"You're no match for me, Alex," Hendrix said.
He walked to face Alex, moving with the prowling gait of a tiger. He looked dangerous, and his lip was curled with contempt.
"Alex, your body is strong, stronger even than Maddox's," he said. "Your skills are so advanced that you were able to suppress Zayden's dragons. Your ability is unparalleled, and you destroyed Blake with fire. You are proficient in all sorts of mystic techniques and have so much potential. What a pity."
With every step he took, a trace of cloud appeared beneath his feet. In the end, his entire body was surrounded by mist, as if he were an immortal that had descended to the mortal world.
"What's a pity?" Fern asked, tilting her head to one side.
"It's a pity that Hendrix is already a celestial being, and as such, will defeat Alex," Annalise said, shrugging.
Hendrix had no need to rely on divine abilities and spells. He seemed entirely at one with his surroundings and full of a heightened power. It was as if every movement he made was capable of causing a storm to sweep through the world or causing the void to explode.
He was an Earth immortal.
Everyone turned to gaze at Hendrix in astonishment.
In the entire realm, there were only a few hundred Earth immortals, and they were highly respected. Most of them were from the seven great sects and had accumulated their power and skills over many years. It was too great an achievement to be accomplished in just one attempt. Even though there were many warriors, not all of them could reach that level. Normally, the youngest Earth immortal would be in his forties, and yet Hendrix was only in his early thirties. His talent was unprecedented.
"No wonder the High sect is looking smug," someone said. "Hendrix has attained the immortal realm."
Alex had killed the top warriors of the High sect, but Hendrix had become an immortal, so he posed an even greater threat.
"Three hundred years ago, Kaden was born, and then the Crimson sect dominated the world," another onlooker said. "One hundred years ago, they acquired another immortal as a guardian, and their sect became even more prosperous. Now the High sect has Hendrix, so the future will belong to them instead."
Everyone was dumbfounded. Hendrix had already surpassed everybody of his generation and was now sitting firmly at the top.
"If we had known that Hendrix was already an immortal, then we wouldn't have bothered coming here to fight for the top position," someone grumbled. "How can mortals fight with an Earth immortal?"
Many people shook their heads bitterly.
There was a huge gap between mortal achievement and the innate realms. Apart from an exception like Alex, no one had ever seen a mortal defeat an Earth immortal.
The crowd looked over at Alex, many gloating over his misfortune. Faced with an Earth immortal, other than kneeling and begging for mercy, there was little you could do.
Even Agatha had a trace of pity in her eyes. Alex, you think that you can look down on everybody else and rely on your staggering talent, she thought. But you still don't know your place, do you? You can't even imagine the extent of Hendrix's abilities, and you don't stand a chance against him.
Verity was terrified as she looked at the Earth immortal, who was challenging Alex.
"Since I started training, I have never met a worthy opponent," Hendrix said, his voice ringing out. "Among my peers, nobody comes close to matching my ability. In generations past, only those top-level elders from a hundred years ago were my equal.
"Three hundred years ago, the leader of the Crimson sect used an immortal technique to lock down an enraged dragon and forcibly take its power. One hundred years ago, Lloyd broke the surface of the river with a single sword strike, forcing the water dragon to submit to him. Today, I shall match these feats!"
As Hendrix spoke, he gazed at the Dark River. He didn't even bother looking at Alex, having already dismissed him as a threat. The gap between an Earth immortal and a mortal was just too great for him to be worried.
Alex waited for him to finish before he spoke. "Are you done? Now, come up here and prepare to die quickly. I'm in a hurry."
Everyone was stunned at his insolence.
Hendrix turned his head and looked at Alex as if looking at a madman. How dare he provoke an Earth immortal? This went beyond arrogance.
"You are indeed an interesting person," he said. "I believe they call you Alex. I will remember that name." He smiled slightly and nodded, as if conferring a great honor on Alex by offering to remember his name.
"Whatever," Alex said, stepping forward and throwing a punch at him.
The energy that was boiling like an ocean surged through Alex's body. Then it turned into a thirty-foot-long angry dragon that tore through the sky and attacked Hendrix.
Hendrix gently pushed with his palm, and the mist that filled the sky turned into silken ropes that trapped the dragon. They wrapped around the dragon, layer by layer, until finally it broke apart. After easily defeating the dragon, Hendrix waved his arm at Alex.
"You have yet to become a celestial," he said. "So you will never know the power of an immortal from Earth. I almost feel sorry for you."
The entire Earth seemed to be struck by Hendrix's power, and a vast wall of energy transformed into a surging tide. Everyone shrank back when they saw this, and they trembled in fear at the energy Hendrix could summon.
Alex's face was expressionless as he shattered the clouds in front of him with a punch.
"So you're an Earth immortal, Hendrix?" he asked. "Well, I have killed more than ten Earth immortals already, so I'm not afraid of you."
"Don't be so arrogant, Alex." Hendrix frowned and summoned his full strength. Clouds across the sky were transformed into soldiers who held long swords and spears in their hands. Their armor glittered as they descended from the sky and charged toward Alex.
"Hendrix is using the High sect's most powerful technique!" someone exclaimed. "If anyone else tried to use it, then their energy would be totally drained."
Every one of the cloud-soldiers had considerable combat strength, and there were hundreds of them. Led by nine cloud-generals, they attacked from all directions. The army was strong enough to sweep away tens of thousands of enemies, and they were all focused on Alex.
But Alex didn't seem worried as he stepped into the sky. With a single gesture, he sent out nine flying swords, one after another. They flew out with devastating accuracy, causing all the cloud-soldiers and generals to fall before they could reach him.
Hendrix raised an eyebrow. "So, you're relying on this sword formation? It is quite powerful. No wonder you're so confident. Unfortunately, you shouldn't have made me your enemy."
The pair of bracelets Hendrix was wearing suddenly expanded, each turning into a wheel of energy. The pair of wheels spun rapidly, cutting through the air, and creating a rainbow, the power of which shook the heavens and earth.
Fern narrowed her gaze as she recognized the High sect's highest-grade spiritual weapon. It's so powerful, she thought. I didn't expect Hendrix to use that here. I don't know if even an immortal can withstand it.
Alex had developed and upgraded the nine flying swords, but they were still only low-grade weapons, so how would they compare to the High sect's spirit weapon?
The giant rainbow instantly became thirty feet in size, and like an armored train, it hurled down from the sky and crashed into Alex. A rumbling sound, like rolling thunder, was heard from the void.
Agatha sighed quietly and lowered her head. Although Alex was incredible, he would still fall at Hendrix's feet in the end.
Fern's eyes also revealed a look of regret because she thought she was witnessing the fall of an extraordinary man.
Verity was nervous, and her eyes were filled with worry.
Alex's palm lightly touched the nine flying swords, and his gaze was gentle and caressing. "The power of a magical artifact lies in the person who uses it, and not the artifact itself," he said. "Verity, today your master will teach you the first sword technique."
As he spoke, he formed a seal with both hands and flicked his thumb lightly.
Chanting softly, he flicked nine times in a row, and nine small swords flew into the air like a golden ray of light. Each was extremely sharp, capable of cutting through metal and iron.