Chapter 213: Champion

Chapter 213: The Champion

"Is it, is it an illusion?!"

In the stands, someone murmured.

The sight before them was too staggering, too unreal.

What had they seen?

Yuan Shi Tianzun, unleashing Zhao Chenghuang's ultimate technique...

"It's real, didn't you see the Taiyi Sect people struck dumb? Even Elder Zhao rose to his feet in shock."

A companion beside him replied in a voice like a sleeptalker's dream.

"How did Yuan Shi Tianzun do it..."

"Unknown, but one thing is certain: regardless of who wins this fight, Yuan Shi Tianzun's name will explode. He will become the strongest echelon of the Transcendent stage, overshadowing all his peers, Zhao Chenghuang included."

A genius at clearing instances, coupled with invincible combat prowess—Yuan Shi Tianzun will become the Fu Qingyang of the Transcendent stage.

Once the arena matches end, the evil organization will surely revise the rankings, placing Yuan Shi Tianzun at the very top.

...

"No, impossible!"

In Zhao Chenghuang's pitch-black eye sockets, malice and savagery flickered, like a vengeful spirit crawled from hell, he roared:

"How can you possibly know this move? You shouldn't know this move."

I entered instances again and again, baptized by the power of Taiyin, tempering it, familiarizing myself with it, guiding it, mastering it. I stagnated in the Transcendent stage for a full year before finally wielding this technique to perfection.

If you, a rookie who became a Night Patrol God less than three months ago, can unleash this move with ease, then what am I?

Then what are we?

The Night Patrol Gods of the Taiyi Sect were pondering the same question.

Including Sun Miaomiao, who fell involuntarily silent.

They accepted Zhao Chenghuang's Ghost Transformation—he had a Dominator-level great-grandfather teaching him, and he worked hard enough, spending an extra year honing himself in the Transcendent stage; such achievement was only natural.

But Yuan Shi Tianzun, a mere novice, from strategy to artifacts, from artifacts to Ghost Transformation—this had surpassed the realm of genius. This was a freak.

As fellow Night Patrol Gods, their sense of frustration was intense.

The true reason for Elder Zhao and the others losing their composure lay here: Ghost Transformation was a trump-card technique in the Transcendent stage, but in the eyes of Dominators, it was merely a trivial knack.

What shocked them was that a figure like Yuan Shi Tianzun was actually such a heaven-blessed prodigy...

Elder Hongying and the others glanced at Elder Sun with complex expressions.

Elder Sun: "..."

For the first time in his life, a thought arose in Elder Sun: I might, perhaps, have truly gone senile!!

On the arena, Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a dense breath of Taiyin power, his voice hoarse and low:

“Difficult? After watching your moves that day, I went home and gave it a try. Simple enough—I got it on the first go.”

True or false, the words made Zhao Chenghuang’s face twitch violently.

He lowered his waist, the muscles in his legs and back bunching, coiling like a spring ready to release.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing held his saber horizontally across his chest, fingertips brushing lightly along the blade. Only now did he notice several slight nicks along the edge.

If it were the Bloodthirsty Blade, it would have shattered long ago. Without this suit of armor, there was simply no way I could have won this fight… Zhang Yuanqing felt the raised imperfections beneath his fingertips, gaining a clear, sober understanding of his own strength.

*Boom!*

Zhao Chenghuang’s leg muscles exploded with power, driving force into the ground. The surrounding sand kicked up, dust motes floating upward.

In the next second, Zhao Chenghuang blurred into an afterimage, shooting forward. The airflow from his high-speed movement shoved the floating dust backward.

At the same instant, Zhang Yuanqing’s sword-hand snapped back, raising the blade to meet the enemy.

They were incredibly fast, two streaking lines of motion about to collide. Just as they neared, Zhang Yuanqing stomped down hard, swinging his long saber.

The air seemed to split open, releasing a shrill, tearing howl.

Carried by tremendous momentum, Zhao Chenghuang didn’t brake, didn’t dodge. He suddenly dropped into a half-crouch, letting the incoming blade whistle past empty air.

Simultaneously, his knees sprang, carrying that inertia straight into Yuanshi Tianzun’s embrace, claws raking toward the other’s chest.

Zhang Yuanqing’s slash met nothing. No time to recover the blade, he hastily stepped back, left fist driving downward.

