Di Tian took a small step forward and raised a massive black dragon claw high. For a moment, a faint dragon's roar echoed between heaven and earth. He gathered his strength for several seconds, scrutinizing Xiao Yan from head to toe without making a move.
That was hardly surprising. The person before him was, after all, his sovereign and the future of the Soul Beast Clan. Even with the Golden Dragon King Bloodline and Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline, the gap between him and Di Tian was far too great. Judging by their strength on paper, it was understandable that Di Tian did not dare attack rashly.
"People often say that the Dragon God bestowed the supreme treasure known as the Dragon God Claw upon Beast God Di Tian. Seeing it today, I can tell it truly is extraordinary," Xiao Yan said with a sigh, sensing the faint presence of the dragon's roar, so similar to that of the seven-colored remnant soul in the Dragon Graveyard.
"There's no need to hold back. Come at me with all your strength."
Di Tian gave a quiet acknowledgment, but he was still uncertain and used only thirty percent of his normal strength. Having finished gathering his power, he shouted and stepped forward, swinging the Dragon God Claw straight at Xiao Yan's face.
"Watch out, my lord!"
"Bring it on!"
Xiao Yan laughed and tossed the Golden Dragon Spear into the air. Then he swung the Golden Dragon King's massive blood-gold claw fiercely, meeting the Dragon God Claw, which had turned golden and was covered in countless seven-colored halos. In an instant, a deafening crash rang out like raging thunder.
When the Dragon God Claw met Xiao Yan's crimson-gold dragon claw, Di Tian was startled to discover that it was no stronger than Xiao Yan's. In fact, it was even faintly at a disadvantage, struggling to withstand the crimson-gold claw's immense power. Even if he had used only thirty percent of his strength, he was still a mighty Soul Beast nearly eight hundred thousand years old. Yet his signature ability had been blocked by a youth whose strength was only equivalent to the seven-ring level. How could he not be astonished?
"Di Tian, you're not being honest. You're still holding back, aren't you?" Xiao Yan said through clenched teeth. Although he looked calm and unruffled, his current level was still not high. Blocking Di Tian's assault was not particularly difficult, but it required him to give his all. "The Dragon God Claw is a god-level power, but my Destruction Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline has that same god-level power!"
With that, Xiao Yan roared. Cracking sounds rang out from the muscles of his blood-gold dragon claw as its power to destroy everything surged further. It happened so quickly that even Di Tian could not evade it and was pushed back several steps. Then the Golden Dragon Spear, which had hung in the air for a moment, finally fell, aimed straight at Di Tian's head. Having just been knocked back, Di Tian could not dodge in time and had to use the Dragon God Claw to block the spear's attack and knock it away as it plunged down like a golden dragon. Seizing that opening of mere seconds, Xiao Yan swung his purple-gold dragon claw and arrived in an instant. A punch struck Di Tian squarely in the abdomen, sending him back several more steps.
In that first exchange, Di Tian had actually fallen slightly behind.
"Use more of your strength, Di Tian. That's an order."
Hearing this, Di Tian understood somewhat. The sovereign before him possessed two ultimate divine beast bloodlines. Young as he was, his fighting strength was formidable; Di Tian could not possibly defeat him while holding back. Then Di Tian's figure vanished, leaving no trace of him anywhere between heaven and earth.
Had the powerful Soul Beasts present not known what Di Tian was capable of, they would not have known where he had gone. Xiao Yan, however, had already seen that Di Tian had broken through space. There was no telling where he would appear to launch his fierce attack.
The Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline was naturally a master of the path of space. With that bloodline, Xiao Yan's vision also possessed a spatial sense of sorts, allowing him to perceive disturbances in space and thereby determine where Di Tian was hiding and where he would attack.
The next instant, Di Tian's seven-colored dragon claw suddenly emerged behind Xiao Yan and clawed at his back. If that strike landed, it would probably reduce Xiao Yan's fighting ability to zero. Fortunately, they were near the Lake of Life, and Bi Ji was present to heal Xiao Yan directly. Otherwise, Di Tian would never have dared use this move.
Yet Di Tian's lightning-fast dragon claw struck empty air. Amid the sound of wind and thunder, Xiao Yan seemed to become a bolt of lightning himself, circling behind Di Tian with the Golden Dragon King's massive claw poised to strike.
With his spatial sense, Xiao Yan had detected Di Tian behind him before he attacked. The combined burst of Three Thousand Lightning Movement and Blast Step, plus the speed boosts provided by Heavenly Phoenix Wings and Golden Dragon King Wings, brought Xiao Yan's mobility to a terrifying level. Even Di Tian could not follow his movements with the naked eye and was once again sent flying several steps by a punch.
