Among peak Saint-level experts, even if there's a gap in strength, it's usually impossible to kill each other in a short amount of time.
Sadius was speechless. This human insisted on running straight in his direction, half-dead or not.
And now, great…he was being hunted too.
"I can't beat that thing! What, you expect me to stand still and get clobbered?"
Sadius cursed internally.
"Damn it. Ugh. You know how to ambush, right? I'll tangle with that guy head-on. You find an opening and strike; make sure it's fatal."
Sadius didn't dare be careless.
Even though he had the Life Origin Pearl, if that peak Saint-level Blood-Eyed Mane Lion had any technique capable of fully obliterating his body, then he'd still die without question.
However, with another peak Saint-level Earth-element cultivator nearby, Sadius felt much more secure.
Immediately, Sadius shot out from the ground.
"Take this Rainstorm Pear Blossom!" Thirty-six bone spikes blasted out in a volley.
The Blood-Eyed Mane Lion roared at once. A wave of sound rippled out, and one spike after another shattered in mid-air.
"Wind element! This guy's a mutated Blood-Eyed Mane Lion!"
Sadius dared not hold back any longer.
All three of his elemental energies erupted simultaneously.
Earth Splitter Slash!
His most powerful technique.
The Blood-Eyed Mane Lion also swung its claws at Sadius in retaliation.
The two strikes clashed, forcing both to stagger back.
Clearly, Sadius was pushed farther.
"The fusion of insights in this technique is still too shallow. Not enough power."
Just one claw strike, and Sadius was already injured. Fortunately, with the Life Origin Pearl, he recovered instantly.
The Blood-Eyed Mane Lion wasn't doing so well either. Although it was a peak Saint, Sadius' attacks were so bizarre that it suffered significant damage.
"Hmph. Come again!" Seeing his strike had worked, Sadius lunged again at the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion.
"Wind Shadow Kill!" The lion used its ultimate move.
It transformed into a blur of wind and pounced on Sadius.
Within that motion, Sadius sensed the Profound Truth of Speed from the wind element.
This lion had actually grasped both the Profound Truth of Sound and Speed from the wind element. Thankfully, it hadn't fused them yet; otherwise its strength would've risen again.
Seeing this, Sadius launched his own dual claw strike:
Ghostslash Decapitation.
Though not his strongest in raw power, it was the fastest; laced with a soul attack as well.
"You're a bizarre specimen, a Razor Back Armored Dragon able to merge different elemental attacks into one technique. But so what? You're still just a peak Saint. I've been at the peak for thousands of years. You'll never be my match."
"Heh. Thousands of years and still stuck at peak Saint? Have you ever worked hard? Ever reflected on yourself?"
Sadius taunted mercilessly.
The Blood-Eyed Mane Lion felt thoroughly insulted. The wind element swirling in its ultimate attack turned even more violent.
The two ultimate moves clashed again. This time, the result was decisive. A massive gash split across Sadius' body.
By all rights, this blow should've killed him.
But Sadius carried the Life Origin Pearl.
In a flash, his body restored itself.
While the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion wasn't paying attention, Sadius launched another strike.
The lion quickly retreated but still took a hit; its skin tearing open in a huge wound.
It rapidly sealed the gash with elemental energy.
"Life Origin Pearl!" Instead of fear, the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion was elated. If he could obtain that Life Origin Pearl, his power would surge again; he'd truly be invincible below the Deity-level.
The lion went all out, turning into a gale of wind and launching another ferocious assault.
Now that it had some experience, the lion gave Sadius no chance to sneak attack, launching attack after attack without pause.
Sadius grinned inwardly.
The Blood-Eyed Mane Lion had walked right into his trap.
Sadius' Slaughter Sword Path emphasized killing the enemy and risking oneself. Even when others tried to kill him, the killing intent they unleashed also deepened his insight into the Laws.
Underground, the Earth-element peak Saint man watched the battle clearly with his spiritual sense.
"This Razor Back Armored Dragon is actually a three-element soul mutation… Pity he took the wrong path and failed to become a Deity. Hybrid Laws can't truly fuse. But the profound mysteries he's developed from the Laws of Destruction are quite bizarre. He comprehends deeper with each life-and-death battle. Only during the Saint level could someone with a Life Origin Pearl comprehend such strange Profound Mysteries. As long as this guy doesn't die, becoming a Deity shouldn't be a problem."
High in the sky, Sadius kept maneuvering, trying to create a perfect opportunity for that Earth-element peak Saint to ambush.
But the man never made a move.
"Did that guy run off?" Sadius wondered, speechless.
Currently, he is being thoroughly suppressed. But with every exchange, his Slaughter Sword Path grew more profound, so he wasn't in a hurry.
The Blood-Eyed Mane Lion also began sensing something was off.
Its attacks couldn't fully annihilate a body or destroy a soul. Killing Sadius was nearly impossible.
And the longer the fight dragged on, the stronger Sadius became already able to go toe-to-toe with it.
"He's about to reach peak Saint this quickly? His talent's absurd; nothing like a Razor Back Armored Dragon. Might as well see what his sea of consciousness holds."
Underground, the peak Earth-element Saint thought to himself.
This man was no ordinary figure; he was Bluefire, the most powerful being in the entire Planar Prison, a dual-element upper Deity of Earth and Fire.
His fire-type divine clone had already reached five-way fusion; among the strongest of all non-Sovereign Deities.
The body he now used was just his Saint-level original form, disguised as an ordinary peak Earth-element Saint.
Not long ago, while cultivating in the city, his divine sense had discovered a Saint-level soul that was highly unusual. Curiosity piqued; he had this Saint-level body take on a disguise to investigate.
At Bluefire's level, taking even half a step further was unimaginably difficult. Anything that might aid his training stirred his curiosity.
Clearly, Sadius' three-element soul mutation had drawn his interest.
Sadius continued using the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion as his whetstone.
Silently, Bluefire's powerful divine sense infiltrated Sadius' sea of consciousness.
The moment he entered, Bluefire was stunned by what he saw.
"Divine Beast Azure Dragon!"
It was said the Azure Dragon was the water-type Sovereign. Later, the Four Divine Beasts had mysteriously fallen, vanishing without a trace. No one knew their fate; only that the Four Divine Beast clan's Sovereigns had perished.
The Seven Divine Planes and countless material planes had been thrown into uproar.
The once-number-one clan was suppressed by the Eight Great Clans and forced into retreat in the Skyrite Mountains.
That was the extent of Bluefire's knowledge.
But now, seeing the soul of the Azure Dragon in Sadius' sea of consciousness, he was utterly shocked.
Could it be the Azure Dragon Sovereign hadn't died, but instead had reincarnated mysteriously into a Razor Back Armored Dragon?
Could the universe allow such a feat?
Bluefire didn't know; the cosmos was simply too vast.
Looking closer, Bluefire rejected that idea.
This soul only resembled the Azure Dragon, but carried Destruction, Darkness, and Earth attributes.
Everyone knew the Azure Dragon was a water-type Sovereign with no divine clone.
This soul clearly had no affinity for water; it absolutely couldn't be the Azure Dragon Sovereign reborn.
"Might as well delve into his memories."