*Bang!*

Fist met palm. The power of Taiyin erupted as a shockwave, rampaging across the field. The frigid breath made the audience shiver, as if they had been instantly transported to deep winter.

Zhang Yuanqing’s fist went numb. He felt a savagely brutal force invade his arm, travel to his shoulder. It was like being shoved hard by a giant; he staggered back.

The gap in their levels manifested starkly in this moment.

Though Zhao Chenghuang’s stamina wasn't at its peak, his experience bar sat at over ninety percent, while Zhang Yuanqing had only just stepped into Level 3.

Seizing the opening, Zhao Chenghuang beat the drowning dog. Fist after fist hammered into Zhang Yuanqing’s chest, cracking the greenish-black skin that shimmered with a metallic luster, driving him back step by step, each footfall crushing a deep pit into the sand.

No good. The strength gap is too wide. My Taiyin power isn't as deep as his; my Ghost Transformation combat power falls short… Zhang Yuanqing’s footwork grew chaotic, barely parrying beneath the opponent’s lightning-fast assault.

Fortunately, his combat skill had improved significantly. Had he been at the level before Guan Ya’s training, he would have been swept away in a single wave by now, at the very least severely injured.

Just as Zhao Chenghuang moved to press his advantage, to utterly suppress Yuanshi Tianzun, two dull *thuds* struck him from behind.

The force knocked Zhao Chenghuang forward a few staggering steps, a burning pain blooming at his shoulder blades.

Seeing its master struck, the Red Dancing Shoes rushed instantly to the rescue. Though its current output could hardly kill or severely wound Zhao Chenghuang, it still inflicted objective damage—pain.

And its properties of being unstoppable and indestructible made it the perfect support.

*Well done…* Zhang Yuanqing immediately steadied his chaotic footing, feet sinking into the sand to root his stance, thrusting his saber at the stumbling, lunging Zhao Chenghuang.

Zhao Chenghuang’s pupils contracted. The blade tip was right before his eyes, impossible to dodge. He simply didn’t try, swiftly grabbing the little clay figurine from his inventory.

*Hum!*

A hazy, gray barrier sprang up, blocking the stabbing saber tip.

Zhang Yuanqing seemed to have anticipated this long ago; his expression did not change. With a sliding step, he arrived at Zhao Chenghuang’s flank, swinging his long saber with the momentum.

He had to break Zhao Chenghuang’s defensive artifact. Given the current situation between the two sides, an artifact granting invulnerability to blades and spears would likely become the opponent’s trump card for a turnaround.

*Hum hum hum…* Zhang Yuanqing circled Zhao Chenghuang, the narrow-bladed long saber hacking, cleaving, stabbing, and slicing, carving out patches of sand-like light fragments from the hazy gray barrier.

The Red Dancing Shoes’ stomping, in turn, rippled out halo-like waves.

After his Ghost Transformation, his speed and strength had surged violently. Coupled with the war saber’s keen edge, the hazy gray barrier trembled violently, teetering on the brink of collapse.

*Dong!*

Zhang Yuanqing took a stride forward, his foot sinking deep into the sand. His leg muscles tightened; power surged up from his lower body, traveling through his waist and back to reach his right arm.

His cyan-black skin bulged. He mobilized his full strength, his face twisting into a savage grimace as he brought the saber down in a heavy cleave.

*“Bang!”*

Amid a sound like a balloon bursting, the hazy gray barrier finally collapsed, dissolving into a breeze that stirred up yellow sand.

The small clay figurine in Zhao Chenghuang’s hand cracked.

*Hum…* The narrow-bladed long saber trembled incessantly. A terrifying rebound force jerked the blade upward, threatening to wrench it from its master’s palm and send it flying.

Zhang Yuanqing’s tiger’s mouth split open once more.

At this moment, Zhao Chenghuang—slowed by the artifact’s backlash, forced to passively endure the beating—moved.

The instant the clay figurine shattered, the instant the long saber was nearly shaken loose by the rebounding force, he seemed to have prepared for it long ago. Tanking the Red Dancing Shoes’ stomp, his ghostly claws shot out spectrally, piercing through Yuanshi Tianzun’s chest.

*Pu!*

A splash of icy water erupted. His claws successfully pierced the enemy’s chest, but were neutralized by the Water Ghost’s passive ability.

*As expected…* Zhao Chenghuang showed no surprise, no anger, as if he had long foreseen this outcome. The claws embedded in the enemy’s chest suddenly tore sideways.

