Lan An surged with physical power, his feet slamming into the ground, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the sand. As Wen Lang, he couldn't use Speed Shift or Phantom Charm Wander Step—those were Lan An's signature techniques, too easily recognized.
Instead, he relied on raw physical strength.
Leaping into the air, his body cultivator's might roared to life. Gripping the massive greatsword, heavy as a thousand warhorses, his eyes blazed with resolve.
"Mountain Suppression!"
His movements were unadorned, brutal, and precise. The greatsword crashed toward Yu Chen's head with the force of a collapsing peak.
The scene unfolded so swiftly the crowd barely registered it. No one expected a Late Fusion Realm youth to shrug off Yu Chen's attack unscathed, let alone counter with such audacity.
By the time they snapped back to reality, the terrifying greatsword was descending, its momentum like a mountain crushing down.
"Not bad, hmph!" Yu Chen snorted, his reflexes honed as a Golden List genius. The Black War Spear materialized in his hand, sandstorms swirling anew. Gripping the spear, he didn't retreat but advanced, sweeping it horizontally against the greatsword.
BOOM!
The void cracked, the clash reverberating in all directions. Sword and spear collided, unleashing a destructive shockwave.
"Hmph, suppress!" Bai Lie and Bai Yang snorted in unison, their auras flaring to shatter the residual energy, shielding the onlookers.
Both combatants staggered back mid-air, glaring at each other.
"A Golden List genius is still a Golden List genius. As Wen Lang, defeating him will cost me," Lan An thought, assessing his limits.
Across from him, Yu Chen's face twisted, teeth grinding. "So, you rely on your body cultivator's strength and a Heaven-Grade weapon. No wonder you dare challenge me. But can you handle this?"
Realization dawned on Yu Chen. Lan An's fusion of body and spirit cultivation, paired with the Heaven-Grade greatsword, explained his defiance. But it wasn't enough. With a sneer, his killing intent surged as he charged again, spear in hand.
Lan An silently activated Piercing Weakness Vision, tracking Yu Chen's every move. Hoisting the greatsword, the Spirit Earth Cauldron thrummed within his dantian, infusing the blade with earth elemental force, amplifying its weight. He lunged at Yu Chen.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
They clashed relentlessly, earth against spear, their strikes ringing out like thunder. Yu Chen's superior cultivation gave him confidence, while Lan An's Piercing Weakness Vision and abundant spirit energy kept him from falling behind. They fought hand-to-hand in the sky, the crowd below watching in breathless awe.
The greatsword was steadfast, versatile in offense and defense. The spear was sharp, agile, and dynamic. Neither could gain the upper hand.
"This kid's an earth cultivator, but his elemental mastery is too low," some spectators commented, unimpressed.
None suspected Lan An held back his Tribulation Thunder, Unique Wood, Unique Fire, and Unique Water. What would they think if they knew?
The longer Yu Chen fought, the uglier his expression grew. Lan An seemed to anticipate every flaw in his attacks, deftly countering and striking back. It was absurd, yet undeniable.
Piercing Weakness Vision allowed Lan An to hold his own without revealing his trump cards.
But Yu Chen was done dragging this out. His eyes hardened, sneering at Lan An. "Kid, warm-up's over. Ready to die?"
"Haha, you're not even enough to warm me up!" Lan An shot back, his tone mocking.
"Foolish!" Yu Chen roared, enraged. "Great Earth Fist!"
One hand gripped the spear, the other clenched into a fist, slamming toward the ground. The desert quaked in response, earth elements surging upward, condensing into a colossal sand fist brimming with the land's might.
"Take this!"
Yu Chen bellowed, launching the fist at Lan An's face. The air crackled, the force overwhelming.
Lan An inhaled deeply, lowering his stance. Power coursed through his arm, veins bulging as he clenched his fist.
"Gentleman's Demon Subduing Fist!"
Unlike Yu Chen's sand-crafted fist, Lan An's was pure physical force, forged from his own flesh and blood.
BOOM!
Fist met fist. Blood trickled from Lan An's arm, faint cracks of bone echoing. But what shocked the crowd was the sand fist—shattered by Lan An's smaller, unyielding strike, dissolving into dust.
The thrill of facing a Refining Void cultivator without his unique attributes ignited Lan An's blood. Though he couldn't overpower Yu Chen or injure him, and his arm throbbed with pain, this was a feat to take pride in.
"Damn it!" Yu Chen's face burned with shame. Failing to crush this "trash" was a humiliation.
"Heaven-Grade Skill: Sand Explosion!"
