Chapter 115: Evenly Matched

"No, there is one final hurdle you have yet to pass," Cao Yi said slowly, his gaze fixed on Lin Hao.

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and an iron fan appeared in his hand. The fan radiated an intense, bone-chilling cold, a perfect match for Cao Yi’s own temperament. With the fan in his grasp, Cao Yi’s entire aura shifted, becoming colder than ever before. He unleashed a formidable pressure, his icy eyes locked onto Lin Hao as he pressed forward.

Lin Hao met his gaze calmly, though he felt a slight tremor of surprise at the sight of the weapon. It was his first time seeing Cao Yi’s true armament, and he had not expected it to be a fan. Seeing the grim determination on Cao Yi’s face, Lin Hao realized that the man was serious; a brutal battle was unavoidable. Lin Hao’s expression hardened as well. Though his features were obscured, the pressure radiating from him, matching Cao Yi’s own, made it clear that he was equally committed.

"Must it really come to this?" Lin Hao asked.

"I gave you your chance," Cao Yi replied, his voice frigid. The friendly demeanor he had previously shown was gone, replaced by a cold resolve. It was clear: today, only one of them would remain standing.

Lin Hao understood. Despite his reluctance to fight, he braced himself. From a distance, it looked as if Lin Hao had erected a wall of gold before him. Suddenly, the Phoenix True Fire descended.

"Bang!" The two collided with a deafening crash, Lin Hao’s golden wall holding firm against the flames. Although he had blocked the attack, the shockwave sent his internal energy into disarray. The power of the Phoenix True Fire was not something an ordinary person could withstand, and Lin Hao gained a newfound respect for its lethality.

No sooner had he blocked the fire than the melodic sound of a flute echoed through the air. The phoenix took flight again, circling above his head. Lin Hao, preoccupied with maintaining his golden shield, could not attend to the bird. Seeing the phoenix diving toward him, he hurriedly swung his arm, manifesting a massive golden bell-shaped barrier. The barrier shimmered with intense light, intercepting the phoenix's assault.

As the phoenix soared, it spat another torrent of true fire, striking the golden bell with a relentless series of metallic clangs. "Ugh!" Lin Hao grunted, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. Even with his defenses, the impact had wounded him.

Lin Hao’s expression became deadly serious. Realizing that Cao Yi had summoned his phoenix, he knew his opponent was going all out. It had become a fight to the death. No longer suppressing his power, Lin Hao shouted, "Ha!" and unleashed his full strength. Drawing in spiritual energy frantically, he roared, "Golden Slash!"

Wielding the Swallowing Cloud Sword, he struck toward the phoenix in the sky. A sharp blade of energy manifested as a golden dragon, surging toward the bird. Both the golden dragon and the phoenix were legendary ancient beasts; though Lin Hao’s dragon was a construct, the power channeled through the Chaos Fragment gave it the genuine presence and pressure of a dragon.

The dragon's aura struck the phoenix, causing its wings to falter in mid-air. For that split second, the golden dragon pierced through the phoenix’s wing.

"Caw!" A sorrowful cry rang out as the phoenix plummeted to the ground with a heavy thud.

Cao Yi, watching from the side, his expression even colder, frowned and extended a hand, channeling spiritual energy toward the beast. With a sudden pull, he drew the phoenix to his side. Seeing the wound, Cao Yi’s fury flared, and a flash of killing intent crossed his eyes as he looked at Lin Hao. He had never allowed his phoenix to be injured since he first contracted it, and he was livid.

He then reflected on the golden dragon Lin Hao had summoned. He could feel that its pressure was equal to, if not slightly greater than, that of his phoenix—as if it were a true, living dragon. This left Cao Yi deeply unsettled. He glanced at the Swallowing Cloud Sword in Lin Hao’s hand, his eyes narrowing in thought. He had previously dismissed the blade as ordinary, but that was clearly a mistake. The pressure it had released to stun his phoenix proved it was no common weapon.

