The first clash between the two Guardian Knights shook the heavens, as if the entire sky had shattered like glass. The impact was clearly visible even from a thousand yards away.
"So strong!"
At that moment, the major powers and independent experts watching through magic water mirrors in Silverwing Town were all frozen in place, their eyes filled with disbelief.
The battle between the two looked nothing like a fight between players. It was more like two colossal beasts locked in a death struggle—every movement rocked heaven and earth. Their power was completely on another level compared to everyone else.
"How is this possible?"
Yan Tianxing watched Black Leopard Tianxia get forced back three steps, and a storm of emotions churned within him.
He knew exactly how powerful Black Leopard Tianxia was. The man absolutely possessed strength that surpassed a Grand Lord of the same level, and with skill bonuses factored in, his raw power was on par with a High Grand Lord of the same tier. When facing that kind of strike, even Yan Tianxing himself could only rely on his Vanish or Gale Step for their brief invincibility frames to dodge.
Yet Ke Le had used nothing more than an ordinary Tier 2 skill to overpower Black Leopard Tianxia, and his strength was clearly superior…
If Ke Le had activated a burst mode, that would be one thing. But he clearly hadn't used any burst skill at all—he had simply unleashed a basic Tier 2 technique. His strength was inhuman.
"Just who is this guy?" Black Leopard Tianxia stared at Ke Le, who now resembled a gray bear, a hint of wariness creeping into his eyes.
Compared to Yan Tianxing's shock, Black Leopard Tianxia was even more astonished.
Their Beast Legion wasn't composed of ordinary Tier 2 players. They had undergone Bloodline Replacement, raising their life hierarchy above that of normal Tier 2 Classes—rivaling even demonic transformation players. And unlike those demonic players, their base stats grew more substantially with each level increase, giving them a significant edge over standard Tier 2 players in raw attributes.
The only drawback was that after Bloodline Replacement, the path to advancement became far more difficult. But every player who qualified for the Beast Legion was one in ten thousand, and they all had the confidence to continue advancing. Moreover, once they did, they were far more powerful than other players of the same tier, so advancement difficulty was never a real concern.
Still, surprise was one thing—combat between players wasn't decided by base stats alone. Black Leopard Tianxia raised his shield and charged at Ke Le once more. This time, he had no intention of going head-to-head. Instead, he planned to circle and strike, searching for openings in Ke Le's defenses while chipping away at his health.
After Bloodline Replacement, not only had his base stats improved, but his reaction speed and agility had also noticeably increased. For nimble Assassins, the boost wasn't especially dramatic, but for a heavily armored Guardian Knight, the difference was enormous.
Yet Ke Le gave Black Leopard Tianxia no chance at all. He immediately activated the Blazing Wind Set's effect, transforming into a God of Fire. In an instant, he became a towering six-meter-tall flame deity, gripping a blazing war-axe in one hand and a blazing shield in the other, as if he were the ruler of heaven and earth.
Then Ke Le raised the blazing axe and brought it down upon the charging Black Leopard Tianxia.
Having exchanged blows briefly, Ke Le already understood Black Leopard Tianxia's strength. In a pure contest of technique, he would definitely lose—Black Leopard Tianxia would grind him down little by little. After all, Black Leopard Tianxia's base stats weren't far behind his own. The only way to win was to overpower him with sheer force.
"Damn it!"
Black Leopard Tianxia watched the towering pillars of fire crash toward him, and his expression changed drastically. He could feel that this power was approaching Legendary levels. Not only was Ke Le's axe devastatingly powerful, but its attack radius covered a full 30 yards. With less than ten yards between them, there was no room to dodge—he had no choice but to tank it head-on.
Instinctively, Black Leopard Tianxia activated his burst mode, his stats soaring across the board. He activated Protection Blessing and charged forward to meet the blow.
The pillar of fire formed by the blazing axe slammed into Black Leopard Tianxia's shield. A massive column of flame erupted skyward, and the ground beneath Black Leopard Tianxia's feet was instantly scorched to charred earth.
BOOM!
As the flames dissipated, everyone who witnessed it drew a sharp breath.
Just moments ago, the gap between the two hadn't seemed all that large. But now, with burst modes activated, the difference in their power was an entire tier apart.
Ke Le's single blow had shaved off a full fifth of Black Leopard Tianxia's health and cratered the ground three to four meters deep. The sheer destructive force was beyond anything human.
What the audience didn't know was that Ke Le's Blazing Wind Set was renowned as the strongest Level 70 equipment set in existence. Though it was only Gold-grade, once activated it granted the wearer the life hierarchy of a Primordial Species—let alone the massive stat boost. A standard burst mode simply couldn't compete with that.
After landing the first strike, Ke Le didn't pause. He raised the blazing axe again and swung a second time. Now possessing a Primordial Species' life hierarchy, his reaction speed and senses were leagues beyond what they had been before. Each axe swing was razor-sharp and ruthless, leaving Black Leopard Tianxia no breathing room whatsoever.
One axe… two axes… three axes…
By the fifth strike, Black Leopard Tianxia's health had been completely depleted. His entire body turned to charred coal, utterly and irreversibly dead.