Space Lock!

Mu Jizi's innate divine ability as a nanmu tree—Space Lock!

It was like a world of its own, spanning a million li in every direction!

Within this world spanning a million li, Mu Jizi's own strength and speed were unaffected in the slightest, while any opponent entering it would suffer a drastic reduction in strength!

Of course, the higher an opponent's cultivation and strength, the weaker the restraints they suffered. For an existence like Kunpeng, at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, his strength and speed would be weakened by no more than two-tenths. Even so, this innate divine ability was still terrifying!

Kunpeng's speed was forcibly reduced by nearly two-tenths at that moment. The sudden change caught him completely off guard, and his body paused slightly as he struggled to adapt!

However, he was also a great expert with immense divine abilities. He was stunned for only an instant before adjusting in the next. Without moving his body, he reached down with a massive claw!

Yet in that instant of hesitation, Mu Jizi, also at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, had already reacted. The moment he steadied himself, he faced Kunpeng's descending claw without dodging or evading, then struck back with a palm!

The strike appeared casual, yet it contained boundless profound truths!

With Kunpeng's strength and speed weakened by nearly two-tenths, Mu Jizi's advantage immediately became apparent. Under that palm, Kunpeng was no match for him at all.

With a boom, Kunpeng's Roc true form was sent flying high into the sky by a single palm strike. Mu Jizi himself, meanwhile, stood like an ancient pine rooted in the void, his body not even swaying!

In an instant, Mu Jizi moved again. With a flash, he appeared above Kunpeng's true form as it hurtled toward the heavens. His wrist turned, and he sent out another palm strike!

At this moment, he did not seek out Kunpeng's weak points. Instead, he targeted the wings, the most heavily defended part of Kunpeng's body!

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

As though he were beating a sandbag, he struck palm after palm, leaving Kunpeng without even a chance to catch his breath!

"Brother, stop, stop hitting me!" Kunpeng was beaten senseless. He endured for a while, but in the end, he cast aside his pride and begged through divine sense, "If you keep hitting me, this younger brother's body will fall apart!"

"Hehe!" Mu Jizi laughed heartlessly at that, then drifted to a halt in the air. He did not continue chasing after Kunpeng's true form to attack him!

Whoosh!

Kunpeng spread his wings mid-flight, dispersing the force Mu Jizi had inflicted upon him. He then transformed into human form and stood suspended in the void, facing Mu Jizi from afar!

"Brother, your divine power is truly formidable! This younger brother was beaten so badly that I had no strength to fight back at all!" Once he had steadied himself, Kunpeng wore a bitter smile. He felt slightly dejected. They had the same cultivation, so why was the gap between them so vast?

"Hehe, brother, do not say such dispiriting words!" Mu Jizi smiled faintly, then comforted him. "Had this elder brother not instantly unleashed my innate divine ability just now, even if I transformed into my true form, I would still have had to endure your nimble claw strike!"

"Innate divine ability?" Kunpeng's eyes lit up. "Truly?"

"Absolutely!" Mu Jizi nodded!

"So that was it!" Kunpeng nodded in sudden realization. "No wonder that, in that instant, I felt as though even the currents of space were greatly obstructed. My speed and strength could not reach even eighty or ninety percent of their usual level. So it was Brother's innate divine ability!"

Kunpeng swept away his earlier dejection. His eyes shifted, and he smiled. "Brother, your innate divine ability is truly extraordinary. It actually reduced this younger brother's strength by nearly two-tenths. With such an ability, you will have greater security in future battles!"

"Hehe!" Mu Jizi smiled. "You only ever think about fighting others. When will you ever become a little more even-tempered?"

"It is simply my nature. There is nothing to be done about it!" Kunpeng rolled his eyes, wearing an expression that said a leopard could not change its spots. Then his eyes widened again as he said, "Brother, your use of that innate divine ability just now cannot count as your true ability. In that case, we must fight again!"

"Oh? Again?" Mu Jizi raised a brow and teased, "Are you not afraid of suffering more physical pain?"

"What is there to fear? Brother caught me off guard just now. Otherwise, this younger brother would never have been so miserable!" Kunpeng said indifferently. "You should know that you are not the only one with an innate divine ability. This younger brother has one as well!"

"Oh?" Mu Jizi's eyes brightened, and he smiled. "Then I must witness it!"

"Good! Then Brother, watch closely!" Kunpeng grinned upon hearing that. He then let out a shriek, and his gaze changed, becoming sharp and keen!

"Screeeeeech—"

The shriek was like an overwhelmingly powerful sonic art. In the next instant, Kunpeng's body abruptly moved and transformed into his true form, stretching across tens of thousands of li like an enormous dark cloud. Then he spread his great wings, and intense light shot from his eyes.

Cold, indifferent, and sinister, he stared at Mu Jizi as though he were not his friend and mentor, but a mortal enemy!

"Roar—"

Like the wrath of heaven, like rolling thunder, that roar surpassed legend and transcended epic!

After the roar, Kunpeng's Roc body suddenly inhaled, as though it wished to swallow the earth, the sun and moon, and the stars!

"Buzzz—"

In an instant, ripples spread through space. An unimaginable, terrifying suction force suddenly descended upon Mu Jizi!

Kunpeng's innate divine ability—Devouring!

"Hm?" Mu Jizi's expression immediately changed. He had barely sensed the powerful pulling force before his body involuntarily shot forward! In that instant, not only could he not control his body, but even his primordial spirit seemed as though it were about to be pulled from his true form by that suction!

Mu Jizi was greatly alarmed. He simply could not imagine what sort of divine ability could rob someone of control over their body and even affect their primordial spirit!

In less than one ten-thousandth of an instant, he dared not think of anything else. His flying body suddenly changed, transforming into an ancient nanmu tree that held up the heavens. Its aura was eternal and ancient, while its roots were firmly planted in the void as though rooted in the hardest earth in the world. Relying on the enormous size of his true form, he forcibly stopped his forward rush.

Yet even so, the branches of his true form whipped about wildly, greatly expanding the range affected by the suction and thereby weakening its force!

"Pfft—"

The two true forms remained locked in a stalemate. Yet before long, a mouthful of blood abruptly sprayed from the Roc's mouth. Kunpeng's eyes also dimmed slightly at that moment!

This was the backlash from his failure to successfully execute his innate divine ability!

When Mu Jizi saw this, his heart jolted. Feeling the suction vanish, he immediately transformed back into human form and anxiously asked, "Brother, what happened?"

"Cough!" With a light cough, Kunpeng changed form and returned to his human shape. His face was pale as he said, "Brother, do not worry. This younger brother merely suffered backlash from my innate divine ability. It is only a minor injury; it is nothing serious!"

"Oh!" Mu Jizi's gaze was sharp as a torch, and he remained half-convinced!

Seeing this, Kunpeng was immediately moved. He had only coughed up some blood and lost a little vital energy, yet Brother was already this worried. How could Kunpeng not be touched?

After pausing briefly, Kunpeng said, "Brother's true form is too massive. This younger brother was somewhat overconfident. It is only right that I suffered a minor injury!"

"Phew—so that was it!" Seeing that Kunpeng spoke clearly and that his aura was steady, Mu Jizi finally let out a slow breath of relief. He then smiled. "Brother, that innate divine ability of yours was truly terrifying. Had this elder brother not transformed into my true form, which happened to restrain you, I would have suffered some physical pain as well!"

"Brother, you are too modest!" Kunpeng grinned. Though his words were humble, a trace of pride still showed in his eyes as he listened to Mu Jizi's praise!

That was only natural. His Devouring innate divine ability was extraordinarily powerful to begin with. Had he not happened to encounter a plant spirit like Mu Jizi, whose true form was towering and possessed countless branches, it would truly have been hard to say who would ultimately win...