An array? Zhao Chenghuang's eyelids twitched. Seeing the array of intertwined water and fire take shape, experienced and well-traveled as he was, he bolted toward the outside of the water and fire without a second thought.
He couldn't afford to be trapped inside an array.
Stowing the little clay figurine, Zhao Chenghuang blurred into an afterimage, reaching the edge of the grand water-fire array in less than a breath, only to slam into an invisible wall of qi.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Tightening the muscles across his waist and back, his arms drove forward like pistons, hammering his fists against the qi wall in rapid succession.
Under a barrage of violent blows capable of splitting steel, water-like ripples rapidly spread across the qi wall.
Zhao Chenghuang's expression shifted slightly. Shifting from fists to claws, he pressed his pitch-black, razor-sharp nails against the wall of qi and slashed viciously.
The ripples accelerated once more, yet showed no sign of crumbling or cracking.
Zhao Chenghuang's heart sank. His sharp claws rivaled armor-piercing items, yet they were completely helpless against this barrier.
"Heh heh..."
Suddenly, a raspy laugh came from behind him.
Zhao Chenghuang quickly pulled out the little clay figurine and held it in his palm. Turning with slight sluggishness to guard himself, he saw a humanoid figure forged of flame. Its facial features were indistinct, and in its hand rested a narrow-bladed saber.
On the other side, a figure condensed from illusory water slowly manifested.
What... what kind of item is this? To display both fire and water abilities at once... Where is Yuanshi Tianzun himself? In his Ghost Transformation state, Zhao Chenghuang coldly scrutinized the two elemental figures.
An uproar erupted through the stands; the official walkers present could no longer keep their composure.
Items possessing traits of two distinct classes at once were exceedingly rare. They practically never appeared in class-exclusive Spirit Realms and were only ever found in multiplayer Spirit Realms, though even there they were as rare as phoenix feathers—rarer than an intelligent Fire Master.
Only the Scholar class could craft similar items, but the process was difficult, yield was low, the cost was exorbitant, and few ever possessed powerful functions.
Yuanshi Tianzun's item could manifest an array, making it undeniably top-tier.
At the same time, many recalled that when Yuanshi Tianzun defeated Qingsongzi yesterday, he had utilized a Water Ghost's passive ability, which meant the array wasn't the item's only function.
The Water Ghosts and Fire Masters suddenly breathed faster.
An item combining both Water Ghost and Fire Master classes was an absolute counter to them.
Using fire to counter water and water to counter fire, whether Water Ghost or Fire Master, being trapped in such an array meant utter defeat.
Yet if they were the ones wielding such an item, they could maximize its power. The five orthodox classes—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—were ordinary classes, but they held an unparalleled advantage:
Home-field advantage!
For instance, it was nearly impossible for any peak class to beat a Water Ghost of the same level in a river.
Thus, if a Water Ghost or Fire Master possessed the Yinyang Robe, the water array and fire array would become their home field, causing their combat prowess to skyrocket the moment the array was deployed.
Zhao Chenghuang searched for a moment without finding any trace of Yuanshi Tianzun. He stared at the flame figure for a few seconds, suddenly felt it bore a resemblance to Yuanshi Tianzun, and blurted out:
"You're Yuanshi Tianzun?"
In Ghost Transformation, his voice was sinister and chilling.
The flame figure let out an eccentric laugh:
"Not bad eyes. Save your strength. Once this array deploys, nobody gets out for ten minutes. Zhao Chenghuang, ready to be stomped under my boots?"
He really is Yuanshi Tianzun, and he can actually turn into an element... Zhao Chenghuang showed astonishment, but his mind immediately latched onto something: Ten minutes?!
"Idiot!"
The figure forged of illusory water snapped shrilly:
"Your body might have turned into fire, but your brain didn't have to turn into a Fire Master's! How could you just blurt out critical information like that? You're going to piss me to death!"
The flame figure froze, then realized its mistake and cursed:
"Fuck, I got careless. My IQ got dragged down to a Fire Master's level."
The clamor in the stands quieted somewhat as Spirit Realm walkers from various classes covertly glanced at the Fire Masters beside them.
The Fire Masters either twitched their mouths or popped veins on their foreheads, looking ready to leap down and gang up on Yuanshi Tianzun at any moment.
Having finished cursing, the flame figure's body abruptly collapsed, and the flames behind Zhao Chenghuang erupted with a bang, coalescing into human form.
Fire Movement!
