Chapter 57: A Stunning Debut in Battle

It was highly unusual for a master of such caliber to appear in the Americas without having gained any prior reputation, but Zhang Xiao could not afford to dwell on such thoughts. The Silver-Armored Corpse was at a critical juncture in its evolution, and Zhang Xiao dared not show the slightest negligence. His Tianyang Sword was already primed for action.

"It seems you are quite protective of what lies behind you. I wonder, what kind of treasure could it be?" Vikrus smiled, his figure suddenly lunging forward. Zhang Xiao flicked his wrist, and a silver arc of sword light erupted from the Tianyang Sword. Seeing the incoming energy, Vikrus countered with a cold, sharp shadow from his curved blade.

*Clang!* The blade shadow and the sword energy collided, yet Vikrus’s scimitar easily cleaved through Zhang Xiao’s light, the remaining momentum still aimed squarely at Zhang Xiao’s head.

"Hmph!" A flash of anger crossed Zhang Xiao’s eyes. He swung the Tianyang Sword, transforming it into a long rainbow that clashed with the scimitar. One should not underestimate Vikrus’s blade; every strike was exceptionally sharp, fast, and ruthless, devoid of any flair but lethal in every intent. Through countless trials, Zhang Xiao’s swordsmanship had become just as formidable.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a dozen blows, leaving the onlookers in the distance dazed and dazzled. "Exhilarating! Take another, Full Moon Scimitar!" Vikrus roared. With a twist of his wrist, a crescent-shaped blade aura surged forth, slicing through the air like a mountain-splitting moon. Zhang Xiao’s expression changed. The Five-Colored Cloud Banner was not on his person, and he could not dodge, lest the strike hit the Copper-Armored Corpse behind him. Though the banner would have provided protection, he dared not take the risk. He unleashed his full power, a halo of Buddha appearing behind his head.

Countless rays of Buddhist light burst forth, weaving into a domain of Buddha, while his body was suddenly covered in scales born from within. A sacred, compassionate aura washed over the area, stunning everyone present. When Vikrus’s crescent aura struck Zhang Xiao’s Buddhist domain, it was instantly blocked by the inexhaustible rays of light. Seeing this, Vikrus’s expression shifted; he withdrew his blade and chuckled.

"Haha, last time I heard Paulina mention a powerful Easterner who slapped the Church of Light in the face and is now a wanted man, it must have been you. I heard you even severed the arm of the ascetic Chloe in Calodole—is that true?"

The surrounding crowd was shocked by these words. The incident at Calodole had spread across the Americas, and under the propaganda of the Church of Light, Zhang Xiao had been painted as a demon, earning him the nickname "The Great Demon King" among the uninformed. Hearing Vikrus, the onlookers felt a chill, and some began to flee. Zhang Xiao replied coldly, "Just a stroke of luck. What lies behind me is no treasure; I hope you will not make things difficult for me."

Although Zhang Xiao had not used his full strength, neither had Vikrus. Zhang Xiao did not fear him, but with the corpse still evolving, he preferred to avoid a prolonged fight. To his surprise, Vikrus gave a bitter smile: "If you weren't that 'demon,' that would be one thing. But since you've admitted it, I cannot back down. I promised Paulina that if I ran into you, I would take you alive."

Vikrus produced a second scimitar. With a blade in each hand, his aura surged violently, and he held them crosswise before him.

Zhang Xiao frowned, summoning the Heaven-Sound Bell to hover above his head. Since reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he could fully utilize the various mystical powers of this Tier-9 artifact. As the bell hung above, a veil of light formed from musical notes cascaded down—a defense not as potent as the Five-Colored Cloud Banner, but not easily broken by an ordinary man.

"Thirty-Sixth Blade Technique: Gale!" Vikrus roared, spinning his blades at a speed invisible to the naked eye. He charged at Zhang Xiao, a myriad of sharp wind blades pressing in. Zhang Xiao’s mind flickered, and his avatar manifested within the Buddhist halo behind him. With the avatar’s aid, the Buddhist domain grew even more brilliant, golden lotuses blooming to dissipate the wind blades into nothingness.

