Once again, both sides paused.
Lan Qing's body still glowed with a faint golden light. His face was pensive.
How could his abilities be as simple as they appeared on the surface?
Don't forget, he was the God of Wisdom!
Lan Qing's path of protogenia was one of evolution's most important components.
Through his own cultivation and battles, he could constantly improve himself, constantly evolve, and make himself stronger.
His protogenia couldn't change back and forth, but there was a core and an outer layer.
Vairocana, with Prajna as the core, was the true essence of protogenia. Wind was the outer layer.
So while it looked like a transformation, he hadn't used his full strength from beginning to end.
Jueti had told Lan Qing that after becoming a Paragon, the world would narrow. There would be fewer people at the same level as him.
Under these circumstances, what a new Paragon needed most was a whetstone.
A friend couldn't be a whetstone. A Paragon's senses were sharp, and if there wasn't any real danger, they'd be able to sense it.
The Astral Phantom was Lan Qing's best whetstone. A whetstone like that couldn't be destroyed so easily.
Through their battle, Lan Qing continued to understand and perfect his protogenia.
There was a flash of purple, and the Astral Phantom's body vanished. This time he didn't wait for Lan Qing to attack.
The Astral Phantom was an assassin. Back in the Former Era, he'd have been called an assassin.
Assassins didn't face their opponents head-on.
Stealth, assassination, that was what they were good at.
When the Astral Phantom vanished, Lan Qing's eyes lit up. He clasped his hands in front of his chest, and in that moment it was like he was one with the universe.
It felt like he'd disappeared as well.
But while the Astral Phantom was gone, Lan Qing's aura was gone. In other words, he was one with the universe.
Ding! A beam of purple light appeared behind Lan Qing to the right.
Lan Qing wanted to turn, but it was too late. The Astral Phantom was too fast.
He twisted his body slightly to avoid the Astral Phantom's attack, and used his back to block it.
Cries of alarm rose outside the battlefield. The Astral Phantom was infamous.
Too many people knew how powerful he was. Being stabbed by his Soul Devouring Dagger was the same as reporting to the Grim Reaper!
However, the crisp sound of collision pulled everyone back to reality. Everyone was shocked to realize that the Soul-Devouring Dagger had not pierced into Lan Qing's body. Instead, it had bounced off slightly.
At this moment, a dazzling golden halo rose from the back of Lan Qing's head. His entire body expanded several times, and he sat cross-legged in the air.
A cluster of golden lotuses supported his body.
A blazing heat that seemed to be able to burn one's soul suddenly burst forth from his body, and a low Sanskrit chant resounded throughout the entire space.
When the Astral Phantom reappeared, it was far off in the distance. "Reflection of Heaven and Earth?
How is this possible? You … "
Lan Qing's eyes were filled with peace and serenity. He lifted his palms, which had been pressed together in front of his chest, and lifted them to the heavens. Buddhist chants filled the air, and the wheel of light behind his head rose into the air. It grew larger and larger, until it became a blazing sun.
The radiance of the sun illuminated the entire space, causing everything to have nowhere to hide.
The Astral Phantom, who had just been lured back into the air, was now visible again. He was flickering, like a specter wandering aimlessly through the air.
Domain!
Buddha's Light!
Yes, this was Lan Qing's true domain. He hadn't used it during his sparring with Lan Jue.
Nothing could hide from the Buddha's Light. The Astral Phantom's true domain was actually the Spatial Jump he was using.
Within the range of his domain, he could teleport to any location while avoiding the laws of the universe.
Unfortunately, the Sun's Light dispelled all negativity and shadows. Everything appeared in its purest form.
"Mantra of Great Divinity!"
Lan Qing pushed out with both hands, and the Buddha's Light flared to life. Most people outside couldn't sense what was happening inside.
The Astral Phantom's body flickered wildly. No matter how much he refused to believe it, Lan Qing was a Reflection of Heaven and Earth, a second level Paragon!
Only a Reflection of Heaven and Earth could block a direct hit from the Soul Devourer Dagger.
No wonder he dared to challenge the Astral Phantom. Had he jumped to this level already?
The Astral Phantom's emotions were complicated, even confused.
He didn't understand. He'd been unable to break through for decades. How did this young kid do it in such a short time? It was inconceivable.
The Astral Phantom's body flickered as he tried to escape the Domain.
But the Buddha's Light completely suppressed his Domain. A second level Paragon's Domain was already far superior to a first level Paragon's.
