Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 714

Chapter 714

Chapter 714: Pressure Battle

This was the Terminator’s power – his true, terrifying power .

Lan Jue felt that this man, the one they said was second on the Paragon List, earned his fame . The Epochrion was also a Reflection of Heaven and Earth, but she could not compare to his sheer destructive power . More notable was his protogenic understanding . The Terminator was intimately aware of the secrets of his ruinous abilities and the mighty source it came from .

Even Luo Xianni, having arisen to Nirvana, would struggle . Her space-time abilities were undermined by the Terminator’s protogenia, and if the two fought tooth and nail it wasn’t impossible to imagine Luo Xianni being defeated .

What incredible power! Lan Jue inwardly praised the Northern leader .

“Buddha’s Wisdom!” 1 The soft voice was not a chant, but Lan Qing’s own voice . It was full of tranquility, benevolence, and a quiet self-confidence .

The light of Buddha’s Revelation dimmed, and the image of Vairochana dissipated into the darkness . Only Lan Qing remained .

He stood alone against the ravenous vacuum of the dark comet . He spread his arms, and a pure white lotus bloomed from the center of his chest . It lazily drifted forward, vanishing into the infinite destruction of the Terminator’s Domain .

But with each petal destroyed, that fearful power diminished . It was like each white petal it devoured pulled the comet from the brink of annihilation . Somehow it was healing its collapse, stunting its destruction .

It wasn’t a collision, it was a rescue . Lan Qing was saving the dark comet from itself like a doctor curing a patient of their ailments .

“I did not imagine you could use such a method to counteract my Domain . ” Surprise was thick in the Terminator’s words . His dark comet dispersed . The world around them returned to normal, and the two men stood in the center of the arena as though nothing had happened . The Terminator looked at Lan Qing in shock, and the Eastern Admiral looked back with compassion and joy .

“His Majesty has a third phase, I’m sure . ” Lan Qing’s eyes twinkled as he stared at the Terminator .

He sighed . “The third phase is different from the first two . I can’t use it unless as a last resort . Even though we didn’t release the full scope of our powers, facing my second phase means you’ve attained power equal to my own . I would never have imagined your rise would be so quick . I’ll admit I’m a little jealous . ”

But Lan Qing shook his head . “I could sense that you were holding back . It was my honor to spar with you . And unless I’m mistaken you should be near your next breakthrough . ”

The Terminator nodded . “I won’t lie, I’m close – I can feel the pull of Nirvana on my spirit . But it feels more like a curse . I need outside stimulation to propel me forward, to catalyze the potential I haven’t yet tapped into . The strength you’ve shown isn’t enough, but I can try and see if your younger brother has the capability . Who knows, with his assistance perhaps the two of you can help . ”

“Don’t worry, I don’t have any untoward intentions . In fact there was a little of that metal I told you about left over after I constructed my Astrum . Whether I break through or not, I’d like to give it to the two of you . It’s only enough to make one Astrum, but I’m certain you’ll find it useful . Especially your brother who has yet to break through . Perhaps he can gain some insight from it . ”

Lan Qing’s eyes sparkled . Of course the Terminator didn’t know that Lan Jue possessed one of the Banishing Blades, or the thunder essence that allowed for their merger . His younger brother already had his Astrum . It was, in fact, Lan Qing who needed a weapon through which he could focus his power .

“So is it our turn?” Lan Jue piped up with a smirk . He arrived floating through the air with Zhou Qianlin’s hand in his own .

“I imagine you heard what we were discussing,” the Terminator said . “I promise nothing bad will come upon you while you’re here . At any time you can tell me, and I’ll bring you safely to the exit . ”

Lan Jue smiled pleasantly . “I have no problems with this . Improving humanity’s strength is good for the species . Allow me to congratulate you on your success beforehand . ”

The Terminator’s eyes were bright . “Despite your kind words don’t expect me to go easy on you . I intend to meet Jue Di, and if causing you a little hurt is how to accomplish that then you can expect it . That old man is my idol . ”

Lan Jue’s face twitched for just a moment . If there was anything his father despised, it was being called old .

