Chapter 2612: Deadly Enemy

The masked man in black robes had an extraordinary aura and spoke with arrogance, thinking of taking the opportunity to lecture this fellow from a backwater world about the vastness of the universe. What greeted him instead was a sharp flash of sword light.

Seeing the dazzling sword strike, Shang Hongyu was filled with admiration. Zuan's swordsmanship had become increasingly refined; she could barely understand it before, but now his technique completely exceeded her expectations, reaching and even surpassing the limits of swordsmanship in this world.

She knew that if she were in his position, she would likely be cut in half before even clearly seeing the sword strike.

However, her smile quickly froze when she saw the masked man in black robes casually shift his body, perfectly dodging Zuan's astonishing sword strike.

Zuan also frowned, but his sword energy did not pause. He immediately changed from a downward chop to an upward slash, the shift so unpredictable it left no discernible trace.

Yet the man in black robes still casually stepped back, again perfectly dodging the sword.

Zuan continued to attack with flowing movements for several more strikes, but his opponent only needed to shift slightly to skillfully evade each sword edge.

Shang Hongyu's face was filled with shock. If it happened once, it could be a coincidence, but to evade so effortlessly every time was clearly not by chance. It showed that the opponent possessed incredibly keen and precise insight.

Though she didn't want to admit it, the opponent's mastery of swordsmanship was probably far superior to Zuan's. No, there was even a fundamental difference.

Zuan was also greatly shaken, thinking, "Is the cultivation world so vastly disconnected in power from the various realms of the universe?"

Seeing Zuan stop his attack, the masked man in black robes smiled slightly. "Now you know my words weren't empty..."

"What are you looking at?"

"What about it if I am?!"

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking by the "What are you looking at?" skill. The next second, Zuan attacked again. This time, he abandoned his previous sword energy attacks. Instead, holding the Taia Sword, his body transformed into countless shadows, assailing the opponent from all directions.

At first, the masked man in black robes could dodge with casual ease, but as the fight progressed, his evasions became increasingly clumsy, no longer as effortless as they had been.

Shang Hongyu reacted quickly as well, immediately beginning to sing and unleashing various negative auras entirely upon the man in black robes.

She knew that with her current cultivation, engaging in close combat in such a fight would likely lead to instant defeat, so she simply needed to provide effective support.

Fortunately, the Mermaid tribe was inherently skilled in various support abilities.

The masked man in black robes was already somewhat flustered by Zuan's attacks, and then, affected by Shang Hongyu's strange melodies, he immediately found himself in precarious situations.

His reaction was also swift. He pulled out a weapon resembling a calligraphy brush, parried Zuan's long sword, and simultaneously opened a book, loudly proclaiming: "When contemplating high dangers, think of humility and self-restraint; when fearing overflow, think of how rivers and seas embrace all streams..."

As his powerful words resonated, Shang Hongyu suddenly let out a muffled groan, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. She had clearly been injured by the backfire from the opponent's similar 'word spirit' ability.

"What are you looking at?"

"What about it if I am?!"

Zuan quickly interrupted the opponent's 'word spirit' ability, flying to Shang Hongyu's side to check on her. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she hadn't sustained any fundamental injury.

The masked man in black robes secretly wiped a fine sweat from his brow, not rushing to attack. "How did you know I couldn't evade your subsequent attacks?"

He had used that display of feigned ease countless times, and it had never failed him. Each time, it had shattered the enemy's resolve, leaving them without any will to fight.

Zuan sneered, "I've seen too many powerful beings and fought them. I don't believe you're stronger than them. So, I guessed you must have some ability to predict the future, allowing you to know my moves in advance. However, such a skill couldn't possibly be without limitations or a price. That's why I sped up, to test your limits. Clearly, I still overestimated you."

The masked man in black robes was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Indeed, I do possess such an ability, called Star-Gazing Divination, which allows me to predict the enemy's next move. Your firm resolve and quick reactions are truly rare in my lifetime; I am genuinely impressed."

He didn't mention what the skill consumed, but its drawback was clearly as Zuan had described.

Zuan's expression was calm. "It seems a bit late for pleasantries now."

The man in black robes held the brush in one hand and the book in the other, equally composed. "Though you have seen through one of my abilities, do you truly think you can capture me?"

"How will we know without trying?"

As Zuan spoke, a formation disc appeared in his hand. His hands moved with blurring afterimages, and in the blink of an eye, he set up a formation, mobilizing the power of the surrounding small islands, mountains, and the sea to trap his opponent within it.

As the Lord of this world, he could naturally control its laws. Coupled with this formation, the laws and physical principles within the array were already inverted and chaotic.

As expected, the man in black robes could no longer maintain flight and plummeted downwards, swallowed in the blink of an eye by the surging, furious waves that descended from the sky.

"Use history as a mirror, see through illusions!" A calm voice resonated, and a light suddenly appeared within the waves, as if a lamp had been lit there.

As the light grew brighter, the figure of the man in black robes became increasingly clear, appearing like an inverted man.

Yet he remained calm, opening the book in his hand and taking natural steps. Still inverted, he walked out step by step, treading upon the waves.

The scene before their eyes twisted, and the next second, he had walked out of the formation's range, his body returning to a normal upright position.

A flash of realization struck Zuan. "You are a Historian of Ages?"

His opponent's skills and attire reminded him of the Historian of Ages he had encountered in the demon world, and he also understood why the opponent was bothering Shang Hongyu.

That unfortunate Historian of Ages had been killed by the Sun Goddess Xihe in the ancient Heavenly Court world. As Shang Hongyu was Xihe's reincarnation, it was no wonder he had sought her out.

"Historian of Ages?" The masked man in black robes seemed agitated, quickly shaking his head and shouting loudly, "No, no, no, I'm not that annoying thing. I am a Clear Mirror Historian!"

Sensing the disgust in his tone, Zuan was bewildered. "Is there a difference?"

Since they weren't allied, then why had he come for them?

"Of course there's a difference," the masked man in black robes said excitedly. "We Clear Mirror Historians record true history as it is, while they, the Historians of Ages, tamper with and distort history. We are natural enemies; how could we be the same!"

"Tamper with and distort history?" Zuan's expression was strange. Did the things he had done in various timelines before also count as altering history?

"Wait, why do you know about the Historian of Ages?" The masked man in black robes looked at the two suspiciously.

"Because we just dealt with him recently. You want revenge for a companion, so I subconsciously assumed it was him." Zuan and Shang Hongyu exchanged a glance.

The masked man in black robes finally reacted. "Huh, could that guy actually be a hidden Historian of Ages!"