While Alex was wondering what he could have done to offend an immortal, the sea of fire stopped moving. It hadn't caused any harm to the man in black.
The man clearly had incredible knowledge, and every single move he had made had been filled with an in-depth understanding of the principles involved. There was a distinct rhythm to his moves, and he had already far exceeded Alex's strength.
Alex was still at the stage of stabilizing his power, and his body would remain somewhat vulnerable until he had done so. Once he had full control over his power, he could shed his mortal body and become an immortal.
The black-clothed man was clearly already a true immortal.
Still puzzled, Alex asked again, "What's your name?"
The man stood with his hands behind his back. "No comment." His posture looked casual, but he was buzzing with power.
Alex knew that, physically, he was very close to him, but it felt like he was miles away.
It felt quite strange, and he temporarily gave up on the idea of fighting. There was no point in continuing, as he knew he had absolutely no chance of winning.
"Are you friends with Linden?" Alex asked. If the man knew Linden, that meant that he would have to walk away. That didn't worry him, because he knew that as long as he was still alive, he would find a way to kill Linden.
"No," the man said simply.
Alex was startled, and he grew even more curious. "If you don't know Linden, why did you help him?" he asked.
"Do you have a problem with that?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alex gave a wry smile and laughed as he said, "You're funny. With your unparalleled power, you can control the heavens and the earth. How could a mere golden core warrior like me interfere with your business? Linden has done many awful things, and he has a deep-seated grudge against me. I would be extremely grateful if you would let me take my revenge." He knew he was no match for the man, so he hoped reasoning with him might work.
"I haven't attacked you yet," the man said, shrugging. "So you still have a chance to escape."
Alex frowned. Realizing the man wasn't going to back down, he began to gather his power, collecting enough to kill an immortal. It looked like he would finally get the chance to test his strength on a true immortal.
The man in black looked on indifferently.
"You give me no other choice," Alex said. He knew that the man wasn't someone to be trifled with, but if he wanted him to retreat, he would have to convince him to do so.
He sent out his power, and the air was filled with violent winds. There was a loud crack, and then a deafening dragon's roar resounded above the clouds. A golden dragon landed at Alex's feet, and its power shook the surroundings. The dragon roared once again.
Linden sucked in a breath of cold air. The dragon was thousands of feet tall. Although it had been created from Alex's genuine essence, its appearance and shape were very lifelike.
For the first time, Linden felt truly afraid, and he wondered, How many trump cards does Alex have? As an immortal, he had always been fearless. The death that most people feared was nothing to him, and there were very few things in the world that he was afraid of.
But when he saw the monstrous dragon summoned by Alex, he actually felt a chill run down his spine.
The eyes of the man in black finally flickered as he bore witness to Alex's ability and considered what it could mean.
How can he have reached such an astonishing level? he thought. If he's allowed to continue developing, his achievements could be limitless. With such potential, he might even surpass me.
He then turned to Alex and spoke out loud. "Ah, no wonder you have the guts to fight me head on when you have such a powerful move up your sleeve." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Alex in contemplation. He couldn't believe that a mere golden core warrior had been able to unleash such a powerful ability.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.
"However," he said, "although your technique is powerful, your strength is insufficient. You're still too young and inexperienced to keep me in check."
His own power was infinite. He waved his hands together, and strange dark yellow lines appeared in front of him. Pathways bloomed and fanned out within those lines.
Alex cried out and unleashed his dragon, which bared its fangs and brandished its claws. It flew straight as an arrow toward the black-clothed man, and its golden scales shot out a dazzling light.
The man remained calm as he muttered an instruction. Then the dark yellow lines that surrounded his body evolved to look like tiny snakes. They quickly gathered in the air and formed a huge yellow net designed to trap the dragon.
Alex could feel the strength flowing through his arms as he poured all the essence from his body into the dragon. The dragon then fired out a golden light beam a mile long. It was meant to tear apart the dark yellow net that the man had created.
The dragon's beam of light had a lot of momentum, and it did rip the net apart. However, contained within the huge net was another powerful spell. The moment the net broke apart, the dark yellow lines condensed once again and formed a new net to block the dragon's attack.
"Young man, that move was created with all my energy," the man said. "It's called the immortal binding rope, and it can trap anyone and anything. Although your dragon is powerful, it'll never break through my net."
Although he had the upper hand, he felt no excitement. He was so much more powerful than Alex, so he had thought that he could kill Alex quickly, but Alex's strength had far exceeded his expectations. It was the first time he had seen such a powerful golden core warrior.
He let out a sigh and said, "You're indeed very strong to be able to withstand me this far. You already possess such strength at such a young age. If I kill you, then the immortal world will lose a genius. So, I'll spare your life. This time."
He clenched his fists tightly and sent out a wave of power. The net suddenly tightened and tied the golden dragon into a ball. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Alex used too much force trying to free the dragon, and he suffered for it, feeling a trickle of blood slide from his nose. His opponent was too strong, and Alex had already lost the battle.
But after the man had won, he didn't attack further. Alex was clearly exhausted, and while it would have been the best time to defeat him, he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he stayed where he was and maintained his silence.