More water splashed. His claws raked from the left chest to the right, across the right arm, finally slamming *bang* against the saber hilt.

The narrow-bladed long saber was struck flying, spinning through the air for dozens of meters before nailing itself into the wall beneath the audience stands.

*This* was Zhao Chenghuang’s true objective.

Yuanshi Tianzun, having activated the Water Ghost’s passive, ignored physical attacks, but that also meant in such a state, he could not hold a weapon.

Yuanshi Tianzun wanted to destroy his clay figurine; he wanted to destroy the opponent’s weapon.

One lost a shield, the other lost a spear.

An even split.

Having knocked away the weapon, Zhao Chenghuang pressed close in a fierce assault, giving Yuanshi Tianzun no chance to retrieve his saber, while secretly guarding against the Yin Corpse fighting in the distance, ready to split his consciousness and control the corpse at any moment to prevent Yuanshi Tianzun from using it to fetch the blade.

*Chi la…*

Zhao Chenghuang raked a claw across Yuanshi Tianzun’s chest, scoring four bone-deep gashes from which crimson blood flowed.

Zhang Yuanqing grimaced in pain; his pitch-black claws ignited with raging flames as he viciously returned a claw strike.

His strength was inferior to Zhao Chenghuang’s, but he could utilize his fire control ability to amplify the damage.

Hiss, hiss... Green smoke curled straight up from Zhao Chenghuang's chest, his facial muscles twitching once.

Bang bang bang! Slap slap slap!

He punched and kicked, now slashing with sharp claws, carving deep gashes across Yuanshi Tianzun's body, while he himself endured the other's iron fists and raking claws, endured the trampling of the Red Dancing Shoes.

The two no longer used props, nor did they unleash Night Roaming skills; the beach's existence rendered Night Roaming meaningless, and against a Night Roamer, Spirit Servants were equally useless.

They fought in the most primal way, using claws and fists as weapons, with the destruction of the enemy's flesh and will as their goal, beating each other until blood flowed freely and scales of wounds covered them whole.

The sand beneath their feet froze over with hoarfrost, hardening into solid earth, only to crack like turtle shells under their powerful treads.

The audience, who had just sat down, suddenly rose again, staring unblinkingly at the arena.

The Fire Masters' faces were flushed with excitement and thrill, immersed in a battle brimming with violent aesthetics; they discovered to their astonishment that Night Roamers, usually filling the roles of assassins and summoners, could fight so spectacularly.

Yuanshi Tianzun and Zhao Chenghuang were both talents; what a waste they weren't Fire Masters.

To other classes, this battle was a violent confrontation, a contest of martial arts, a test of stamina; but to the Night Roamers of the Taiyi Sect, the core of the duel was a contest of Yin Power.

Whoever's Yin Power exhausted first would lose.

After Ghost Transformation, a Night Roamer's self-healing reached its limit; once Yin Power ran dry, wound regeneration weakened, and defeat was only a matter of time.

Zhao Chenghuang had higher experience than Yuanshi Tianzun, his Yin Power deeper and richer, but... those Red Dancing Shoes were just too hateful...

Minutes later, both at the end of their ropes, collided violently once more. Zhang Yuanqing's claws swept toward Zhao Chenghuang's throat, while the latter's claws pierced into Zhang Yuanqing's chest.

The two stumbled backward, Zhao Chenghuang clutching his bloodied throat.

Zhang Yuanqing crashed onto his butt, his vision fading to black.

Both desperately circulated their Yin Power, racing against time to mend their wounds, but their stamina was now at its absolute limit.

After barely staunching the bleeding in his chest, Zhang Yuanqing's Yin Power was exhausted; his claws retracted into his body, his cyan-black skin returning to normal, the pitch-black in his eyes receding.

"Heh, hehehe..."

Zhao Chenghuang laughed, his vocal cords just healed, voice horribly hoarse: "Yuanshi Tianzun... you've lost..."

He still had one last thread of strength.

Zhao Chenghuang staggered toward Yuanshi Tianzun.

Zhang Yuanqing gasped in great gulps, limbs twitching faintly, his heart liable to stop at any moment, yet a smile curved his lips:

"No, you're the one who lost!"

The words fell, and *bang*—two heavy slaps kicked squarely into Zhao Chenghuang's face.

His body stiffened violently, his steps wavering, nearly toppling over.

