The two crossed the portal and arrived on a deserted asteroid. Zhang Zheng noticed that every portal between civilizations was like this—set up in desolate, secret locations away from civilization.
Pan Zhen and Zhang Zheng didn't linger on this asteroid and immediately flew into the cosmic starry sky, moving away from the portal. There was no choice; they would need it to return. Both Pan Zhen and Zhang Zheng were well aware of this.
They landed on a planet several times larger than Earth. There was no small talk. Pan Zhen knew that Zhang Zheng had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Upon landing, Zhang Zheng immediately drew his weapon.
"General Pan Zhen can go all out, even if it means turning me into dust. I am only seeking a full-scale battle this time," Zhang Zheng said seriously, looking at Pan Zhen.
After saying this, Zhang Zheng didn't show any visible change; he simply brandished the Storm Battle Axe, which now glowed with blue lightning.
At the same time, the sky on this nameless planet darkened. Dark clouds completely blocked out the star's light. Thunder roared within the clouds, and glaring lightning brewed inside, echoing the Storm Battle Axe in Zhang Zheng's hand.
Pan Zhen looked up at the thunderclouds, used his internal dark calculator to estimate the cloud coverage, and found that the entire surface of the planet was now covered by the storm clouds.
If someone were observing this planet from space right now, they would only see a pitch-black planet with flashes of white light.
Although Zhang Zheng created this grand scene, Pan Zhen was not intimidated. The solar genes within him communicated with the nearest star, gathering endless nuclear energy within his body, which radiated as a golden glow.
Unlike Zhang Zheng's sentinel mode, which radiates from within to without, Pan Zhen's mode radiates from outside to inside. The divine body absorbs any contact. Thus, the glow only remains on the surface of his body without changing his skin color.
Zhang Zheng's transformation, by contrast, is from inside out, turning his body into a dazzling gold each time he transforms.
On the pitch-black planet covered by storm clouds, the two glaring lights—one golden and one blue—were exceptionally piercing, causing both fighters to squint their eyes.
Zhang Zheng, being younger, was less patient than the experienced Pan Zhen. He took the initiative.
Zhang Zheng raised the Storm Battle Axe and swung it through the air. The lightning in the clouds seemed to respond to his command, and a lightning bolt as thick as a barrel descended toward Pan Zhen.
At the same time, Zhang Zheng charged at Pan Zhen under the cover of the lightning.
Pan Zhen, seeing Zhang Zheng's swing and the descending lightning, remained calm. He concentrated solar flares in his hand and shot them toward the thunderclouds.
The thunder and the flares collided in mid-air, leading to a "boom" as they exploded. The shockwave blew the land and clouds outward, with a force comparable to a nuclear bomb on Earth.
This explosion's power did not have much effect on Zhang Zheng and Pan Zhen.
As Zhang Zheng reached Pan Zhen, he swung the Storm Battle Axe with a powerful downward strike. The thunderous roar of the lightning and the sharp, ear-splitting sound of the axe blade were directed at Pan Zhen's head from above.
Pan Zhen, seasoned in battle, showed no change in his eyes facing the incoming axe. He raised his sword to meet the Storm Battle Axe.
The ground cracked open under the immense force of their clash.
Bang… Zhang Zheng was kicked away by Pan Zhen, rolling across the ground and crashing into a mountain, creating a large crater in the mountain.
Dazed, Zhang Zheng was thinking of retreating when the ground split open. However, Pan Zhen did not retreat but seized the opportunity to deliver a heavy side kick to Zhang Zheng's waist, sending him flying.
Looking up, Zhang Zheng saw Pan Zhen holding a solar flare aimed at him.
D*mn… Zhang Zheng was startled. Without time to think, he concentrated his energy and threw the Storm Battle Axe at the incoming solar flare.
The Storm Battle Axe disrupted the energy balance within the solar flare, causing it to explode prematurely.
Boom… Another massive explosion created a crater with a diameter of several tens of kilometers in the ground.
After just two exchanges, the planet was left in ruins.
Summoning back the Storm Battle Axe, Zhang Zheng moved towards the edge of the crater. He looked at Pan Zhen, who stood there, imposing and unscathed, except for some dust on his armor. The nuclear explosion had no effect on the Solar God.
Learning from this round, Zhang Zheng realized that an invincible opponent could not afford even a moment of laxity. His earlier lapse allowed Pan Zhen to seize the opportunity and would have led to multiple cuts if Pan Zhen were truly an enemy.
As for the solar flares, they were only fired after Zhang Zheng recovered his senses.
"Thank you, General Pan, for showing mercy. However, please don't hold back any longer. One cannot improve without experiencing pain. And rest assured, I cannot die; not even a star explosion can kill me," Zhang Zheng said seriously to Pan Zhen.
Only through life-and-death battles can one grow rapidly. Others hesitate to do this because death is final, but Zhang Zheng doesn't worry about dying. Even if thrown into the sun, the Sentinel's power would allow him to revive. (In Marvel comics, Sentinels have survived multiple solar encounters and learned to control molecules even after being disintegrated by Molecular Man.)
Hearing this, Pan Zhen couldn't refuse. He had promised Zhang Zheng to engage in serious combat for a month. "In that case, my lord, I will now fight seriously," Pan Zhen said.
With Pan Zhen agreeing to fight with full force, Zhang Zheng also readied himself. Pan Zhen soared into the sky, his golden light flashing like a meteor. He descended, aiming to strike Zhang Zheng with a single blow.
Zhang Zheng, seeing this, infused power into the Storm Battle Axe and charged at Pan Zhen with the thunderous might of the axe.
Boom… The ground cracked even more severely this time.
Learning from his past experience, Zhang Zheng did not retreat. The two clashed again.
In the sky, their figures flashed continuously. Pan Zhen's golden light was dazzling, and the temperature was rising, with signs of the ground beginning to melt. Zhang Zheng, bathed in a sea of lightning, roared with the thunder.
Boom… Another clash resulted in Zhang Zheng suffering a severe injury. A huge wound stretched from his right shoulder to his left abdomen.
He had learned from his experience; Pan Zhen took the opportunity to strike. However, Zhang Zheng did not care. For others, such an injury would be fatal; even a third-generation divine body would consider it a severe wound.
But for Zhang Zheng, it was nothing; he recovered in the blink of an eye.
Pan Zhen, seeing that Zhang Zheng was unharmed after a severe wound, was astonished. He thought, "Such a powerful divine body."
Not fearing Zhang Zheng's death anymore, Pan Zhen became even more skilled in his attacks.
The battle continued fiercely until a cracking sound was heard. Both looked down and saw that the planet beneath them could no longer withstand the shockwaves from Zhang Zheng's power, and had completely shattered.