"Catch the spear!"
The Devourer shouted as an ancient-looking spear fell from above. Shen Luohan had prepared it in advance, but Shen Wulong had not taken it when they came here. Fortunately, the Devourer had had the foresight to store it in his storage space and bring it along.
Luke’s current state looked deeply ominous. The Devourer felt that if Shen Wulong continued fighting barehanded, he might genuinely suffer an upset.
Seeing the spear descend, Luke made no move to stop it and allowed Shen Wulong to catch it.
Shen Wulong caught the spear and casually assumed a stance, yet it carried the presence of a true grandmaster.
He looked at the godlike, demonic Luke, his voice rising with excitement. "You’re so strong... What is this feeling?"
"That’s why I call you pitiful. You don’t even realize you’re excited. Isn’t this what you’ve always sought—a life-or-death fight against an equal?"
Luke bared a row of stark white teeth. "Come on. Enjoy it—the battle at the peak."
The moment the words left his mouth, he drew his blade from an iaijutsu stance. It was a godspeed slash, strength and technique fused into one—the pinnacle slash of Luke’s life.
The purple-black blade tore through the air, cutting toward the void-born immortal.
The dark-red spear thrust forward. Every posture and every movement flowed through an ancient spear art—Azure Dragon Offers Its Claws!
Clang—
The shriek of steel against steel rang out. Blinding sparks erupted where spearpoint met sword tip. Shen Wulong had struck after Luke, yet arrived first, catching the blade before Luke could complete its turning descent.
What vision. What technique. He had lived up to the ten thousand years he had spent honing martial arts—and to the expectations of the opponent before him.
The two shifted and weaved. Shen Wulong’s spear forms flowed in perfect circles, his weapon whirling into an impenetrable curtain, yet sudden thrusts like an azure dragon raising its head and sweeping strikes like a divine dragon lashing its tail pierced through it.
Every move seemed to arise at his whim, nearly touching the Dao itself. With his physically inferior body, he suppressed Luke for a time, keeping Luke’s blade from reaching his flesh.
They moved at extreme speed through their battle, like a cyclone sweeping down the street. Utility poles snapped, cars shattered, and walls collapsed in their wake.
This was a clash at the pinnacle of martial arts, a collision between an immortal and a brute.
"That’s insane... No wonder the old man called him an immortal."
Raian, who had just reached the rooftop, was stunned by the sight.
Though he hated to admit it, Luke and Shen Wulong’s battle had already entered a realm beyond humanity. Their speed, strength, and technique all exceeded the limits of human comprehension.
They already possessed superhuman power, and now they were wielding their arts without restraint. The might they unleashed multiplied geometrically.
There was no room for anyone else to interfere. This street had become a dead zone. Anyone who dared enter the battlefield of those two would meet only death.
"Truly peerless technique."
Luke spoke amid the slaughter, his expression feverish. It had been a long time since he had fought someone this freely.
He admired the beauty of Shen Wulong’s technique. In his [Secret Technique: Demon God] state, his dynamic reflexes had been enhanced again. He could see every movement Shen Wulong made, including how he exerted force and the processes behind his spear techniques.
That was precisely why he could not help marveling at the power of the other man’s spear art.
His master had once told him: a month for the staff, a year for the saber, a lifetime for the spear. The spear was the weapon that demanded the most time to hone. So just what level had Shen Wulong’s spear art reached after more than ten thousand years of refinement?
By Luke’s estimation, Shen Wulong’s overall attributes were around 22—far lower than Luke’s current stats—yet he could block every one of Luke’s attacks and mount counterattacks. His technique was absurdly powerful... and it thrilled Luke.
His master had praised his talent for martial arts as a once-in-a-thousand-years genius. In ancient times, he would supposedly have become the leader of the martial world. Luke did not really understand what that meant, but he did possess the talent to learn all kinds of martial arts at terrifying speed.
The Shen Wulong before him was like an enormous treasure trove. Every gesture the man made poured knowledge into Luke like water soaking a sponge. Luke was adapting to his opponent’s offense while learning his techniques.
Hand-to-hand combat, force dissipation, spear arts, footwork... During this brief exchange, each of Luke’s mastery abilities grew at a rapid pace.
The battle between the two powerhouses was so intense and spectacular that Raian forgot to attack the Devourer, staring fixedly at the decisive battle below.
