Chapter 820: 820
BOOM!
The one hundred and eight pillars exploded . The entire room rocked back and forth .
Long Chen was appalled . Previously, the stone pillars had failed to duplicate the Nirvana Scripture . But when they had tried to duplicate the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, it was like they had directly provoked the primal chaos bead, and they were blown apart .
Buzz .
The light enveloping Long Chen faded, and the light beam enveloping the mysterious figure also grew dim . When he clearly saw that figure, Long Chen couldn’t help being stunned .
In front of Long Chen was a figure wearing black robes . Its starry eyes were electric . It was actually a doppelganger of him! It raised a blood-red saber as it icily looked at Long Chen .
Seeing that movement, Long Chen hastily dodged to the side . A huge saber-image missed him by a hair’s breadth, shaking the ground .
It was actually Split the Heavens . He had only just dodged when the doppelganger pointed its finger . A ray of lightning shot out . It was incomparably quick and timed perfectly .
Long Chen smashed his fist forward . The lightning runes revolving over his fist clashed with the lightning arrow, and it exploded, sending Long Chen flying .
He was horrified . This level was too ridiculous . It had actually duplicated his techniques and formed an even stronger version of himself .
From that exchange, Long Chen had noticed that the doppelganger’s thunderforce was slightly stronger than his own .
As he flew back, the doppelganger swung its saber three times . Three saber-images slashed toward him from three different angles .
“Even Blooddrinker has been duplicated . And isn’t this move the Three Style Parting Wind?”
This move was clearly the Earth class Battle Skill he had learned back in Phoenix Cry . Now it was used by the doppelganger, and its power was extremely impressive . It sealed any retreat paths mercilessly .
At this moment, Long Chen wanted to dodge, but he couldn’t . His opponent’s moves were too refined . In truth, that was another him, and so it understood him . It was precisely because it understood him that he felt a chill .
His opponent’s fighting style was incredibly vicious . Each slash of its saber left him with no room to maneuver .
This was Long Chen’s first time seeing how frightful he himself was . Whistling filled the air as the saber slashes crashed over him like sea waves .
Suddenly, a sword came out of its sheath . Long Chen had no choice but to take out Flying Rainbow .
It was unknown what the laws of this place were, but the doppelganger’s saber was the same as Blooddrinker, and its power was also immense . It was no different from the original .
Flying Rainbow danced through the air . Long Chen was delighted to see that this unremarkable sword was extraordinary once he inserted his spiritual yuan . There was practically no spatial resistance, allowing it to move at incredible speed .
Suddenly, an explosive sound rang out . Long Chen and the doppelganger were both forced back a dozen meters, and it suddenly formed a hand seal, summoning a sea of gold around it .
“Fuck, you really know how to steal!” cursed Long Chen .
That sea of gold was the Hidden Ground Gold Spider King’s scales he had obtained in the first trial . He had been constantly nourishing them in his spiritual space . But even they had been duplicated .
Those scales were like hail, shooting toward him .
Long Chen knew that these scales were incredibly powerful once they were supported by Spiritual Strength . He didn’t dare to tarry and also summoned his own golden scales .
BOOM!
Two seas of gold crashed against each other . It was a truly spectacular sight .
Just as they were crashing together, he suddenly felt a change in the air . He also heard the doppelganger’s voice .
“Raging Flame Prison!”
Countless flame runes condensed around Long Chen, rapidly forming a cage that trapped him .
Long Chen’s expression instantly changed . This fellow had not just duplicated his techniques, but also all his battle experience . It understood how to use the scales to hide itself and release a killing blow . Even he had fallen for it .
“Raging Flame Prison!”
Long Chen also shouted and formed hand seals . His Raging Flame Prison wrapped around himself . This wasn’t an attack, but a defense .
The enemy’s Raging Flame Prison had come too quickly . If Long Chen tried to use the Raging Flame Prison to trap his opponent, with the doppelganger’s battle experience, it wasn’t very likely for him to be able to trap it . So he used it to instead protect himself .
The two flame prisons crackled against each other . The outer flame prison was trying to compress, while the inner flame prison was trying to expand . This was a competition of power without any technique .
Long Chen was appalled to see that his own flame prison was slowly being suppressed despite him pushing his spiritual yuan to its peak . His defensive range was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye .
He suddenly realized why so many of those peak heavenly geniuses had died here . It was because they were facing a duplicate of themselves that was slightly stronger in every aspect .
