A wild barrier of violent blue lightning appeared around Ryu. For the first time, the world of the Moonlight Blossom Sect seemed to light up.
The wraiths and spirits around Ryu cried out in horror. Each time an arc of lightning whipped around one, they would explode into a mist of darkness, never to appear in the world again.
Ryu's palms extended to the point a crackling spear appeared.
In the next instant, a raging tempest of yang flames erupted, concentrating into the spear an incasing it into a red glow.
The combination caused a spear dancing of violet and purple hues to come into existence.
Ryu spread his palms out, allowing the spear to fall before him. He grabbed onto its shaft, swinging it to one side and causing a typhoon of heavy wind to shatter the ground below.
"Come die." Zulfiqar snarled, his body shooting forward.
Using his corpse puppets against a Divine Vessel Realm pup? Ridiculous.
Zulfiqar was so enamored by his rage that he had yet to realize that Ryu had long since entered the Connecting Heaven Realm.
Ryu shot forward. There was only a three meter distance between them, but the two came forward with their full force, Zulfiqar swinging out with a fist and Ryu with his spear.
BANG!
Ryu went flying backward, but Zulfiqar took two heavy steps back in the air, the ground beneath his feet shattering and collapsing even as he did so.
Ryu became a bundle of lightning, his backward momentum coming to a grinding halt the moment he touched the ground.
He exploded forth, seemingly completely uninjured.
In a flash, he had already appeared before Zulfiqar who had barely regained his bearings.
'[Lines of Fate].'
The world changed color before Ryu's eyes. Everything slowed and bore its truth on the surface, opening up to allow him to see what he pleased.
Zulfiqar's every action, his every usage of qi, every time he borrowed from the strength of the world around him… It was all clear to Ryu's eyes.
His spear shot forward again. This time, when he felt Zulfiqar's counter, his steps shifted, the shaft of his spear parrying the blow with a practiced ease.
He appeared past Zulfiqar's guard, striking out with his left palm.
His body followed a natural rhythm. His feet shattered the air beneath his feet. His hips gathered the torque they provided, flexing along with his back as his hand, coated in crackling lightning and raging flames descended.
BANG!
The air was knocked out of Zulfiqar's body, his body bending into a bow as it shot backward.
As though he wasn't satisfied, Ryu clenched his left hand into a fist, using the momentum of his left moving forward, he pulled back his right in one seamless motion. Anyone watching on from afar would believe that Ryu had already decided to combine his attacks in this fashion, but the truth was that this was just a result of the perfect control he had over himself.
Ryu's back flexed once again. But, this time, it was his spear that was brandished.
Ryu roared as his spear was cocked backward. To those who heard it, it felt as though a mythical beast had descended from the skies. It was so forceful that concentric circles of exploding air appeared around Ryu's lips, the canines his transformation had caused to elongate glistening beneath the crackling lights of his lightning.
BANG!
Ryu's arm shot forward, his spear flying after Zulfiqar's body.
The whole Sect entered a standstill.
The battle between Path Extinction Realm experts was maybe something many of them would never experience in their lifetimes. There were no small number of individuals in this very Sect who would never leave the Immortal Ring Realm. Such a battle was simply outside of their scope of understanding.
But, matters were only made worse when one realized that there was only one Path Extinction Realm expert in the skies. The other was a mere Connecting Heaven Realm expert.
This sort of battle completely flipped their comprehension of the world on its head. Was it really possible for such a thing to happen?
It was at that exact instant that Ryu's spear reach Zulfiqar's flying body.
The latter reached out, grabbing the shaft and causing sparks to fly. It was as though two metallic objects had met in the air, fighting for supremacy.
However, it was then Ryu snapped his fingers.
"Explode."
Zulfiqar's eyes widened. But, it was already too late.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Those who were watching on weren't fools. They understood how volatile it was to concentrate two opposing qis into the same technique, and this was especially so for two strong yang elements like fire and lightning.
However, due to how easily Ryu had balanced his control of them, despite the fact his fire was clearly so much more powerful than his lightning, many had forgotten in the heat of things that Ryu was practically wielding a ticking time bomb.
The instant it exploded, it was as though the whole world had lost its color. All sound was seemingly wiped from existence and the Sect was awashed with a sea of white that blotted out the senses.
Zulfiqar heavily crashed into the ground as Ryu stood in the skies, his visage expressionless. To him, it didn't seem like a very big deal that he had dealt with a Path Extinction Realm expert.
This fool was nothing but a stepping stone in Ryu's eyes, a whetstone that would sharpen his blade. Ryu was well aware that his attack was hardly enough to give Zulfiqar superficial injuries. In fact, it wouldn't even put a dent in Zulfiqar's battle prowess.
However, if Ryu had really wanted to kill Zulfiqar now, he wouldn't be using makeshift spears, nor would he be relying on a Spirit Body transformation he was using for the very first time. He would have brought out his Great Swordstaffs and have long since begun to use the ability he had unlocked after his Heavenly Pupils evolved.
But, this wasn't the time for that. Ryu was only taking a bit of interest.
Zulfiqar had humiliated him twice now. This was just payment for the first time. Soon, there would be a second. And, come the third, he would be snatching his life instead.
The ground where Zulfiqar landed suddenly exploded.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Before Zulfiqar could do much of anything, though, several powerful auras began to approach. Comparing them to Zulfiqar would be akin to comparing a small puddle to a vast ocean.
It seemed that the true powerhouses of the Moonlight Blossom Sect had appeared.