513: Chapter 523 Initial Probe!

As soon as the words fell, Lu Ming waved his hand, and the Void Realm in front of him suddenly tore open.

He stepped inside, and his figure vanished in an instant.

Seeing Lu Ming agree so readily, Taishu Yichen narrowed his eyes, his heart filled with doubt and suspicion.

Was this person truly fearless, or just ignorant?

A Nascent Soul True Monarch cannot interfere with the mundane world at will; without concealment methods, once a fight starts, their Nascent Soul Origin will drain away rapidly, like floodwaters released from a dam.

To replenish it through arduous cultivation would take centuries.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, it is almost impossible for True Monarchs to engage in conflict.

He had proposed this duel initially to probe the other party's background.

If the other party knew about this secret, they might shy away from the fight.

That would naturally be best, saving him from having to take action himself.

But if the other party didn't know... that would actually be even better.

With the "painted skin holy robe" to conceal himself, he could fight without restraint, while the other party would have no choice but to expend their Origin to cope.

With his strength growing and the other's waning, there might be a better chance to handle this person.

It was just that Lu Ming's performance left him feeling unsure.

But regardless, since the duel had been agreed upon, he had to go through with it.

"It seems we will have to see who is stronger in a real fight."

Taishu Yichen still had some confidence in his own strength.

Although his Realm had fallen due to an accident, he had walked the path of the Nascent Soul for nearly ten thousand years longer than the other party; in terms of experience and foundation, the other party was incomparable.

In short... the advantage is mine!

With his mind made up, Taishu Yichen lightly swung his whisk, tore open the Void Realm as well, and followed at a leisurely pace.

The two figures, one after the other, disappeared into the horizon.

The crowd on the ground looked up, watching the two figures disappear, remaining motionless for a long time.

They could not hear the exchange between the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs at all.

But as the two left, the group breathed a massive sigh of relief.

There was no helping it; the pressure when facing two True Monarchs was simply too great.

If the other party got unhappy, none of the people here would be able to escape.

But the good news was that they were too weak and didn't catch their eye, so they were ignored throughout.

The bad news was that this was somewhat insulting.

But so what?

Staying alive is the most important thing.

After waiting for a while longer, until the two figures did not appear again, someone cautiously straightened up and tentatively took two steps.

Confirming that it was truly safe, that person hurriedly activated a Talisman to buff themselves, then used a movement technique to quickly flee the scene.

This movement was like poking a hornet's nest, and the group scattered and fled.

Even those who had been harboring malicious intentions and were prepared to make a windfall quietly reined in their greedy gazes and simultaneously removed the tracking marks they had placed on the "fat sheep" they had targeted.

Time to go, time to go, that was too terrifying.

...

The Void Realm was hazy, filled with Chaos.

Taishu Yichen walked through it, his surging aura filling the surroundings as his robes rustled.

With every step he took, his figure would instantly become ethereal, and when he reappeared, he had already crossed a vast distance.

However, as he went further, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

"What is going on?"

Looking at the flashing figure ahead, Taishu Yichen was extremely astonished.

He had originally thought that with his strength and mastery of the Dao of Space, catching up to this Lu-surnamed True Monarch would be effortless.

But the result greatly exceeded his expectations.

The other party's speed while traveling in the Void Realm was actually this fast, completely on par with his own.

No, it shouldn't be said to be on par.

Taishu Yichen even had the feeling that the other party was deliberately waiting for him.

No matter how he increased his speed, the other party always maintained the same distance.

Neither far nor near, just enough to be seen.

Even if he deliberately slowed down, it remained the same.

This relaxed attitude made Taishu Yichen's eyelids twitch.

Strange, it was truly too strange, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what was wrong.

"Hehe, that old fellow is probably intimidated."

Up ahead, Lu Ming, who was traveling, glanced behind him, a playful arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

This trick of his was actually the Karma tracking technique he had used when hunting down Yuantu before.

However, compared to before, after being elevated by the status of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, this Divine Ability was even more miraculous.

Although his comprehension of the Dao of Karma was still at the Golden Core level, it could already act upon a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

So, rather than saying Lu Ming was traveling, it was more like he was being led by Taishu Yichen.

What veteran Nascent Soul True Monarch? He was just free labor.

However, Lu Ming did not continue playing.

Sensing that the destination had been reached, he stepped out of the Void Realm and appeared in a desolate, uninhabited place.

"Hmm? Jiling Wasteland?" Following Lu Ming out of the Void Realm, Taishu Yichen recognized this place of withered spiritual energy at a glance and couldn't help but be surprised.

"Fellow Daoist certainly knows how to pick a place."

