Who is real? Who is an impostor?

Ziyue’s mind was in total chaos, and no matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn’t figure out why.

If this Chen Qing in front of her now was a fake, then why would her mark be on his body?

Could it be possible that the one who performed heroically, using the Space-Time Secret Arts to resurrect the Emperor and ultimately defeating White Drawing, was also a fake?

Could it be that the real Chen Qing had always been in hiding, only deciding to make a move after she was forcibly taken to this chaotic space?

Ziyue felt it shouldn’t be the case; when she set the King’s Seal in the beginning, Chen Qing was definitely the real one.

But if the one in front of her now is the real one, could it be that the other one with the young girl is a fake?

Shen Qi is still protected within the Jiangnan Army, aligned with the Emperor; could someone have stolen the fragment right under Shen Qi’s nose, then posed as Chen Qing?

That shouldn’t be the case... the space fragment isn’t sealed off; those inside can generally see the outside situation. The young girl’s group has been able to observe the outside all this time; how could they possibly have been substituted by a fake?

So...what exactly is the situation?

As Ziyue’s heart was plunged into turmoil, the intensity between Chen Qing and the Guard Commander had reached a fever pitch.

The Guard Commander watched Chen Qing coldly; both were expending great mental energy in their standoff.

It may seem they had not yet engaged in combat, but at their speed, the opponent needed to be ready to initiate a secret technique at any moment, and he was also looking for a moment of distraction in the opponent.

He didn’t believe there was an absolute defense technique in this world.

Magicians had all kinds of strange abilities while Warriors were strong in close combat.

If even close combat could be easily defended by a Magician, then the status of Warriors would be utterly nonexistent – this balance was unbreakable, and the Guard Commander was well aware that no such imbalance could survive in this ’game’ of life and death for so long.

No matter how formidable a Magician, there was always the possibility they could be assassinated. Didn’t those top Magicians have Techniques inscribed in advance?

They do, but there’s a prerequisite – you have to react in time.

Reacting does not mean seeing through the opponent’s speed – that’s impossible. If a Magician could easily see through a Warrior’s speed, then the fight really wouldn’t have a chance to continue.

It means that you must know exactly when they are going to make a move.

That’s where focus comes into play. Magicians have high spiritual power and will sense danger, issuing warnings. When the warning arises in their mind, no matter how fast the Warrior is, the Magician’s Techniques can be successfully activated. That’s passive defense.

For a Warrior to kill a top Magician, there are only three methods.

Either overpower the Technique with brute force, but this only occurs when there is a large gap between the two parties.

Or...stealth assassinations.

This requires extremely high stealth Dharma, decisively attacking while completely undetected by the Magician’s high spiritual power, giving them no time to respond with their Techniques.

Both ways are unsuitable for the current situation.

His first sprint at that speed was with the intention to assassinate. If the opponent did not anticipate his move, with his Godspeed velocity, below King Level, none could sense it in advance.

Unfortunately, the opponent anticipated his move, rendering his assassination plan a complete flop.

The second method is also not applicable; overpowering Techniques demands a huge disparity in strength.

But the Guard Commander knew that the gap between himself and this Chen Qing in front of him wasn’t actually that big...

Chen Qing’s strength had always been a mystery; when he rescued Tian Heng, he unlocked abilities that even a King Level Martial Legacy Priest couldn’t match.

Under the performance of many powerhouses, his abilities could be considered extraordinary, but his direct combat power was obviously not on par.

Yet, the Guard Commander always knew he wasn’t that simple; every time, Chen Qing helped at just the right moment – could it all be just a coincidence?

Chen Qing is not weak...

Even when directly facing an enemy, he and the mighty Emperor Siao might very well be equally matched!

Especially now, during this standoff, he became even more certain of it.

Although he hadn’t unsealed his King Level, his countless years of experience and honed strength had brought him to a state of near perfect mastery below King Level, coupled with his boundless vigor, what does such a state represent?

It represents that he could stand toe-to-toe with a King Level using a strength below that, not falling behind and even having a chance to kill a King Level.

This is precisely the reason why Kagura dares not lightly go solo against him.

But even so, he could find no flaws in Chen Qing!

