Translator: CinderTL
Zuoqiu Yi turned to her Third Sister. "Even our eldest sister can't handle this?"
In her heart, their eldest sister was the most talented genius cultivator of the Zuoqiu Clan's younger generation. As the leader of the renowned Huai Lake Seven Heroes, her formidable strength should rival figures like Fang Qingge and Xu Sanyan.
"Sigh..."
Zuoqiu Hui shook her head, offering no further explanation. You overestimate your eldest sister, little sister, she thought. We can barely intervene in a battle of this scale, let alone match its intensity.
Zuoqiu Shu, oblivious to her sisters' hushed conversation, remained captivated by the colossal phantom of the Buddha. Her gaze lingered on the young man in pale crimson robes standing tall beneath the giant palm, a flicker of emotion crossing her eyes.
Is this truly one of heaven's chosen?
Is this... the peerless genius Father spoke of, destined to dominate an era?
Though Zuoqiu Shu outwardly maintained a demeanor of humility and grace, she harbored an inner pride. As the undisputed leader of the Zuoqiu Clan of Huai Lake's younger generation, she naturally possessed her own sense of superiority.
Most cultivation methods and mystical arts, she grasped at a glance. With minimal effort, she could reach heights unattainable by ordinary cultivators. Moreover, her diligence was unparalleled; even the clan ancestor had once declared that the future of the Zuoqiu Clan rested on her shoulders.
Now, that pride had been shattered with effortless ease.
Even as a mere observer, she could feel the immense pressure. The invincible palm descended, filling her heart with despair.
But...
The palm was stopped.
Stopped by the young man in crimson robes, with effortless ease...
This made her wonder if the palm was merely a facade—terrifying in appearance but weak in substance.
Yet the cratered earth and the shockwave that slammed into her shattered this illusion. The surging spiritual power swept over the crowd, and Zuoqiu Yi, whose cultivation level was relatively low, struggled to maintain her footing.
Everything told her that this was no mere facade...
Xu Sanyan's crimson robes tore into shreds, revealing his coiled muscles and a ferocious glint in his eyes. He braced the golden palm with a single hand, the ground trembling slightly as cracks spiderwebbed outward from his feet.
"Hah... Demon Subduing Palm? What arrogance!"
Xu Sanyan slowly raised his head, the thin line of his lips betraying a chilling disdain. Crimson mist erupted around him, enveloping him completely and obscuring him from view.
As the mist gradually dissipated, a figure emerged. His bare torso was covered in dark red patterns, and he wielded a great halberd. Two additional arms sprouted from his ribs, their fists clenched tightly.
Jingyi's previously calm expression instantly turned grave. He could sense the man's aura had shifted, becoming far more dangerous.
In the distance, Wei Xunzhi's eyes flickered as she silently led the Wei Clan to retreat further, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
Zuoqiu Zhen's small mouth hung open, unable to close. She stared at Xu Sanyan in the arena, then glanced at her eldest sister, a pang of disappointment rising in her heart.
"The benefactor's ferocity is overwhelming," Jingyi murmured, his brow furrowed deeply as his vigilance reached its peak.
"Ferocity? Hahahaha..."
Xu Sanyan threw his head back and roared with laughter, as if he'd heard a joke. "Your Buddhist Sect preaches compassion, while my Holy Sect embodies ferocity? Very well! Today, we'll see whether your Buddha is mightier, or my demon lord more savage!"
As soon as the words left his lips, the pitch-black giant halberd hurtled toward him. Xu Sanyan's figure flickered into existence, his four arms crashing down with tremendous force.
Jingyi remained motionless, extending his right hand in a lotus-petal gesture. A blinding golden light erupted from his body, enveloping him in a golden bell. Mysterious, indecipherable runes floated across its surface.
Clang...!
Xu Sanyan's strike against the golden bell sent a deafening chime reverberating across the heavens, its echoes lingering endlessly. The immense recoil forced him to stumble back two steps.
Inside the bell, Jingyi fared no better. His face drained of color in an instant. Only the nascent success of his Great Luo Golden Body prevented him from sustaining serious injury.
The onlookers, watching from afar, each employed their own methods to block out the bell's sound. Even the sound itself possessed lethal force that could not be underestimated.
"Tough turtle shell," Xu Sanyan muttered, summoning his halberd back to his hand. With a leap, he soared into the sky and plunged down, aiming a devastating strike.
Knowing that prolonged defense would inevitably lead to defeat, Jingyi dispelled the golden bell. He clasped his hands together, curling nine fingers inward while leaving a single finger extended. In a low voice, he intoned,
"Soul-Crossing Finger!"
A golden thread shot skyward, colliding with Xu Sanyan's crimson aura.
For a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still. Then came the earth-shattering roar:
"BOOM!!!"
Golden and crimson halos expanded across the sky, like ripples spreading from a stone dropped into a tranquil lake.
Reverberating from the backlash of his own spiritual power, Xu Sanyan was hurled backward with even greater force, crashing into a distant pavilion. The massive structure crumbled instantly, sending plumes of dust billowing into the air.
Jingyi staggered, his legs sinking into the ground. His face paled, a trail of crimson blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He too had suffered from the backlash, his internal organs slightly ruptured.
Moreover, that single strike had nearly depleted seventy percent of his spiritual power, making it a truly earth-shattering blow.
The golden and crimson aftershocks swept across the battlefield. Zuoqiu Shu's expression shifted dramatically as she swiftly erected a spiritual barrier before her group. The aftershocks surged past, causing Zuoqiu Shu to grunt and stumble backward, but the barrier held.
As the aftershocks continued to spread, those sheltering in distant pavilions scrambled to defend themselves. Though unharmed personally, their shelters collapsed one after another, thick smoke billowing skyward.
Zuoqiu Xin stared at the pavilion that had swallowed Xu Sanyan, whispering, "Is he... still alive?"
No one could answer. It was the question on everyone's mind.
Hundreds of eyes remained fixed on the collapsed pavilion, some hoping he would emerge, others wishing he wouldn't.
Time ticked by, the smoke and dust gradually dissipating. Amidst the thinning haze, a figure materialized before the massive ruins, its four arms flickering in and out of view, as if clutching something in its hands.
"He... he's still alive!"
A sharp-eyed observer noticed that the crimson mist swirling around Xu Sanyan had noticeably thinned, yet he had still emerged.
Xu Sanyan strode forward, one hand gripping a man by the neck. His sharp, upturned fangs pierced the man's throat, drawing strands of vital essence into his body to heal his wounds.
The man's flesh withered visibly, yet the faint rise and fall of his chest indicated he was still alive.
"Man... eater!"
A distant voice cried out in horror, their worldview shattered by the sight. They could never have imagined that someone could heal their injuries by consuming human flesh!
Xu Sanyan, indifferent to the onlookers' gazes, casually tossed aside the withered corpse. He stretched slightly, feeling his injuries had recovered by fifty to sixty percent.
"Hmph, dead baldy, come at me again!"
Xu Sanyan's pitch-black eyes locked onto Jingyi, his malevolent qi intensifying.
Jingyi fell silent for a moment, then slowly retrieved a medicinal pill from his robes and swallowed it to heal his wounds.
(End of the Chapter)
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