Jaden called a huge cloud dragon, which descended from the sky and pressed its claw down on Alex. Before its arrival, a strong downward pressure had overtaken the whole of the courtyard, and those who were weaker had been forced to their knees. Agatha had managed to mount a small resistance, along with a couple of the others, but they were all affected by the force.
Jaden was a man of great stature in the innate realm, and he had been training for three hundred years, so he doubted his opponent would be able to match his experience.
But Alex wasn't worried by the claw. In fact, he was delighted. The light radiating from his body rocketed skyward, and the gold flames in his eyes surged. Hungry for battle, he brazenly rushed forward and threw out a punch that shot a golden rainbow into the sky.
It collided with the cloud dragon's claw and they both exploded, releasing numerous streams of energy that swept out in all directions and sent many of the elite flying. If Agatha hadn't protected them, there would have been many injuries, and Verity would have been right in the firing line.
Alex hadn't fully recovered from his injuries yet, and his strength was slightly below par. His own spell sent him flying back into the courtyard and created a vast pit in the ground when he landed.
Alvin, another of the sect leaders, decided to take advantage of the situation and attack. He summoned the blue flame fire bird, which appeared out of nowhere and swept across the sky to charge right at Alex. It seemed to suck all the warmth out of the air, and Alex knew that he had to take the new threat seriously.
"It's the extremely cold spirit flame of the Purple sect!" Annalise exclaimed. "Rumor has it that it was extracted from ten thousand years' worth of ice and is indestructible. And that even an Earth immortal would be frozen into an ice sculpture if struck by it."
Alex summoned his power, and his golden flames shot out and collided with those of extreme cold. It looked like two dragons fighting, with one breathing fire and the other ice.
The glacial blue flames soared into the sky as the bird squawked. Although Alex's raging golden flames were more powerful than the blue ones, they were still weaker than his opponent's skill overall. He extinguished his flames and took a few steps back to stabilize himself.
"It's my turn," said a man with a copper-colored beard. He was from the Thunder sect and had been waiting for an opportunity for a long time. He took out a giant hammer that he had condensed from purple lightning. Then the hammer expanded and became the size of a house. The man hurled it toward Alex with a thunderous bang.
Agatha cried out, "Watch out! Casper has the purple lightning hammer. He's going to kill you!"
Alex's body now shone with a greenish-gold light as he gathered power in his right fist. All the genuine essence in his body had come together to provide the strength that he needed to carry out his plan. He intended to use his own body as a shield against the powerful artifact.
When the hammer and Alex collided, the sound waves created were immense. Then, as they spun away from each other again, the terrifying force spread in all directions.
Alex couldn't withstand the pressure, and the ground exploded with a loud bang. Both of his feet sank deeply into the ground, and the entire courtyard cracked open. As the crack deepened to head height, his body was soon hidden from sight.
Verity had begun to relax, but now her heart was in her mouth after watching the warriors from the various sects strike successive blows at Alex.
They were all extremely powerful, and they far surpassed ordinary Earth immortals. The entire Cloud Palace had turned into an ocean of surging energy as they threw everything at Alex, and the spells circled in an endless loop.
Although Alex was strong and his physique unparalleled, he was only just managing to hold the six warriors at bay. He had no chance to fight back and was forced to retreat again and again.
Annalise looked down and said in despair, "The Great One is going to lose."
Fern looked at Alex with pity, while Verity's eyes filled with tears as she stared in horror at the ferocious attack being launched on him.
Agatha sighed and said, "He's strong, but unfortunately, that's not enough. It's certainly no match for fate."
Alex's combat abilities were excellent, and he had always stood out as the top warrior of his generation. He had done exceptionally well to hold out against so many for so long.
The six warriors decided that they needed to coordinate their attack better.
Purple lightning flashed across the sky, and cold flames burned behind it. Six surges of power converged from all directions, and the energy waves spread for miles. Shockwaves followed throughout the realms, and everyone in the vicinity was horrified.
Alex had had enough of just fending off the earth-shattering attack, and he began to laugh maniacally.
The huge amount of energy that he pulled in created a sonic boom as he took his skills to a whole new level. His body continued to grow until he surpassed the tallest mountain peak. The energy span around him, creating a band similar in appearance to the rings of Saturn.
After having been in the divine realm for two months, Alex had returned to Earth. Then, when he had recovered from his injuries, he had broken through to the innate realm once again.
A pillar of light rose from the top of his head, shooting straight into the sky and fusing with the energy around him to hang over him like a canopy.
The spectators were all amazed at the scene that continued to evolve around them, and they felt privileged to witness it.
The energy that had been circling finally condensed into clouds, and Alex stood with his hands behind his back. Beams of blue and gold light surged out from his body as layers of blood-red flames surrounded him, and the colored flames were reflected in his eyes.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Alex's energy was rising steadily. It appeared to be endless, and it was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Alex stood there like a god among men.
"It feels good to have regained my strength," he said. He stood on the platform with his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were thinking about something.
Jaden and the six warriors watched him nervously. They realized that Alex had just broken through to the innate realm right in front of them.
Alvin was the first to recover and yelled, "Get him!"
Alex's sudden growth had made them uneasy, so they increased the intensity of their attack.
Six destructive spells rained down on Alex. Each of the six warriors was at the middle innate stage, and they possessed many impressive skills.
But Alex was no longer the same opponent they had faced before.
He was calm, almost indifferent, as he faced the renewed attacks. To him, it felt as if a gentle breeze was blowing in front of him.
He looked at the warriors and waved his arm.
He didn't use any special techniques for his next move. Instead, he simply relied on his powerful genuine essence to do the work for him. To the onlookers, it seemed as though the entire sky had been torn apart, and a river had descended from the heavens. Alex had conjured a sharp blade that slashed through the sky, slicing the clouds in two.
It also broke all the spells that had been thrown at him, and all his opponents turned and fled. An unstoppable streak of white light swept across the area in front of them, and the force within it sliced a mountain peak in half.