Both men darted backward at the same time, ending in something of a draw. Ye Zilong glanced down at the purple-gold longsword in his hand. The dragon-scale patterns that had originally flowed across its blade had dimmed considerably, and even a tiny crack had appeared.
A hint of gravity flickered in his eyes. That seemingly unremarkable strike had contained such terrifying power that it had not only shattered his Dragon God Fury Slash, but nearly damaged the Spirit God Treasure longsword he took such pride in.
"No wonder the Great Township Lord sent me here personally. You really do have what it takes to make me get serious."
Ye Zilong remained composed. Clearly, he had not used his full strength-not even half of it.
As the top-ranked player in the second parallel world, the very fact that the Great Township Lord had taken notice of him and bestowed a divine coffin upon him spoke to his exceptional ability.
"Come forth! My Soul Guard!"
In an instant, the sky changed, purple lightning danced wildly, and a terrifying aura that made souls tremble spread outward.
Space twisted violently in the void behind him, and an enormous dark silhouette slowly took shape.
It was a ferocious giant beast covered in dark purple scales, its body resembling neither quite a dragon nor quite a tiger. Three vertical pupils on its head gleamed with a cold red light. Its enormous wings blotted out the sky and sun, every feather like a sharp war blade, radiating a heart-stopping aura of destruction.
"Heaven-Locking Prison Dragon Beast, second-stage Soulguard Armament, activate!"
As Ye Zilong spoke, the dark purple Heaven-Locking Prison Dragon Beast let out a roar that shook heaven and earth. Its massive body suddenly became a streak of light and instantly merged into him.
Ye Zilong's aura