Dark blue Divine Power and golden Sacred Flame collided once more. This time, there was no probing, no holding back. Two utterly different powers crashed violently against each other across a narrow point of contact.
A blast wave erupted between Qian Renxue and the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, flinging shattered stones and dust outward from beneath their feet.
The shockwave of interwoven dark blue and gold spread like a fan-shaped curtain being pulled open, stripping away a layer of earth across dozens of yards and revealing the hard rock beneath, webbed with cracks from the impact.
Qian Renxue swayed slightly, then rode the recoil backward several yards like a golden fallen leaf swept up by the wind, landing lightly beside Eva.
The fingers around her sword tightened slightly, then relaxed.
A faint numb ache came from the web between her thumb and forefinger—the lingering force left behind after the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's purely physical punch had offset the golden Sacred Flame.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's forward charge was likewise brought to an abrupt halt.
His right fist hung where Qian Renxue had stood moments before. Where the dark blue scales covering his fist had struck her blade, he felt numbness from the recoil and lingering stinging pain from the Sacred Flame's burn.
Fine golden cracks appeared across the scales, like the surface of fire-scorched porcelain. Tiny golden sparks still slowly rose from their edges.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King withdrew his fist and lowered his head to glance at the slowly healing cracks on its surface, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
He did not immediately launch another attack. Instead, he used the recoil to slide back several yards and reopen the distance.
His gaze moved back and forth between Qian Renxue and Eva, complex