Veins bulged on Zhao Chenghuang's face, a savage grimace twisting his features as he advanced on Yuanshi Tianzun. He was spent, but victory was a mere dozen steps away.

Bang bang bang... Enduring the rain of stomps, he closed in step by step, his face twisted, teeth gritted, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, the corners of his eyes splitting.

One step, two steps, three... Finally, after the eighth step, this heaven's favored son of the Taiyi Sect took a brutal kick to the back of the head and crashed heavily to the ground.

The Red Dancing Shoes did not spare him for it, stomping down again and again, snapping bone after bone.

The Red Dancing Shoes will not cease their assault until the target is dead. That is the rule.

Only the Master can stop them.

A close call... this guy is too tenacious... Seeing Lord Zhao City God remain unresponsive for a long while, his breath faint, Zhang Yuanqing finally issued the command to halt.

The Red Dancing Shoes stopped instantly, striding toward their master with elegant steps, *clack, clack, clack*.

The Armored Sword Immortal strode onto the field, this Elder's eyes alight with excitement, proclaiming in a loud voice:

"The Ultimate Battle concludes. Yuanshi Tianzun wins!"

Boom!

An unprecedented roar of sound exploded, the clamor rising in this instant like a powder keg with its fuse lit.

Every single Official Walker stood up, waving arms, letting out roars, letting out screams; the emotions of countless people resonated at this very moment.

Yuanshi Tianzun claims the championship!

The darkest horse of this Arena Tournament.

"Boss, five years of funding have arrived. I'm buying a sports car, I'm moving into a Songhai luxury penthouse, ahahaha..."

Qi Cilang was beside himself with excitement.

Feng Laiyi and the others wore faces full of exhilaration.

Fu Qingyang's cold visage rarely cracked into a smile.

And beside him, the Queen and Guan Ya were screaming and clapping along.

"Baby, baby!" Xie's Mother hugged her daughter in agitation: "Mommy struck it rich!"

Xie Lingxi was overjoyed too, hugging her mother's waist, screaming non-stop.

Mr. Bill rose to his feet in turn, even more excited than the members of the Five Elements Alliance:

"My God, my God..."

Annie pressed her lips tight, gazing infatuatedly at the figure of Yuanshi Tianzun.

Zhu Rong wore an equally obsessed expression, only hers was more pathological, cheeks flushed, breathing rapid.

The more outstanding Yuanshi Tianzun was, the stronger the urge to break him, to soil him.

This young man was outstanding enough to make her heart race, to make her obsess.

The Elders of the Five Elements Alliance looked at one another, all seeing joy in each other's eyes, seeing manic excitement.

Since the Officials began hosting the Arena Tournament, over a dozen years had passed. Initially, the Five Elements Alliance and the Taiyi Gate hosted it together.

But every single Arena Tournament, the champion was the Night Wanderer. Only during the two tournaments when the Female Marshal rose to prominence—the Transcendent and Saint stage tournaments—did the Five Elements Alliance seize the championship.

Every other time, it was the Night Wanderer, without exception. Even Fu Qingyang had failed to win the championship at the Transcendent stage.

Young Master Qian truly rose to prominence, truly achieved divine merit completion, at the Saint realm.

At the Transcendent stage, though he possessed the strength to contend with Saints, his opponent that year was the Yin Princess.

Therefore, the Five Elements Alliance ceased to co-host arena tournaments with the Taichi Gate thereafter, each going their separate ways.

Many years later, today, the Five Elements Alliance finally clinched a championship once more.

Amidst the roar of cheers, the Night Wanderer of the Taichi Gate shouted aloud:

"Elder, Yuan Shi Tianzun cheated! He cheated!"

"He took medicine before his Ghost Transformation; it must be the drug's doing. His victory is tainted."

"Precisely. The arena rules forbid the use of Saint-realm artifacts and medicines."

The clamor died down slightly; the complexions of the Five Elements Alliance Walkers shifted, and gazes turned toward the Elder.

Elder Zhao and the others did not voice accusation, yet all looked to the Armored Swordmaster.

This Elder of the White Tiger Legion served as the referee for this match.

After a moment's pause, the Armored Swordmaster approached Yuan Shi Tianzun and spoke in a deep voice:

"Yuan Shi Tianzun, the pill you just ingested is suspected of violating regulations. Per the rules, you must submit to an investigation."

