Chapter 502: Defeat (Thanks to 'Burning Finger' for Becoming Alliance Leader)

Chapter 502: Defeat (Thanks to 'Burning Fingers' for becoming a patron)

Under the bombardment of Xiang Shan, the earth was choked with baleful energy, momentarily blocking Zhang Yu's path.

In the next instant, Xiang Shan surged forward, closing the distance to Zhang Yu.

As they collided, Xiang Shan retreated only a single step, while Zhang Yu was sent flying, crashing toward the position where Mo Shangjin stood.

The impact felt as if he had been struck by a mountain; it took the full exertion of his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power to stabilize his frame.

"This guy..." Zhang Yu gritted his teeth. "The Sumeru Mountain King Sutra combined with military-grade Dharma armor—the superposition of two military-grade powers is too difficult to shake."

Mo Shangjin pushed aside the dirt and sand, glancing at the grim-faced Zhang Yu beside him. "I will find an opening to pin him down with everything I have. You must seize the time to eliminate the others from Sky Demon University."

"If we have the support of a formation and they do not, then we have a fighting chance."

Zhang Yu nodded, but his gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked at Xiang Shan’s belly, which was gradually distending. "What the hell is that?"

Mo Shangjin frowned. "He seems to have absorbed my blood just now; he might be manufacturing my bloodline descendants on the spot. The swelling suggests the breeding module inside is expanding and has officially activated."

Zhang Yu was stunned. "Is that not illegal? Against the rules?"

Mo Shangjin replied coldly, "As long as they are not treated as living beings, but merely as construction materials... it is not a violation."

"Furthermore... gratuitous breeding is the duty of every member of Sky Demon University. For the demon-kin of Sky Demon University, breeding is a skill taken for granted—a skill that is both an obligation and a means of making money, revered by countless demon-kin."

Mo Shangjin’s eyes narrowed. "We must find a way to interrupt this breeding process. I have a bad feeling about this."

Meanwhile, the countless demons in the spectator stands erupted into a frenzy at the sight.

"Birth! Birth! Birth! Birth! Birth!"

Watching the cheering masses—watching them roar while tearing at their own kind, engaging in carnal acts, defecating, breeding on the spot, and howling in ecstasy—

Zhang Yu gradually understood: these Sky Demon University demon-kin did not loathe breeding; they only loathed *gratuitous* breeding and the breeding tax.

Zhang Yu whispered to himself, "Is this... what a demon is?"

Feeling the ecstatic cheers of the crowd, Xiang Shan laughed wildly, raising his hands as if responding to the roar of the masses.

"My little demons!"

"Today, witness me ascend to the championship, breaking through the professional limit! The racial limit!"

He pointed his trunk toward the sky and let out a violent spray, a thick, pungent demonic aura erupting and blanketing the entire arena in an instant.

The heavy, fishy stench permeated the air, forcing the members of Ten Thousand Dharma University to quickly activate their Dharma treasures and armor to purify the atmosphere.

But the demons in the stands were only further stimulated by this aura, frantically inhaling the demonic mist descending from above.

Some lesser demons even scrambled for the particulate matter mixed within the spray.

"This is Master Xiang Shan’s dung! I’ve been waiting for this fresh serving!"

"It’s mine! It’s mine! It’s all mine!"

"Such essence! One taste and I won't need to eat for ten days!"

Amidst the chaotic dance of the demons, Xiang Shan looked toward Mo Shangjin and Zhang Yu, walking toward them with surging pressure. He opened his mouth in a grin, revealing increasingly savage fangs. "Come, let us continue."

As Xiang Shan took a step, the earth trembled, and the two sides clashed once more.

With a single punch, Xiang Shan swept Zhang Yu aside, then delivered a fierce kick that sent Mo Shangjin flying.

At this moment, Mo Shangjin and Zhang Yu were like two enraged dragons, wielding earth-shattering power as they besieged Xiang Shan.

Yet Xiang Shan seemed to have truly transformed into a magnificent, immovable mountain. No matter how fiercely they attacked, he remained as steady as a rock, repelling them time and again.

Just then, Mo Shangjin’s hands, folded behind his head to form a seal, shifted abruptly, and the gravity source he had been accumulating for so long erupted.

From the start of the battle, Mo Shangjin had been pushing his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power and his Dharma armor to the limit, constantly increasing the intensity of the gravity source.

With this explosion, the gravity source manifested as a cage known as the Abyss of Eternal Tribulation, binding Xiang Shan tightly.

Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed. "The Abyss of Eternal Tribulation, the most difficult of the Ten Phases of the Star-Suppressor? So the method of applying this technique is derived from the Seven Absolutes Dharma Armor?"

"That makes sense. In actual combat, if I were to activate the Abyss of Eternal Tribulation, I would need to charge it constantly, making it impossible to fight."

"Only with Dharma armor can Mo Shangjin charge it while fighting..."

Meanwhile, Mo Shangjin, having activated the Abyss, sent a message: "His military-grade Dharma armor is too strong. Even with all this buildup, my Abyss won't hold him for long. Move now!"

He spread his fingers, and a barrage of gravitational wave cannons slammed into Xiang Shan.

Zhang Yu flashed away; he knew that the "move" Mo Shangjin referred to was not to join the siege, as that would be ineffective in the short term.

He charged directly toward the Sky Demon University formation, intending to eliminate Xiang Shan’s teammates first.

Under the bombardment of the gravitational wave cannons, Xiang Shan’s belly suddenly deflated; the breeding process appeared to have been interrupted.

Mo Shangjin then aimed his palm at Xiang Shan’s head, preparing to strike the brain.

