Jiang Jingwei's crimson hair drifted without wind, spreading out strand by strand like seaweed. Granular fire elements floated between the fiery red locks.
Enveloping her body was a spherical energy barrier. Its outer layer was made of reddish particles in rapid motion and collision, while within was warped, distorted air.
At this moment, Jiang Jingwei seemed like a completely different person. She had transformed from a brash, combative young girl into a goddess commanding flame—majestic and violent.
*Crack, snap...*
Her bent forearm snapped back into place. The resentful spirit on her shoulder let out a shrill screech, appearing to have suffered a degree of burns, yet it still clung tightly to the girl's body, continuously sapping her essence and vitality.
Risking everything to carry out their master's command was the most fundamental duty of a spirit servant.
"Rager. Truly worthy of a Fire Master with the purest bloodline." A touch of solemnity finally appeared on Zhao Chenghuang's haughty face.
Clearly, he knew the reason behind Jiang Jingwei's sudden outburst.
"I'll get rid of this troublesome yin corpse first, then give you a proper fight." Jiang Jingwei grinned at Zhao Chenghuang.
Without waiting for Zhao Chenghuang to reply, she sank into her knees and turned into a streak of flowing flame, slamming straight into the yin corpse's chest.
*Bang!*
Amidst explosions of flame, she propelled the yin corpse flying backward. Explosions boomed continuously along the way. Like a double-kick firecracker, Jiang Jingwei rammed the yin corpse across the arena with a cacophony of bangs, pushing it toward the edge of the magma and away from Zhao Chenghuang.
Then, gripping the yin corpse's ankles with both hands, she swung it high through the air and slammed it downward.
The yin corpse crashed heavily into the magma, sending massive sheets of brilliant liquid splashing everywhere. Jiang Jingwei plunged into the magma right after it, seizing the head of the corpse just as it was about to leap out and shoving it back down into the "pool."
At this point, Zhao Chenghuang stood tens of meters away at the other end of the lava pool, unable to intercept in time.
Making a prompt decision, Zhao Chenghuang settled his emotions, closed his eyes, and stood motionless in place.
He was going to personally control the yin corpse to battle Jiang Jingwei at the bottom of the pool.
The watching walkers stepped forward one after another toward the rim of the volcano, peering downward.
They saw huge volumes of bubbles rising from the magma with continuous gurgling. Undercurrents surged upward, and the sulfurous stench grew heavier.
The clash inside the magma appeared ferocious, but unfortunately, no one could see it.
While watching the magma, Zhang Yuanqing listened as Guan Ya spoke beside him:
"I heard elders in my clan say that Transcendent-stage Fire Masters are irascible, reckless, and impulsive—flaws at this stage, but in the Saint stage, they become virtues.
"A Rager is like dynamite, detonating at the slightest spark. They can unleash latent potential anytime, anywhere, which no other class can do.
"Jiang Jingwei possesses the purest Fire Master bloodline under heaven. Although she hasn't reached the Saint stage, when placed in a desperate situation, it's very easy for her to erupt with the latent power slumbering in her bloodline."
"So that's how it is!"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Unleashing combat power comparable to a Saint from a Transcendent body—Jiang Jingwei's bloodline talent was truly enviable.
In that case, dealing with a Level 4 yin corpse wouldn't be much of a problem. After all, it was only a corpse, not a true Fire Master.
Without his yin corpse, Zhang Yuanqing wondered how Zhao Chenghuang would respond.
After all, that yin corpse was a key pillar of Zhao Chenghuang's position as the tournament's top seed.
Amidst his stray thoughts, the magma surged with a great splash. Jiang Jingwei leapt out of the scalding liquid, holding the yin corpse whose limbs were twisted and broken.
A clamor erupted around the crater as discussions broke out on all sides.
Jiang Jingwei was ranked sixth in the top twenty, yet she had taken down Zhao Chenghuang's yin corpse. This outcome caught many by surprise.
With strength like this, she should have been able to squeeze into the top three.
"Awesome job, Little Princess!"
