Chapter 556: A Conceptual Domain formed from restrictions

Golden lights burst forth like a tidal wave, radiating from one side of the elven woman’s form, while from her other side, black flames coiled upward like serpents devouring the wind. Her aura surged violently, splitting the air itself between brilliance and annihilation.

The air hummed and crackled, not with thunder but with divine tension.

Max narrowed his eyes. “Concept of Light and Concept of Flames?” he muttered, his expression sharpening with caution.

Dual-element comprehension was already rare among top geniuses, but the way her aura blended those two opposing forces in seamless harmony sent an undeniable warning through his instincts—this wasn’t just mastery; this was embodiment.

Suddenly, behind her, something bloomed—slow at first, then blindingly fast. A golden radiance erupted from the stone floor, and before Max’s eyes could fully adjust, a colossal, humongous tree shot up through the broken roof of the temple.

It cracked the skies like a divine spear taking root in the heavens. Its trunk pulsed with strands of pure light energy, and its branches stretched wide like the arms of a celestial titan.

Each leaf shimmered like molten gold, drifting down and disintegrating before they could touch the ground, as if even gravity bowed before their purity.

But it didn’t end there.

The stone tiles beneath Max’s feet trembled, then burst apart as golden blades of grass pierced through them. One by one, the cracked floor gave way to sprawling fields of luminous grass—each blade casting its own soft glow.

Trees of light sprouted from the edges, forming a vast forest of divine splendor. Some were small, barely taller than Max, while others towered like ancient monuments, their boughs heavy with radiant fruit pulsing with warmth.

The ruins of the temple vanished under this living, breathing miracle—subsumed by a forest forged from pure light, a manifestation of nature reborn through divinity.

Max stood surrounded by brilliance—an entire world now cloaked in golden radiance. The air was thick with sacred pressure, the scent of ozone, and something deeper—something ancient and watchful.

“So this is your domain…” Max whispered, eyes scanning the surreal landscape that had replaced the battlefield. The light was blinding, the warmth deceiving.

This forest was beautiful… but it was built to kill.

“When I was young, this was home,” the elven woman said softly, her golden eyes reflecting the forest of light that surrounded them. Her voice carried a strange mixture of nostalgia and solemnity, as though the shimmering trees around them were more than just a conjured attack—but a memory. “It’s called Breezing Weather Forest.”

She let her fingertips glide through a floating golden leaf as it passed her shoulder, the delicate motion stirring small ripples in the luminous air.

“And this… this isn’t my domain,” she added, her voice dropping just slightly into a more formal tone. “It’s my attack. My comprehension of light—has reached a realm beyond ordinary concepts. I cannot call it a mere ‘concept’ anymore. But because I am bound by the laws of the Nine Dragons Painting, I have to restrict my strength to the peak of the Expert Rank. That restriction… twisted my technique. What you see now isn’t what it’s truly meant to be. This is a mutated form—one shaped by limitation.”

Max’s brows furrowed slightly as he gazed at the trees, the grasses, the sacred energy flooding through every inch of the golden forest.

“This isn’t a domain attack?” he asked, disbelief tinged in his voice. Everything about it screamed domain—from the overwhelming suppression to the way it consumed the battlefield and reshaped it entirely.

The elven woman shook her head, a gentle smile brushing her lips. “My true attack is called Divine Slash of Judgment. When executed at full strength, it doesn’t summon forests or cover the ground in radiance. It simply lands.”

Her gaze turned sharp, deadly. “And when it does, the target’s body turns into a construct of light, frozen in a moment of truth… before being cleaved cleanly in half. It’s swift, merciless, and leaves no trace behind. But here, inside the painting, where power is forcibly capped and condensed… the technique turned into this—a forest of divine light meant to entrap and gradually burn away an opponent’s strength and will. A beautiful illusion.”

Max remained silent for a breath, slowly scanning the forest once more. Everything glowed, everything pulsed. The trees didn’t bend with wind—they shimmered with stillness, light gathered in every leaf like judgment awaiting release. “So this entire forest is a mutation of a single sword attack…”

The woman’s smile deepened. “And the sword has yet to fall.”

Just then, Max’s Three Dimensional Body flared to life, sensing an anomaly—a pinpoint of death tearing through space. A narrow beam of black light, almost invisible to the naked eye, cut across the golden forest like a streak of vengeance.

It came from behind, fast and silent, aimed squarely at his spine with killing intent that made even the air tighten around him.

Max’s instincts screamed. In one smooth motion, he spun around and sent a black flaming leaf streaking toward the incoming attack. The leaf whistled through the air, a trail of searing fire behind it as it collided with the black beam.

Katcha!

The sound was sharp, unnatural—like a blade slicing through brittle bone. Max’s leaf was cut in half instantly, disintegrated with no resistance. His pupils contracted. That wasn’t just a focused beam of light.

It was something far more refined—compressed destructive will channeled into a razor’s edge. Something forged not just with power, but terrifying precision.

With no time to spare, Max extended his hand forward and gave a silent command.

Whoosh—!

Hundreds, then thousands of black flaming leaves surged out from behind him, circling in waves like a sea of blades. They flew forward in a tide of fire, clashing head-on with the beam.

Bang! Katcha! Bang! Katcha!

Each impact exploded in a brief burst of heat and sparks—but the beam didn’t falter. It cut through every leaf effortlessly, carving a path of devastation straight toward Max.

The leaves were nothing to it. One after another, they shattered and scattered, their flames flickering out like dying embers in a storm. In seconds, his entire defensive curtain had been shredded.

The golden forest flickered, reacting subtly to the carnage, as black firelight danced through the trees.

Max narrowed his eyes. He was no longer watching the leaves—his focus was now on the beam itself, still coming for him with relentless momentum. It hadn’t slowed. It hadn’t wavered. It moved like a judgment passed by a higher will, aiming to cleave him where he stood.

‘I need something stronger,’ Max thought as he raised his hand. Black flames swirled around his palm, condensing into a long, sharp-edged blade that crackled with chaotic energy.

A sword of pure flame and will, forged from the very essence of the black flames.

Just as the beam of black light reached the edge of his aura, the flaming sword launched from his side like a bullet, tearing through the air with a violent roar.

Whoosh!

The tip of the sword met the beam of light midair, and for a moment, the world froze.

Bang!

The clash echoed like a thunderclap splitting the sky. Black flames erupted on one side, and the razor-thin light beam flared with divine sharpness on the other.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay