Chapter 1271: Black Hand

When Zhou Yuan was blasted back, Ai Tuanzi and the others outside the battle platform all changed color. Their eyes, fixed on the colossal demonic figure that had emerged within the platform, revealed a hint of terror.

Even with the battle platform acting as a barrier, they could still sense the terrifying power contained within that monstrous giant figure.

An attack of that magnitude would have utterly obliterated the bodies and souls of any one of them if they had faced it.

"That Chi Xuan is too powerful," Zhuang Xiaoming of the Ancient Whale Clan remarked, his plump face etched with gravity and a hint of worry.

Ai Tuanzi fell silent for a moment, then stated, "We have no other means to counteract him. At this point, we can only hope that Zhou Yuan and Lord Tun Tun are capable of resisting him."

The pseudo-Law Domain experts from the other clans also offered bitter smiles. Indeed, the battle unfolding before them was beyond their ability to intervene.

Apart from not yet possessing complete Law Domains, both combatants had reached the level of Law Domain experts purely in terms of their Genesis Qi foundation.

All they could do now was place their trust in Zhou Yuan and Tun Tun.

On the highly anticipated supreme battle platform, Chi Xuan, transformed into a colossal fiendish demon, stood tall, his crimson eyes fixed on the swirling dust.

"What? Is that all you've got?" his chillingly sarcastic voice echoed.

The moment his voice faded, a surge of intense heat erupted from within the dust cloud, warping the very void as if evaporating it.

The next instant, a crimson light burst forth.

It was a figure as sturdy as an iron tower, its powerful physique covered in dense crimson patterns. These patterns, resembling molten lava, radiated an alarming heat.

The breath exhaled from its nostrils carried a sulfuric scent, scorching the air into a hazy blur.

And beneath that crimson light, mysterious glazed radiance surged.

This was Zhou Yuan simultaneously activating his Great Blazing Demon and Saint Glazed Body.

It was precisely by utilizing these dual physical defenses that Zhou Yuan had managed to withstand Chi Xuan's previous palm strike. Even so, streaks of blood still appeared on his body, demonstrating the sheer ferocity of Chi Xuan's earlier assault.

Zhou Yuan glanced down at the gradually healing wounds on his body and grimaced, "That hurt quite a bit."

Yet, his gaze grew chillingly cold. This Chi Xuan was proving to be far more formidable than he had anticipated.

"To determine a victor, ordinary methods will no longer suffice."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the colossal demonic figure that Chi Xuan had transformed into. The chilling murderous intent in his eyes seemed almost tangible.

"Tun Tun, let's unleash the ultimate move!"

A low growl echoed in response from within Zhou Yuan's body.

Zhou Yuan's figure shot forth at that moment. With a single stride, the void rippled, and he appeared directly in front of the fiendish demonic shadow that Chi Xuan had become.

Zhou Yuan's expression was grim. Suddenly, billions of light rays erupted from his right palm. The next instant, he pulled out a simple, unadorned, mottled iron mace from within that blinding light.

The iron mace appeared deceptively ordinary, yet a terrifying power surged as it emerged.

It was the Heaven Punishing Mace!

Previously, condensing the Heaven Punishing Mace had almost completely drained Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi, physical strength, and soul power. However, with the formidable foundation gained from their fusion, he now wielded it with noticeably greater ease.

Nevertheless, as the Heaven Punishing Mace materialized, beads of blood still seeped from the pores of Zhou Yuan's right arm, dripping down like crimson jewels.

With a stoic expression, he raised the Heaven Punishing Mace and swung it directly at the colossal fiendish figure that Chi Xuan had become.

The Heaven Punishing Mace, measuring only about a zhang, appeared minuscule compared to Chi Xuan's thousand-zhang demonic form. Yet, as it swung down, Chi Xuan felt a piercing sensation spread throughout his body, and an extremely potent sense of danger enveloped his heart.

He let out a roar, and a terrifying, malevolent aura gushed forth, seemingly transforming into thick blood-red clouds that enveloped the surroundings.

The Heaven Punishing Mace descended, tearing through layers of blood clouds. Yet, the blood clouds, like a swamp of blood, continuously dissolved the immense power of the Mace.

As the Heaven Punishing Mace slowly descended, Chi Xuan's massive body trembled slightly.

Both sides seemed to be locked in a stalemate.

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly. His opponent's tenacity was beyond his expectations; he hadn't anticipated that even after unleashing the Heaven Punishing Mace, he still wouldn't be able to decisively suppress him.

"Tun Tun!"

During the stalemate, Zhou Yuan uttered a low command within his mind.

Tun Tun's roar resonated, and the next moment, Genesis Qi coalesced into Tun Tun's head, appearing directly above Zhou Yuan.

