Battle with Hong

Early morning, May 13, 2058.

The sky had begun to pale, but the sun had yet to rise.

Sand Sea Villa.

After spending a warm, intimate night with his family, Dongguan stepped into the courtyard.

The purplish-red Intelligent Fighter sat on the landing pad.

The hatch opened, and Dongguan walked inside.

"Qiong," Dongguan called.

"Understood." Qiong knew what he meant. He infiltrated the fighter's intelligence and adjusted its permissions, revoking Hong's hidden access privileges.

Dongguan was at the Councilor Level, and both Zhang Yu and Zhang Gui qualified as War God Level experts. They were strong enough to protect their wealth, so Hong had not taken the Intelligent Fighter back.

Zhang Yu had been using it all this time.

"Depart for Hongning Base City."

The fighter took off, streaking northwest in a flash of light.

Inside the villa, Zhang Yu and her son, Zhang Gui, watched the fighter disappear into the distance.

"Will Dad be all right on this trip?" Zhang Gui asked worriedly.

"Of course he will. Have faith in him. Didn't he say he's already at Planetary Level Nine? Even against Hong, he has some confidence. Besides, this trip won't necessarily lead to a fight," Zhang Yu reassured her son.

Yet how could she not worry herself?

Hong had been the strongest man in the world since the Great Nirvana, with decades of prestige behind him.

Although Dongguan had told them how vast the universe was, they still felt uneasy.

Hongning Base City.

The Qiankun-class Fighter Jet landed on the landing pad at the Limitless Martial Arts Hall headquarters, drawing the attention of many nearby personnel.

"Whose fighter is that?" some staff members discussed.

It was a purplish-red triangular fighter, custom-made by the Limitless Martial Arts Hall.

"Maybe Inspector Liu's, or Inspector Luo Feng's," someone guessed.

Luo Feng had spent the past few months traveling around the world, and naturally, he had not done so on foot.

Many people had already seen his fighter.

Ordinary people might not know the details, but the Limitless Martial Arts Hall's staff knew that Luo Feng had traded something to Hong for it.

The fighter's hatch slowly opened, revealing Dongguan.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time. Let's see exactly what explanation you have for me."

A man in black had appeared without anyone noticing when he arrived.

"Then follow me."

Dongguan streaked away from the fighter in a flash of light, flying toward the outskirts of the base city.

Hong's pupils contracted at the sight of Dongguan's terrifying speed.

What exactly has he been through these past few months?

He turned into a streak of light and gave chase, only to discover that his speed fell far short of Dongguan's.

It seems he had quite a fortuitous encounter.

He had long suspected that Dongguan's disappearance had something to do with the Ancient Civilization Ruins.

Perhaps deeper ruins lay beneath Ruins No. 32. Coupled with Dongguan's earlier mention of "noise," perhaps that was some sort of qualification.

Hong had experienced such things himself during the Great Nirvana Period.

He simply did not understand why Dongguan had destroyed the surface ruins.

He assumed there was a reason, but Dongguan still owed him an explanation.

Dongguan stopped atop a mountain range in the Wilderness Zone, over a hundred kilometers from Hongning Base City.

After a short wait, Hong arrived as well.

"You said you'd give me an explanation. What is it?"

Hong and Dongguan stood on separate peaks, facing each other across the distance.

"Hong, ever since the Great Nirvana Period, you've held firmly to the throne of Earth's strongest man. I'm curious just how strong you really are. Just how miraculous is a domain?"

A blazing white saber appeared in Dongguan's hand, pointing straight at Hong.

A Tier 3 Force Weapon, the Lightforged Blade.

"This is your explanation?" Hong almost laughed in anger.

Back when he was still at the Apprentice Level, Dongguan had been well behaved. Once he reached the Planetary Grade—no, just before his breakthrough—he had changed.

First came the bounty in Northern Frontier Base City, then the extortion after discovering the Cloud-Touching Vine on Fog Island. Now he was pulling this stunt.

