Chapter 602: Three-Tenths of the Strength

On the square, under the gaze of countless eyes, as Zhou Yuan slowly raised the sharp tip of his weapon, pointing it from a distance towards Huo Tian and Zhao Jing, the atmosphere in the arena instantly turned frigid.

Huo Tian narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhou Yuan. He then smiled, but a chilling aura permeated his grin: "So you are that Zhou Yuan, who used despicable means, betrayed trust, and treacherously ambushed and killed Fan Yao?"

Yet, facing Huo Tian's venomous slander, Zhou Yuan had no intention of offering even the slightest explanation. At such a moment, what he needed to do was not explain, but rather, in front of countless people, once again utterly defeat the Saint Palace's chief disciple. Only then would Huo Tian's malicious defamation naturally become a joke, and slap him in the face.

So, with an unperturbed expression, he simply gazed at the two, and slowly spoke again: "Which one of you wishes to contend? Or perhaps, both of you want to come at once?"

His words, once spread, caused a considerable stir. Many gazes turned curious; though they still didn't know Zhou Yuan's true abilities, his audacity certainly lived up to the recklessness of youth.

Huo Tian chuckled faintly, saying no more. The gaze he fixed upon Zhou Yuan grew increasingly chilling. He then nodded slightly to Zhao Jing, speaking casually: "This young man doesn't know his place. It's only right to teach him a lesson... Remember to crush his jaw, and break his limbs as well."

"Since he has harmed the reputation of my Saint Palace, he naturally must pay the price."

Zhao Jing sneered, then slowly stepped forward. With each stride, the ground beneath his feet cracked. His skin glowed with a sheen, indicating he was clearly a master of body cultivation.

He stood casually before Zhou Yuan, his gaze fiercely violent as he slowly curled his fingers into a fist: "Kid, if you had hidden away like a rat, you might have kept your worthless life today. But alas... you've lost your chance to regret it."

As his words fell, his body gradually expanded. A faint black light circulated over his skin, and as his muscles vibrated, an astonishing sense of power erupted, causing the air to crackle with sonic booms.

A sense of oppression slowly emanated, and many eyes around the square grew solemn.

Zhao Jing hailed from the Saint Palace's Earth Saint Hall, which, like the Cangxuan Sect's Hongya Peak, primarily focused on body cultivation. Their physical bodies were exceptionally formidable, capable of moving mountains and shattering cities.

At this moment, Zhao Jing resembled a ferocious ape.

In contrast, Zhou Yuan, standing before him, gave off an unremarkable impression, as if a single punch from Zhao Jing would instantly annihilate him.

Countless eyes converged on the two confronting figures, fixated on them.

Even the sound of the wind seemed to halt at that moment.

The stillness lasted only a few breaths. The next moment, a violent aura suddenly erupted from Zhao Jing. With a brutal expression, he stomped his foot, causing the ground to crack.

His figure then shot forward like a cannonball, moving so swiftly that it generated sonic booms.

Clenching his fingers tightly, he unleashed a punch. The force of his fist roared, causing the very space to tremble slightly.

Zhou Yuan watched the charging figure. His body blurred, and he gracefully retreated. Simultaneously, with a flick of his sleeve, a golden torrent of Genesis Qi roared forth.

Zhao Jing's punch landed, directly shattering the Genesis Qi torrent.

He looked at Zhou Yuan, who chose to evade, and his sneer deepened. Stomping his foot, his speed instantly surged, leaving afterimages as he appeared directly behind Zhou Yuan amidst countless gasps of surprise.

"Die!"

With a ferocious grin, he threw a punch, aiming directly for Zhou Yuan's head, his attack ruthless.

Zhou Yuan glanced behind him, then also clenched his fingers into a fist and counter-punched. As he threw his punch, his skin began to shimmer with a jade-like glow, and silver light radiated from within his bones.

Their fists collided head-on. A violent shockwave of power instantly erupted, continuously cracking the flagstone ground beneath their feet with astonishing destructive force.

All eyes were fixed on the arena, then widened slightly in surprise, for they saw that both figures remained perfectly still!