Its massive mouth opened, and a torrent of black gale burst forth.

The black gale was incredibly bizarre; wherever it swept, the blood clouds continuously dissipated, not by dissolving, but by being directly devoured by the black wind.

As the black gale devoured the blood clouds, it rapidly grew in intensity. Roaring past, the blood clouds, resembling a swamp of blood, dispersed layer by layer.

Witnessing this, Chi Xuan's pupils immediately constricted, and he couldn't help but curse, "Ganging up on me! How shameless!"

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan couldn't help but be amused. This guy had previously pulled numerous tricks from the shadows, yet now he was calling Zhou Yuan shameless—truly laughable.

Despite his amusement, Zhou Yuan acted without hesitation. Seizing the moment the blood clouds were dispersed by Tun Tun, the Heaven Punishing Mace, no longer impeded, crashed down ferociously onto Chi Xuan.

Chi Xuan's face contorted in alarm, and he swiftly retreated. The power contained within the Heaven Punishing Mace made him sense an overwhelming aura of death.

However, while he retreated quickly, the Heaven Punishing Mace descended even faster.

In less than a breath, the space before Chi Xuan abruptly shattered. The Heaven Punishing Mace tore through the air and struck directly onto the crown of the colossal fiendish demon that Chi Xuan had become.

With that single strike, the void itself seemed to freeze.

The pervasive malevolent aura filling the sky seemed to be frozen, then began to rapidly recede, fully re-entering Chi Xuan's body within mere seconds.

Chi Xuan's massive body swayed precariously, staggering backward repeatedly, causing the ground to tremble with each step.

As he continued to retreat, his colossal body began to split open, shedding large chunks of flesh while simultaneously shrinking rapidly.

Moments later, amidst the scattered flesh and blood, Chi Xuan's figure had reverted to his original Fiend Beast form.

His bone-spurred tail swayed slightly, and a greyish-white aura spread across his body.

That was the Heaven Punishing Mace's power of extinction rapidly eroding his life force.

However, Chi Xuan's strength far surpassed that of Chi Qiu before him, so he didn't immediately turn to ash...

Nevertheless, this mace strike had undoubtedly inflicted a devastating blow.

Zhou Yuan's figure descended. He looked at Chi Xuan and let out a sigh of relief, having seized the opportunity Tun Tun created to deliver a decisive blow to Chi Xuan.

With his opponent now severely wounded, there should be no chance of recovery.

Zhou Yuan stared coldly at Chi Xuan but did not immediately move in for the final blow. Instead, he intended to wait for the power of extinction to completely rampage within Chi Xuan's body.

Heavy breaths.

Chi Xuan's breathing grew ragged and heavy. His face contorted slightly as he looked up at Zhou Yuan, stating coldly, "Truly worthy of being the one who creates miracles in the Ancient Origin Heaven..."

Zhou Yuan calmly replied, "Regardless of your Fiend Beast clan's intentions in this Dragon Spirit Cave Heaven, it should end now."

At this, Chi Xuan's expression turned somewhat eerie. "End? You are far too naive," he said.

As he spoke, Zhou Yuan was alarmed to realize that the power of extinction raging within Chi Xuan's body had suddenly vanished completely.

Zhou Yuan's expression flickered. He stared at Chi Xuan, not only refraining from advancing but slowly retreating.

"Tun Tun, there's something off about this guy!"

From within, Tun Tun also emitted a wary low growl: "Be careful, there seems to be something extremely terrifying inside him!"

Chi Xuan disregarded the retreating Zhou Yuan. He let out a soft sigh, then struggled to rise, kneeling on one knee, forming a hand seal with his fingertips, and pressing it against his heart.

"My Lord, Chi Xuan is incompetent and has failed to complete the task you entrusted to me."

The instant Chi Xuan's voice faded, his back suddenly began to tear open, becoming a bloody mess with blood gushing forth.

Chi Xuan trembled violently, enduring the excruciating tearing pain without daring to utter a single groan.

As his back split open, Zhou Yuan's pupils constricted, witnessing an infant-like hand emerge from the torn flesh. It then pressed against Chi Xuan's spine, slowly crawled out, and stood atop his head.

"You truly are a waste... I gave you so many plans and enhancements, yet in the end, I still had to intervene. The Fiend Beast clan truly is lowly and useless."

The small infant, covered in blood, stood on Chi Xuan's head, its tender yet indifferent voice slowly echoing.

Before him, Zhou Yuan stared at the eerie spectacle and then at the infant emerging from Chi Xuan's flesh, feeling as if his scalp were about to explode.

At this moment, he could hardly fail to realize that his actions had directly forced the mastermind behind this incident to reveal themselves...

The infant before him had to be a Saint from the Saint Clan!