Evan Chu's speed was blazing fast, especially after breaking through to the Ninth Layer of the Saint Martial Realm—now he was more than twice as fast as before. Tom Chu's illusion domain was boundless; no matter how Evan teleported, he couldn't reach the edge.
But Draxon, the Ancient Black Dragon, was just as fast, keeping pace and even slowly closing in. "Kid, if you've got guts, quit running! Let your Grandpa Draxon see how tough you really are!"
"Black mud-eel, talk to your master again when you actually catch up!" Evan shot back, fusing Windshift with his teleportation art to the absolute limit—yet even that couldn't shake off Draxon's relentless chase.
Draxon's speed really was freakish. If he caught up, things would get ugly. Just hearing the name 'Dark Abyss Domain' was enough to make Evan's scalp tingle. With Luna unable to help, he'd have to rely on himself for everything now, no matter what.
Evan and Tom Chu kept teleporting through the endless domain, while Luna sat cross-legged in the void, slowly circulating her celestial spirit power. Waves of pure, holy light radiated from her body. She could feel her strength rising, but at this rate, there was no way she'd be able to help Evan defeat Draxon—worry crept onto her breathtaking face.
Evan turned to Tom Chu. "Tom, is there any way to stop that bastard? He's way too fast—if he catches up, we're screwed." Evan had never been this humiliated, forced to flee with someone breathing down his neck. But the real reason was Luna's warning about the Dark Abyss Domain; if not for that, Evan wouldn't be afraid at all.
"Big brother, I really can't help you with this. Draxon's strength is way too much. If I use illusions, he'll see right through them and break out of the illusion domain. After that, trying to trap him again would be impossible—and the whole Divine Dragon Valley could be doomed." Tom Chu replied grimly.
After hearing this, Evan gritted his teeth and stopped dead in his tracks, standing tall. Draxon's strength was overwhelming, but now that Evan had reached the Ninth Layer of the Saint Martial Realm, he was confident he could go toe-to-toe with even a Ninth Layer Venerable Martial expert. Maybe he could even catch Draxon off guard with a surprise attack.
As soon as he stopped, Evan began channeling lightning element throughout the illusion domain. Back on the Godfall Battleground, he'd killed Venerable Solus with a concentrated lightning strike. He wasn't expecting to finish Draxon the same way, but with his breakthrough, the lightning he could summon was much stronger—maybe enough to land a heavy blow.
Soon, Evan was resonating with the lightning element. By the time Draxon arrived, the energy was already building up rapidly, crackling in the air.
Draxon saw Evan suddenly stop and grew suspicious. This kid wasn't as strong as him, but he was a tough opponent—one he couldn't afford to underestimate. Staring at Evan, he sneered, "So, kid, you're not running anymore? What, did you run out of Stellar Power?"
"I'm not running. I'm just sizing up your speed, and honestly, I'm disappointed. Black mud-eel, I heard your Dark Abyss Domain is pretty scary. Why not show it off for me? And while you're at it, let me show you whether my Light Domain is stronger than your dark one." Evan grinned, full of swagger.
Truth be told, Evan barely understood the light and darkness elements—he'd only picked up bits and pieces from Luna. But he knew they were natural opposites, each countering the other. He was just bluffing now, trying to see if Draxon would be wary of the light element. Bluffing was one of his specialties.
Draxon froze, a flash of surprise flickering across his face. Though it only lasted a moment, Evan caught it clearly. "Kid, you actually know about the Light Domain? Looks like you're not simple. Who are you, really? If you tell me the truth, maybe I'll be in a good mood and let you off today."
Evan hadn't expected Draxon's attitude to flip so fast—something was off. He immediately realized the old beast was trying to catch him off guard for a sneak attack. Draxon was as treacherous as they came, and Evan's lightning power wasn't fully charged yet.
There was plenty of lightning element in the illusion domain, but after his breakthrough, Evan needed even more to unleash a real attack. He snorted, "Draxon, if you're hoping to ambush me, forget it. Since you won't show off your Dark Abyss Domain, let me show you just how fierce your master’s martial skills can be!"
The best offense is a preemptive strike! Evan instantly unleashed Star-Cleave. Now, his Star-Cleave was far stronger than before. As soon as he swung, the surrounding space trembled violently, and a massive wave of sword-qi slashed toward Draxon.
Draxon's face twisted in disbelief. He hadn't expected Evan's attack to be so fierce. In a flash, a dragon sword appeared in his hand, and he slashed out—two surging waves of sword-qi collided in midair, shaking the heavens. Yellow sand exploded into the sky, and a wild black cyclone spun crazily before them, born from the energy clash.
Evan was blasted back hundreds of meters before he could steady himself, his chest aching but not seriously injured. Draxon, too, was sent flying over a hundred meters, his arm numb and his chest heaving. He thought, "Such terrifying power—and so strange! It even seems to carry lightning element. What's going on here?"
That exchange told Evan all he needed to know about Draxon's attack power. If he used his Unicorn Arm, he could probably fight Draxon to a standstill. But if he could hit him hard enough with lightning, maybe even paralyze him, there was a real chance he could kill him.
At that moment, Evan already had a plan. He rapidly circulated Chaos Dragon Force into his arm, and soon it was throbbing with a painful, swelling sensation—ready to explode with power.
He called out to Draxon in the distance, "Draxon, you really let your master down! You're not even worth a hit. I thought you were some kind of monster, but turns out you're just average!"
Evan said this just to distract Draxon and make sure his lightning attack would hit dead on. Sure enough, Draxon roared back, "Kid, that's because your Grandpa Draxon was only using eighty percent of his strength! You really think you're hot stuff, huh? This time I'll show you what true power is!"
As soon as Draxon finished speaking, a torrent of black energy erupted from his body—almost identical to demonic energy. Evan even wondered if Draxon was really a devil dragon. A crushing wave of power surged toward Evan, radiating terrifying majesty.