This wasn’t just about holding back Shi Yunzhou for a mont. Even if they sohow succeeded, an enraged Xia Hanshi would tear Hongxuan to shreds monts after Su Chen’s death.
They would also have to count on Shi Yunzhou reacting instantly, suppressing his own rage, realizing Hongxuan couldn’t be allowed to die, and then intervening to stop Xia Hanshi.
The chances of this entire sequence of events playing out successfully were far too low.
"The window of opportunity will only last an instant, and the chance of success is admittedly slim. But in a situation like this, we have to risk it all." Hongxuan didn’t answer his question and had already walked out.
’The duel is just a front. Killing Su Chen is the real goal. Even if the probability is low, this is the only way I can think of. The outco can’t be any worse than death.’
The area beneath the reception building was spacious. Both parties had retreated a good distance, leaving more than enough room for the two to fight.
"Weapons allowed?" Su Chen inquired, producing a short, dark-gold tal cylinder from within his clothes.
"An all-out battle." Hongxuan extended his hand, and soone brought him his weapon: a long spear that pulsed with a crimson glow.
His eyes seed to lose focus. ’How can I maximize this infinitesimal chance of success?’ he wondered.
’I have to get as close as possible to give Xia Hanshi no ti to react. It has to be an absolute killing blow, leaving him no chance of survival. That ans I have to aim for the head.’
Su Chen, however, stood his ground, wanting to test a combat thod he had just co up with. An invisible current of wind enveloped the surface of his body.
Activating his Power of Word Spirit, he whispered, "Injure my body just enough to unleash the maximum power of the Pain Engine, but not enough to hinder my movent."
The Power of Word Spirit had one drawback: it had to be spoken aloud; it couldn’t be activated with Spiritual Power alone.
As his voice faded, his Spiritual Power drained rapidly. Su Chen suppressed all his body’s instincts to reduce the cost of the Word Spirit.
A uniform, stinging pain spread throughout his body, while a current of heat pumped from his heart, surging through his veins and growing ever more potent.
Moreover, Su Chen activated Holy Hand. This passive-like ability could only provide an enhancent for a very short duration.
During this period, the conversion rate of injury into increased power was drastically boosted. The warm current bursting from his heart beca a torrential flood, and his skin began to take on a faint crimson hue.
’A pity this damage doesn’t bring any other benefits,’
Su Chen thought, still sowhat unsatisfied. The Power of Word Spirit wasn’t based on equivalent exchange; he couldn’t use the damage to trade for other benefits, and the stinging pain throughout his body only intensified.
’There must be a Profession out there that lets you trade self-injury for a short-term burst of power. Taking damage for free like this is such a waste.’
Consuming over half his Spiritual Power, he had reached the perfect state for activating the Pain Engine without impeding his ability to move and attack.
Su Chen exhaled, his breath carrying the faint tang of blood.
Hongxuan sensed the currents of wind swirling around Su Chen and couldn’t help but speculate, ’This guy specializes in speed, but since I advanced to Tier Four, I’ve shored up my own weaknesses in that area. If he still thinks he can dominate with speed, this might be my chance...’
Hm?
Suddenly, his expression flickered. He saw Su Chen’s aura first deflate, the surrounding wind currents scattering as faint billows of crimson heat began to radiate from him. His whole deanor had beco incredibly strange.
’This should be enough...’ Su Chen thought, feeling his body growing stronger. Compared to before, his physical attributes had nearly doubled.
Of course, such a conversion rate was only possible with the enhancent from Holy Hand.
The various Professional Abilities that relied on his physical strength would be amplified accordingly. This Profession was truly formidable; its requirents were just too insane.
As the thought crossed Su Chen’s mind, he tapped his foot lightly. The ground instantly erupted with a violent tremor and sank. The distant spectators’ faces paled in shock.
Using the force of the recoil, Su Chen launched himself into the air. The mont he soared upward, thousands of black lightning snakes erupted from his pores. This dark lightning seed to devour light itself, causing the midday sky to suddenly plunge into gloom.
His Spiritual Power was drained, only to be converted anew.
Holy Hand, enhance Disaster Lord Form!
Holy Hand, enhance Azure Thunder Disaster Strike!
The nutrients stored by Gourt were just enough for him to use Holy Hand twice. Perfect timing.
RUMBLE!
