The fierce battle on the field raged on! It was undeniable that these Demon Dragon Warriors were formidable, yet the warriors of the Cold Ridge Tribe were even stronger!
To even enter the Sacred Domain of Heaven, one's cultivation level had to be at least at the standard of a Thunder Tier! Under normal circumstances, a single Thunder Warrior was enough to match ten Heavenly Demon Warriors.
This was the gap in power! No matter how brave and fierce the Demon Dragon Warriors fought, they were vastly inferior in terms of battle qi cultivation, reaction speed, and combat awareness!
The initial shock was purely due to the sheer ferocity of the Demon Dragon Warriors! Having weathered the first surge of the Demon Dragon Warriors' assault, the warriors of the Cold Ridge Tribe had adapted to the Demon Dragon Warriors' brutally aggressive fighting style, which far exceeded the norm!
Five warriors held the outer perimeter of the defensive line tightly! And behind them, the remaining three mages had already amassed attack magic of sufficient power!
"Sky-Shattering Fire Dragon." Mage You Nan’s Blood Drink Staff swept out in a graceful arc! A colossal pillar of fire, resembling a coiling, dancing fire dragon, descended from the sky with heart-stopping shrieks!
The Flame Magic Gods were historically renowned for their terrifying magical destructive power, and You Nan was a master of fire magic; this "Sky-Shattering Fire Dragon" was an enhanced and upgraded version of the "Sky-Shattering Fire"! Beyond its immense destructive force, its most miraculous aspect was that this fire dragon could be freely controlled!
This was the signature specialty of the Flame Magic Gods of the fire element! On the battlefield, mages were always the most terrifying killing machines, especially so for fire mages!
The colossal fire dragon, teeth bared and claws extended, instantly crashed into the disciplined attack formation of the Demon Dragon Warriors! Yet, the toughness of the Demon Dragon Warriors was astonishing; facing the Sky-Shattering Fire Dragon, capable of annihilating everything, they showed not an ounce of fear!
Over a dozen Demon Dragon Shieldbearers rushed forward at lightning speed. The sharp points of their massive shields were driven fiercely into the ground, forming a peculiar backward-leaning angle!
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen large shields merged, creating an iron wall! Behind the shields, the Demon Dragon Shieldbearers braced themselves in a forward-leaning horse stance, holding the shields fast!
Almost the instant the iron wall was formed, the massive fire dragon roared in and slammed violently into the dozen-plus shields! Boom!
Rumbling! A string of dull, heavy roars followed!
How astonishing was the might of the Sky-Shattering Fire Dragon! Even the stout Demon Dragon Shieldbearers, taking the impact head-on, were blasted backward, shield and man alike!
The ground itself cracked open into a terrifying great pit from the explosive impact! But the Sky-Shattering Fire Dragon was also utterly dispersed by this fierce collision!
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have dared to imagine that the incredibly powerful Sky-Shattering Fire Dragon could be neutralized this way! It also revealed the astonishing level of coordinated combat ability these Demon Dragon Warriors possessed!
Almost simultaneously as the Demon Dragon Shieldbearers scattered the Sky-Shattering Fire Dragon! A blurred streak of light tore through the air!
It was the sharp arrow shot by the Demon Dragon Archers! On the battlefield, the greatest nemesis of a mage was not a warrior, but an archer; the heavy arrows loosed by these Demon Dragon Archers were even more terrifying than those of ordinary human archers!
Even a warrior couldn't take a direct hit from one of those arrows, let alone a mage! "Watch out!" You Jian, the warrior holding the front line, was greatly alarmed.
He flew forward to block in front of You Nan, his Hellfire Battle Axe instantly raised, actually using the giant axe as a shield! Clang!
Ding-dong! Amidst the muffled sounds of metal striking metal, You Jian managed to block the arrow with his axe, but he was still forced back several steps by the arrow's terrifying impact!
And his retreat immediately created a gap on the defensive perimeter! Roar!
As if they had been waiting for this moment, a dozen Demon Dragon Brutes charged forward almost as soon as You Jian was forced back! If they managed to break through, the mages behind them would be in grave danger!
"Die!" At that moment, You Yue and You Quan attacked simultaneously! As red light flashed, two waves of fire, each fifteen meters wide, shot out in a half-moon shape!
They flew almost skimming the ground toward the front! Sizzle!
Sizzle! Sizzle!
The dozen-plus Demon Dragon Brutes were instantly reduced to ash by this torrent of fire before they could even scream! Yet, what was even more shocking was that these two torrents of fire bizarrely collided the instant before they plunged into the enemy ranks!
Boom! Rumble!
