Chapter 122: Fierce Battle Amidst Violet Thunder

"Who are you, and why do you launch a sneak attack on me?" Leng Tian released his aura, meeting the formidable pressure bearing down from the man in purple.

Two powerful auras collided in mid-air, resulting in a thunderous explosion caused by the clash of their internal energies.

"You have some strength; no wonder you were able to slay several experts in a row! To be able to kill a higher-level expert while only at the Heaven Rank—you truly have the right to be proud!"

The stern man in purple shifted his tone and continued, "I really wanted to see your Shadow Demon true form. I never expected your transformation to be so perfect that I couldn't spot a single flaw."

"Idiot. I was never there in the first place, so how could you have seen through me?" Juda, standing obediently behind Xue Han, felt nothing but disdain for the man's arrogance after hearing his words.

"Interesting. I truly don't understand which eye you used to see me as a Shadow Demon. I am human by nature; where does this 'Shadow Demon' talk come from? I am genuinely speechless at you people who fancy yourselves experts."

Leng Tian felt truly frustrated with these so-called experts. Here he was, a living, breathing person, yet they insisted on looking for some Shadow Demon. If Juda were to actually manifest, the man would likely flee in a panic. Leng Tian had already sensed that the opponent’s cultivation was at the peak of the Profound Entry realm; judging by the aura, he was likely on the same level as Du Qingfeng.

The stern man in purple was a disciple of one of the Three Sages of the Three Sages and Seventy-Two Islands. His cultivation was earth-shaking, and he was a top-tier figure among his peers.

Not long ago, the three experts who had fled in disgrace returned to the coalition base and gave an exaggerated account of how powerful Leng Tian was and how he had slain three other experts. The man in purple had been present, and upon hearing this, he rose in anger. He did not believe that a warrior only at the Heaven Rank could suppress six Profound Entry warriors; if that were to spread, it would be a laughingstock!

Furthermore, after questioning, he learned that Leng Tian had not revealed a Shadow Demon form but had relied solely on pure martial strength to kill three and force the other three to flee. Understanding this, the man in purple ignored everyone’s attempts to stop him and set off alone with his sword to track Leng Tian. With the guidance of many informants, he had been the first to discover Leng Tian's whereabouts, which is why he appeared here.

To resolve his doubts, he had attacked suddenly from mid-air to test Leng Tian’s strength. After the initial exchange, he was certain that the opponent’s strength was indeed only at the Heaven Rank.

Hearing Leng Tian’s mocking words, the man in purple’s stern face softened slightly, but he still sneered, "Whether you are human or a Shadow Demon in disguise, I cannot let you leave today. As an outsider, you have killed five of our Profound Entry experts here in the Bihan Qiongtian. If I let you go, what face would remain for the Three Sages and Seventy-Two Islands?"

"According to you, there are only two paths before me: either I am slain by you here, or I slay you and depart at my leisure!" Leng Tian’s eyes were like lightning, fixed on the man in purple as he spoke each word with precision.

"You are wrong. There is only one path before you: to be killed and left in this realm by me or the other experts of Bihan Qiongtian. As for trying to escape back to your own world, I advise you to stop daydreaming!"

The man in purple’s eyes were also like lightning and swords, locking onto Leng Tian’s gaze. Invisibly, two powerful fighting spirits spread, eventually erupting like two volcanoes.

"Remember, Zilei is my name. To die under my sword is your honor!" The man in purple’s aura surged toward the heavens, and in an instant, he unleashed over a dozen strikes with his purple longsword.

More than a dozen sword auras, each several feet long, overlapped and slashed downward. Every purple sword aura seemed to burn with raging flames, stacking together like a torrent of purple fire descending to suppress him.

The razor-sharp purple gale swept past, turning patches of peach trees into dust. With the immense force crashing down, Leng Tian let out a long whistle, and an invisible ripple surged upward.

His tightly clenched fists shimmered with golden light, and the air exploded with sounds like dull thunder shaking the wilderness. Boom! Boom! In one breath, he threw eight consecutive punches.

Eight massive white-gold fist glows, accompanied by the rolling sound of muffled thunder, turned into eight golden meteors that crashed into the descending torrent of fire.

With a heaven-shaking explosion, both the fist glows and the sword auras shattered. The purple and white energies illuminated the entire sky, and the violent air currents turned into several tornadoes that swept across the hill where Leng Tian stood.

After the gale passed, the hill was left barren, save for Leng Tian, who stood unscathed. Fruit trees and flowers had been shredded by the energy storm and swept high into the sky, scattering dust for dozens of yards.

The sheer scale of their first exchange left even the small town miles away in stunned silence, shocked by the sudden, heaven-shaking roar.

A white-gold figure flashed and appeared in mid-air opposite the man in purple. A massive, white-gold fist glow shot forward, causing the space to vibrate as the rolling thunder threatened to shatter the very air.

