The battle axe was heavy and sharp. With a chop in mid-air, a blood-red silhouette flashed across the sky, slicing towards Austen.
Austen, wielding a snow-white spear, gently parried the blood-red silhouette and then darted towards Xue Jing.
Both were powerful cultivators who had refined their second-grade Golden Cores. As they clashed in close combat, even a mere shockwave caused surrounding buildings to instantly collapse, turning the Church of Light into ruins.
"Those few, I'll leave them to you. Not a single one can escape!"
Zhang Fan glanced at the five arbitrators who had retreated to a distance and said to the Unfallen Sword Immortal.
The Unfallen Sword Immortal knew that Zhang Fan was giving him an opportunity to practice, and he responded with excitement, drawing his sword and charging towards the five arbitrators.
The three princes of the Blood Clan stood silently behind Zhang Fan, awaiting his command.
"Where did this brat come from, so arrogant, coming alone to die!"
The five arbitrators of the Church of Light could feel the Unfallen Sword Immortal's immense power, likely at the peak of the Condensation Core realm. However, the Church of Light excelled in combined attack techniques. With the combined strength of five, they feared no one, not even a peak Condensation Core realm expert.
What they didn't know was that the Unfallen Sword Immortal was no longer just an ordinary peak Condensation Core realm expert; he had already inscribed a Golden Core Dao pattern.
After following Zhang Fan, the Unfallen Sword Immortal's understanding of the sword dao had greatly improved. These five Condensation Core realm experts were excellent targets for honing his swordsmanship.
They unleashed their combined attack technique, their coordination flawless, and they could unleash power at the peak Condensation Core realm level, making the Unfallen Sword Immortal feel that the battle was not entirely uninteresting.
Zhang Fan's gaze remained fixed on the battle between Xue Jing and Austen. Xue Jing appeared like a scholar with a pale complexion, a stark contrast to the massive battle axe in his hand.
However, his axe techniques were grand and powerful, giving the impression of effortless strength. The massive blood-red battle axe was wielded with remarkable agility in his hands. He unleashed thirteen consecutive blows, forcing Austen to retreat step by step.
"Haha, exhilarating!"
Xue Jing swung his blood axe with abandon, releasing his power. This was the first time in hundreds of years that he had fought so wholeheartedly.
He even faintly felt his meridians clearing and his Golden Core, while releasing immense magical power, also accelerated its absorption of the world's energy.
"Is this a breakthrough?"
Xue Jing could sense that his aura had reached its peak. If this momentum continued, he might very well break through his bottleneck and reach the middle stage of the Condensation Core realm.
Although Austen had been on the defensive, he wielded his long spear with impenetrable defense. Even though he was constantly being pushed back, he appeared composed.
"En?"
Sensing that the Blood Clan was finding an opportunity for a breakthrough in this battle, Austen couldn't help but frown slightly.
"This cannot continue."
Austen gripped his snow-white spear, twirling his hands. With a sudden surge of power, his spear shot out like a dragon, striking the edge of Xue Jing's axe. The immense force sent Xue Jing staggering back dozens of steps, each step he took in the air accompanied by a low, explosive sound.
In contrast, Austen stood proudly in the sky, his body unmoving, like the white-robed war god of China's Three Kingdoms period.
"How is this possible?" Xue Jing looked incredulous, having been forced back by Austen's spear.
Although Austen's snow-white spear was also a mid-grade spiritual treasure, his axe held an absolute advantage in terms of raw power.
Furthermore, although Austen's realm had reached the middle stage of the Condensation Core realm, he had condensed one less Golden Core Dao pattern than Xue Jing, meaning their strength was not at an advantage.
Yet, Austen had managed to force him back dozens of steps with a single spear thrust. The vast gap in their strength was difficult for Xue Jing to accept.
"I had intended to spar with Brother Xue Jing for a while, as we haven't seen each other in centuries. I didn't expect Brother Xue Jing to find an opportunity for a breakthrough during battle. In that case, I can only end this quickly."
Austen's smile vanished, replaced by icy killing intent.
"Holy Light Illumination!"
Austen unleashed the primal power of his Golden Core, manifesting his domain and pushing its power to the extreme.
The boundless light energy covered an area of several miles. The Unfallen Sword Immortal was also suppressed by the domain's power. What was originally effortless against the combined attacks of the five Condensation Core realm experts now became a struggle.
"Boundless Sea of Blood!"
Xue Jing, unwilling to be outdone, also unleashed his domain. Blood clouds gathered in the sky, dyeing the entire firmament crimson, as if the end of days had arrived.
With them at the center, half the sky was a boundless bloody red, and the other half was endless light. Both were fully channeling the power of their Golden Cores, vying for control of the domain.
Xue Jing had initially believed that with the advantage of his top-grade second-grade Golden Core, he could suppress Austen in their domain confrontation.
However, as they truly clashed, he discovered that he was at a disadvantage in the domain!
Austen's 'Holy Light Illumination' domain pressed back the blood moon, and the range of the 'Boundless Sea of Blood' domain continuously shrank. In the end, Xue Jing's domain could barely cover a radius of a few hundred meters around him.
"How can Ancestor's 'Boundless Sea of Blood' domain be suppressed by Austen? This is impossible!" Prince Hill exclaimed in disbelief, watching the scene unfold from behind Zhang Fan.
The three princes had experienced the great battle of hundreds of years ago and were well aware of the power of the Blood Ancestor's domain. Austen had never held an advantage in their domain confrontations.
Even with his current advancement to the middle stage of the Condensation Core realm, his domain power couldn't have increased so drastically as to completely suppress the Blood Ancestor.
"Austen is not as simple as you see him," Zhang Fan said softly, his eyes fixed on Austen, a hint of fervor in them.
The princes of the Blood Clan couldn't comprehend Zhang Fan's words and could only exchange glances, their faces filled with confusion.
However, since Zhang Fan didn't elaborate, they dared not ask further. As long as Zhang Fan was here, no matter what means Austen possessed, he would not escape death today.
In the arena, Austen's domain held an absolute advantage, and his spear techniques were no less sharp than Xue Jing's axe techniques. The larger his domain, the stronger the world's energy he could mobilize. His formidable power left Xue Jing with no choice but to defend, with no opportunity to counterattack.
*Ching!*
Xue Jing was filled with bewilderment, his state of mind unstable, and his defense gradually faltered, revealing a slight opening. Austen seized the opportunity and struck Xue Jing's shoulder with his spear.
Austen's spear flicked upwards, tearing a deep, bone-revealing gash on Xue Jing's shoulder, blood splattering.
"Today, let me finally end this conflict. The opportunities left by Zi Wu Heavenly Immortal are only worthy of me, Austen, to obtain!"
Austen summoned the spirit of his spiritual treasure, a colossal white jade sacred elephant. Though a phantom, the sacred elephant hung in the air like a sky-piercing mountain, its powerful aura making it difficult to breathe.
"Sacred Elephant Skyward Charge!"
Under Austen's control, the white jade sacred elephant lumbered with heavy steps across the sky, charging rapidly towards Xue Jing.
As the white jade sacred elephant ran, the heavens seemed to tremble. The oppressive aura forced Xue Jing's body to shiver. He forcibly propped up his injured body, preparing to activate the battle axe's spirit for a desperate fight against Austen, when suddenly a figure flashed and appeared in front of Xue Jing.