Furious, Cao Yi fed the phoenix a medicinal pill, stroked its head in comfort, and returned it to his pet pouch. Then, he flew toward Lin Hao, his fan slashing down toward his opponent's head. Instinctively, Lin Hao dodged, the fan whistling past his shoulder. Lin Hao immediately caught the fan with his right hand, but the moment his skin touched the metal, a layer of ice encased his arm.

He forced himself to throw the fan away, and it instantly flew back into Cao Yi’s grasp. Lin Hao, seeing his arm frozen, quickly summoned his Foreign Flame Lotus to melt the ice. Once his arm was clear, he saw Cao Yi standing calmly, his fan in his right hand and his left hand behind his back.

"That sword of yours is not bad," Cao Yi remarked suddenly.

Lin Hao looked down at the Swallowing Cloud Sword, as if regarding a friend. A faint smile touched his lips as he stroked the blade, which responded with a flash of golden light. Looking back at Cao Yi, Lin Hao replied with mock modesty, "Not at all, it pales in comparison to yours. Your fan is truly formidable; I barely touched it and nearly lost half my arm."

Hearing this, Cao Yi glanced at his fan, his expression chilling once more. He lunged at Lin Hao, channeling all his spiritual energy into the weapon. Lin Hao felt a violent gale whipping toward him and immediately flung the Swallowing Cloud Sword forward, expanding it to meet Cao Yi’s charge.

The two collided—fan against blade.

Boom! Bang!

The air exploded, dirt and debris flying as the shockwaves surrounded them. Despite the relentless explosions, neither man wavered. The sword and the fan remained locked together, bathed in golden light and biting frost. They poured their spiritual energy into the clash, testing who could outlast the other.

After a tense standoff, Cao Yi suddenly freed one hand and struck a palm toward Lin Hao’s chest. "Ugh!" Lin Hao gasped, looking at Cao Yi in surprise. Cao Yi gritted his teeth, intensified the energy in his palm, and struck again, sending Lin Hao flying.

However, Lin Hao was no pushover. He had only been caught off guard by the sneak attack. As Cao Yi moved for a second strike, Lin Hao’s eyes flashed with anger, and he returned a palm strike of his own, imbuing it with the power of his Foreign Flame Lotus.

Cao Yi was sent reeling, his robes catching fire. Ignoring his own injuries, Lin Hao lunged at Cao Yi, grabbing him by the throat while simultaneously extinguishing the flames on his opponent’s body. He stared at Cao Yi with burning eyes. He could have finished him, but he held back, still mindful of their shared past.

Cao Yi, however, refused to yield. Even with Lin Hao’s hand around his neck, he seemed indifferent, raising his fan to strike at Lin Hao’s face. Seeing this, Lin Hao raised the Swallowing Cloud Sword to strike at Cao Yi’s throat.

Just as they were locked in this lethal stalemate, the elders and disciples arrived, followed by the Supreme Elder.

As Lin Hao’s sword hovered inches from Cao Yi’s neck, a crushing pressure descended. Lin Hao’s sword froze, unable to descend, and Cao Yi’s fan was rendered motionless. The pressure targeted both of them, pinning them in place.

Disturbed that their duel had been interrupted, both men looked up. An old man stood in the air, his long white hair and beard flowing in the wind, his face radiating an air of effortless authority.

Recognizing the figure, Cao Yi immediately withdrew his fan and bowed respectfully. "Supreme Elder!"

Lin Hao realized this was the man Cao Yi had been so desperate for him to meet. Seeing that Cao Yi had reinforcements, Lin Hao remained calm, though his senses were on high alert. The Supreme Elder surveyed Lin Hao, shocked to find his strength equal to Cao Yi’s.

"Hmm!" the old man uttered in surprise. He then noticed that Lin Hao possessed all five elemental roots and grew even more astonished. He looked at Cao Yi, clearly displeased to see his protégé defeated and held at the mercy of another.