He refused to use Black Sand—resorting to it against Lan An would be too shameful. Instead, he unleashed another Heaven-Grade skill. His hands wove countless seals, the desert trembling violently. Raising his arms, grains of sand gathered, forming a spiked orb pulsing with immense energy.
"Set up a barrier! Protect the civilians!" Bai Lie ordered.
Lu Lao nodded gravely, soaring upward. His spirit force conjured a protective shield around Lan An and Yu Chen.
"Go to hell!"
Yu Chen struck first, hurling Sand Explosion like a destructive bomb, tearing through space toward Lan An.
"This move leaves him no escape," someone remarked.
"Exactly. His greatsword can't shield him from Sand Explosion," others agreed.
Lan An's reliance on the greatsword had defined the fight. Sand Explosion's devastating range would engulf him, and they believed he'd reached his limit.
Yet Lan An's calm demeanor irked them, as if mocking their judgment. Some secretly hoped he'd fall.
But reality defied them.
Lan An's hands wove intricate seals, his voice steady. "Magma Armor!"
"Wild Cosmos Suppression Seal!"
A molten armor of earth and fire encased him, impervious and unyielding. Simultaneously, surging earth spirit force formed a massive seal between his hands.
Dual skills—one for defense, one for attack—both inherited from Zhong Wu Ming, perfect for his Wen Lang persona.
Facing Sand Explosion, the seal roared forward, its might capable of subduing the wild cosmos.
Wild Cosmos Suppression Seal!
Without hesitation, it smashed into Sand Explosion.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The orb detonated, shockwaves rippling outward. Sand and dust cloaked Lan An and Yu Chen, but Lu Lao's barrier spared the crowd from harm.
The White Bird Legion stared, dumbfounded. Who could've imagined their rescued stray was this formidable?
Silence hung heavy.
As the dust settled, gasps echoed. Even the princes' eyes narrowed at the sight.
The desert within the barrier was gone, replaced by a fathomless crater.
Hovering mid-air, Lan An's Magma Armor crumbled to fragments, his bloodied form as pitiful as ever, yet his expression remained serene, eagerly sizing up his foe.
Opposite him, Yu Chen's face contorted, his hair disheveled, his heroic black armor reduced to scraps barely covering vital areas. Fury consumed him, his reason fraying.
He'd been humiliated by his own Sand Explosion. Designed to obliterate Lan An, it was detonated prematurely by the seal, catching Yu Chen in its blast.
The closer proximity cost him dearly, far more than Lan An.
Rage boiled over, his sanity slipping. Black sand swirled in his eyes, Black Sand coiling around him.
Black Sand Flow emerged.
"Good heavens, the general's using Black Sand against Wen Lang!" a White Bird soldier shouted.
The crowd tensed. Black Sand was Yu Chen's trump card, rarely used. It multiplied his combat strength severalfold.
They pitied Lan An. Despite his genius, Black Sand would leave no trace of him.
Lan An knew this too, having seen Black Sand wound the Blazing Tiger. In his current state, he couldn't compete.
Drawing a deep breath, the Flame Heart Cauldron stirred in his dantian. Unseen by all, cyan flames flickered in his eyes, ready to unleash.
Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame!
If Yu Chen used Black Sand, Lan An's only counter was a unique attribute—one he'd never revealed publicly: the Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame.
"Forcing me to use Black Sand—you can die content!" Yu Chen's voice dripped with venom.
He'd dismissed Lan An as trash, a lucky survivor. Yet Lan An's performance was a slap to his face. A Golden List genius, humbled by a lower-realm fighter.
Only Lan An's blood and flesh could wash away this shame.
"Black Sand Pierce!"
Gripping the Black War Spear, Yu Chen dissolved into a storm of black sand.
"This move again?" Lan An muttered.
Black Sand Pierce had crippled a beast of Yu Chen's level. Now it targeted him.
He inhaled deeply. Behind him, cyan flame wings simmered, ready to erupt. The moment Yu Chen struck, a heaven-searing flame would answer, capable of burning the eight desolations.
"Die!"
Black sand coalesced, Yu Chen's mocking laugh echoing as he materialized behind Lan An, spear thrusting without mercy.
The crowd held their breath, certain of Lan An's doom.
"Both of you, stop!"
A pure, melodious voice rang out, piercing the heavens.
Yu Chen's killing intent faltered, his spear halting mid-strike. In Lan An's eyes, the raging cyan flames retreated into hiding.
All eyes turned.
The carriage's curtains parted, revealing a breathtakingly holy figure stepping forth under the burning gazes of Bai Lie and Bai Yang.
Bai Lian Hua!