The group dispersed, each venturing into the desolate Aerilon village to seek out a method or artifact that could counter Lin Suzhen.
Given the system's hint that such an object was in the vicinity, it was certain to exist; the system had no reason to deceive them.
Their activity quickly drew the attention of Lin Suzhen. With his sword in hand and eyes blazing with fury, he bellowed, "The Gate of Myriad Realms belongs to me, to me alone! Anyone who dares to claim the Gate of Myriad Realms shall perish!"
As Lin Suzhen prepared to pursue them, Chen Guo stepped forth, brandishing the Cosmos Sword.
"Lin Suzhen, I am your true challenger. I am the one who will claim the Gate of Myriad Realms! You are but a mere servant to the Gate, while I am its rightful master!" Chen Guo boldly blocked his way.
"Curse you! All who covet the Gate of Myriad Realms deserve death. The Gate is mine, and none shall lay a finger on it!" Lin Suzhen raved wildly.
In Lin Suzhen's eyes, there was nothing but an obsessive fervor, reminiscent of a lovesick man facing bandits intent on stealing his beloved.
His mind was no longer clear; his vision and heart were consumed by the Gate of Myriad Realms.
Deep within his subconscious, a singular resolve prevailed: to safeguard the Gate of Myriad Realms at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing his life.
"What a tragedy, that a once legendary hero has been reduced to this madness. I question whether you can still harness your strength!" Chen Guo remarked.
"Die! Flame Dragon Slash!" Lin Suzhen launched his attack without hesitation.
His dual-bladed sword unleashed a beam of red light, shaping into the form of a flame dragon's head that lunged at Chen Guo.
The moisture in the air vanished in an instant, the intense heat threatening to dissolve all in its path.
Chen Guo, with a thought, invoked the Flying Thunder God Art and in a blink, he was behind Lin Suzhen, where he composedly conjured a Golden Light Shield around himself.
Shielded by the golden aura, Chen Guo recited his sword incantation.
"Singularity of the Sword!"
His sword's Qi surged forward, bearing down on Lin Suzhen with relentless force.
Despite Lin Suzhen's clouded consciousness, his spiritual awareness remained razor-sharp. He instantly detected the imminent threat and spun around, his swords weaving an impenetrable defense.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Amidst the clashing sword energies, Lin Suzhen managed to deflect most of Chen Guo's assaults. Only a few stray strands of sword Qi found their way through, striking Lin Suzhen.
Yet, against Lin Suzhen's black armor, these few hits merely scratched the surface, chipping away the paint.
Chen Guo recognized at once that Lin Suzhen's black armor was no ordinary gear—it was either a magical treasure or a magic artifact. Penetrating such armor with regular attacks would be an arduous task.
Contrary to what's often portrayed in films and TV shows, where armored soldiers fall to a single blow, rendering their splendid armor seemingly useless, reality tells a different story.
Throughout history, possessing hidden swords and sabers was considered trivial. Many dynasties even permitted the use of such weapons among the populace, with only certain restrictions on bows and crossbows.
However, across all eras, anyone discovered hoarding armor was accused of plotting rebellion, a crime that implicated their entire lineage. Zhou Yafu, a renowned Han Dynasty general, was implicated in a conspiracy for concealing a hundred sets of armor, leading to his suicide in prison.
This underscores the formidable defense offered by armor—a soldier clad in armor could take on a hundred adversaries without it.
Being with or without armor represented two entirely distinct conditions.
The imperial forces often scattered insurgent peasant armies with ease, primarily because the former were armored while the latter were not. The peasant rebels, even with makeshift weapons, couldn't breach the armor's defenses. Outmatched and demoralized, their spirit would break, culminating in a crushing defeat.
In some modern nations where firearms are restricted, the use of medium and heavy-duty bulletproof vests is also prohibited. Once equipped with such protective gear, the wearer becomes a formidable challenge for standard military and police forces.
The same principle applies to those with extraordinary abilities.
Chen Guo, who had delved into esoteric practices and the Mao Mountain arts, had learned spells that conjured protective armor. Without such magical defenses, a practitioner was as vulnerable as anyone else to physical harm—a single blade strike could cause serious injury or even be fatal.
Warriors like Lin Suzhen, lacking skills such as magical armor, have no choice but to craft themselves a set of exquisite armor. With such armor, they become impervious to blades and spears, resistant to the elements, and when combined with their innate defense, they're virtually human tanks.
Lin Suzhen's armor was far beyond exquisite—it was divine. Chen Guo's formidable sword qi could barely chip the paint off it. Overcoming such formidable defense was a daunting challenge.
"Ice Dragon Slash!" Lin Suzhen called out, having deflected the sword qi. He hoisted his greatsword, radiating an icy aura, and launched another assault on Chen Guo.
A glacial, ice-blue dragon's head formed, its chilling presence bearing down on Chen Guo.
Chen Guo felt the piercing cold as he executed another Flying Thunder God Art, reappearing behind Lin Suzhen.
"Stay put, Baby Timber Wolf! Don't leave the village!" he warned.
"Dodge the attacks!" he shouted, summoning the Timber Wolf and setting it aside.
The Timber Wolf scampered across the ground, its movements swift and nimble, seemingly out of harm's way.
Chen Guo had summoned the Timber Wolf for a reason: its pack's protective aura granted him a 5% chance to penetrate armor with each attack—a significant advantage against Lin Suzhen's ironclad defense.
"Ice Dragon Slash!" Lin Suzhen's combat instincts were fearsome. Having witnessed Chen Guo's Flying Thunder God Art, he anticipated Chen Guo's next move and spun around, unleashing another Ice Dragon Slash in a preemptive strike.
"Quite the formidable hero," Chen Guo mused, "Even in his madness, his combat instincts are unnerving." Without bothering to defend, Chen Guo went on the offensive.
"Sword God!"
Behind Chen Guo, the spectral image of a white-haired Sword God emerged. With a sweep of his hand, he sent forth a barrage of sword qi, enveloping Lin Suzhen in a dense, inescapable net.
Their sword qi clashed with a thunderous boom.
Lin Suzhen's icy sword qi shattered in an instant, neutralizing much of Chen Guo's attack. However, the residual sword qi from Chen Guo's Sword God continued its relentless advance. The myriad streaks of cold light, like a brilliant constellation, were as breathtaking as they were lethal.
"Earth Dragon Turnover!"
Sensing the exceptional nature of Chen Guo, the Sword God's sword qi, Lin Suzhen chose not to meet it head-on. He plunged his swords into the earth, and in an instant, a vast swath of soil erupted skyward.