Zhou Yu's father leaped into the air and hovered high above the battlefield.
His cold gaze pierced through the darkness and landed on Zhi Xuan, who was still kneeling below.
"Come on, this isn't over yet. Don't tell me this is all you're capable of?" he shouted, his voice tearing through the air.
Zhi Xuan suddenly gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment before entering a meditative state.
Then, something miraculous happened.
His injuries began to regenerate.
This was currently one of the most remarkable abilities possessed by the Body of Calamity.
However, activating it required a tremendous amount of Spirit Qi.
Zhi Xuan had no choice but to sacrifice a large portion of his reserves in exchange for rapid recovery.
The next moment, he shot upward, soaring thirty meters into the sky with his sword raised overhead.
Both hands tightly gripped the hilt.
Then he swung downward toward the place where his opponent was standing.
"Hmph."
Zhou Yu's father immediately raised his sword.
A formation appeared upon the blade, rapidly expanding into a defensive barrier roughly two square meters in size.
The shockwave generated by Zhi Xuan's slash arrived an instant later.
BOOM!
The barrier collided with the attack, creating violent vibrations that shook the surrounding air.
The attack was successfully blocked.
Ignoring his surprise, Zhi Xuan immediately repeated the same motion.
Another shockwave burst forward and tore through the sky.
As it rapidly approached—
Zhou Yu's father laughed mockingly.
"Hahaha! You're still using the same move even after knowing it won't work? You're placing far too much hope in an attack like this."
He calmly raised one hand.
This time, he intended to block the attack barehanded.
The next instant, the shockwave struck.
BOOM!
A powerful explosion erupted.
The air trembled violently.
Smoke spread everywhere, as though the entire world had been swallowed by a sea of gray mist.
When the smoke gradually dispersed, Zhou Yu's father was still standing there.
The only injury he had sustained was a small cut on his palm.
As he lowered his gaze, thick blood could be seen gathering in his hand.
A single drop fell.
It descended through the air before splashing against the ground far below.
He merely smiled at the sight.
Then he looked downward toward the location where Zhi Xuan had been floating moments ago.
Suddenly—
His eyes widened.
The boy was gone.
At the same time, an unfamiliar presence suddenly appeared behind him.
It was Zhi Xuan!
Without hesitation, Zhi Xuan attacked a vital point.
Startled, Zhou Yu's father immediately attempted to evade.
However, at the last moment, Zhi Xuan abruptly changed the trajectory of his attack and aimed directly at his opponent's neck instead.
The power contained within this strike far exceeded anything he had displayed earlier.
Zhou Yu's father reacted quickly.
He immediately raised his sword and attempted to block the attack aimed at his throat.
BOOM!
But before he could activate his defensive formation technique, Zhi Xuan's sword had already slammed into his weapon.
The impact sent him flying.
He crashed into a mountain and created a crater five meters deep and nearly ten meters wide.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
He clutched his chest tightly.
His own sword had just smashed into him after being driven backward by Zhi Xuan's overwhelming strike.
Zhou Yu's father quickly rose to his feet.
Then he jumped and flew forward at astonishing speed.
The distance between them vanished instantly as he charged straight at Zhi Xuan.
Zhi Xuan instinctively dodged by leaping sideways.
At the same time, he channeled Spirit Qi into his fist before throwing a punch toward his opponent's back.
BOOM!
"Argh!"
The shockwave blasted Zhou Yu's father away.
The force of the punch sent him hurtling through the air.
In the next moment, he twisted around and swung his sword.
A powerful sword wave shot toward Zhi Xuan.
Zhi Xuan immediately flew away from his original position.
Then, as though teleporting, he suddenly appeared behind his opponent.
CLANG!
The two swords collided once more.
The battle continued in the sky.
Every second brought another clash.
Every second produced another slash.
Zhi Xuan suddenly kicked his opponent directly in the face.
The impact sent Zhou Yu's father flying out of the city and deep into a nearby forest.
Without delay, Zhi Xuan stepped through the air.
His figure vanished.
An instant later, he reappeared directly before his opponent.
His sword pointed toward the heavens.
For a brief moment, he loosened his grip.
The sword fell downward.
Just as the blade was about to strike his opponent's face—
Zhi Xuan grasped it again and unleashed all his strength in a single slash.
Zhou Yu's father immediately raised his own sword and blocked with everything he had.
The collision exhausted both men.
Yet the battle continued.
One incense stick passed.
Then another.
The first slash shattered a massive boulder.
The tenth slash cut through countless trees.
The hundredth slash split apart an entire forest and cleaved a mountain in two.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth trembled without end.
Every strike resembled a heavenly phenomenon capable of shaking the world.
After several incense sticks of relentless combat—
Both men were covered in wounds.
Countless cuts stained their bodies with blood.
Neither side was in any better condition than the other.
Both had suffered severe injuries.
Yet—
Zhi Xuan suddenly kicked the air behind him.
The force propelled him forward like a cannonball.
At the same time, Zhou Yu's father did exactly the same.
The two shot toward one another like flying warships on a collision course.
Each gripped his sword tightly.
At this very moment—
Zhi Xuan made a decision.
This attack would determine everything.
He would pour every remaining drop of Spirit Qi into a single strike.
He would attack with his full power.
At terrifying speed, both figures tore through the sky.
Violent shockwaves erupted along their paths.
Their speed had already surpassed twice the speed of sound.
Zhi Xuan gathered all the remaining Spirit Qi within his Qi Sea and poured it into his sword.
The entire blade became enveloped in radiant energy.
Then—
He swung forward with every ounce of strength he possessed.
The instant Zhou Yu's father sensed the terrifying power behind the attack, his eyes widened.
Without hesitation, he thrust his own sword forward.
He intended to block the strike—
And kill his opponent at the same time.
The two swords collided.
BOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying distortion spread across the surface of the earth.
The lake beneath them suddenly surged into towering waves.
Spirit Qi and aura flooded the surroundings.
Everything radiated outward from the point where Zhi Xuan and his opponent met in the sky.
Two overwhelming powers crashed against one another.
Neither side gave way.
Neither side retreated.
Their full strength collided head-on in a battle that seemed capable of shaking heaven and earth itself.