With the blood waves gone, the clear sunlight once again bathed the land. Feeling the warmth of the sun, all the civilians, swordsmen, and magicians exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the others' eyes—a reminder that the blood-soaked terror they had just experienced was no dream.
Looking at the vanished Kristin and the black-robed youth, all swordsmen and magicians envied the remaining three holy tiers in the sky, knowing that the black-robed youth was enveloped in Kristin's domain.
A domain, a hallmark of the holy tier and the ultimate goal for every practitioner of battle qi and magic.
Within their domain, its master is godlike.
However, domains vary in strength. There are stages of comprehending, merging with, and ultimately controlling a domain. The levels of the holy tier are also divided into early, middle, and late phases, according to their mastery of their domain.
Comprehending a domain allows for basic control over the surrounding space and suppression within it, with everything within the domain instantly known to the brain. In one's domain, the master's speed, strength, and energy control are greatly enhanced, while others are weakened.
Merging with a domain means the domain gradually perfects and fuses with the soul, allowing control over the energy within it, instantly negating all energy not aligned with oneself.
Controlling a domain means complete mastery over everything within it—energy, space—a microcosm utterly under the master's control.
Ye Han, shrouded in the domain, ceased spinning, and the massive depletion of his energy made him weary.
Looking around, he was in a world of fire, with flames dancing wildly all around. At the center of the flames, Ye Han's blood waves churned fiercely, seemingly contained by an invisible barrier, unable to spread beyond five yards from him.
Kristin stood amidst the waves of fire, his posture commanding, and with a cold laugh, he said, "I must admit, your swordsmanship is impressive. As a mid-holy tier, I could hardly resist without my domain, but..."
His hands shot forward like lightning, radiating red light. The surrounding flames, as if guided, rose fiercely, reaching a hundred yards high, coiling around Kristin like a fire dragon. With a gentle push of his hands, the towering fire dragon lunged towards Ye Han.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion erupted between the blood waves and the fire dragon, scattering the dense blood waves around Ye Han.
"This is why the holy tier stands at the pinnacle of the continent. Within my domain, I am a god, and all energy unrelated to my attributes will be instantly annihilated."
Ye Han immediately released his psychic energy to sense his surroundings. Other than fire attributes, no other energy existed, and his blood waves had been completely dissipated.
"Surrender your swordsmanship, and I'll grant you a swift death," Kristin said coldly, looking down at the beleaguered Ye Han.
"Fire, is it?" The previous attack had turned Ye Han's clothes to ash, his snow-white hair beginning to yellow and curl slightly.
"Roar!"
Ye Han let out a furious roar, his sharp fangs exposed. Purple scales emerged on his body, and purple flames, more vibrant than those in the domain, danced wildly. A gray light shot from his eyes, one inch in length.
"Puff!"
With a powerful flap of his newly revealed wings, Ye Han finally displayed his full strength.
As soon as the purple flames appeared around Ye Han, the red flames of the entire domain swayed slightly towards him. As the master of the domain, Kristin immediately noticed this anomaly, his face showing shock and his eyes disbelief.
"What kind of monster are you?" Kristin exclaimed in alarm. "Why within my domain..."
"Ha ha, don't you know, lower beings always submit to higher ones," laughed Ye Han. His figure vanished rapidly, reappearing behind Kristin, and he struck Kristin's back with a ferocious punch.
Ye Han's fist easily penetrated Kristin's body, but there was no joy in his expression.
"Thump"
A dull sound echoed as Ye Han's chest was struck, sending him flying.
"I must say, your transformation has strengthened your defenses, but don't forget, I am a swordsman. In my domain, my speed and strength are many times greater," Kristin's voice rang out as Ye Han was sent hurtling away.
Ye Han steadied himself and charged towards Kristin again. Their battle was too fast to follow, only visible in the fleeting moments of contact.
Each clash erupted with powerful battle qi, with explosive resonances occurring in rapid succession, never settling in one place for more than a moment.
Suddenly, after an explosion of battle qi, Ye Han was sent flying again, his body's purple scales falling off in many places, and dark holes appearing in his purple
wings. Struggling to stand, his complexion was deathly pale.
"In this domain, I can't use any energy. I can only rely on my speed and strength, but Kristin, with his domain, is superior in both, not to mention his overwhelming battle qi. I have no chance." In just a few moments, hundreds of attacks had been negated by the domain. Ye Han could only fight with the speed and strength of a zombie. If it wasn't for the increased defense from his transformation, he would have already been dead by Kristin's hand.
"I must admit, without a domain, I would have no assurance of killing you after your transformation. Even trapping you is difficult." After hundreds of exchanges, Kristin was deeply shocked by the power Ye Han displayed after his transformation.
With the help of the domain, his speed and strength were greatly enhanced, on top of his mid-holy tier power. He could contend with a late-holy tier without a domain, but a junior not even at the holy tier had fought him for hundreds of moves, though not without injury.
Remembering Ye Han's words, "As long as I live, your Kleris family will be destroyed," Kristin's intent to kill grew stronger. If Ye Han continued to cultivate, reaching the holy tier within a decade would be certain, and with his transformation, who could stand against him, aside from those holy tiers who have lived for a thousand years?
"Hand over your cultivation technique." Now Kristin desired not just Ye Han's swordsmanship but all his cultivation techniques. Such a method that could instantly increase one's overall strength was tempting to anyone, and Kristin's eyes glinted with greed.
Thinking of the achievements his family would gain, competing with the great families, and the invincibility he would have under the divine tier after obtaining such a technique, Kristin felt his blood boil.
At that moment, human nature was clearly displayed in Kristin. In the face of absolute benefit, pride, dignity, and rules were all thrown aside.
"You want my technique? See if you have the skill," Ye Han said coldly.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter if you don't tell me." Kristin then produced a crystal ball-like object. "After I kill you and absorb your soul, I can still obtain it..."
Ye Han was startled, knowing well what that was. He had read about a dark magic that could capture others' souls and memories, but it required a special object to store the soul—likely what Kristin was holding.
"Are you with the Dark Church?" Ye Han asked.
"No, no, our Kleris family would never deal with demons. We just conduct some transactions with the Dark Council, this is just a complimentary gift," Kristin said with a sinister smile.
Kristin raised his hand high, "It's over." Red glows converged on his palm at a visible speed. Ye Han, with his zombie intuition, could sense the terrifying energy between Kristin's palms.