John's bloodline ability pushed the relative power of cultivation level a step higher, putting on par with the FrostFire Tiger. With the combination of using his bloodline ability and his Dao fusion attack, the power of the attack was several times stronger than anything he had unleashed before.
The power that surged through his body and out of his fingertip was unlike anything that he had ever felt before. Instantly after unleashing the attack, John felt his essence Qi reserves become almost completely drained, as the attack had used far more Qi than he had expected. However, he remained on his feet to watch the attack land on his target.
At the same time, the FrostFire Tiger unleashed its attack, sending a beam attack towards John, containing the fusion of fire and ice. The attacks collided in midair, directly between the two of them.
Boom!
A calamitous explosion instantly radiated outwards, threatening to drown the entire cavern in its power. Expecting such a thing, John pushed his body's power to the limit, preparing to brace for the monstrously powerful explosion that would engulf him. The entire time, his eyes remained locked on his attack, studying the true power he had just unleashed.
The calamitous explosion of Qi was a mixture of both his attack and the FrostFire Tiger's attack, but a core remnant of his attack still remained intact. That core beam burrowed directly through the FrostFire Tigers beam of Qi, like a drill burrowing through the earth. It pierced through the beam of his enemy without pause, as if nothing in the world was capable of stopping it.
It was a fusion of his destruction-aspected lightning, and the Dao of Power. Both of these Dao's were on a higher profundity level than the Dao's of Fire and Ice, and so even though the FrostFire Tiger's grasp over its Dao's was a bit higher, the potency and power of John's attack didn't lose out at all.
"I win," John declared confidently as his attack was about to land directly on the FrostFire Tiger, who would at the very least be gravely injured by his attack. The explosion was just about to engulf him, which John turned his attention to at the last moment, finally averting his eyes from his attack.
"That's enough!" a deep voice suddenly boomed loudly, the instant before the attack landed and the explosion engulfed him.
Boom!
Boom!
Two massive objects instantly appeared within the cavern, one directly before John, and one directly before the FrostFire Tiger. John's eyes widened as he saw what was directly before him, which was dozens of times taller than he was.
A hand!
BOOM!
BOOM!
John's lightning attack blasted against the massive hand directly before the FrostFire Tiger, while the calamitous explosion that was about to engulf him and the tiger slammed into both hands as well.
Rumble!
The two hands pressed forward and cupped together, forming a sphere of flesh that surrounded the ruinous explosion. The explosion slammed against the cupped hands with violent power, rumbling the entire cavern as if it were about to collapse.</anda>
After containing the explosion, the two hands pressed together, tighter and tighter until the palms of both hands pressed together. The powerful rumbling intensified as the space containing the explosion lessened, and only after several seconds did the rumbling eventually stop.
Silence returned to the once deafeningly loud cave, while John's wide eyes, full of stunned shock, stared at the absolutely massive and hulking figure standing before him. The figure was well over two hundred feet tall, and appeared like a giant standing before ants.
John's hand slowly stretched out as he pointed towards the hulking figure, which started to shake as a wave of incredible pain and fatigue beyond compare washed over him.
"How did you…" John mumbled out loud, before he collapsed to the ground, unconsciousness taking a hold of him.
…
"Why the hell hasn't he come out yet? Its been over two months already. Has he somehow left without you noticing?" a voice asked with great displeasure?
The voice belonged to Vivian of the Starforge Clan, who sat inside an empty restaurant which had been bought out by her for use. Next to her sat a Xander of the Mystic Trade Hall, who silently sipped his tea.
"No, Young Misses Vivian. We have eyes on every exit, so unless he uses a formation to leave, we will spot him," the hooded figure before Vivian replied respectfully.
"Good, and remember to immediately send word to me when he leaves, but do not confront him. I want him to leave the city first before we deal with him," Vivian replied with a haughty attitude.
"As you wish," the hooded figure replied before his figure flashed away, leaving Vivian and Xander alone within the rented out restaurant.
"Are you sure this is a wise thing to do?" Xander asked, his tone filled with concern.
"Why wouldn't this be wise?" Vivian replied dismissively. "He insulted me, Kadin, and the entire Starforge Clan before, and that alone is punishable by death in my eyes. And then there's the other matter as well. While I still refuse the rumors to be true, if they are…then we can make a fortune on the side as well."
"That's what I'm concerned about," Xander replied, still cautious of the situation. "If Caz's friend truly is the ‘Asura' as the recent rumors are saying, then his combat prowess must be beyond compare. You don't know what he's capable of, and if you make a mistake, there could very well be dire consequences…for both you and your clan."
"Are you saying my Starforge Clan isn't capable of handling one Heaven Tribulation brat?" Vivian asked, greatly displeased at Xander's words.
"Not at all. All I'm saying is that capturing ‘Asura' might not be as simple as you think it to be. And should he escape your grasp and grow up to become even stronger, who knows what he'll be capable of. His talent is unparalleled if we are to believe the Talent Testing Steps score, and there are also the rumors of what happened within the Jade Dragon Empire trial realm. I just want you to know the risks of what you're about to do," Xander warned.
"Hmph, you worry too much," Vivian huffed dismissively. "The anonymous bounties that have been offered for his capture, dead or alive, are quite enticing, even for someone as wealthy as me. Why shouldn't I take advantage of the situation?"
"Those bounties are anonymous for good reason," Xander replied. "Everyone knows that the bounties have been issued by the Forbidden Alliance, but they have not done so officially. Even the Forbidden Alliance is wary of openly targeting the Prime Disciple of the Honorable Alliance, and have instead employed the help of mercenaries and other cultivators that hide in the shadows. If the entire Forbidden Alliance is taking such a cautious method of targeting ‘Asura', perhaps it is wise that you do the same."
"Hmph, the Forbidden Alliance is nothing but spineless cowards. Do they really think the Honorable Alliance will go to war for a single brat? Besides, my Starforge Clan stands independent of their petty feud, and even if we target that boy, the Honorable Alliance wont do anything to us, as losing access to our formations is far more costly than losing a singular disciple," Vivian replied, still haughty and sure of herself.
"Besides, someone like him is sure to have incredible secrets on his body. After we capture him, we can obtain whatever secrets he possesses before handing him over for the bounty reward. The gains will surely be worth the risk," the said, her voice firm as if the matter was already concluded.
Sigh!
A deep sigh escaped Xanders mouth, and he stood up after finishing his cup of tea.
"Well, I won't get in your way, but I won't aid you either. I wish you the best of luck, and hope you know what you're doing," Xander said to Vivian before leaving the restaurant.
"Such a child, still scared of a little risk," she chastised Xander after he left and took a sip of her tea. "Besides, what risk is there in targeting a single Heaven Tribulation brat. He's come here alone and without protection, and I'm the only one who knows his current location. I won't get such an opportunity again, and so I must take action while I can. I'll make that brat pay for what he said about me and my clan…Oh how I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes his fate is sealed," she said to herself, while a large smile of anticipation appeared on her face.
