Chapter 448: Lei En Unleashes His Power

Bang!

The Thousand River Blade clashed head‑on with the war hammer, emitting a teeth‑aching impact sound.

Duke Feishe unleashed his peak power, a dual burst of Divine Technique infusion and skill, leaving no reserve. He did not aim to slay the enemy with a single stroke, only to temporarily repel the youngster and look for a chance to disrupt the white‑haired Wizard's spell.

At the moment of clash, the Thousand River Blade, like a segment of river, splashed countless white droplets, each shaped like a blade, its force comparable to the three‑ring technique "Water Flow Cutting."

Clack!

A harsh thunderclap drowned out the spray.

Duke Feishe only felt an unshakable force surge through the Thousand River Blade, nearly losing his grip, and the water‑shaped blade was shattered by a single strike of the war hammer.

Hundreds of lightning bolts erupted, engulfing his figure.

This…

Duke Feishe was caught off guard; the Sturgeon Warrior does not rely on brute strength, and if the Thousand River Blade had not multiplied his power severalfold, he might have been killed outright by that hammer blow.

With a splat, he opened his mouth and spat blood.

The war hammer's recoil reverberated, piercing the Sturgeon Warrior's unique protective water flow, and even after passing through the blood‑vessel's innate Element of force release, it still wounded him.

Only one thought remained in Duke Feishe's mind: "What terrifying power!"

"We can't keep fighting him head‑on."

He reacted instantly, using the hammer's residual force to flip backward, wildly channeling his soul energy to reform the Thousand River Blade; with his left hand he swept upward, causing the trench's river water to surge and form a water wall that blocked the enemy.

At the same time, seizing the enemy's obscured view, he merged into the flowing water, slipping into the trench and becoming one with the river.

Whoosh…

Lei En flashed through the water wall, finding no sign of Duke Feishe, yet his face showed no surprise.

He cannot fly; after the flash he fell straight down, calmly granting himself a wind‑and‑thunder wing, sprouting a pair of broad wings of lightning behind him to steady his body.

On the walls of Torrent Castle, the nobles of the Feishe family and the Sturgeon Warriors were in a panic.

They had clearly seen Lei En's appearance.

Astonished by Lei En's overwhelming might—one hammer blow sent the duke flying—people were even more surprised by his youth, appearing just over twenty, majestic, his aura vast as the sea, a single glance raising their hair and making them lower their heads in dread.

"Who exactly is he?" people couldn't help speculating.

Whoa!

The trench's river water curled upward, forming a massive palm ten‑plus meters wide, as if a towering giant reached up from beneath the water to slam down on Lei En's back in mid‑air.

Lei En stamped the air with both feet, triggering a soaring leap; his figure rose sharply, causing the giant palm to strike empty space.

Boom—

Electric arcs flickered on the war hammer, and the three chained lightning bursts were released in one go.

Thick bolts of lightning fell from mid‑air, covering a wide swath of the water's surface, the current penetrating down to illuminate the trench's bottom.

Sturgeon Warriors excel at underwater combat, but their resistance to thunder is low; even a Legendary High‑rank Duke Feishe cannot escape it.

From that hammer strike, Lei En keenly sensed the opponent's weakness.

As he unleashed the chained lightning, he instantly formed an Electric Blast Orb in his palm and hurled it into the water.

Amid the explosion, the water‑giant palm shattered and vanished.

The trench's river water was murky; according to his past‑life knowledge, the more impurities, the better the conductivity. Sure enough, after the Electric Blast Orb detonated, a silhouette was forced to emerge underwater, like a vague black fish gliding faster than on land.

It was Duke Feishe!

Without the Soul‑Eye and Divine Will, others could hardly locate him in the water.

Lei En's gaze locked onto Duke Feishe, and he raised his hand to cast swiftly.

Two seconds later, a straight rainbow light beam burst forth, piercing the water and precisely striking the underwater silhouette.

The beam persisted for three seconds, guided by Lei En like a festering wound; no matter how Duke Feishe accelerated underwater, he could not escape, and the ray constantly hit the same spot behind him, shattering his close‑fitting armor and piercing flesh.

Fresh blood reddened a swath of river, and Duke Feishe let out a muted growl, gritting his teeth to unleash his ultimate technique: the River God's temporary avatar granted to the Divine Chosen.

Eight‑Ring Divine Technique—Water Giant!

A booming roar.

The trench's river surged, the water level dropping sharply, and a massive figure rose from the water, formed of colossal river flow, over thirty meters tall—taller than Torrent Castle's walls—its huge palm clutching a Thousand River Blade magnified dozens of times.

This Divine Technique can be used only once every seven days, draining most of the soul energy, and after it ends there is a three‑day weakness period.

Originally, Duke Feishe had reserved it for the white‑haired Wizard; after a swift approach, the water giant would suddenly strike and kill the foe.

Now, to survive, he had to unleash it early.

The Water Giant roared, raising the weighty Thousand River Blade, ignoring Lei En's rainbow light beam, and swung the sword down at Lei En's head.

The tens‑meter‑long great sword, sheathed in river water, was terrifyingly heavy on its own, crushing down like a mountain.

