Chapter 26: The Battle of Nanluo Against the Black Lands (Part Two)

A streak of blue and a streak of black—two divine lights, flickering in and out of sight, raced like twin bolts of lightning through the darkness of the night domain, weaving through layers of space, chasing and colliding with one another. Each time the blue and black lights clashed, they vanished instantly, leaving behind a profound black hole in space.

The Seventh Elder and the other Serpent Kings of the Nether Serpent clan were forced to manipulate the grand formation, hastily smoothing over the black holes left in the wake of such collisions, lest the formation be shattered. But this was not the most helpless predicament these elders faced; worse was yet to come.

With grave expressions, the Seventh Elder and his peers watched the flickering blue and black lights, only to realize, to their dismay, that they could no longer catch sight of Nan Luo and Black Earth.

"The gap is truly so vast!" At this moment, all the mighty of the Nether Serpent clan could not help but think the same.

Fortunately, Nan Luo and Black Earth were still within the Night’s Shadow Domain. By controlling the Nether Serpent Killing Array, the Seventh Elder and the others could just barely trace their silhouettes. This allowed them to keep abreast of the battle and be ready to protect the Grand Elder when needed.

Nan Luo, wielding the Waterborne Clarity Halberd, exchanged hundreds of blows with Black Earth, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

"The extent of the opponent's strength has been measured; it's time to get serious." As Nan Luo’s azure gaze met the obsidian eyes of Black Earth, both shared the same cold, resolute thought.

Among the powerful, unless the difference in strength was overwhelming, they would never reveal their trump cards at the outset. The battle always began with probing, seeking to test the adversary's depth, only deciding life and death once the measure was taken.

Alas, for warriors of Nan Luo and Black Earth’s caliber, even after so many exchanges, neither could fathom the other's limits.

Despite the hundreds of rounds fought, they had only gauged the strength of each other’s divine power—nothing more. As for the rest, all remained a mystery.

Through these clashes, Nan Luo and Black Earth had both realized that their divine might was nearly equal. Continuing the fight would reveal nothing new—only deplete their own reserves.

Thus, both decided to truly engage, ending the previous feinting and tests.

After another seemingly ordinary round, blue and black light briefly parted.

A cold flash in Nan Luo’s eyes; grasping the Waterborne Clarity Halberd, he leveled it at Black Earth. Like a frigid moonbeam, the weapon swept toward his foe as he silently intoned, "Water God’s Ninth Form: River-Cleaving Sea-Sundering."

Suddenly, Nan Luo changed tactics, unleashing a formidable martial technique, no longer holding back as before.

Were it a lesser opponent, this abrupt attack might have shattered the rhythm of battle, allowing Nan Luo to seize the moment and strike down his foe.

But Black Earth was no ordinary adversary—he was the Grand Elder of the Profound Nether Black Serpent clan, a supreme king who had once slain a Divine Lord. How could he be so easily undone by Nan Luo’s gambit?

Nor was Nan Luo the only one seeking to change the tempo; Black Earth, too, was prepared.

Having long anticipated such a move, Black Earth faced the sudden, overwhelming assault without alarm. Calmly, he unleashed his own well-prepared technique: "Nether Serpent’s Ninefold Killing Strike."

The Waterborne Clarity Halberd carved a dazzling, chilling arc of moonlight, carrying the power to freeze all things as it slashed toward Black Earth.

In response, Black Earth’s Blackwater Serpent Spear shot forth a beam of black light.

That black radiance transformed into a colossal, pure-darkness Nether Serpent, brimming with murderous intent, lunging at Nan Luo.

The mournful moonlight, imbued with the strength to freeze and the force to cleave rivers and seas, crashed down upon the Nether Serpent.

The dark serpent, bearing boundless killing force and devouring shadows, lunged to bite the moonlight.

Moonlight flared toward the serpent, only to be seized in its jaws.

Yet the moonlight, unwilling to be consumed, unleashed a ceaseless freezing power from within the serpent’s maw.