Within the fire array, Zhang Yuanqing could appear anywhere, anytime.
The flame figure swung both arms, the narrow saber slashing toward his foe's neck.
Bang!
Zhao Chenghuang didn't move. The little clay figurine in his palm held up a murky gray curtain of light. The narrow saber struck it like a sandbag, shaving off granular sparks of light like sand.
Only after absorbing the attack did Zhao Chenghuang sluggishly turn around and swipe a claw at the flame figure.
Yet all he struck was an expanding burst of fire; the flame figure had already slipped away via Fire Movement.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The flame figure circled Zhao Chenghuang, slashing blade after blade into the barrier, carving off dense showers of sandy sparks.
Whenever Zhao Chenghuang struck back, he used Fire Movement to reposition, ambushing from behind or from the flanks.
On his home field of fire, the flame figure was like a fish in water.
Meanwhile, Zhao Chenghuang, holding up the clay figurine, moved unnaturally slow, as though bearing a mountain across his shoulders.
This was the item's drawback. Defensive items of the Earth Monster class almost universally had the drawback of "heaviness."
Seeing the protective light curtain grow increasingly unstable and the little clay figurine trembling in his palm, Zhao Chenghuang knew the item's defense couldn't hold against the saber's edge. He decisively stowed the clay figurine.
"Looking to die?" The flame figure laughed wild and arrogant, slashing with his blade.
Zhao Chenghuang shifted his footing to dodge the blade, lunging his pitch-black claws toward the flame figure's head.
Bang!
He crushed the flame figure's head to pieces.
The headless flame figure swept its blade horizontally, carving a bone-deep gash across Zhao Chenghuang's waist and abdomen.
Both disengaged the instant they clashed.
"Fool! I'm immune to physical attacks!" the flame figure cackled wildly.
Zhao Chenghuang's face darkened. Inhaling a deep breath of scorching air, the wound across his abdomen squirmed and rapidly knitted shut.
Following Ghost Transformation, his vitality and self-healing were massively boosted. So long as his head wasn't severed, even if his heart were destroyed, he could cling to life for a long time—plenty to wait for Life Source Fluid treatment.
Thud!
The flame figure took a heavy step forward, thrusting the arm gripping the narrow saber viciously ahead.
Zhao Chenghuang moved nimbly, slipping aside and snapping out a sharp black claw to grip the blade firmly.
The flame figure pulled back to wrench the saber free, but Zhao Chenghuang clamped down tight. Crimson blood welled from his palms immediately, his sharp claws digging white score marks into the blade.
Wrenching the weapon?
The flame figure snorted coldly. Just as he was about to exert force, he felt an unexpected extra surge of power acting on the blade, aiding Zhao Chenghuang.
Glancing toward the tip of the saber, he realized what was helping Zhao Chenghuang: a white-eyed spirit servant with dark lips.
Spirit servants possessed telekinetic control.
Though Zhang Yuanqing was immune to spirit servant attacks while elementalized, he had also lost the means to deal with spirit servants.
The narrow saber slipped from his grasp millimeter by millimeter, the flame figure's feet sliding forward toward Zhao Chenghuang.
The water clone, currently helping Corpse No. 1 deal with the yin corpse, sneered:
"Useless trash. I told you to give the saber to me. Look at you—haven't killed him, and now you're losing the blade."
The flame figure roared furiously:
"Shut up! Since when do I need you to teach me how to do things?"
With that, he spewed a blast of flame onto the blade, roasting it into a glowing red iron.
Sizzle...
Puffs of black smoke rose from Zhao Chenghuang's hands along with an acrid stench of burning flesh. His face twitched uncontrollably from excruciating pain.
"Still not letting go?!" The flame figure opened its mouth and blasted another jet of scorching fire, this time directly at Zhao Chenghuang.
Instantly, flames engulfed Zhao Chenghuang's hair, eyebrows, and clothes. His greenish-black skin was charred with burn marks.
As the flames continued to burn, his flesh began to carbonize, glowing dull red.
Finally, with a furious roar, Zhao Chenghuang released his grip and retreated in a hurry, leaping clear of the scorching tongues of flame.
Seizing the opportunity, the flame figure pressed forward, hacking and slashing with the narrow saber. He opened deep, bone-exposing wounds across Zhao Chenghuang's body. Though Zhao Chenghuang's greenish-black skin gleamed with a metallic sheen, under the blade's edge, it tore like paper.
Had Zhang Yuanqing known proper saber technique, Zhao Chenghuang would have already been cut down.
