Chapter 2205: Battle with the God King (Part 2)

"You don't have a choice!" The middle-aged man's face darkened. With a slight flick of his long sword, the air seemed to reverberate with a dragon's roar. The next moment, he appeared before Zhang Xuan, his sword light whistling for a hundred meters, making the air crackle as it reached its target in an instant.

Having reached the God King level of cultivation, he stood at the pinnacle of the God Realm, surpassing even the Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Continent. With a single move, the surrounding world trembled under his control, not a single bit of power or residual energy going to waste.

"Hmph!" Seeing the man attack without even offering a few more words of surrender, Zhang Xuan knew that whether he revealed the formulas for the Obstacle-Breaking Pill and Beauty Pill or not, the opponent would surely find other ways to obtain them. Soul-searching secret arts existed on the Master Teacher Continent, so they certainly wouldn't be absent in the God Realm.

Knowing that the intent to kill had been established and more words would be useless, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes. He activated the "Mortal World Heavenly Stride," rapidly retreating. Though the technique allowed him to fly, his speed was vastly inferior compared to a God King's, akin to an ant.

He had only retreated a dozen meters when the opponent's sword light was already upon him. With a flick of his wrist, and his physical and True Qi strength fully unleashed, six newly acquired spears whirred, whistling as they charged straight ahead. One after another, they formed a unique formation. Each spear contained his powerful True Understanding of the Spear Arts, seemingly capable of immobilizing space itself.

"Indeed, he has some tricks!" The middle-aged man seemed a bit surprised, not expecting someone who hadn't reached the God King level to possess such comprehension of spear arts and such a quick reaction. He let out a cold snort and, no longer focusing on attacking Zhang Xuan directly, lightly flicked his long sword.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* All six spears were cut in half by the opponent's long sword, instantly breaking the formation and the True Understanding of the Weapon. The difference in weapon grade, combined with the disparity in strength, resolved the crisis in a single move.

"Your strength is not weak, but compared to a God King, it's far too lacking..." The middle-aged man smiled faintly and advanced again. He had now surpassed the spot where Zhang Xuan had initially stood. His movements weren't particularly fast, yet they exuded an insurmountable sense of oppression.

The gap between a God King and a Celestial God was simply too vast; even Zhang Xuan, who cultivated a technique beyond the Heavenly Dao, found it difficult to bridge. Otherwise, God Kings wouldn't be so renowned, with countless individuals flocking to them.

"Being far behind doesn't matter. I dare to bet that if this continues... you will certainly die, and I will not!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. Even if his strength was inferior to the opponent's, it was merely a God King. At worst, he could use the Scroll of Heavenly Dao from his mind! Under the Heavenly Dao, nothing could stop that item. Forget a God King, it was unknown whether even a Titled God King could withstand it! It wouldn't be so easy for the opponent to kill him.

"Confidence is good, but arrogance is not..." The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and stepped forward again, his long sword raining down attacks. In an instant, the entire sky was filled with sword qi, resembling a rainbow.

This time, Zhang Xuan didn't dodge. Instead, his body flickered as he charged forward. In mid-air, he joined his fingers to form a sword. The sword light from his fingertip was like a candlelight in the dark night, or a silkworm spinning its cocoon, suddenly appearing from an illusory singularity. It looked infinitesimally small, yet it gave an infinitely vast, unavoidable sensation. This feeling was very strange; even the powerful God King felt as if he were surrounded by silk threads, unable to dodge, with just one glance.

*Whoosh!* The sky-full of sword gleams was swallowed by the singularity. Having absorbed the power of these sword qi, the aura of the sword intent instantly ripped through the sky.

"What kind of sword art is this?" His pupils constricted. This sword art, unleashed from a fingertip, possessed such immense power. If combined with a long sword, wouldn't it be even more formidable? What kind of sword move was this? He had never heard of it! Even a God King expert wouldn't find it easy to execute.

Just as he was filled with surprise, activating his long sword and preparing to resist, the young man's faint voice rang out: "A spring silkworm spins silk until death, a candle weeps tears until it is burned to ash!" The sword art representing the third realm of the "Heavenly Feelings Cultivation Method"—the teacher-student relationship—had finally been created!

He had conceived the idea before the ambush. Now, in this critical situation, he channeled his inner emotions and, with the help of his fingers, unleashed the sword move. "A teacher for a day is a father for life!" A teacher educating students is as strict as a parent, sometimes even more so. A teacher is also a friend; only by communicating intimately like friends can one understand the students' dynamics and teach according to their aptitude. A teacher caring for daily life is like a nanny or servant, considering every single detail. The teacher-student bond itself is complex, involving silent dedication: "A spring silkworm spins silk until death, a candle weeps tears until it is burned to ash!"

This sword art channeled the most complex emotions deep within him. The moment it appeared, it was like a black hole, devouring the middle-aged man before him. Even as a God King, he was unable to resist. In an instant, he was struck in the chest, leaving a gruesome and terrifying gash.

