Chapter 832
The Grand Competition Concludes
At the beginning of his cultivation, Song Changsheng's [Five Beasts Battle Body] could only last for about half an hour before he would fall into a long period of weakness. Due to its limitations, he rarely used it after his cultivation level improved.
Unexpectedly, after his bloodline power was sublimated, the duration of the [Five Beasts Battle Body] was extended several times, allowing him to fight Zhao Yin from daytime until nightfall.
However, an unfortunate piece of news followed: Zhao Yin's strength remained formidable, showing no signs of diminishing even after several hours of fierce fighting, which defied all reason.
"Could this be his true strength?" Song Changsheng frowned as he looked at his slowly shrinking body. Given Zhao Yin's reputation, it was reasonable for him to have such formidable strength. What puzzled him was why the other party's strength had suddenly increased so much.
Moreover, no matter how he disguises himself or how fast he moves, the other party can always pinpoint his location accurately.
"Tracing back to the source, dispelling confusion, the eye of delusion is opened!"
A strange pattern appeared in his eyes, and the world before him instantly turned into black and white. His gaze fell on Zhao Yin, and within his body, he saw an extremely bright purple fluorescence that started from his dantian and spread throughout his body via his meridians.
The purple fluorescence gathered in his eyes was particularly noticeable.
"This is……"
A slight tremor ran through Song Changsheng's heart for no apparent reason, making him realize that Zhao Yin's source of power might be these special purple energies.
At this moment, Zhao Yin sensed something and his sharp eyes suddenly locked onto Song Changsheng's eyes, the purple aura surrounding his eyes becoming even more vibrant.
"A very interesting pupil technique." Zhao Yin stood in the air with his spear held horizontally, the faint moonlight falling on him, adding seven parts heroic and three parts mysterious to his appearance.
"Your Highness's pupil technique is also quite impressive," Song Changsheng said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Zhao Yin's eyes were like torches as he said in a deep voice, "Most secret techniques have side effects. Now that your battle body has failed and your condition has deteriorated rapidly, you can use whatever other methods you have. This is your only chance."
His words pointed directly to the biggest predicament Song Changsheng was currently facing. Although Song Changsheng had previously fought Zhao Yin to a standstill with his Five Beasts Battle Body, it was only temporary.
He is now in a weakened state, while Zhao Yin is still at his peak, which means that his previous strategy of weakening Zhao Yin has failed.
"Perhaps... that's the only option left," Song Changsheng thought to himself.
That move was his last trump card for survival. Currently, most of those he had seen were already dead. He absolutely did not want to reveal this trump card in front of everyone unless absolutely necessary.
"Your Highness, please don't be too happy yet. I still have the strength to fight, and the outcome is still uncertain," Song Changsheng said with a sigh.
Faced with his declaration, Zhao Yin remained calm as always: "I am right here, waiting to see your performance."
In fact, from a strategic perspective, the best option is to take advantage of Song Changsheng's weakened state and launch a decisive attack to defeat him.
But he didn't want it to be like this. It wasn't that he was arrogant and conceited, after all, not everyone is as simple-minded as Long Han. It was just that Song Changsheng had given him too many surprises.
Having finally encountered such an opponent, he was willing to give Song Changsheng more time and opportunities.
At this moment, the clouds and mist dissipated, revealing a sky full of dazzling stars. The stars surrounded the moon, shining brightly together and creating a colorful and brilliant Milky Way in the sky.
The starlight of the Milky Way fell upon Song Changsheng, activating the [Star Bloodline] within him, which emitted a violent roar like a tidal wave.
The starlight that permeated his bloodline shone brightly at this moment, and the stars in the sky, drawn by his bloodline, flowed into his body. In an instant, his aura began to rise rapidly.
"By channeling the power of the stars into himself, he is indeed identical to the [Star Bloodline] recorded in ancient texts. Even in such a remote border region, there is such a person." Zhao Yin's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, his fighting spirit soaring. He had not encountered such a resilient opponent for far too long.
If he knew that Song Changsheng's [Star Bloodline] was formed later in life, he would probably be even more surprised.
"If that's all, I'm afraid it's not enough." Zhao Yin shook his head slightly. Even with the power of the stars, Song Changsheng's strength had not improved significantly and was almost the same as his peak condition.
In this state, it was clear that he could not pose a sufficient threat to him. Thus, the outcome of the battle was already predetermined, which meant that Song Changsheng could no longer bring him any surprises.
Quietly feeling the power reviving within his body, Song Changsheng said calmly, "It seems Your Highness feels victory is assured."
