There were no probing words, no drawn-out standoff.
Li Xiang lowered his gaze and slid his left foot half a step forward. The instant his sole scraped against the gray flagstone, his spine shuddered like a great dragon.
Shing—!
The Ghost-Slaying Blade left its sheath.
At that same instant, the other "Li Xiang" moved.
Two afterimages tore through the gray space with shrieking sonic booms, like meteors hurtling toward each other through a vacuum. They collided without the slightest hesitation.
Their opening moves were killing blows.
The muscles in Li Xiang's right arm swelled. The power of Ice Skin, Jade Bones sent a warm jade luster flowing beneath his skin.
In his dantian, the newly formed Dragon Pearl spun wildly. Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—the Five-Element Martial Force—cycled through creation and destruction in an instant, becoming a single, incomparably violent Dragon Force. He poured it all into the Ghost-Slaying Blade.
At the same time, the Cook profession's Masterful Hearthfire trait flared to life. His burning blood and qi became ghostly blue Fireworks Qi, coiling around the dark-red blade like a fire dragon.
The blood-colored Blade Baleful Intent he had accumulated through the Swordsman's Blood-Drinking ability formed a razor-thin coating that nothing could withstand.
This was the strongest strike Li Xiang could unleash in his normal state.
Clang—!!!
Two identical Ghost-Slaying Blades locked together in midair.
A visible ring of force erupted from their meeting point and swept in every direction, driving away the gray mist and leaving a pocket of vacuum.
Li Xiang's arms went numb. A mountain-toppling, sea-overturning force surged back through the hilt.
It carried the explosive power of Crushing Force, the penetration of Piercing Force, the destruction of Cannon Force, and the searing heat of Fireworks Qi.
Exactly the same.
The level of power, the path