"Long live the Little Princess!"
A small group cheered exceptionally loudly. Leading them was a red-haired youth with arms crossed and a face full of pride, while the lackeys behind him jumped for joy, yelling praises at the top of their lungs.
*These Fire Masters really are all like huskies...* Zhang Yuanqing shifted his gaze into the distance to see the Taiyi Sect's reaction, only to discover in surprise that the group was remarkably calm.
In the arena, Jiang Jingwei casually tossed the yin corpse onto a pillar, put her hands on her hips, and laughed uproariously:
"Wahahaha! So satisfying! I haven't fought this satisfyingly in ages!"
Zhao Chenghuang opened his eyes. He didn't even look at the crippled yin corpse. Such damage was well within acceptable bounds; after the battle, nourishing it with lunar power for ten to fifteen days would repair it.
Frowning, he looked at Jiang Jingwei and said, "You won't be able to maintain this state for long. Why didn't you use props earlier instead of resorting to extremes?"
Zhao Chenghuang was baffled by her choices. Fire Masters indeed lacked means to counter spirits, but what was Jiang Jingwei's status?
Her standing was even nobler than his, her backing even deeper. Equipping a prop that countered spirits would have been effortless.
"Why use props? Where's the fun in that?" Jiang Jingwei kept her hands on her hips. "I came here to fight! If I'm going to beat you, I'll beat you fair and square!"
Zhao Chenghuang's stern face visibly froze. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "Fine. Then I won't use props either!"
With that, he put away the small clay figurine cupped in his palm. "I'll defeat you using solely the power of a Night Walker."
Zhao Chenghuang opened his mouth and inhaled. The resentful spirit clinging to Jiang Jingwei's shoulder, which had drained a massive amount of her vitality, instantly turned into a wisp of dark green smoke, drifting swiftly into his mouth.
As the spirit servant entered his gullet, blood vessels burst into Zhao Chenghuang's eyes. His pupils trembled violently, blue veins bulged across his forehead, and his expression contorted into agony.
"Uuuggghhh..."
Hunched over, he let out a guttural howl of pain.
His frame abruptly expanded. Muscles swelled with engorged blood, his skin darkened into a bluish-black shade with a metallic sheen, and his nails rapidly lengthened into razor-sharp black ghostly claws.
Within seconds, Zhao Chenghuang had turned into a monstrous specter billowing with black miasma, blue-black skin, pitch-black ghostly claws, and bloodshot eyes.
His aura was freezing cold and overpowering. A layer of white frost spread over the pillar beneath his feet and crept downward; the boiling magma rapidly cooled, turning into cracked black crusted earth.
*This...* Watching from above, Zhang Yuanqing's pupils shrank, deeply shaken.
A shock only a Night Walker could truly appreciate.
At this very moment, Zhao Chenghuang had unleashed an aura surpassing the limits of the Transcendent stage—not by relying on props, but through his own power.
The method was simple: actively stimulating the lunar power within his body, driving it into a frenzy of loss of control, thus producing a violently combustible effect like oil thrown on a blazing fire.
Zhang Yuanqing had encountered something similar before—the time he was "gazed upon" by Heavenly King Demonic Eye, when his lunar power nearly went out of control, corroding his true self and transforming his body into a yin creature.
Just like Zhao Chenghuang right now.
*What the hell is he doing? This isn't just dancing on the tip of a blade—this is taking a dump on King Yan's dinner table...* Zhang Yuanqing looked on in disbelief. Could it be that Zhao Chenghuang only appeared to be a cold, haughty Night Walker on the outside, but was actually a crude, brainless Fire Master at heart?
In his astonishment, a piece of information suddenly flashed through his mind: Zhao Chenghuang had deliberately stalled at the Transcendent stage, delaying his promotion to Saint.
That was an annotation given by official Scholars on the top twenty roster.
*Like Earth God, he deliberately stayed at the Transcendent stage to repeatedly polish a specific ability. Earth God honed invincible defense, so is his mastery over lunar power perfected to the pinnacle?*
*Sure enough, none of the top three are simple. Every single one is a freak...* Once he figured it out, he let out a silent sigh.