Seeing his attack so easily neutralized, Vikrus did not retreat; instead, he accelerated into the Buddhist domain. "Thirty-Fifth Blade Technique: Flowing Light!" With a thunderous shout, flashes of blade light detonated within the domain. Zhang Xiao’s eyes glinted, and he tapped the Heaven-Sound Bell. A bell chime resonated, forming a swastika that pressed down upon Vikrus, while his avatar chanted scriptures of salvation.

Feeling the difficulty of the struggle, Vikrus felt an unprecedented excitement. A natural-born battle fanatic, he had never met an opponent who could trade blows with him so directly. His blade light grew sharper still. As the strikes crossed, Zhang Xiao was forced to wield his Tianyang Sword, engaging in a fierce entanglement. Suddenly, Vikrus joined his two scimitars together into a double-edged blade.

"First Blade Technique: World Destruction!" Vikrus bellowed. The double-edged weapon was engulfed in dark red energy, and a blood-red aura of battle erupted from his body, overwhelming even the combined Buddhist domain of Zhang Xiao and his avatar. Zhang Xiao’s eyes turned fierce; he exhaled, and a golden light-wheel emerged. As it appeared, the Buddhist domain became more tangible, petals falling from the sky as divine Buddhas sat within the halo, chanting scriptures.

Silver light erupted in Zhang Xiao’s eyes as he tapped the Buddha’s Golden Wheel. A golden sword of light manifested within it—not the ordinary kind he used with his avatar, but one imbued with the Buddhist concepts of Great Destruction and Annihilation. It was the most powerful attack he could currently muster. "Go!" he commanded.

The golden sword slashed toward Vikrus. Vikrus, having finished his own buildup, saw his double-edged blade transform into a pitch-black python that met the golden sword head-on. Gold and black collided, carrying the force to shatter the heavens, causing all creatures in the Forest of the Dead to tremble. Seeing the powers were evenly matched, Zhang Xiao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of pure Yang essence onto the Golden Wheel.

Empowered by the essence, the Golden Wheel’s aura surged, and the golden sword gained such momentum that it began to crush Vikrus’s black blade light. Vikrus’s expression darkened as his scimitars began to snap piece by piece. He made a grim decision: he abandoned the broken weapons and turned to flee without a word. Though combative, he was no fool; seeing the battle lost, there was no reason to stay. He had done his best, and even Paulina could not blame him.

*BOOM!* The golden sword struck the earth, the aura of annihilation sweeping through the minds of everyone present. Vikrus, already far away, looked back at the deep trench carved into the ground and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Zhang Xiao’s strength.

*ROAR!* From the cellar, the Copper-Armored Corpse finished its evolution. Its skin had turned from bronze to silver-white, and its once-bulky muscles had shrunk, giving it a somewhat slender appearance. Yet, Zhang Xiao’s eyes lit up. Though the Silver-Armored Corpse might be slightly weaker in raw strength, with proper cultivation, it would undoubtedly be a match for a standard Nascent Soul expert. Zhang Xiao retracted the corpse and vanished as a streak of rainbow light.

Seeing him depart, many breathed a sigh of relief. Vikrus, frustrated by his defeat, noticed a mage looking gleefully at a crystal ball. Vikrus walked over and saw that the ball had recorded the entire duel. He snatched it without a word, laughing, "Haha, I was worried how to explain this to Paulina, and that brat Garrick would surely claim I was lying. You don't mind me taking this, do you?"

Though phrased as a question, his expression made it clear that he would kill the mage if he refused. The mage nodded frantically, and Vikrus strode away happily. With him gone, the remaining crowd dispersed. Having witnessed such a shocking battle, no one had the heart to hunt for treasure; they all rushed to record what they had seen and send it back to their respective factions.

The power displayed was truly awe-inspiring, especially for the warriors, whose blood boiled at Vikrus’s combat style. Who said warriors were inferior to mages? Vikrus’s reputation soared, and Zhang Xiao’s title of "Demon King" became legendary throughout the Americas.