Chapter 646: Strong vs. Strong
"Whoosh..." Letting out a breath, Tang Youyou smoothed her slightly stiff hair, which had been frozen by the ice. This victory had not been easy.
The final fifteen remaining were all formidable, each possessing at least the combat power of the Seventh Layer of the Mysterious Martial Realm. Not a single battle could be taken lightly.
With a step, Tang Youyou returned to the top of the Flood Dragon Stone Cave. Lin Feng watched her, still covered in a layer of frost. He waved his arm, and a wave of scorching heat descended upon Tang Youyou, instantly melting the frost without a trace.
"Thank you," Tang Youyou said, offering Lin Feng a faint smile. Lin Feng nodded in response, then turned his gaze back to the battle platform. The third match: Imperial Mausoleum was up. He chose the powerful, steel-like expert ranked fourteenth. Yet, it was still just one punch.
Even though that man specialized in strength, Imperial Mausoleum's single punch was too much for his body to bear, forcing him to retreat instantly.
The fourth to step onto the battle platform, Duan Wudao, showed no sign of weakness. He chose the silver sword-wielding man ranked twelfth. Like Imperial Mausoleum, it took only one move—incredibly domineering.
"These two are truly terrifying and overbearing."
The crowd's eyes shifted between Imperial Mausoleum and Duan Wudao. By now, they had long forgotten that Duan Wudao came from the subsidiary kingdom of Snow Moon Kingdom. They only saw his immense power and dared not underestimate him. He was a genius fully capable of contending with Imperial Mausoleum.
Moreover, those who knew of Duan Wudao understood that his greatest strength was sealing. His martial soul was the Seal Gate, yet no one had witnessed it in action yet.
The fifth match fell to Jun Moxi.
Jun Moxi walked onto the battle platform, frowning, a bitter smile on his lips.
"Fifth..." Jun Moxi glanced at the jade key in his hand and muttered in frustration. From Lin Feng to Duan Wudao, they had chosen the four ranked tenth and below. Now, only two remained after the tenth rank: Qing Mengxin and Yun Feiyang.
These two... seemed rather awkward to choose!
So, the only ones he could pick were those holding the sixth through tenth jade keys.
Those five were: Blood Fiend, Yu Mo, Ling Xiao, Yu Xiaoxiao, and Deadwood.
"Hmm?"
The crowd seemed to notice the anomaly. Something was different.
"You, come down," Jun Moxi finally spoke, looking at someone on the Flood Dragon Stone Cave.
Yu Mo was startled. He glanced left at Blood Fiend, then right at Ling Xiao.
Then, his gaze returned to Jun Moxi, whose eyes hadn't moved. He was looking at Yu Mo...
Yu Mo's expression froze, then became incredibly interesting. Jun Moxi had chosen him?
The crowd was stunned too. Was Jun Moxi talking to Yu Mo?
Then, brilliant lights shot from the crowd's eyes. They hadn't misheard. Jun Moxi had indeed chosen Yu Mo.
Jun Moxi, the genius of Dragon Mountain Empire, one of the eight greatest geniuses. In the second round of the Snow Domain Grand Competition, he had obtained the fifth jade key.
Yu Mo, the genius of Cangtian Empire, one of the eight greatest geniuses. In the second round, he had obtained the seventh jade key.
Now, Jun Moxi was going to fight Yu Mo?
"Whoosh..."
Excitement flickered in the crowd's eyes. Their hearts trembled. Finally, it was time for a clash of the strong!
Both were among the eight greatest geniuses. Who was stronger—Jun Moxi or Yu Mo?
"You chose me?" Yu Mo slowly rose to his feet, his eyes fixed intently on Jun Moxi.
"After looking around, I found that you and Blood Fiend annoy me the most. Blood Fiend is ranked higher than you and seems a bit stronger, so I had to pick you," Jun Moxi said lightly.
The crowd's expressions stiffened, unsure whether to laugh or cry. For that reason, Jun Moxi was risking his jade key to fight Yu Mo?
"Good. Very good."
Yu Mo's face gradually turned cold. With a step, his body hovered in the void above the battle platform, releasing waves of powerful, chilling aura. He stared at Jun Moxi. "I was just about to settle the score from the stone cave with you. Let's see if you can keep that fifth jade key."
