The crowd in the northwest corner quickly parted, and Chen Nan strode into the arena. The purple-gold dragon coiled around his left arm, its head held high, displaying an air of dominance and supreme authority.
However, no one could muster any sense of reverence for this legendary dragon. No matter how they looked at it, they felt it was full of evil, or rather, a bandit-like or thuggish aura.
After the battle in the palace broke out, many people in the cultivation world already knew that Chen Nan had a legendary Eastern dragon. When they saw the purple-gold dragon, although they were surprised, they were not too surprised.
When Chen Nan was still seven or eight zhang away from the Little Demon King, the onlookers could already sense the danger. A whirlwind suddenly arose between the two, and the marble slabs on the ground were blown into the air by a gust of air, just like straw.
As the two drew closer, countless stone slabs shot into the air. From a distance, within a radius of about ten feet around them, heavy marble slabs were floating everywhere, eventually creating an effect that seemed to blot out the sky.
When the two were about three zhang apart, all the marble slabs floating in the air shattered instantly, turning into dust and scattering to the ground. Outside the square, an uproar erupted. Many cultivators were shocked, while ordinary people were dumbfounded. The noise was deafening.
If it weren't for Princess Chu Yue having informed the Imperial Guards of the capital beforehand, the loud noise here would probably have already attracted the army.
"Bang"
Chen Nan slammed his halberd heavily into the ground, creating huge cracks that spread into the distance.
The mischievous little devil's eyes were practically spitting fire. He glared fiercely at Chen Nan like a ferocious beast and said in a cold voice, "You brat, you really dare to come. If I don't grind you to dust today, I really won't be able to swallow this humiliation!"
Chen Nan sneered, "I can tell you with certainty that you will lose. I will use the same method as last time to pierce your ribs, and this time I will nail you to the square!"
Although Xiang Tian's eyes were flashing with a fierce light, he gradually calmed down. He realized that Chen Nan was obviously much stronger than last time and indeed had enough strength to fight him to the death.
"Heh heh..." Xiang Tian chuckled coldly, saying, "You have indeed become stronger. But if you were to fight me at my peak, you would surely die! Now, in front of all the masters in the world, I would tear you to pieces!"
Chen Nan shook his head and slowly said, "Now I've changed my mind. I'll spare your life for now, and Long Wu will handle it herself in the future. Right now, I want you to be my servant. Seeing these so-called successors of the righteous and evil holy lands, each with their own powerful connections and their own forces, I'm truly envious. I've decided to build my own strongest team, and you are one of the people I've temporarily chosen!"
Xiang Tian was a formidable little devil who roamed the world, yet he was being so utterly disrespected. He was furious, his teeth shattering.
He pointed at Chen Nan and said fiercely, "Fine, fine, I'll see if you're destined to make me your servant!"
Chen Nan sneered, "Don't be unconvinced. What if I told you that I want to unify your six evil holy lands and become the supreme ruler of the Six Paths?!"
Haha..." The Little Demon King of Chaos laughed wildly, "You want to unify the Six Paths? You want to become the supreme ruler of the Six Paths? Who do you think you are! In my opinion, you are nothing but a person with an empty reputation!"
Chen Nan smiled and shook his head, saying, "I was afraid that if I took you as my servant, you wouldn't be able to handle the shock and would commit suicide. So I'm telling you my thoughts now to put your mind at ease. Just because I can't integrate them now doesn't mean I can't in the future. Sooner or later, I will integrate these six paths into my own hands! Hmm, I am indeed undeserving of my reputation, but it was someone like me who severely injured you and stole your sect's treasure, hahaha..."
Enraged, the Mischievous Little Demon King reached behind his back and snatched a replica iron halberd, pointing it diagonally at Chen Nan's throat. He declared, "I will fight you to the death!"
"Wait!" Chen Nan interrupted him. He said, "There should be some prize in this battle. If I defeat you, I have no other request, only that you become my slave until Long Wu comes to kill you. What do you say?"
"I'll make you angry, whatever!" The mischievous little devil brandished his halberd and charged towards Chen Nan. The blazing light of the halberd tore through the void and illuminated the entire square.
A smile crept across Chen Nan's lips. He sensed that something might happen after the battle, so he deliberately provoked Xiang Tian with his words in order to gain the upper hand in the battle and deal with any unexpected events.
