The battle between Lin Luo and Lakan stirred up violent tempests in the sky, the clash of their weapons echoing throughout the ancient ruins. Swords, spears, glaives, axes, halberds, rakes, and scythes—every conceivable cold weapon found on a battlefield was present, controlled by their masters as if they possessed a will of their own, each seeking its specific opponent.

With every impact, a fierce shockwave would surge outward, slicing through the wind and drowning out sound. The very fabric of space would ripple in response. When the greatsword struck the ground, the earth convulsed, sending shattered stones scattering; when the spears and blades fell into the lake, the water churned and great plumes of spray shot toward the heavens.

“Truly exhilarating! Again!” Lakan roared suddenly, drawing a massive greatsword from behind his back and charging toward Lin Luo with lightning speed. He brought the giant blade down; the sheer kinetic force of that single strike caused the ground beneath Lin Luo to sink, testifying to the terrifying momentum behind the attack.

Lin Luo was not to be outdone. A slight smile touched his lips as a blade materialized in his hand, its shape and color nearly identical to the 'Verdant Wind Blade.' Compared to other weapons, he favored the blade; not only was it comfortable in his grip, but it offered him a sense of peace, a feeling of merging into one entity.

He swung the blade upward, sending a spiraling torrent of blade aura into the air that countered the incoming shockwave. Simultaneously, leveraging that upward momentum, he fiercely kicked the back of Lakan's hand. Lakan’s grip loosened instantly, and the greatsword was flung skyward.

Having his weapon knocked away did not faze Lakan; instead, he laughed heartily. “Hahahaha! I am even stronger when I fight barehanded!”

He thrust out a punch, the power condensed from his sheer physical might descending like Mount Tai bearing down. The mere impact of the aura blocked Lin Luo’s forward momentum, instantly blasting the spiraling energy apart. Lin Luo instinctively raised his blade to defend.

Clang!

The weapon, forged from the power of Rule, should have been as indestructible as a true artifact. Yet, under the force of Lakan’s attack, it did not last a second. Upon contact, it shattered into dust, and Lin Luo himself was blasted backward by the resulting force.

To break the Rule with pure force—absolute strength was truly terrifying!

As his body tumbled backward through the air, Lin Luo’s expression shifted slightly. To be honest, ever since gaining the power of Rule, he had subconsciously developed a degree of disdain for conventional strength. For example, the much-feared atomic bomb, in his view, was merely on par with a firearm. After all, the greatest lethality of a nuclear weapon came from radiation and contamination, neither of which could breach his Rule-based defense, rendering the destructive force itself largely irrelevant to him.

But now, he understood his thinking had been flawed. When power reaches a certain threshold, even the fundamental Rules can be ignored—that was absolute strength! It could not be underestimated.

Opposite him, Lakan did not hesitate to press his advantage this time, unlike their previous skirmish in the street. After sending Lin Luo flying with a single blow, he swiftly adopted an aggressive stance, the power gathering around his fist causing space itself to tremble, before he hurled it toward Lin Luo.

“Unrivaled Void-Shattering Arhat Fist!” he named it on the spot.

Boom! A massive beam of light roared toward Lin Luo like a meteor striking the Earth.

“Condense the Law of Fantasy!” Faced with an attack of this magnitude, Lin Luo did not attempt to evade. Instead, he poured the Light of Fantasy into his right arm, which erupted in a dazzling radiance.

“Fantasy Impact!” The moment his fist shot out, it was like a ferocious dragon emerging from the sea; a pillar of white light shot straight ahead. The two forces collided mid-air, generating a colossal mushroom cloud akin to a nuclear detonation, shaking the entire ancient ruin to its core.

Lin Luo’s technique was somewhat inspired by Neji’s Sakura Blossom Collapse Fist, but the fundamental principle was different. Neji channeled spirit essence into his hand and fused it with Eight Extremes Fist; Lin Luo condensed the Law of Fantasy and propelled it using kinetic energy—the resulting power levels were worlds apart. However, the true impetus for this modification stemmed from his fight with Lakan: if Rule power wasn't the ultimate force, perhaps fusing Rule with physical essence could yield even greater power.

“Create a Rule to merge with my being... Phantom Ghost Step!” Lin Luo’s assault did not cease. Just as the mushroom cloud began to dissipate, a white mist enveloped his feet. He took a single step, his figure strangely splitting into two: one remained rooted in place, while the other had instantly materialized beside Lakan.

“Hm?” Lakan frowned slightly. Was it an illusion, or a clone?

At that moment, both Lin Luos attacked simultaneously. The one next to Lakan launched a kick toward his neck, while the one standing still unleashed an impact strike identical to the one from moments before.