"[The image of the Suanni, appear!]"
"Roar……"
The hundred-zhang-tall Suanni (a mythical beast) strode through the air, roaring across the heavens. With the power of ten thousand jun (a unit of weight) of thunder upon it, it was as if bathing in a vast ocean of thunder. Opening its blood-red maw, a golden bolt of lightning thicker than a water bucket tore through space, carrying the immense power to melt everything as it rushed towards Zhao Yin.
Zhao Yin stood with his spear in hand, his robes fluttering, quietly letting the golden lightning envelop him.
"boom--"
A gleaming silver spearhead suddenly appeared amidst the golden ocean of lightning, then exploded with a deafening roar, unleashing a blinding burst of light.
As the raging thunder in the sky dissipated, Zhao Yin's heroic and upright figure reappeared in the public eye, seemingly without even the hem of his clothes being lifted.
"I happen to have some knowledge of the [Thunder Law] as well."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yin raised his silver spear high, and a thick, dark cloud gathered in the air. Guided by the silver spear, dozens of crimson-gold lightning bolts descended, enveloping an area of several hundred feet in radius. Against the backdrop of the night, it resembled a divine punishment of the end times, making it difficult to look directly at.
"Great Divine Power [Thunderous Might]"
"Roar--"
The Suanni, undaunted, pounced forward.
In an instant, the entire sky was enveloped in thunder.
Lightning flashed wildly across Song Changsheng's face, his heart filled with shock. Up to now, Zhao Yin had successively used the [Law of Space], the [Law of Battle Intent], the [Law of Power], and now the [Law of Thunder], all of which had reached the Great Perfection.
Even his marksmanship was top-notch; Gu Xueying, who also practiced marksmanship, seemed as innocent as an infant in his presence.
Although he was proficient in more laws than Zhao Yin, most of these were due to the Enlightenment Pill and the insights into laws left behind by the Sky-Supporting Sword Immortal. These were opportunities that ordinary people could only dream of, and even a powerful dynasty like the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty might not possess them.
However, Zhao Yin's mastery of the laws was in no way inferior to his, and he could even exert a subtle suppression when facing him. This level of comprehension can only be described as astonishing!
Lightning filled the sky, and the Suanni Dharma Image struggled to withstand the crimson lightning.
At this moment, Song Changsheng suddenly had an idea. He gave a simple command, and the Suanni Dharma Image immediately opened its blood-red maw and swallowed the thunderbolts into its body. Then it pounced on Zhao Yin without regard for anything else.
He then took the opportunity to use the "Drawing a Circle on the Ground as a Prison" technique to confine the space around Zhao Yin.
After a moment's thought, Zhao Yin understood Song Changsheng's plan. He gathered the purple energy in his body into his right arm and threw it with all his might, like a sharp arrow piercing through the head of the Suanni.
Although his reaction was swift enough and his action decisive enough, it was too late. The Suanni avatar, having absorbed a large amount of lightning power, expanded and exploded in one smooth motion. Just as it broke through Song Changsheng's spatial magic, Zhao Yin was instantly enveloped by the explosion. The universe trembled violently, and the spatial barrier, as fragile as porcelain, shattered inch by inch in the face of the explosion.
Even someone as strong as Zhao Yin found it difficult to cope with this "shameless" fighting style of exchanging injuries for injuries, and his already tattered armor had completely served its purpose.
On the other hand, Song Changsheng was in no better shape. The backlash from deliberately detonating the Dharma Image was far more severe than the impact of the explosion itself.
However, he quickly suppressed his injuries, summoned the [Sword of Startling Beauty], bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The starlight in the blood essence shone even more brightly under the reflection of the starry sky.
"Chong"
Nourished by the essence of blood, the [Sword of Startling Beauty] unleashed an unprecedented sharpness, transforming into a beam of light that pierced towards Zhao Yin, just like a rainbow piercing the sun.
"Great Divine Power [Spear That Shatters Ten Thousand Armies]"
The silver spear flew from Zhao Yin's hand and transformed into a silver dragon in the air.
In the blink of an eye, a sword and a spear clashed through the air.
"puff"
The [Surprising Sword] pierced directly into Zhao Yin's abdomen. Purple energy instantly gathered and wrapped around the blade, firmly protecting his internal organs. Otherwise, the bursting sword energy would have turned the world upside down.
At the same time, his Soul-Severing Spear pierced through Song Changsheng's left chest, leaving a horrifying hole in which his still-beating internal organs were clearly visible, and his mutilated lungs were struggling to breathe.
"Cough cough cough..."