He used the Divine Void Step, leaving a trail of afterimages as he swiftly dodged the blazing halberd light. The purple-gold dragon coiled around him then soared into the sky, shouting, "Birdman, show your wings! What's there to hide? I've seen it all before. You'll be flying soon anyway, might as well do it now!"
The mischievous little devil wished he could grab this rogue dragon and chop it to pieces. He roared in anger, and the iron halberd in his hand transformed into thousands of streaks of light, slashing and thrusting towards Chen Nan.
"Haha... Mudskipper is telling the truth. You'd better fly away quickly. You are no match for me on the ground!" Chen Nan held a genuine halberd and slashed down. The blazing divine light surged out like dragons and snakes.
Both wielded halberds and were at the peak of the fourth rank. The dazzling halberd light they unleashed when they attacked with all their might burst forth with blinding brilliance when they met, like ten suns shining in the sky. A fierce wind immediately arose on the square, and dust and sand covered the sky.
When the crowd outside the stadium saw the exciting part, they all cheered and shouted together. Tens of thousands of people shouted together, and the sound truly shook the heavens and the earth!
After a long and fierce battle, the Little Demon King of Chaos suddenly roared, "Illusory Demon Clone of Chaos Void Dao!"
His face was contorted with rage, his long, blood-red hair danced wildly, and afterimages burst forth from his body. In an instant, four Chaotic Little Demon Kings appeared before Chen Nan, standing on all four sides and surrounding him in the center.
"Wow, an avatar?!" the purple-gold dragon in the air exclaimed in surprise.
The onlookers exclaimed in shock, "My God, sorcery!"
"That's incredible! How can one person be divided into four?"
"Could it be that he has truly cultivated an external avatar?"
"What do you know? This is the Illusionary Demon Avatar from the Void Dao, a supreme technique of the Soul Heaven Dao!"
"The Chaotic Void Dao is listed among the current Heavenly Skill Treasures. It is not surprising that such a skill is close to the Dao. There should be even more mysterious and extraordinary skills."
Chen Nan was surrounded by purple light, and two purple beams shot from his eyes. He coldly scanned the four figures, quickly determining their identities, and then attacked the true form of the Chaotic Little Demon King.
He sneered, "I've heard that if you cultivate this Illusionary Demon Avatar to its highest level, it becomes an external avatar. Unfortunately, with your current skill, you can't possibly make the illusion real. You might be able to fool a mid-level fourth-tier expert with this kind of illusion technique, but don't you think it's utterly useless against someone of the same level?"
The Mischievous Little Demon King sneered without answering, and his phantoms vanished. He moved with strange footwork, rushing towards Chen Nan with ghostly speed, leaving behind a series of afterimages in the arena.
Chen Nan used the Divine Void Step, employing speed to counter speed, and became entangled with him. The two wielded their halberds incessantly, a blazing purple light intertwining with a ghastly red glow, flashing in the light. The two almost transformed into two streaks of light, both as swift as lightning.
The Mischievous Little Demon King exclaimed in surprise, "Why do you also know the Illusionary Demon Steps?"
Chen Nan sneered, "Yours is the Illusionary Demon Step, mine is the Earthly God Void Step. Let's see who is stronger!"
Brilliant light flashed continuously as the two moved with lightning speed. Their two halberds unleashed bursts of intense divine light, and deafening booms echoed across the plaza.
"Ugh..."
"Ugh..."
After exchanging over a hundred lightning-fast blows, the two simultaneously roared and swung their halberds at each other with peak power. From the very beginning, they had been cautiously testing each other; this was truly the first, desperate strike!
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, boundless shockwaves surged in all directions, sending the marble slabs on the plaza soaring upwards into the air before exploding into dust.
A vast force surged outwards from the plaza, its immense power knocking many people standing at the edge of the plaza to the ground, causing them to retreat in shock.
The crowd outside the arena exclaimed, "A true duel between near-peerless masters! The winds and clouds have indeed changed!"
"Such a terrifying clash is truly astonishing!"
"These are just two young men in their twenties, yet they are already close to becoming peerless masters. I am truly ashamed!"
Without further hesitation, the Little Demon King's wide cloak shattered instantly, revealing a pair of crystal-clear, shimmering divine and demonic wings on his back.
With a whoosh, Xiang Tian unfurled his divine and demonic wings, soaring into the sky before darting towards Chen Nan with lightning speed. The halberd in his hand gleamed with a cold, eerie light.
