Chapter 423: The Battle Between Heaven and Earth (Part 2)

“Has it just begun?” The Dragon Clan’s Grand Elder was puzzled and shocked. Could it be…? Seeming to realize something, a certain expression flashed in his eyes. He quickly raised his head and stared intently at the distant battlefield, afraid of missing any detail.

In contrast, the soldiers and officers on the main battlefield were much more excited at this moment. The battle was essentially already lost. If it weren’t for the fierce struggle between the Third Prince and Rod, they might have already been killed or captured!

Watching the Third Prince’s battle, seeing him on the verge of defeating Rod—the man who had created countless legends over the years in the Land of Darkness—they couldn’t help but feel joy. Their morale also soared unnoticed, shedding their previous despair. They believed that if the Third Prince could defeat Rod, everything would be possible under his leadership upon his return.

Perhaps aside from the Wolf Emperor, no one else realized that this battle had only just entered its most exciting phase. At the heart of the battle, Rod decisively adopted a new fighting style. Since the power of the Heavenly Dao had weakened after a long journey and couldn’t be used in all aspects of combat, he focused all his strength into one point, concentrating it there to launch attacks. Starting from small scales, he turned the battle into a protracted struggle.

This was similar to a martial artist’s moves—by spreading out strength, the coverage area increased, but the power diminished significantly. To unleash true strength, one must concentrate all power in one point and attack from there!

After realizing this, Rod took action, leading to the scene earlier that left everyone stunned—beams suddenly shrank dramatically, almost disappearing from sight in an instant, leaving only a few faint rays visible.

By concentrating and compressing his power, Rod found it much easier to control it, freeing up more mental energy to analyze and observe his opponent.

Now, these beams were fixed at one point, as thick as fingers. No longer as domineering and fierce as before, they became more restrained, yet their glow grew even stronger. There was a touch of gentler restraint, but they were more threatening.

As the aperture shrank, in the blink of an eye, it was almost swallowed up by the massive whirlwinds and sandstorms, making it impossible to see clearly! This scene also filled those outside with worry, fearing something might have happened to Rod. At this moment, Rod had no mood to pay attention to anything outside; he concentrated all his strength and came up with a plan. Instead of continuing to fight on the periphery of the sandstorm, he decided to enter it and fight deep inside, shifting the battlefield. Using the methods they had employed against Zhanjiao Hong before, he would use internal energy to attack various critical points, delivering internal blows. The results appeared quickly—the condensed energy of the aperture seemed much weaker, but in reality, it exhibited terrifying destructive power. Once the internal energy was injected, the once domineering whirlwinds began to explode in every corner! Boom… Boom… Boom… The continuous roaring, flying sand, and trembling whirlwinds caused havoc wherever they passed. The scale of the destruction was heart-wrenching. The battle zone kept expanding, destroying all vegetation and causing suffering to living beings, leaving behind a devastated land filled with chaos. “Big brother…”, seeing this, Lucy was worried but also slightly relieved. After all, the situation seemed much better than she had imagined. Rod had finally launched a counterattack. Although the aperture was no longer visible, his counterattack was growing stronger. It was then that they realized Rod had shifted the battle from the outside to the inside. “So that’s how it is. That kid… Hahaha… Truly worthy of being chosen by me, Sognar!” Sognar, who had been worried, now showed his usual shameless attitude, speaking without shame and feeling greatly relieved. Rod’s counterattack gave him hope. On the other side, the people from the pro-war faction began to worry. The once favorable situation was disappearing little by little. Anyone could see Rod’s intentions and plans. Rod, who had seemed in danger, was gradually taking the upper hand, putting their third prince in peril. How could they remain calm? The last hope for this battle rested on the ancient sword. If he won, the pro-war faction still had a chance; if he failed, they would be completely doomed. One could imagine their emotions at that moment. …