They weren't surprised by Zhao Jing, as his strength was indeed formidable and his physical body had been tempered to an extremely ferocious degree. But what astonished them was that Zhou Yuan could also withstand Zhao Jing's attack head-on without being at a disadvantage.

"Interesting, so you've also cultivated your physical body."

Zhao Jing, seeing the jade-like glow on Zhou Yuan's body, showed slight surprise. Then the brutality in his eyes intensified as he sneered: "Good. That chief disciple from your Hongya Peak had an arm torn off by me. I'd like to see how long you can last against me!"

Boom! Boom!

The instant his words fell, the circulating black light on his body grew even denser. The next moment, his fists lashed out like a torrential downpour, transforming into countless fist-shadows, each containing extremely terrifying power.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The roars of his fists whistled, and the escaping force left deep marks on the ground.

Such an offensive made the powerful individuals from all sides feel their scalps tingle.

The countless fist-shadows rapidly expanded in Zhou Yuan's pupils. His expression remained calm. The jade-like glow on his body grew even richer, and silver light emanated from his bones, interweaving with the jade glow.

He struck out with both palms, similarly forming numerous palm-shadows. Although the force of his palms was not as wild and ferocious as Zhao Jing's, it possessed a casual and composed demeanor of its own.

Boom! Boom!

In that close proximity, fists and palms collided, continuously unleashing terrifying shockwaves of power that caused space to tremble.

Countless gazes were fixed intently on their clash. In terms of momentum, Zhao Jing undoubtedly held the absolute advantage. His offensive was like a torrential downpour, like a flood. Zhou Yuan, however, was like a small boat caught in the midst of a storm and torrent, constantly facing the danger of capsizing. Yet, to everyone's surprise, Zhou Yuan always managed to defuse the danger at every critical moment.

By this point, those present could already sense that Zhou Yuan indeed possessed considerable strength. After all, to be able to hold out against Zhao Jing for so long, it might not be impossible for him to have slain Fan Yao.

In the arena, another fierce collision occurred.

Both Zhou Yuan and Zhao Jing were sent backward.

Huo Tian watched the arena, his expression slightly darkened. He said, "Zhao Jing, stop playing around!"

What he needed was for Zhao Jing to crush Zhou Yuan decisively, not to gauge Zhou Yuan's true level.

Zhao Jing twisted his neck and grinned, "This kid's physical body isn't bad. It's rare to meet someone who can clash head-on with me..."

However, he also knew it wasn't the time to indulge in combat. So, he cast a fierce look at Zhou Yuan and said, "Kid, I haven't even used sixty percent of my strength just now."

Zhou Yuan chuckled faintly, "I was wondering why it felt so soft, like a woman's punch."

A brutal glint flashed in Zhao Jing's eyes. He stared at Zhou Yuan, then abruptly clasped his hands together. The next moment, black currents of air began to wriggle from within his flesh and blood. His skin started to turn an obsidian-iron color, his palms became enormous, and his black nails sharpened.

His already tall and robust frame swelled once more, resembling a giant several zhang in height.

"Roar!"

He roared to the sky, pounding his chest with his fists, producing sounds like clanging metal.

A terrifyingly ferocious aura emanated from his body.

Behind him, Tang Muxin and others watched Zhao Jing, their expressions subtly shifting. Chen Ze, the chief disciple of Hongya Peak who had lost an arm, had an even graver expression. He said, "This is the Ape Demon Art of the Saint Palace's Earth Saint Hall! It's incredibly powerful! Zhao Jing is about to go all out."

Upon hearing this, Tang Muxin and the others also showed worry in their eyes.

Zhou Yuan gazed at Zhao Jing, who now resembled a demonic ape. Yet, no trace of tension appeared in his eyes. Zhao Jing's strength was indeed formidable; if Zhou Yuan hadn't broken through to the Golden Blood Realm by now, defeating him might have taken considerable effort.

But alas... there were no "ifs."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes slightly closed. He murmured, "But do you know... I've only used thirty percent of my strength so far?"

At this moment, the golden drop of blood within Zhou Yuan's heart vibrated gently.

Countless golden blood threads spread out, connecting with his flesh and blood.

The instant Zhou Yuan's eyes opened, his pupils shimmered with golden light.

"Next, I'll let you truly witness the physical power of the Cangxuan Sect..."