Lei En's subconscious urged him to dodge; his eyes flickered and he realized Duke Feishe's aim was not solely on him—stepping aside would strike Kaidejia and disrupt the casting.

In a flash of thought, Lei En made his decision.

He instantly triggered Blood Frenzy, his body swelling to a two‑meter height, simultaneously activating instant Dragon‑Force, the battle music swelling; under three layers of amplification his power surged severalfold, approaching level eleven, as if endless strength surged within.

Bang!

His feet pressed the air for leverage, raising the war hammer from below upward to meet the descending water‑giant sword.

The Sturgeon Warriors inside the castle, Ai Mi Li Si and the centaur army outside, all stared unblinkingly at the trench battle.

Lei En's figure appeared minuscule before the Water Giant, yet the aura he unleashed was by no means inferior.

In an instant, the great sword collided with the war hammer.

The two vastly mismatched sides struck, seeming like an egg against a rock, yet the outcome was wholly unexpected.

This time the war hammer emitted no lightning; Lei En's figure was instantly submerged by the river yet did not sink, instead rising against the flow. A level‑five "Destruction Critical" erupted, the hammer becoming a razor‑sharp blade that, with Lei En, pierced the water‑giant sword, instantly passing through and shooting out from above.

The terrifying force shattered the great sword, the energy traveling along the blade to the Water Giant's arm.

Boom—…

The Water Giant's entire arm exploded, turning into river water that fell back into the trench, splashing huge waves, and the hilt of the Thousand Rivers Blade also fell into the water, while the giant let out an angry roar from its mouth.

Ah!

The result of that strike left everyone staring in disbelief, especially the sturgeon samurai in the castle, who could hardly believe their eyes.

In their eyes, the invincible Duke, after transforming into a Water Giant, was still struck and had his arm broken by a hammer.

The invincible image built over centuries was instantly shaken.

Lei En scored a feat with a single strike, yet remained vigilant.

The hilt of the Thousand Rivers Blade that fell into the water was immediately seized by a reconstituted hand, and the Water Giant's arm instantly regenerated, joining with the hand.

In midair, Lei En was about to swing a second hammer when a sudden feeling made him flash‑step away.

Roar…

The Water Giant opened its mouth and spewed a jet of water, missing by a hair's breadth at the exact moment Lei En vanished. The roar formed concentric ripples, breaking through Lei En's flash‑step; another intact massive hand followed swiftly, slamming him heavily into the water.

The sturgeon samurai, upon seeing this, were greatly invigorated.

With the Water Giant's power, even a dragon would not dare to take a direct palm strike; that young, terrifying foe was smacked once, and even if he didn't die, he would be gravely wounded.

But just as that thought arose, they heard a thunderclap.

A bolt of lightning shot from the water's depths into the air, revealing a figure cloaked in a blood‑red cape with lightning‑winged back, appearing unscathed, and brandishing a war hammer to clash head‑on with the incoming great sword.

The water and lightning exploded, and the Water Giant's arm was shattered again by the hammer.

He's fine!

The sturgeon samurai widened their eyes, unable to accept the fact; Duke Feishe's eldest son Aidemu murmured, "Father's Water Giant can topple a city wall with a single palm, yet it cannot breach his defense; his defense, his power…"

It wasn't just Aidemu; everyone in the Flowing Castle was in extreme shock.

The battle in the trench, however, did not cease.

Lei En swung his war hammer, each strike capable of shattering the Water Giant's arm or a part of its body, yet the giant formed of river water always reconstituted instantly, regenerating severed limbs; Lei En could not locate its weakness, and several opportunistic spells yielded little effect.

The Water Giant was not a passive target; it leveraged its massive advantage in water, completely ignoring defense, and struck Lei En multiple times.

For anyone else, it would be hard to withstand the Water Giant's punches.

But for Lei En, its attacks were not lethal; the force could not concentrate at a point. With a fourth‑rank steel body and a true dragon physique, unless struck consecutively more than three times, it posed no threat.

The river water churned, waves towering.

Because the trench was enveloped by Kaidejia's stasis field, Duke Feishe used high‑level Divine Technique to resist the binding, and Lei En, via the Key of Doors, was immune to space‑time side effects; others could not move within the stasis field, nor could any spells penetrate, so they could only watch from outside. Amelia and Boerqi and the others could not intervene.

Both sides attacked each other, and for a moment the stalemate held.

Lei En was not in a hurry to win; time was on his side. He delayed the Water Giant to prevent it from interrupting Speaker Kaidejia's spellcasting, waiting until Speaker Kelaoaosi's second wave of Meteor Burst completed, shattering the Flowing Castle's shield, at which point he would win.

Moreover, he discovered that the Water Giant also possessed a soul—it was Duke Feishe himself.

The opponent's soul force was plummeting rapidly; each time it reconstituted its body it consumed massive soul energy, and the larger the regenerated limb, the greater the consumption.

In such an intense battle, Duke Feishe could not hold out for ten minutes!

If greater pressure were applied, the Water Giant's sustain time would only shorten.

