Chapter 38: A Small Space, A Tiny Heaven
"This space that binds the enemy can also expand and shrink as I wish. This technique is finally complete." Linley felt a surge of ecstasy in his heart.
The penetrating power of this sword strike was comparable to the last one. The only addition was a kind of binding and crushing force! This would make the opponent feel constrained and restricted, to the point where they wouldn't even have time to block Linley's sword.
The Blackstone Prison dissipated. Bebe immediately turned his head to look, then ran over in pleasant surprise: "Boss, you spent nearly half a year studying this technique. Come on, give it a try. How powerful is it?"
"Alright. Let's give it a try." Linley was also somewhat expectant.
"Don't hold back. My defense can even withstand attacks from a Paragon Highgod. Go ahead and hit me hard." Bebe stood there, chest puffed out, and even winked at Linley.
Linley knew all too well about Bebe's astonishing defense. He nodded and said, "Alright, but I won't use Dragonform for now. Try to see if you can block this sword strike of mine with your weapon." As Linley spoke, the Mirage Sword appeared in his hand, while Bebe flipped his hand and produced a dagger.
"Come on." Bebe's eyes lit up as he focused his attention on Linley's Mirage Sword.
"Swish!"
The Mirage Sword instantly turned transparent and stabbed out abruptly. Bebe's eyebrows shot up. He clearly saw 108 streams of earthen-yellow divine power shooting out from around Linley's Mirage Sword, like 108 azure dragons roaring as they devoured him. Before he could react, the earth elements in the surrounding space rapidly gathered. The 108 streams of divine power instantly merged with the earth elements, forming a sphere with a diameter of five meters that trapped him inside.
"This binding force is really strong." Bebe also felt the powerful crushing pressure.
This was a gravitational force capable of making even ordinary Seven Star Fiends struggle to resist. Pressing in from all directions, even Bebe found it uncomfortable.
The Mirage Sword was formless and invisible.
However, the spatial ripples it caused all spread toward Bebe.
"Hmm?" Bebe's divine sense clearly detected the Mirage Sword stabbing toward him. He immediately tried to swing his arm to block with his divine-god-level dagger. "This binding force is really troublesome." Bebe felt as if ropes were binding his arms, slowing him down considerably.
"Pfft!"
The sword struck Bebe square in the chest. Bebe's body shuddered violently.
"How is it, Bebe?" Linley sheathed his sword with a smile.
"The binding force is indeed strong enough." Bebe nodded in praise. "Though it's not as terrifying as Baier's, it's still much stronger than a single-direction gravitational pull."
Linley had also noticed that Bebe's divine-god-level dagger hadn't managed to block his sword at all.
In battles between experts, weapons were generally used to parry the opponent's weapons. Using one's body to take a hit directly was something only a few could do; most commanders couldn't manage it.
"But the power still isn't enough. It just tickles me." Bebe said with a mischievous grin. Linley couldn't help but laugh and shake his head: "Bebe, I didn't use Dragonform! After Dragonform, my strength increases dramatically, and the power becomes much greater. Of course... even then, it still wouldn't hurt you." Linley was well aware of his own limits.
Bebe chuckled slyly: "Just kidding, Boss. What are you going to call this technique?"
"Trapping someone in a small space, making it impossible for them to dodge and forcing them to take my strike... Hmm, let's call it 'A Small Space, A Tiny Heaven'." Linley settled on the name for his current strongest sword strike.
A Small Space, A Tiny Heaven!
Linley thought to himself that, in Dragonform, this strike of his was already above average among commanders. Adding the 'binding force' made it top-tier among commanders. Perhaps in pure attack power, it couldn't compare to someone using a Sovereign artifact. But Linley's technique... made it difficult for others to defend against.
It was like that Niaoman. When his wolf-tooth club came smashing down, the power was immense! But Linley could still barely hold on by blocking with his weapon. If Niaoman also knew Linley's technique and could generate a powerful binding force that prevented Linley from blocking in time, he might have crushed Linley to death with one blow.