"Oh? You can unleash latent potential just like me?"
Jiang Jingwei seemed surprised, but also thrilled.
"You can understand it that way. Any explanation more complex would be over your head anyway," Zhao Chenghuang said, his voice turning hoarse and somber.
The two charged at each other simultaneously. A black streak of light and a red streak collided in the middle of the magma, separated, and crashed together again.
Their speed reached extreme heights. Red and black lines darted all over, crashing indiscriminately—colliding in corners one moment and in the center the next, like two erratically bouncing bullets.
Every clash was an explosive boom like muffled thunder, blasting pillars of magma into the air.
Zhang Yuanqing had no choice but to put on the Spectacles of Insight, finally catching the movements of the two. Their collisions were brutish and devoid of finesse, separating the instant they clashed, leaving charred burn marks and bone-deep claw gouges on one another.
Crude combat that vented pure violence was a style unique to Fire Masters. He could understand Jiang Jingwei fighting like this, but Zhao Chenghuang shouldn't have been doing so.
*Looking at this, the price of letting lunar power run rampant is losing the ability to execute Night Walker skills with finesse...*
Through clash after clash, Jiang Jingwei ended up covered in wounds. Zhao Chenghuang, by contrast, suffered burn after burn and had his bones snapped again and again, but his formidable self-healing quickly repaired the injuries; his staying power was astonishing.
Amidst the fierce slaughter, the undulating surface of the magma suddenly swelled up. Then, with a loud crash, an enormous lizard covered in red scales burst from the magma.
The beast was gigantic; just the half of its body rearing out of the magma stood seven to eight meters tall.
Its amber vertical slits gleamed with savagery. Pouching its cheeks, it spewed blazing red magma toward the warring Zhao Chenghuang and Jiang Jingwei.
The magma rained down densely, unavoidable. Sizzling white smoke poured from Zhao Chenghuang's body as broad swaths of his blue-black skin carbonized.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jingwei, whose aura had begun to decline, seemed to draw a second wind from it. The magma splashing toward her disintegrated on its own into dark red particles, merging into the energy barrier covering her body.
Her aura surged.
*Boom!* Flames erupted from Jiang Jingwei. Piercing through the downpour of magma and sweeping a tidal wave of fire, she threw a punch at Zhao Chenghuang.
Before her "Rage" state expired, she was putting everything into one desperate gamble!
Zhao Chenghuang neither dodged nor retreated. With a cold expression, he flattened his hand into a blade and thrust forward.
*Crack!*
A hook landed flush on the side of Zhao Chenghuang's face. His neck snapped instantly, spinning his head one hundred and eighty degrees until he could see his own back.
*Pfft!*
Jiang Jingwei had also thrown herself right onto Zhao Chenghuang's hand-blade, and black claws pierced out through her back.
Exhausted, Jiang Jingwei collapsed with a crash.
Zhao Chenghuang twisted his head back into place bit by bit, slumped onto the ground, and panted heavily.
The giant lizard rearing out of the magma puffed its cheeks, preparing to spew a second wave of lava.
The host of this match, the red-haired elder who looked like a young man, called out loudly:
"Zhao Chenghuang wins!"
Sensibly swallowing back the magma in its throat, the giant lizard snorted and sank silently back into the depths of the volcano.
The red-haired elder scooped up the severely wounded and unconscious Jiang Jingwei, returning to the rim of the volcano to administer treatment.
Elder Hongying of the Taiyi Sect exhaled a blast of yin qi, sweeping up the yin corpse and Zhao Chenghuang, pulling both back to her side to be tended to by the sect's disciples.
A deafening roar instantly swept through the crowd, and the scene exploded with excitement.
"Are those two really Transcendent stage? That was insane, so incredible! That's the fiercest duel since the tournament began!"
"Jiang Jingwei was ranked way too low! That girl is terrifying! How could she unleash that kind of power? She almost beat Zhao Chenghuang!"
