High above the sea, Morax and Jiang Yan stood face to face.
"Shall we begin?"
Morax looked calmly at Jiang Yan as he spoke.
"Bring it on."
Jiang Yan crossed his arms, his expression unreadable.
Morax grasped the Vortex Vanquisher in his hand as a shimmering shield formed around him.
With a sharp wave of his right arm, Jiang Yan unleashed a raging gale that surged straight toward Morax.
Morax frowned slightly, and the sky instantly darkened.
A colossal stone spear materialized overhead, descending with crushing force—shattering the incoming hurricane in a single blow.
But the spear didn't stop—it continued its descent, aiming straight for Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan's lips curled upward. He raised one hand and extended a single finger.
The onlookers frowned deeply.
"What's Jiang Yan doing…?"
The Azhdaha couldn't make sense of the gesture.
"Doesn't he usually need both hands together to summon those things?"
Cloud Retainer murmured.
"Wait. Let's see where this goes."
Moon Carver said quietly.
Morax narrowed his gaze and lifted his hand, intending to recall the spear—
But then he noticed Jiang Yan's faint smile.
"So, you came prepared."
Remembering that Jiang Yan was testing a new power he had recently grasped, Morax decided not to stop the attack.
He wanted to see what Jiang Yan was up to.
The instant Jiang Yan's fingertip touched the descending spear—
A strange ripple pulsed from his body. Soft, undulating waves spread across the sea's surface, stretching far and wide.
The massive spear suddenly froze in place.
Morax's expression changed dramatically.
He could feel it—his connection to the spear had vanished.
The weapon before him… was no longer under his control!
What in the world—?!
Morax stared at Jiang Yan in disbelief.
The spectators, too, were dumbfounded.
"J–Jiang Yan, he…"
Moon Carver's voice trembled, filled with astonishment.
"He stopped the stone spear… with a single finger?!"
Azhdaha was stunned speechless.
"That's impossible…"
Guizhong muttered blankly.
No one—no one—had ever caught Morax's stone spear so effortlessly.
Not even the mighty Osial or any of the other top Archons could have done such a thing!
"What did you just do?"
Morax demanded, his tone grave.
Jiang Yan chuckled mysteriously.
"You'll see soon enough."
With that, he lightly flicked his finger against the spear.
The massive stone spear spun midair, then streaked back toward Morax like a guided missile.
"Dominance of Earth!"
Morax didn't dare be careless—he knew exactly how destructive that spear was.
From above, a titanic meteor descended, colliding with the returning spear in a deafening explosion.
Jiang Yan darted down to the sea, his feet barely touching the surface.
Then he stomped.
The ocean responded instantly, as if seized by his will. Waves surged and twisted, forming into a roaring dragon-shaped tsunami that lunged at Morax.
Morax spread his arms. From beneath the waves, countless stone ridges rose up like pillars holding up the heavens, encircling him protectively.
The sea dragon shattered upon impact.
Morax lifted his hand again, and the sky flared with golden light.
Hundreds of stone spears materialized, descending in a torrential rain toward Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan tapped his foot lightly, leaping into the air.
He swept his arms outward, and the very air obeyed his motion—condensing into a blade of pure wind.
The blade slashed through the storm of spears, shattering several mid-flight.
He surged forward, fingers striking one spear after another.
Each one he touched froze, reversed direction, and hurtled back toward Morax.
Morax rose into the heavens, summoning another volley of meteors to crush the rebounding spears.
Landing once more on the sea, Jiang Yan raised his right hand skyward, fingers spread wide.
A faint black radiance flickered in his palm as he split and rubbed the ions in the air apart.
A spark—then a flare of fire ignited in his hand.
"It works!" Jiang Yan exclaimed in delight.
Teyvat was not Earth—he had no certainty that the elements in the air would react as he expected.
Around him, the winds gathered frantically, drawn into his palm.
From afar, Morax's eyes narrowed. Jiang Yan's new technique was unnervingly strange—it could even manipulate objects formed from his own Geo energy!
Out of caution, Morax layered several more shields around himself.
On the ocean, the air roared and churned violently.
Even Guizhong and the others, watching from afar, had to muster their power to resist the pull emanating from Jiang Yan.
"Damn! This guy's totally broken!"
Azhdaha cursed aloud.
"Hold onto me! I'm gonna get blown away!"
Little White shrieked, clutching desperately at Guizhong's sleeve.
Every gaze was fixed on Jiang Yan.
In his palm, countless gusts of wind gathered and compressed tighter and tighter.
Morax felt a heavy sense of dread—the energy in that small hand was terrifying.
"I've even got a name for this move."
Jiang Yan grinned.
A brilliant glow bloomed in his palm, swelling larger and larger—until a blazing sphere like a miniature sun hung above his hand.
"Great Flame Emperor!"
With a shout, Jiang Yan hurled the fireball toward Morax.
Morax's eyes hardened. Elemental power surged wildly around him.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and a gargantuan meteor—vast enough to blot out the sky—descended.
This was Morax's true ultimate—
Dominance of Earth!
BOOM!!!
The fireball and meteor collided, erupting into a cataclysmic explosion.
Flames and shockwaves burst outward, and a towering mushroom cloud rose into the heavens.
Even the spectators far away were caught in the blast wave, forced back dozens of meters.
"These two… are insane!"
Guizhong yelled in exasperation.
This wasn't a sparring match—it was a full-scale war!
"At this rate, I'd believe it if someone said another Archon War had started,"
Azhdaha muttered, feeling the heat wash over him.
When the smoke finally cleared, the two figures reappeared—
Jiang Yan and Morax, one in the air and one standing on the sea, glaring at each other.
Morax's shields, once four or five layers thick, now clung to him as a faint flicker of energy.
Jiang Yan's palm was scorched black, though thanks to his immense regenerative power, it was already healing rapidly.
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