Chapter 554: Nine Emperor Flood Dragon Poison

"Hmph," Huyan Ba laughed wildly after a moment of brief astonishment. "What does it matter if you know which one is real? You won't be able to parry this sword, not even in ten years!"

Huyan Ba's expression suddenly changed before he could finish his boast. The sword flying towards him showed no sign of slowing down under the oppressive force of his "Nine Nether Thunder Emperor Slash." It sliced through his torrent of profound energy like a hot knife through butter, layer by layer, carrying a whirlwind of destruction straight towards his chest.

Boom! Sword met sword in mid-air, and the power of wind and thunder erupted simultaneously. It was as if two mountains had collided; the heavens and earth trembled, and fierce winds howled. All air currents were forcefully pushed aside by the overwhelmingly powerful profound energy, turning the entire Demon Emperor Hall into a complete vacuum for five long breaths.

Amidst the wildly raging wind, thunder, and profound energy, the two swords clashed like two flood dragons tearing at each other, emitting ear-splitting metallic shrieks.

Su Zhizhan stood below, his hands clasped tightly above his head. Although the sword had left his grasp, it remained fully under his control. Huyan Ba's body was frozen in mid-air, his black sword fiercely parried by Su Zhizhan's. He could not descend another inch. Huyan Ba's eyes were wide with disbelief; he simply could not believe what he was seeing: "Impossible! Impossible! How could you block that sword!"

"Hehehe," Su Zhizhan chuckled, for at this moment, he had already foreseen the outcome of this decisive battle. "Huyan Ba, do you think you're the only one who hides their true power? In all our previous encounters, I never used my full strength—because you weren't worthy!"

"Hah!!!" Su Zhizhan abruptly thrust his hands upward. Instantly, Huyan Ba felt the force impacting him surge dramatically. His black sword was violently pushed aside, and his protective profound energy was easily shattered. An unbelievably immense force slammed into his chest.

"Begone!" Boom! A pained cry rang out in the air. The black sword in Huyan Ba's hand snapped into two, flying away in opposite directions. Huyan Ba's body, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted towards the western seating area. The sword, still imbued with a terrifying whirlwind, did not pursue him further. Instead, it shot upward, carved a wide arc, and then descended, landing before Su Zhizhan. The whirlwind around the sword had completely dissipated.

Huyan Kuang soared forward, catching Huyan Ba in mid-air. Huyan Ba's armor was torn, revealing a half-foot-wide bloody hole in his chest. Huyan Kuang glanced at Huyan Ba's injuries, then turned his icy gaze towards Su Xiangnan and stated coldly, "Su Xiangnan, you've certainly raised quite a son, mastering the Wind God Sword at such a young age."

"Hehe, as everyone can see, he is indeed a bit better than Brother Huyan's son," Su Xiangnan chuckled. "I, Su, humbly accept Brother Huyan's praise."

"You!" Huyan Kuang's face darkened. He barely managed to suppress the urge to swear aloud. Huyan Ba, whom he was holding, began to struggle. "How could I have lost to him? Impossible! I want to fight him again!"

"Enough," Huyan Kuang growled. "You were outmatched; your loss is not unjust. Su Zhizhan was clearly concealing his true strength all along. Even if you fought ten more times, you would still lose. Let them gloat about this victory—it will be the last thing they have to be proud of."

Cheers erupted from the western seating area for the first time. Having been thoroughly suppressed, they finally breathed a sigh of relief with Su Zhizhan's victory over Huyan Ba. However, for two individuals typically considered equals, Su Zhizhan's victory was far from easy. He was covered in injuries, and his profound energy was nearly ninety percent depleted. As cheers echoed from the west, he knelt on one knee. Only when the applause faded did he slowly rise to his feet and grasp his beloved sword once more.

"Who's next!" Su Zhizhan's sword-wielding hand trembled slightly, a muscle reaction from severe exhaustion. Yet, his voice remained clear and resolute, his imposing aura showing no signs of weakening.

Huyan Ba clutched the wound on his chest, his gaze fixed directly on Jiufang Yu, who sat in the center of the Jiufang family's seating area. Sensing the gaze, Jiufang Yu's eyes immediately met his. The moment their eyes connected, Jiufang Yu understood.

