Judgment of Light!

Although Turk’s vision was obstructed, his years of combat experience allowed him to sense the danger. He suddenly leaned backward as the rocky shell around his right arm rapidly expanded, forming a shield-like defense in front of him.

Clang!

The collision between the light blades and the rock shield rang out sharp and clear. To everyone’s surprise, the supposedly indestructible rock shield was sliced apart as easily as tofu by the light blades, leaving behind two deep grooves.

"That’s impossible!" Turk cried out, hurriedly retreating several steps to open up some distance.

Hong gave him no chance to catch his breath. His figure flashed again, appearing at Turk’s side. His twin spears thrust out in rapid succession, each strike aimed precisely at a vital point.

Turk was forced to defend continuously, but his rocky defenses seemed exceedingly fragile before the light blades and were soon covered in cracks. What worried him even more was that the areas cut by the light blades could no longer repair themselves, as if some force had sealed them away.

"That is the characteristic of the Law of Light," Luo Wen explained from the stands. "Light can penetrate matter, and it can also seal the flow of energy. Where the light blades have cut, earth-element energy cannot circulate properly, so naturally it cannot repair itself."

In the arena, Turk finally realized the severity of the problem. If he continued defending passively like this, his rocky defenses would sooner or later collapse completely. He had to change tactics.

Wrath of the Earth!

Turk stomped hard, and the entire arena shook violently as though an earthquake had struck. The ground began to crack, with several deep fissures spreading in every direction. Worse still, countless sharp rock spikes suddenly burst from the ground, attempting to pierce through Hong’s body like beast traps.

This was Turk’s signature technique—Earth Collapse Formation. It could turn the entire battlefield into his weapon, leaving his opponent nowhere to hide.

Hong’s Movement Technique was indeed nimble, but he could not completely evade an attack covering such a vast area. Several rock spikes grazed his arms and legs, leaving streaks of blood.

Yet Hong’s expression remained calm, as if the wounds were not worth mentioning. He steadied himself and crossed his twin spears before his chest. "Rhythm of Light, activate."

In an instant, countless tiny points of light appeared in the air around Hong, flickering like fireflies. These points began to pulse to a strange rhythm, forming a complex array of light.

"Watch out!" Turk seemed to recognize the skill. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately commanded the surrounding sand and soil to form a thick spherical shield around himself, completely enclosing him.

Rhythm of Light: Thousand Light Arrows!

With Hong’s soft shout, every point of light erupted at once, transforming into countless tiny arrows of light that shot toward Turk’s earthen sphere from every angle. These light arrows looked thin and fragile, but each contained pure Law of Light energy and possessed astonishing penetrative force.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The light arrows struck the earthen sphere, producing a string of dull impacts. At first, the sphere appeared capable of withstanding the assault, but small cracks soon began to appear and rapidly spread. The light arrows pierced through the outer shell and shot inside.

"Argh!"

A cry of pain came from within the earthen sphere. Turk had clearly been struck by several light arrows. But rather than retreating, he gathered even more powerful energy inside the sphere.

Heart of the Earth, appear!

The earthen sphere suddenly exploded, sending fragments flying everywhere. Turk stood at its center, having been struck by light arrows in several places, bloodstains marking his body. But what drew even more attention was the fist-sized brown crystal that had appeared on his chest, radiating dense earth-element Law energy.

This was the legendary Heart of the Earth, Turk’s strongest trump card. It could dramatically increase the power of his earth-element Laws while greatly enhancing his regenerative ability. The wounds caused by the light arrows began healing at a visible rate. His blood coagulated, and new skin grew over the injuries.

"Kid, you really are strong," Turk said, his voice steadier and more powerful than before. "But now, I’ll show you what a true earth-element expert is!"

With that, he pulled the stone hammer from his waist—Earth Shatterer—and infused it with earth-element Law energy. The hammerhead immediately expanded several times over, becoming as enormous as a small mountain.

Earth Shattering!

Turk leaped high into the air, gripping the giant hammer as he smashed it down at Hong. This strike carried not only Turk’s immense physical strength but also the reinforcement of pure earth-element Laws. Its power was terrifying.

