Chapter 380: Just Surrender

"When you use the terrain to trap me, you also trap yourselves."

As Bu Ziran retreated all the way to the barrier, Zhang Yu scoffed, instantly conjuring four Unseen Power-Guards, two on his left and two on his right, blocking his opponent's path.

Seeing Zhang Yu charging fiercely towards him, Bu Ziran desperately wanted to shout, "Don't come any closer!"

He wasn't afraid of Zhang Yu; he was afraid of his own teammates.

Especially when he saw Zhang Yu's body, which seemed to be bathing in the constant barrage of blood lightning, qi blasts, and silver palm strikes.

Bu Ziran certainly didn't have Zhang Yu's ability to withstand such attacks head-on.

However, Ma Xuan quickly reassured him in the contest group chat: "Don't worry, we've enabled shared attack intentions and are marking our targets. We won't easily hit you."

In the ocular interface of Ma Xuan and the other three, four distinct markers constantly flickered: a palm, a blood drop, a current of qi, and a miniature sword, each representing one of their attacks.

Each marker indicated the intended point of impact for their attacks.

This system allowed their attacks to be more closely coordinated and better prevented them from hitting Bu Ziran.

Yet, despite all precautions, collisions were inevitable in such an intense battle.

After sweeping away some blood lightning with his sword, Bu Ziran saw his hand armature's self-diagnostic report show 32 durability points, and his heart ached instantly.

"Be careful! Don't hit me!"

But in the next instant, Zhang Yu attacked again, his Unseen Cloud Aura drawing forth streaks of qi blasts that slammed forcefully towards Bu Ziran.

Sword qi and aura collided and surged.

After entangling with Bu Ziran, Zhang Yu retracted all his humanoid aura projections. This not only reduced his mana consumption but also, by removing the projections' obstruction, further exposed Bu Ziran to attacks.

"Sure enough, after engaging this guy in close combat, Ma Xuan and the others' offensive inevitably weakened significantly."

At this moment, Zhang Yu wasn't using the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Art; he merely used his Unseen Cloud Aura to repeatedly deflect incoming attacks and send them back towards Bu Ziran.

In just a few seconds of intense combat, Zhang Yu was already covered in blood, his aura stained deep crimson, wrapping around his body like flames.

"Perhaps I can take this opportunity to replenish myself..."

As rapid blood lightning strikes shot forth, his Unseen Cloud Aura was torn open with large holes, but its speed was also slowed down as a result.

Zhang Yu struck out with a palm, and vortices of mist guided a mass of blood lightning to converge. As they spun rapidly, they collided and formed a sphere of blood... which Zhang Yu then swallowed in one gulp.

The next moment, Zhang Yu's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "How many elixirs did you take? That's potent stuff!"

Feeling the medicinal power rapidly being absorbed within him, stimulating a quick recovery of his stamina and mana, Zhang Yu laughed heartily. Then, with another palm strike, he swept up a pile of silver dust from the ground and swallowed it.

Zhang Yu tilted his head, grinning. "It's not very nutritious, but it's great for strengthening the physical body."

Seeing his own silver dust swallowed by Zhang Yu, Ma Xuan was furious for a moment and shouted, "Keep attacking! He's almost at his limit!"

Although Zhang Yu kept eating and drinking, absorbing the medicinal properties from Yang Yan Blood and digesting silver dust to strengthen his body, his surrounding Unseen Cloud Aura was continuously torn apart, and his injuries multiplied, making him appear a bloody mess.

His originally cloud-like white aura gradually turned light red, then dark red, and now appeared a deep crimson, intensely swirling like smoldering flames.

Compared to Zhang Yu's seemingly severe injuries, Bu Ziran's heart was bleeding even more.

Zhang Yu, entangled with him, continuously redirected the incoming blood lightning, qi blasts, and silver arm attacks towards Bu Ziran.

Combined with the occasional stray attacks from Ma Xuan and the others hitting Bu Ziran... though he was supposedly teaming up with his companions to gang up on Zhang Yu, Bu Ziran felt as if he was being ganged up on by both Zhang Yu and his own teammates.

Amidst such fierce fighting, his mana armatures constantly reported decreasing durability in self-diagnostic messages, chilling Bu Ziran's heart even more than the coldness emanating from Zhang Yu's aura.

"Damn it all..."

Bu Ziran furiously unleashed sword qi, looking at the bloody, teetering Zhang Yu before him, and raged inwardly, "Why? Why haven't you fallen yet? Why haven't you surrendered?"

The same question arose in Yang Yan's mind. As he launched streaks of blood lightning and watched his mana armature's billing report, he couldn't help but slow his assault.

Yang Yan looked at Zhang Yu, who was enveloped in a mist of blood, and thought to himself, "This guy must be at his limit. I should spend fewer spirit coins on attacks. And besides..."

On the other side, Ji Susu thought, "What if he keeps refusing to surrender and we accidentally kill him?"

"We can't kill anyone. Killing someone means paying too much compensation."

Zhang Yu, who clearly appeared heavily wounded, stubbornly endured the group's assault.

The more they saw Zhang Yu's precarious state, the more the four slowed their attacks, afraid they might accidentally kill him.

Ma Xuan couldn't help but demand, "Zhang Yu! If you don't surrender now, do you really want to go bankrupt in this contest?"

"Look at your injuries. Can you even afford to treat them?"

