Pain.
Excruciating pain.
Blood was flowing, bones felt shattered, spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, and even the soul was trembling.
But Emperor Capital still refused to yield. He fell to the lowest point where no light reached, gritted his teeth and stood up, drawing in countless strands of starlight to heal himself. He then ascended once more, pointing at Chen Xia and shouting.
"You call this a fair one-on-one fight?!"
Although he was injured, he simply wouldn't concede.
"An avatar should count as a fair fight, shouldn't it? Besides, I was just testing it out. I didn't expect it to actually come," Chen Xia replied with a light chuckle.
He truly hadn't anticipated being able to summon an avatar, let alone one that would strike Emperor Capital so viciously, as if trying to beat him to death.
Being able to summon it so easily indicated that his connection with the avatar had deepened, also signifying that Chen Xia's main body was growing increasingly powerful, allowing even his remnant soul to easily connect with the avatar.
Although the main body was becoming more formidable, Chen Xia still didn't know when it would regain consciousness. Perhaps it would have to wait until the realm fully recovered, which would take quite some time.
Chen Xia was still pondering this.
Below him, Emperor Capital's mind was struggling to keep up. He looked at the pitch-black figure, then back at Chen Xia, asking in confusion.
"This is your avatar? Are you joking? It's more like your father. Since when is an avatar more powerful than the original body?"
Chen Xia nodded slightly, "Indeed."
His avatar wasn't actually more powerful than his main body, but the problem was that the main body couldn't emerge—only the remnant soul could.
"No, I don't accept this as a fair fight. And this so-called avatar of yours doesn't resemble you at all. If you said it was an elder who intervened, I might believe that."
Emperor Capital continued to tend to his wounds while smiling ingratiatingly at the avatar.
"Esteemed elder, may this junior have the honor of knowing your name?"
The avatar didn't respond, as it lacked sufficient consciousness.
Seeing no reply, Emperor Capital laughed awkwardly. It was the first time since becoming a saint that he had been so disregarded. He became increasingly convinced that this black-clad cultivator was an ancient powerhouse, and immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak further.
He then turned to look at Chen Xia, immediately raising his head again, folding his arms across his chest, and saying arrogantly.
"Although you can summon this elder to fight for you, as a prodigy of the same era, I, Emperor Capital, still don't acknowledge you!"
He had quickly learned to read the situation and adjust his attitude accordingly.
Chen Xia nodded, feeling that Emperor Capital hadn't been beaten badly enough yet.
The avatar remained motionless, and the light in the universe grew slightly colder.
The blood on Emperor Capital's body had already dried, forming scabs.
Chen Xia looked at him and asked.
"So, shall we have a fair one-on-one fight?"
"That's exactly what I want." Emperor Capital laughed boldly, as countless stars lit up behind him, as if innumerable celestial bodies had stopped in his wake.
He was Emperor Capital, the top prodigy in the Star Region. Although he had suffered some minor setbacks in the Blue Sky Sword Sea, which had left him somewhat dispirited for a time.
But after leaving the Blue Sky Sword Sea, he regained his confidence and even rushed to the forefront of prodigies. For over 20,000 years, he had remained at the peak, undoubtedly ranking among the top ten prodigies in the Star Region.
Looking back now, those setbacks in the Blue Sky Sword Sea were merely minor skirmishes on his path of cultivation.
Two thousand years of setbacks paled in comparison to twenty thousand years of glory.
Now, as he faced Chen Xia in battle once again, his thoughts were not of avenging past humiliations, nor of proving himself—he was already a saint, what need was there for proof?
So now, his only thought was to suppress Chen Xia.
That was all.
He stepped upon millions of starlight, like one flowing with the current in a river of stars. With each step, the starlight grew more intense.
"This is my Way, the supreme Star Way of the Great Heaven. It connects the universe above and reaches the mountains and rivers below. Today, with starlight as my river and stars as my path, with you..."
"I shall seek the Way!"
At that moment, starlight exploded, scattering across the entire universe!
The spectating cultivators below could only see faint flashes of starlight, but the spiritual energy had spread to an extremely wide range, causing even the starry ground to tremble, clouds to sink, and birds to fall from the sky.
The cultivators watched nervously, knowing this was the divine power of a saint. They marveled at it while also feeling puzzled about Chen Xia's identity.
Why could this alchemist associate with a saint, and judging by the commotion in the universe, it seemed he was even battling the saint.
Didn't this mean that Chen Xia was also a powerhouse no less formidable than a saint?!
Emperor Zhou's jaw dropped, unwilling to believe that he had dared to imprison such a being in the imperial prison.
He truly deserved to die!
Zhou Jia was even more stunned, never imagining that the junior brother she had once picked up was such a powerhouse. She had heard rumors of great beings reincarnating to cultivate anew, but when it actually happened to her, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
In the universe above.
Emperor Capital came from the starry river, each step landing on a star, his expression haughty, like the lord of the stars walking from below to above. He raised his hand and made a gesture towards Chen Xia.
Starlight surged upwards against the current.
This was his ultimate move, his great divine ability!
He wore a confident smile, believing that Chen Xia could never withstand this attack.
The avatar seemed to sense the threat and began to move slightly.
Emperor Capital's confident expression quickly changed, and he hurriedly waved his hand.
"Elder, please don't intervene. This is a one-on-one fight!"
He certainly could change his tune quickly.
Chen Xia waved his hand, signaling the avatar to stop its movement. At the same time, flowing rivers of time appeared in his eyes.
Two rivers of time in his eyes were like swords.
This was the Dual Way.
Starlight came surging from below.
Chen Xia stepped forward to meet it, pressing down with one hand, and softly said.
"Time flows like a journey, the sword like a river, the Dual Way combined..."
"Slash."
Time became a sword, pure power of the ages, yet manifested through the Way of the Sword.
The two supreme Ways of All Heavens World perfectly fused here, demonstrating their might.
Before the Sword of Time even fell, half of the starlight in the sky had already dissipated.
Emperor Capital's eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized the Way of Time and the Way of the Sword.
This was suppression between great Ways.
The Sword of Time had not yet fallen.
But Emperor Capital already felt the passage of time, as if he had returned to the Blue Sky Sword Sea. Before Chen Xia, he was still so powerless.
Time, perhaps, had never truly changed.
Emperor Capital smiled and shook his head gently.
The myriad starlight had already been erased. The Sword of Time fell with Chen Xia's steps, about to slash down on Emperor Capital.
Emperor Capital smiled calmly and unexpectedly took a step forward. Facing the Sword of Time without fear, he instead raised his head and laughed.
"Brother, I was wrong."
The sword nearly struck true.
One could say that Emperor Capital truly understood the art of changing face.
The youthful-looking Chen Xia emerged from behind the Sword of Time and asked curiously, "Wrong about what?"
Emperor Capital's expression turned serious as he said solemnly.
"I shouldn't have listened to Qiu Li's instructions!"
Well.
He had mastered both changing face and throwing his allies under the bus.