting fiercely, evenly matched. Who could have imagined that the mighty Vico World Lord would suddenly die like this?
Li Dui didn't care what they thought. He took Vico's space treasure, then swept up the scattered objects in the sky with his Domain power. Turning around, he sped into the clouds and vanished.
Only then did the spectators react. Among them were several World Lord Level fighters and a host of Domain Level ones. They were all busy sending messages.
The Cloud Sky Rank fighters had already hurried off to search for the treasures that had flown farther away, ones Li Dui hadn't bothered with.
In all the commotion, no one noticed a figure quietly slipping into the clouds from another direction.
Before you continue