This was a pure suppression in terms of level.
The Astral Phantom had to break free of the Domain to have a chance.
However, as soon as Lan Qing uttered the three words, the Mantra of Great Divinity.
The Astral Phantom suddenly realized that everything around him had changed.
No matter how he dodged, no matter how fast he sped up.
Vairocana was right in front of him. The palm of the Astral Phantom seemed to fill the heavens and the earth.
There was no way to dodge!
The Astral Phantom took a deep breath and stopped in his tracks.
He knew there was no point in trying to dodge.
He was trapped in someone else's Domain, and his own was useless. Whatever the Astral Phantom wanted to do, it could do.
There was no way he could resist Lan Qing's suggestion!
The Astral Phantom clasped his hands behind his back again. This time, his shoulders and arms seemed to snap in half.
Then he moved. A series of afterimages appeared behind him.
This time, his movements seemed to be a little slow, allowing the spectators to see it clearly. However, it wasn't really slow.
The Astral Phantom's entire body seemed to become illusory as he sped up.
Thirteen!
Including the Astral Phantom, there were thirteen of them. As they sped up, the afterimages behind them slammed into the ones in front of them. Each time they collided, the Astral Phantom's figure became clearer.
In front of the Astral Phantom, the image of a giant purple blade coalesced. It grew clearer, sharper.
Blinding light flashed, cutting through the fabric of space.
Even the Buddha's Light seemed to be sliced apart by the blade.
This was the Astral Phantom's true strength, and his strongest ability.
A true assassin was required to master the Last Stand. What level of power could a Paragon assassin bring to bear?
The Astral Phantom was using his actions to tell everyone.
At this moment, she was like a dark shadow, but also like a light that could pierce through everything. His own domain, strength, speed, poison, perception, everything was burning to the peak in an instant.
This was a strike of no return. If his enemy didn't die, he wouldn't be able to launch a second attack.
This was two hundred percent of his strength, two hundred percent of his power.
Starfall.
This was the name the Astral Phantom had given to his attack. He would only use it as a last resort.
Over the years, no one had been able to force him to use this attack.
He had never targeted another Paragon for assassination.
There was no dazzle or splendor, only the ultimate Sacrificial Strike.
Everything was used in that instant of attack.
Lan Qing's palms stiffened. In that moment, he felt the sun above him drop in temperature. His sense of danger forced him to make the right choice.
Supreme Mantra!
He called upon his most powerful Prajna Mantra.
His palms straightened, as immovable as a mountain!
There is no other, there is no Buddha.
There is no higher, there is no lower, there is no terror.
Suddenly, Lan Qing's body became like the sun itself. It was like the true Vairocana had descended. The heat was so intense it felt like the stars in the sky were melting.
"Dang —" The distant clear sound was like the ringing of a giant bell. The loud and clear sound seemed to shake the entire space violently.
Lan Qing's Vairocana shuddered violently. A white scar appeared on his forehead.
Lan Jue rushed forward when she saw this, but Jueti grabbed her arm.
"Prajna Prajna Mira!" A deep Sanskrit chant filled the air.
A terrifying sound wave swept through the area, allowing everyone to hear it clearly.
The Astral Phantom reappeared, his body becoming more and more corporeal.
He, who had always been half-hidden in the shadows, finally became clear.
His thin and weak body actually began to undergo strange changes. He became taller and even more voluptuous.
A blinding golden light enveloped 'him', and the Sanskrit chant filled the air.
The white scar on Lan Qing's forehead slowly disappeared. The Astral Phantom's arms drooped at his sides, enveloped in the light of the sun.
The blazing fire of the Great Sun incessantly burned the purple light of laws around "his" body.
Lan Qing's Reflection of Heaven and Earth ceased to exist, revealing his true form. His face was pale, and he looked a little pale.
In that moment he'd felt the threat of death.
The Astral Phantom's attack had been so close to breaking through his Reflection of Heaven and Earth and Supreme Mantra.
After all, Lan Qing had only recently become a Paragon. Even if he'd jumped to the second level, his understanding of protogenia and his own abilities were still shaky.
The Astral Phantom's Sacrificial Strike was strong enough to defeat a second level Paragon.
In terms of pure single-target power.
Even the few Paragons ranked higher than him weren't necessarily stronger than he was.
With the Astral Phantom's Sacrificial Strike at full power, Lan Qing's Supreme Mantra was on the verge of breaking.