Alex stood behind Arthur. He had rushed to Lion Ridge as soon as he heard that Arthur was heading there.
"The Great One!" said Arthur in shock. His pupils widened, and then, in an instant, he gathered up a wave of mental energy and used it to envelop Alex.
This energy was powerful, and it collided with Alex's own power. An invisible charge appeared in the space between them. Alex's expression was indifferent, and he remained calm, but his clothes were fluttering.
Arthur let out a muffled groan, and it was obvious that he was suffering. The great battle had finally begun.
Before Alex had formed his golden core, his power had been equivalent to that of two divine-level warriors. Now, his power was equal to that of several divine-level experts. So, compared to Alex, Arthur was a novice.
Outside Lion Ridge, a group of grand masters were watching the whole incident on live broadcast and discussing the situation.
"The Great One has arrived at Lion Ridge," one old man said. "Let's see if Arthur is still arrogant."
"Let's not get too excited," said a younger man. "Who knows if the Great One is a match for him?"
"Well, ever since the Great One was born, he has never been defeated," replied a blonde woman. "Arthur is just an old grand master, so how can he be a match for him?"
"You're right," agreed a middle-aged man. "A lousy grand master had the audacity to attack the Great One's territory. If the Great One doesn't defend Lion Ridge, then he won't be able to face anybody."
Arthur glared at Alex. "You killed my men and ruined my plan," he roared. "Now I've come to get revenge and take your life!"
As he swayed, hundreds of spirits appeared, and their shadows filled the sky. Each of these spirits took a different posture and put their hands out as they faced Alex. Before they could even get close to him, the energy that filled the sky damaged countless trees.
The grand masters who were following the development left their discussion and looked at the screen in horror.
"You want to take my life? Who do you think you are?" asked Alex. "I'll finish you once and for all."
And then Alex's body changed. He stretched out his limbs until he was like a giant tree, soaring into the sky. Purple light radiated from his body, making him look even more powerful.
"A divine body!" cried out one of the grand masters looking at the screen. "According to legend, after a grand master cultivates a divine body, he can control the size of his body and transform it into different shapes. It seems like the Great One has already cultivated a divine body!"
"So what if he has cultivated a divine body?" retorted another grand master. "His inner energy is still insufficient. Arthur is a true divine-level warrior, unlike Willard Rimmer, who only thinks he has reached that level."
"Yes, in the immortal realm, a difference of one level is like the difference between heaven and earth," another added.
"How do you know that the Great One's inner energy is insufficient?" asked another. "Willard overcame the lightning tribulation. With the Great One's current strength, he can definitely face a divine-level warrior."
As they argued, a purple light filled the sky and collided with the spirits released by Arthur.
"You killed my men," repeated Arthur. "And now you want to fight me? I'll teach you what a true divine level warrior is."
He had a myriad of ideas on how to get rid of Alex. Although he had fought many enemies in the past, he had never been as ferocious as he was now.
Hundreds of spirits swooped down from the sky at his command. Their energy was terrifying, like hundreds of soldiers marching forward.
"Do you think you're the only one who's a divine-level warrior?" asked Alex. "Well, let's see what you can do with your divine ability!"
He summoned his power and pointed upward, and a heavenly river flowed out from the sky. Unlike ordinary rivers, this one instantly covered the entire Lion Ridge, like a dam had broken.
The hundreds of spirits released by Arthur were like hundreds of bodies floating in the water. They looked so tiny that they couldn't be seen from a short distance away.
"What kind of secret technique is this?" asked one onlooker. "How can it be so powerful?"
Everyone was stupefied, and they didn't know where this heavenly river came from. Previously, they had only experienced a weaker version of Alex's abilities, but now that he had grown stronger, it was only natural he would have gained new skills. He had become more than twice as strong as before.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Arthur's spirits had been scattered all over the place. His techniques were no match for Alex's skills, and he was instantly overpowered.
"He's stronger than I thought," muttered Arthur under his breath. He knew that he had encountered a true mortal enemy, and his expression became gloomy, but then he composed himself again and cast a spell.
Instantly, white flowers popped up from under his feet. They supported his body and slowly raised him up. The flowers floated on the heavenly river, and no matter how strong the current was, the water couldn't touch him.
That's nothing special! thought Alex as he looked at Arthur floating in the waves of the river.
Several moments later, Alex summoned his celestial staff and extended it into a giant pole. Then he jumped down the ridge and pointed the staff toward Arthur, as if he was going to use it to destroy him.
When Arthur saw the staff coming toward him, he tried to dodge it. But the gush of wind brought about by the gravity of the celestial staff was so strong that it made his robe flutter, and he lost his balance.
He was terrified. He wanted to dodge it again, but the shadow of the staff enveloped him, and he had to use all his inner energy to resist the attack.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape the celestial staff. It crashed into him and stuck there, as if it wasn't going to leave him any time soon.
Then, suddenly, Alex twisted the staff, and Arthur was thrown into the river. The flowers under his feet scattered and dispersed into the air.
Alex turned the celestial staff again, and a tremendous wave appeared in the river. When he lifted the staff, the wave rose toward the sky, bringing Arthur along with it.
Arthur flew up, his face bruised and swollen. Then he turned into a flash of light and fled into the distance.
Alex sneered. "So, you want to run, do you?" He held the celestial staff with one hand and shook it. It instantly left his hand and chased after Arthur.
When Arthur saw that Alex had let go of the staff, he turned around and headed for it. "I was waiting for you to do that," he said mockingly.
As he jumped onto the celestial staff, he cast a spell. His body shook, and then his fists became bigger and bigger, and his inner energy started to rapidly increase.
Alex's expression turned more serious. "Do you really think you can break my divine body?" he asked. "I think you're underestimating me."
Then he summoned his power and called up a golden sword, which collided with Arthur's fist.
The energy created by the clash separated the river. Dust and smoke arose, and the golden sword disappeared.
One of Arthur's arms had been broken by the golden sword, but for a divine-level warrior, losing an arm wasn't a big matter since it could be restored very quickly.
But a wound that was caused by a divine body wielding such a powerful weapon could be deadly. No matter how much Arthur used his divine power, he wasn't able to recover in the slightest.
The destructive force of the clash between Alex and Arthur had caused Lion Ridge to shake and had almost destroyed it.
"You devil!" shouted Alex. "How dare you kill all those people and step into Lion Ridge. Now you will pay for your crimes."
Then he grabbed Arthur's other arm and wrenched it violently, lifting Arthur off his feet.