Although Hong had benefited from those first two incidents, Dongguan's attitude made him wonder whether his status as Earth's strongest expert carried so little weight.

At their first meeting, he had spent half an hour instructing Dongguan at Huaxia Country's request. Less than two years later, that youngster was already challenging him.

"I have a Space Ring too." A spear appeared in Hong's hand. "It seems this encounter of yours has given you considerable confidence. But if you want to defeat me, it still isn't enough."

He could also sense that Dongguan's aura was stronger than Thunder God's, but Thunder God had always lost to him.

He had yet to fight since acquiring the Cloud-Touching Vine last time. This was a perfect chance to test it.

"Come on." Dongguan gave his saber a slight turn, his eyes fixed on Hong.

Hong might have a domain, but he was still a martial artist, with a limited attack range.

After studying Thousand-Leaf Psychic Control, even though his thousand-leaf grass was not ready yet, Dongguan was confident he could defeat Hong by using the Sky-Escaping Shuttle to kite him.

However, despite studying Heavenly Blade and Light Control, he had yet to comprehend a domain.

As it happened, Hong also had a light affinity, along with a domain.

Thus, he decided to fight as a martial artist first. If that failed, he would switch to fighting as a Mental Master Controller.

Either way, he could not lose.

Hong had occupied the position of Earth's strongest man for too long. It was time he stepped down.

Oh, right-Dongguan had almost forgotten. Although he had been born and raised here in this life, whether he even counted as an Earthling was still debatable.

"You're a Psychic, yet you intend to use a martial artist's methods. Aren't you underestimating me a little too much?" As soon as Hong finished speaking, darkness enveloped him. His spear thrust forward like a meteor chasing the moon.

Heavenly Blade, blade momentum!

Phantom!

Dongguan had no intention of truly underestimating Hong. He immediately unleashed his full strength as a martial artist.

He shifted from position to position, leaving a flurry of afterimages.

At the same time, his saber erupted with dazzling white light, forming a forty-meter blade. Its momentum condensed into tangible form as it cleaved toward Hong.

Boom!

They crossed past each other in the instant of impact.

Spear in hand, Hong stood on the peak where Dongguan had originally been. He felt a little relieved, though his gaze remained fixed on his opponent.

He had wondered what trump card gave Dongguan the confidence to challenge him using only martial arts. Now he could see that Dongguan was indeed powerful. Even Thunder God was probably no match for him anymore.

Still, the situation remained under his control.

With a domain, he was invincible at the Planetary Level.

That was no empty boast.

Thunder God was at Planetary Level Seven, one level above him. But even if he advanced to levels eight or nine, as long as he failed to comprehend a domain and did not break through to the Star Level, he could never defeat Hong.

Still, I have to watch out for his Psychic abilities, Hong thought.

Although Dongguan had only used martial arts in this spar, he had never said he would use nothing else. The Sky-Escaping Shuttle might fly out of his Space Ring to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

His years as an assassin had taught him never to rely on wishful thinking about an enemy's methods. His opponent would surely go all out, and so would he.

Dongguan had obtained the Sky-Escaping Shuttle from him in a trade. Naturally, Hong had studied it long ago and had a rough understanding of how powerful a psychic weapon could be in a Psychic's hands.

Dongguan, meanwhile, felt rather delighted.

During that exchange with Hong, he had kept himself outside the domain's range, sending only his attack into it.

Once inside the domain, the attack felt as though it had sunk into a mire. Hong's spear would inevitably intercept it, accompanied by lashes from the Cloud-Touching Vine.

That mire-like sensation, that darkness, had weakened his attack far too much. Meanwhile, Hong's strength had increased. With one weakened and the other strengthened, Dongguan was no match for him.

But that was exactly what he wanted. A domain had to be powerful to live up to his expectations.

"Again."

He immediately refocused, and the two clashed once more.

With each collision, Dongguan was like a rough blank being steadily sculpted.

Parts of the manuals he had previously read but never fully understood now became clear, one after another. His understanding of light and darkness also deepened.

