Monarch Of Time

Chapter 952 Fifth trial: Test of Talent! (4)

Shun Long covered the gap between them and rushed towards the shore of the lake, but the devilishly handsome young man didn't stay idle either. His feet kicked the ground as his figure turned into a purple blur, flying towards his azure-robed opponent with devastating speed.

There were no words exchanged between them, but the thick scent of their imminent battle filled the air with anticipation!

In just a few moments, both Shun Long and the purple-robed young man stood opposite each other before they brought down their blades at full force! A moment later, a horrifying clash shook the entirety of the vast field, as Shun Long's black sword met the azure greatsword directly!

''BOOOOOM!''

The silence and tranquility of the empty green field were quickly replaced by a deafening sonic boom, as the brief yet terrifying clash of the swords shook the air, pushing the two men away from each other.

However, just this first clash alone was enough to indicate how the rest of this battle was going to unfold.

Shun Long felt the black sword slipping out of his hands as the purple-robed man's strike pushed him backward for more than ten meters until he regained his balance. His right hand that was holding the black sword felt numb after the collision, and if it wasn't for his 'Monarch's Eternal body's' overwhelming resiliency, even the web of his thumb would have been torn off in an instant.

And yet... the devilish young man didn't fare much better either. Although Shun Long was only a peak-rank 8 Dao King and a sixth-stage body refiner, his all-out strike was more than enough to rival an early-stage Dao Emperor by now.

With his comprehension of the sword added to the mix -having already reached the level of sword aura- even an early-stage Dao Emperor would find it a nightmare to defend against his attacks! At the very least, that last strike was no weaker than the all-out attack of an early-stage Dao Emperor!

After taking it on, the purple-robed young man's feet slid backwards for nearly a dozen meters until they finally came to a halt. His arm that was holding the gigantic azure blade trembled after the impact, prompting him to use his second hand to support himself as well, before his emotionless gaze turned to look at his opponent with a hint of astonishment.

Then... the two of them clashed once more!

...

Soon, the entire field of greenery had turned into the two men's battlefield, as Shun Long and the purple-robed youth clashed more than a hundred times in the span of a few seconds.

Staring at his opponent who seemed to be no weaker than he was, Shun Long could no longer suppress the growing feeling of excitement brewing in his heart with every swing of his sword. This had been the first time in a while that Shun Long had been forced to go all-out in a fight.

Of course, the peak rank 6 magic beasts back on the first trial had put him in a somewhat similar situation, but that couldn't be considered a test of skill. It was more like an endless slaughter that tested one's reserves of qi and the ability to protect themselves when faced with multiple opponents.

However, this fifth trial was completely different. The devilishly handsome young man's skills were clearly top-tier even among rank 1 Dao Emperors, even prompting his challengers to avoid him instead of clashing with him directly.

Of course, after the first clash, Shun Long no longer held back and augmented himself with both iterations of his 'Monarch's Domain', increasing his own speed and restricting the purple-robed man's at the same time.

No, it wasn't just his speed. Even his reaction time, his thinking process, and even the momentum of his azure greatsword were affected, as the flow of time around him was slowed down considerably.

Still, due to the vast difference in their cultivation bases, Shun Long could feel that the effects of the 'Monarch's Domain' weren't as effective against the purple-robed youth. Of course, that was only natural as well. For how absurdly powerful of a skill the 'Monarch's Domain' was, Shun Long knew that it wasn't truly omnipotent. At the very least not when his opponent's cultivation base was much higher than his own.

After all, even the three peak-stage Dao Kings in the fourth trial weren't completely suppressed and had managed to resist its effects to a certain degree. Still, time inside the 'Monarch's Domain' had flowed so slowly for them, that it wasn't much different from having completely come to a halt. The 3 of them had been slaughtered in an instant, unable to put up the slightest bit of resistance.

But of course, this chief of the outer-court disciples of the 'Imperial Mandate sect' couldn't be compared to any of those regular disciples.

Feeling that something around him was wrong, the purple-robed youth finally revealed his true strength.

A moment later, thick, giant green vines sprouted from the ground under his feet, all of them moving toward Shun Long with deadly momentum. Even under the suppressive effects of the 'Monarch's Domain', the enormous vines were still faster than regular arrows as they moved towards their target. Shun Long could only imagine how strong these vines would be at full force.

Without any delay, Shun Long blinked a moment later, appearing a few hundred meters away as he effortlessly dodged the fatal attacks. And yet, as if they had a mind of their own, more and more vines sprouted from the ground around him, all of them blocking his path, their thorny edges looking to skewer his body from every direction.

..

As he continuously dodged the thorny attacks one after the other, constantly blinking throughout the grassy battlefield, Shun Long would occasionally find an opening in the purple-robed youth's defenses and would make full use of it, bombarding it with bolts of white lightning using his 'Dao of Heavenly Tribulation'.

Normally, the chief of outer-court disciples would never show such openings in a fight, but perhaps due to the effects of the 'Monarch's Domain', he ended up exposing himself a couple of times.

And yet, most of Shun Long's white bolts of lightning were quickly blocked, either by that azure greatsword still resting in his hands, or the emerging vines from the ground, unable to truly find their mark.

However, at some point, as if through a miracle or due to the purple-robed man's negligence... a single bolt of lightning somehow passed through his defenses and landed squarely on his chest, piercing a hole straight through his heart.

But it was at this moment that the purple-robed Dao Emperor finally revealed the supreme Dao he had comprehended!

-