Faced with such a savage attack, Hong’s calm expression finally changed. A hint of seriousness flashed through his eyes. He tightened his grip on the Light Blade Twin Spears and likewise leaped into the air, meeting the enormous stone hammer head-on.

"Has he gone mad?" Luo Feng exclaimed. "That hammer has to weigh several tons. How can he possibly take it head-on?"

Luo Wen merely smiled. "Watch carefully. Hong is about to get serious."

In midair, Hong’s twin spears suddenly changed. The light blades, originally only a meter long, rapidly extended. In the blink of an eye, they became two dazzling pillars of light, each roughly five meters in length. Even more astonishingly, the two beams were as agile as living creatures, able to shift their shapes and angles at will.

Source of Light, appear.

Hong’s voice remained calm, but the power within it made hearts tremble. As his words fell, the glow on the Light Blade Twin Spears became even more dazzling, nearly too bright to look at. The two beams intertwined in the air, forming a massive barrier of light.

Boom!

The stone hammer crashed heavily into the barrier of light, erupting with an ear-splitting impact and blinding radiance. A massive shockwave spread in every direction, kicking up clouds of sand and dust.

When the dust settled, the spectators discovered in astonishment that Hong’s barrier of light was completely unharmed, while several deep cracks had appeared in Turk’s stone hammer. The earth-element Law energy around the hammerhead had clearly weakened.

"That’s impossible!" Turk could not believe his eyes. "How could my Earth Shattering be blocked?"

Hong hovered in midair, his body enveloped in a layer of pale golden light. He looked like a divine messenger of light descending into the mortal world. His eyes had turned entirely golden, radiating a pressure that made one’s heart quail.

"The Source of Light is the core mystery of the Law of Light," Hong finally explained, his voice calm yet forceful. "Before the Source of Light, whether matter is solid or not no longer matters, because light can penetrate everything."

With that, he swung both hands. The beams from the Light Blade Twin Spears shifted shape once more, transforming into two enormous dragons of light that roared toward Turk.

Turk hurriedly raised his stone hammer to block them while commanding the surrounding sand and soil to form layer after layer of defense. But it was all as fragile as paper before the light dragons. They effortlessly pierced every defense and slammed heavily into Turk.

"Argh!"

Turk cried out in pain as he was blasted dozens of meters away. He crashed hard into the Energy Barrier at the edge of the arena, then fell to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

When the dust dispersed, everyone saw Turk struggling to prop himself up. His stone hammer had shattered, his rocky shell was covered in cracks, and even the Heart of the Earth on his chest had gone dim. Yet there was not the slightest hint of retreat in his eyes. Instead, an even fiercer fighting spirit burned within them.

"It’s not over yet," Turk gritted out. "I still have one last move! Ultimate Earth Form!"

With his furious roar, the Heart of the Earth on his chest suddenly burst with dazzling brown light. The surrounding sand and soil seemed drawn by some immense magnetic force and surged wildly toward him. In the blink of an eye, Turk’s body began to expand, quickly turning into a ten-meter-tall Earth Giant.

The giant was made entirely of rock and sand, containing pure earth-element Law energy. Its hands transformed into two gigantic stone axes, both of which radiated terrifying power.

"This is my ultimate mystery," Turk’s voice boomed from the giant’s mouth like thunder. "Before absolute power, every technique is nothing but illusion!"

The giant raised both axes high and cleaved down at Hong with all its might. The force of the strike was so immense that it even distorted the surrounding space, creating visible ripples.

Everyone in the stands rose to their feet unconsciously, staring nervously at this earth-shaking blow.

Luo Feng clenched his fists. "Isn’t this too absurd? Can Hong block it?"

Luo Wen remained calm. "Don’t worry. Hong has his own ultimate mystery too."

In the arena, even before such a terrifying attack, Hong showed no sign of panic. He formed seals with his hands as the Light Blade Twin Spears crossed before him. Then he recited an ancient incantation:

"Law of Light, eternal and unchanging; order of light, everlasting through all ages. In my name, I summon the ultimate form of light—Judgment of Light!"

As the incantation ended, countless golden rays suddenly appeared in the air around Hong. They rapidly converged, forming an enormous humanoid figure of light to contend with the Earth Giant.

This figure of light was also ten meters tall. Yet unlike the Earth Giant’s crude bulk, it possessed elegant lines and clear contours, resembling a holy warrior clad in armor of light. Most eye-catching of all was the weapon in its hand—a massive sword of light. Ancient runes covered its blade, radiating a pressure that made hearts tremble.

"Judgment of Light," Luo Wen explained, "is one of the most profound mysteries within the Law of Light. It is said that only practitioners who have truly comprehended the essence of light can summon it. I never expected Hong to have mastered it to this extent."

In the arena, the two giants faced one another. One was composed of sand and rock, heavy and sturdy; the other was condensed from pure light, agile and sharp. They represented two entirely different systems of power—one symbolizing the steadfastness of earth, the other the penetrating nature of light.

Earth Giant: Earth Fissure Strike!

Turk controlled the giant to cross its two axes, then slashed them fiercely forward. This strike contained not only immense physical force but also the reinforcement of pure earth-element Law energy. It was enough to split a small mountain apart.

Light Arbiter: Light Shines on All Realms!

Hong unleashed his own ultimate move as well. The giant figure of light raised its greatsword, and a heaven-shaking pillar of light shot from the sword tip directly at the Earth Giant. This was no ordinary energy attack; it contained the source power of the Law of Light and possessed terrifying penetrative force.

The two ultimate moves collided in midair, exploding into a blinding white light and a deafening roar. The entire arena shook violently, and cracks appeared throughout the Energy Barrier. It had clearly endured an energy impact beyond its intended limits.

Once the brilliant light faded, the spectators saw in shock that the Earth Giant’s upper body had been completely pierced through, leaving behind a massive hollow. The giant figure of light had also lost one arm, its radiance noticeably dimmer.

Both giants swayed unsteadily. They had reached their limits.

"It’s not over!" Turk roared unwillingly. "Unyielding Earth!"

The Earth Giant actually began repairing itself, the enormous hollow slowly filling in. At the same time, it raised its sole remaining stone axe, preparing to launch one final strike.

Seeing this, Hong no longer held back either. "Eternal Light!"

The body of the giant figure of light suddenly flared with dazzling golden radiance, as if it had burst into flames. The sword of light in its hand became even more resplendent, and the runes along its blade began flashing as they emitted powerful energy fluctuations.

"This will be the final strike," Hong said, his voice calm and resolute. "Meaningless attrition will only result in both sides being defeated."

Turk fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, you’re right! In that case, let us decide this in one blow! Earth: Ultimate Strike!"

The earth-element Law energy throughout the Earth Giant’s body began gathering onto the stone axe. Its blade grew exceptionally bright, radiating brown light.

Light Arbiter: Light of the End!

The giant figure of light likewise gathered all its light-element energy into its sword of light. The blade became as dazzling as a small sun.

The two giants launched their attacks almost simultaneously. The stone axe and the sword of light carved perfect arcs through the air before crashing together heavily.

Boom!

A world-shaking explosion rang out as blinding white light engulfed the entire arena. Every spectator was forced to close their eyes or turn away. Even the Virtual Universe Company’s Energy Barrier developed vast cracks under the shockwave.

When the light faded and the smoke settled, the center of the arena had become a scene of devastation. The original sandy ground had been carved open by a deep trench. The stones on either side had been heated red-hot, some even melting into glass-like forms.

Both giants had vanished, leaving only Hong and Turk standing in the middle of the arena, about ten meters apart. Both had reached their limits. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and their breaths were weak.

Hong’s combat uniform was badly damaged, exposing the burned skin beneath. His right hand still held a short light-bladed spear, but the light blade was now nearly invisible, leaving only a faint glow. The one in his left hand seemed to have been damaged in the explosion and was nowhere to be seen.

Turk was no better off. His rocky shell had completely shattered, exposing the mangled, bloody flesh beneath. The Heart of the Earth on his chest had gone completely dark, as though it had exhausted all its energy. His stone hammer had long since vanished, leaving him empty-handed.

The two silently stared at each other. Neither spoke first. An eerie tension filled the air, as though a final decisive battle could erupt at any moment.

Suddenly, Turk’s body swayed. He dropped to one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood. The previous blow had clearly inflicted severe damage on his internal organs. He struggled to raise his head and looked at the still-standing Hong. There was unwillingness in his eyes, but also admiration.