"I understand." Zhang Yuanqing nodded, fished a pill from his pocket, and handed it over.

It was one he had deliberately kept back.

Once the referee took it, Zhang Yuanqing said, "This is a medicine to stabilize the spirit body and heal spiritual trauma."

He was confident there was no violation; at the Transcendent stage, the pills one could access were basically limited to the Wood Demon's Antidote Pills, Hemostatic Pills, and the occasional Tonic Pills crafted by Scholars.

These pills had mild effects, so the competition rules made no mention of such things, for even if taken, they would hardly sway the match.

This was not like a mundane sports meet.

The rules explicitly prohibited potions capable of reversing the tide, such as the Essence of Life.

The Armored Swordmaster examined the pill for a moment, then popped it into his mouth.

Having tasted it and sensed its potency, he intoned:

"Indeed, no violation. However, you cannot prove the pill you gave me is the same one you took. I must conduct a veracity test on you."

With that, he asked in a grave tone:

"Yuan Shi Tianzun, is the pill you consumed identical to the one you handed me?"

As a Lord-class Scout, he needed no tools to compel a Transcendent-stage Spirit Realm Walker to speak the truth.

An intangible pressure descended; Zhang Yuanqing inevitably felt awe, like a raw recruit before a marshal, daring not the slightest concealment, and answered truthfully:

"Identical!"

The Armored Swordmaster nodded, turned to the stands, and declared once more:

"The victor: Yuan Shi Tianzun!"

The Five Elements Alliance Walkers finally relaxed, their cheers boiling over.

The Night Wanderer of the Taichi Gate instantly wore a look of utter displeasure.

Neither reconciled nor convinced, yet utterly helpless.

The Maoshan sorcerer could not accept this reality, roaring in fury:

"Even if it wasn't a violation, he used drugs, and using drugs is cheating; we do not recognize this."

"Exactly, if you have the skill, defeat Zhao Chenghuang fair and square. What kind of hero relies on loopholes? If you're so capable, stop popping pills."

"You won the match but lost your honor; we absolutely refuse to accept this."

The Five Elements Alliance erupted in rage, hurling insults across the divide:

"Bullshit, can't the Taiyi Sect handle a loss? As long as it's not against the rules, Yuanshi Tianzun can pop whatever he wants."

"Within the rules, anything goes. If you can't afford to lose, get lost and stop barking like dogs here."

"Even your elders haven't spoken; aren't you ashamed?"

The elders of the Taiyi Sect certainly accepted the result, but they did not stop their disciples from protesting; cursing after a loss was normal, and they needed to vent their frustrations.

At this moment, the Red Dancing Shoes, having walked to their master’s side, displayed a message:

[Will you dance with me? If so, march in place!]

"I will!"

Zhang Yuanging struggled to prop up his weary body and stood, then, after a moment’s thought, turned to face the crowd of the Taiyi Sect.

Tap, tap-tap... The Red Dancing Shoes took the lead, striking a jaunty rhythm.

Zhang Yuanging immediately fell into step with the shoes.

Man and shoe, facing the Taiyi Sect, danced as if no one else existed.

The shouting match on both sides stalled, and countless people stared in astonishment at Yuanshi Tianzun in the arena.

What is he doing? The people of the Taiyi Sect were stunned.

The members of the Five Elements Alliance were equally dumbfounded.

"Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap..."

The tap dance shifted from frantic to gentle; the Red Dancing Shoes performed with elegance and grace, while Yuanshi Tianzun stumbled about, as if mocking them.

Soon, the dance concluded. The Red Dancing Shoes stepped back with their left foot, heels raised, and performed a standard curtsy before dissolving into red light.

Zhang Yuanging also offered the Taiyi Sect a flamboyant, mocking bow.

The Night Wanderers of the Taiyi Sect finally snapped, their faces contorting as they roared:

"He is mocking us!"

"Despicable Yuanshi Tianzun! Elder, I can't take it anymore; I want to go down there and kill him."

"Damn it, I'm going to fight him to the death."

"This is too much humiliation!"

The proud Night Wanderers, having never suffered such an insult, felt their composure shatter one by one.

Even the corners of the Fengdu Ghost King's and the other Saints' eyes twitched violently, the urge to strike someone rising unbidden.

"Return, return!"

Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly shouted.

He vanished instantly from everyone's sight, vanishing from the furious gaze of the Night Wanderer.