Chapter 1248: A Little Interesting  

Zhang Lie's serpents burst apart into pitch-black genetic energy before reforming into serpents once again.

"[The Boundless Blade: the River Lethe]!"

The genetic energy rippled forth. A sea of genetic energy covered up the sky. Waves surged forward, sounding like peals of thunder, like stampeding hooves.

The surface of the sea frothed with angry waves, like dragons emerging with the tide. The entire sea roiled, and lightning crackled amidst the void. Countless serpents swam across the raging sea as lightning flashed ominously overhead, a scene right out of an apocalypse.

As Zhang Lie struck, an underworld river hurtled into existence, roaring into the sea. The sword energy roiled like black waves.

A storm of golden leaves surrounded Zhou Ying and transformed into a golden egg, around which the golden leaves wrapped protectively to block the serpents' attack.

The sea had morphed into a boundless battlefield. The sea breeze was as a horn to action, and the serpents, thousands of courageous soldiers heeding its call.

The serpents continued to divebomb the golden egg, and the golden leaves continued to explode in defense, causing the serpents to dissipate back into genetic energy.

Vitality and natural energy exploded en masse from the golden egg. The energy crept along the ground, causing huge quantities of wood dragons to emerge. Zhang Lie had no choice but to deal with the incipient trouble. Demonic serpents clashed against the emerging wood dragons, corroding them with their dark energy.

"[The Boundless Blade: Dragon's Wrath]!"

The blood dragon's phantasmal figure soared into the air. Zhang Lie thrust forward with Guicang, and the blood dragon swooped down and merged with the sword.

Guicang unleashed a barrage of sword energy in the form of a blood dragon.

A dragon's roar shook the sky as the pitch-black genetic energy turned blood-red. The underworld sea roiled, forming a gigantic blood dragon, its jaws wide open and its claws poised to swipe. Large swathes of the wood dragons were torn apart, and even the gray fog was repulsed. The attack struck the golden egg,immediately causing a large portion of the golden leaves to burst apart. The blood dragon tore apart the golden egg's defenses, but Zhou Ying wasn't within it. She had vanished—but when?

Zhang Lie thought for a moment before noticing the burrow in the ground, then smiled meaningfully. "Interesting."

When vitality and natural energy had poured into the earth, Zhou Ying had burrowed down and escaped from the eye-catching golden egg.

"There's more, Captain!" As a wood dragon emerged from underneath Zhang Lie's feet, a huge hole formed with his body at its center.

More and more wood dragons emerged from around Zhang Lie. As he waved Guicang around, they splintered and were cut into pieces.

Among their remains, Zhou Ying made herself known. Golden leaves fluttered through the air and became a golden storm that flew toward Zhang Lie.

Among the densely packed leaves was a thin, slender jade needle, delicately hidden within.

"[First Form: Parting the River]!"

A frightening force descended on the arena as pale white sword energy gushed out from Zhang Lie.

Zhang Lie swung his sword simultaneously in every direction, sweeping away the golden leaves, jade needle, and wood dragons. Zhou Ying herself was flung back.

She somersaulted in mid-air and pushed off the barrier of the pocket dimension, shooting forward in Zhang Lie's direction like an arrow loosed from a bow. She twisted and launched a flurry of void cuts, transforming into a black frenzy as she cut apart space.

"[Shadow and Light]!"

Zhang Lie whirled around. Time suddenly sped up in the vicinity of Zhang Lie as he thrust forward with Guicang.

There was only a single blade, but it felt as though a thousand blades had been stitched together as one. Space fell apart and peeled away; the tip of the blade pointing straight at Zhou Ying.Zhou Ying crossed her arms and blocked Guicang. As she was forced back, her feelers tossed two daggers at Zhang Lie.

Zhang Lie knocked them aside with Hanguang from his other hand.

"[Syzygy]!"

A pitch-black sun appeared behind Zhang Lie, and a blood moon by his feet. His aura was magnified tenfold, and a halo of black sun appeared above his forehead. Natural law seemed to warp around him. Runes likewise appeared on the bloody moon by his feet, forming an intricate array.

Struck by the bloody moonlight, Zhou Ying's's radiance grew dim. Under the black sun, the fluctuations in Zhang Lie's genetic energy were enhanced.

Zhang Lie crossed his twin blades. The blood moon resonated with the blade in his left hand, and the black sun with the blade in his right. He simultaneously slashed forward with both blades, forming a huge celestial web.

Golden leaves gathered around Zhou Ying and transformed into two shining daggers, which Zhou Ying's black feelers caught. She slashed and broke apart the celestial web before it could close in around her.

"[Blade of the Heavens: the Sea Swells]!"

Energy poured out of Zhang Lie in waves, honing the edge of his blade. The pulses of energy struck the sea like a tsunami, devouring everything within.

The energy knocked Zhou Ying flying once more.

However, the combination of vitality and natural energy gave Zhou Ying tremendous regeneration.

Zhang Lie wasn't fighting to kill; the damage he inflicted on Zhou Ying would heal within moments. He could hardly fight lethally against his cherished teammates.

"[Blades, Reverberate]!"

A blood dragon materialized around Zhang Lie. Energy poured out of him in waves, honing the edge of his blade. The pulses of energy struck the realm like a tsunami, devouring everything within.magic

The twin blades Guicang and Hanguang emitted a fearsome aura, shining as brightly as the sun and moon. Sword energy materialized from Guicang into a blood dragon that revolved around his body.

The blade Hanguang morphed into a black dragon, and the blade Guicang into a blood dragon. The two dragons, coiling together as one, shot out toward Zhou Ying like a hurricane, bearing down on him with the might of Zhang Lie's spiritual sea between them.

Infused with the blood moon and the black sun, the twin dragons formed a black whirlpool. Tremendous suction, like that from a black hole, sucked up everything around the two combatants…