With Xiao Yan's present strength, even three consecutive hits had inflicted nothing more than superficial wounds on Di Tian. Of course, fighting a demigod-level expert at the seven-ring realm without falling behind was unprecedented in the present age. Only he could have accomplished it.
As an unparalleled expert, Di Tian could hardly avoid getting angry after being beaten like this in public by someone far weaker than himself. But his opponent was his lord, as well as a junior with only seven rings. Even if he was angry, he would not give vent to it. Seeing this, Xiao Yan could not help but marvel that Beast God Di Tian truly deserved his reputation. An ordinary expert in this situation would probably have flown into a rage out of humiliation and lost his reason.
"My lord, starting with the next move, I'll use fifty percent of my strength. Be careful!" After Di Tian's warning, black dragon Qi of overwhelming might formed a dense dragon shadow behind him. The black dragon shadow then flowed directly into the Dragon God Claw, and the shadow of a gigantic seven-colored dragon claw took shape above Xiao Yan's head. Its might far surpassed that of the complete black dragon shadow from before.
The dragon claw's shadow then descended gently. Only Xiao Yan knew what sort of power lay hidden within that seemingly light and illusory claw.
Xiao Yan held up the descending shadow with both claws. Its power was so great that it shattered the ground beneath his feet. He gritted his teeth. Di Tian at fifty percent strength already far surpassed the most ordinary Titled Douluo. It seemed physical strength alone would not be enough to withstand him.
A purple-gold Soul Ring suddenly appeared, shining brilliantly. It then split into purple and gold halves. The purple half became an enormous, awe-inspiring dragon with phoenix wings, while the golden half took the form of the Golden Dragon King, an image engraved deep in the souls of every beast present. The spectral purple and gold dragons spun as they charged at the massive claw, seeming to become a raging torrent of purple-and-gold energy that slammed into it like a drill. Xiao Yan then released the claw. Spatial power lay hidden within his purple-gold dragon claw, while the power of destruction surged in his blood-gold claw. He thrust both claws out and brought them together. Another Blood Essence Soul Ring blazed with boundless light, and a powerful concussive force swept forth like a raging dragon, joining the purple-gold torrent in its attack. After a brief stalemate, they smashed through the seven-colored dragon claw's shadow, though the two attacks also exhausted their strength and dissipated between heaven and earth.
The first Blood Essence Soul Skill, Destruction Dragon Shadow. It summoned two dragon shadows with an unstoppable force; together, the dragons possessed the mighty power to break through ten thousand obstacles.
The second Blood Essence Soul Skill, Space-Rending Dragon-Phoenix Kill. Drawing upon spatial power and all the Bloodline Power in the body, it created a fierce concussion that broke through space to reach its target and could not be defended against.
This was the first time Xiao Yan had used the Soul Skills of these two Blood Essence Soul Rings. With the boost from the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, their Soul Skills had grown considerably stronger. This was also the first time Xiao Yan had learned just how great their power was.
"With two ultimate divine beast bloodlines bolstering him, he truly is extraordinary..." Di Tian sighed. He knew that Xiao Yan's ability to break through his attack was also inseparable from the suppression those two supreme divine beast bloodlines exerted on him. Even so, Xiao Yan's strength was already very close to that of a human Titled Douluo. Such talent at such an age was unheard of.
Di Tian tore open space once more and disappeared into the void. This time, Xiao Yan did not intend to wait by a stump for a rabbit. With all his Bloodline Power now roused, he naturally intended to use it and fight to his heart's content.
Xiao Yan tapped lightly with his purple-gold dragon claw, and a spatial rift appeared before him. Through it, Di Tian's figure was clearly visible.
Di Tian was somewhat astonished. Since gaining the power to tear open space, this was the first time he had seen anyone use the same ability and even pinpoint his whereabouts. It was unheard of. He had little time to marvel, however. The next moment, Xiao Yan stepped forward and flew through to him. Purple flames swept out, forming a gigantic dragon capable of destroying heaven and earth, which lunged to tear at Di Tian.
Di Tian was caught off guard, but he was a top-tier expert after all. A massive black dragon shadow appeared behind him and grappled with the Ancient Void Dragon formed from the Three Thousand Burning Flame. As the two dragons fought in a tangled mass, Xiao Yan's next attack arrived in an instant.
