Crunch!

Long Zhao felt the impact in his chest as Xing Zhou's fist carved into the thick layer of rock surrounding him. Ordinary stone would have been evaporated by the punch, but this one was being held together by the will of the most powerful earth cultivator of the peninsula.

Crunch!

Thin cracks began to form throughout the chest area of the earthy titan, but Long Zhao willed them to close back together.

Crunch!

More cracks formed, growing wider and spreading out further. He ignored the shock moving through his body and kept his grip around the Roaring Thunder Sect's monster cramped shut.

Crunch!

Forward, just forward. Long Zhao pushed all his strength into the motion as he continued dragging his opponent away from the battlefield, away from his sect members.

Crunch!

The cracks spread all around the titan, too much for Long Zhao to counteract at once. Clenching his teeth, he made one final push forward. Then he separated himself from his construct, sliding through the rock and out of it's back. He pushed himself off of it, jumping away just as Xing Zhou's fist smashed into it one final time and his creation exploded in a shower of debris.

As the dust settled, Long Zhao's armor materialized around him, its golden plates glistening in the morning sun. He had brandished his sword and shield the moment he'd been out in the open, but Xing Zhou hadn't made an effort to attack yet.

"I see the patriarch has arrived as well! How delightful… Seems like I may get to have some fun after all!", he taunted, no hint of uncertainty in his booming voice.

"I hope that you enjoy your last battle to the fullest.", Long Zhao retorted coldly. "For it will be the last kindness a traitor such as you could hope for."

"Pretentious as always, Long. Never liked that about you."

"Taunt all you like. It won't save you from facing justice."

"Justice, my friend…" Electricity sprung forth from Xing Zhou's hands, arching around him like whirling wind. "…is a privilege of the mighty."

Led by pure instinct, Long Zhao jumped sideways to dodge the bolt of lightning that struck down where he had just stood. A moment later, Xing Zhou was in front of him, his fist, wreathed in lightning, coming down on his raised shield like a falling hammer. The metal rang like a struck bell and the impact sent out a shockwave that would have swept a mortal off their feet by itself. Long Zhao was pushed back, sliding to a stop several meters away.

Xing Zhao didn't give him any space, immediately dashing after him and striking again. He ducked one punch, deflected the next one and blocked the third one head-on. Once more he slid backwards and once more Xing Zhou followed close on his heels.

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This pattern repeated a third and a fourth time. Long Zhao felt the weight on Xing Zhou's relentless punches down to his bones, but he remained steady. He was one with the earth under his feet, an unbreakable mountain. He wouldn't give in. And he didn't need to wait much longer.

Once more Xing Zhou dashed after him, ready to strike out. This time, however, Long Zhao had other plans. At once, a forest of pillars of stone shot out of the ground all around them, meeting above to form a multi-layered cage. It was formed in a hurry and wouldn't keep his foe in place for more than a couple of moments, but that was all needed to do.

Xing Zhou hesitated for a second, readying himself to face a counterattack, but there was none. Instead, Long Zhao let the ground split open beneath him, diving below as the surface turned into an ocean of flame.

…

Cold rage burned in Liu Wei's veins as he unleashed his flame on Patriarch Zhou. He had expected terrible as he had rushed here across half the peninsula, but the situation he had found surpassed his worst fears. The battlefield was littered with corpses, many of which belonged to people he had recognized even in passing. He didn't know how things had gotten this bad, but it didn't matter right now. All of this suffering, all of this death, he would make Xing Zhou suffer for it.

When the flames receded, the ground was scorched. Grass had turned to ash; earth had melted into glass. In the midst of it stood Xing Zhou, unscathed save for his singed robes, and laughed.

"Elder Wei! How nice of you to join us! We didn't get the chance to exchange pointers back at the tournament."

Liu Wei didn't answer, already dropping down towards him with his sword drawn. His blade burned hot enough to visibly distort the air around it as he swung it, but Xing Zhou met it with his bare fist. For a moment, the two pushed against each other, but then electricity began whirling all around Xing Zhou, forcing Liu Wei to retreat.

As he did so, Xing Zhou pulled back his arm, a spear of lightning forming in his hand which he immediately hurled after Liu Wei. The latter raised his sword to defend, but before the attack could reach him the ground before him rose up and formed a wall. The spear shattered the wall on impact, but it dissipated as well.

Long Zhao rose out of the ground right next to Liu Wei. The two shared a nod without letting their eyes leave Xing Zhou. Then they charged forward.

…

Xing Zhou swatted away the sword aimed at his neck and retorted with a swipe of his hand that sent out a horizontal arc of lightning. Liu Wei jumped over it, whirling around in the air to deliver another cut in the same motion. Xing Zhou ducked under it and stepped in to deliver a punch, but he was interrupted by several earthen spikes shooting out of the ground. They shattered on his skin, but pushed him back just out of range to connect his punch.

Liu Wei hurled a javelin that had materialized in his free hand after him, while Long Zhao charged forward, surrounded by a mass of stone and rock that barreled towards him like a landslide on even ground. Xing Zhou slapped the javelin away, sent a lightning bolt in Elder Wei's general direction and met Long Zhao's charge head on.

Earth and rocks bounced off his body, powerless against the infinite fountain of strength contained within it. He grabbed Long Zhao's broadsword by the blade with one hand and delivered a swing with his other. The earth cultivator managed to bring up his shield to protect himself, but the impact rattled him, as he still held on to his sword.

Before Xing Zhou could follow up on the opening he had created, Liu Wei was upon him again, swinging his searing blade in a low slash. Xing Zhou let go of Long Zhao's sword to block the attack and flooded the air around him with electric charge. His enemies managed to retreat once more before they were grilled from the inside out.

It didn't matter. Xing Zhou's strength was as inexhaustible as it was absolute. They could squirm as long as they wanted, one of them would make a mistake eventually. He called forth a dozen spears of lightning and sent them flying.

He was Patriarch Xing Zhou. He was undefeatable.

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