Warm-Up Over, Going All Out!

At this moment, Li Guanqi felt an unprecedented sense of oppression! With his arms crossed over his chest, Long Hou let the corners of his lips curl up slightly. "The little fellow's strength has improved rapidly. I wonder if he can hold his ground against Chan Kongzi." With one hand behind his back, Nangong Xuandu fixed a solemn gaze upon the Dao platform where Li Guanqi and his opponent stood, speaking in a low voice. "Though Chan Kongzi cannot defeat me, that... doesn't mean he isn't strong." "On the contrary, in the way of fist techniques alone... he is very formidable!" Even the taciturn Hong Zhi nodded slightly. "Chan Kongzi's grip strength is terrifying. You could say he has tempered his hands to the utmost limit." "I'm not too optimistic about the little fellow." Ji Yuchuan, who had remained silent all this while, spoke up softly at this moment. "I wouldn't be so sure..." Suddenly, Ji Yuchuan shivered. Stiffly, he turned his head around. He saw Gu Li staring fixedly at him, eyes glowing with a feral green light, saliva stringing from the corners of his mouth. To the side, Tang Ru and Xiao Chen were desperately restraining Gu Li. Clutched in Gu Li's hand was a thick stack of eerie inscribed talismans. Although these talismans gave off identical energy fluctuations, the inscribed runic patterns upon each one were completely different. "Don't stop me! I need him!" "Whether my Forced Conception Talisman succeeds hinges entirely on him! Nobody hold me back!" Upon the Dao platform. Li Guanqi closed his eyes and slowly took a deep breath. For a moment, all eyes converged upon him. With an amused expression, Bai Su said, "This is the very first time someone has challenged the Eight Generals, isn't it?" Bie Ruxue glanced at Chan Kongzi, nodding slightly in praise. "Having devoted himself entirely to the way of fist techniques, Little Chan can be said to have already glimpsed the Dao." Xuan Yue narrowed his eyes. As the bearer of the Black Tortoise's soul, he also thought very highly of Chan Kongzi. Not only did Chan Kongzi possess a steady, profound fist momentum, but he also held the explosive volatility of a fire spiritual root. When someone like him ascended to the Immortal Realm in the future, his attainments would undoubtedly be extraordinary. Yet Dragon King Wen Guyan looked at Li Guanqi with keen interest. "This little fellow... is not simple." No sooner had the words fallen than Li Guanqi snapped his eyes open. Gripping the sword coffin with one hand, he hauled it down from behind his back. Thud! The ostensibly sturdy Dao platform was actually cracked by the stone sword coffin, fissures splintering outward across its surface! Screeech! A crimson sword flashed instantly into Li Guanqi's grasp! A red lotus bloomed at the hilt, and the moment Li Guanqi gripped the weapon, his entire aura underwent a profound transformation! Though Li Guanqi's gaze was calm, a surging battle intent roiled within the depths of his eyes! Turbulent sword intent manifested a blood-red phantom behind him, standing toe-to-toe with Chan Kongzi's imposing aura without yielding an inch! Peak Mahayana! A chilling, murderous air permeated the entire arena! At this moment, the Fourth Domain cultivators spectating the match furrowed their brows in unison. Many of them even stood up. In their perception, the power Li Guanqi was currently displaying had already surpassed the vast majority of them! In an instant, Li Guanqi entered a full combat state. There was no need for anyone to signal the start; Chan Kongzi clearly sensed that Li Guanqi was ready. His body shot forward like an artillery shell! In the blink of an eye, Li Guanqi completed his Dragon Transformation! This sight stunned quite a few onlookers; after all, cultivators from the Fourth Domain rarely descended to the lower domains. Hardly any of them had ever seen Li Guanqi in this form before. With dragon scales coating his arms and cheeks, his entire demeanor radiated an inexplicable majesty! Relying on sheer physical strength, Li Guanqi burst forward in an instant. A distance of a hundred zhang was crossed in a heartbeat. In that split second, Li Guanqi even triggered a spirit incantation to clad himself in a suit of thunder armor! Long Hou narrowed his eyes and slowly lowered his arms, muttering, "This kid's understanding of spirit incantations runs deep!" Ji Yuchuan remarked softly, "Indeed. It has practically reached the point of following his will effortlessly." Boom! A terrifying roar detonated. Chan Kongzi's fist, enveloped in blazing flames, smashed fearlessly against the blade of Red Lotus! A horrific shockwave rippled out madly from the two of them. The colossal immortal weapon Dao platform shuddered faintly. In that single instant of contact, subtle shifts appeared in both of their gazes! Because... Each was even stronger than the other had anticipated! A frenzied battle intent flared in Chan Kongzi's eyes. "Good kid, you're even stronger than I imagined!" Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and replied in a deep voice, "As are you, Senior." Suddenly! Boundless lightning erupted, coalescing into two massive thunderous palms spanning ten zhang across, which slammed together toward Chan Kongzi like hands in prayer! Boom! Li Guanqi retreated several zhang as tempestuous flames raged in all directions, shattering the thunderous palms in an instant. Yet Li Guanqi's follow-up attack was already upon him! Scorching crimson flames surged within Chan Kongzi's body, enveloping his arms like gauntlets as he launched a furious onslaught at Li Guanqi! Clang! Clang! Clang! Boom! Boom! Boom! Both moved at breakneck speeds, their figures shifting and weaving across the Dao platform in rapid succession. Explosive flames and terrifying lightning rampaged throughout the arena! Li Guanqi swung his sword continuously, his sword stance ethereal, nimble, and ever-shifting. Yet Chan Kongzi was still able to counter it flawlessly, even seizing opportunities to retaliate several times, nearly inflicting severe injuries on Li Guanqi! Li Guanqi's expression grew increasingly grim. He deployed more and more of his techniques, yet Chan Kongzi successfully shattered every one of them. As the Thunder Lord, the thunder power he wielded held a pronounced suppressing effect over other cultivators. Yet he found that his power seemed almost useless against Chan Kongzi. Moreover, the fiery power Chan Kongzi possessed was capable of eroding his primal energy. And within that power, Li Guanqi sensed the exact same aura as the scarred man's! The power of laws, is it...? Suddenly! Li Guanqi tilted his head to dodge a punch. Shrouding his free right hand in lightning, he slammed a fist toward Chan Kongzi's elbow! Simultaneously, his left hand snapped the sword around, slashing toward Chan Kongzi! Against anyone else, such an abrupt shift in tactics would have inflicted severe wounds. Yet as one of the Eight Generals, had Chan Kongzi experienced anything less than tens of thousands of battles? Turning his outward-flared elbow inward, Chan Kongzi chopped it straight down into Li Guanqi's incoming fist. At the same time, he shifted his body slightly, dodging the sword thrust coming at his back in a flash! Thud! The two sprang apart instantly, glaring fixedly at one another from a short distance away. Though brief, the clash had left many spectators with a suffocating sensation pressing against their chests. Whoever was watching from the sidelines now frowned deeply. They hadn't just come to watch a spectacle. Imagining themselves in the midst of that recent battle, their faces looked somewhat unsightly... Because they realized that no matter whose shoes they put themselves into, they would have suffered an utter defeat! At this moment, they finally began to take this young man challenging the Eight Generals seriously. That is... the Realm Lord's grandson! Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, glancing down at the battered, shattered thunder armor across his body, his gaze exceptionally grim. Taking a deep breath, he shifted the circulation path of the cultivation technique within him in an instant! Third layer: Deep Resonance Realm, eighty percent amplification! Boom! Endless lightning erupted. Li Guanqi's hair danced wildly in the gale, his aura overbearing and fierce. Glancing down at the cuts on his arm, Chan Kongzi let the corners of his mouth curl slightly upward. "Warm-up's over. Time to get serious!" Smashing his fists together, the ground within a radius of ten zhang beneath the man's feet was instantly engulfed in blistering fiery power! Li Guanqi licked his lips and murmured softly, "Then I ask Senior... not to hold back!!"