For the light affinity, both light and darkness were possible directions.

Hong had taken the path of darkness.

Phantom, however, combined light and darkness. It was darkness within light.

Phantom Artistic Conception actually has no such thing as momentum, only realism. That sense of reality is Phantom's momentum. To advance further, I need to choose light or darkness and comprehend it from one side. That's much easier than cultivating both together.

In fact, this was like Bolan cultivating the Universe Chaos Stele in the original story. Cultivating time and space together was harder than focusing primarily on either space or time.

Naturally, cultivating light and darkness together was also harder than beginning with either light or darkness alone. Ultimately, however, he would still need to master both to truly grasp the Light Origin Law and break through to become undying.

Which direction suits me better?

Dongguan began thinking as he fought.

Light, darkness, or both were all viable. He simply had to determine which path suited him best.

Is this momentum? Is this the path Dongguan has taken? Hong observed as he fought.

Dongguan was improving through his clashes with Hong's domain, but Hong was a genius too. Naturally, he could also learn from Dongguan.

He had followed the principles of Huaxia's internal martial arts: unity of man and spear, unity of self and flesh. Only after gaining complete mastery over himself had he formed a domain.

Thunder God, meanwhile, had pursued unity with nature.

They were the only two people on Earth to have reached this stage. Now, Hong had discovered a third path: momentum.

Having already formed a domain himself, Hong could easily judge that following this path could also lead to mastering one.

Momentum, unity with nature, unity of man and spear. Hong pondered, a glimmer of understanding seemingly taking shape in his mind.

Deepening his domain further would bring him to the domain second layer.

Boom!

Another collision.

Unlike before, this time Dongguan thrust the actual blade of the Lightforged Blade into Hong's dark domain.

He plunged his body inside, exchanged a blow with Hong's spear, then shot backward.

This feeling. Dongguan narrowed his eyes.

The special ability he had gained upon breaking through to the Planetary Grade, hypersensitivity to light, enhanced his body's perception of light.

In that instant, he had gained a deeper understanding of darkness. More important, however, was the moment he escaped, passing from darkness into light.

The vertical eye between his brows opened, and his Spiritual Force spread outward.

This time, he used his Spiritual Force not to control anything, but simply to perceive.

People's talents had different inclinations. Among Psychics, some were gifted as Illusionists, some as Controllers, and others had a greater affinity for living creatures.

Dongguan's talent lay in perception. His Spiritual Force had roughly the same range as that of other Psychics at his level, but his perception was especially detailed.

After gaining hypersensitivity to light, his perception of light had improved further.

At the same time, as a member of the Qiong Luo Race, a third-grade bloodline among Cosmic Humans, he possessed his race's innate gifts.

The vertical eye between his brows, the Spirit Eye, would gain a second special ability upon his breakthrough to the Planetary Grade, with further abilities accompanying later breakthroughs.

Those with sufficient talent could manifest such abilities ahead of time.

Observing secret patterns was the Spirit Eye ability Dongguan gained when he broke through to the Planetary Grade. Previously, he had been unable to control it properly at will, but after his breakthrough, he could, and the ability had grown stronger.

That was also how he had developed the Beast Taming Secret Art.

This innate ability was not an Innate Secret Technique, merely a unique sense. Just as people needed eyes to see and ears to hear, possessing this organ granted him its special ability.

At that moment, Hong sensed a change in Dongguan.

Previously, Dongguan had been using Phantom and blade momentum, but their combination had been imperfect.

Now, that had changed.

Dongguan's moves gradually became a seamless whole, as though he were the incarnation of a world of light, coming to defeat Hong, the sovereign within the dark domain.

So light can be used like this too. Hong brandished his spear, controlling his domain to fend off the attacks.

Dongguan still had no domain, but his momentum had changed. It had shifted from blade momentum to his own momentum, making the methods in the manuals truly his.

Phantoms became blades, their surging momentum radiating boundless light.

