Azariel looked dashing as a young teenager. His Level Nine Immortal Stage undulations reverberated across the palace, appearing dense and filled with an extraordinary power. It raised nearly all eyebrows.
He was just thirteen years old. However, no one underestimated him, considering how he was the first son of the Divine Emperor of Death, and his uncle Edward Loret also seemed quite powerful as an Empyreal Monarch.
Whispers echoed across the seating area.
It seemed like they didn't want to waste their chance against a certain defeat.
After some time, a young genius from the Earth Dragon Lower Realm stepped into the battle arena.
"Greetings, fellow cultivator. I seek not to win but to verify if the Earth Dragon Blood mixed in you is indeed stronger than ours, as the rumors say."
He was clad in a golden robe and appeared to be around fifteen years old. His nose was high and his chin was tilted up, maintaining a high attitude as he spoke. His brows were knitted into sharp swords, appearing quite menacing.
He didn't look like a youngster from the Earth Dragon Clan.
"That's totally relative." Azariel responded, "Do you seek a fist fight?"
"Indeed. I, Kratas Temperas, wish to compare the strength of our fists."
"Fine."
Azariel retracted his spider scythes as they shrunk back towards his spine, aligning themselves properly inside the skin so that there was only a minor swelling left at the area.
"Then I will strike first. Be prepared!"
Kratas Temperas took out his fists and faced Azariel, the power of the King-Tier Earth Dragon aura reverberating as it tried to overwhelm Azariel's aura. However, it failed, causing Kratas Temperas to narrow his eyes and launch himself against Azariel.
"To think you retained Emperor-Tier Bloodline from your mother. It will be a wonderful battle!"
Kratas Temperas roared and dashed forward, his golden robe fluttering behind him like a war banner. His fist blazed with earthen draconic energy, dense and forceful, as he drove it straight toward Azariel's face.
Azariel didn't flinch.
With a smooth motion, he stepped in, his own fist rising with eerie calmness. Their fists met for the first time.
*Boom!*
A deafening explosion echoed through the arena as their punches collided.
A crimson-gold aura laced with earthen might clashed against a purple-gold force that pulsed with eerie resonance. The ground beneath them cracked, spiderwebbing out from their feet, and the air itself quivered from the impact. The surrounding barrier flickered, resisting the ripple of power that surged outward in a dome-shaped shockwave.
Everyone was nearly shocked that the battle stage had been partly destroyed. However, the surface quickly grew back, letting them understand it was made using an illusory stone that would project commonalities regardless of one's strength.
Regardless, they saw that both stood firm, their fists pressed together, veins bulging from their arms.
"Incredible. Kratas Temperas is only fifteen years old, but he has been blessed with inheriting the King-Tier Earth Dragon Bloodline, making him a Kingly Transcendent already with a prowess that's nine levels higher in the Transcendent Stage. However, he is going toe to toe against the Divine Emperor of Death's first son. Marvelous."
"Indeed. If he had been born sooner, perhaps he would've been a candidate for the Realm Master position, but now, he could only wait for the next generation, but by that time, his era would already be over. What a pity… his only course of action is to seek opportunities in the Upper Realm or fade away here…"
Discussions were abuzz.
On the battle stage, Azariel's eyes narrowed. Kratas Temperas gritted his teeth.
Neither of them cared what the world thought about them. They only tried to win this bout, trying to break each other's fists. However, they weren't able to gain one over the other even after ten whole seconds, causing them to react at the same time.
*Boom!~*
They struck again, this time with their opposite fists.
*Crack!*
Tiles shattered beneath them, fragments launching into the air as they exchanged yet another blow, neither retreating nor yielding.
The audience held their breath as the two young cultivators continued their exchange, fists flashing like lightning, thunderous claps shaking the arena every time they met.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!~*
They traded blow for blow.
Azariel's strikes were sharp and precise, Kratas Temperas's were heavy and explosive. The battle became a contest of sheer might, neither using techniques, only the raw strength of their bloodlines, but the foundation of their cultivation.
Every punch appeared to be a message that they were better. Every clash was a declaration of fuck off, their expressions rigid.
And yet, neither side broke.
The crowd stared, wide-eyed, as two prodigies clashed without word. They only deigned to use their fists.
"Azariel, enough fun. Your father needs to marry your eleventh mother, you know." Davis chuckled from the throne, looking amused.
His voice was like thunder that disturbed the play on the stage, rattling the youths.
"Tch, you can wait for some more time, father."
Azariel complained but abruptly opened his fists and snatched Kratas Temperas's fists, causing the other party to be shocked. He tried to pull his fists out, but he felt like his fists were stuck inside a boulder, and then came a huge pressure that made his bones crack.
Kratas Temperas's expression churned with pain, "You-you were matching your prowess with me?"
Azariel's fingers were sinking into his fist, causing bones to crack. "Obviously. I told you our strengths were relative. I inherited the purest bloodline of the Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnid and the Earth Dragon. It increased my prowess by four levels higher and would continue to be so even in the Immortal King Stage."
"Impossible! A bloodline between an arachnid and an earth dragon can never be the purest!"
"How would I know? Ask my father, whose chaotic blood is kind of insane."
Azariel sneered and turned around as he swung his hips and then arms, sending Kratas Temperas flying. He was sent outside of bounds and hit the ground, causing Kratas Temeperas to be automatically disqualified.
"Winner! My lovely Azariel!~" Ellia jumped as she pointed at him.
"Ah!"
Seeing Ellia come for him, Azariel jumped and ran around the stage.
It caused the Davis Family to burst out laughing.
However, the rulers of the forty-eight Lower Realms appeared quite disturbed.
Just now, Azariel Davis's prowess increased as much as eleven levels higher. That was a level higher than an Empyreal Transcendent, meaning that this teenager would definitely surpass an Empyreal Sovereign easily once he grew to the Immortal Emperor Stage.
The crowd went silent.