Winds blew in all directions as a whirlpool of blades clashed at the battlefield's centre.
Arcs of black iron blades bit into each other, engulfing the air in sparks and shrill shrieks.
The chains of Longwang's anchor pivoted across his left arm; its sharpened edges cut through the wind rushing towards Vera's torso.
If I dash in, the chains will pull me into close quarters, rendering my weapon useless.
Vera's eyes darted across the chain's path with a sharp gleam; the halberd's edge shifted to a left mid-guard.
A sharp clang resounded through the battlefield; the halberd's crescent blades hooked the anchor's chains.
Qi seared through Vera's arms as he flipped the halberd over, dragging Longwang to him.
A thud echoed as the staff crashed into Longwang's chest; fault lines cracked across his sternum as his chest caved in.
But he didn't stall; he pushed into Vera's range.
Sharp canines dug into Vera's shoulder; Longwang's fist hurtled into his guts.
Vera's expression contorted; a metallic taste flooded his mouth.
He grabbed Longwang's shoulder and released a qi blade in close contact.
The afternoon sun peered through the gap in Longwang's shoulder.
But he gritted his teeth, biting down harder. The two continued exchanging blows in close quarters.
Qi-enhanced blows ravaged through their bodies; the arcs of their blades were replaced by a flurry of fists.
Pooled blood splattered under their vigorous movements.
In the exchange, Vera's fist created a moment of weakness.
Longwang's hold widened; Vera's palm drove into the bottom of his jaw.
"Qi blade." Vera screamed; blood-tinged spit spurted from his mouth.
The qi-blade cut through Longwang's fortification, almost ripping his tongue off.
However, Vera didn't get off easily either. As Longwang recoiled from Vera's qi blade, he bit off a thick chunk of flesh from Vera's shoulder.
The bone in his shoulder ground against its socket; the sinew from his muscle grotesquely hung from Longwang's mouth.
In less than a second, flames seared through their wounds; immolated flesh staunched their bleeding.
Longwang dashed back as qi converged in his palm.
Fuck! I lost the tempo!
Vera hurriedly erected a shield of iron qi; his palm pressed into the shield's centre.
"Raging Stream!"
An overwhelming stream crashed into Vera's shield as Longwang fortified his neck.
For a moment, the shield fought off the flood, but it was only a moment.
The stream's overwhelming force shattered the shield and engulfed Vera. As he was blown back by the attack, a sharp purple lustre pierced through the stream's centre.
The wind shrieked as Vera was flung into the far end of the forest; every bone in his body creaked as he crashed into the ground.
A shrill ringing consumed his ears; his vision swam.
I need to hold him off till I regain my senses!
Vera gritted his teeth as he let out an indiscriminate burst of attacks; pillars of earth shot out of the ground, obscuring his location.
Qi cycled through his meridians. Thin vines made of qi wrapped around cracks that ran through his bones, holding them in place.
Seconds passed, yet Longwang hadn't attacked him.
Did it hit?
Vera pushed away from the ground as soon as he stabilised from the effect of his wounds.
His breaths tore as he rushed towards Longwang.
Having regained his vision, Vera saw a giant stream of water obscuring Longwang's position.
A jagged smile split open on his face; he was sure now.
The qi blade got through the stream.
Vera ran back to the centre of the battlefield; hundreds of orbs formed around him.
He pressed his left hand into the ground; the mark of the Baize shone over his back. Qi rushed through his meridians and flooded the ground.
Earth Mound.
A heavy rumble permeated through the battlefield.
Cracks formed over the land surrounding Longwang. The ground beneath him rose above the barricade of water; his eyes widened as his barrier left his line of sight.
He gripped the gash over his neck as he stared at Vera dumbfounded; golden blood seeped through his fingers.
Just then, sharp whistles screeched in the wind.
Every qi orb that surrounded Vera burst toward him.
The barrage of attacks shot at his eyes, neck, and shoulders.
With the one second he had before the attacks landed, Longwang's arms rose to cover his eyes and neck.
Pellets of qi burrowed into his elbows and shoulder.
But the attack wasn't over yet; manifestations of vines grew into Longwang's flesh, restricting his mobility.
A thick line of qi wrapped around his ruptured carotid, its form slowly turning to flesh. Vera's vine manifestations dissipated as Longwang circulated his qi.
Vera's eyes widened.
How?
But there was no time to dwell on it. Vera had to keep his tempo.
The mound beneath the Jiao burst open, throwing him out of the barrier he had erected.
Vera gripped his halberd tightly; its blade dug through the mud.
At the same time Longwang's anchor hurtled towards Vera.
