Chapter 1551: Confronting the Man in Dark Green Robes

The jade mantis didn't have time to react after it tore apart Li Feng's arclight serpents. With its head crushed, it had to rely solely on its sense of touch and intuition. It was blindsided by a pair of huge dragon's claws that crushed it against the walls of the hall. Foul-smelling green fluid seeped out from its cracked carapace, and its neck wound.

The jade mantis wasn't even able to retaliate as Li Feng completely destroyed it in a barrage of punches, whereupon it dissipated in a shower of light.

Zhang Lie's eyes were flinty. "It's your turn next."

The man in dark green robes smiled. "I do have a little time, and you're an interesting fellow. Let's have some fun to while away the time, then. I hope you aren't too boring."

The two cultivators began to fight. The man in dark green robes shrugged his shoulders as runic light burst forth. His right arm was particularly thick. A barrage of white light rose into the heavens and struck Zhang Lie's body in a domineering fashion.

"[Arms of the White Tiger]!"

A huge white tiger manifested from the void, clawing at its surroundings as though it was about to destroy the world.

Compared to the man in dark green robes, the [Arms of the White Tiger] that the Immortal King's substitute had used might as well have been the swipe of a kitten's claw. The arm that Zhang Lie now had to contend with, which seemed to be forged solely of killing intent, was truly deserving of the technique's name.

His opponent struck in close combat, not giving him any chance to move away, but Zhang Lie had never intended on slinking back.

Pale blue genetic energy rippled about his arms. He flicked his wrists, causing a frightening aura to descend on the world. The sky began to darken, and a fish the size of a whale materialized in the air.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar]!"

A howling gale swept over the arena. As more and more genetic energy gathered around Zhang Lie's arms, it looked as though he were at the heart of a whirlpool.

A huge wave soared into the air. As Zhang Lie punched forward, the fish slammed its huge tail on the ground and sent a torrent of water surging.

Ripples of energy spread out from Zhang Lie, warping the space around him. The towering waves looked like enraged black dragons.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

As the waves burst apart, the air filled with echoes of Zhang Lie's signature genetic energy, shattering space and swallowing up all life in its vicinity.

His strike caused the void to distort like a distended drum. It warped in a dissonant hum, sending quite a few cultivators on the altar flying. They fell off the platform.

It was clear just how strong the attack was—the resulting shockwaves alone were impossible to defend against.

The two cultivators retreated, blood seeping from their mouths. It was clear just how intense this confrontation was.

This was a confrontation at the very peak of strength.

Both cultivators had been injured by each other, a shocking sight. They stared at each other in surprise and mounting killing intent.

The man in dark green robes roared. Lightning shot forth, criss-crossing over his body, which was glowing with light.

"[Ninecarp Transformation]!"

A black serpent materialized behind Zhang Lie, by now so large and so developed that it resembled the world-swallowing serpent Jormungandr. It let out a threatening hiss as its scales clicked together.

Pitch-black genetic energy revolved around Zhang Lie like dark clouds, then exploded forth in his vicinity.

The man in dark green robes reacted even more quickly than a divine arrow. This time, purple runes shot out from him as he stepped through the void and pounced at Zhang Lie.

He had invoked a different technique, transforming his whole body purple. His feet were imbued with such strength that the void seemed liable to shatter around them.

What sort of technique was this?

Many of the cultivators stared with bated breath.

"[Feet of the Qilin]!"

The void cracked as though it were about to shatter.

Purple scales formed over the feet of the man in dark green robes. They gigantified and descended from the skies, preparing to crush Zhang Lie's skull.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

Zhang Lie punched forward, and the black serpent behind him shot forth.

The two feet crushed the serpent even as the serpent sent the man reeling back.

Both cultivators coughed out blood once again.

The man in dark green robes looked at Zhang Lie with bright eyes. A scarlet haze formed to his back as a pair of wings extended from it. With a wave of his arms, all manner of avians and mammals came within sight, manifesting from his bright-red wings. A frightening aura filled the air.

After the qilin came the phoenix.

The man in dark green robes' techniques seemed to correspond to the four mythical beasts of legend.

Zhang Lie was a little curious about what was going on. He had already seen Feng Xian, an immortal phoenix, and now the man in dark green robes who used techniques related to the white tiger, qilin, and phoenix, mythical creatures of Chinese legend. Was there some link between the fifth realm and China?

As Zhang Lie activated his monarch-grade limitless universe soulshard, he glowed with stellar radiance, like a burning star. Starlight flowed through his body in phantasmagorical colors.

The starlight's allure captivated all onlookers.

Zhang Lie's body transformed into a glaze of the dark cosmos, as though the Milky Way itself flowed through his body. His aura grew tremendously. He punched forward with a fist.

A huge explosion resounded. To the two cultivators' surprise, they seemed equally matched once more as they both incurred damage from their opponent's attacks.

Considering the outcome of their third clash, they glanced at each other with killing intent.

"[Fingers of the Black Tortoise]!" the man in dark green robes shouted. He extended his right arm and pointed forward with a finger, yin qi seeping out, concentrated, thick, and black as ink. It transformed into a tortoise that fell toward Zhang Lie.

A simple flick of his fingers seemed as though they could destroy everything he touched.

Zhang Lie then activated his dragonwolf soulshard. His russet fur seemed to glimmer with stellar radiance, each hair a shining star, as though he were draped with the entirety of the Milky Way. His four limbs were armored with a dragon's scales, each a burning golden sun. The two soulshards' power combined.

A dragon's horns grew out of Zhang Lie's forehead, shining with stellar radiance, surrounded by galactic starlight. To others, he would seem to have the boundless energy of a new galaxy.

Zhang Lie swiped forward with his claws. Starlight flooded forward, splitting apart heaven and earth, then causing the sundered skies to tremble.

"[Solar Fist]!" the man in dark green robes shouted. Divine solar energy welled up as that fist turned gold.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

Zhang Lie's genetic energy condensed into a black dragon, whose scales were each a star.

The stars inlaid in its body formed a long stellar river.

Zhang Lie's monarch-grade limitless universe soulshard was advancing his native black genetic energy into something far more cosmic, pitch-black like the neverending universe and shining with twinkling stars.