But the next moment, Mo Shangjin suddenly lost focus, and his Seven Absolutes Dharma Armor began to twitch uncontrollably.

The Abyss of Eternal Tribulation, which had been running at full power, suddenly plummeted in output, showing signs of collapse.

"Hmm?"

With a heavy thud, Xiang Shan grabbed Mo Shangjin by the head, a cruel smile curling his lips. "After the breeding module activates, it weakens my chest and abdominal defense. I exposed that flaw to you on purpose."

"You were so focused on attacking that weakness after the Abyss was activated that you allowed me to infiltrate your Seven Absolutes Dharma Armor."

In his perception, Mo Shangjin felt his Dharma armor being invaded by countless soul-cultivators. The sheer number was so great that even the soul-cultivators he had painstakingly cultivated could not hold them back. In particular, the invading spirits were like moths to a flame, throwing themselves at his armor with suicidal intent.

In the spirit realm, his soul-cultivators were howling.

"Boss, we can't hold them! They're insane."

"This is a bankruptcy-style attack! We have to pull out."

"According to the contract, the pay you gave us isn't enough to make us risk our lives..."

"Pay more! Pay more!"

Mo Shangjin knew that if he just had a moment—if he spent a few more spirit coins—he could restore the armor's mobility.

Meanwhile, in the material world, the clash of their Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power and the Sumeru Mountain King Sutra caused the earth beneath them to shatter layer by layer.

But Xiang Shan’s hand remained locked onto Mo Shangjin’s head.

That pitch-black palm acted like a black hole, frantically absorbing the incoming gravitational force, making it impossible for Mo Shangjin to break free despite his best efforts.

Feeling the opponent's desperate resistance, Xiang Shan said coldly, "Are you thinking right now that in just a moment, your armor will recover, Zhang Yu will defeat my companions, your teammates will complete the formation, and you will regain the upper hand to defeat me?"

"Unfortunately, that is destined to be impossible."

...

The moment Zhang Yu arrived at the construction site, fueled by his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, he saw that the elephant-demons had already pierced their own hearts, standing upon the earth like pillars.

At the same time, the surrounding corpses were transformed into living stakes, covering the ground like a forest of tombstones.

"You..."

"Committed suicide? You turned yourselves into living stakes?"

Zhang Yu was shocked. He could understand Sky Demon University using a large number of corpses to create stakes, but to kill themselves?

It was as if they were merely bait to lure Zhang Yu here; these elephant-demons had cast aside their lives the very moment before he arrived.

Ghostly silhouettes emerged from their bodies, manifesting within the spiritual vision.

They looked at Zhang Yu and laughed heartily: "As long as Brother Xiangshan can win, what does losing a life matter? We can always earn it back later!"

Seeing the trust in their eyes, Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned, as if witnessing a scene from his past.

But the next instant, his gaze turned frigid; the Heaven Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power erupted, sweeping through the corpses before him without a hint of hesitation.

...

At the very moment his teammates perished, transforming into living stakes driven into the earth, the formation completed, bestowing its immense power upon Xiangshan.

Yet, the formation existed for only a heartbeat before Zhang Yu shattered it; the entire window of opportunity lasted but a fleeting instant.

Xiangshan had to seize this infinitesimal moment to utterly defeat Mo Shangjin.

With the Eternal Abyss breached, the Seven-Absolute Dharma Remains paralyzed, and Zhang Yu momentarily lured away, Xiangshan knew this was his best chance to triumph over Mo Shangjin.

Once Mo Shangjin was defeated, even with the enemy's formation and Zhang Yu still in play, Wanfa University could never be his match.

This opportunity was bought with the total sacrifice of his kin—the soul-cultivators who had gambled everything—and his teammates, who had discarded their lives just to stall Zhang Yu for that single, precious second.

He had to defeat Mo Shangjin, the strongest of the Wanfa Earth-Wood Department, in this very instant!

"Mo Shangjin, this strike carries not just the weight of mountains, but the burden of my clansmen, my brothers, and my descendants—I have staked everything on this!"

Amidst a wild roar, fueled by military-grade techniques, military-grade Dharma Remains, and the remnants of the formation, the muscles in Xiangshan’s right arm coiled tight.

Simultaneously, Mo Shangjin felt his skull crack with a sharp, brittle sound, as if it were about to be torn asunder.

Their gazes collided with explosive force at this close range.

A sudden chill gripped Mo Shangjin’s heart: "Will I... lose?"

"Will I die?"

"Will I go bankrupt?"

"Should I hold on?"

"Endure?"

"Is Zhang Yu about to arrive with reinforcements?"

Doubt flooded Mo Shangjin’s mind: "Can I trust him? Even at the risk of bankruptcy? To gamble away the possibility of a future... for the sake of this final match?"

Xiangshan roared internally: "The generations of low-born demons from Sky Demon University, the cubs sold off and devoured far too early... they believe I can change all of this... they believe that today—damn it, they know that today—everything will be different!"

Xiangshan bellowed: "Right arm! Give me everything you have!"

The right arm’s Dharma Remains initiated self-destruct mode, operating at 120 percent capacity!

With a thunderous boom, just as Zhang Yu rushed back to the center of the battlefield, and just before his Heaven Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power struck Xiangshan,

Xiangshan’s right arm, pushed beyond its limits, began to shatter.

The terrifying force bore down upon Mo Shangjin, and as the damage to his body hit the critical threshold, his Dharma Remains automatically transmitted the surrender signal Mo Shangjin had prepared in advance.

Mo Shangjin! Defeated!

(End of chapter)