With a dull roar, a massive pillar of fiery light shot toward the heavens! A huge heatwave rushed forward, and at that moment, it felt as if even the air itself was burning!
The heat was almost suffocating! No one could see what happened inside the pillar of light!
However, when the blinding glare of the flames subsided, what was revealed to everyone was a vast, scorched area spanning over thirty square meters, surrounded by shockingly horrific radiating scorch marks on the ground! Other than that, there was nothing left!
"..." Everyone clearly understood that that single move had instantly harvested over fifty living souls! "Fire Merging Strike." You Jian gasped in shock.
This was the ultimate technique unleashed by the combined might of You Quan and You Yue—the Fire Merging Strike! The two overbearing streams of fire energy, through their violent collision, instantaneously generated astonishingly high temperatures and explosive impact force, annihilating everything nearby!
You Yue and You Quan stood side-by-side, coldly observing the Demon Dragon Army that still completely surrounded them! That Fire Merging Strike just now was their strongest attack, their final trump card!
If they could have, they wouldn't have wanted to reveal this ultimate move so early, but they were compelled to act, otherwise, the sheer number of Demon Dragon Warriors alone would have wiped out the remaining Cold Ridge warriors! "Very good." A delicate, crisp voice possessed a strange magic that pierced straight into the heart: "I knew these people had something left in reserve.
Now we've seen it." Seemingly unconcerned by the fallen Demon Dragon Warriors, Daji at this moment scrutinized the two figures in the field with intense curiosity. "They are indeed strong," Tu Man stated coldly.
"Worthy of being my opponents." "It seems you've been moved," the Ape Warrior Daga remarked. "Your Majesty, leave these two to Tu Man to handle," the proud Werewolf respectfully stated.
"En." Daron nodded slightly. A chilling coldness, like the north wind of the Cold Ridge, seeped into every nerve and every cell of You Quan and You Yue!
This made their grim pupils grow brighter, sharper! As if tangible, their gaze pierced through the surrounding Demon Dragon Warriors, finally locking onto the figure slowly walking towards them!
Slender yet remarkably agile and light; like a hungry wolf navigating the jungle! In fact, he was a wolf!
The Werewolf—Tu Man! Finally, they had forced him out!
Is this the master from the Beastman race? You Yue and You Quan had witnessed the terrifying speed of the Werewolf Tu Man with their own eyes!
This made them dare not let their guard down for a second! Everyone subconsciously backed away, creating an open space on the field!
Werewolf Tu Man stopped far off, his cyan wolf eyes grimly assessing the pair! The killing intent grew heavy, thick as potent wine in the wind and the afterglow of the setting sun.
Alongside it was sword intent, a cold, killing intent; that invisible aura seemed to tighten, and everyone clearly felt this nearly suffocating, trembling atmosphere! "My name is Tu Man!" "You Quan." "You Yue." One voice was aged yet carried a powerful resonance, the other was icy yet somewhat detached!
In their foot-combat stances, You Yue wielded a sword, and You Quan also wielded a sword! Both were equally slender, equally gleaming!
The difference was in the wielders: You Quan used his left hand and stood on the left; You Yue used his right hand and stood on the right! Both swords pointed diagonally toward the ground, forming a peculiar arc!
This made their posture seem somewhat odd! Yet, Tu Man instinctively sensed the profound mystery contained within it!
These two, one on the left and one on the right, with the left-handed swordsman on the left and the right-handed swordsman on the right, maximized the flexibility and mobility of their swordsmanship, all while ensuring they wouldn't injure each other! Because both swords originated from the sides of their bodies!
Just as human hands are situated on either side of the body, naturally and coordinatedly! It was evident that both men were masters of combined strikes!
In fact, the Fire Merging Strike just moments ago confirmed this! The desire to duel a powerful adversary is almost a universal trait among masters!
This was even more true for Tu Man, who was obsessed with martial arts! And the two before him were rare masters of the sword!
This was enough to make Tu Man wildly exhilarated! Fervent light erupted from his cyan pupils!
"Good opponents are hard to find; I hope you two do not disappoint me!" "Just try us!" You Yue replied calmly. "Indeed arrogant," Tu Man conceded.
"You talk too much," You Quan sounded impatient. "If you don't want to fight, then get lost." Tu Man's expression shifted slightly, but he did not become angry; he even found it amusing.
It seemed this human wanted to provoke him, but thankfully, he had learned some of their so-called wisdom and wasn't so easily fooled! Years of elite training made Tu Man vastly different from common Beastmen; he acted meticulously, calmly, and never rashly, possessing astonishing control over his emotions.
Because he knew very well that human cunning and slipperiness could easily lead one into an ambush! Thus, the best approach was to avoid arguing with them and ignore their nonsense!
