"Enzo was the much-loved son of the Thunder sect's supreme elder," Blake warned Alex. "Now you'll be in big trouble."
Everyone knew that the supreme elder would do anything for his son, and he was a very powerful man. Otherwise, given Enzo's unruly nature, someone would have taught him a lesson a long time ago.
"Kid, I'm coming for you!"
A furious roar was heard coming from the side of the mountain before a man appeared. He looked immensely strong, with broad shoulders and a barrel chest, and his eyes were burning with rage. Casper was an immortal warrior of the Thunder sect, and he was so furious that he wanted to ignore all the rules and attack Alex.
According to the rules, immortals from the seven great sects were not allowed to interfere in the competition. But Enzo had been the son of the Thunder sect's leader, and this giant of a man was the only immortal left to avenge Enzo's death.
Casper shouted, "Alex, who gave you the courage to kill our supreme elder's son? Did you think you could get away with it?" The sheer volume of his voice was like a physical blow.
The expressions of those watching changed dramatically. Those with weaker levels of power, like Fern, went pale and felt dizzy. Only those like Agatha and Maddox could remain standing, but even they felt the pressure of Casper's presence.
Among those present, only Alex and Hendrix were unperturbed, as if nothing more than a cool breeze was brushing against their faces.
Casper shouted again. "Come forward and accept your death."
Alex flicked his finger, his face cold and stern.
The energy in his body boiled and surged like lava in a volcano. He had recovered from his injuries over the past two months, and he was feeling much stronger again. Furthermore, he now comprehended the concept of the Dark River, so he was only a step away from reaching the next level. He would soon break through the barrier of the heavens to the innate realm. Now it looked like Casper would provide a great battle to commemorate the moment he ascended.
"How dare you ignore me!" Casper was furious. Golden lightning flashed in his palm, and he prepared to smash Alex into pieces.
"Let me remind you," Maddox called, "that the battle will be resolved by the court. Outsiders are not allowed to interfere."
"That's right," Alaric added. "This young man has behaved unforgivably, but we will be the ones to teach him a lesson. Casper is an Earth immortal, so if he intervenes, he will break the rules."
"We will settle the dispute between us," said Hendrix.
Maddox and the others all held high rank and power. If Casper interfered now, then it would imply that they were incapable of dealing with the situation, and they couldn't allow that to happen.
Hendrix continued. "Casper, we understand your rage, but it is not your place to deal with this. You must leave it to us. You must go."
The struggle between Casper's desire to avenge Enzo and the knowledge that he must not was plain to see on his face. Eventually, he swallowed down his rage, and with a final shake of his head, he left.
Alex stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, as calm and unruffled as ever. It didn't matter to him who he had to face—Maddox and the others, or Casper. Although he had yet to ascend to the innate realm, he had already regained most of his strength, which meant that he was more than strong enough to defeat them all.
"So, which one of you came here to die first?" Alex asked confidently.
"Alex, don't be arrogant," Alaric said. "Enzo was the weakest among us. Do you really think that you can suppress everyone here? Do you think you are that strong?"
He had been honing his skills for more than forty years. Among the crowd, he was the oldest and the strongest, and he was proficient in the art of sword fighting.
He drew his sword out of its sheath. The ancient sword was covered in lines that looked like a forest of pine trees. It gave off a yellow glow, and in response, rays of light flashed across the sky. His sword technique was simple and unsophisticated, creating a steady pattern, which he configured with every step he took toward Alex.
"Alaric is indeed worthy of his renown," Hendrix commented as he watched. "His technique is superb, and he can easily match up to Lloyd."
Everyone shivered with anticipation. Many of them were not optimistic about Alex's chances now.
Before this, Verity had been in good spirits as she and the others had watched Alex display his power. Now, however, she saw that Alaric's sword technique was assured and imposing, and he was a serious threat to Alex. She grew worried as she realized Alex might lose.
Rays of yellow light gathered in the air. Alaric's sword technique had condensed the light into a block the size of a mountain, and he was about to throw it at Alex. The onlookers were impressed, realizing the power and skill that Alaric was demonstrating.
Agatha had been watching closely. "If you admit defeat now, then I will guarantee your life," she told Alex.
She was powerful within the Purple sect and was deeply loved by its master. If she really wanted to protect Alex, then even the Thunder sect would have to be wary of her. Everyone's eyes lit up. They knew that Agatha wanted Alex's talent for her sect. After all, his strength was extraordinary, so if he joined a great sect, then he would become an immortal in the future.
Alex smiled faintly and ignored her. Then he looked at the light and said, "Agatha, you're not looking at the bigger picture, and your outlook is too limited. You'll never know the vastness of the outside world."
He stretched out his arm and pointed at the light. "Today, I will let you see what true invincibility is."
Alaric had condensed all his energy into the yellow sword beam that now looked like a small mountain. It descended from the sky, heavy enough to crush an aircraft carrier, but Alex let it rest on his fingertip as if it weighed no more than a feather.
Agatha frowned. When she had offered Alex protection, he had ignored her and told her that she was too limited to see the true world around her. She was utterly disappointed as she realized Alex preferred Verity to her, and now she was prepared to allow him to die.
Tears welled up in Verity's eyes. As she anxiously watched, fearing for Alex, she saw something unbelievable happen.
In front of Alex's finger, the mountain-sized light exploded like bubbles, turning into streams of energy blowing in the air. Alaric had cultivated his strength for years, and he had put all his strength into the light, but Alex's finger was like a hot knife cutting through butter. After breaking through the sword beam, under Alaric's shocked gaze, Alex lightly tapped his finger on the tip of the ancient sword.
The sword, a magnificent artifact, broke apart from the tip down to the hilt. It exploded inch by inch in a series of small bursts. In the end, Alex tapped on Alaric's chest with his finger, and then withdrew it, like a dragonfly briefly touching the surface of the water.
Just as his sword had, Alaric exploded, turning into a cloud of mist.
As the mist dissipated, a stunned silence held.
Alex had defeated the sword light, broken the ancient sword, and killed Alaric. Nobody had expected this to happen.
Agatha's smile froze on her face, and she simply could not believe it. As for Maddox, Blake, and the others, they each looked as if they had seen a ghost. Even Hendrix's eyes narrowed as he considered the implications of Alex's actions. This fight had truly displayed Alex's invincibility; he had the strength to crush all his enemies.
"How can he be so strong?" asked Agatha. She was unwilling to believe what she had just witnessed.
Milton from the High sect stood up to challenge Alex. "What we've just seen is impossible. You must have used some forbidden technique."
Without turning to look at his accuser, Alex contemptuously flicked his hand at Milton, who flew through the air and landed in a sprawl on the floor.
The assassin, Trey, also stepped forward to challenge Alex. He, too, was dealt with as if he was nothing more than an insect.
No one else dared to challenge Alex.
In the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, Alex had killed four powerful warriors in a row, including Enzo. Even though these men were only at the bottom of the big sects, this display of strength was terrifying.
Fern's eyes sparkled. "Well, this is truly shocking!"