For the first time, the Guard Commander truly took this man before him seriously; it had been many years since he had encountered such a formidable Magician...

The third method for a Warrior to deal with a Magician is to engage in a war of attrition, applying immense pressure to force the opponent to reveal a flaw, even if for just one in ten thousandth of a millisecond – with his own skills, he could kill the opponent in an instant.

Yet, after a standoff lasting over a quarter of an hour, he had been unable to find even a hint of vulnerability in this man...

He had only ever encountered this situation once since obtaining the power of the Blood Ancestor, and that was when he successfully beheaded the true self of Kagura that harbored the inner demon.

"Do you plan to wear me down like this indefinitely?" the Guard Commander stared at him and said: "How long can you hold out?"

Since his overt abilities couldn’t provoke Chen Qing to reveal a weakness, he decided to wage a mental warfare instead.

With the Blood Clan’s Method, his stamina was almost limitless.

His energy consumption was even more vigorous than that of the White Drawing creature.

Chen Qing, facing off against him, could not possibly outlast his endurance.

Under his control, Chen Qing was almost unable to divert his attention and couldn’t possibly be scheming secretly.

Continuing in this manner, late or soon, he would meet his demise.

"Has the senior become impatient?" Chen Qing actually smiled and said: "Junior can still hold on a while."

"Really?" the Guard Commander smiled and said: "By delaying like this, what are you waiting for?"

"What do you think, senior?" Chen Qing didn’t answer but asked in return.

The Guard Commander furrowed his brow; this guy shouldn’t have any reinforcements.

According to intelligence reports, the Ancient Demon Clan had lain hidden for many years and had thoroughly investigated the few who had risen, especially the rise of the new power Chen Qing.

They had probed the capable assistants within his power.

He couldn’t possibly, like the Emperor, also have a twin sibling hidden from childhood, could he?

Within Chen Qing’s power base, the strongest was undoubtedly Ao Zhen, and Ao Zhen had now been confirmed to be on the Southern Sea side, constrained by the Nanhai Dragon King and in peril on his own.

And even if Ao Zhen were here, it wouldn’t count for much. Chen Qing’s power base had only one King Level figure, and this intelligence was not wrong.

With the Emperor and the Empress already exhausted, who else could come to Chen Qing’s aid?

It couldn’t possibly be Kagura, could it?

He did not underestimate Kagura’s demon-hearted physique; in this void environment, if a Magician without the Golem Forbidden Technique dared to come here, he could ensure that she wouldn’t survive three breaths...

The other party also knew this fact. The true self of Kagura from those years nearly perished at his hands for the very same reason.

So... who exactly is Chen Qing waiting for?

Time continued to pass second by second, and by now, Ziyue by Chen Qing’s side had already turned pale with eyes closed, completely unable to stand against the Guard Commander’s aura.

But Chen Qing alone still maintained optimal condition, gazing distantly at the Guard Commander.

As time went on, the Guard Commander’s frown deepened. He could not fathom what the other party wanted to do. Eventually, he decided to meet passivity with passivity, waiting for the opponent to make a move first.

Yet, after half an hour, there was still no sign of him taking action.

The key is... after half an hour, even a King Level Magician facing him continuously like this should also be on the verge of collapse, right?

He was acutely aware of the amount of vital energy he expended to maintain such pressure rapidly; in just half an hour, it was equivalent to the total of two King Levels. He had the special ability to maintain such oppressive force continuously, but why – why could he also hold out for so long?

Could it be he also had some method of replenishment?

Could it be a Forbidden Technique?

No... impossible. Of the Golems laws willing to be passed on to the Mortal World, there were only those four great Golem Dharmas. If he could use Forbidden Techniques, it should be related to Ziyue – how could it also be possible for him to possess the Blood Ancestor’s Forbidden Technique?

This guy... what exactly has he done?

--------------------------------

"Interesting... truly interesting...."

The Demon Statue with the pale, massive face floated on the periphery, intently staring at the standoff between the Guard Commander and Chen Qing.

The creatures of this world are truly interesting. The fact that the Blood Ancestor met its downfall at the hands of that person was interesting enough, but to think that the other two are even more interesting...

What drew the pale face’s utmost attention was the two Chen Qings, who looked exactly alike!

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