Douluo: The Favored Children of Their Era Gather, but Time Is Out of Place Chapter 38

"Are you going to fight me now, or wait until I've adjusted my condition?"

"Wait, Juechen, are you serious?"

Jing Ziyan's expression turned solemn.

She stepped in front of Ji Juechen and said in a low voice,

"Didn't we agree to only spar with opponents qualified to spar with us? You..."

Her words abruptly stopped there, because a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

She shuddered all over and instinctively spun around, kicking out.

"Whoa, that was close, Senior Sister."

The one who had acted was naturally Bai Chen. He easily dodged Jing Ziyan's kick and said with a smile,

"But could you please have a little faith in Senior Brother? You should be the one who knows his character best."

"..."

Looking at Bai Chen's harmless smile, Jing Ziyan was unable to respond for a long while. A trace of chill slowly crept into her heart.

She had not noticed Bai Chen approaching at all, and he had even dodged that kick.

Although she had just fought Ji Juechen and her stamina had declined somewhat, that had still been a full-force kick.

How was that possible...

Ji Juechen asked blandly,

"What's your answer?"

He was speaking to Bai Chen, who shrugged.

"Wait until you've fully recovered. Even if you fought me in your current state, you wouldn't enjoy it, would you?"

"..."

Ji Juechen's gaze shifted. Then, without saying another word, he sat down and began meditating.

As an observer, he had clearly seen Bai Chen's movements just now.

The main reason Jing Ziyan had failed to notice Bai Chen's approach lay in his footwork.

Bai Chen's steps had been exceptionally light and nimble as he approached her, even somewhat eerie, as though he were a ghost.

Ji Juechen had fought quite a few Soul Engineers, including close-combat Soul Engineers, but most of them merely worked on their weapons. Not a single one had mastered such footwork.

He became certain once again: Bai Chen was absolutely not as simple as he appeared. His strength might even pose a threat to him.

After waiting roughly ten minutes, Ji Juechen opened his eyes again and stood up. By then, Bai Chen was already waiting for him on the other side of the arena.

Seeing Ji Juechen rise, Bai Chen tilted his head with a smile.

"Shall we begin now?"

"Mm."

Ji Juechen remained as sparing with words as ever, silently raising his longsword before his chest.

"—"

In an instant, every hair on Bai Chen's body stood on end.

Ji Juechen had clearly made no dangerous movement, yet the alarm bells in Bai Chen's heart rang madly at that moment.

Instantly, a purple Soul Ring appeared beside him and lit up. The soul skill Steel Bone Shaking Gold was unleashed in an instant.

"..."

Below the arena, Jing Ziyan's mouth fell open when she saw Bai Chen's purple first Soul Ring.

"A thousand-year first Soul Ring? What exactly is going on with this kid..."

Bai Chen had no time to answer her. He could no longer spare even a sliver of attention beyond the battle.

Ji Juechen still stood motionless where he was, but simply by standing there quietly, an invisible aura radiated from him and enveloped Bai Chen.

That aura carried an intensely sharp presence. It seemed that the moment Bai Chen made any movement, the longsword in Ji Juechen's hand would sever his head.

Sword Intent. Bai Chen instantly understood the true nature of that aura.

This was not something like a soul skill. It was something Ji Juechen had created through his own comprehension, a special power formed by blending soul power and spiritual power together, with his understanding of the sword as its core.

As this Sword Intent grew stronger, Ji Juechen might even one day create his own Sword Maniac Domain with it as the foundation.

Those capable of creating self-created soul skills were already geniuses. Those capable of creating self-created domains were geniuses among geniuses. Ji Juechen's Martial Soul talent might not be strong, but his talent in the way of the sword was beyond doubt.

Although his Sword Intent had not yet transformed into a domain skill, it was already enough to exert a certain degree of influence over all opponents shrouded by it.

Unfortunately, he was facing Bai Chen.

Bai Chen took a deep breath and stepped forward forcefully.

At the same time, a black-gold halo rose beneath his feet. The Overlord Domain unfolded, and his presence began soaring at an exaggerated speed.

If Ji Juechen's Sword Maniac Domain represented the pinnacle of the sword, then innate domains led by the Overlord Domain represented the pinnacle of Martial Soul talent.

Ji Juechen was certainly a genius, but wasn't Bai Chen one as well? Their talents simply lay in different areas.

The Overlord Domain could greatly enhance one's presence and ignore all spiritual and bloodline suppression. It could be said to be the nemesis of enemies like Ji Juechen.

Seeing that his Sword Intent had no effect, Ji Juechen frowned and twisted the hand holding his sword, seemingly intending to make a move.

Boom—

Before he could finish, however, a roar that shook the entire arena rang out.

"!"

At the critical moment, Ji Juechen's combat instincts, honed through countless battles, saved him.

He instinctively held his longsword horizontally before his chest, shielding his body.

Almost instantly, golden claws slammed into his Heavenly Meteoric Iron Sword, and intense sparks burst from the point of impact.

The next second, Ji Juechen was sent flying backward.

"No way..."

Below the stage, Jing Ziyan was completely dumbfounded.

As a genius Soul Engineer, she understood what had just happened even more clearly than Ji Juechen did.

Bai Chen's own speed naturally was not so fast that Ji Juechen could not react. The reason he could unleash such a shocking burst of speed lay in the four spheres of light behind his back.

Soul Guidance Thrusters—and according to Jing Ziyan's judgment, they were all Level-Four ones.