"This place is uninhabited and has no traces of living beings, so you and I can go all out without worrying about harming the innocent."

Lu Ming spoke righteously, but in reality, he chose this place just to pave the way for his future misdeeds.

This Jiling Wasteland had withered spiritual energy, and Golden Core Cultivators would feel uncomfortable here, but for a Nascent Soul True Monarch, this was not a big deal.

After all, they were long used to being self-sufficient; a mere consumption of mana was not worth mentioning.

However, this way, he could add a layer of reasonable justification for his later use of the golden book to transfer the consumption.

This was actually just a little scheme Lu Ming had left; although he was confident in this duel, it never hurt to be prepared for the unexpected.

This was a principle Lu Ming had learned along the way!

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist truly has a compassionate heart."

Unable to figure out Lu Ming's hidden agenda, Taishu Yichen just responded with a fake smile, not knowing if it was mockery or genuine praise.

However, he did not oppose this result; although he viewed all living beings as ants, killing the innocent indiscriminately would only entangle him in Karma, and he would have to spend time removing it, which was not cost-effective in terms of time.

"Since that is the case, Fellow Daoist, please."

Lu Ming didn't care about Taishu Yichen's attitude and gestured for him to start.

"Very well."

Taishu Yichen didn't refuse, just nodded in agreement.

However, after waiting for a long time, he still didn't make a move, remaining in a calm and collected posture.

"Fellow Daoist?"

Lu Ming didn't understand and thought the other party was brewing some ultimate move, so he asked tentatively.

To this, Taishu Yichen didn't explain, just glanced at the "painted skin holy robe" he was wearing.

At the end of the day, he still didn't trust the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord.

Even if this old demon spoke eloquently, who knew if it was actually useful?

What if it failed as soon as they started fighting? Wouldn't he be passive?

So he decided to play it safe, watch how the other party acted first, and then react accordingly.

Lu Ming didn't understand the intricacies, but seeing that the other party wouldn't make a move, he didn't stand on ceremony either.

In an instant, cyan Xun Wind and purple lightning surged from his body simultaneously, intertwining to form a wind-thunder tornado that connected heaven and earth.

Wherever the tornado passed, the Void Realm twisted, Chaos surged, and the entire Jiling Wasteland trembled.

Lu Ming was surrounded by the power of wind and thunder, his robes rustling and his hair flying, like an immortal god stepping out of ancient mythology.

His every word and action could change the color of the world and stir up the wind and clouds.

However, soon, Lu Ming's expression changed slightly.

He noticed that his Nascent Soul Origin was currently draining away.

This didn't feel like the normal consumption of using Laws; instead, it felt like there was a hole in his body, and his Origin was unconsciously flowing out.

Moreover, Lu Ming also noticed the suppression of the Heavenly Dao.

Although no Heavenly Tribulation descended, that omnipresent repulsive force meant he had to pay an extra price for every bit of power he used.

The speed of Origin loss was also several times greater than the consumption of mana.

If he kept fighting at this speed, it wouldn't be long before he was seriously injured.

"Is this what a True Monarch is? How miserable..."

Lu Ming was speechless; the malice of this world towards True Monarchs was truly undisguised, a blatant targeting!

No wonder a bunch of guys were constantly plotting how to screw over the Heavenly Dao.

They clearly sat on the strongest Realm in the world, yet they weren't as free and easy as a group of lower-level cultivators; who wouldn't get anxious about that!

Thoughts flew through Lu Ming's mind, but in the outside world, it was only an instant.

"Forget it..."

Lu Ming sighed lightly; he was afraid he had fallen into Taishu Yichen's trap, but now that the arrow was on the bowstring, he had to fire.

However, he wasn't too panicked.

It was just Origin, he could use it!

But now was not the time to use the golden book; exposing his trump card too early was sometimes not a good thing.

"Since that's the case, then let's test your quality first!"

As Lu Ming's mind stirred, the cyan Xun Wind and purple lightning surged again, erupting from his body simultaneously and intertwining.

Wherever the tornado passed, the Void Realm twisted, Chaos surged, and the entire wasteland trembled violently.

The earth cracked, rocks were swept into the high sky and ground into powder under the power of wind and thunder.

The sky for dozens of miles around was filled with cyan and purple colors; neither sun nor moon nor stars could be seen, only the rampaging wind and lightning.

And within the tornado, a giant beast slowly took shape.

This beast had a tiger's head and a dragon's body, wings on its back, four feet stepping on thunder, and its whole body was wrapped in endless wind-thunder power.

This was the Divine Beast Tianwu, who governed the power of wind and thunder!

