Chapter 1168: Moved

Phumetheus had always felt that the people from the lower realms were proud of their so-called skills because they had never seen a real powerhouse from a higher-leveled civilization. But at this moment, even he couldn’t help but feel a little swayed in his thoughts. It did not matter how Wang Zhong did it, but he had consistently managed to use spiritual energy far lower than his to unleash an attack 10 times more powerful. This showed that Wang Zhong was at least much stronger than himself in the study of the sword, stronger by at least a realm!

Zhen!

Phumetheus was decisive in his actions, and the copper complexion of his body instantly shone, causing the spiritual pressure to suddenly be increased. It was necessary to stabilize and reinforce the space. Only through forceful suppression could he prevent the opponent from easily using the sword to be at an advantage.

However, in the next second, the sound of the sword disappeared. Though the space was forcibly stabilized by his tyrannical spiritual energy, the world had suddenly turned around.

There was only calmness in Wang Zhong’s eyes. When one’s power had reached the extent of being able to flood an entire arena, it was meaningless to pursue ordinary changes. At this time, the most effective method was to either take control of the rhythm of the battle or to do more damage!

He gradually began to understand why those people in the Land of the divine territory pursued power so badly. In front of absolute power, blindly pursuing subtle changes and improvements in their combat techniques was useless. Having absolute power triumphed over everything.

Zeng!

A dazzling golden light shone, and at the same time the vibration of Sword One disappeared, the sharp sword was already out of its sheath, with all the sword qi already gathered in the sword. However, the divine cells throughout his body and the explosion of his true form’s power were still not enough to push the stable space in the Land in the divine territory. However, Wang Zhong still had a stronger force — the power of ice and fire!

The light Hidden Dragon Sword suddenly became heavier, and as if his hand was carrying the weight of the entire world, Wang Zhong took a deep breath and erupted all the power in his body in an instant.

Hua!

The stars flickered, and the sharp attack seemed to immediately freeze the entire space.

In an instant, the sword qi changed — reversing black and white, reversing yin and yang… The whole world was shaking!

With the divine sword out of its sheath and the sword qi in power, the whole world was under the control of the sword. And this was the Heavenly Gates in the divine territory!

Phumetheus could only feel that the whole life and death battle arena was revolving crazily in that instant; as if the heaven and earth were turned upside down, the yin and yang intertwined. What was more terrifying was that the lingering, nightmare-like power of ice and fire was integrated into this upside-down world. It had fused into the intersection of yin and yang, giving him a terrible illusion that he was about to get lost in the upside-down world.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The silent sword qi mixed in the ice-and-fire upside-down world kept piercing towards Phumetheus, instantly causing him to be injured all over. Scars and blood filled his tough copper skin.

However, Phumetheus’s attention was not on these minor injuries. His pupils suddenly shrank as he instinctively felt that in the monotonous upside-down world, there was an energy that seemed to split the entire world in half. This terrifying killing move raised a warning in him that the attack threatened his survival!

“Sword Two!”

In the upside-down world, the terrifying slash that gathered the essence of Sword Two had caused the solid and stable space to be split. At this moment, a clear visible line appeared, and the space had cracked into the shape of a fan. It was as if the whole life and death battle arena was cut apart by someone!

Rumble! Bang, bang!

The transparent barrier trembled violently, and countless golden runes densely covered the barrier. The attack was so strong that the barrier was still shaking due to the aftermath of the slash. Uproar filled the stands. This was a barrier that was sufficient to resist the attack of a Gold Core powerhouse. Yet, it was forcibly shaken by a Void Core!

Some higher-ups were also moved. At this point, Wang Zhong’s selection into the Celestial Honors Class seemed justified. Compared to his peers, his strength, sword intent, and his use of natural laws were already outstanding and one of the best.

“Liaoyuan…” A dull voice sounded in the sky. “Piercing Sky Spear!”

The space-time twisted upside-down by Sword Two seemed to freeze in an instant. Wang Zhong could feel that although the extension of his consciousness was normal, his movements were now completely slowed down in this world. Following that, a shining light could be seen in the sky. As if a star was set on fire, it turned into a flaming meteor and smashed down towards him!