Like a thousand thunderbolts crashing down, Formless True Edge had transford into a dark-gold Mountain-Opening Giant Axe. With the power now amassed in his body, only such a colossal weapon could allow him to fully unleash it.
Formless, shadowless, swift, and savage!
In the blink of an eye, he was upon Hongxuan.
The strike was incredibly ferocious.
Even Teng Liang, who was watching the battle, felt his eyelids twitch as his skin broke out in ripples—an instinctive reaction to perceived danger.
A flicker of horror flashed through Ming Lin’s eyes.
In that instant, Su Chen had vanished from their sight.
What was even more terrifying was that such a savage and swift strike produced no sound, no discernible ripples of power—only the furious roar of the surrounding thunder.
It all seed perfectly natural, as if Su Chen was always ant to be there at that very spot.
The distant crowd felt a chill of horror. But for Hongxuan, who bore the brunt of it all, his pupils constricted to pinpricks. His vision went black as an icy dread exploded in his heart, spreading instantly to every limb.
This strike surpassed the limits of his comprehension. The edge of the axe tore through the heavens, seeming to fuse with the lightning until they were one and the sa.
Before the attack even reached him, Hongxuan felt his entire body go numb. On top of that, its speed was simply inconceivable; the gap between them was even wider than it had been in their last fight.
"This... How is this possible!"
’Forget killing Su Chen, I’m not even sure I can block this strike!’
In that hair-raising instant, Hongxuan’s adrenaline surged, and his heart began to pound like a war drum.
This ti, no one could save him at this mont of life and death. At such a critical juncture, all of his potential was squeezed out, and his reaction was surprisingly fast.
Hongxuan’s eyes turned crimson, riddled with broken veins. A series of sharp cracks erupted from within his body—it wasn’t the grinding of his joints, but the sound of his blood rushing, like countless steel bearings colliding.
With his hair standing on end from sheer fury, he flung his hand up. As crimson flas erupted, it transford into a beastly claw covered in red scales. He gripped his long spear, and as the crimson fire seethed, he looked as if he were transforming into a red dragon!
A wound for a wound, a life for a life!
In that instant, Xia Hanshi’s heart tightened. He was ready to make a move at any mont.
At that very mont, Lu Kai, already tensed to the breaking point, almost sprang toward Shi Yunzhou.
’Not to be underestimated,’
the thought flashed through Su Chen’s mind. This was Hongxuan’s last-ditch, desperate strike; he had squeezed out every last ounce of his power.
’A pity... you’re too slow.’
The axe he had swung with all his might had already torn through the crimson flas swirling around Hongxuan.
Hongxuan’s counterattack was undeniably fast, but Su Chen’s speed was far beyond anything he could hope to match.
CRACKLE!
Black lightning exploded from the giant axe. The Azure Thunder Disaster Strike had been compressed into the blow, making its power even more tyrannical as it descended from above.
At the last second, Su Chen avoided his head, shifting the point of impact to his shoulder.
The Red Spear in Hongxuan’s hands had barely even been thrust out. Su Chen’s speed was far beyond compare, and he easily slipped past its reach.
RRRIP!
The giant axe fell. Hongxuan’s already crimson eyes were stained an even deeper shade of blood-red. Along with the axe’s edge ca a truly imnse, unstoppable force.
In that instant, he heard the sound of his own bones shattering. The interwoven layers of crimson fla, skin, and muscle around his body were torn apart as if they were dead wood!
Lu Kai’s heart shuddered as he stared in disbelief at the black lightning that erupted in expanding rings.
The progression of the fight had far exceeded his expectations.
This was an even more one-sided defeat than the last. Hongxuan hadn’t even seed to pose a threat to Su Chen; he never had a chance to fight back, let alone kill him.
He knew Hongxuan’s situation perfectly. The man had been ticulously nurtured, acquiring Top-tier Professions at every single Tier, and even possessed a unique Professional Fusion technique.
Even if Su Chen were the sa, at best he should have only managed a draw against Hongxuan. A result like this should have been impossible, especially since Hongxuan had advanced in tier several months earlier.
’Just how many special support Professions does this Su Chen have?’
Tang Chen’s hands and feet turned to ice, his face deathly pale.
’He won?’
Bu Siqi’s keen nose caught the scent of blood, and he licked his lips.
Only then did the condensed ball of black lightning finally erupt, exploding outward like a hurricane.
"Aaaargh!"
A world-shaking, agonized roar echoed across the area, laced with excruciating pain.
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