"It also proves just how strong Zhao Chenghuang really is. What was that move he used? I've never seen a Taiyi Sect Night Walker pull that off!"
The noisy clamor carried on for a long time. The battle was far too unexpected and delivered an immense shock to the Transcendent-stage walkers.
Over the first five days of matches, while everyone had marveled at how strong the star contestants were, how calculating every move was, and how many props they held, it had all stayed within reasonable bounds.
Strong in a way people could comprehend.
Yet the combat power Jiang Jingwei and Zhao Chenghuang had just demonstrated was incomprehensible.
Was that really power that belonged in the Transcendent stage?
In the subsequent two matches, Sun Miaomiao and Tone-Deaf lived up to expectations, defeating their opponents and smoothly securing spots in the top eight.
The Scarlet Fire Gang elder with the appearance of a red-haired youth announced loudly:
"Fourth pair of contestants, enter the ring."
The spectators around the crater perked up. The second highly anticipated duel of the day had arrived.
The tenth-ranked Crossing-River Pawn versus Yuanshi Tianzun.
The former was known as Little Qingyang, while the latter had defeated the widely famous Maoshan Daoist on the very first day of the tournament.
With Jiang Jingwei and Zhao Chenghuang's stellar performance setting the bar high, the spectators' expectations had been raised. They wondered what surprises Yuanshi Tianzun and Crossing-River Pawn could deliver.
"There shouldn't be much suspense in this match, right? Yuanshi Tianzun is bound to win. Crossing-River Pawn is a Scout, and no matter how strong a Transcendent-stage Scout is, there's a ceiling. They have too many weaknesses."
"Not necessarily. Crossing-River Pawn must have come prepared, and neither of them is a Fire Master, so the environmental hazards have to be factored in."
"I'm looking forward to this clash of tigers and dragons! Jiang Jingwei and Zhao Chenghuang's fight was way too exaggerated—strong, yes, but devoid of technical finesse. Yuanshi Tianzun and Crossing-River Pawn are both types with top-tier micromanagement."
Under the crowd's eager gazes, Zhang Yuanqing entered the arena with his yin corpse. On the other side, Crossing-River Pawn, clad in rattan armor and camouflage military trousers, leapt down and landed steadily on a stone pillar.
Separated by twenty to thirty meters, they looked at each other and nodded.
"Begin the match!"
The red-haired elder had just made the announcement when Zhang Yuanqing and Crossing-River Pawn drew their guns simultaneously.
*Bang!*
Crossing-River Pawn pulled the trigger, while Zhang Yuanqing failed to fire a bullet from his barrel.
It wasn't a problem with the gun; it was a problem with him. The moment Crossing-River Pawn raised his gun and aimed, an intense sense of crisis welled up in Zhang Yuanqing's heart, forcing him to abort his shot and attempt to evade.
Yet he felt an inexplicable premonition that whether he dodged left or right, he would definitely be hit, leaving him caught in a dilemma.
In that brief hesitation, Crossing-River Pawn's bullet arrived.
*Sure enough, no one can trade shots with Crossing-River Pawn, not even Yuanshi Tianzun...* Seeing this, the spectators above were already accustomed to the sight.
No matter who his opponent was, Crossing-River Pawn's classic opening move was suppressive fire.
The bullet struck the tall silhouette of Corpse No. 1, blocked by its tough, bulging muscles.
*If I can't dodge it, then I won't!*
Zhang Yuanqing extended his arm from behind the yin corpse, aimed at Crossing-River Pawn twenty to thirty meters away, and pulled the trigger.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Dark red trajectories drew parallel lines, creating a barrage that swept toward the enemy.
Crossing-River Pawn had already seen through Zhang Yuanqing's shooting angles. The moment Zhang Yuanqing raised his gun, Crossing-River Pawn lowered his stance and darted to the side.
*Rat-tat-tat...* Crossing-River Pawn leapt rapidly between the stone pillars, circling around to the flank and raising his gun to fire.
Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly shifted his angle, moving behind the yin corpse's flank.
