Although divine bodies are infinitely close to immortality, this is only relative. When facing mortals, gods' bodies remain indestructible, but when facing opponents of equal rank, they can suffer irreparable damage, or even death.
This was precisely the case in Leo's current battle with the Black Dragon God. Leo decapitated the Black Dragon God twice. While not outright killing him, he was still severely wounded. Under Leo's repeated attacks, he was bound to die.
However, the Black Dragon God's desperate counterattacks also posed a threat to Leo. After all, a desperate attack from an opponent of the same level is terrifying.
Leo decapitated the Black Dragon God twice. By the third blow, the Black Dragon God knew he was doomed, so he unleashed a massive black bone spike with all his might. He didn't expect to kill Leo with a single blow, but as long as he could seriously injure him, his death would be worth it.
Leo naturally understood the Black Dragon God's intentions. Upon seeing the sudden appearance of the black bone spur, he quickly dodged and retreated.
The bone spur stretched, expanding in an instant, its sharp spikes darting after Leo. Leo abandoned his attack and opted for defense.
Seeing this, Ming Qi acted decisively. Empowered by the power of the Epiphyllum, four shadowy figures, along with his main body, silently and swiftly flew towards Leo.
Leo was a deity of the Tianhuang world. Long ago, he too had been an outsider, an invader. Their presence had dethroned the native gods of Tianhuang, usurping their place.
Strictly speaking, they were no different from the Tianzui Camp, now waging a war of gods.
Both the Black Dragon God and Leo sensed Ming Qi's movements. They were filled with astonishment, unable to comprehend the motives of this inexplicable mortal.
When Ming Qi attacked the Black Dragon God earlier, Leo had assumed he was a formidable figure. But now that Ming Qi had turned his attention to him, he was instantly enraged.
"Mortal, do you know who I am?"
The massive black bone spur continued to pursue Leo, swiftly and without a second thought, giving him no chance to counterattack.
Leo, defending himself, questioned him.
Ming Qi didn't reply. Actually, there was no need to say anything. Simply put, it was a case of the two sides squabbling, and Leo wanted to be the winner.
"I am the God of War, Leo! Stop!"
Seeing Ming Qi ignore him and arrive in an instant, Leo shouted.
"Hahaha..."
Hearing Leo's scolding, the Black Dragon God couldn't help but laugh wildly in the distance. Previously, he had resented Ming Qi's powerful attack, which had completely put him in a passive position in the battle, but now it was clear that Leo was the winner. Although he, too, was unsure of what this powerful mortal of unknown origin was up to, he nonetheless felt a surge of relief.
Ming Qi was swift, arriving in the blink of an eye. Seeing his status as a figure unable to stop this mad mortal, Leo, furious, fell silent. He retreated rapidly, slashing his greatsword forward. Several crystal shields materialized at his sides, swirling and circling, directly protecting Leo.
Ming Qi didn't change his attack trajectory either. Four shadowy figures, along with his main body, transformed into sharp swords and pierced the crystal shields.
The powerful impact caused both men to retreat. Ming Qi's Fire Emperor Sword, after all, was no divine weapon, and ultimately failed to break Leo's protective crystal shields. However, Ming Qi's intervention allowed the spikes controlled by the Black Dragon God to finally find an opening, piercing through one of the shields and piercing directly into Leo's body.
As soon as the spikes entered Leo's body, they immediately absorbed Leo's divine power like a whale absorbing water.
"Damn it!"
Feeling his divine power rapidly draining away, Leo cursed inwardly as he swung his sword and, in the blink of an eye, had slashed hundreds of times against the spikes while retreating a mile.
The Black Dragon God had been injured before, after all. The spikes stretched too long, finally losing their strength and vanishing into a phantom.
Leo stopped, hovering in the air, his eyes furious.
If it weren't for this mortal's interference, he might have slain the Black Dragon God by now.
"Who are you?"
Leo demanded angrily.
"Me?" Ming Qi smiled faintly. "The one who'll kill you!"
Before he finished, Ming Qi charged again. Leo had already been wounded by the Black Dragon God's spikes, and he needed to strike while the iron was hot. Even if he couldn't kill him, he had to weaken him further. That way, if they met again, he would definitely kill him.
Leo snorted coldly, then laughed.
"Kill me? I wonder if your sword is sharp enough!"
As he spoke, Leo suddenly swung, his greatsword wielding a hail of blows. However, his target wasn't Ming Qi, but the Black Dragon God, who was attempting to escape from afar.
The Black Dragon God was no fool. Although he had previously rejoiced when Ming Qi attacked Leo, he now saw that this battle was impossible to continue. He had been beheaded twice, and while his head had regenerated, it had been severely damaged. Moreover, the divine city had been damaged. If he remained here, he would likely lose his life.
Gods, too, fear death.
Ming Qi wasn't surprised to see the Black Dragon God attempting to flee. In this situation, he would have been a fool not to leave.
Leo's sudden attack had disrupted the Black Dragon God's attempts to flee, but the Black Dragon God was still a god after all. Even injured, his fighting power was not to be underestimated. Leo turned his attention to the Black Dragon God again, and Ming Qi didn't intervene. By now, both the Black Dragon God and Leo were wary of him. A sneak attack was out of the question. If pushed to the limit, they might even join forces to slay him first.
On one hand, there was the disparity in weaponry, and on the other, his understanding of the Dao wasn't strong enough to stand up to such a renowned deity. Considering the pros and cons, Ming Qi decided to temporarily disengage.
He wasn't like those self-righteous deities who valued face above all else. Even after making such boasts, he felt no shame in immediately leaving. Reputation was priceless.
Ming Qi didn't flee immediately, but stood quietly, biding his time.
After Leo's rain of swords, the Black Dragon God's escape was disrupted, and the two sides engaged once again.
At this point, Ming Qi immediately used Celestial Shift, instantly teleporting a hundred miles away. Then, he vanished into the void. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had crossed ten thousand miles.
After leaving the battle, Ming Qi began to contemplate. While his current divine power could rival that of a deity, he lacked a divine weapon, a weakness. Furthermore, having only recently ascended, his understanding of the Dao was still incomplete. He knew that if his dual Daos merged to a certain level of understanding, they would be immensely powerful, but at this point, they were still not there.
Previously in the Land of Heroes, he had clearly witnessed the might of the Tiger Wood Lord's God-killing Dao, which had left the Azure War God defenseless. With one of his dual Daos possessing the God-killing Dao, there was no reason why he would be weaker.
After reflection, he concluded that divine weapons were secondary; the primary issue was his own lack of foundation, or rather, the fact that he was not yet a deity.