Old Wang’s pupils shrank. This spear had gone beyond the scope of a combat skill or an attack. It was Phumetheus’s own “art”! Incorporating the overbearing fire element talent of his Spiritual Soul core, this attack that had been infused with the laws of fire brought along a sense of confinement of space with it.

It was not that Lao Wang did not want to avoid the attack. It was because he felt he couldn’t move at all in this confined space! Although Wang Zhong managed to react to it, his movements were just too slow compared to the spear that was approaching him at a very fast speed.

Boom!

Only a moment had flashed by, and the attack had already come rushing towards him.

Although his physical body was strengthened by his divine cells and true form, even the prelude of this terrifying spear attack felt unbearable. His whole body seemed to have been subjected to tens of thousands of times the original gravity in an instant, forcing him onto the ground, unable to even raise his head to look up. The surface of his skin was constantly leaking blood. Countless blood vessels in his body had burst under the heavy pressure. This was the stark difference in strength between the two of them!

It was already too late to unleash his Draconic Spiritual Power. Old Wang only had time to activate the mark in his mind.

“Hidden Dragon!”

A dragon imprint formed instantly in his consciousness. Unlike the previous “Rise of the Dragon” and “Descent of the Dragon”, this move was created after obtaining the Hidden Dragon Sword. With it, Lao Wang’s moves were mainly heavy on offense, but weak on defense. This move was to make up for this shortcoming. There was no overbearing attack and power in this move; it was simply an “art” that focused purely on defense.

The hidden dragon lived in the stream, hidden and hibernating. When advancing, it could resist even the nine-day thunder. When retreating, it could hide its body and all traces of itself.

The foundation of this art was the concealment of breath using his divine cells and the energy wings of his true form. It also borrowed some of Celeste’s understanding of dimensional barriers. What was needed now was the ability to resist such a powerful attack head-on.

The dragon seal had just formed in his consciousness, and the effect of using an “art” against Phumetheus’s “art” was evident. The constraint had been loosened, and his body was able to move slightly. A golden light covered the energy wings in an instant, and the two wings closed around him like the shell of the Heavenly Shell Race, wrapping Wang Zhong in it, as if it was a red and blue eggshell.

And at the same time that the “eggshell” was taking shape, the spear that seemed like a burning meteor had already reached Wang Zhong.

RUMBLE! BANG BANG BANG…

The two massive energies collided, and laws spilled out everywhere.

Fire filled the whole life and death battle arena, and the endless fire poured into the center of the arena, flooding it like waves.

The remaining power washed over the surrounding rune barriers. The entire rune barrier was instantly activated and shone brightly, with countless golden rune lines appearing layer after layer, enough to make one’s scalp go numb. Moreover, even if the attack was blocked by the rune barrier, the terrifyingly high temperature was not completely isolated. The rune barrier was not made to focus on the aspect of protection, and heat was the most difficult to block. Even the rune barrier itself was steaming!

Some weaker people around the stands immediately felt that their whole body was close to a state of collapse and dehydration, especially the representatives sent by the major forces. They were mostly ordinary Solid Cores, along with many ordinary Void Cores…

Celeste moved in front of Jhonas, who was already desperately gasping for air, and blocked the heat for him, allowing him to feel relieved from the unbearable temperature.

Superintendent Erza on the main stage waved her hand, and a cyan ancient bowl flew horizontally into the air; a circle of water then shrouded the arena in an instant, adding a layer of protection to the rune barrier. This allowed the terrifyingly high temperature around the arena to plummet down back to normal. The representatives of the major forces who finally managed to breathe properly were all in shock.

The fire element talent of the Fire Demon Race was indeed terrifying. It was only by marrying with the Fire Demon Race and borrowing their fire element talents that the Heavenly Shell Race managed to complete their Peerless Pill studies…

Everyone was already so uncomfortable despite having the rune formations protecting them. One could only imagine the pain Wang Zhong, who was a Void Core, had to endure in the Life and Death Arena. It was as if he had been thrown into a furnace.

There was only one word for it — terrifying!

Although Phumetheus’s attack seemed to be over, the entire Life and Death Arena was still blocked by the endless waves of fire. It took three to four minutes before the fire dissipated, revealing two figures.

Phumetheus stood in the air indifferently, and directly below him, a tattered figure lay on the ground.