The bullets were once again stopped by the yin corpse's flesh. Corpse No. 1 had absorbed materials from the Earth Monster class, making its skin exceptionally tough, and feeling no pain, it served as an ideal shield.
Taking advantage of Yuanshi Tianzun ducking for cover, Crossing-River Pawn holstered his pistol. The muscles in his legs swelled as he sprinted across the stone pillars like an agile cheetah.
Using the yin corpse for cover, Zhang Yuanqing extended his arm again and fired.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Crossing-River Pawn did not dodge like before. Instead, he charged forward through the hail of bullets, bursts of fire detonating across his rattan armor.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing decisively moved away from the yin corpse and issued the command to engage.
Fierce light flared in Corpse No. 1's eyes. Bending its knees, it bounded high into the air, snapping its right knee as a whip kick cracked out.
As if having predicted its move long in advance, Crossing-River Pawn kept his charge without slowing down. Lowering his head, he avoided the whip kick while driving his shoulder directly into the yin corpse's hip.
Using the momentum of the leap, Crossing-River Pawn heaved his shoulders with all his might, hurling the yin corpse far away, while he smoothly dropped down to land on the stone pillar where the corpse had stood.
Crossing-River Pawn didn't even glance at the airborne yin corpse. Pivoting on his heel, he changed direction and lunged toward Yuanshi Tianzun, two pillars away.
Calm and unhurried, Zhang Yuanqing fired his gun.
Mid-air, Crossing-River Pawn had nowhere to dodge; explosive bullets detonated against his chest once more.
*Can't pierce his defensive prop...* Deciding instantly, Zhang Yuanqing entered Night Walk.
His body had just been "erased" when the magma beneath him roared with a *boom*, throwing up brilliant waves and spewing scorching fire.
Under the indiscriminate, sweeping blast, Zhang Yuanqing was blown out of stealth.
And at that very moment, Crossing-River Pawn, who had leapt into the air, happened to land on the exact same pillar as Zhang Yuanqing.
"Yuanshi Tianzun has been closed in on!"
"What a coincidence—the fire erupted at that exact second. His luck is terrible!"
"That's no coincidence! Crossing-River Pawn was timing it; everything was in his calculations. Truly worthy of the name Little Qingyang!"
Muffled cries came from the spectators above. From the start of the arena tournament until now, every competitor closed down by Crossing-River Pawn had suffered a miserable defeat.
Guan Ya, Xie Lingxi, Queen, and everyone else rooting for Yuanshi Tianzun felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Even Zhao Chenghuang, who had been resting with eyes closed to focus on recovery, opened his eyes to watch the fight's development.
Just then, a sudden chill struck Crossing-River Pawn's shoulder.
*A spirit servant!* He snapped a kick toward the direction Yuanshi Tianzun was fleeing, connecting squarely with his shoulder. Immediately after, Crossing-River Pawn calmly retrieved a horn and blew into it.
The horn's blast was mournful and desolate, imbued with the baleful, ferocious aura of a battlefield.
The chill on his shoulder vanished instantly; the spirit servant was driven back.
This horn was a prop of the Scout class; the sound possessed the effect of intimidating foes while warding off evil and malevolent spirits.
Its owner was Crossing-River Pawn's superior, a Swordsman.
Having taken a kick, Zhang Yuanqing had just stabilized his stance when he heard the desolate horn. His heart trembled, overwhelmed by an indescribable terror and cowardice.
Seizing the opportunity, Crossing-River Pawn stowed the horn, took two quick strides, and drove his right knee toward Yuanshi Tianzun's lower abdomen.
Once again, the crisis premonition surged in Zhang Yuanqing that dodging would be futile. This time, unaffected by psychological hesitation, he leaned to the left without pause.
*Thud!*
Agony tore through his abdomen, churning his entrails. Sure enough, he failed to dodge it.
After the knee strike, Crossing-River Pawn pulled back his foot, spun around, and delivered a vicious elbow.