During the fight, Lei En glanced sideways at Speaker Kelaoaosi; supported by the Wizard Corps, the Meteor Burst was already more than halfway cast, and in less than half a minute the meteors would descend.

"Increase the battle intensity."

"Ideally defeat Duke Feishe as the shield collapses, forcing him to surrender with his men."

Lei En smashed the Thousand Rivers Blade with a hammer, and during the giant's arm regeneration he flash‑stepped back, creating some distance while still blocking attacks toward Speaker Kaidejia.

A leaf on the Soul World Tree flickered.

Lei En's shoulder quivered, and five identical figures appeared beside him, all wielding war hammers, each in a state of Blood Frenzy.

"Mirror Image!"

The sturgeon samurai on the Flowing Castle walls shouted in unison; even though Kangjiatuo lacked a specialist caster, they recognized the spell instantly, as if thunder in their ears.

When the five mirrors emerged, they flash‑stepped in different directions, surrounding the Water Giant.

Boom—

The Water Giant's freshly formed arm was first sliced by a rainbow‑light beam, then hammered by a mirror, turning it into spilling river water.

The other three mirrors refrained from close combat, instead casting from a distance.

Duke Feishe, unaware of the subtlety, raised his hand to cast, raising a water wall to block the mirrors' spells, but he was half a step too late.

An invisible space‑time ripple descended, a spherical area about three meters in radius, perfectly encompassing the Water Giant's head.

Space-Time Shock!

The head of the Water Giant, lacking sensory organs, trembled; the space within its perception scrambled, the surrounding space became discontinuous, time vanished for an instant, and the spell was abruptly broken.

This space‑time distortion also stalled its movement for half a second, as if frozen.

Around the next second, three Electric Blast Orbs struck the Water Giant from the left, right, and behind, exploding; countless currents merged with river water, the resulting paralysis and invasion disrupted its control over the water, nearly causing the Water Giant to lose its form.

Its massive body crashed down, struggling in the trench like a drowning person.

"Roar…"

The Water Giant roared wildly; Duke Feishe, spending soul force, instantly rose again, swung the Thousand Rivers Blade in a slash, turning the nearest mirror into a bubble.

The mirror, after all, was not the true body; it possessed only half the power and defense, unable to withstand the Water Giant's desperate strike.

But this was Lei En's deliberate intention.

Sacrificing one mirror, seizing the chance of the unwithdrawn Thousand Rivers Blade slash, Lei En's true self and the remaining four mirrors launched a second round of encirclement. Space‑Time Shock, plus three Electric Blast Orbs, and a rainbow‑light beam pierced the Water Giant's head, instantly stifling Duke Feishe's counterattack.

The Water Giant was blasted into fragments, the river water fell back into the trench, then it rose again.

Lei En sent another mirror forward to buy time.

He and three mirrors attacked with full force, the third time shattering the Water Giant's form. When it rose again from the water, it was shorter by a span and its speed had slowed by several seconds.

After being completely shattered three consecutive times, Duke Feishe's soul force plummeted to rock bottom.

"He can't hold on much longer."

Lei En's Soul Eye saw through the opponent's details; already at the waning of a strong bow and not to be feared, he directly summoned three Mirror Images, disregarding defense and evasion, risking life for life, swinging his war hammer for close‑quarters grappling.

The Water Giant had no retreat, could only desperately swing his sword and slay the three Mirror Images, but paid a heavy price.

Its body was left only half, both arms were broken, and its head was smashed flat by a hammer.

Suddenly, Duke Feishe discovered Lei En missing; the barrier between him and the white‑haired Wizard vanished, and a single strike could interrupt the casting. This turn of fate thrilled him beyond expectation, and he immediately re‑condensed his giant form, though his brain throbbed like being pricked with needles and his soul power could not continue.

Worse, a terrifying aura came from behind.

The Water Giant's corpse quickly turned, an invisible wave fell, space‑time became chaotic, soul energy flow faltered, and a figure cloaked in a blood‑red cape rapidly enlarged in his sight.

Boom!

Lei En transformed into lightning, and at top speed crashed headfirst into the stalled Water Giant's chest; his electric palm seized in the water, pulling out Duke Feishe's true form, hurling him out of the giant's body, breaking free from the trench and the static field, and landing before Amilisi and the others.

"Father!"

"Lord Duke…" The sturgeon warriors were shocked, letting out mournful cries.

At the same time, Kelaoaosi's Meteor Burst also completed.

Four massive meteors fell from the sky, and in the desperate gazes of the people in Benliu Bao, they struck the water curtain shield one after another, exploding on impact.

The shield's rune array was interfered by the static field, unable to draw enough river water, its defense dropped sharply; although the sturgeon warriors inside the castle took turns over‑exerting their soul power, desperately holding on, after withstanding three Meteor Bursts, finally, in the explosion of the fourth meteor, the shield collapsed.

Hundreds of the sturgeon warriors maintaining the water curtain shield were back‑fired upon, blood spurted from their nostrils, and they all fell unconscious.

This thousand‑year‑unbreached Benliu Bao now resembled a defenseless, delicate maiden, exposed before a horde of ravenous thugs.

(End of Chapter)