Song Changsheng staggered, each cough spurting blood, his breathing sounding like a leaky, broken drum.
The cultivators watching the battle gasped in unison. Zhuang Yuechan felt as if her heart had been squeezed tightly, and she didn't even realize that her fingernails had dug into her palm.
Just a hair's breadth away from piercing Song Changsheng's heart, and through that horrifying bloody hole, one could vaguely see his heart beating powerfully.
With his current cultivation level, although the destruction of his heart would not kill him on the spot, he could forget about his physical body. With the existence of the [Heavenly Snow Lotus], rebuilding his physical body would not be a problem, but the price to pay would often be unacceptable.
The two had completely turned this competition into a life-or-death battle. Song Changsheng traded injuries for injuries, while Zhao Yin traded lives for lives. Their methods were increasingly ruthless, and it was a contest to see who would back down first.
Clearly, both are exceptionally ruthless individuals, and neither has shown any fear until now, suggesting a willingness to perish together.
"Cough cough cough, I have already seen the source of the power within you." Song Changsheng forced himself to sit up and looked at Zhao Yin in front of him.
Ever since he used the [Insightful Eye] to observe the peculiar purple aura within Zhao Yin's body, he had been intentionally observing it during their subsequent encounters. He eventually discovered that the purple aura possessed some kind of amplification effect. When it gathered around Zhao Yin's eye sockets, Zhao Yin could use a peculiar pupil technique to pinpoint his location.
When the purple energy gathers in his legs, his speed will increase significantly; when it gathers in his arms, his power will even be able to suppress him at the Great Perfection of the Law of Power.
And now, it is that purple aura that is protecting his internal organs, preventing them from being corroded by the sword energy.
"So what?" Zhao Yin slowly pulled the [Surprising Sword] from his abdomen, then suppressed it in a spatial cage with his backhand, and the wound healed almost instantly.
The power of the stars kept flowing into Song Changsheng's body, and the blood hole on his chest grew tender pink flesh at a visible speed, causing an unbearable itch.
A faint, enigmatic smile appeared on his face as he said, "This means I've discovered your weakness."
"Your theory is quite refreshing to me that this can also be a weakness."
I'm actually quite curious about where your confidence comes from. Right now, you're incredibly weak, and even your magical artifacts have been suppressed by me. What other trump cards do you have up your sleeve?
"Your talent and supernatural abilities are indeed amazing, but that's far from enough." Zhao Yin's tone remained as calm as ever.
Song Changsheng roared, "Whether it's enough or not is not up to you to decide!"
"Innate Divine Ability [Yin Yang Annihilation]"
When the domain formed by the Yin-Yang Laws enveloped Zhao Yin, Song Changsheng did not hesitate to transform it into the more lethal World-Destroying Millstone.
Zhao Yin recalled the Soul-Severing Spear, a solemn look appearing in his eyes, and softly uttered, "Soul Severing!"
【Soul Severance】is not only his natal magic weapon, but also his innate divine power. Even in the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, this is a little-known secret.
The last time he used this move, he was only a Purple Mansion cultivator, and his opponent was a heavily injured demon king. With this spear, he severed the demon king's soul.
"boom……"
Purple energy gathered, and the spear's light roared. The Yin-Yang millstone in the air shattered with a crash. Just then, Song Changsheng's figure appeared above his head like a ghost without warning.
Knowing that Zhao Yin's extraordinary pupil technique originated from that strange purple aura, he deliberately used his innate divine power to force his opponent to use his full strength. At the moment of the collision of divine powers, he used the [Spatial Illusion] divine power to merge into the void, thus creating an unexpected opportunity by deceiving the heavens and the sea.
He gambled correctly; without the blessing of the purple aura, Zhao Yin indeed failed to discover his whereabouts.
"Great magical power [Soul-killing Golden Sword]"
A golden blade slashed out from between Song Changsheng's eyebrows, ruthlessly tearing apart Zhao Yin's sea of consciousness defenses, causing towering waves to surge within his mind.
Zhao Yin was struck dumb, and his expression was momentarily dazed.
In a duel between masters, the outcome can often be decided in an instant.
A dazzling golden light emanated from Song Changsheng's body as he silently shouted, "[Impermanent Killing Array], activate!"
A hazy, gray sword aura silently erupted from his body.
"This is... an array?"
Just as Zhao Yin's mind cleared, the sword energy slashed fiercely into his chest.
The distance was too close; there was no way to react, and his body was almost torn apart by the sword.
At the critical moment, he gathered all the purple energy in his body into his palm and struck Song Changsheng's chest with it...
...(End of chapter)