Left!
Above!
Jiang Lin had been paying close attention to the flow of power within Nan Ming.
Each time, he managed to dodge or react just in time.
After a few attempts, Nan Ming seemed to sense something.
The corners of his mouth curled up.
The next moment, Nan Ming suddenly increased his speed.
So fast he was a blur!
By the time Jiang Lin realized it, the opponent's attack was already upon him.
Bang!
The immense impact sent Jiang Lin flying backward.
He crashed into a green mountain.
Crack!
Centered on him, spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards.
"Too fast."
Jiang Lin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth,
gazing at the figure in the distance.
As expected of Lord Yan Wang.
The enhancement from the gray power could elevate Jiang Lin's speed and strength to another level.
But it wasn't enough.
His strength was insufficient.
He wouldn't have much of an advantage if he relied purely on brute force.
He had to try that.
Jiang Lin stood up from the green mountain, ghostly energy surging from his palm.
When Nan Ming charged again, he directly threw out a mini-space.
Swish!
A labyrinth unfolded between the two, enveloping them both.
—This was an ability Jiang Lin developed after ascending to the Ming Shi realm.
He could deploy a [mini-space] anytime, anywhere.
However, the construction of such mini-spaces took time.
What Jiang Lin had thrown out was one he had prepared earlier.
...
Layers of irregular stairs and corridors appeared around them, obstructing their line of sight.
Although Nan Ming couldn't see Jiang Lin, he had a way to break through the labyrinth.
He chuckled indifferently, "You think this can stop me?"
This labyrinth was still too weak.
"Then how about this?"
Jiang Lin murmured.
A wisp of gray energy seeped from his fingertips.
He raised his hand and drew a circle in the space before him.
The gray power also formed a circle with his movement.
As the beginning and end of the circle connected, the entire ring flashed with a golden light.
It then merged into the mini-labyrinth and disappeared.
Bang!
Nan Ming unleashed an attack, striking the labyrinth.
It directly damaged a section of stairs and corridors.
"Hmm? It didn't break through directly."
Rumble—
Soon, the damaged stairs and corridors,
like spring grass, began to regrow.
They became sturdier and more complex.
Twisting and turning, making the true exit impossible to discern at a glance.
...
"Without rules, one cannot form a square or circle."
This was something Jiang Lin discovered two days ago while refining his first ability.
It was a power akin to the laws of heaven and earth.
To unleash power, this gray gas was the best medium.
Bang!
Bang!
Within the labyrinth, sounds of destruction continued.
But before an exit could appear, it would regrow.
concealing everything.
"This is rather interesting."
Nan Ming stroked his chin in thought for a moment. "Just right, I have a similar ability."
He raised his hand.
Strands of golden power emerged.
Forming into '封' (fēng, seal) characters, they coiled around his hand.
If it couldn't be broken, then he would seal it all.
His power circulated within him.
The '封' characters flickered with light and scattered outwards.
Landing on the stairs and corridors, they formed seals.
Before long,
the structures around Nan Ming were sealed.
He walked forward leisurely, as if strolling through a garden.
In the blink of an eye, he covered great distances.
Wherever he went,
the sealing power followed.
Finally, he reached the labyrinth's outer wall.
He raised his fist and punched.
Bang!
A loud sound echoed.
A hole with a diameter of five meters was punched through the labyrinth's wall.
Light from the outside spilled in through the opening.
Nan Ming walked out with ease.
Outside, Jiang Lin was already waiting.
Silently watching him.
...
Nan Ming felt a strange sensation and was about to probe his surroundings carefully.
The next second, the sky suddenly darkened.
Darkness enveloped everything.
No mountains, no water, no sky, no grass.
Everything returned to [Nothingness].
Nan Ming found that his probing senses detected nothing.
He lit a ghostly fire at his fingertip, but the fire extinguished the moment it ignited.
Yet, in that fleeting moment of illumination, Nan Ming captured everything around him.
There was nothing here.
...
Outside the pitch-black world.
Jiang Lin lay on a patch of green grass.
His gaze fell upon the black, spherical mass in the sky.
Although named [Nothingness], and containing nothing within,
it actually contained everything.
The most crucial element,
was the power to 'annihilate everything'.
...
Nan Ming pondered in the darkness,
making attempts again and again.
The power he unleashed vanished.
The sealing power could not be used at all.
Everything here would turn into nothingness.
If it was nothingness, then why was he here?
Was his existence not meant for this space?
Who... was he?
...
On the green grass,
after lying down for a while, Jiang Lin began to meditate to recover his strength.
He kept track of time in his mind.
It wasn't that he feared the other party couldn't get out.
With Nan Ming's strength, he didn't need to worry about such a thing.
He just wanted to see
how long it would take for the other party to emerge.
Time ticked by.
Approximately ten minutes passed.
A 'bang' sound came from the black sphere in the sky.
A figure shot out from within.
Nan Ming looked at the light, the green mountains, and the clear water that reappeared before him.
And the white figure.
He said, "Your moves are quite rare. Do you have any more?"
Jiang Lin quickly shouted to stop him, "Can't do it, can't do it anymore. My power is all used up."
He still had ghostly energy.
But the gray power was completely depleted.
Nan Ming, who was preparing to counter-attack: "…?"
After a three-second pause, Nan Ming frowned and asked:
"It's gone so quickly?"
Jiang Lin: "I only obtained this power by chance, and I've only managed to accumulate a little."
He wasn't lying.
It was through a series of coincidences that he learned divine power and ghostly energy could merge.
From when he started sending out wish bottles to now,
he hadn't accumulated much.
Then Nan Ming arrived.
Nan Ming recalled that not much time had passed since he felt that power.
He felt a surge of frustration (눈‸눈).
Tch!
"No fun."
Nan Ming pouted. "Let's fight again when you've accumulated enough power."
Jiang Lin: "...Mm."
Too weak, sorry for disturbing your interest.
Suddenly,
Nan Ming thought of something and said:
"Right, why don't you go to the Southern Hall? Come find me when your strength has recovered."
Jiang Lin: "Eh?"
...