"Bebe, it's time for us to go out and take a look now." Linley said with a faint smile.
The Planar Battlefield was as silent and cold as ever.
Here, there was never any sunlight or warmth, only the endless howling of the bitter wind. Linley and Bebe moved stealthily across the Planar Battlefield. However, after advancing for a full seven days, they hadn't encountered a single person. It was clear that the number of people on the Planar Battlefield was growing increasingly sparse.
"Boss, look, there seems to be a figure up ahead." Bebe suddenly spoke.
Linley squinted into the distance. The figure was several miles away, and because of the thick, windblown weeds, Linley couldn't make out who it was.
A moment later—
"It's him!" Linley was caught between laughter and tears.
"It's actually Hermes." Bebe was also stunned. They both clearly remembered that freak with terrifying defense and attack power, who also possessed a soul-defense Sovereign artifact. This Hermes had become a Sovereign's emissary when he was still a Demigod.
"Haha. It's you two. Don't run." A loud laugh came from afar.
Linley and Bebe, however, stood still.
"Bebe, you just stay by the side. Let me spar with this big guy." Linley's eyes burned with fervor, the battle-hungry blood in his veins seeming to boil. "Although Hermes is powerful, his speed is average, and he has no long-range attacks. He's perfect for a sparring match to test my current strength."
"Alright." Bebe grinned mischievously. "Boss, don't embarrass yourself. Don't run away after just a few moves."
Both Linley and Bebe had fought Hermes before, and they were confident they could escape if they wanted to.
Three meters tall, his entire body seemed cast from steel, with a mane of golden, disheveled hair, a snub nose, and a wide, tiger-like mouth! A pair of golden eyes stared at Linley and the other. This man was none other than 'Hermes'. Hermes frowned and snorted, "You two have some nerve. Last time you managed to escape, and now you dare to stay put when you see me."
"Hermes, I've made some slight progress recently. I'd like you to offer some guidance." Linley said with a faint smile.
"Guidance?" Hermes rubbed his large, upturned nose and grinned, revealing a mouthful of golden teeth. "If I guide you, it might cost you your lives."
"Not guiding both of us, just me alone." Linley chuckled lightly. "If you really can take my life, Hermes, feel free to try."
Hermes frowned, thinking to himself, "Is this kid looking for death? Whatever, if he wants to die, I won't stop him." Without further ado, Hermes stomped his right leg against the ground, causing the earth to tremble violently. His entire body glowed with a golden aura, like a golden war god, as he charged toward Linley.
With a "Boom!" Linley instantly underwent Dragonform. At the same time, he stomped the ground and dodged to the side.
"Your speed has increased?" Hermes immediately noticed the change in Linley. With his improved comprehension of profound mysteries, Linley's speed had naturally increased as well.
"But it's still not enough!" Hermes growled lowly. His legs suddenly blazed with blinding golden light.
"Boom!" "Boom!" Hermes stomped heavily on the ground beneath him, cracking it apart. However, the tremendous force of his stomps generated a powerful rebound, propelling Hermes to even greater speed. In response to this move, a earthen-yellow halo descended—the Blackstone Space!
Hermes' speed plummeted.
Linley knew he couldn't kill Hermes. This battle was merely to familiarize himself with his own ultimate technique.
"Hermes, taste this sword strike of mine." Linley's voice echoed in Hermes' mind as the Mirage Sword thrust out—
Hermes turned his head to look. He only saw 108 earthen-yellow azure dragons materialize out of thin air and shoot toward him. Hermes sneered, "Your sword is quite special, able to turn invisible." His divine sense clearly detected Linley's Mirage Sword stabbing toward him at extreme speed.
Just as Hermes was about to throw a punch, he suddenly felt a powerful binding and crushing force. A earthen-yellow, semi-transparent sphere with a diameter of five meters enveloped him.
