Chapter 233: Zhang Yu's Decisive Battle Against Ye Lingxiao

Chapter 233 Zhang Yu’s Decisive Battle Against Ye Lingxiao

Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao each stood upon a high platform.

The two structures rose some five or six meters into the air, separated by a distance of dozens of meters.

Upon the ground below and drifting through the surrounding air, thin strands of divine power permeated, condensing into various runes that formed a grand array.

As this massive array began to revolve, highly perilous environments would manifest upon the platforms, threatening both Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao.

A Dragon-Binding Rope now spanned the gap between the two platforms, its left and right ends gripped tightly in the hands of Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao respectively.

Ye Lingxiao took a deep breath, adjusting every single ounce of flesh and blood across his entire body to its absolute zenith, resembling a rocket fully laden with fuel and poised for launch, ready to strike with all his might at any given moment.

At the same time, he rolled the Divine Separation Elixir (a slow-release capsule of Taoist dissolution) beneath his tongue; once the examination commenced, he intended to bite through the protective shell of the medicine and swallow the elixir whole.

Staring at Zhang Yu on the opposing platform, Ye Lingxiao’s eyes burned with a fierce, roiling fighting spirit, his mind firmly set on unleashing his full strength the instant they began.

Internalizing his thoughts, Ye Lingxiao mused, "Judging by the outcomes of the first two trials, his physical body has reached a level comparable to mine, yet perhaps due to his state of mind or an insufficient period of accumulation... in short, his control over his physical form is still lacking."

Particularly when recalling Zhang Yu's clumsy display within the Profound Nether Heavy Water during the previous round of the Foundation Establishment Examination, Ye Lingxiao felt increasingly certain of this fact.

"It cannot have been long since this fellow's physical strength caught up to my level, which is precisely why his mastery is so deficient."

"Therefore, the finest strategy is to burst forth with everything I have right from the start, utilizing my superior control to exert greater physical power and crush him in a single breath."

"Otherwise, once the perilous environments begin to shift in cycles and wear down our physical bodies, my advantage in bodily control will only diminish."

Feeling the Divine Separation Elixir in his mouth, Ye Lingxiao thought to himself, "Fortunately, I have made no small measure of progress over these past three months. That initial burst will surely defeat him."

Just as Ye Lingxiao solidified his resolve, a countdown abruptly materialized in midair.

Three!

The moment the countdown appeared, Zhang Yu, situated on the other platform, also tensed his muscles completely, his hands locking onto the Dragon-Binding Rope with a death grip.

Simultaneously, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "This match... must be dragged out!"

"My control is inferior to his. If we clash head-on immediately, the outcome will be unpredictable."

"I must rely on the massive eruption of toxins from the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen to overcome my opponent with sheer brute force in one fell swoop."

"Even if Ye Lingxiao possesses this same technique, he lacks the High School Sacred Body, meaning the volume of toxins he can unleash will surely pale in comparison to mine."

Sensing his own character for 'Zen' which continued to relentlessly absorb the poisons, Zhang Yu thought silently, "The longer I delay, the more medicinal efficacy I can digest and the more toxins I can accumulate, allowing me to unleash an even greater strength in a short duration. When the time comes, I can directly defeat him with a brute force that surpasses his own..."

"So, I shall stall for as long as possible. Only when I truly cannot hold out any further will I detonate the toxins to stimulate my potential."

With this thought, Zhang Yu cast a glance at the High School Sacred Body on his Dharma-Chain Diagram, ultimately deciding against switching it to the Martial Dao Sacred Embryo.

He resolved to let the High School Sacred Body utilize its peak Qi-Refinement digestion and metabolic capabilities to continue absorbing more medicinal power and pooling more toxins.

Zhang Yu could feel that for every additional second he greedily held out now, his subsequent eruption would gain another fraction of strength, and his chances of victory in this trial would rise by a sliver.

Even as these thoughts flashed like lightning through Zhang Yu's mind, the countdown numbers in the air shifted once more.

Two!