His style consisted of mastering basic fundamentals—punches, kicks, knee strikes, and elbow strikes—without complex routines, pursuing the most practical and efficient methods to defeat opponents with fierce, relentless combos.
Coupled with his specialized Insight skill, he anticipated every move, suppressing his adversary completely.
Fists, kicks, elbows, and knees landed repeatedly on Zhang Yuanqing's chest, throat, and even groin. Knowing a Night Walker's vitality was extraordinarily resilient, he attacked without restraint.
Several times Zhang Yuanqing tried to use the force of the blows to throw himself into the magma, only for Crossing-River Pawn to yank him back and continue the beating.
Terrifying close-combat prowess—a master fighter whom even Guan Ya was wary of.
"Hah!"
Crossing-River Pawn let out a low roar. Sinking into his waist, the muscles of his legs stretched tight against his trouser legs as he channeled all his body's power into his right arm. His fist struck out like a venomous serpent, slamming heavily into Yuanshi Tianzun's throat.
The Adam's apple shattered with a crunch. Suffering a heavy blow, Yuanshi Tianzun's head snapped back, and he fell backward.
Yet Crossing-River Pawn immediately caught his arm and dragged him back.
"You underestimated your enemy. Against me, you should have gone all out right from the start, using every prop you had. Because once I close the distance, your defeat is certain."
Watching Yuanshi Tianzun fall toward him, Crossing-River Pawn summoned his pistol, pressed the muzzle against the young man's belly, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The gunshots rang out, seeming to echo right beside the ears of the spectators outside. The surroundings fell deathly silent.
Many were terrified by Crossing-River Pawn's savage close-combat prowess.
From start to finish, this battle hadn't lasted more than a minute, as the fire had only erupted twice, with the third yet to arrive.
Even the monster beneath the magma hadn't appeared.
An upset.
Crossing-River Pawn, who was ranked lower than the Maoshan Daoist, had actually defeated Yuanshi Tianzun.
And he had won so rapidly.
It had to be admitted that contestants who heavily specialized in a specific discipline could indeed unleash unimaginable power once they seized an opening and made sufficient preparations.
Crossing-River Pawn quickly emptied the magazine, but frowned slightly as a question flashed in his mind: *Why hasn't the referee called it?*
Just as that doubt surfaced, pain suddenly shot through his back. A snow-bright blade pierced straight through his chest from behind.
Crossing-River Pawn glanced down at the blade protruding from between his pectoral muscles, then turned his head slowly, stiffly.
He saw another Yuanshi Tianzun standing right behind him.
"You lose!"
Yuanshi Tianzun's voice rang in his ear.
Zhang Yuanqing hadn't used the straw doll or the Ruffian Boxing Gloves in this round. Props weren't something to just dump all at once; under the premise of a thorough plan, executing it step by step and using the right prop was the proper way.
The core of this battle plan was "Mirror Water Moon." Thus, the opening was meant to show weakness, intentionally handing his opponent a subtle flaw, and delivering a fatal blow just when the opponent believed victory was secured.
Crossing-River Pawn was a fighter who specialized in Insight, a heavily lopsided type. Once such a combatant seized an opportunity, he would pour out maximum damage with all his might, never daring to drag things out into an extended brawl.
He had too many shortcomings, and dragging out the fight meant giving his opponent a chance.
Therefore, Zhang Yuanqing had determined that as long as he feigned a subtle opening, Crossing-River Pawn was certain to take the bait.
And indeed he did.
"You..."
"From the very beginning, what you were fighting wasn't my real body."
Crossing-River Pawn parted his lips. Though shock, fury, and confusion flashed across his eyes, he ultimately fell silent.
The victor takes all, and the loser has nothing to say. Clutching his bleeding chest, he crumpled to the ground in agony.
Meanwhile, Crossing-River Pawn saw that the Yuanshi Tianzun before him, riddled with his gunfire, rippled like the reflection of a full moon in water, distorted, and dissolved into nothingness.
The red-haired elder declared loudly:
"Yuanshi Tianzun wins!"
Chapter 189