"That depends on your strength."
Jun Moxi remained as calm as ever. There was no tension in him at all—he was completely relaxed. Perhaps he didn't care, or maybe his confidence was so absolute that he didn't take Yu Mo seriously. But Jun Moxi didn't show it. Who could know?
"You'll see."
Yu Mo's aura was still icy cold. His eyes turned gray-white—the Bagua Eyes, demonic!
"Kill!"
A furious roar erupted from Yu Mo's mouth. An illusory Bagua pattern pressed down toward Jun Moxi out of thin air.
"The battle is starting! It's beginning!" The crowd's eyes trembled as they watched the two. For the first time, two of the eight greatest geniuses were clashing.
"Boom!"
A golden-yellow aura erupted from Jun Moxi's body, forming a vortex that surged into the sky.
Jun Moxi's entire being was enveloped in this aura. His long hair flew, and his robes fluttered. He stood there calmly, slightly tilting his head up to look at Yu Mo. The crowd felt as if they were looking at a saint. That aura demanded worship.
"Boom!"
The Bagua pattern floated in the void, but it was held aloft by the golden-yellow light rising from Jun Moxi, unable to press down at all. That aura was vast, majestic—even Jun Moxi's image in the crowd's minds seemed to be infinitely elevated.
"Boom!"
The vast, holy golden aura surged upward again, forming a massive hurricane that shattered the Bagua pattern. Jun Moxi's aura soared straight up, as if to rival the heavens.
"So strong."
The crowd's eyes trembled. This was the first time they had seen Jun Moxi release such an aura. What technique was he cultivating?
"Hmm?"
Yu Mo's gaze faltered. His Bagua pattern had been broken by Jun Moxi's released aura. How could this be?
"The heavens and earth have righteous qi!"
Jun Moxi stomped the ground, and a booming sound echoed. His body shot upward, surging forth. His entire being was enveloped in that aura, growing stronger and stronger.
"Below, it suppresses mountains, rivers, and sacred lands!"
A palm strike was unleashed. The heavens and earth churned. Golden-yellow qi roared and rolled, blasting toward Yu Mo. That aura affected the entire space, filling the vast battle platform with a single presence—righteous qi. The heavens and earth had righteous qi.
"Break!"
Yu Mo's true essence erupted wildly. His gray-white eyes grew colder. A terrifying palm force howled, colliding with the surging vortex of righteous qi.
"Boom, rumble!"
Terrifying energy rolled. Yu Mo felt his entire body tremble. This qi was terrifying. It suppressed everything, making it impossible for his power to gather, as if it were being crushed by an invisible force.
"Above, it shines on the sun, moon, and stars."
Jun Moxi spoke again. The booming righteous qi filled the heavens and earth—below, suppressing mountains, rivers, and sacred lands; above, shining on the sun, moon, and stars.
In all the world, there was only his righteous qi.
The crowd's hearts trembled violently. Their expressions became solemn. A sense of guilt, of shame, arose within them. Under that righteous qi, their inner sins had nowhere to hide.
Yu Mo's heart was in turmoil. His power—why was it being suppressed? His battle will—why was it being crushed? Watching the holy aura pressing down from all directions, his face twisted. How could this be? How could Jun Moxi be so terrifying?
"Bagua!"
Yu Mo roared. His eyes grew more demonic. The Bagua pattern rolled in the void, trying to tear apart the righteous qi.
"The heavens and earth have righteous qi, suppressing all evil demons. Only I possess vast righteousness."
Jun Moxi's voice was like a song. With each word, the righteous qi grew stronger. The booming collisions were endless. The Bagua pattern cracked.
Yu Mo couldn't even release his Bagua pattern.
"Boom!" The aura of his martial soul burst forth. A Bagua pattern appeared behind Yu Mo. His eyes turned bloodshot.
"Enough." At that moment, Xue Wuchang shouted, making Yu Mo freeze.
"This battle ends here. No need to continue. Both of you, return," Xue Wuchang said calmly. His heart was unsettled once more. Vast righteous qi—Jun Moxi was cultivating vast righteous qi. This battle didn't need to continue. He already knew the outcome!
PS: My hands were very sore, so I did thirty push-ups to exercise. After finishing... I found I couldn't lift my arms. Only then did I realize how stupid I am.