"All right, then. As you wish." Gelike flew off the black dragon's back and came alone to a spot not far in front of Luo Ao. The two stood with swords in hand, destructive auras brimming with devastating power erupting from their bodies.
"Mr. Gelike, take this!" Facing a Peak Saint-level expert of astonishing strength, Luo Ao naturally did not dare be the least bit careless. He opened with his strongest sword strike-World Destruction!
"Rend!" Gelike, however, remained at ease. He suddenly brought his sword down in a seemingly weightless stroke, yet it gave off a tearing sensation as though it could split mountains and cleave seas.
"Pfft!" Just a little of the force spilling out ahead of the strike opened a vertical wound between Luo Ao's brows.
"Bang!" Then the two swords met head-on. Despite Gelike's wealth of combat experience, a moment's inattention left him suffering a small setback, and his sword-wielding right hand went numb.
Though the raw force of Luo Ao's strike was immense, it still could not compare with that tiger-headed man's Laws of the Earth attack. However, this vibrating force that could spread inside his body was not so easily neutralized.
"Shatter!" The black aura of destruction around Gelike surged like a wave, actually canceling out Luo Ao's vibrating-force attack outright.
"What exquisite application. He can actually use the Path of Destruction to defend like that." Luo Ao could not help feeling somewhat astonished by Gelike's ingenious move.
The Edicts of Destruction leaned toward offense, after all. Developing offensive moves after comprehending them was not particularly difficult. When Luo Ao had developed "World Destruction," it had felt as natural as water flowing into a channel.
But using the Path of Destruction for defense was considerably more difficult. He had previously considered using the vibrating force he had comprehended to construct a defense, but had never managed to grasp the key.
"That attack of yours is rather unusual. I never imagined the Path of Destruction had an approach like that." Although Gelike's comprehension of the Path of Destruction ran deeper, his approach was clearly different from Luo Ao's.
If his attacks sought to destroy everything and cut through everything, then Luo Ao's attacks sought to annihilate everything and pulverize everything. The paths they followed differed, but both were part of the Edicts of Destruction. And precisely because they differed, they were all the more worth learning from.
"Luo Ao, try taking a strike from me, too." Gelike clearly had not used his full strength in their first exchange. Upon discovering that Luo Ao's strength was indeed exceptional, he instantly grew serious. This time, with a wave of his hand, several streaks of sword light interwove into a net and swept toward Luo Ao.
"That move again!" Experiencing the move at close range naturally gave Luo Ao a clearer impression of it. His eyes could not help lighting up, and then he slowly drew his sword. As he slashed out, it was as though an entire cliff face came crashing over.
Luo Ao had comprehended this move during his battle with Gaspar. It was a variant application of "World Destruction." Its advantage was its broader striking area, allowing it to counter agile opponents as well as area attacks like this one. Its drawback was that its power was more dispersed, far less astonishing than when concentrated.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Like blades slicing through rock, the black sword light broke unstoppably through Luo Ao's attack.
Sure enough, once its power was dispersed, Luo Ao's attack could not stop the force of these divided streaks of sword light at all. "Block!" With a thought, Luo Ao formed a layer of fire elemental armor over his body.
"Bang!" Fortunately, after being slowed by the previous move, the force of the sword light had weakened somewhat. However, the elemental armor formed from the profound mysteries of the Fire Element was nowhere near as effective defensively as the Earth Element, and in the end, the black sword light still tore it apart.
"Ugh!" A mouthful of blood surged into Luo Ao's throat, his face flushing crimson. He had clearly suffered a considerable injury.
"Young man, your attainments in the Path of Destruction are quite good. But if you want to challenge me, give it a few more years." It was rare for Gelike to meet another Saint-level practitioner of the Path of Destruction, so he had not dealt Luo Ao a killing blow.
But both understood that Gelike had not used his full strength. The gap between them now was obvious. If Luo Ao had no other moves, this challenge would end here.
"Mr. Gelike, I'd like to try again." Luo Ao calmed his mind and steadied his breath, beginning to communicate with the Myriad Worlds Pearl deep within his soul.
"World Destruction!" It was still the same move, but the aura of destruction Luo Ao drew upon this time was on an entirely different scale, its might increasing several times over and more. His heavy sword slashed down in overwhelming splendor, yet Gelike seemed to see a rolling black tide sweeping toward him.
What kind of method is this? Gelike considered himself quite knowledgeable, but he had never seen anything like this. Could Luo Ao belong to some special race?
He had heard that certain rare races could display strength far beyond that of ordinary Saint-level experts.
Time no longer allowed Gelike to ponder further. Faced with an attack of such astonishing might from Luo Ao, he naturally did not dare take it lightly. He immediately unleashed his ultimate move again-the very same Great Destruction sword aura that had previously forced back the green-robed old man and the others!
This aura! Only when truly facing this move head-on could Luo Ao appreciate the pressure the green-haired old man and the others had felt. Its destructive power was simply too astonishing. Still, Luo Ao also had considerable confidence in the strike he had just unleashed.
Aside from his ultimate Soul Attack, this was currently his strongest ultimate move. Calling its power "enough to destroy heaven and earth" might have been somewhat exaggerated, but it was certainly not weak.
"Boom!"
Above the gorge, the broad, destructive sword aura met the tide of destruction head-on. The elusive destructive sword aura advanced fearlessly like a warship sailing against the current, while the tide of destruction resembled a true tsunami, seeking to annihilate everything before it.
The two markedly different destructive forces began colliding and grinding against one another, crushing space until it shattered again and again.
"Impressive. Of all the Saint-level experts I've encountered, you're the first whose offensive power can stand shoulder to shoulder with mine." The collision of their final moves had been an even match, with neither able to overcome the other. That alone showed how greatly the power of Luo Ao's move had increased.
"You flatter me, Mr. Gelike." Luo Ao knew perfectly well that without the assistance of the Myriad Worlds Pearl's power, there was still a vast gap between him and a Peak Saint-level expert.
"To possess such astonishing strength at such a young age-perhaps you, too, will receive an invitation from the Tower of Black someday." As he spoke, Gelike invited Luo Ao into a residence within Black Dragon Gorge. This was where Gelike lived in seclusion.
"The Tower of Black?" Luo Ao had once caught vague references to this organization in the Church of the Fire God's books, but the information there was sketchy. He truly did not know much about exactly what sort of organization the Tower of Black was.
"The Tower of Black is indeed a very special place, and it also holds many opportunities and treasures. It was because I obtained a treasure there that those people set their sights on me." Perhaps believing that Luo Ao would receive an invitation from the Tower of Black sooner or later, Gelike gave him an introduction to its existence.
"To think an organization like that exists on the Boya Continent." After hearing Gelike's account, however, Luo Ao began to grow wary of this special organization.
According to Gelike, the Tower of Black was practically a "great philanthropist." Anyone who passed its trials could obtain a valuable treasure, and the master of the Tower of Black would not ask them to help with anything in return.
"They just give away treasures and ask for nothing in return?"
How could there be such a thing as pies falling from the sky? This might well be a trap. At that thought, Luo Ao could not help scrutinizing Gelike a few more times, hoping to spot anything unusual.