Wang Zhong looked as if he had lost consciousness, lying motionless on the ground with his whole body overflowing with blood. There were red bumps all over his body from the heat that he was exposed to. The two originally beautiful and shiny energy wings on his back were now directly shredded with holes everywhere and stuck to his back lifelessly. He looked like a corpse on a battlefield…

Such an attack was not something a Void Core could take on. For the Earthling to force Phumetheus to this stage, it could already be considered a glorious defeat.

The place became quiet. Even the representatives of the major forces, who initially did not care much about this fight, were now all attracted by this unexpected battle and quietened down.

It was not just the arena and the spectator stands that were quiet.

In the distant Heavenly Treasures Street, and even on Earth, many people were paying attention to the battle through audio messages. Although it was impossible to transmit information in real-time, accurate information could still be learned after a slight delay.

Old Cow, Mugthol, Little Muddle Head, and many more Earthlings in Heavenly Treasures Street were all gathered in Old Cow’s flower shop, listening with their ears perked.

Stand up, stand up, stand up…

This was a life and death battle, not a practice match. It even involved the grievances between the Fire Demon Race and the Heavenly Shell Race. Surrendering meant death.

Heavenly Treasures Street could not prosper without Wang Zhong, and the Earth could not lose its leader! Compared to the varying thoughts of the spectators in the arena, the thoughts of these people were simple, pure, direct, and extremely strong. Everyone was nervously chanting two words in their heart: stand up!

On the Life and Death Arena, everyone’s eyes involuntarily focused on the body that lay on the ground. There was no hope of survival for a Void Core after suffering such a terrifying attack, but for some reason, even for people who disliked Wang Zhong, all of them couldn’t help but hope for something to happen. After all, his body had not disintegrated into ashes. This was already very incredible and showed that anything was possible.

Pa…

Suddenly, his arm moved slightly, bursting open a large piece of dried blood clot, and then his eyes opened.

Wang Zhong’s eyes were already bloodshot. The attack did not consist of just physical damage towards his body. The destructive power it carried had far surpassed what a Solid Core could exert. The heat damage that it brought along had also injured Wang Zhong further. What was the most terrifying was that it even contained a terrifying attack towards Wang Zhong’s soul!

This was probably the strongest soul attack that Old Wang had encountered so far. It felt as if a sharp blade pierced into the depths of his soul, going through his entire soul. However, it did not stop there. It felt as if there were millions of ghosts screaming inside the depths of his soul, causing his mind and soul to be shaken and making him unable to continue fighting.

Wang Zhong’s mind was about to fall after only three to five seconds of this. But at this time, the Fate Stone in his fragment world flickered, and like a star in the sky, it blasted away all the dark ghosts in his soul. Although it was only a momentary help, it allowed Wang Zhong to take a breather and overcome the attack. It only took a moment to decide victory and defeat when a soul attack was used…

Even so, his injuries were not light. Needless to say, his body was almost broken at this moment, with numbness filling his entire body. The energy wings on his back were no longer energetic and shiny like in his true form previously. Even using spiritual power had become extremely difficult.

Wang Zhong slowly struggled to stand up. One could see the damage that this blow had dealt to him.

Everyone gasped, and the whole stand was silent. It was surprising enough for him to have resisted such a terrifying attack just now, but how did he still have the strength to stand up again?

Phumetheus finally showed a change in his facial expression. He didn’t expect the other party to stand up again, although his state was as if it was the last bit of brilliance before death…

“…Strong!” Even Tsarisiya, the guy who had always wanted to fight Wang Zhong, couldn’t help but be moved at this time. For the first time, he truly acknowledged the terrifying strength of the Earthlings from his heart. If it was him in the arena, he couldn’t guarantee that he would be able to survive this move of Phumetheus.

“Bo—boss…” Jhonas held his breath. Celeste, who was beside him, was also very tense.

Even the people who looked down on Wang Zhong before couldn’t help but feel a little moved at this time. No one had ever thought that an Earthling could defeat Phumetheus. But for him to have survived a full-force attack by Phumetheus who even revealed his true form and used his own “art”, it had already exceeded everyone’s expectations of him. It did not matter how bad his injury was at this time or whether he had the power to fight again, but at least he had survived. This was enough to move people.