Soul Guidance Thrusters differed from other Soul Guide Devices. As Soul Guide Devices purely meant to increase speed, they did not place particularly high demands on a Soul Master's soul power. In exchange, however, they imposed extremely harsh requirements on the Soul Master's physical strength.

In theory, Level-Four Soul Guidance Thrusters could indeed be used by a One-Ring Soul Master, but if one truly did so, the recoil would instantly shatter that Soul Master's body.

That was how it should have been...

Watching Bai Chen pursue Ji Juechen across the stage, Jing Ziyan swallowed.

The burden that even a Level-Four Soul Guidance Thruster placed on the body was already enough that some Level-Five Soul Engineers could not endure it. Bai Chen was using four at the same time?

Was he even human?

The same question was actually surfacing in Ji Juechen's mind.

However, unlike Jing Ziyan, his reason for asking it lay mainly in the clash of their presences.

The instant his Sword Intent collided with Bai Chen's domain just now, a powerful shiver had traveled back through his Sword Intent.

It was a fear originating from biological instinct, as though he were not facing a six-year-old child, but an ancient Ferocious Beast.

This feeling was truly, truly—

Ji Juechen's lips curled slightly, and an almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.

Exciting!

As his feet returned to the ground, Ji Juechen did everything he could to slow his retreat, trying to bring his body to a stop.

He could have stopped immediately by stabbing his sword into the ground, but he could not do that, because that enemy gleaming with black-gold light had reached him again in an instant.

Facing the powerful enemy charging straight at him, Ji Juechen did not retreat.

All he could rely on was his Sword Intent that pressed forward without hesitation. If he could not even trust the sword in his hand, then he did not deserve to continue walking this path.

Thus, his response was simple.

A black arc sliced through the air. The dark longsword neither retreated nor yielded as it collided head-on with Bai Chen's Darkgolden Terrorclaw.

Clang—

A crisp sound rang out. Jing Ziyan below the stage could not help holding her breath, not daring even to blink as she watched the scene.

The next moment, the victor was decided. Ji Juechen, whose body had not yet fully stabilized, was sent flying backward once again.

Yet as a result, Bai Chen, who had exchanged a direct blow with him, was also forced to stop and could not immediately continue his pursuit.

"Tch, he really is troublesome..."

Bai Chen gripped his faintly trembling right hand and sighed helplessly inwardly.

He had wanted to rely on speed to catch Ji Juechen off guard and seize victory. It seemed he had been thinking too simply after all.

In that clash, in terms of raw strength alone, he had won overwhelmingly. Ji Juechen's figure being sent flying again proved that.

But if he had to say who won that exchange, Bai Chen believed it was Ji Juechen.

Ji Juechen's sword contained an incomparably terrifying Sword Intent. The instant they came into contact, that sharp will had surged madly into Bai Chen's body, seemingly trying to tear him apart completely.

The Overlord Domain could only ignore spiritual "suppression"; it could not ignore spiritual "attacks."

Therefore, although Bai Chen could ignore Ji Juechen's Sword Intent and move freely, being struck head-on by that special power mixed with soul power and spiritual power still made him feel waves of discomfort.

Taking advantage of the time Bai Chen needed to adjust his condition, Ji Juechen forcibly brought himself to a stop, wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and pointed his sword at Bai Chen again.

The two sides once more entered the standoff from before the battle began, as though nothing had happened.

Yet whether it was the two fighters or Jing Ziyan below the stage, all of them knew that things were no longer the same as before.

They had already witnessed Bai Chen's terrifying speed and strength with their own eyes. They would never underestimate him in the slightest again.

Bai Chen's informational advantage had completely vanished.

"Looks like this is the only way."

After a brief moment of thought, Bai Chen made his decision.

He took a deep breath and raised his right hand. A dark-golden glow slowly lit up along his five claws.

"!"

In an instant, Ji Juechen seemed to sense something. His expression froze, and a fervent light gradually emerged in his eyes.

He said nothing, merely gripping the sword in his hand more tightly. The Sword Intent permeating the arena grew increasingly intense with that movement.

The next moment, as though someone had given an order, Bai Chen and Ji Juechen—the two standing far apart—moved at the same time.

Ji Juechen himself had a particular trait: the longer a battle continued, the stronger his Sword Intent became.

Once Bai Chen had failed to defeat him during the initial opportunity, he had already fallen into a disadvantageous position. As the battle dragged on, defeating Ji Juechen would become increasingly difficult until it became impossible.

No matter how powerful Bai Chen's body was, he was ultimately only a One-Ring Soul Master. He did not truly possess the combat power of a Soul King.

It was like the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Tang Wulin had faced. Although its strength could contend with Bear Lord, its actual combat power was only at the level of a Super Douluo, far inferior to Bear Lord.

If the battle truly turned into a war of attrition, he could never outlast Level Forty-One Ji Juechen in soul power.

Since that was the case, there was only one path to victory.

Before Ji Juechen could build up momentum, he had to use his strongest killing move and end the battle in one go!

Four balls of white light lit up behind Bai Chen. He once again activated his Soul Guidance Thrusters, pushing his speed to its limit, nearly beyond the limit of what Jing Ziyan's eyes could track.

At the same time, he raised his right hand. The famed Darkgolden Terrorclaw appeared once more and swung toward the young man holding the sword.

Ji Juechen's response remained just as simple and pure. With a flick of his wrist, he raised his sword upward and met Bai Chen's Darkgolden Terrorclaw head-on.