Chapter 1323: Another Form of Power  

Radiant Sun continued to sit cross-legged in the void, encircled by an eponymous radiant sun, holy and dignified. His eyes closed, he formed seals with both hands and raised them high overhead.

A vase manifested in his hands, red and shining all over. Fiery mist poured out of its top, pointed straight at Zhang Lie. It was an ornate vase with physical form and structure. Just like the silver lotus, it was neither a soulshard nor a piece of technology.

Zhang Lie felt as though he were facing an incredible foe. magic

"[First Form: Parting the River]!"

Bright sword energy radiated from Zhang Lie like brilliant rays of sunlight, illuminating the heavens.

A frightening force descended, energy rumbling and rippling around him. As Zhang Lie swung the blade in his hand, a huge slash of sword energy shot downward.

Radiant Sun moved. The vase lit up with light, blowing countless runes toward Zhang Lie.

A firebird flew out of the vase with a loud cry, terrorizing the spectators. The essence of the sun manifested in the form of a golden bird that swooped toward Zhang Lie. A phoenix manifested, its eyes glowing with flame. It bathed in the flames and revived stronger than ever, flying into the air with the authority of a monarch.

The vase had already spat out countless divine flames, each of which seemed poised to burn the arena down.

Zhang Lie's strike was burned clean through as the flames spread toward him.

Zhang Lie was shaken by what he had seen. The enemies he faced bore a power he had never seen before, alien to both the dimensional realm and the Milky Way. His eyes lit up with divine light. "[Shadow and Light]!" Zhang Lie pointed his longsword straight ahead. Time suddenly sped up in his vicinity.

The firebird swooped down with incredible speed.

Zhang Lie's sword replicated itself again and again, forming hundreds, thousands of copies that lit up the space all around.

The golden sunbird cried out, heavenly monarch that it was. Its wings sliced down like the blades of heaven, its claws sharp and penetrating, imbued with the essence of divine flame.

Zhang Lie countered with Hanguang, obliterating the divine essence. Simultaneously, he slashed above him, striking at the golden bird's feathers and claws.

The phoenix descended next, its every action filled with echoes of life, death, and rebirth. Zhang Lie sprayed out a breath of essence.

"[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, the divine birds' 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.

The divine flames descended.

The next moment, the sun itself shook. It grew brighter and brighter. Radiant Sun suddenly shifted, rousing torrential flames all around.

The vase he held in his hands suddenly grew larger. It was glazed bright red, almost like the color of blood, and sprayed out flames of even greater incandescence.

The next moment, the firebird, golden sunbird, and phoenix all merged into one cohesive whole. Firelight swamped heaven and earth.

The three birds perished together in an attack of overwhelming strength and force.

At the same time, before the three divine birds, the color of the flames changed. They turned black, then deep purple, then the color of blood.

The three birds had vanished, leaving pure flame behind. The flame spread like dripping blood, heading straight toward Zhang Lie with overwhelming strength.

The bright red light seemed to contain some otherworldly, sinister power, enveloping Zhang Lie and turning the skies bright red. "[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 sea of blood cut off the demonic flames.

The next moment, incredible aura radiated from Zhang Lie. It looked as though a deity had manifested in his body.

"[Blades, Reverberate]!"

Zhang Lie extended his arms, his twin blades pointing at heaven and earth. Guicang and Hanguang shone with blazing light, like the sun and the moon, the yin and the yang. The energy that radiated from the two swords transformed into a heavenly raiment of yin and yang.

The robe combined the light of a black sun and of a bloody moon.

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.

The twin blades Guicang and Hanguang emitted a fearsome aura, shining as brightly as the sun and moon.

A blood-red and a black dragon manifested, bearing down on him with the might of Zhang Lie's spiritual sea between them. The two blades shone in unison, then gave off dazzling light as the twin dragons shot forward in unison like a twister toward the golden sun.

The golden sun was obliterated. Swift as lightning, Zhang Lie charged forward. Guicang slashed at Radiant Sun's neck, while Hanguang pointed between his brows.

Radiant Sun's body transformed into fire, resisting Zhang Lie's peerless blow. He defended himself with his bejeweled vase, forming a screen of light before him.

Guicang struck the vase with a clear, resonant ring, a strike targeted at the spiritual rather than the physical.

The red vase's light swiftly dimmed. Divine fire was snuffed out as the vase trembled violently. With the vase handled, Guicang struck at Radiant Sun's neck, drawing blood with a golden slash.

Radiant Sun brimmed with flame as he swiftly retreated, a battered golden sun shrouding him.