Lizarius with gold, glowing eyes fixed its gaze on Li Tianyuan, hovering above.
Crashing down, its clawed forelimbs digging into the ground, wings spreading wide.
Sparks of lightning danced across its scales, crackling with a raw, untamed intensity.
The electricity surged toward its horns, now glowing an ominous blue from the sheer amount of power building within.
Li Tianyuan narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm... charging up for a full-on strike?" he mused. "Very well. Then I too shall respond in kind."
He released his grip on his weapons— the spear and iron pan—allowing them to float beside him.
His spiritual energy surged, wind swirling around him as he brought his arms together with a thunderous clap.
"Let this decide it."
The pan floated in front of him, glowing faintly. In the next moment, he unleashed a top-tier mortal-grade technique: Iron Mountain Veil.
A towering, ethereal mountain manifested in the air—solid, immovable—with Li Tianyuan standing within the heart of its crater.
Lightning arced dancing along their curved ridges
With lightning crackling violently along his horns, Lizarius swung its wings and vanished in a blur—only to reappear instantly above Li Tianyuan, its electrified horns aimed straight down like twin spears.
CRACK–CLANG!
The very air shuddered as the lizard's devastating strike collided with Li Tianyuan's Iron Mountain Veil.
Eyes wide, Li Tianyuan's thoughts raced.
"So fast—I didn't even see it move. By the time I sensed it, the strike had already landed. If I hadn't activated my defense in time… I'd be dead."
But the Iron Mountain Veil didn't hold for long.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the manifested mountain as Lizarius press on lightning crackling Instantly.
With a deafening crash, its horns pierced through, shattering the mountain illusion and lunging toward Li Tianyuan.
His eyes widened further.
"It broke through… it shattered my Iron Mountain in an instant!"
But just as the horns came down, the floating iron pan shot forward, intercepting the deadly strike.
CLANG!!!!
Lizarius horns struck.
Sparks exploded outward as lightning clashed with reinforced metal.
Lizarius snarled, unrelenting, pressing down harder. Lightning ripped through the air around them, the sheer pressure forcing the clouds to swirl.
Li Tianyuan stood his ground, teeth clenched, both hands thrust forward as he struggled to contain the beast's relentless assault. His qi surged wildly, flowing into the artifact like a final lifeline.
>"Even my defensive artifact is at its limit," he thought, sweat dripping. "It won't hold much longer. once it breaks—it will be too late.
I won't be able to block it then.
I have to act now!"
He moved swiftly, one hand snapping to grip the spear floating beside him. With a burst of spiritual energy, he retreated backward through the air.
His other hand stretched forward, palm open, channeling Qi directly into the pan.
The artifact trembled violently, its surface glowing with unstable energy—fractures spiderwebbing across its body as it neared the breaking point.
The lizard narrowed its eyes, golden pupils flickering.
> "Huh—!"
It reacted instantly. With a thunderous flap bring its wings forward.
Too late.
BOOM—!
A blinding explosion erupted from the pan, engulfing Lizarius in a radiant blaze of spiritual energy and lightning.
The shockwave tore through the air, shaking the clouds.
Li Tianyuan had self-destructed his spiritual artifact. A desperate move— to spot the lizard assault.
From within the fading light, Lizarius's small form began to fall.
Its once-pristineLi Tianyuan had self-destructed his spiritual artifact. A desperate move— to spot the lizard assault. white scales were scorched and battered, wings ravaged with holes and tears where they had taken the full brunt of the blast.
It plummeted from the sky like a meteor, smashing into the earth below with an earth-shaking impact, forming a massive crater on the ground.
Dust and debris rose like a pillar.