A metallic clang resounded as the weapons clashed in the air; sparks of shaved metal shot away.
The striations across Vera's back rippled as he stifled the halberd's momentum. Qi seared through his legs; he dashed toward Longwang, closing the gap between them.
"Descending Crescent."
The chains wrapped around Longwang's right arm as he raised it to block the attack. His palm swung from the side, crashing into Vera's torso.
Ribs ground against the force from his palm; acid seeped out of Vera's stomach, scalding his innards.
A guttural scream erupted from Vera as his halberd crashed into the chains.
Longwang's brows furrowed.
The force of Vera's swing was weak. Even though Vera had taken his blow directly, the swing was just too weak.
Just then, a searing heat gripped his elbows; Vera's blood-soaked grimace sent chills down his spine.
A feint—
"Incinerate!" Vera's coarse voice boomed.
A blinding red engulfed the surroundings. The ground turned to ash; the smell of scorched flesh assaulted the senses.
Vera's knee hurtled into his guts; the force bludgeoned his intestines. Bones peered through scorched muscle and sinew.
Longwang gritted his teeth; the force alone caused blood to seep out of his gums. Despite the pain, he knew.
I can't stop.
Bands of qi formed over Longwang's injuries; new flesh began growing.
Qi flooded out of the tip of his fingers; vapour in the air coalesced into points.
"Spike!" He yelled out; bits of flesh flew out of his mouth.
The vapour cores turned to thin needles of water; yin qi flooded through them.
Vera wasn't able to fortify his body in time. The needles pierced through Vera's flesh and bones.
Pained screams escaped Vera like never before.
A golden shine grew over Vera's back; it was the Bixie's mark.
An otherworldly aura ensconced his bones, preventing them from shattering into pieces.
This qi!
Vera immediately recognised what was happening.
The dulling pain.
The shoddy stopgaps.
This happened when he fought the Rakshasa as well.
I'm reaching critical failure.
Despite the Bixie's mark protecting him, Vera didn't feel any relief. At this point he would have been a fool not to notice.
Unlike me, who is held at the brink of destruction, Longwang is healing over time.
Relying on tactics and brutality would let him win the battle, but not the war.
Vera dashed back; the gleam in his eyes sheathed itself. Longwang could tell what Vera was going to do; he could charge in and draw the fight out, but...
Fuck that!
Longwang also retreated, his expression mirrored Vera's.
Their gazes met.
"Let's finish it with this," Longwang spoke.
Vera nodded silently.
A point of qi formed over Vera's palm. Tendrils of energy seeped from the tip of his fingers; each tendril circled around the point.
Longwang's face morphed; his tanned skin turned to rough scales. His jaw grew in size; beastly fangs emerged from his mouth.
A core rose up from his throat and floated in his mouth.
The two began circulating energy rampantly. The heat in the air grew palpable.
Their dense qi irradiated the surroundings; a blinding viridescent blue filled the air.
Dense rumbles ran through the ground. Mounds of earth began splitting apart.
This was it.
Intent grew clear; it was never about killing each other.
I see... This entire time I was chasing this emotion. This intensity. And you did as well.
A moment that could only be felt here, at the apex of battle. Emotion that was carved into flesh.
"Dragon's Breath."
"Pure Qi Blade."
All six senses faded.
Not a single tactile sense remained.
Two immense energies flowed through a darkened space. Each moment turned to an eternity.
And just as the energies were about to meet, the world reached a complete halt.
"This much should be enough." A cold voice resounded through the void.
In this stilled world, nothing moved, except of course The First Ascender.
Dao Tian.
His hand reached out to the two energies that were about to collide; the distance between them was less than a hair's width.
As his palm gripped their qi, the world turned dark.
A dull vibration resounded through his palm; light seeped through the gaps between his fingers. Its stifled radiance outlined his silhouette.
"I only permitted the death of one. Not both." He spoke, his expression unchanging.
"What did I tell you?" Ezra spoke with a restrained tone.
Vera and Longwang stared at the two immortals silently. Time flowed naturally, but the sheer pressure they exuded froze the two of them in place.
"Transfix."
A dense, cold fluid ensconced their bodies—the vibrance of the world contorting into a single point before vanishing entirely. Vera and Longwang were engulfed by the void.
Dao Tian's voice reached the sage's mountain.
"Give them the pills you brought, Long."
Stilled senses slowly returned to the forest. The quivering of the ground and the roaring of the winds halted.
Dao Tian stared at his palm silently.
"Did you get cut?" Ezra asked.
"No... I just think the next generation is rather promising."