In the spectator stands, the members of the Taiyi Sect sprang to their feet and shouted toward the elders' seats:
"Foul! That's a foul!"
"That's a Saint-grade item, for fuck's sake!"
"Using an item of that grade is cheating! He can only take hits without any way to strike back!"
"Elders, say something!"
The Night Roamers of the Taiyi Sect were anxious. None of them had expected Yuanshi Tianzun to possess such a miraculous item, pushing Zhao Chenghuang to the brink of death.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go. In their minds, Yuanshi Tianzun should have been fighting for his life while Zhao Chenghuang crushed his foe.
On the Five Elements Alliance side, everyone was thrilled, though they suppressed their cheers and turned their eyes toward the elders' seats.
In their eyes, this item truly was a bit overpowered.
Armored Swordsman called out in a clear voice, "Silence! Do not disrupt the match."
These words effectively endorsed Yuanshi Tianzun; the item was not an infringement.
The Yinyang Robe had been obtained in a Transcendent-stage Spirit Realm; it was indeed not a Saint-stage item.
"Haha! Zhao Chenghuang, boy, your time is up! Kneel down and call me grandpa, and grandpa might spare your life!"
The flame figure was having the time of his life, wildly swinging the narrow saber in relentless pursuit while detonating flames at will to pile double the pressure on his foe.
Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun fight with such wild abandon, the Fire Masters in the audience nodded in approval, feeling a strong sense of kinship, and forgave his previous insult toward Fire Masters.
Zhao Chenghuang took another slash, but by now he had retreated to the boundary where fire met water. Seeing the flame figure swing again, he leaped across the flame border.
In an instant, illusory water surged over, washing over his chest. Though it was illusory water, it possessed a tangible, chilled touch that smoothed over his burns, bringing an invigorating relief.
The flame figure halted at the boundary line, not pursuing him across.
Seeing this, the corners of Zhao Chenghuang's mouth curved upward.
"I was wondering earlier why the elders didn't call a stop, why such a powerful item didn't break the rules. Now I understand. It really is only Transcendent grade.
"This item of yours has a fatal flaw: water and fire cannot merge. Your two clones each govern their own domain, completely distinct from one another."
He had fought the flame clone for so long, and even when they wrestled for the saber, the water clone never intervened. Clearly there was a limitation—the water clone couldn't cross into the fire zone.
The flame figure barked, "So what?!"
Zhao Chenghuang said:
"Your offensive power is lacking! Transcendent-stage Water Ghosts and Fire Masters have limited attack power. Neither can do anything to me on their own. The only thing posing a real threat to me is the blade in your hand.
"Therefore, your array can only trap me; it can't truly harm me. That's why the elders didn't call a halt."
The flame figure fell silent.
"You look down on me?" The water clone appeared silently behind Zhao Chenghuang, throwing a punch toward the back of his head.
Zhao Chenghuang sank his knees, lowering his body by several inches to dodge the punch aimed at his head. Simultaneously, he spun and slashed his claws, severing the water clone at the waist.
Splash!
The water clone collapsed into illusory torrents, sweeping around Zhao Chenghuang from all sides.
Water was formless, yet lethal.
On the other side, the Level 4 yin corpse under bombardment slowly rasped, "Night Roamers have immense vitality. Even without breathing, I can hold out for a very long time—until your array expires."
The flame figure snapped angrily, "Swap positions!"
He lifted his foot and stomped down hard.
The grand water-fire array rotated like a millstone, water and fire exchanging places.
Zhao Chenghuang and the two yin corpses, originally in the water array, suddenly found themselves standing in the flame-shrouded domain.
The flame figure raised his blade and gave chase to Zhao Chenghuang and the yin corpse.
The latter refused to engage at all, sprinting into the water array alongside his yin corpse and remarking coolly:
"This is completely meaningless!
"I won't fight you anymore. There is only one blade. If the fire clone holds it, I'll avoid the fire; if the water clone holds it, I'll avoid the water. The only side that can threaten me will always be one or the other.
"That is your flaw."
As he spoke, Zhao Chenghuang dropped out of his Ghost Transformation state, gasping for breath. His stamina could no longer maintain the form, but it didn't matter—he had already seen through Yuanshi Tianzun's routine.
Over the remaining time, Zhao Chenghuang used this rule to hop back and forth between water and fire, parrying without attacking, dodging without engaging.
