The Dragon Talisman was not a true dragon, but rather a rune, a talisman inscribed with divine symbols. Golden light flickered across its surface, radiating a magnificent aura. It shone with dazzling brilliance, its sound piercingly sharp, like a streak of golden light splitting the heavens as it shot toward Xu Zimo.
“Heaven and Earth are bound by the Primordial Order, and among them, Supreme Unity reigns supreme! Dragon Talisman, suppress!” Supreme Unity Paragon shouted.
Thunderous roars erupted across the sky.
Xu Zimo looked up, swinging his blade Shadow Tyrant toward the Dragon Talisman. Yet the strike sliced through empty air. The talisman vanished, winding like a coiled dragon, its twisting, root-like form encircled him from top to bottom, trapping him within.
Seeing Xu Zimo ensnared, the Elder Fiend stepped through the air, beastly might surging from his body. His massive bear-like palm came crashing down, carrying suffocating pressure and a deafening roar.
The enormous strike collided with Supreme Unity Paragon’s own force.
A detonation like none before shattered the void.
Boom!
It was as though the entire heavens had collapsed, the world breaking apart under the impact. The shockwave left even distant observers trembling.
When the rolling explosions finally settled, Supreme Unity Paragon and the Elder Fiend had flanked Xu Zimo on both sides, sealing his retreat.
As the ruptured void began to heal, Xu Zimo’s figure emerged once more.
His long black hair flowed wildly, though no wind stirred. His entire body floated in midair, wrapped in surging demonic energy.
The fusion of the Infernal Heart with the Hell-Suppressing Demon Physique erupted fully, endless demonic aura rolled out, threatening to devour even the sky.
Dark clouds of demonic mist swirled in the distant heavens, and something within them seemed to roar and struggle to break free.
At that moment, he was like a demon god descended.
Supreme Unity Paragon frowned slightly. “Such intense demonic energy... could he be from the Godfiend Abyss Heaven?”
“Be careful,” the Elder Fiend said gravely. “This one’s not simple.”
Xu Zimo slowly rose higher, demonic energy churning within his eyes.
He lifted his right hand, and a torrent of magic burst forth, sharp and bloodthirsty.
“The Ten Forms of Demon. First Form: Realm Demon. He who sees gods in the illusion of unbound realms.”
At his words, space itself began to distort.
Before Supreme Unity Paragon and the Elder Fiend, reality twisted like reflections in rippling water.
From the mirrored space emerged two identical figures, perfect copies of Supreme Unity Paragon and the Elder Fiend themselves.
This was the Form of the Realm Demon, the ultimate expression of spatial mastery.
It was one of the Ten Forms of Demon handed down by the previous Infernal Lord, each form containing a unique power and purpose.
The two enemies exchanged wary glances, and in the mirrored realm, their reflections mimicked every motion precisely.
“Petty tricks,” Elder Fiend snorted. “You think a little illusion can deceive us?”
He stepped forward and clenched his bear-like fist, punching hard at his own reflection.
A thunderous boom followed, both the real and mirrored bodies were thrown backward simultaneously, even their postures identical as they fell.
“This... isn’t an illusion?” Elder Fiend gasped, eyes wide.
“Then let’s see how you handle this!” Supreme Unity Paragon raised his right hand.
The divine phantom behind him transformed once again into the Dragon Talisman, which descended toward the two mirrored figures.
But the mirrored Supreme Unity Paragon mirrored him too, summoning an identical talisman.
The two Dragon Talismans collided midair, shattering in a storm of divine light.
The divine phantom re-entered Supreme Unity Paragon’s body, and he staggered, coughing up blood.
“This is impossible…” he muttered, shaken.
Xu Zimo smiled faintly. The Form of the Realm Demon was a supreme art of spatial law, and since he had already grasped numerous elemental truths, including that of space itself, his control over this form was effortless.
“This spatial mirage of yours is strong,” Elder Fiend said coolly, “but it has a weakness. The reflections only copy our movements. If we stop attacking, they can do nothing.”
“That’s true,” Xu Zimo replied with a grin.
“But since you came here seeking revenge, I suppose I’ll take my leave. Bye-bye!”
“Wait!” Supreme Unity Paragon shouted quickly. “Dismiss this illusionary space, and face us in a fair fight. Otherwise, wherever you go, we’ll follow. Sooner or later, we’ll kill you!”
“You’re threatening me?” Xu Zimo smiled.
“You could say that,” Elder Fiend replied coldly.
“It seems,” Xu Zimo said softly, “that some people can’t wait to die.”
He waved his hand, and the warped illusionary void collapsed and faded away.
“Kill him!”
The moment the illusion vanished, the two opponents lunged simultaneously, launching twin torrents of energy that sealed off Xu Zimo’s escape from both sides.
Xu Zimo merely shook his head with a faint, amused smile.
Then he spoke calmly:
“The Ten Forms of Demon. The fourth, Celestial Demon. He who challenges the will of heaven.”
As his words echoed, thunder rolled through the skies.
The so-called “trial of heaven” was in truth a false heavenly law, but even a false law of heaven was far from anything mortal could endure.
Lightning and divine rhythm danced through the air.
Gray thunderbolts converged overhead, condensing into two vast torrents of lightning.
With a pair of earth-shattering crashes, the torrents struck down, engulfing Supreme Unity Paragon and the Elder Fiend.
The sky split apart, and the storm of thunder poured down in sheets, a relentless tempest of divine wrath.
Xu Zimo guided the lightning with both hands, controlling the heavenly punishment that left his enemies nowhere to hide.
Supreme Unity Paragon’s divine phantom tried to shield him, but this was no ordinary lightning, it was the thunder of heaven itself.
Bolt after bolt rained down, tearing the divine phantom apart, stripping its divinity to nothing as Supreme Unity Paragon screamed in agony.
“Elder Fiend, help me!” he cried.
He tried to flee, but the entire sky above North River City was shrouded in lightning.
The Elder Fiend fared somewhat better.
As the thunder fell, his body expanded dozens of times over until he resembled an ancient, primordial bear.
With a thunderous roar, he beat his chest like a wild beast, his fury shaking the air.
Everyone knew that the Elder Fiend was not human.
But few knew what his true form was, or had ever seen it before.
Now, seeing his real body, the crowd below gasped in shock.
“That’s... a Roaring Beast?” someone exclaimed.
And what was a Roaring Beast? Its name was infamous across the ancient world.
It was one of the Lower Eight Beast Races.
The Beast Compendium described it thus. The Roaring Beast resembles an ape with long arms, skilled in throwing stones. Though monkey-like, it has existed since the primordial era.
The Roaring Beast race had once endured a catastrophic calamity in antiquity, and those who survived became beings of extraordinary might, each one a sacred entity.
Thus, the Roaring Beast race was listed among the Lower Eight Beast Races, commanding all beasts beneath heaven. None dared defy them.
“Elder Fiend is a Roaring Beast?” someone whispered in disbelief.
“Isn’t every Roaring Beast supposed to be at least a Saint Sovereign? How can he only be at the fifth stage of the Grand Emperor Realm?”
“There must be more to the story,” another murmured. “Otherwise, why would such a creature leave the Azure Mystic Heaven to walk among us mortals?”