Ascension of the Immortal Asura

The city outside the divine realm was dead silent, and then there was thunderous applause, excitement, and discussions. They had finally seen the pinnacle genius of the Divine Martial Continent fight, and it was beyond what they had expected.

"Did you see that? He just defeated Lua without breaking a sweat!"

"He commands the power of the stars? How do you even beat that?"

"Not only that, but what we saw is what he's limited to using at the Heaven Tribulation Realm. Imagine his full power!"

"No wonder he's the Astral Emperor's favorite son. Truly worthy of his status as the number one young World Expansion genius!"

Many of the powerful cultivators, sect and clan leaders, and other high ranking people walked up to the Astral Empire camp, which was located at the front of the city, closest to the stone stele. This location was a prime location reserved for only the most prestigious powers; the Astral Empire being one of them.

While the Astral Emperor himself was not amongst them, there were princes, princesses, and other high ranking members present. They smiled warmly and greeted those who offered praise for Zeras and their empire. Many wanted to ask about Lilian, and her relationship with the empire, but none did, as the topic had been constantly avoided by those belonging to the empire.

Inside the arena, the atmosphere was completely different. There was no thunderous applause or excited discussions; there was only silence as all eyes lingered on Zeras. His display had been beyond what any of them had expected, John included.

He had originally figured that the final fight would be between him and Asuros guaranteed, but now was not so certain. While he was still relatively sure that Asuros would be his opponent, Zeras' power was not to be looked down on, and John was sure he had not shown his full strength.

His gaze shifted to his master, who sat there calmly inspecting her brother.

John opened his mouth, but then closed it, unsure of what to say. Lilian noticed this, and turned towards him. A small smile appeared on the corner of her mouth as she could tell what John was thinking.

"What? Are you concerned for me or my safety?" she asked, almost amused by his expression. "Do you think I won't be able to deal with Zeras?"

"I…It's not that, it's just that he's far stronger than I thought he would be," John replied, trying to hide his doubt.

"It's about what I expected," Lilian replied, causing John to raise an eyebrow.

She expected this level of power? A level of power that made even John feel instinctual danger.

"I already knew my brother commanded the Astral Dao, and also had an innate variant body, so what he's shown so far is within my expectations," she explained.

"So, you're confident in beating him?" John asked, perking up at her apparent confidence.

"No. Nothing is ever certain" she shook her head, and then a smiling expression, almost one of excited anticipation appeared on her face as she locked eyes with John. "But that's what makes fighting fun, isn't it?"

John was taken aback by her words, and then laughed at himself for being so concerned. Zeras might be a heavenly talent rarely seen, but his master was a step even beyond that. While Zeras had five decades of additional experience, John was sure Lilian had tricks up her sleeves as well.

"You're right," John replied firmly, his concern for her gone, and an expression of calm confidence in his master appeared instead.

"Good," Lilian nodded with satisfaction. "That look of concern doesn't suit you."

John scoffed in reply and shrugged, feeling more at ease with the battle to come.

"So if I defeat Zeras, what about Asuros?" Lilian asked, already looking past her battle with her brother.

"Should that happen, you're going to admit defeat immediately," John said calmly yet firmly, as if the matter was already settled.

"Oh?" Lilian hummed while raising an eyebrow. "You don't think I can defeat Asuros?"

"It's not that," John shook his head lightly. "Now that I've seen Zeras' power and the level that comprehensions plays in battle, I'm sure you would be able to give Asuros a good fight."

"Then…?" Lilian asked.

"Like I said, Asuros is mine, and I don't know if I'll have another chance like this to kill him," John said firmly, his gaze narrowed as he stared across the arena at Asuros. His gaze softened as he shifted it back to Lilian. "'Besides, even if you managed to beat Asuros, you wouldn't stand a chance against me, so there's no real point in you beating Asuros. Only one of us can advance after all, and that one is me."

Lilian's expression changed into slight surprise as she studied John's face, followed by an amused smile.

"It seems you've grown quite a bit since I last saw you," she said. "Your confidence sure had grown to say the least."

John shrugged, as what he said was the truth.

"I doubt I'd be able to beat you if our cultivations were not at the same level," John said with another shrug, "but when it comes to fighting at the same cultivation level, there's not a person in this world that can beat me," John added with utmost confidence.

Lilian remained silent for a while as she stared at John. He truly had changed since they last met.

"But our focus should be on Zeras right now," John said, changing the subject. He didn't want to go too far on this subject, or Lilian might beat him to death outside the realm as punishment for saying such a thing to her. Her temper was always unpredictable.

"What's the plan? How do you intend to beat him?" John asked curiously.

"Well, it's rather simple," Lilian replied. "I'm going to beat him into the ground, and then I'm going to use my scythe to slice his head from his neck."

'Scythe? Ah, that's right. She uses a scythe,' John exclaimed internally as he recalled her battle with Allfiend. She had used a scythe in that battle, and had commanded it with incredible expertise.

"Can I see your scythe?" John asked.

Lilian was curious as to his reason, but obliged and took out her scythe. It feel onto her lap and rested there, while John inspected it closely.

Much like his own, the scythe was pitch black, and also naturally emanated a deathly aura. The weapon was sleek and sharp, and was no doubt a high-grade weapon worthy of being wielded by someone like Lilian. However, when compared to his own, it was still lacking.

"Not bad," John nodded in approval.

"Not bad?" Lilian asked, as if John was stupid. "This is one of the finest scythes on the continent. How can you assess such a weapon as 'not bad'," she asked, almost insulted by his assessment of the weapon.

It was to be expected. If someone called his weapons 'not bad', John would have a similar reaction.

"I mean, it's not bad," John shrugged, and then his scythe appeared, falling onto his lap as well. He grunted in pain as it crashed onto his legs, its weight nearly overwhelming. Lilian's eyes opened wide as she stared at the weapon.

"How about it? Would you be able to use this weapon in your fight?" John asked with satisfaction at her reaction. "Your weapon might be amazing, but compared to mine, it's a bit lacking."