Until the ten minutes ended, and the illusory water and scorching fire returned into the Yinyang Robe hanging in midair.
The Yinyang Robe drifted down, and Zhang Yuanqing's body materialized, reaching out to catch the robe.
Both yin corpses ceased fighting and retreated to their respective masters' sides.
Seeing this, the Night Roamers of the Taiyi Sect breathed a sigh of relief.
That had been too close! Zhao Chenghuang had almost lost to Yuanshi Tianzun. Fortunately, his sharp wit had spotted the item's flaw and averted disaster.
"Phew, that was close. Yuanshi Tianzun must be out of tricks now."
"Zhao Chenghuang took quite a beating. Pushing him this far is no small feat for Yuanshi Tianzun."
"As they say, extreme misfortune brings good fortune."
Sun Miaomiao, Maoshan Daoist, and the others said nothing, though they also breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Saints like Ghost King of Fengdu and Yin Ji showed satisfied expressions. As pillars of the Taiyi Sect, they naturally didn't want Zhao Chenghuang to fall to Yuanshi Tianzun.
Meanwhile, among the walkers of the Five Elements Alliance, aside from those who had bet on Zhao Chenghuang, most couldn't hide their disappointment.
Yuanshi Tianzun's response had been brilliant. He had used battle armor to buff his yin corpse and counter Zhao Chenghuang's greatest asset, then deployed the robe's array to turn the tables on Zhao Chenghuang's Ghost Transformation.
Fighting from a weaker position, he had firmly suppressed his rival.
Anyone else facing such a formidable Zhao Chenghuang would have conceded long ago.
"What a shame. This Zhao Chenghuang is very smart and hard to deal with," Annie sighed with regret.
"No, look at it from another angle," Mr. Bill said with a smile. "Yuanshi Tianzun successfully defused Zhao Chenghuang's terrifying state. Look, Zhao Chenghuang is badly wounded, and that state took a heavy toll on him, whereas Yuanshi Tianzun is calm and composed, having expended practically nothing."
Annie paused, carefully observing the panting Zhao Chenghuang, and her beautiful eyes lit up. "That's true."
Mr. Bill said seriously, "Zhao Chenghuang knows his own condition best. Next, he'll bring out his trump card; he won't get bogged down in drawn-out combat with Yuanshi Tianzun anymore."
Inside the arena.
What a pity. I couldn't take him down within ten minutes... Zhang Yuanqing shook out the Yinyang Robe and draped it over his shoulders, looking full of regret.
In the dual water-and-fire clone state, he feared neither physical attacks nor spiritual ambushes, serving as a near-perfect counter to Zhao Chenghuang and leaving his mysterious spirit servant completely useless.
It had been the best possible opportunity to defeat his rival.
Yet just as Zhao Chenghuang had said, the Yinyang Robe had its limits and flaws.
Lack of damage output was its biggest weakness. Especially under the three-item restriction, relying purely on water and fire abilities had been barely enough even against Li Xianzong back then and required auxiliary items.
Let alone Zhao Chenghuang in his Ghost Transformation state.
To spot the Yinyang Robe's weakness in such a short time showed that Zhao Chenghuang truly had skill.
"That was your trump card, wasn't it?" Zhao Chenghuang let out a breath, his breathing completely ragged, like an ordinary person after strenuous exercise.
His stamina had dropped by at least forty percent.
Ghost Transformation took too great a toll on the body. Combined with the blade wounds and burns suffered in the array, repairing those injuries had likewise drained his cellular vitality. In just ten minutes, he was already exhausted.
"Yes!"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded, not denying it.
"Then it's my turn to use mine." Zhao Chenghuang panted slightly, saying coldly, "You probably know I have a spirit servant I rarely use, but you definitely don't know why I don't use it."
"Why?" Zhang Yuanqing asked along.
Zhao Chenghuang's gaze turned razor-sharp. "You'll know soon enough."
With that, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a bronze box measuring one meter on each side. The surface was engraved with scenes of two armies clashing, spears and blades locked in brutal combat.
An indescribable aura of grim slaughter washed over the arena.
Seeing this box, Armored Swordsman on the elders' bench blurted in surprise, "A Soldier Puppet Storage Box?"
Hearing this, the elders of the Five Elements Alliance were taken aback.
Not far away, Elder Zhao chuckled. "Merely a replica."
Armored Swordsman shot him a profound look. "Even if it's a replica, if it possesses the traits of a Puppeteer, that's a violation!"
Elder Zhao smiled without answering.
