Chapter 1314: Absorption and Evolution  

Light covered the land like an intense meteor shower. Formless ripples shattered rock and cleaved mountains, shocking all onlookers once more.

"[The Boundless Blade: Yawning Wave]!"

Water-attuned genetic energy encircled Zhang Lie's finger as he unleashed devastating sword energy.

With every slash of Guicang, torrential waves of water were generated, clashing against the tiger's blades, but the sharp blades that the tiger had somehow produced seemed impervious to damage. Killing intent formed a thick aura around them, so concentrated that it could affect material form. However, Zhang Lie remained unaffected despite his proximity. He was resisting the blades' damage with his blades and with formless will.

Zhang Lie extended his pointer finger like a sword, and water-attuned genetic energy gathered around it—like a gentle stream, to deflect the momentum of the blades; and simultaneously like river rapids, shooting forward with such force and density that the water was more dangerous than a naked blade.

The essence of water was completely reflected in Zhang Lie's attacks. He displayed tremendous swordsmanship and strength as he repeatedly nullified the tiger's blades.

The tiger roared, its eyes cold. It spat out a mouthful of white light, causing the blades to gleam even more brightly. They pierced through the pitch-black genetic energy shielding Zhang Lie and headed straight for his body.

The fight had reached its climax. Zhang Lie pursed his lips—the blades were too strong, and there were over two dozen of them! It would be difficult to handle them all simultaneously.

The blades flew toward him and pinned him down with overwhelming strength, causing the land to crumble where they landed.

Each blade was like a thick pillar; if any were to strike Zhang Lie, he wouldn't be pierced through, but rather ground into meat paste.

As all the blades landed simultaneously, Zhang Lie barely dodged them one by one. Space around him warped and distended; a number of black holes formed, one around each blade, trapping him in an unavoidable attack.

Even so, the fighting spirit in Zhang Lie's eyes only grew more intense. "[Ninecarp Transformation]!"

A black serpent materialized behind Zhang Lie, by now so large and so developed that it resembled the world-swallowing serpent Jormungandr. It let out a threatening hiss as its scales clicked together.

Pitch-black energy surrounded Zhang Lie.

Resplendent silver light, like armor, shielded the tiger from the corrosion of Zhang Lie's black energy.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!" Zhang Lie punched forward, and the black serpent behind him shot forth. The serpent revealed its fangs as it tore through the tiger's armor, revealing crystalline flesh underneath.

The tiger roared in anger, and its aura strengthened even further. The two dozen blades gleamed with killing intent and shot toward Zhang Lie once more, swamping the battlefield in white light.

As Zhang Lie activated his blood ant and dragonwolf soulshards, he transformed into a dragonwolf with russet fur and limbs covered with dragons' scales. His aura became magnified as a hurricane of blood spawned around him.

Bloody claws filled the sky, deflecting the tiger's blades.

The tiger roared in outrage, spitting out a ball of hazy light, charged with skeins of radiant energy so bright they were evaporating in the air.

A thousand rays of rosy light, in an endless stream, enveloped all that lay below.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

As Zhang Lie punched forward, a blood dragon roared in outrage and shot forward.

As the blades tore apart the blood dragon, the frightening energy that lay dormant within the blood dragon's body surged out.

A wave of annihilation exploded around the dragon. Pitch-black energy swallowed up everything in the vicinity like a storm at sea. The rocks, boulders, and bones strewn across the ground were all consumed by the black-hole like energy of annihilation.

The fight was over.

Zhang Lie turned to leave, only to hear a tiger's roar echo through the sky. Zhang Lie was shocked to no end. He turned back to see that the tiger had somehow survived his energy of annihilation.

He could recall no enemy who had managed to escape from being struck dead center by that attack. The last few foes against which he had to resort to this ultimate technique were all of tremendous strength, lying at the peak of each world. This tiger, solely disaster-grade, could not have managed such a feat.

Even if it were stronger than an ordinary disaster-grade lifeform, there was no way a disaster-grade lifeform could survive his energy of annihilation.

His energy of annihilation was ridiculously destructive; as its wielder, Zhang Lie knew that for a fact.

Even so, not only had the white tiger managed to escape from his attack, it had even managed to undergo some sort of transformation. A frightening aura spread out from the tiger as it opened its maw wide open and swallowed all that lay around him, all manner of boulders flying through the air and into his mouth.

Zhang Li gasped in shock—the tiger had managed to transform in the midst of Zhang Lie's attack, absorbing the power of annihilation for itself!

Despite the disparity between gold and annihilation, the white tiger had somehow managed to transform that power into something it could use. Zhang Lie had no idea how it had done that.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Hundred Dragons Soaring]!"

Black genetic energy burst forth from Zhang Lie, as though there were hundreds, thousands of dragons surging throughout his body. magic

A horde of dragons launched out of Zhang Lie's left arm as he expended half his genetic energy in one supercharged attack.

Howling with the force of thunder, the hundred dragons soared through the air. They were fierce and domineering, and all hundred of them boasted the power of annihilation.

The tiger widened its jaws and bit apart dragon after dragon, devouring their energy of annihilation and transforming it into something entirely his own.

Zhang Lie wondered, "Absorbing strength to evolve... is that the nature of this third trial?"

A trial, even a combat-oriented one, had to have a reason and purpose. Zhang Lie suspected that the white tiger was meant to encapsulate the concept of adaptability, to be able to evolve to overcome obstacles.

Glowing radiance emanated from the tiger and covered heaven and earth.

Zhang Lie shouted, lifting Guicang high up in the air. He flicked his arm and sent a burst of sword energy through the air, blocking the tiger's breath attack and leaving a scar on its forehead.

The tiger's evolution would hardly be enough to defeat him!

The tiger growled. Two dozen silver blades trembled as one, shooting straight at Zhang Lie in an attempt to pierce through him.

Zhang Lie's pupils glimmered with cold. As he whirled Guicang around him, a frightening burst of sword energy spread out like a tsunami, cutting all the blades apart.

The tiger howled in fury, but Zhang Lie was in the acme of his strength. He charged forward with Guicang.