Of course, the Terminator couldn’t know what he was thinking . By this time Lan Qing had moved to the side and was kneeling comfortably away from the other two . He was meditating, in part to recover but also to contemplate the flows of protogenia he’d experienced during their fight . Although he was already a Reflection of Heaven and Earth, there was no time when a Paragon finished increasing their knowledge or comprehension of the universe .

The Terminator grinned at the young couple that faced him now . “Whenever you’re ready, you can start . ”

Lan Jue glanced at Qianlin then released her hand . She still had recovered consciousness, but that didn’t impeded the connected they had heart to heart .

They were connected through the Arrow of Compassion and their joined blood . One silver lining surrounding Qianlin’s unfortunate mental state was it helped her easily slip into a position of spiritual receptiveness .

The longer he looked, the more surprised the Terminator became . Although he couldn’t quite place it, the two of them didn’t seem to fit in the reality they occupied . They were somehow separate from the world, like everything around them was making way .

No matter how close he looked, he couldn’t figure out why that was .

Strange!

The Terminator couldn’t shake it, and all he could guess was that they must have discovered some special way of cultivating . That must be why they seemed so odd .

Meanwhile Lan Jue smirked at him with a quiet arrogance .

What was up this guy’s sleeve, the Terminator wondered?

Lan Jue’s expression became serious, almost solemn . He’d clashed with the Terminator before, as well as the Violet Prince and Princess, but they had always had back-up . A one-on-fight was rare, and it was his first time facing someone so close to Nirvana .

He didn’t rush to action . Instead Lan Jue shut his eyes, and Qianlin seeming to sense the change, did so as well . The surprises continued to assail the Terminator as he sensed an enigmatic link grow between his two young challengers .

It started with their breath; even, long, and coordinated . It quickly extended to their hearts, which beat in unison . They ceased to be two separate people, and more like a single fractured entity .

Clang! The sound snapped him from his thoughts . The fine hairs on his body stood on end, galvanizing his focus . It was a heavy and uncomfortable sensation, like the judgement of the universe was leveled on his shoulders .

Only once since becoming a Paragon had he felt that way . Although it only lasted a moment, it was enough to make his heart skip a beat .

Lan Jue and Qianlin lifted their hands, and as if in response haloes of red and blue appeared around their heads . Two swords descended from on high, playing off one another and enhancing their brilliance as though they were alive . They supplemented one another, depended on one another, and entangled one another . The Terminator was left flabbergasted .

What swords were these? How could their power be so incredible? As a second-degree Paragon he sense Captus and Demortus differently than others . The waves of influence within them were frightening to him, so frightening in fact that he didn’t dare look into them too deeply . The closest he could describe them was like active volcanoes that could rain fiery destruction on everything around them at a moment’s notice .

“I am looking forward to His Majesty’s instruction . ” Lan Jue’s soft-spoken words were delivered, and then he made his move . The Jewelry Master stepped forward, and almost laughably slowly pressed his sword forward .

The mysterious blade was imposing as a mountain, mighty as a tidal wave . It was both turbulent and magnificent!

It was as though the Terminator could hear the roar of the sea . In that roar he felt as though he would be swallowed up .

In the same instant Lan Jue stepped forward, Qianlin made her first move . With a sweep of her sword countless slashes of the sword’s energy were spat out in all directions . They felt full, sometimes with vitality and strength, sometimes with the consistency of rain on a tin roof . All the while they blotted out the sky as they raced for the Terminator .

“Excellent, a fine sword style!” The Terminator barked his praise with drawing a circle in the air in front of him . A pitch-black orb appeared in that spot that was surrounded by a blazing yellow disk .

It was a pocket dimension of his Domain . He didn’t need to begin with the full gamut of his abilities against two Adepts yet to achieve Paragon . However, the Terminator soon discovered that he may have underestimated them .

The first strikes to reach him were from Captus . They defied nature by tearing through the sky in erratic fashion . Light as feathers, they were nonetheless impossibly sharp .

The Terminator sensed the manifestation of his Domain become punctured and stabbed . Somehow his protogenia was unable to deflect Lan Jue’s weapon, and on the contrary was actively severed by it .