Chapter 598: Clash!

The spell projection in Dove Square consisted of a crystal orb resting upon a pedestal, within which magic subtly ebbed and flowed; only amid the mist above the orb did a rather grand image manifest, depicting a battlefield upon the Continent of Immortal Relics.

These were all provided by the shrine situated within the City of Canglan.

Ordinarily, projections of supreme experts overcoming secret realms and the like would occasionally be displayed as well.

However, if one truly wished to watch top-tier, real-time broadcasts that even offered instruction on various techniques, it was best to visit the Alchemists' Guild.

"Did you see it clearly—that strike?"

They had all witnessed how, under the terrifying divine power unleashed by Hawkes, the sky had been filled with blazing sword silhouettes of raging fire; yet that other glint of a blade was as timeless and profound as a clear mountain stream, and with a single strike, it had utterly caused everything to collapse and disintegrate.

The various knight orders, the elves, and the warriors, mages, and youths of the Morning Light Empire present at Dove Square felt at this moment...

How does this feel entirely different from the battles we used to watch! The super powerhouses we watched before always had magic and battle qi flying all over the sky, and Hawkes's terrifying speed and strength just now, along with that terrifying flame enhanced by divine power, were pretty much like that, and such a powerhouse is a presence capable of holding back ten thousand armies alone!

But how come you people...

Just thrust a single sword forward and it's all over!? This isn't right!

They were not merely dumbfounded; their minds were completely filled with "???"

This single battle had practically rewritten their entire understanding of combat!

This strike appeared accidental and contrary to common sense, but in the eyes of true masters, this strike was an absolute certainty.

What they perceived was a terrifying capacity for control, an absolute awareness of everything present at that moment; that meticulously extreme mastery over every aspect had long ceased to be confined to looking with the eyes or listening with the ears.

Even if the opponent merely raised a foot or lifted a sword, catching only a minuscule shift in movement, they already knew precisely how they ought to strike with their own sword.

Thus, no matter how swiftly Hawkes moved around Nalan Hongwu, and no matter from what angle he attacked, Nalan Hongwu could always thrust forth such a near-pinnacle strike.

"Truly unexpected..." a projected elderly man whose entire body radiated a dazzling brilliance spoke, "Your Eminence Saint Heinz, this war will likely prove somewhat troublesome."

"In this battle, Hawkes clearly succumbed to an opponent whose combat techniques far surpass those of ordinary men," spoke the old man known as the "World Mage." "However, in my view, there is no need for concern. The path of technique has always been a pursuit of the trivial at the expense of the fundamental; expending centuries of time yet failing to strengthen the physical vessel or extend one's life—looking at this old man, he may well have lived for several long centuries, yet he is merely of the seventh rank, and by now he has likely reached the very end of his lifespan."

One must know that mighty power could extend the journey of life, and within those extended, long years, one could strike toward even more powerful realms.

It was not that they were entirely devoid of skill in techniques, but in their view, such things were merely accidental derivatives in the process of mastering power.

When a mighty, world-destroying spell came crashing down, what technique could you possibly use to contend with it?

Precisely because of this, the nations and factions behind them were divine kingdoms and shrines, whereas the Morning Light Empire, which was styled the "Kingdom of Techniques," was merely an empire.

"Oh, Lord Hawkes was truly far too careless." At this moment, Luther also hastily offered an explanation, "Please believe that this was merely a coincidence!"

After all, in the eyes of laymen, it did seem to contain a bit of an accidental element.

Within the spell projection, Luther continued: "At the same time, I hope the other lords will not be as careless as Lord Hawkes. These natives do not seem entirely useless after all; yes, that is precisely how it is."

"These natives have absolutely no concept of what fear is; perhaps they believe such good fortune will continue to fall upon their heads?" Luther said savagely, "I think we ought to teach him a lesson."

"Was that strike just now truly a coincidence? Oh... no!" The innocent elf girl, Sera, clearly began to worry once more.

"Clearly, Lord Hawkes was defeated far too easily just now." A knight from the Golden Gryphon Knights beside her spoke up, "In fact, I also feel that it was merely a coincidence, wouldn't you say, Miss Helen?"

Helen seemed somewhat distracted: "Perhaps..."

"Even if there was an element of coincidence, to be able to defeat the great and powerful Lord Hawkes," Xi argued from the side, "I think he must be very formidable as well!"

At this time, the crowd of spectators in Dove Square had clearly split into several factions. The various knights, led by the knight orders, felt that these natives would not remain so lucky; otherwise, how could they rescue Miss Jessica and the others?

Those led by the elf girl Sera felt that although there seemed to be a hint of coincidence just now, it was undeniably a superb exhibition of technique.

While they were debating these matters, Luther clearly switched the spell projection once again. There were three such spell projections in total, located across three different battlefields, and Luther naturally only needed to select one to broadcast to the audience.

Clearly, he had seen what he wished to see on another battlefield, which was likewise what the shrine needed everyone to witness, so he hastily switched it over.

"Oh, look there! His Eminence 'Earth of Thorns' has already ordered a full-scale offensive against these natives! These natives evidently intend to resist to the bitter end, but this time, good fortune will not smile upon them again!"

Before their eyes, they could see white divine light transforming into countless rays of destructive brilliance, cascading down from the heavens. Around the fleet of Dharma ships belonging to the cultivators of Lingzhou, a pale blue light ignited; these white rays of divine light clashed against the pale blue spiritual glow outside the ships, and the immense, terrifying power immediately induced violent tremors.

Amid the sky, the brilliance fell like rain, and the entire hulls of the giant vessels began to vibrate violently.

Meanwhile, the Lingzhou faction had also launched their counterattack.

It was not only the artifact masters of the Jiuhua City and Banbian City shops who were working tirelessly; the cultivators of Lingzhou had not been idling either. Following the conclusion of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 1," Li Xiaoyao's return to Shushan inherently allowed them to study many things and examine numerous ancient texts.

Among these were certain matters regarding artifact refinement and array formations; they had modified and improved the various defensive and offensive arrays upon their existing Dharma vessels. Coupled with the fact that the several great clans of Lingzhou constituted the most powerful factional coalition on the entire continent, they did not appear to be at a disadvantage at this moment.

And at this time, high above that massive stone palace, countless warriors riding all manner of flying mounts spread outward from the grand stone palace like a swarm of locusts.

In an instant, the dark mass nearly blanketed the entire sky.

Behind them floated arrays of mages clad in white robes, suspended in the air.

The most conspicuous among them were the dragons; they rode creatures somewhat similar to the horned dragons ridden by Gabriel and his peers, yet far more ferocious, with flames spewing from their maws.

Of course, there was no shortage of other exotic beasts; for instance, one gold-armored knight rode a majestic lion that possessed a pair of wings upon its back.

They did not strike, standing proudly as if at the far edge of the heavenly clouds, quietly observing this war.

Yet that locust-like horde of knights, upon a single command from that gold-armored knight, swept forward like a massive shadow under the cover of countless rays of divine light in the sky!