Lakan instantly understood: this was neither an illusion nor a clone; both were the genuine article. The raw, overwhelming power emanating from both forms was identical to what he had just experienced. While some highly condensed clones could possess strength near the original, they could never achieve this level.

“A fascinating trick! Let me break it!” Lakan grew even more animated. With a booming laugh, he swept his left arm aside, blocking Lin Luo’s kick, and then drove his body forward. “Eternal Fervor!”

Lin Luo was momentarily dumbfounded. This fellow was actually unleashing beams of light from his body—a ridiculous move in a battle of such high caliber. But credit where it was due, even this absurd technique possessed unparalleled might; it completely neutralized his shockwave, and a scarlet beam immediately engulfed the Lin Luo positioned on that side.

“Eh?” Lakan’s eyes widened suddenly, staring at the figure before him in disbelief. He had watched his opponent absorb the attack without any defense, yet there was no reaction whatsoever. Not only was he uninjured, but not even his clothes were ruffled, as if what had struck him was merely a passing breeze.

Lakan truly couldn't comprehend it. If Lin Luo had defended against the attack, even if it were just a clone, he could understand it. But the current situation was deeply bizarre.

“Is that an afterimage?” Lakan turned, instinctively questioning the Lin Luo standing a short distance away.

Lin Luo shook his head and smiled. “That is a residual shadow.”

“A residual shadow?!” This answer genuinely shocked Lakan. Indeed, if it were a residual shadow, ignoring the attack was understandable. But no afterimage created by extreme speed—designed purely as a visual deception—could maintain itself for this long.

“Take a closer look. If it’s you, you should be able to see the difference,” Lin Luo said without further explanation.

“Hm?” Lakan paused slightly, turning his head to examine the figure across from him closely. At first, he saw nothing unusual, but he was, after all, a world-class master whose insight was rarely matched. Soon, he detected an anomaly: the very space where the other Lin Luo stood seemed subtly unstable, wavering. “Could it be…”

“You guessed right; it is that very possibility,” Lin Luo chuckled, knowing Lakan had grasped the essence of it.

This residual shadow Lin Luo was not a Mist Avatar, nor was it a simple visual trick born of extreme velocity. It was, in essence, a spatial visual distortion. In the moment before he took his decisive step, Lin Luo had simultaneously released an impact wave, but that shockwave was intentionally delayed, having taken the long route.

Lin Luo’s instantaneous movement utilized the Law of Creation to carve a path exclusively for himself through space. This path could be infinitesimally short, or it could be exceptionally long—simply put, the path of shrinking the vast into an inch, or expanding the inch into a span.

His physical body took the shortcut to arrive beside Lakan, while the shockwave took the long route, arriving later despite being sent first. As for the figure left behind, it was merely an illusion projected using an ability of equivalent quality. Because the Law of Creation was continuously supplying this illusion with a 'path,' it appeared identical to the main body, yet it neither moved nor attacked. Naturally, being an illusion, it could not be harmed.

This technique was impossible for ordinary people; even world-class experts like Lakan could not replicate it, and perhaps not even those with space-manipulation abilities could manage it. Only Lin Luo’s Law of Creation made it achievable.

“I see. That is indeed a formidable maneuver,” Lakan nodded repeatedly, admitting his admiration. The residual shadow possessed no offensive power, true, but it could easily disrupt an enemy’s perception. With even a slight variation, it would be impossible to discern the true location of the main body, and coupled with a delayed attack, even the shadow posed a significant threat.

If an enemy was unaware of the mechanics, this technique would yield unexpected results in high-level combat.

“Actually, I derived this from our own battle. Had I not fought you, I doubt I would have ever considered using my abilities in this manner. It seems I can develop this further in the future,” Lin Luo smiled faintly, then pointed at Lakan. “But for now, let me show you something even more spectacular.”

“Oh? You have more tricks up your sleeve? Don't hold back; show me everything you’ve got!” Lakan’s brow twitched, his excitement clear. Battling a powerful adversary was the most enjoyable thing in the world for him.

“Naturally. But let me warn you first: protect your eyes,” Lin Luo said calmly, snapping his fingers lightly. The residual shadow standing on the side vanished. Then, the white mist around his feet intensified. He took a step forward. “Phantom Ghost Step, Second Stage…”

In an instant, a Lin Luo appeared where he had been standing, and another Lin Luo appeared in the air above. But it didn't end there. As the Lin Luo in the air took another step, another appeared on the ground nearby, and this pattern repeated. In the span of a breath, over two dozen Lin Luos had materialized, surrounding Lakan in every direction—front, back, left, and right...