Huyan Ba's clenched jaw and gritted teeth conveyed a clear message: Avenge me! Cripple him!

Jiufang Yu stood up, leaping directly onto the arena to stand before Su Zhizhan. With a chuckle, he said, "Jiufang Yu of the Jiufang family, I humbly request instruction from Brother Su."

Prince Huai was just deciding who should finish off the exhausted Su Zhizhan when he suddenly saw Jiufang Yu step into the arena on his own. He narrowed his eyes and smiled subtly to himself.

Su Xiangnan, who had remained calm throughout Su Zhizhan's battle against Huyan Ba, saw Jiufang Yu enter the arena and his brows furrowed sharply. He stood up and quickly transmitted a message: "Zhizhan, be careful!"

Jiufang Yu's profound energy cultivation wasn't particularly high, only at the fourth level of the Tyrant Profound Realm. However, the most terrifying aspect of the Jiufang clan was their family's profound art: a horrifying poison technique. Their true form was that of a nine-headed venomous dragon. Jiufang Yu, specifically, was born with an exceptionally rare Flood Dragon Poison, possessing the "Nine Monarch Poison Body," a trait that appears only once every four thousand years within the Jiufang clan. If poisoned by him, even low-level emperors would struggle to detoxify. This fact was well-known throughout Demon Emperor City.

Throughout Demon Emperor City, very few dared to engage in battle with members of the Jiufang family.

"Brother Su, you were truly impressive just now," Jiufang Yu whispered, his voice barely audible to anyone but Su Zhizhan. "However, I advise you to concede immediately. You must know the consequences of falling into my hands."

"Enough talk!" Su Zhizhan swept his sword horizontally. "I, Su Zhizhan, have never feared anyone in my life, and you are even less worthy!"

Jiufang Yu's lips twitched. Su Zhizhan's personality was famously arrogant; he would never willingly concede. He drew his weapon, a jade-green longsword, and said unhurriedly, "Then don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"

"Shut up!" Su Zhizhan flicked his arm, and his longsword instantly whistled forward, its tip aimed directly at Jiufang Yu's throat. A chilling aura rushed towards Jiufang Yu's windpipe, causing him to break into a cold sweat. He hastily dodged, then, with a flick of his jade-green longsword, parried Su Zhizhan's blade. *This madman!* he cursed inwardly.

If Su Zhizhan had been at full strength, his sword could not have been so easily parried by Jiufang Yu. Yet now, Jiufang Yu had used less than sixty percent of his power and almost disarmed Su Zhizhan. Su Zhizhan clenched his jaw, pulled his sword back into his grip, and lunged forward. A fierce wind accompanied his sword's momentum as all his profound energy surged forth without reservation, thrusting directly at Jiufang Yu.

Having tested Su Zhizhan's previous sword strike, Jiufang Yu felt greatly relieved. He took a step forward and thrust his sword. He was certain that, in Su Zhizhan's current state, a direct clash would leave him no match for Jiufang Yu.

The two swords collided, sending ripples of profound energy outwards. Su Zhizhan leaned back, and the sword in his hand bent significantly. It was clear to all that in this exchange, he was at a disadvantage. Despite his profound energy originally being at the sixth level of the Tyrant Profound Realm, he was outmatched by Jiufang Yu, who was only at the fourth level, in their very first clash. This illustrated the immense drain from his previous battle with Huyan Ba.

But this state would not cause Su Zhizhan to retreat even a single step. The bones in his arms crackled. Instead of retreating, he advanced, instantly conjuring a dozen sword shadows that thrust directly at Jiufang Yu's vital points. Jiufang Yu's vision blurred, but he did not retreat either. Instead, without even looking, he swept his sword forward. Su Zhizhan's mastery of the Wind Sword was indeed supreme, but what threat could it pose without powerful profound energy to sustain it?

Clang! A massive force struck his sword, violently knocking Su Zhizhan's sword and arm aside and causing him to stumble backward. Jiufang Yu's eyes flashed, and a sinister smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. His body abruptly shot forward, carrying a cloud of eerie green mist that swept past Su Zhizhan's side. Within the eerie green mist, the image of a jade-green nine-headed flood dragon flashed and then vanished.

