"Stop!"
The golden-haired Spellmaster Dimansi flew over like a golden bolt of lightning, strange syllables spilling from his lips as he waved his hands. An energy serpent several meters long coiled through the air, its massive body whipping toward Xiao Chen.
"Shameless!" "Despicable!"
The onlookers could hardly bear to watch. Dimansi had already used Xiao Chen's own words to unfairly claim the right to a duel, only to be rebuked and dismissed by Kai'ao. Yet now he charged in and attacked—clearly on Arold's orders, fearing that Kai'ao would be killed. They had abandoned all pretense of honor.
Xiao Chen snorted coldly. Gripping the badly wounded Kai'ao, he swung the man's body like a club and smashed it into the energy serpent.
Boom!
The serpent dissolved in midair, but Kai'ao's bones cracked in multiple places. Xiao Chen spun him around, landed, then hurled him upward and drove a fist into his chest.
Fist-light blazed like a comet streaking across the sky, erupting in dazzling divine radiance as it slammed into Kai'ao's chest. At the same time, a blinding blade of light slashed toward his neck, flinging him more than twenty meters away. He smashed through more than a dozen ancient trees before finally stopping.
Kai'ao was an opponent worthy of respect—but an enemy was an enemy. No matter how noble his martial bearing, they could never sit and drink together. Only life and death remained. Xiao Chen showed no mercy, unleashing his full power to annihilate him.
Yet things often take an unexpected turn. He did not kill Kai'ao.
Kai'ao came from the Barbarian tribes, a people among whom many warriors had ancient beast-souls sealed within their bodies. Unquestionably, Kai'ao possessed such a soul—indeed, two: the soul of a divine wolf and the soul of a ferocious tiger. At this moment, the potential of the ancient beast-souls was awakened, bursting forth with brilliant light that deflected most of Xiao Chen's blow and saved Kai'ao's life.
But Kai'ao's bones were shattered throughout most of his body. The damage was unimaginable; he would be a cripple for at least half a year, no longer a threat to Xiao Chen.
A clamor rose from the watching alliances. Xiao Chen's overwhelming strength left a deep impression on many, and more than a few were astounded.
In the distance, Arold let out a great roar as he caught Kai'ao falling from the sky, his gaze fixed on Xiao Chen with murderous intent.
Meanwhile, the Spellmaster Dimansi had already joined battle with Xiao Chen in earnest. Chants flowed ceaselessly—purple lightning, black netherfire, energy serpents, flaming divine blades—all rained down wildly upon Xiao Chen.
But beneath Xiao Chen's blazing fist-light, every spell's energy collapsed, unable to harm him. Dimansi grew increasingly agitated. He had already suffered contempt and ridicule for his entrance, and now, fighting a man who had just emerged from a life-or-death struggle, he proved so ineffectual that his frustration mounted.
His flight altitude dropped lower and lower as he was forced to draw near—Xiao Chen was too dominant; spells launched from a distance could not touch him at all.
That decision proved fatal, and it made Xiao Chen's victory a classic.
Xiao Chen seized the opening with keen perception. His tall, straight figure flickered like a shadow, leaving an afterimage across the forest floor. He transformed into a beam of light, shooting up into a towering ancient tree, then sprang into the air.
Before the incredulous gazes of the assembled young elites, Xiao Chen strode across the void, running through the air as if on solid ground. He turned into a streak of light, leaving several afterimages, stepped onto Dimansi's body, and then drove both feet down hard. With a scream, Dimansi crashed to the earth, bearing Xiao Chen's weight.
Boom!
When they struck the ground, the golden-haired Spellmaster Dimansi had most of his bones broken. Xiao Chen swept his right hand behind him without turning back, and a trail of brilliant divine light cut across. Dimansi's head rolled from his neck; blood gushed out.
It was utterly shocking—a classic battle! A spellmaster who could fly through the void had been trampled down from the sky by a martial artist. Incredible. It would become a textbook example of a warrior defeating a spellmaster.
A chorus of exclamations burst from the onlookers. Many alliances wished to recruit Xiao Chen, and quite a few people prepared to speak with him.
The dazzling battle came to an end. Everyone discussed it—the first sanctioned fight since the formation of the alliances, and an exceptionally brilliant one. Xiao Chen had inevitably cemented his reputation on Dragon Island.
Many extended olive branches, but Xiao Chen politely refused them all. He did not want to be bound to any single alliance.
He had already learned everything that had happened recently. He knew that Dragon Island was about to become both magnificent and merciless. On an individual level, if one's strength was sufficient, one could gain everything; if not, danger lurked everywhere.
He had heard that beautiful female practitioners were offering themselves to the founders of certain alliances. And today, he had personally experienced it—a seductive, voluptuous female cultivator had extended her "pink peach branch" to him.
Xiao Chen was a normal man; beautiful women tempted him. But he refused. He understood clearly what he had to do right now. On perilous Dragon Island, the first priority was to improve his own cultivation. As for the rest… there would be time later.
After the battle, Xiao Chen was calm. Dragon Island, filled with danger and excitement, was not frightening to him. On the contrary, it might be full of opportunities and challenges.
Some rejoiced; others raged. In the Natural Alliance that Arold had founded, an atmosphere of bitterness and resentment prevailed. Nor was Treant Valley happy—how could Zhao Lin'er feel pleased?
In the Undying Alliance, Lande was astonished when he heard the news. He and Yan Qingcheng had not gone to watch the fight; he found it hard to believe that Kai'ao had been so thoroughly defeated by Xiao Chen.
Yan Qingcheng, whose beauty was unsurpassed in this world, stood before the magnificent waterfall, a faint look of surprise on her face. Xiao Chen's strength had exceeded her expectations.
The golden-haired handsome man Lande gradually revealed a cold smile. "Interesting fellow. I'll go test him myself."
"Don't act rashly. From what I've heard, even if you could beat him, it would be a hard fight. He's very good at hiding his true cultivation." Yan Qingcheng's features were dreamlike, ethereal.
"Hmph. He's hiding something, but so am I."
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