"Wait!" Yarode arrived just before the battle began, followed by members of the Natural Alliance he had founded with Kaiou. His face was grim—he did not want Kaiou to meet with any accident. "Someone else wishes to duel Xiao Chen first!" he shouted.
Among the hundred or so practitioners present, many sneered. Others looked on indifferently, caring only for the spectacle of a life-and-death battle.
Kaiou's face darkened. Though he knew Yarode was worried, he felt humiliated before so many onlookers.
"Is there someone else who wants to duel me? If you wish to fight two against one, Kaiou, I would even allow him to join you in battle against me," Xiao Chen said, knowing full well Kaiou would never agree.
But at Yarode's signal, a curse master from the Natural Alliance flew out and seized upon Xiao Chen's words. "Good, since Xiao Chen has agreed, I too will duel him!" he declared loudly to the watching crowd.
This was shameless—utterly thick-skinned! Xiao Chen had not expected Yarode to stoop so low as to direct such a move, discarding all pretense of dignity.
Yarode, as the founder of the Natural Alliance, was the first to consent on behalf of his faction. The second to agree was the Treefolk Valley alliance, where Zhao Lin'er had just arrived. The third to nod was an alliance called "Flying Cloud," founded by a voluptuous woman named Li Miao. Xiao Chen did not recall ever offending such a woman, but seeing her standing close to Yarode, he understood at once—the two alliances were likely in collusion.
Many jeered at this excessive behavior.
Kaiou let out a furious roar. "Withdraw!" he bellowed at the flying curse master. "If you dare disrupt my duel with Xiao Chen, I will tear you apart first!"
The blonde curse master named Dimensi turned pale, his face cycling through shades of blue and white. Having rushed forward to join Kaiou against Xiao Chen, he was already the object of ridicule. Now, being shouted down by Kaiou, his expression shifted to anger, and he stormed off with a flick of his sleeves.
"I swear that if anyone disturbs our duel, I will fight them to the death!" Kaiou's low, beast-like roar rippled through the forest, thick with murderous intent.
Yarode could only sigh helplessly. The blonde curse master Dimensi left with a face like iron. And so the brief interlude before the great battle came to an end.
Kaiou let out a thunderous roar that shook the trees, sending them trembling. His eyes gradually blazed with savage green light. Without another word, his three-meter demonic frame erupted with a violent, overbearing aura. His long, brown-yellow hair whipped wildly about him in untamed fury.
Two enormous beast apparitions, fully ten meters tall and formed entirely from condensed divine light, materialized behind Kaiou, exuding a soul-shaking malice. One was an energy-form azure divine wolf; the other, a spectral yellow fierce tiger. Their massive, shadowy forms intermittently emitted heart-stopping roars, making Kaiou appear truly terrifying.
Beast spirit guardians! Like an animal king, Kaiou's body wrapped in divine light, he howled and charged at Xiao Chen. His enormous, clawed hands seemed to tear the very void, radiating a dazzling cyan-yellow brilliance that twisted space.
Xiao Chen matched him in oppressive aura, standing like a mountain, exuding an overwhelming presence. Light shrouded his entire body; divine flames leaped and danced. With a single step forward, the earth shook beneath him.
He struck with ferocity, fountains of dazzling divine radiance bursting from his hands like heavenly blades that cut through several zhang of empty air. The brilliant light was inescapable, flooding the area in blinding splendor.
Within the terrifying glow of energy, one could vaguely see torrent-like divine beams continuously crashing against the two massive beast apparitions, releasing dreadful energy that rolled through the mountain ranges.
Many alliance members watching outside the arena changed expression.
The very earth trembled. Trees swayed violently, leaves flying in all directions. The surrounding region was filled with the surging aftershocks of immense power. Within the arena, the two combatants moved like lightning amidst the dazzling light, leaving trails of afterimages as they struck and collided at incredible speed.
Exquisite killing techniques were unleashed dozens of times in every instant, exceeding the visual reaction of many onlookers. This was a life-and-death confrontation between experts!
Divine light, afterimages, demon claws, beast souls, energy blades... all interweaved. Terrifying energy spread in all directions! Around them, giant ancient trees shattered under the mere aftershocks of the battle. Broken branches and leaves filled the air, wood chips falling like snowflakes.
Both figures blazed with blinding light, as if divine fire burned fiercely around them. Their movements within the arena were like streaks of wild lightning.
"Roar!" Kaiou bellowed, leaping high and diving down like a hawk. His massive demon claws locked onto Xiao Chen's right arm as Xiao Chen surged upward, intending to swing him around. But he could not budge him.
Xiao Chen stood unmoved. Instead, he twisted his wrist and seized Kaiou's left wrist. With a sudden over-the-back throw, he flung the three-meter-tall Kaiou flying.
Divine light surged as Kaiou crashed through eleven ancient trees in succession before tumbling into the debris of broken branches and leaves. He roared and charged again.
But in his heart, he knew he was outmatched. The memory of his previous defeat shook his once-strong confidence.
Xiao Chen soared into the air again, his legs sweeping horizontally with dazzling brilliance. Kaiou raised his arms to block, enduring the blows that felt as heavy as ten thousand jun.
"Boom!"
Xiao Chen's sweeping kick sent Kaiou flying. Brilliant light exploded as a wide swath of trees shattered under the impact of the energy!
The onlookers were all elite youths of the new generation, but many paled at the sight of the battle.
"Roar!" Kaiou howled again, but as soon as he tried to stand, Xiao Chen flashed in like lightning, seized his left arm, and hurled him into the air. Then Xiao Chen spun and smashed his right leg down, slamming Kaiou viciously into the ground.
In the next instant, Xiao Chen chased him down, leaving an afterimage in the air. He stomped both feet toward Kaiou's chest—if the blow landed, it would mean a shattered body.
Kaiou felt a terror he had never known. The shadow of their previous fight still haunted him. Now, suffering another crushing defeat, his edge was completely lost. He hurriedly rolled aside to save his life.
Xiao Chen's feet struck the ground, causing a violent tremor. Deep fissures spider-webbed outward.
"Crack!"
Xiao Chen stamped again. The sound of shattering bones rang out. Kaiou's legs broke, and his scream echoed through the forest.
Xiao Chen's right leg swept out fiercely, kicking Kaiou into the air. Bathed in brilliant light, Xiao Chen leaped up, grabbed Kaiou's arms, and with two sharp cracks, broke them as well.
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