Che!
Alix's sword pierced right by John's neck, who had managed to move it to the side at the very last moment. A thin red line appeared on John's neck as he dashed backwards, as a small amount of blood began to drip down his neck.
John pressed his hand against his neck and inspected the blood for a moment, before his focused eyes turned back to Alix.
"Not bad," John replied, as if the move that had nearly just taken his life was nothing worth panicking over.
Alix smiled as he saw John act like this. "Even now you're putting on this fake display of confidence? Let's see how long that smile of yours can last as absolute power cuts you down."
Che!
Alix's figure blurred once again, and he appeared at John's side in an instant. His sword slashed out with incredible speed, as it aimed to cleave him in half.
Peng!
John's scythe sliced out in defense, and successfully parried Alix's attack. However, Alix's speed was now at a level that John had to take seriously, as he subtly unleashed more power from his dantian.
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Alix's sword slashed out with incredible speed and furry, inundating John with an endless barrage of powerful attacks. John's scythe twirled in an endless circle, parrying each and every attack of Alix's.
Like this, the two of them darted around the arena at incredible speeds, exchanging hundreds of attacks. The disciples watching could hardly keep up with the speed displayed by the two fighters, as they fought in every corner of the arena.
Alix's onslaught was ruthless and ceaseless, as he attacked from each and every angle, seeking to pierce past John's defense. However, John's scythe, which revolved in a circle, forming a shield like barrier, blocked each and every attack without falter.
"What? Even now, this nobody disciple can keep up with Alix?" an Elder commented.
His attitude had been one of pride when Alix revealed his trump card, as he was Alix's master. He was an incredibly powerful Elder of the Sect, and had great status within. Alix's status as an Emperor only served to elevate his own status even more, and so the Elder was looking forward to John being cut down by his disciple.
However, John had somehow managed to match Alix's power everytime it was increased, greatly shocking, and also frustrating, Alix's master.
"Elder Ancer, are you worried about your disciple?" a nearby Elder mocked.
Elder Ancer glared at the Elder who had mocked him, before he looked back down to the fight happening below.
"Worried? No. Not in the slightest," Elder Ancer replied. However, the bead of sweat rolling down his forehead revealed otherwise.
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Weapons continued to clash with incredible ferocity, and the stadium continued to tremble as if there was an earthquake.
Alix's expression turned more and more frustrated as John continued to parry all his attacks, as he figured this latest increase in power was all he needed to overwhelm John. In that state, he would likely be able to hold his own, or at least keep himself alive against an Early Meridian Forging Expert.
However, John was still able to hold on against this power, shocking everyone watching, Alix included.
"How can Core Formation disciples be this strong?" an outer sect disciple mumbled in a stunned stupor. He had been dreaming of rising to the top of the cultivation world like everyone else, but this display between John and Alix shattered those hopes completely.
Only someone like them would be able to do such a thing. The rest, such as an outer cultivator like himself, could only look up at those at the peak and dream.
"Enough!" Alix suddenly shouted in a rage. His blood essence was being continuously burned off, and he couldn't afford to keep going like this. Even with his unique constitution, he was not able to burn blood essence forever.
Alix stopped, and stared at John with hate filled eyes. He didn't know how John was able to match his strength even in this moment, but right now that didn't matter. The only thing Alix could think about was cutting John down once and for all.
A red bubble formed around Alix, which quickly expanded over John and the entire fighting platform.
"Crimson Hell Domain! Alix is finally using the Crimson Hell Domain! He truly is serious!" a disciple exclaimed.
"What? Can't John also just use his own Crimson Hell Domain to negate its effects?" a nearby disciple asked.
The first disciple looked towards the one who had just spoken and shook his head. "No, have you not heard? Alix is like Damon. He has absolute control over blood, and as such, his Crimson Hell Domain is far beyond what any other disciple can match. Even if John uses his own domain, it will be overwhelmed by Alix's domain," the disciple explained.
Alix stared at John as if he were a dead man, as John inspected the domain and his own body.
'It's just like when Damon used it on me. Its slowing my blood, making my movements slower, and also assaulting my mind and soul. Only, it's far more powerful than Damon's domain. I guess Alix is actually quite talented after all.'
John tried to fight back against the effects on his body, but was only able to half-purge them.
'I guess without using my Immortal Asura Body or Supreme Battle Art, I cannot fully purge the effects of this domain. Man, holding my full strength back really is a pain in the ass.'
John grumbled about his current situation, but didn't panic. He looked at Alix with indifferent eyes, who was slowly approaching him.
"Why do you act like your domain is undefeatable?" John asked. His power suddenly flared, as overlapping domains suddenly clashed.
Crimson Hell Domain!
John unleashed his very own Crimson Hell Domain, which instantly clashed against Alix's domain.
Normally when two domains clashed, they would ignore each other and persist at full power, assaulting each opponent. When John had fought Damon, his Heavenly Lightning Domain struck down constantly, while Damon's Crimson Hell Domain assaulted John continuously.
However, when two domains of a similar type met, they would clash against each other, with the stronger one eventually coming out on top.
The martial arena began to rumble under the immense power between the clash of the two domains. The platform, which was incredibly sturdy, began to crack all over, while the stadium violently shook.
The final struggle between the two strongest disciples had begun.