Ye Lingxiao abruptly bit open the shell of the Divine Separation Elixir and swallowed it in a single gulp; in the blink of an eye, the medicinal power dissolved within his body, sending waves of chilling air rushing straight up to the crown of his head.

Zhang Yu drew a deep breath, his muscles exploding into action as his entire frame expanded into a small giant of two point eight meters.

One!

Roar!

Amidst a furious roar, Zhang Yu's muscles twisted into a single, unified force—like a succession of detonating explosives—as he violently yanked the Dragon-Binding Rope toward himself.

On the other platform, however, Ye Lingxiao fell into a state of sudden daze under the influence of the Divine Separation Elixir's potency.

It was as though he failed to react entirely; in that split second, he was violently dragged forward by Zhang Yu, leaving a mere three meters of distance between himself and the edge of the platform.

In that critical instant, it felt as though two distinct voices were warring inside his mind: one urged him to first circulate the Ruyi Exquisite Bone, while the other commanded him to first unleash the Divine Power of the Great Sky Dragon.

His body likewise underwent a chaotic sequence of expansion and contraction, as if a conflict had arisen between his different cultivation techniques.

Ye Lingxiao inwardly cried out in dismay, "Has something gone wrong with the Divine Separation Elixir? Is it because the interval between consecutive consumptions was too brief?"

The edge of the platform, mere meters away, brought with it a profound sense of mortal peril; the word 'defeat' pressed down heavily upon Ye Lingxiao like a collapsing sky.

"I cannot lose!"

Within that fleeting moment, fragments of the past seemed to flash through Ye Lingxiao's mind.

He remembered his fallen brothers and sisters, and he recalled the ancestral rules that the Ye Clan had upheld generation after generation.

"Human beings are born with varying degrees of innate talent. Rather than wasting resources on mediocrity, it is better to cast the mediocre aside entirely and cultivate only the most outstanding individual of each generation."

Those were the words the Clan Leader had spoken to him before he entered high school.

"Talent determines the ultimate ceiling of every clansman."

"And if one desires clansmen with powerful talents, the simplest method is to breed prolifically."

"Lingxiao, do you still remember the gacha games operated by our corporation? It is just like drawing character cards; as long as you draw enough times, you will eventually pull a powerful character."

"The same applies to descendants. So long as you sire enough of them, you are bound to obtain gifted offspring. The Heavenly Dao operates in just such a wondrous fashion."

The Clan Leader had stroked his head, speaking with a gentle smile, "Therefore, our Ye Clan produces over ten thousand descendants in every generation, yet only a scant few among them can truly become the inheritors of our lineage. Only through such a process, generation after generation, paired with the latest technologies of the Immortal Dao, can the perfect bloodline of our clan be forged."

"However, using this as a foundation, I have introduced a new transformation."

"After all, though the overall talent of some descendants may not be strong, certain parts of their bodies possess unique, heaven-blessed advantages."

"Just as some are born with long arms, others with naturally stronger hearts, and some with exceptionally resilient meridians... such variances are commonplace among your brothers and sisters, and you all share the same blood."

The Clan Leader’s face had been filled with immense pride as he continued, "Lingxiao, your own innate talent is already sufficiently outstanding; you can be considered the foremost among your ten thousand siblings."

"That is why you are worthy of the surname Ye."

"But by chiming in and fusing the exceptional traits of your brothers and sisters... gathering their superior talents into your own form, you shall become the strongest generation the Ye Family has ever seen."

"You must cooperate sincerely and stand united, do you understand?"

Upon the examination platform.

In that precise instant of being dragged forward by Zhang Yu, perhaps stimulated by the impending crisis, or perhaps driven by the sheer pressure born of those memories, the two contradictory thoughts within Ye Lingxiao's mind suddenly joined forces in flawless cooperation.

On the other side, seeing Ye Lingxiao being pulled by his initial tug, Zhang Yu's spirits surged, "What is wrong with him?"

"Am I about to win just like this?"

