Chapter Thirty-Two: The Battle of the Strongest Transcender (Part Two)

As time passed, Morrison’s attacks grew fiercer and more frequent. The green radiance enveloping Zhou Yu had begun to fade, and the plaza was riddled with cracks and devastation. On the other side, Abuli and the vampire Jack were also locked in a bitter fight with no end in sight.

“It’s already been an hour!”

“They’ve been locked in such an intense battle for an hour! My god, just how powerful must the energy within them be?” The spectators’ murmurs rose as the spectacle unfolded before them. Most marveled at the sheer energy the four fighters possessed—for every blow expended strength, and nearly every strike was a full-force attack. To have clashed like this for two hours, yet show no sign of exhaustion, was simply terrifying.

Though Du Niang’s energy was nearly depleted, Zhou Yu was growing accustomed to this level of combat. The strength in his arms remained abundant; despite the blood trickling from his lips, his formidable regenerative powers only made him fight more fiercely. Several times, he even shifted from defense to attack, taking the initiative against Morrison.

Above, a bright moon hung like a jade disc, its pale light undimmed by the white gemstone’s glow in the Martial Pavilion. Nan Fenglang casually lifted his head to gaze at the moon—while a strong west wind swept the sky, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. The moon glowed cold and white, almost chilling in its brilliance.

With a resounding crash, Morrison, frustrated by his lack of progress, finally unleashed the golden dragon. The massive beast coiled high in the sky, roaring thunderously. Its gaping maw released a torrent of yellow dragonfire, hurtling down at Zhou Yu.

Jin Buhuan nodded slightly. He had seen through Zhou Yu’s secret—the youth’s strength was confined to his arms. The rest of his body was unremarkable, and while his movement wasn’t slow, compared to Morrison’s speed, it was like earth and sky.

Yet Zhou Yu, relying on his unchanging defense, used his arms to shield his entire body, enduring Morrison’s relentless assault head-on for an entire hour.

But now, with the golden dragon unleashed, Zhou Yu could no longer hunker down and fight from a single position—his lackluster agility would prove fatal.

The moment the golden dragon appeared, the outcome was decided!

“It’s over!” Even the mighty spectators couldn’t help but shout. They too had long since noticed that Zhou Yu’s weakness lay in his lack of speed.

The dragonfire poured down like a deluge, yellow and acrid with the stench of sulfur. A direct hit would obliterate flesh and bone alike.

Zhou Yu did not flee. He understood his own limitations better than anyone—the frailty of his legs and his lack of speed. So he bent low and slammed his fist into the ground. With a boom, flagstones shattered and dust billowed, and Zhou Yu, propelled by the powerful recoil, shot sideways through the air.

“So he had that trick up his sleeve...” the same spectator who declared Zhou Yu finished now marveled anew. To make such a swift and correct decision in the heat of battle—this was a seasoned warrior to the core.

“Die!” Morrison’s pale blue aura faded as the golden dragon’s summoning had drained him considerably. Seeing Zhou Yu flying backward, he seized the opportunity—Zhou Yu was mid-air, unable to change direction—and unleashed an attack with all the strength he had left.

In that instant, Morrison was wreathed in golden light, crashing down upon Zhou Yu like a blazing meteor.

Zhou Yu, suspended in the air and unable to dodge, could only meet the blow head-on. His right fist collided violently with Morrison’s, sending Zhou Yu hurtling even faster backwards.

But the instant their clash ended, Morrison was already upon him with another attack. The two battled in mid-air, Morrison giving relentless chase, Zhou Yu forced into hasty retreat. Each exchange only increased their speed.

In a flash, Morrison launched over a dozen savage attacks. Zhou Yu, thrown off balance by the need to dodge the dragonfire, finally faltered. Morrison’s fist landed hard upon Zhou Yu’s chest.

Blood spurted from Zhou Yu’s lips as he crashed into the flagstones below.

The stone shattered completely, leaving a deep pit with Zhou Yu lying motionless at the bottom, his fate uncertain.

Morrison came to a halt, the golden light fading from his body. As he walked toward the pit, he felt an unprecedented weariness—his energy was nearly spent.

“Zhou from China!” Abuli roared, trying to charge to his aid, but Jack and the golden dragon blocked his path.

Morrison looked down at the youth in the pit and spat. “Courting death.”

The boy’s lifeless eyes stared at the ghastly white moon above. His body was utterly still, all traces of vitality gone, as if he were dead.

Turning away, Morrison strode toward Abuli, who was still locked in combat with Jack. His gaze burned with a bloodthirsty light.

Each time Morrison summoned the golden dragon, he endured excruciating pain, as if his bones were being wrenched apart. It was a power above his current level—a secret art of the Beast Sect he could barely wield, and the backlash left him in agony.

With Morrison’s display of power, the golden dragon’s brilliance dimmed; its dragonfire had lost much of its ferocity.

Abuli, using his elastic arms and legs, darted rapidly around the arena, dodging both the dragon’s breath and Jack’s ghostly attacks, striking back whenever an opening appeared.

Though Jack could fly, he had no easy way to deal with Abuli’s spring-like leaps, and was forced to remain wary of Abuli’s counterattacks.

Among the onlookers, the more discerning had already noticed the unique nature of Abuli’s powers.

Though it appeared he could only extend his limbs, in reality he was a formidable opponent. His instantaneous movement was unmatched, and his stretching arms could attack from any angle within a certain range, adapting seamlessly to the enemy’s position—truly shadowing his foe.

Morrison gathered his remaining strength, watching Abuli do battle with Jack and the dragon. Murderous intent blazed in his eyes.

Channeling all his power into his fist, Morrison’s right arm blazed with an ever-brighter golden light.

“Is that an energy fist?”

“That kind of attack is on par with a demon’s projectile!”

“That’s a power only a high-level demon general can use!” The crowd’s whispers revealed the terror Morrison’s next move inspired. He had refrained from using it against Zhou Yu—this was a trump card he could only manage once, reserved for the decisive moment.

Morrison readied to unleash his killing blow, his entire focus locked on Abuli.

Just then, the flagstones behind Morrison exploded. Zhou Yu shot out of the ground, hurtling a powerful punch into Morrison’s back.

Caught unawares and no longer in his beast form, Morrison was sent flying, blood gushing from his mouth. “Impossible...” he gasped, crashing into the shattered flagstones.

Jin Buhuan sprang to his feet, his gaze upon Zhou Yu strangely conflicted.

Zuo Hao stammered in shock, “What happened...”

The elder of the Soul Sect stood for a long moment, his face darkening. “It was a duplication technique!”

The Zhou Yu lying in the pit vanished with a faint pop, leaving a tunnel that led elsewhere.

“He can use duplication techniques!”

“The one in the pit was his duplicate—his real body dug a tunnel underground and waited. When the bald one let his guard down, he burst out from below and struck! My god, who knew a duplication technique could be used like that!”

At that moment, a black cloud drifted across the sky, shrouding the ghastly white moon.

Beyond the Spirit Domain, a pillar of white light shot up from the grasslands, piercing the heavens!

All eyes were drawn to that white beam.

Jin Buhuan murmured, “Did we succeed?”

A Beast Sect knight rushed to Zuo Hao’s side and whispered urgently in his ear. Zuo Hao’s face changed dramatically. He turned to Jin Buhuan, voice trembling with fury. “You kept this from me?”

Jin Buhuan smiled coolly at him. “Kept it from you? And who do you think you are?”