Above the firmament, beyond the plane.
The usually dark and silent cosmic starry sky was especially lively today.
A pitch-black and a silver-white, two enormous divine dragons soared through the star domain where the Douluo Plane resided.
Aside from their obvious color difference, their conditions were also starkly different.
Unlike Di Tian, whose black dragon body had uniform, integrated scales exuding a harmonious rhythm, Gu Yuena's silver dragon form was riddled with deep and jagged wounds like ravines and gullies.
Yet Di Tian did not underestimate Gu Yuena just because she was in poor condition.
Right from the start, he used his strengths to exploit her weaknesses, drawing in close to engage her in melee combat.
The two dragons spiraled and clashed as they flew into the distance, their four dragon claws fiercely slashing and smashing at each other without mercy.
This was not mere physical combat — behind their every strike were powers of order and law.
The laws of darkness and space coiled around Di Tian's claws like razor-sharp blades, piercing and tearing at focal points.
Gu Yuena's physical body as the Silver Dragon King was on the same tier as her cultivation — a first-rank god.
Although the physical bodies of dragons were stronger than most other races, even at the divine level, Gu Yuena was more of a magic-type dragon; her body, though strong, had its limits.
Worse yet, she was already injured, and now things were getting worse.
In an instant, divine dragon blood sprayed out, scattering across the dark void of the universe.
The crimson brilliance of it stained the still and desolate cosmos with the scent of blood and the aura of slaughter.
Divine dragon blood had a purely bloody essence, devoid of the fishy stench of mortal blood. Gu Yuena's blood even carried a trace of life force, lingering in space without dispersing.
Within the Douluo Star Domain where the battle raged, only her blood floated — none of Di Tian's.
That's not to say Gu Yuena couldn't harm him — in close-quarters combat, her offensive capability far exceeded her long-range power.
Her pair of silver claws was entwined with various elemental laws from the universe — water, fire, and others — all converging at her claw tips.
These different elemental laws clashed, intertwined, and repelled one another before crashing brutally into Di Tian's dragon body.
Compressed between Di Tian's obsidian-like scales, the elemental laws exploded from their mutual repulsion.
Black dragon scales shattered and dislocated, with jagged fragments piercing deep into his flesh.
From the gory pits left by the blast, a force surged out from within Di Tian's body, immediately suppressing the rampaging elemental laws and dispersing them.
Under this strange force, the torn flesh began healing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
This power originated from Di Tian's heart — strong and steady — granting his body, on par with a supreme divine artifact, the ability to regenerate from its origin.
As long as his origin endured, his flame of life would not be extinguished.
Unlike the Golden Dragon King's brute force and inflexible power, Di Tian was like an unending source of strength.
In terms of endurance, Gu Yuena had already proven through repeated skirmishes that she was no match for him.
If she continued fighting him in close quarters, she would eventually lose — and die.
Multi-colored chains of elemental order began appearing, summoned by Gu Yuena from every direction to disrupt the battlefield between herself and Di Tian.
Finally, with dragon blood pouring into the void, Gu Yuena traded injury for strategic retreat.
In an instant, she blasted herself back half a star domain's distance, arriving at the very edge of the Douluo Plane's star domain.
She shed her divine dragon form, her aura drenched in blood.
A deep wound gaped across her chest, exposing her heart — even her power of creation now seemed too weak to mend the newly inflicted injury.
In the silent cosmos, the two previously entangled spheres of light separated, like twin stars illuminating each other.
The silver star began to move.
With extraordinary combat skill, Gu Yuena wasted no time launching her most proficient form of attack.
At this moment, her Silver Dragon Spear transformed into a magic scepter, swirling elegantly in her slender hands.
Her delicate face was solemn as she gazed upon the rapidly approaching Di Tian, hurtling toward her from the far edge of the star domain with speed exceeding the limits of mortals.
In her illusion-purple eyes, a terrifying aura almost spilled out.
Silver spear shadows danced wildly from her hand — expanding endlessly under the vast scale of the universe. The cosmic laws of element and order began to weave themselves into the silver shadows.
Countless silver banners flapped in the void, fluttering as Gu Yuena swayed her spear.
Their unique rhythm and the woven forces of multiple elemental orders caused half the star domain to tremble.
At the edge of the universe, a seven-colored Milky Way descended from the heavens.
Gu Yuena forcibly summoned the order of half a star domain, directing an overwhelming Milky Way to crash down.
The mighty celestial current rushed down toward Di Tian.
The roaring Milky Way instantly submerged the black star-like body that Di Tian represented in this universe.
But he didn't retreat an inch — carrying an almost mystical aura of "a breeze brushes the mountain, yet I remain unmoved."
"Pffft!"
The Milky Way, which had nearly engulfed Di Tian, was blown apart by his upward charge.
Divine artifact light radiated through the Milky Way, adorning it with countless starry sparkles.
Against the current, Di Tian surged upward.
Swords, sabers, spears, halberds — all forms of divine weapons clashed with the descending silver banners in an endless battle.
The Milky Way summoned by Gu Yuena was like a massive array spanning half the star domain, with Gu Yuena at its center, and each silver banner serving as a key node.
To reach Gu Yuena at the top of the Milky Way, Di Tian had to shatter each silver banner in the flow or overload the entire system until it collapsed.
Otherwise, he would be dragged into a prolonged war of attrition.
And in truth, given her injuries, Gu Yuena had no chance of outlasting Di Tian in such a battle.
But she had no other choice.
With Di Tian's terrifying might in close combat and his divine artifact-level physique that didn't flinch at trading blows, if he got near her again, it would almost certainly cost her life.
She had paid a terrible price to gain half a star domain's worth of distance — her heart-protecting dragon scale was shattered, and the blood of her heart had been completely drained.
So, her only option was to trade time for space.
With the time bought at such a great cost, she needed to figure out a way to survive — or perhaps, to turn the tide.
As her mind raced at full throttle, the Milky Way trembled!
The half-star domain connected to the silver banners was on the verge of collapse.
A single point of light rose against the current from the lower end of the Milky Way, growing infinitely large.
That image reflected in Gu Yuena's eyes, making her pupils contract violently.
"Dragon-Slaying Saber!"
"The Sacred Blade of the Dragon Race!"
"Why is it in your hands?!"
But no answer came.
Only the light of the blade and the brilliance of its slash — illuminating the dark void of the cosmos.
And the one who wielded it: Di Tian.
(End of Chapter)