The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 560: The power of dual cultivation (I)

Talon couldnʼt help but sigh as he saw how a battle was about to start and understood the repercussions of what would happen. There was no turning back for him or anyone else in the Umbra Clan. He made his Astral Wave explode, and the rest of the warriors of the Umbra Clan did the same.

ʼLeave the Soul King to me.ʼ

Zamuel and Lore were surprised to hear Cainʼs voice. Clearly, the Soul King had transformed Norkuo into a battle vessel and pushed the power of this one to a much higher degree, which would likely unleash battle power at the Divine Ascension Realm.

Even if Cain was powerful, the duo was even stronger. However, as they saw the Sun Seed, they nodded in agreement, realizing that the Godslayer Human was the only one with the power to endure the might of the Soul Kingʼs soul-force spells.

ʼAlready Sun Avatar. But be careful, as I am sure his soul spells are even stronger when used in the open and without the need for cloaks.ʼ

Cain glanced at Zamuel and nodded, but the truth was he was not scared at all. If the Soul King were to use a soul invasion spell on him, the man would surely regret it. No matter how strong the Soul King was, he could not compare with the soul force of the Astral Blood Beast, and that was not just destroyed but imprisoned by Apexʼs power.

When it comes to facing enemies that mastered soul-invasion spells, there was no doubt in Cainʼs mind that he was the best suited in all of Aether.

Since Cain would take care of the Soul King, Zamuel and Lore focused on their opponent, with the first staring at Talon while the second turned his gaze toward Robert.

Zamuel took out his short dagger while Lore honed his spiked gauntlets, and Slaughter appeared in Cainʼs grasp. All other members of the Solis Clan and Zanginis Clan also took their weapons and made their Wave burst at full power.

All hesitation had vanished from Talonʼs eyes, and a powerful murderous aura surrounded him as silver metal began to encompass the sharp fins on his arms and legs.

Robert took out a massive hammer that seemed to carry the pressure of an ocean and made his Astral Wave burst, but his eyes remained blank, devoid of conscious thought, making it clear he was not in control. The same blank expression could be seen in the rest of the members of the Kraken Clan.

However, that only made the members of the Kraken Clan more dangerous since Cain and the others knew the Soul King would not hesitate to use the Deus Behemoths for suicide attacks.

The Soul King was the last to act, taking out a black broadsword as his Astral Wave burst with immense power.

Cain could feel a dangerous aura emanating from Talon and Robert, but his eyes focused on the Soul King, his opponent. Even though the Dark King was using Norkuoʼs body as a battle vessel, underestimating him would be a deadly mistake.

Silence echoed as both sides looked at each other, and then it happened.

”BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!”

”BOOM!” ”BOOM!” ”BOOM!” ”BOOOM!”

”BOOOOOMMMMM!” ”BOOOOOOMMMMM!”

Explosions echoed across the road as Cain and the warriors from the Solis Clan and Zanginis Clan clashed with the Soul King and the members of the Umbra Clan and Kraken Clan.

Cain flashed forward, meeting the broadsword of the Soul King head-on, generating a blast of Blood Energy and oceanic pressure between them. Even though his Astral Cultivation was sealed, his body had grown immensely powerful thanks to the chambers, allowing him to redirect the broadsword without a problem.

With the broadsword out of the way, Cain was ready to move Slaughter up and cut Norkuoʼs neck. Killing Norkuo would not kill the Soul King, but without a vessel, the soul of this one would vanish from the Astral Bloodline Realm.

The Soul Kingʼs eyes narrowed as he saw Cainʼs eyes glowing with golden light and redirect his weapon. However, he was not surprised. No matter how weak the enemy was, the Soul King always put his entire effort into a mission, so he was aware of Cainʼs unique parrying ability.

The moment the broadsword was pushed down, the Soul King let go of it. Cain was surprised to see the Soul King letting go of the weapon, but then a sense of utter shock assaulted him. The Soul King immediately raised his hand, and the broadsword teleported back to his grip.

Cainʼs eyes widened as the vanishing of the broadsword threw him off balance. However, that was the least of his problems as the Soul King began to descend the broadsword the next second, and Cain felt his instincts screaming danger.

”THUMP!”

”BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!”

A powerful heartbeat echoed just before an explosion that made the road tremble, shocking everyone.

Zamuel and Lore couldnʼt help but glance at the fight between Cain and the Soul King as that blast was genuinely astonishing, with power neither of them could match. As the explosion dispersed, they saw the Soul Kingʼs broadsword embedded in the ground and Cain in the distance, having collided with a wall.

Cain hastily moved away from the wall, a somber expression on his face. It wasnʼt the broadsword that had pushed him into the wall, but him pushing the Asura Form beyond its peak to gain enough speed to move to the side, resulting in him being unable to stop in time. None of that mattered now as Cain focused on the broadsword again, this time with his eyes full of caution.

The weapon, with a black blade and a long hilt, didnʼt seem special. Still, appearances were deceptive, as the broadsword could instantly teleport back to its wielderʼs grip, ignoring the energy wave space. Such a skill might not seem very helpful, but it was perfect for facing someone like Cain, who could counter or redirect almost any physical attack.

ʼA Natural Holy Weapon. No, itʼs even rarer than that. And that crushing power at the end must be a skill of the Kraken Clan that the Soul King can deploy at its highest power.ʼ

”Oh, you managed to escape. To be fair, I just obtained this sword a few days ago, so I canʼt truly use its power yet, but it is still amazing. Consider me impressed.”

The Soul King glanced at Cain, and even though he was in the middle of a battlefield with explosions going around him, there was pure calm and serenity in his eyes as the soul force in them seemingly reached its zenith.

Cain clenched his grip around Slaughter as he understood the immense power that the Soul King could unleash, even if this one only relied on the battle vessel Norkuo. As for the fact that the Dark King was not using soul-invasion spells, it was impossible to say for sure the reason behind it.

It might have been just one clash, but it was enough to tell Cain the disparity between them and how low his chances would be in a battle if nothing changed.

”Ahhhh, I guess I was being too arrogant, thinking I could face one of the Ten Dark Kings in this state.”

A smile appeared on the Soul Kingʼs face as he heard those words, but then his eyes widened as he saw a stream of dark purple energy bathed in golden burning power emanating from Cainʼs body, soon becoming a pillar of Astral Wave!

”Dual cultivation!”

It wasnʼt just the Soul King who was shocked to see a burst of Astral Wave coming from Cainʼs body; Talon, Lore, and Zamuel reacted the same. Everybody knew dual cultivation was taboo and considered a waste of time. The only ones who did that were people with little talent, and even then, the disparity in both paths meant that the improvements the second path could grant were meager.

However, Cain was not only considered a monstrous genius at the absolute zenith of Aether but the purity and power of his Astral Rebirth Cultivation did not seem any less than his Essence Evolution Cultivation. The strength of his Astral Wave was so formidable that no one in the younger generation of the Deus Behemoth Empire could compare with him.

Cain felt how his physical power, defenses, and reflexes grew exponentially stronger now that his Astral Wave was coursing through his veins and meridians at full power, but that was just the beginning. His Blood Energy (Astral) activated the metallic web beneath his skin, pushing his Platinum Heart to the highest level.

After his defenses came the attack, and Bloodthirsty Runes made with the blood of the Draco Lightning Frog covered Slaughter. Finally, it was time for speed, and the Blood Wings emerged from his back, flapping at the same speed as his Asura Formʼs heartbeat, so fast that some of the people present could only see a blur.

”I admit that your sword treasure took me by surprise, but now that I know its power, itʼs time for me to show you the full extent of mine.”