The champion blocked, countered, and adapted with terrifying speed, but Yun Lintian pressed the advantage.
A solar-charged thrust scorched the champion's shoulder. A shadow-wreathed kick shattered his knee guard. A phoenix-empowered palm strike sent him skidding back.
Zhan Tian's throne creaked as he leaned forward, his pupil-less eyes gleaming.
Yun Lintian activated the God of Balance's authority, golden scales appearing in his vision. The champion's movents beca predictable—every attack, every feint laid bare.
When the champion feinted left, Yun Lintian was already pivoting right.
When he lunged low, the White Dragon Spear ca down high.
The champion's eyes narrowed—then he changed.
His form blurred, becoming less human, more... conceptual. The very embodint of war itself.
But Yun Lintian was ready.
Drawing on the lessons from his battle with the Death Dancer, Yun Lintian reversed the Breath of the World Tree. Instead of absorbing life, he pushed it outward in a torrent of erald energy.
The champion's war-form wavered, the overwhelming vitality disrupting his deathly precision.
In that instant of imbalance, Yun Lintian struck.
All eight bloodlines ignited at once as he channeled every ounce of power into a single spear thrust—
—aid not at the champion's body, but at the space between monts.
CRACK!
Reality itself fractured as the White Dragon Spear found its mark. The champion froze, his form flickering between existence and oblivion.
Then, slowly, he lowered his fists and nodded.
Silence.
"Hahaha!"
Zhan Tian's laughter bood across the battlefield.
"Magnificent!" The War God rose, his iron throne disintegrating into motes of black steel. "You didn't just fight him—you understood him."
Yun Lintian panted, his spear tip trembling slightly. "That was... more than just a test."
"Of course." Zhan Tian's grin was all teeth. "That was ."
The revelation hung in the air—the "champion" had been a fragnt of Zhan Tian's own combat will given form.
Yun Lintian seed to understand sothing. All the so-called champions were actually Zhan Tian's insight on his battle. Each one of them represented his understanding of war.
Zhan Tian waved his hand, and the shattered battlefield reford into a tranquil plain. "Rest," he commanded. "You have one hour."
Yun Lintian didn't argue. He sat cross-legged imdiately, his body aching from the brutal fight. The Breath of the World Tree activated automatically, drawing vitality from the air itself to nd his wounds.
Linlin bounded over, her white fur matted with dust. "Big Brother Yun! That was amazing!"
Qingqing fluttered around him, her tiny hands brushing his injuries with soothing wind energy. "You beat part of the War God himself!"
Yun Lintian exhaled slowly, watching the erald light knit his flesh back together. "That was just a fragnt. The real test cos next."
The hour passed swiftly. Yun Lintian cycled through all his authorities, ensuring each was at peak condition. The Breath of the World Tree played a crucial role in his recovery.
He opened his eyes as Zhan Tian's voice echoed across the plain.
"Ti's up."
The War God stood from his throne, his massive hand closing around the hilt of his greatsword. The mont his fingers touched the weapon, the entire Eternal Battlefield trembled.
Yun Lintian's breath caught.
This was different. Before, Zhan Tian had been observing. Now, he was serious.
The pressure crashed down like a collapsing mountain. Linlin and Qingqing were forced to their knees instantly. Even Yun Lintian's legs shook, his bones creaking under the weight.
"Now," Zhan Tian said, hefting his sword onto his shoulder, "you fight ."
Swoosh!
Zhan Tian moved.
There was no blur. No afterimage. One mont he stood across the plain—the next, his sword was descending toward Yun Lintian's skull.
Yun Lintian barely raised the White Dragon Spear in ti.
BOOM!
The impact sent him flying backward, his arms going numb from the force. He crashed through three stone pillars before rolling to a stop, blood dripping from his nose.
One strike.
And Zhan Tian hadn't even used a technique.
The War God didn't press the advantage. He waited, his greatsword resting casually on his shoulder. "Well? You wanted my authority. Co take it."
Yun Lintian exploded into motion, all eight bloodlines igniting at once.
He attacked from every angle, his spear becoming a silver blur.
Zhan Tian countered every strike with effortless precision, his greatsword moving like an extension of his body.
CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!
The clashes shook the battlefield. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, fracturing the earth beneath them.
Yun Lintian pushed harder.
He mixed techniques unpredictably—phasing through attacks with Darkness, countering with Sun-charged strikes, using Balance to predict Zhan Tian's movents.
The War God actually smiled. "Better."
Then he retaliated.
Zhan Tian's next swing carried the weight of countless battlefields.
Yun Lintian crossed his arms, layering every defensive technique he had—Black Turtle shields, Azure Dragon scales, Ice Phoenix barriers.
It didn't matter.
CRACK!
The blow shattered his defenses and sent him hurtling through the air. Blood sprayed from his mouth as ribs fractured. He hit the ground hard, skidding for nearly a mile before coming to a stop.
Linlin scread. "Big Brother Yun!"
Qingqing tried to fly to him, but the pressure kept her pinned.
Yun Lintian coughed up blood, forcing himself to his knees. His healing abilities worked overti, but the damage was severe.
Zhan Tian approached slowly, his greatsword dragging trenches in the earth. "You've done well to last this long." He raised his blade. "But War shows no rcy."
The sword ca down—
—and Yun Lintian moved.
Not away. Forward.
He t the descending blade with his spear, not trying to block, but to redirect. The golden scales of Balance flared in his eyes as he guided the strike just slightly off-course.
Zhan Tian's sword missed by a hair's breadth, carving a canyon into the battlefield instead of Yun Lintian's skull.
In that instant, Yun Lintian struck.
His spear lanced toward Zhan Tian's exposed side—
—and stopped an inch from the War God's ribs.
No matter how hard Yun Lintian tried to push forward, the spear didn't even move an inch. It was as if there was an invisible wall blocking its path.
Silence.
Then Zhan Tian laughed, the sound shaking the heavens.
"Well fought."
Zhan Tian shook his great sword slightly and continued. "Again. You better not hold back this ti because I won't."
Zhan Tian's greatsword trembled in his grip, the air around it distorting under its imnse weight. The War God's battle intent erupted like a volcano, pressing down on the battlefield with crushing force.
Yun Lintian imdiately activated his movent technique, the Void Shattering Step, his body blurring as he attempted to evade.
Too slow.
BOOM!
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