Chen Nan stood motionless in the arena, holding his divine halberd. He waited patiently for Xiang Tian to reach him before quickly retreating. After dodging the barrage of halberd strikes, he soared into the sky, his height far exceeding that of the Chaotic Little Demon King.
At this moment, the divine halberd in Chen Nan's hand transformed into a dragon, constantly swirling and dancing, with beams of blazing divine light shooting towards Xiang Tian. However, the Little Demon King of Chaos, with his divine and demonic wings on his back, moved with lightning speed, quickly rushing forward to evade this fierce attack.
However, at that moment, light flashed beneath Chen Nan's feet, and his body began to move sideways, rushing forward as fast as lightning.
"Eight Steps to Chase the Moon!"
The crowd outside immediately gasped in astonishment. This kind of ultimate technique could be used by almost any martial artist with a cultivation level of four or above, achieving lightning speed within eight steps. However, ordinary people performed it on the ground, while Chen Nan actually brought this ultimate technique to its limit in the air, which was truly unbelievable.
Just then, an elderly cultivator exclaimed, "Heavens! It's not the Eight Steps to Chase the Moon, it's the legendary 'Eight Steps of the Heavenly Demon'! Within those eight steps, I am the only one who is fast, breaking through all kinds of techniques in the world!"
Another elderly martial artist was also extremely surprised, saying, "This is indeed the legendary Eight Steps of the Heavenly Demon. Whether you are a cultivator, a magician, or a martial artist who practices physical techniques, no one can surpass the Heavenly Demon Eight Steps in terms of speed!"
"In a battle between top experts, the key is to seize the initiative; speed is enough to break all the laws of the world!"
"I really don't understand how Chen Nan mastered the Eight Steps of the Heavenly Demon, which has been lost for nearly a thousand years. Furthermore, he also knows the long-lost Dragon-Capturing Hand. What is his background, and why does he know so many lost and extreme metaphysical techniques?"
The crowd outside the venue was buzzing with discussion.
This ultimate martial art is derived from the Divine Void Step, allowing for flight and ground maneuvering. At its peak, it surpasses all other techniques in the world. Now that Chen Nan's skill has reached its zenith, and his family's profound art has advanced to a new level, he can naturally unleash the Heavenly Demon Eight Steps. Just as rumored, within the eight steps of the Heavenly Demon Eight Steps, only I am swift, possessing absolute speed that can break through all other techniques!
Without a doubt, in a battle of equal strength, within eight steps, those who cultivate the Heavenly Demon Eight Steps will have a firm advantage!
At this moment, Chen Nan was surrounded by purple aura, transforming into a streak of purple lightning. He took eight steps in the void, quickly catching up with the Chaotic Little Demon King. Moreover, he had just rushed into the sky, above Xiang Tian, and now he was looking down from above, as if Xiang Tian was standing on the ground while he was flying.
Chen Nan looked down at the Demon King of Chaos below, swung his divine halberd and cleaved it down at Xiang Tianli. The dazzling light, like divine punishment from heaven, tore through the void, and terrifying waves of surging energy rolled down.
The Little Demon King cried out in alarm and hurriedly plummeted toward the ground, simultaneously unleashing all his power with his iron halberds, slashing upwards into the air.
"Boom!"
An energy storm suddenly swept through the air, the surging energy flow like rocks piercing the sky, like waves crashing against the shore, violently shaking the ground.
The iron halberd in Xiang Tian's hand was, after all, an ordinary weapon. In the midst of the hasty battle, it was immediately broken in two.
Because the Little Demon King's weapon suddenly broke, his ability to unleash his power to resist Chen Nan was momentarily halted. Chen Nan then slammed down with the force of Mount Tai, breaking through his defenses. The powerful force surged into Xiang Tian's body, instantly knocking him to the ground.
The Mischievous Little Demon King crashed to the ground in a sorry state, smashing the earth and creating huge cracks, stirring up clouds of dust. Xiang Tian had the Divine Demon Wings on his back, enabling him to fly, while his opponent couldn't fly at all. Under these circumstances, he was actually smashed down from the sky by his opponent, which made him feel extremely humiliated, and he felt a sense of madness.
"The Eight Steps of the Heavenly Demon, I alone am swift, breaking all laws!" At this moment, Chen Nan truly resembled the Heavenly Demon who had returned from the ancient times!