All their moves were understood . All their battle experience and smarts were copied . This kind of battle could make a person despair .
In less than an incense stick’s worth of time, his flame prison had shrunk from a thousand meters wide to less than three hundred meters, and it was only continuing to grow smaller .
“Not only is it stronger than the original body, but it always remains in its peak state . It’s not even getting tired . This is clearly impossible! Your opponent is stronger than you in every aspect and doesn’t get tired . Also, it will not feel any negative emotions like panic, anxiety, or fear .
“But when a crack appears in the original’s heart, the duplicate will immediately take advantage . That will lead to an instant defeat . This trial is impossible .
“No wonder this trial couldn’t be placed on the main path . The failure rate is absolutely monstrous, so of course it had to be thrown to the side . This isn’t a trial, but a giant con . Who could possibly defeat someone stronger than themselves who stays in their peak state?” raged Long Chen .
“No, that’s wrong . Experts don’t get stronger by walking around blockades . No matter how strong the opponent is, they have to be defeated through power . That’s the only way to maintain an expert’s heart . Just because my opponent is myself, am I supposed to lose the courage to win? If that’s the case, then am I even a true expert?”
Long Chen suddenly realized something, and his eyes began to glow . He suddenly guessed this trial’s goal . Defeating powerful enemies could temper a person’s will and confidence . Then what would a person gain if they defeated a version of themselves that was stronger than them in every aspect?
At this moment, Long Chen’s Raging Flame Prison was growing smaller and smaller, and his own breathing was growing a bit hurried . But he wasn’t nervous . Instead, he had a faint smile .
“Sorry, but I’ll have to cheat a little before having a fair fight with you . ” Long Chen suddenly summoned the Nirvana Scripture .
Chanting filled the air, and endless flame energy entered the flame prison . It instantly began to expand .
BOOM!
Once it grew to a size of three thousand meters, the outer flame prison exploded . With the Nirvana Scripture’s assistance, the Raging Flame Prison’s power could leap to a whole new level .
With the flame prison destroyed, Long Chen regained his freedom . But he didn’t immediately attack . Instead, he looked at the doppelganger that looked exactly the same as him .
“I swear that even if I have to be killed, I won’t use the Nirvana Scripture nor the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art . I want to have a fair fight with you . If I lose, it just proves that I’m useless .
“If I’m unable to defeat even you, how am I supposed to stand at the peak of the martial path? How am I supposed to find my parents? If I’m unable to defeat even you, how am I supposed to break through all the untold dangers and difficulties of the future?
“Am I supposed to abandon my family and live a life alone? Would that be any different than death? Am I supposed to watch my companions die while I can only just watch? If I had to endure that kind of pain and feeling of helplessness, would I still have the courage to keep living?
“I want to get stronger . I want to get stronger, so I will risk my life, truly putting my life on the line . Otherwise, the lives of those around me might vanish at any moment . So I can’t die . ”
Long Chen suddenly put away the Nirvana Scripture and the Raging Flame Prison . Wielding his sword, he finally took the initiative to attack his doppelganger .
His eyes seemed to blaze with fire . He viewed his doppelganger as one of his shackles on his cultivation path . He had to personally break these shackles so that he could step into higher realms .
If he used the Nirvana Scripture or the divine ring or the battle armor, even if he defeated his doppelganger, it would leave a shadow on his heart . His undefeatable Dao-heart would be tainted .
He wasn’t a perfectionist, but he knew the slightest contamination would be a hindrance as he continuously broke through to higher realms in the future .
So to get stronger, he had no choice but to put his life on the line . He would use his own power to personally defeat himself .
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…!
Long Chen continuously used his full strength with each move . All he focused on was to bring out all his power . He forgot his techniques, he forgot his magical arts, he even forgot about victory and defeat, and even his own life . His thoughts were entirely dedicated to killing his opponent .
…
PFFT!
Blood splashed over and over . Long Chen was struck several times and heavily injured, but he ignored it . He fought crazily . He knew he couldn’t allow himself to die, and he also knew he had to kill his opponent . Sword-light and saber-images raged in the air as the cavern continuously shook, seeming like it might collapse at any moment .
BOOM!
A large hole appeared in Long Chen’s chest . His upper body was almost completely destroyed . But a smile appeared on his face .
“I won . ”