Suddenly, layers of frost formed on the serpent’s head, making it appear almost comical—a black serpent with a white head.

Sensing this, the Nether Serpent flooded its mouth with endless dark energy, pouring it over the chilling moonlight.

The freezing force and the darkness clashed, neither yielding, each unable to overcome the other.

The serpent’s head alternated, now white, now black, the two colors shifting in an endless dance.

With a thunderous boom, the deadlock between ice and darkness finally erupted in a cataclysmic explosion.

The enormous shockwave swallowed both moonlight and serpent, reducing them to nothingness.

Despite the complexity and peril of this exchange, it lasted but a fleeting moment.

Yet through this clash, Nan Luo and Black Earth finally glimpsed a hint of each other’s true depth.

After that brief contest, neither moved. Instead, they studied one another carefully, pondering the next move.

"Never thought this Black Earth fellow would be so formidable—he’s actually my equal," Nan Luo mused in surprise.

As a Primeval God-Demon of the King’s Pinnacle, Nan Luo had always considered himself a supreme king. Never did he expect that Black Earth, who was not even a Primeval God-Demon, could fight him to a standstill.

Primeval God-Demons were famed for their arrogance and pride.

This blow, for Nan Luo—who had always enjoyed easy victories—served as a much-needed wakeup call, tempering his arrogance.

This battle taught Nan Luo not to underestimate the heroes of the primordial world outside the ranks of the Primeval God-Demons. It would play a vital role in his future rise.

"Primeval God-Demons truly are powerful!" Black Earth gazed at Nan Luo, his thoughts drifting to that lofty, all-dominating figure, sighing inwardly.

"The stronger Nan Luo becomes, the more I desire his Primeval God-Demon body," he thought, his yearning intensifying.

"If this continues, I’ll be spent. My divine power is nearly exhausted," Nan Luo worried, glancing at his reserves, reduced to a third.

Though Nan Luo was constantly drawing in spiritual energy from the world, it was a mere drop in the ocean.

Moreover, trapped within the Night’s Shadow Domain of the Nether Serpent Killing Array, the spiritual energy available to him was scarce.

He glanced at the ritual incense, now half-consumed, and his anxiety deepened.

"Time to stake it all!" Nan Luo slowly raised the Waterborne Clarity Halberd, his resolve hardening.

A surge of murderous intent erupted from him, turning the blue light around him to a blood-red glow.

Seeing this, Black Earth knew Nan Luo was about to go all out. For once, he set aside his serpent spear, silently preparing himself to withstand Nan Luo’s earth-shattering strike.

In Nan Luo’s grasp, the twelve-zhang Waterborne Clarity Halberd suddenly shed a gentle radiance and gradually shrank, transforming into a six-zhang blue great axe.

"Could it be…?" At the sight of the blue axe, Black Earth recalled the legendary Three Cleaving Axes once wielded by that figure, his eyes narrowing as the Blackwater Serpent Spear in his hand began to radiate a fierce black light.

Above Black Earth’s head, a spatial black hole appeared, at the end of which hovered a six-zhang black serpent spear.

That black spear floated amidst endless golden fortune, exuding an aura that seemed to suppress the entirety of the primordial world.

"The Clan Relic—Heaven-Black Serpent Spear!" The Seventh Elder and the other Serpent Kings cried out in shock at the sight of the weapon.

Heaven-Black, the patriarch and mightiest of the Profound Nether Black Serpent clan, wielded this divine spear as his artifact, making it the clan relic and the vessel of their fortune.

To strengthen the spear’s power, all members of the clan were required to use replicas modeled after the Heaven-Black Serpent Spear.

Now, Grand Elder Black Earth had summoned the very projection of the Heaven-Black Serpent Spear’s will.

To the Seventh Elder and his peers, this was as momentous as if the Serpent Lord himself had descended in person.

Suddenly, Black Earth hurled his Blackwater Serpent Spear into the sky, merging it with the will projection of the Heaven-Black Serpent Spear that hovered above.