It flapped its wings, and with every flap, thousands of lightning bolts spilled from between its wings, burning charred holes in the Void Realm.

Its eyes were blood-red, reflecting Taishu Yichen's figure in its pupils, revealing sharp white fangs.

"Roar—"

Tianwu roared at the sky, the sound not like a beast's roar, but like the rumbling of wind and thunder.

Wherever the sound waves passed, the earth cracked into a bottomless trench, and the Void Realm was torn open with countless dense cracks, like a shattered mirror.

Then, Tianwu lunged fiercely at Taishu Yichen.

Its speed was extreme, and its massive body obscured the entire sky.

Its sharp claws tore the Void Realm, leaving four pitch-black cracks.

Its wings flapped, bringing up two cyan tornadoes that connected heaven and earth.

It opened its giant mouth, and a purple lightning pillar over a zhang thick sprayed out, carrying the power to destroy the world, blasting straight at Taishu Yichen.

But at this scene, Taishu Yichen remained calm.

Just now, he had actually been observing Lu Ming's movements.

Especially the fleeting change in the other party's expression just now, which had been keenly captured by Taishu Yichen.

At this, Taishu Yichen felt a surge of joy.

This person was indeed ignorant of the Nascent Soul secrets; this time, he must have been reckless.

And looking at the wind-thunder power he used, he was afraid that he had attained the Dao with this.

Although the wind-thunder power was quite formidable, even belonging to the two Laws of Xun Wind and Thunder, the effect of their fusion was greater than one plus one.

But compared to his own Yin-Yang Law, it was ultimately a notch lower.

In this battle, he had absolute confidence to suppress the other party, and perhaps even severely injure them.

He no longer hesitated, and as he lightly swung his whisk, Yin and Yang Qi surged from his body.

The black and white Qi intertwined and swirled in mid-air, turning into two black and white giant dragons.

The black dragon was pitch-black like ink, its scales reflecting a cold light in the Void Realm, its eyes like two blood-colored crescent moons, and black smoke overflowed from the corners of its mouth.

The white dragon was snow-white, its scales as translucent as ice crystals, its eyes like two golden suns, and its whole body was surrounded by holy radiance.

One black and one white, one Yin and one Yang.

The black dragon represented slaughter, the white dragon represented defense; the two dragons crossed, Yin and Yang clashed, dividing the entire sky into black and white halves.

Then, Taishu Yichen waved his whisk again.

The two black and white giant dragons soared into the sky, meeting Tianwu.

The black dragon took the lead, opening its giant mouth, and black flames sprayed out; that was the destructive power generated by the imbalance of Yin and Yang.

Wherever the flames passed, the Void Realm collapsed, and even light was swallowed.

The white dragon followed, a white light screen lighting up around it, enveloping Taishu Yichen and isolating the aftermath of the battle.

Tianwu and the black dragon collided violently in mid-air.

Tianwu waved its sharp claws, tearing the Void Realm and leaving four deep-to-the-bone wounds on the black dragon's body.

The black dragon roared, and black flames gushed out from every gap in its scales, swallowing Tianwu.

Tianwu struggled in the sea of fire, its scales burned charred, its wings burned down to just the skeleton, but it fought to the death without retreating.

It opened its giant mouth and bit fiercely onto the black dragon's neck.

The black dragon's neck was bitten through, black blood gushing from the wound, turning into a sky full of black mist, dyeing the entire sky ink-black.

Seeing this, the white dragon couldn't sit still either; it flew into the battlefield and cooperated with the black dragon to start strangling Tianwu!

The two giant dragons bit at Tianwu, and Tianwu did not show weakness, pouring all its wind-thunder power onto the two dragons.

They surged, bit, and collided in the Void Realm, each clash triggering tremors in heaven and earth.

Black and white dragon blood and cyan-purple lightning splashed, falling to the ground and blasting out deep craters several zhang deep.

The Void Realm shattered, the earth collapsed, and the Jiling Wasteland was torn beyond recognition by this battle.

Finally, as the two dragons crossed, they turned into a huge pair of black and white dragon shears.

The dragon shears closed, and Tianwu was directly cut in half, cyan-purple blood spraying from the Void Realm, turning into a sky full of lightning and violent winds.

Tianwu let out an unwilling wail, but before it completely dissipated, it made a desperate counterattack.

The wind-thunder power exploded violently within its body, turning into countless lightning bolts and sky-covering wind blades that splashed in all directions.

The black and white giant dragons were also affected by this violent force, and countless dense cracks appeared on their bodies, eventually following in Tianwu's footsteps, turning into specks of spiritual light and dissipating into the Void Realm.

Preliminary probing, the two were evenly matched.