Zilei’s stern face changed; he had not expected his sword auras to be broken so easily, nor for his opponent to take the initiative. Facing the white-gold fist glow that whistled toward him with thunderous force, he let out a loud shout. His purple sword danced, weaving illusory images, and in an instant, several more sword auras struck out at the incoming fist.

Boom!

Amidst the roar, the fist glow and sword auras collided. The vast energy surged violently in mid-air, with purple and white colors masking the sky. The brilliant light was so intense it rivaled the sun.

Such violent energy could not hinder the movements of the two men. Two flashing figures left streaks of light in the sky, their clashes sending shockwaves that echoed across the heavens. Purple sword flames filled the sky, while white-gold fist glows descended like celestial lightning. Their energies erupted into clouds of light before dissipating into gales that swept the hills below, leaving flowers scattered and trees turned to ash.

The earth-shaking noise traveled for miles, leaving the townspeople with ringing ears, trembling in their homes, afraid to move.

The fat tavern owner looked at the energy clouds exploding in the sky and ordered Er Mao, who was trembling beside him, "Go and check who is fighting! How could they cause such a scene? Do they not know that fighting is forbidden on Changchun Island?"

"Thump..."

Er Mao knelt directly before the fat owner, crying with snot and tears, "Boss, have mercy! Let Qin and the others go! With my meager cultivation, I’ll be torn to shreds by that world-destroying energy before I even get close. How could I ever return to report back to you?"

The fat owner kicked Er Mao aside, snorted, and headed upstairs. Er Mao scrambled to his feet, wiped his face, and looked at the exploding energy in the distance. His heart sank, and in terror, he turned and fled into the inner hall.

Leng Tian’s figure moved like a teleportation in mid-air, shifting with lightning speed over short distances. Zilei’s speed was equally fast, like sparks from a flint. The two figures collided repeatedly.

"Swish, swish, boom, boom!"

Violent air currents raged everywhere. Leng Tian relied on his pair of golden fists to clash head-on with Zilei’s sword, producing a cacophony of metallic clangs.

Leng Tian kicked lightning-fast toward Zilei’s abdomen, his left hand punching aside the sword while his right fist, carrying the momentum of a thunderbolt, slammed toward the man's chest.

Zilei’s expression grew even sterner. His sword swept in a circle, slashing toward Leng Tian’s right arm. He stepped into the void and soared upward. Leng Tian’s kick missed, hitting only air, but the resulting boom proved how terrifying the force behind that kick had been.

A domineering aura washed over him. Zilei, having dodged the lethal kick, hovered in the air and kicked back. Amidst the whistling sound of air being pierced, a foot-long purple sword aura at his toe went straight for Leng Tian’s face.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew. Leng Tian instantly changed his right fist into a horizontal sweep, knocking Zilei’s sword aside, just as the sword-aura-tipped kick arrived.

Facing this lightning-fast strike, Leng Tian dropped his arms and arched his upper body backward. Borrowing the momentum, his right leg swept upward in a crescent arc, a white aura-blade sweeping toward Zilei’s waist.

Zilei had already committed to his kick. Facing this tricky counter-attack, he found it difficult to dodge. In his desperation, he thrust his sword into the void. Space rippled, and invisible waves dispersed.

Using the recoil, Zilei shot high into the air, though Leng Tian’s inverted kick still struck the tip of his sword.

"Clang!"

Zilei’s sword was knocked high, and the massive vibration traveled along the blade to his arm, leaving half his body numb.

Even his hand holding the sword lost sensation, as if it no longer existed. Zilei was horrified and hastily circulated his internal energy through the paralyzed meridians.

Leng Tian, now upright in mid-air, let out a roar. His feet stepped repeatedly into the void, the terrifying explosive power causing the air beneath him to shudder. He shot toward Zilei like a white-gold dragon, the space humming and vibrating wherever he passed.

His white-gold fists shimmered with sharp edges, leaving trails of white energy in the air. Even before the fists arrived, the heavy pressure was already upon Zilei.

Zilei, still suspended in mid-air, saw his face change. He was shocked, not expecting Leng Tian’s attack to be so swift and relentless—before one strike had even finished, another was already upon him.

In this crisis, unable to mount an effective counter-attack, he could only defend with all his might. Zilei’s sword instantly wove a web of light before his chest, forming a shield in the blink of an eye. His purple sword flared with intense light, purple energy surging to the heavens.

Amidst the purple light, the sword transformed into a true purple shield. Purple halos swirled upon it, punctuated by flickering electrical arcs. Strange, archaic patterns covered the shield, and wisps of purple mist drifted from it, wrapping around Zilei’s body. It made him look like a god descended, his majesty so overwhelming that one dared not look directly at him.