Zhang Yu instantly desired to unleash the power of the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen to claim victory in one decisive effort.

Yet Ye Lingxiao, who had only faltered for a mere fraction of a second, gave Zhang Yu no such opportunity.

Boom!

With a violent stomp of his foot against the ground, Ye Lingxiao's muscles swelled dramatically, and ripples of dragon-scale-like musculature surfaced across his skin. He had unexpectedly activated the Ruyi Exquisite Bone and the Divine Power of the Great Sky Dragon simultaneously.

Immediately following this, the two thoughts in Ye Lingxiao's mind coordinated without the slightest friction, executing one martial art after another in perfect unison: the toxin eruption of the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, and the further expansion of his fascia brought about by the Elephant Demon Tendon-Wrapping Transformation...

In an instant, Ye Lingxiao firmly brought his form to a grinding halt right at the very edge of the platform.

Snap!

The moment Ye Lingxiao ceased his forward motion, the Dragon-Binding Rope snapped into a perfectly straight line in midair, letting loose a resounding crack.

Within Ye Lingxiao’s mind, the two thoughts roared in alternation, giving voice to their collective resolve.

"We are the most exceptional!"

"How could we lose?"

"If we lose to them, wouldn't that tarnish the name of the Perfect Bloodline? How could we still promote the new technology?"

"The massive funds invested in stocks—do you know how much profit we'd miss out on?"

"Without this money, how can we attend university? How can we compete with those rich folks above us?"

"Whoever makes us earn less—we want them dead!"

Under the joint operation of these two thoughts, Ye Lingxiao felt as if his body was being controlled by two versions of himself, and as each technique erupted, his power surged directly.

At this moment, Ye Lingxiao summoned from within himself a strength greater than Zhang Yu's.

Bang!

As Ye Lingxiao took a step back, Zhang Yu was dragged forward a step.

Watching Zhang Yu being pulled step by step by Ye Lingxiao toward the edge of the platform, a trace of heat suddenly arose in the air.

With the change in the divine power formation, a high-temperature environment descended.

The air was rapidly heated; every breath seemed to sear the lungs of Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao, and their skin felt a series of stings.

The two almost simultaneously stopped breathing, and then Zhang Yu activated the low-temperature form of the Ice-Fire Body Refining Method to resist the high-temperature environment.

Ye Lingxiao activated his protective technique, wrapping his entire body in a thick layer of keratin to insulate himself from heat transfer as much as possible.

After such a struggle, Ye Lingxiao gritted his teeth and continued to pull on the taut Dragon-Binding Rope, dragging Zhang Yu another two steps forward, leaving only five steps to the edge of the platform.

Just then, the hazardous environment changed again.

The recent heat vanished, and a change in gravity descended upon Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao; they felt as if a mountain had suddenly been placed on their backs.

Especially with the increased strain on their internal organs, the two had to mobilize their visceral strength to resist.

After a brief adaptation, Ye Lingxiao pulled hard again, dragging Zhang Yu another two steps forward, leaving only three steps to the edge.

Then the hazardous environment changed once more—this time to high pressure.

The atmosphere seemed to instantly become countless times heavier, as if they had been thrown into the depths of an ocean several kilometers deep.

The sudden drastic pressure change directly caused blood to flow from the seven orifices of Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao, and their eardrums burst.

The two had to adjust the pressure in their body cavities, striving to resist the environment.

But Ye Lingxiao seized the opportunity again, dragging Zhang Yu another two steps, leaving only one step to the edge of the platform.

"We can't wait any longer."

Zhang Yu focused his attention slightly on the Chain Diagram, taking two seconds to switch from High School Saint Body to Martial Dao Sacred Fetus.

With this switch, Zhang Yu felt a surge of self-healing power emerge from his flesh and blood, and the surrounding high pressure seemed less terrifying in the face of the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus.

But in those two seconds, the hazardous environment changed again; the high pressure disappeared, but waves of acidic mist materialized out of thin air, surging toward the two.

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(Chapter ends)