"Such a strong binding force." Hermes frowned.
Hermes still swung his fist, smashing toward Linley's Mirage Sword. It had to be admitted that Hermes was extraordinarily gifted, possessing immense strength. Even under such strong gravitational pull, his fist's speed didn't slow down too much. At the last moment, his golden, radiant fist collided with Linley's Mirage Sword.
"Explode!" The power of Linley's sword strike finally erupted.
Linley's strongest strike—A Small Space, A Tiny Heaven!
"Pfft!" A crack split open in space.
Linley's body was sent staggering backward. Hermes also trembled slightly, then looked down at his fist in some surprise. The metallic-looking skin on his fist had split open, and a trace of blood seeped out. But it healed immediately.
Linley stood not far away, feeling delighted in his heart.
Last time, when the golden light cluster shot from Hermes' fist struck Linley's Mirage Sword, it had shattered the dragon scales on Linley's palm and sent the Mirage Sword rebounding to slash him.
"That time, it was just a golden light cluster. This time, it was a direct collision with his fist itself! The power was several times stronger, yet I only felt my palm go numb. If I encounter that Niaoman again, I won't be so embarrassed trying to block his wolf-tooth club." Linley's confidence soared.
"Moreover, my full-power sword strike can now tear open the space of the Planar Battlefield." Linley was overjoyed.
Hermes looked up and stared solemnly at Linley: "You've improved a lot. You have the ability to hurt me now." Hermes knew very well that when his fist channeled profound mysteries, its power was at its peak. If even his fist's skin had been pierced, then if Linley's sword struck any other part of his body, it could indeed injure him.
"But you haven't truly hurt me yet, have you?" Linley's eyes gleamed. "Just now, you managed to block that strike. Again!"
Linley's body vanished from its spot, leaving only a blur as he charged toward Hermes.
"Boom!" "Boom!"...
The two clashed again and again, exchanging blows repeatedly. Linley's figure moved like a phantom, constantly shifting—retreating, advancing! Hermes, meanwhile, stood his ground, blocking all of Linley's attacks with his fists and legs. With every exchange, Linley was sent flying backward.
Neither Hermes nor Linley used Sovereign power.
"Boss, keep it up!" Bebe shouted and cheered from the side.
Linley, however, felt the terror of Hermes: "This Hermes has such monstrous strength—'immense power' doesn't even begin to describe it! Even under the crushing force of my binding, he can still barely block my sword strike." Even so, the rebound force made Linley's palm go numb.
The power of his fist was truly spine-chilling.
"Killing this kid from the Azure Dragon clan is unlikely," Hermes thought to himself. "I don't have an attack Sovereign artifact! Otherwise, I'd have dealt with him long ago."
"Hey!"
Hermes suddenly let out a roar. "Kid, if you've got the guts, let your sword clash head-on with my fist! Stop using that binding and crushing force to mess with me." Hermes was also frustrated. Under such strong crushing pressure, he couldn't fully unleash the power of his punches. If he could throw a punch at his best, how could Linley block it so easily?
"I'm not that stupid." Linley laughed heartily.
"I think you two should stop." A clear, resonant voice rang out, and at the same time, a sharp, piercing wave of energy shot over, slamming directly into Linley's Mirage Sword and Hermes' fist. The immense force sent both Linley and Hermes stumbling back dozens of meters.
Linley and Hermes both turned to look.
Not far away, a man in a white robe with black hair was walking gracefully toward them. Beneath a pair of red eyebrows, his eyes were deep and unfathomable. He swept his gaze over Linley and Hermes.
"Where did such a powerful expert come from?" Hermes' face changed drastically. He was most confident in his own strength, yet that single blow had sent him reeling backward.
"Mr. Leylin!" Linley exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
"Qinghuo?" Bebe's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
This man was none other than 'Qinghuo' Leylin.