Soul Emperor Awakening

Tong Yulong held the Golden Python Scale Snake Spear. A red light seeped into the Weapon, dyeing it a deep, eerie crimson. His aura surged, and the red glow in his eyes flickered intensely.

It was the same Weapon, but when he held it again, it felt completely different—as if he had awakened the Divine Artifact in his hand!

"Heheh, Golden Scale Bite!"

Tong Yulong suddenly thrust the Golden Python Scale Snake Spear forward. It was the same Martial Arts technique as before, but its power had changed dramatically. A torrent of red and gold light surged forth, combining to form a terrifying, golden-red python that lunged forward with its massive jaws wide open, several times larger than before!

Before the python even lunged, his Golden Element Body began to frantically gather the surrounding Golden Elemental Power to an absurd degree. The amount of Golden Elemental Power he could gather was far greater than before. It felt like a hurricane, sucking in all the Golden Elemental Power from the area.

If his previous attack had only covered a small area, this one now enveloped most of the arena, leaving Lin Xuan with nowhere to run.

The power of the Divine Artifact and the power of the Golden Element Body were both effortlessly unleashed to their limits, causing the attack’s might to skyrocket!

"Cane Shatters the Heavens!"

Lin Xuan’s pupils shrank. He let out a low roar as the Fifth Layer Soul Fusion erupted, pushing his aura to its absolute limit. His entire body glowed a deeper red as the Bloodline Power within him circulated at maximum capacity. He had raised all the power in his body to its Peak state.

At the same time, he unleashed his Staff Martial Intent. In an instant, a terrifying Martial Intent surged forth, manifesting as a Martial God behind him. The figure swung its staff at the lunging python, and their movements combined into a single, heavy thrust.

His superior control over the Power of Heaven and Earth drew it in from the surroundings. However, he couldn’t move the Golden Elemental Power at all; it was completely locked in place by his opponent. In fact, he could faintly feel a significant portion of his own Power of Heaven and Earth being pulled away!

This formidable, Heaven-Defying control sent shudders through Lin Xuan’s heart. ’This is definitely the first time I’ve ever encountered someone with stronger control than me.’

Under the Fifth Layer Soul Fusion, his Realm had already reached the Core Formation Stage. While he couldn’t say how high, it was at least equivalent to the second or third layer of the Core Formation Stage. Yet he was still slightly outmatched. His opponent’s Cultivation must be far beyond his own.

BOOM!

Two beams of gold and red light also fused on his side. Within the thick, combined radiance, the faint image of a Golden Dragon appeared and bit down on the golden-red giant python his opponent had unleashed.

The Golden Dragon versus the Golden Python—which was more dominant?

When they collided, the two streams of golden-red light intertwined, relentlessly blasting against each other. The Energy was so astonishing that the very space around them began to warp. The two forces then erupted skyward, slamming violently into the protective barrier, causing it to bulge outward once more. In just a moment, it looked like the barrier would shatter!

Qing Deyun’s expression changed instantly as he poured his Elemental Power into the barrier to maintain it, otherwise it would have been destroyed. Maintaining a barrier and nullifying an attack were two different things. He could easily wave away any number of attacks of this level, but the barrier was different. It was formed with a fixed amount of Elemental Power and could only withstand a fixed amount of damage. Without his support, it would have quickly broken.

Generally speaking, it was difficult to break this barrier without power exceeding the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage. Given the Cultivation of the Core Hall disciples, none of whom had reached the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage, it should have been more than enough. Now, they realized they were wrong. It was completely insufficient, especially when Tong Yulong and Lin Xuan were fighting.

As the fiery light filled the air, Lin Xuan’s expression was grave. Just as he was contemplating his next move, a sense of crisis washed over him from the side. Almost instinctively, with a WHOOSH, Flame erupted from his heels. He stomped down and shot sideways at top speed, simultaneously enveloping his body with his Staff Martial Intent, which formed a solid layer of Armor.

But he was still too slow. In that instant, the golden-red Golden Python Scale Snake Spear transformed into a speck of red light and stabbed toward him. It easily shattered the Martial Intent Armor on his body. He could even hear the cracking sound as if his Martial Intent was just a piece of paper being effortlessly pierced.

Fortunately, he was already in his Peak state, and the Martial Intent Armor provided a slight buffer, allowing him to narrowly dodge the attack. However, the Golden Python Scale Snake Spear still grazed the edge of his arm, easily slicing open a rather deep wound that bled profusely!

SWISH...

After dodging, Lin Xuan quickly repositioned himself to face Tong Yulong, his feet digging into the ground to absorb the momentum. He stared grimly at Tong Yulong, who had just launched a sneak attack. The speed had been incredible, so fast that he had almost failed to evade it. The energy from their previous clash had only just dissipated, leaving behind a massive crater!

By the time the two faced each other again, their surroundings had been transformed. The Martial Arts Arena was now a wreck. Unable to withstand the terrifying force of their explosions, the ground was now covered in numerous pits and craters.

The spectators were stunned. They couldn’t believe how powerful Tong Yulong had become after unleashing his true strength; it was so much more Heaven-Defying than before. As for Lin Xuan, he remained a Heaven-Defying existence himself. Being able to withstand such a powerful attack was nothing short of miraculous, especially since he had only sustained a minor injury.

Lin Xuan felt that if he hadn’t dodged, that spear would have pierced his heart. Because he had moved so quickly, it had only grazed his arm.

"Th-this is our Boss! He’s too strong! Annihilate Lin Xuan! Defeat Lin Xuan!"

"Our Boss is as strong as ever! I knew he wouldn’t lose so easily!"

"Our Boss is a monster! This is his true power!"

...

The members of the Genius Sect started cheering again. They didn’t know that Tong Yulong had already lost. If the Demon Evil Monarch hadn’t appeared, he would have been unconscious. He had suffered considerable injuries, but the Demon Evil Monarch’s appearance allowed his body to recover rapidly.

In fact, no matter how severe his injuries were, they didn’t matter to Tong Yulong now. With the Demon Evil Monarch in control, he could continue fighting even with several broken ribs. It was like controlling a puppet; it could still move even if some of its parts were damaged.

"It’s a pity this Golden Python Scale Snake Spear isn’t coated in poison. Otherwise, you would have already lost from that last move," Tong Yulong said, looking at Lin Xuan with a dry laugh that seemed to mock him.

The Golden Python Scale Snake Spear was originally poisonous, but Core Hall competitions were not life-or-death battles, so poison was forbidden. Otherwise, that single graze would have truly put Lin Xuan in a dire situation.

’He’s too strong. This is even more powerful than my Fifth Layer Soul Possession!’ Lin Xuan frowned. Tong Yulong was already strong enough on his own, but now he was being controlled by an extremely powerful soul. It was the equivalent of having the Soul Possession ability of a Soul Pearl, which instantly negated most of his own advantages.

Faced with such a predicament, his eyes still flashed with fighting spirit. There was not a hint of despair in them!