Su Zhizhan's protective profound energy had already become exceptionally weak, and he was covered in injuries. The green mist easily penetrated his weakened defenses, entering his bloodstream through the numerous wounds on his body.

"Ugh..." A painful groan escaped Su Zhizhan's lips. His body stiffened, then he suddenly collapsed to his knees, his sword clattering to the ground. His entire body trembled, and the wounds all over him slowly began to turn an increasingly deeper shade of green.

"Zhizhan!" The most dreaded scene had finally unfolded. Su Xiangnan's face paled with shock. He flew up and landed in front of Su Zhizhan, quickly helping him to his feet.

"Su Xiangnan! The victor between them has not yet been decided! What is the meaning of you intruding on the arena?!" Prince Huai roared.

"We concede this match!" Su Xiangnan gritted his teeth and shouted. He quickly assessed Su Zhizhan's current state, his heart seizing with alarm: Su Zhizhan's profound energy was severely depleted, making it difficult for him to resist the potent poison or curb its onset and spread. Moreover, with his body covered in wounds, a massive amount of venom was pouring into him from every injury. For Su Zhizhan in his current state, this poison was enough to be fatal in a short time!

Su Xiangnan swiftly circulated his profound energy, exerting his full power to suppress the potent poison within Su Zhizhan. He then abruptly turned, glaring fiercely at Jiufang Yu. "Hand over the antidote immediately!"

"Antidote?" Jiufang Yu asked with a feigned innocent expression. "Well, I, your junior, possess the Nine Monarch Poison Body, which is slightly different from others in my clan. This Nine Monarch Flood Dragon Poison is very difficult to formulate an antidote for. I only have a few doses in total, and I left in a bit of a hurry today, so I forgot to bring them. However, given the abundant profound energy of Patriarch Su and the esteemed elders of the Su family, I am confident that neutralizing my trivial Nine Monarch Flood Dragon Poison should be no problem at all."

The various elders of the Su family had also flown over. After examining Su Zhizhan's condition, their expressions all drastically changed.

"Bastard!" Su Xiangnan roared in fury. "You clearly knew my son was covered in wounds and his profound energy greatly weakened, yet you deliberately inflicted such a potent poison! Now, there's no way to contain the poison, and using external force could easily harm his internal organs. Hand over the antidote immediately, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Su Xiangnan, what do you mean by that?" Jiufang Kui of the Jiufang family stood up and said coldly, "Poison arts are our Jiufang family's profound art, used honorably and legitimately! My son defeated him using our family's profound art; it was completely fair. Your son's condition is his own fault for being outmatched. On the arena, facing a mortal enemy, do you really expect him to hand over an antidote?"

"Jiufang Kui, you—!" Su Xiangnan was furious, but with the antidote in their hands, despite his rage, he dared not speak too harshly. He took a deep breath, turning to look at the emperor. If the emperor intervened, the Jiufang family would surely not dare to withhold the antidote, but it would also place his own side in an even more disadvantageous position.

At this moment, Yun Che rushed forward, arriving before Su Zhizhan. He quickly produced a pale yellow pill and placed it in Su Zhizhan's mouth. "Swallow this immediately, quickly!"

Without waiting for Su Zhizhan to respond, he then used profound energy to push the yellow pill directly into Su Zhizhan's stomach. Only then did the elders surrounding Su Zhizhan react, exclaiming in shock, "What did you give the young master?!"

No sooner had they spoken than they felt the poisonous aura surrounding Su Zhizhan suddenly diminish, then rapidly dissipate. In just a few breaths, the green color on Su Zhizhan's body slowly faded until it completely vanished.

Yun Che's hand quietly moved away from Su Zhizhan's chest. The pill he had given him was merely a common Profound Recovery Pill, a diversion. The true agent purifying the Flood Dragon Poison was, of course, the Sky Poison Pearl. While the Monarch Flood Dragon Poison was indeed formidable, before the Sky Poison Pearl, it was no different from any ordinary toxin; complete purification occurred in the blink of an eye.