This was the conclusion reached by Beast Emperor Daron! Having made up his mind, Tu Man simply closed his mouth, quickly entering his optimal state for combat!
As masters, they all possessed an extraordinary instinct! At this moment, Tu Man noticed the tip of You Yue's sword begin to tremble slightly!
This slight trembling concentrated all his battle qi into a single point, pressing it onto the blade's edge—what astonishing control over battle qi! In such a state, any casual strike could unleash terrifying destructive power!
As for You Quan, his aura surged relentlessly, growing stronger; his joints emitted popping sounds, and the battle qi swirling around him displayed strange flowing luminescence, indicating that both his inner force and spirit had reached their zenith, poised for immediate explosion! Two distinct and utterly different auras gave the sensation of an inseparable whole, forming a massive pressure!
It seemed today would be a good fight! Tu Man slowly raised his steel claws, holding them horizontally across his chest, and likewise began to condense his own inner force.
However, You Yue moved without any warning! A blurred flash of the sword appeared and reached its target!
Almost appearing out of thin air, it thrust toward Tu Man's throat! The speed of this strike was so fast it was impossible to even see!
But Tu Man didn't need to see; nothing in this world could move faster than his senses, faster than his consciousness! This sword strike could not either!
The cyan steel claw flicked out into the empty space! Ding!
It struck the trembling sword edge! This incredibly fast strike was miraculously deflected, and moreover, the instant the sword edge was deflected, the cyan steel claw flashed like lightning toward You Quan, to You Yue's left!
"Ah!" You Yue was shocked! Not only was he stunned by Tu Man's astonishing reaction and speed, but he was even more surprised by Tu Man's unconventional move—choosing to strike the farther target, You Quan, instead of attacking him directly, even exposing the vulnerable flank of his own left side to achieve it!
"Good timing," You Quan showed no fear whatsoever! It seemed he had been waiting for this sudden claw attack!
His bright, gleaming longsword instantly transformed, like a raging storm, like flashing lightning and rolling thunder! It lashed out toward Tu Man's steel claws!
Meanwhile, the instant You Quan attacked with his sword, You Yue's longsword struck Tu Man's exposed waist-rib area like a venomous snake! He couldn't understand why Tu Man would choose the farther target and reveal such a low-level flaw, but in a confrontation between masters where life hung in the balance, there was no time for lingering doubt!
It was merely an instinctive reflex! Just like You Yue's current sword thrust!
It was not only fast but also incredibly accurate! However, the moment he struck, You Yue instinctively felt something was wrong!
He felt as if his thrusting sword had struck a steel plate! Ah!
What was that! Only then did You Yue realize that his sword was actually parried squarely by Tu Man's right steel claw!
However, this steel claw had pierced through beneath his left armpit to block his own steel claw! This was an extremely awkward posture, disadvantageous for exerting force, yet Tu Man managed to intercept his fierce, peerless strike with just one hand in this position!
This greatly exceeded You Yue's expectations! In duels between masters, expectation often signaled crisis!
Almost instinctively, You Yue recoiled explosively, but it was too late! Thump!
A blurred shadow flashed across his chest! It was Tu Man kicking You Yue in the chest the moment You Yue began to retreat!
This kick carried such immense force that it nearly made You Yue spit blood, and his entire body was involuntarily sent flying a long distance! Boom!
At the same time, You Quan's overbearing strike struck Tu Man's left steel claw! However, an astonishing recoil force was transmitted through the blade, nearly tearing You Quan's sword from his grip!
He was forced back two steps before he could stabilize himself! Heavens, what kind of force and speed was that, to repel his full-power attack with just one hand!
Although You Quan's combat power was reduced to only sixty percent due to injury, the force contained in his two-handed, full-power strike was still astonishingly massive, yet Tu Man deflected it easily with a single hand! In just one exchange, both You Yue and You Quan suffered a hidden loss!
It had to be admitted that Tu Man’s skill was truly exceptional! His speed, strength, and technique were all impeccably flawless, but even more terrifying was his unconventional method of attack!
It turned out that attacking You Quan and exposing a flaw was all a ploy to lure You Yue into attacking, setting him up for the subsequent, calculated kick! However, You Yue's reaction was not slow; almost as soon as he struck, he sensed the unfavorable situation, instinctively activating his body-protecting battle qi, and furthermore, the direction of his explosive retreat was aligned with the direction of Tu Man's kicking attack!
The combination of these two factors actually managed to largely offset the lethal power of that flying kick! Considering that one of Tu Man's kicks had previously caused You Ping to explode and die, Tu Man's leg strength was truly terrifying!