"With the city lord's approval, a dueling arena will be opened in Skyfall City starting today. Residents who wish to spar are welcome to go there. For detailed rules, please see the dueling arena notice board."
The entire announcement was disseminated using divine sense, resounding through various districts of the city in turn, arousing the interest of the residents of Skyfall City.
Jason spent more than ten years in seclusion in Skyfall City. During this time, Jason and Delisha went to Bone Dragon Castle three times, purchasing goods worth 500 million under different identities.
Just when he thought these peaceful days would continue until the siege ended, he heard this news.
When Jason left the room, many Fiend were already discussing it in the living room.
"No fighting is allowed inside the city except for the city guards, will anything go wrong?" Jason's cautious nature made him hesitate.
"I just went out and inquired. The duel arena is located outside the city, right next to the south gate, and there are city guards responsible for security," a Fiend said.
"It seems the city's residents are feeling too stifled, forcing the city lord to resort to this tactic to divert their attention."
Before long, the five Highgod, including Delisha, also came out. They had all reached their cultivation bottlenecks and had not entered a state of seclusion.
However, Mariano never appeared, and there wasn't a sound from him for over ten years. If it weren't for Highgod confirming with divine sense that he was in the room, Jason would have suspected he had been assassinated.
When Jason and his group arrived at the south gate, it was already packed with people.
Clearly, the siege of the city for over three thousand years had driven the residents crazy. Although even as Deity-level, he had often gone into seclusion for thousands of years at a time, the feeling of voluntarily going into seclusion was different from being forced to stay indoors.
Forcing yourself into seclusion when you have no inspiration is a very uncomfortable thing.
Highgod, Midgod, and Lowgod fight separately, and can choose to fight to the death or stop when necessary. The city guards are responsible for refereeing and ensuring safety. Each fight costs ten Nether Stone.
Jason looked at the notice board and nodded.
"I've already registered," Delisha said as she walked over.
"So fast? Aren't you going to take a look first?" In Jason's memory, Delisha always observed the situation before making a decision.
"My Death Clone has been stuck at a bottleneck for over a thousand years, and I want to break through as soon as possible." Meeting Jason's "first time meeting you" gaze, Delisha flicked him on the forehead. "I signed up for a pointless contest; I won't do something like a life-or-death battle, something only a reckless person would do."
Jason didn't rush to sign up; he wanted to see how the others fought first.
Jason was already aware of Delisha's strength, so he didn't pay attention to her in the arena. However, the duel of Beirut, Highgod Fiend who was traveling with him, caught his attention.
Beirut was the Highgod Fiend in the caravan who was skilled in Water Element Shield, and she also chose to stop the duel after a brief exchange; as for her opponent, he was also a Highgod with water attributes.
The male Highgod opposite him mainly cultivated the Profound Mysteries of Ice and should also have the strength of Five-Star Fiend. He charged forward with a spear in hand.
It didn't have an overwhelming sense of power; the spear only had a sliver of ice at its tip as it pierced directly into the layers of water curtain.
This was Jason's first time observing from outside the water curtain. From this angle, the water curtain Reflection the surrounding light, making it impossible to see what was behind it. This was likely a rudimentary application of the Water Profound Mystery, specifically the concept of "Reflection."
There is no inherent relationship of mutual restraint between different attributes, but the effects of individual Profound Mysteries can be mutually restraining. And the Profound Mysteries of Ice is clearly extremely restraining of this water curtain.
The spear pierced the water curtain like a steel needle piercing a balloon, instantly condensing into a narrow area of frost, which rapidly spread outwards from the water curtain as the spear continued to penetrate.
Unexpectedly, at the same time, an identical spear shot out from within the water curtain in the opposite direction, aiming straight for the male Fiend's face.
Caught off guard, a piece of ice crystal quickly condensed in front of the man, barely blocking the sudden attack, and then he quickly retreated.
"Is it the effect of the Water Element's Reflection and the complete fusion of Water Element?" Jason wondered in surprise.
The Water Element's Reflection Profound Mysteries has the functions of reflecting attacks, confusing opponents, and providing some defense. Among the six types of Profound Mysteries, it is High-level Profound Mystery, just like the Profound Mysteries of Ice. Although it does not directly provide attack power, it is extremely effective in actual combat.
Beirut, as one of the best among the Five-Star Fiend, has mastered the three Profound Mysteries of Water Element, Profound Mystery of Roundness, and Reflection. Of course, she has not yet fully integrated the three Profound Mysteries, otherwise she would definitely be Six-Star Fiend.
For Highgod, the arena was very small, and the water curtain completely separated the two of them, so it was clear that if he wanted to attack Beirut, he could only break through from the front.
With this in mind, the man no longer hesitated. He conjured a layer of ice crystal armor around his body and charged straight at the water curtain. He no longer used the spear in his hand, but instead used his body to smash directly into the water curtain.
The moment the man came into contact with the water curtain, the surrounding water curtain seemed to come alive, shrinking inward into a sphere, as if trying to drown him.
As the water curtain contracted, Beirut's figure appeared before the audience.
She held the staff she had been using in her left hand and a short sword in her right, completely focused. It was clear that controlling the water sphere had exhausted all her energy, leaving her unable to launch any other attacks.
The water sphere gradually turned white, a color refracted by the deep ice crystals. Clearly, the man trapped inside was trying to break free. The water on the surface of the sphere flowed continuously, attempting to melt the biting cold, but it could only be frozen layer by layer by the ice inside.
Finally, Beirut realized that she could not trap her opponent, so she released her control over the water sphere. Then, two ribbon-like streams of water extended from her body and circled around her.
The water sphere completely transformed into an ice sphere, and as the ice sphere exploded, the man wielding the spear charged towards Beirut.
Beirut drew her sword and charged forward, engaging her opponent in a fierce battle using two streams of water.
The water flow, resembling a transparent veil, was incredibly resilient and combined offense and defense. The man's numerous attacks were blocked by the water flow.
The two streams of water appeared to be the maximum that Beirut could maintain without hindering her combat ability.
In contrast, the man wielding the spear adopted a head-on, confrontational fighting style. He specialized in the Profound Mysteries of Ice, possessing both strong offense and even stronger defense, giving him a significant advantage in direct combat and prolonged battles.
Those in the audience could see that the man wielding the spear had completely fused the Profound Mysteries of Ice with either Water Element or Water Body Technique, but it was impossible to determine which one it was. Jason leaned towards the idea that he had fused Water Body Technique with the Profound Mysteries of Ice.
Water Element are renowned for their defensive and enduring nature; in this respect, only the Life Law can rival them among the eleven laws.
Both were high-ranking Water Element Highgod, and their battle lasted for a day and a night, ending only at noon the next day when Beirut's body was half frozen in frost.
"That was really great!" Jason clapped along with the others.
Delisha clapped along; her battle had ended yesterday.
Looking around, it turned out that this battle wasn't the longest; two Darkness Element Highgod were still locked in combat not far away.
Because one of them specialized in the Profound Mysteries of Shadow, his Shadow Clone filled the entire arena, while his opponent was not good at large-scale attacks, so the two remained locked in a stalemate.
"Would you like to sign up?" Delisha asked.
"No rush, I'll choose a suitable opponent first before signing up."