Under Rod’s concentrated attacks, the weakened tornado quickly fell at a disadvantage. Its initial advantage was gradually eroded, and it fell further behind.
Pfft… The ancient sword controlling the tornado spat out a mouthful of blood after being struck, its spirit instantly weakened. A look of shock flashed in its eyes—it had thought it held an absolute advantage. Who would have expected the situation to change so drastically in an instant?
By the time it reacted, it was already too late. Controlling such massive energy became incredibly difficult, but it didn’t sit idly by. It launched a fierce counterattack, using all its strength to shrink the tornado and gather its energy, hoping to turn the tide.
But Rod wouldn’t give it a chance. With a cold snort, he exerted his mental power to the extreme, pouring his combat energy into those light points. He compressed the energy further until it formed a point, which then expanded rapidly, turning into a light sphere about the size of a thumb.
Seeming to sense Rod’s intentions, fierce winds arose in the sky, and the entire area suddenly grew darker. All available light began to merge, forming a beam about the size of a human body that descended from the sky and spread into the tornado.
With his mental power exhausted to the limit, Rod’s face turned pale, and his body swayed—clearly he had reached his limit. Yet this was the critical moment; it was a race of endurance, and whoever held out the longest would win.
On the other side, the ancient sword’s face was as pale as paper, with a glaring red streak at the corners of its mouth. Its eyes were cold, like those of a wild beast. Controlling such a massive tornado wasn’t easy, and the oppressive energy first took a toll on its own body. Under the intense distortion of energy, drops of blood seeped from every pore—a terrifying sight.
At this point, both figures became visible to each other. Surrounded by sandstorms, they created a small world of their own, free from the outside chaos. Inside, it was eerily peaceful—a world belonging only to them two.
The light sphere in Rod’s hand grew larger and larger, expanding to the size of a thumb in no time, and it continued to grow. Meanwhile, under the ancient sword’s intense control, the tornado gradually calmed down. As per the sword’s plan, it removed impurities and absorbed pure energy, strengthening and concentrating itself.

This time, this final strike could be seen as a battle between spear and shield. Rod’s plan was simple: use his terrifying explosive power to hurl a condensed light ball filled with immense energy into the eye of the tornado, destroying it. As for the Ancient Sword, it would do its utmost to consolidate the tornado, strengthen it, and protect its existence, blocking Rod’s bombardment. If Rod’s attack failed, he would be trapped inside the tornado and eventually vanish from existence. On the other hand, if the tornado controlled by the Ancient Sword couldn’t withstand this blast, it and Rod would both be reduced to dust, leaving nothing behind.

Both sides prepared for their final strikes, ready for a last stand. In an instant, the world roared with energy. Those weaker warriors sadly realized they couldn’t control the elemental energies around them, their faces filled with horror.

“Back, everyone, back quickly!” Moments later, the Wolf King’s expression changed drastically as he shouted at those around him. On the other side, the terrifying energy emanating from the tornado was immediately detected by the Wolf King!

Even the formidable Wolf King felt a tremor at this energy, as if realizing something and foreseeing what was about to happen. Ignoring all dignity, he roared loudly and led his wolf army at full speed to flee into the distance.

With the Wolf King’s words, seeing his actions, how could anyone else not guess what was about to happen? Even if they couldn’t figure it out, they knew it wouldn’t be good. If the Wolf King was fleeing in such a panic, what about them? So, immediately, everyone became panicked. They scattered in all directions like a flock of birds, desperate to leave that dangerous place as soon as possible.

The oppressive atmosphere made it impossible for anyone to breathe, as if their blood had frozen.

The scene was utterly chaotic and disordered.

“Lucy, let’s go!” Melon pulled Ada and Lucy, speaking to the dazed Lucy. Without waiting for her to resist, he grabbed her and rushed toward the city at full speed.

In less than a moment, the once bustling battlefield became eerily quiet. Everyone had retreated a kilometer away! They hid in the distance, watching the raging tornado at the center of the battlefield with bewildered eyes.