At that moment, Zhao Chenghuang took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of Taiyin power.
The wisps of Taiyin power drifted behind his head and coalesced into a phantom draped in a tattered robe. Like a deity from myth, it floated in midair, arms spread wide.
Clang!
The bronze box snapped open.
The phantom behind Zhao Chenghuang cast its gaze down toward the bronze box. From its ten fingers sprouted thin, illusory black threads.
The black threads cascaded into the box like a waterfall. A moment later, a humanoid figure leaped out from within.
It was a bronze puppet with facial features resembling a terracotta warrior—brows furrowed, eyes glaring. Its body and limbs were cast from bronze covered in verdigris, its joints long rusted. It wobbled to a steady stance, its joints groaning with an ear-grating screech.
In its hand, it carried a rust-covered battle saber.
The Night Roamers present could see an illusory black thread connecting the back of the puppet's head to the spirit servant behind Zhao Chenghuang.
Figure after figure leaped from the bronze box—ten, twenty, thirty... thirty bronze puppets in total.
They shared identical faces and carried standard-issue sabers, standing unsteadily and emitting tooth-grating screeches.
The spirit servant in the tattered robe lightly jerked its arms.
Creeeak.
Every single bronze puppet tilted its head in unison, staring fixedly at Zhang Yuanqing.
Though entirely expressionless, they exuded an eerie, bone-chilling dread.
Zhao Chenghuang said coldly:
"The reason I never used this spirit servant is because its function is too singular. It can only manipulate inanimate puppets. Only by finding a matching item can its true power be unleashed."
On the elders' bench, Elder Gou whipped his head around and glared at Elder Zhao.
"Shameless! How is this any different from using a Puppeteer's trait?"
Using a spirit servant to manipulate thirty puppets was tantamount to thirty combatants ganging up on Yuanshi Tianzun. How was he supposed to win?
Elder Zhao chuckled. "If he had used a Puppeteer's ability, a single puppet would have been enough to slay Yuanshi Tianzun. You can't accuse my great-grandson of breaking the rules just because his spirit servant can manipulate puppets."
Puppeteer was a Level 7 Scout skill by that very name, granting the ability to command soldier puppets.
A single Puppeteer was equivalent to ten thousand troops—an entire army unto themselves.
The Soldier Puppet Storage Box was an item belonging to an elder of the White Tiger Guards, usable only by a Puppeteer; otherwise, the soldier puppets inside were nothing more than dead objects.
That was why Armored Swordsman had said that using Puppeteer traits would amount to cheating.
Yet Zhao Chenghuang truly hadn't cheated. The spirit servant's puppet manipulation was distinct from a Puppeteer's skill, sharing only the outward manifestation of controlling puppets.
In the eyes of the elders, the spirit servant's technique was crude and simplistic.
Yet for Transcendent-stage walkers, this was simply an impossible fight.
Zhao Chenghuang still had this card to play?
Looking at the dense throng of thirty bronze puppets, the audience was dumbfounded.
Was this still an arena match?
This was just bullying!
Mr. Bill's expression shifted slightly. "My God, it's over..."
In the White Tiger Guards' seating section, Qicilang, sitting diagonally behind Fu Qingyang, cursed in frustration:
"Fuck, five years' worth of funding down the drain."
Youfeng Laiyi and the others remained silent.
"So that's what Zhao Chenghuang's spirit servant is..." Beside Sun Miaomiao, Maoshan Daoist chuckled, gloating, "Sun Miaomiao, why didn't you tell me sooner? If you'd told me earlier, I would have raised my bet."
Having been defeated by Yuanshi Tianzun himself, he was thrilled at the prospect of Zhao Chenghuang crushing his "nemesis."
Sun Miaomiao shot him a sideways glance. "How would I know? Elder Zhao probably had a Scholar family forge that thing overnight. Zhao Chenghuang never used it before."
"Tsk, tsk. Having a Dominator-stage grandfather is pure bliss," Maoshan Daoist remarked.
Just then, the smiling Elder Zhao heard Elder Sun to his left say in a tone of deep lamentation:
"It's over. It's totally over now..."
Elder Zhao turned his head, slightly surprised, and frowned. "Aren't you the one who couldn't stand this Yuanshi Tianzun?"
Elder Sun snapped irritably, "I mean your great-grandson's trump card is done for."
At those words, Elder Hongying and the others turned their heads to look over as well.
"Old Sun, what do you mean by that?"
Chapter 211