He's already approaching Thunder God's level, Hong marveled inwardly. Dongguan had encountered an extraordinary opportunity.

Thunder God and Hong fought frequently. Hong knew that Thunder God stood only a step away from a domain, and Dongguan had now reached the same point.

Of course, Dongguan was different from Thunder God.

Thunder God had developed almost everything himself, with discussions with Hong being the most help he received.

Dongguan, on the other hand, had obtained a fortuitous opportunity, an inheritance from the universe, which allowed him to catch up so quickly.

But this also showed that Dongguan's talent was formidable enough. After all, he had not possessed those manuals for long.

"All right, let's stop."

Hong and Dongguan exchanged one more blow, then landed on separate peaks.

"I've experienced your strength," Hong said. "As things stand, you can't break through my domain, and I can't truly defeat you either. Let's call it a draw."

Hong felt there was no need to continue.

One's accumulated understanding was finite. Turning past insights into nourishment and putting them into practice during battle naturally led to continual improvement. But once that reserve was exhausted, further diligent cultivation was needed.

"A draw it is," Dongguan replied.

He had gained much from this battle and wanted to return to cultivate as well.

He needed to study both Heavenly Blade and Light Control again.

As for using his Psychic abilities, he could only admit that he had taken things somewhat for granted.

At lower stages, using Psychic abilities and martial arts simultaneously offered an advantage.

But in battles at the domain level, the mind needed to remain highly focused. Dividing his attention would instead reduce his combat strength.

Of course, he could also use his Spiritual Force to kite Hong, but the outcome would be the same as with his martial techniques: he would not lose, but he could not win either.

"Still, you owe me an explanation for destroying the Ancient Civilization Ruins. At least give me a reason." Hong's voice grew low.

"Because of a threat from the universe."

"The universe?" Hong's pupils contracted.

Ordinary Earth Humans only knew how terrifying the monsters were, but having inherited the legacy of the Ancient Civilization Ruins, he was far more worried about threats from the universe.

They could still fight back against the monsters, but threats from the universe could leave them utterly powerless to resist.

"Those ruins count as a special kind of trace. They're harmless for now, but once Earth makes contact with the universe, they could draw an enemy that Earth currently has no way to resist. Earth might not be their objective, but they could very well take the entire planet as an afterthought."

Dongguan was telling the truth.

If he were King Huozhen and discovered those traces on Earth, and the leaders of the five major powers had not discovered what made Earth special, he would take Earth while he was at it. Even if he could not, he would simply buy it.

The fate of Earth Humans then was all too easy to imagine.

From that perspective, it was only after the leaders of the Human Race took notice that King Huozhen could no longer do much to Earth.

"Universe Level?" Hong asked.

He had combat footage of Universe Level experts and had seen how powerful they were.

"Higher," Dongguan said honestly. "An existence that no one could resist even if every Earthling were at Universe Level."

Ten billion Universe Level fighters truly amounted to little before a Peak King Immortal God. At most, it would only be a matter of time.

Qiong Luo Star had once had quite a few Domain Lords and World Lords, and even an Immortal Plant Lifeform, yet the planet had still been destroyed.

Ten billion Universe Level fighters could not even deal with the Zerg Mother Nest in King Huozhen's possession.

"What?" Hong was shaken.

Only after a long while did he regain his composure.

"It seems the legacy you obtained this time was extraordinary."

Dongguan did not respond to that. He only said, "Earth's contact with the universe is inevitable, whether actively or passively, sooner or later. It might begin before we even realize it."

"I gained a great deal from this battle and need to spend some time in seclusion. After that, I'll come talk to you again."

"It's also time to wipe out the monsters."

Leaving those words behind, Dongguan turned into a streak of light and vanished.

"It seems things really are different this time." Genuine joy appeared on Hong's cold face.

The thought of wiping out the monsters had crossed his mind more than once, but he had never been confident he could do it.

For Dongguan to make such a bold claim, he must have gained a great deal from the Ancient Civilization Ruins.

Humanity was finally going to reclaim Earth.