The Devourer did not flee or attack Raian either. He knew that his fate was now bound to Shen Wulong’s. Now that he had revealed himself, the Kure Clan would certainly mark him. Even if he escaped now, he would no longer be able to hide.
More importantly, he knew the Arbiter possessed tracking abilities. Once he had shown his face to Luke, he would remain hunted.
All he could do now was pray that Shen Wulong killed Luke quickly, then wiped out the Kure Clan. Only then would his journey through this world be complete.
Boom—
Amid the thunderous crash, Luke and Shen Wulong were sent flying at the same time. One slammed into a wall, the other into a traffic light.
Luke emerged from the rubble and rolled his neck. His bared teeth were streaked with blood. Yet as he took a step, the injuries inside his body had already healed, while the bloody cuts left by the spear across his skin visibly vanished.
Kaidō had proven useful in this fight. In his [Secret Technique: Demon God] state, he lost blood more easily. Without Kaidō, he would probably have dropped to his knees in under three minutes.
"I’d love to steal a few more lessons from you, but my body won’t allow it..."
Luke sighed. Seven minutes had passed in their savage exchange of offense and defense. They had wrecked the entire street beyond recognition, yet still failed to determine a winner.
Shen Wulong’s technique was virtually flawless. By controlling the flow of force, he dispersed the power behind every one of Luke’s slashes. He could even borrow Luke’s own force, spin the spear shaft around, and strike Luke with it.
"What a shame. Is this already your limit?"
Shen Wulong stood beneath the traffic light, regret in his voice. Yet his expression was exhilarated, bearing a pleased smile.
"So you can make that kind of expression after all. Have you found what it feels like to be human again?"
Luke smiled. "Fighting an evenly matched opponent feels incredible, doesn’t it?"
"Incredible? Perhaps. I only feel that so many things have stopped mattering. I cast them from my mind. Those tedious voices no longer echo in my head."
Shen Wulong spoke quietly. When the fight had first begun, Shen Luohan’s voice had seemed to linger in his mind, telling him to use modern weaponry to finish Luke.
But now, he did not think of any of that. There was not a single distracting thought in his heart.
What made him somewhat ashamed was that he was not thinking of avenging Xavier. He was simply enjoying this battle and wanted to defeat the powerful man before him head-on with his own martial arts.
"Come, then. Show me the martial arts forged over ten thousand years. And I..."
Luke lowered his body, his aura turning increasingly violent. "I’ll show you my peak as well."
"Martial arts... You acknowledge my martial arts."
A smile appeared on Shen Wulong’s face. He gripped his spear and assumed a stance. "Come, young powerhouse."
In the next instant, the light pole behind Shen Wulong toppled over, while rubble behind Luke exploded outward. Both charged at their opponent at their highest speed.
Shen Wulong seemed like an immortal treading upon the moon, riding the wind toward him—light and agile. As the spear spun, it seemed part of his body, drawing the rushing wind and raging flames around its shaft.
The spear shot forth like a roaring fire dragon!
As Luke sprinted, his muscles swelled again. Bloody fissures split across the surface of his skin, while his bones groaned beneath the immense strain.
[Secret Technique: Demon God]—full output. His Strength had climbed to the very peak of a first-tier Explorer!
He was exhilarated to have encountered such a powerful opponent. Yet he also felt a touch of regret that he could not continue enjoying this duel.
What would happen when ultimate technique met peerless power?
The ground along the long street burst apart. Chunks of stone sprang up like blooming water lilies. Before those water lilies charged a god-demon—a bloodthirsty asura!
The immortal pointed the way with a spear. The asura severed souls with a single blade!
At that ultimate speed, Luke was ultimately one step faster. Shen Wulong failed to seize the weak point in the force of Luke’s slash. The blade struck solidly against the middle of the spear shaft.
The black blade bore down with peerless sharpness and savage force. The strike was so fast Shen Wulong had no time to disperse its power, and so heavy that it felt as though Mount Tai were crashing down upon him.
The contest between technique and stats finally had its victor... The blade fell.
It sent blood soaring into the sky—and a smiling head with it.
After passing each other, Luke staggered and coughed up blood. Forcing [Secret Technique: Demon God] to such a high output had put too much strain on him; his body had nearly collapsed.
But the winner had finally been decided. He had successfully ended the strongest being in this world.
He glanced at Shen Wulong’s fallen corpse. "At the very end, you truly were a powerhouse after all. I acknowledge your martial arts."
Tomorrow, he would return. Time to make Muzan bask in the sun.
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