Four colors of flame erupted together: cyan, white so pale it was nearly colorless and transparent, purple, and earthy yellow. Even the void trembled faintly. The four Heavenly Flames then formed a lotus in Xiao Yan's palm. He had more or less finished getting a feel for his new power, so it was time to use this old trick again.
Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus arrived in an instant.
Boom!
The explosion of Heavenly Flames blasted a hole in the void, and Di Tian and Xiao Yan fell back onto the Douluo Continent.
Di Tian's entire body was covered in wounds and looked charred black. Clearly, the sudden Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus had hit him hard. It was also the most damage Xiao Yan had inflicted in a single attack since the match began.
"My lord, that strike was truly ferocious..." Di Tian sighed. Clearly, although he had already held Xiao Yan's strength in very high regard, he had not expected that he had still underestimated him.
"My lord, let's decide the outcome with one strike. For this final attack, I will use seventy percent of my strength."
Every Soul Beast present was astonished. Against Di Tian at seventy percent strength, let alone Xiao Yan, even a so-called rank 95 Titled Douluo would probably have to weigh whether he had the strength to take the attack. But only Di Tian, who had fought Xiao Yan, knew how terrifyingly strong this sovereign's suppression of beasts was. Di Tian had thought carefully about this strike. Even with seventy percent of his strength, perhaps...
Xiao Yan nodded, agreeing to Di Tian's suggestion. He too wanted to see just how far the strongest move he could currently use in this battle against Di Tian would reach.
A massive black sword suddenly appeared in Di Tian's hand. The sword was like a black dragon, and like a black hole, greedily devouring all the power around it.
Di Tian raised the purple-black sword over his head. Its might was so great that it seemed a single strike could destroy everything in the world. Behind him appeared the strange sight of a sun and a moon: a black sun and a purple moon, illuminating each other as winds rose and clouds surged, sending chills down the spine.
At the same time, Xiao Yan raised his purple-gold dragon claw high. A golden sword that seemed to be made of liquid condensed in an instant, radiating dazzling light. Beneath that light, every being with dragon blood could scarcely resist the urge to kneel in worship, even Di Tian, whose imposing power surged across from him.
This was the Dragon Slaying Sword, which the Dragon God had once seen Zhu Kun use and later passed on to Xiao Yan. Among the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, it was passed down exclusively through the Dragon Emperor's line.
Had a dragon of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan been present, it might have recognized that, compared with the Dragon Slaying Sword used by its predecessors, this one seemed to have an extra layer of golden scales on its surface, lending it even more majesty and power.
Though its name was simple and ordinary, every being present trembled with fear. Without a doubt, the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest had all evolved through contact with the energy released when the Dragon God fell all those years ago. To them, the Dragon Slaying Sword meant unavoidable, absolute slaughter. Di Tian could scarcely remain standing, but things had come to this. The Beast God's pride meant he would rather die than beg for mercy to avoid the sword. He resolved that even if the sword struck him down and left him grievously wounded, he would never retreat.
"Eclipse and Purple Moon: Black Dragon Sword!"
"Space-Breaking Destruction to Ashes: Dragon Slaying Sword!"
Xiao Yan and Di Tian swung their swords at the same time. There was nothing unusual about their swings; they looked like two beginners in the way of the sword. Yet every being present was shaken, and only they knew how powerful these two moves were.
The two streams of sword Qi tangled endlessly, shattering layer upon layer of the void before finally exploding. The blast was so powerful that it could probably be felt clearly even in the Far North. The powerful, explosive presence even caught some of the weaker Soul Beasts before they could get out of the way.
That final exchange ended in a draw.
The Soul Beasts' boundless shock at the sight was written plainly on their faces. Di Tian was just as stunned. He had never imagined that even using seventy percent of his strength, he would be unable to gain the upper hand against his lord. Was he supposed to use all his strength against a lord who had cultivated for only a few years? That would be far too humiliating and would cost him the dignity of an expert.
Di Tian bowed and said sincerely, "Your strength has won my complete admiration, my lord. Given time, you will surely become a God King-level expert and find a more perfect path into the future for our Soul Beast Clan."
All the Soul Beasts present bowed. The Soul Beast Clan valued strength above all else and followed the law of the jungle, where the weak were prey to the strong. Now Xiao Yan had shown every Soul Beast through his strength that he was truly worthy of being their sovereign.
Xiao Yan bowed to the Soul Beasts in return. He firmly believed that from this day forward, the Soul Beast Clan would sincerely regard him as its lord. With that, he was confident he could find a path of harmonious coexistence for the humans and Soul Beasts of this world.