"You..." To be injured by a High-tier Celestial God in combat, the middle-aged man lost his previous composure. With a furious roar, just as he was about to charge forward recklessly to fight, he felt a chill down his spine.

His body suddenly contracted, all his strength concentrated in his back. *Crack!* With a burst of air, a huge force came from his back, making him lurch forward, stumble, and feel a burning pain.

He quickly turned around, then saw a figure identical to the young man before him. "This is... a clone?" His pupils constricted. A clone with strength identical to the main body... Where did this guy get it from?

"Attack!" Ignoring his shock, Zhang Xuan charged forward again, sword light whistling from his fingertips. The clone's eyes also grew cold, and it rushed over.

Although the clone hadn't undergone the tempering of the Moonclear Pond, it had consumed enough Divine Essence Pills, and its physical body had also improved extremely fast. Without employing sword arts beyond the Heavenly Dao, even the current Zhang Xuan was not its match. In other words, even the previous Ao Hua couldn't contend with it. With the two working together, sword qi crisscrossing, the middle-aged man, even as a God King, felt the strain.

Normally, a God King could easily crush a High-tier Celestial God with a single finger. Now, finding himself struggling made his face turn ashen with rage, and he felt like he was about to explode from frustration. It was the first time he had fought so vexingly with a non-God King.

"It seems I still underestimated you, but if I want to kill you today, you still won't escape!" His entire body's power surged out, and the space around him seemed to be sealed. Both Zhang Xuan and the clone simultaneously felt the strain, finding it difficult to resist. While Zhang Xuan's sword art was powerful, he lacked a suitable weapon. The clone's physical body was strong, but its overall strength was too low, still a significant gap compared to a God King expert.

*Boom boom boom!* Struck at the same time, Zhang Xuan and the clone were sent flying backward, both injured. The clone wiggled for a moment, and its injuries fully recovered. Zhang Xuan's True Qi circulated, and the wounds on his body, as expected, healed instantly.

"You..." The middle-aged man was stunned. Such severe injuries, and both the opponent and his clone could recover in the blink of an eye. What kind of constitution was this? He looked down at his own chest. The wound, inflicted when he was caught off guard, was still bleeding profusely. He immediately felt terrible.

Originally, with his God King physique and surging divine power, such severe injuries would heal completely within half a day. But now, fighting the opponent without daring to be distracted, his injuries were actually worsening, and he was bleeding more profusely. He had thought that as long as he injured the opponent, they would be like him, providing more opportunities. He never dreamed that they would get injured, but... recover in less than a breath! Get injured again, recover again... and their aura became even more violent and powerful. *Are you a cockroach, for crying out loud!* Do you have to be so exaggerated? They were injured and perfectly fine, while he was injured and very likely to die. Even if they hadn't reached the God King level, if the fight dragged on, he might suffer a loss!

"Close-quarters combat!" Just as he was feeling frustrated, he saw the young man let out a loud shout and, together with his clone, charged forward. Not fearing injuries, close-quarters combat, trading life for life, was the best method.

*Boom boom boom!* Three minutes later, the middle-aged man's face was pale. The opponent and his clone, despite looking dishevelled, had no injuries whatsoever and were full of vigor. "How am I supposed to fight like this?" Waves of frustration swept over him; the middle-aged man was going mad. He had thought that killing a High-tier Celestial God would be as easy as picking something up, but he never dreamed that if this continued, he would be the one killed.

"Go!" Knowing he couldn't gain an advantage, he didn't stop and turned to fly away. Although the surroundings were covered by a formation, this place was, after all, close to the Netherworld Imperial City and still within the monitoring range of Titled God Kings. If he couldn't kill the opponent quickly, he could only retreat.

"Where do you think you're going!" Seeing him so decisive, turning to leave immediately, Zhang Xuan was stunned, his face darkening. The man had come to pursue and kill him; if he escaped so easily, Zhang Xuan would surely face more ambushes in the future! Gritting his teeth, he put away the clone, activated the "Mortal World Heavenly Stride," and rapidly gave chase.

However, his flying speed was simply too slow; compared to a God King, it was negligible.

"While I can't kill you, if I want to leave, you can't stop me!" Stopping, the middle-aged man turned his head and snorted coldly: "The next time I find you, it will be your death day..." Without waiting for Zhang Xuan to reply, he turned and flew straight into the sky. He hadn't flown far when he suddenly stopped.

"Ah, what is this..." Before he could finish shouting, a giant chicken beak appeared before him and pecked lightly. The man vanished from the spot. Immediately afterward, a small chick appeared before Zhang Xuan.

"Burp!" It let out a satisfied burp, and its bald tail twitched.

"Little Yellow Chick, you... woke up?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, full of excitement. The little yellow chick, which had fallen into a deep sleep after dying in the Moonclear Pond, was now awake. Moreover, its power surged and churned, having actually... reached the God King realm! Zhang Xuan had always thought he would reach the God King realm soon, but he hadn't expected that the speed of his wish power wasn't fast enough, and his soul was lagging, leaving him still some time away from breaking through. Instead, this chicken had succeeded first! A God King realm... chicken! Just thinking about it made him excited.