Zhang Yu grinned, beckoned to them, and said, "Hurry up, you don't have much time left."

Although Zhang Yu appeared covered in wounds and battered, under the enhancement of his Terra-Wood Sacred Physique, he felt his resistances skyrocket, and the opponent's attacks felt increasingly weaker to him.

His physical injuries not only weren't worsening but were continuously healing themselves, activated by the Crippled Ox Sacrifice Technique.

Another round of fierce combat ensued, accompanied by waves of supersonic qi blasts, as the auras and mana of the five collided hundreds of times in an instant.

The bills continued to pile up, durability constantly dropped, and a large mouthful of silver dust was swallowed again...

At this moment, Ma Xuan and the other three felt as if Zhang Yu before them was a black hole; they kept pouring money into him, yet they could never fully defeat him, making their hearts ache more and more.

It was during this process that Ma Xuan and the other three, seeing Zhang Yu refuse to fall, gradually unleashed their full power and intensified their attacks.

However, they soon discovered that even with increasingly heavy and full-power attacks, Zhang Yu, though accumulating more injuries, still wouldn't fall.

Meanwhile, Bu Ziran, seeing his mana armature's durability drop to 21, finally couldn't take it anymore.

His mana armature, specifically designed for high-speed sword techniques, was not meant for direct confrontations.

Now, under the "encirclement" of the four, and through repeated clashes with Zhang Yu, its durability was plummeting, nearing a critical malfunction that would cost a fortune to repair.

Bu Ziran: "Enough! Someone replace me?! Or else, you'll split the mana armature repair costs with me."

Faced with Bu Ziran's plea, Ma Xuan and the other two pretended not to hear.

Bu Ziran instantly raged, stepping aside to dodge, but Zhang Yu pursued him relentlessly, instantly bringing his durability down to 20.

Seeing Zhang Yu still intent on fighting, Bu Ziran truly wanted to open his mouth and say to him, "Are you crazy?!"

But in the next moment, Zhang Yu's body suddenly expanded. He had activated both the War Demon's Life-Draining Art and the Everlasting Zen of Spring and Autumn, pushing his physical capabilities to their absolute limit in one breath.

The negative effects of the War Demon's Life-Draining Art further worsened his injuries, which in turn caused his Terra-Wood Sacred Physique to activate even more strongly, violently boosting all his resistances.

Then, under his fourfold awareness, Zhang Yu simultaneously activated all his cultivated defensive arts that could be deployed at that moment, elevating his resistance to attacks to an extreme level.

He allowed Bu Ziran's overwhelming sword qi to brush over him, and Ma Xuan and the others' attacks to fiercely pound his back, lower back, and legs...

With a single charge, Zhang Yu shattered the sword qi Bu Ziran had launched, then grabbed his opponent's head and slammed him violently onto the ground.

Seeing Zhang Yu and Bu Ziran fighting fiercely on the ground, Ma Xuan and the other two hesitated, fearing they might injure Bu Ziran.

But in the very next moment, with a soft crunch, Bu Ziran's hand armature twisted, having suffered a critical malfunction as its durability dropped to 19.

Bu Ziran felt a surge of mana backflow from his hand armature, and his entire body entered a temporary state of rigidity.

With a scream, Zhang Yu tore off Bu Ziran's hand armature, then delivered a heavy blow to his opponent's dantian.

The chilling toxins, which had been accumulating from previous attacks, suddenly erupted at this moment, freezing Bu Ziran's entire body rigid.

Having temporarily suppressed Bu Ziran, Zhang Yu turned to Ma Xuan and the other two, a grin spreading across his blood-stained face. "Who's next?"

Seeing Bu Ziran's torn-off hand armature and his severely frostbitten body, Ma Xuan and the other two seemed to visualize massive bills, feeling a chill in their hearts.

Yet, being locked onto by the crimson-clad Zhang Yu's fierce gaze gave them the illusion that it wasn't Zhang Yu who was surrounded, but them.

Shaking their heads to dispel the illusion, Ma Xuan suddenly frowned slightly.

"Huh? The external vibrations are gone?"

During the previous intense battle, Ma Xuan had continuously felt the surrounding barrier subtly vibrating, constantly under external attack.

But now, after the vibrations ceased, he sensed something, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Shi Huaiyu... she wasn't attacking the barrier, she was reinforcing it?"

"She added many layers to my barrier."

"What does this mean? She wants to trap us and Zhang Yu here together? Is she just abandoning her teammates? Is there any sportsmanship left?"

Just as Ma Xuan was stunned, a surge of sand erupted beside Zhang Yu, and Xiao Qingxuan emerged from it.

Ma Xuan's heart stirred as he witnessed this. "Has he dug his way in?"

Xiao Qingxuan looked at Zhang Yu's severe injuries, then at Bu Ziran pinned beneath him, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Placing a hand on Zhang Yu's shoulder, Xiao Qingxuan private-chatted through his ocular interface: "I'll help you heal, but remember, this is strictly for the contest arena. Don't let anyone else know."

"He... healing?" Zhang Yu private-chatted back, "You studied medicine? Are you a doctor?"

Xiao Qingxuan calmly replied, "My parents aren't doctors, so how could I be one? It's just that the ancient Golden Core who once possessed me, in the era he lived, cultivators learned a lot of diverse skills. It's said that every cultivator knew healing methods."

"Ninety-nine percent of the immortal arts mastered by ancient Golden Cores have become obsolete by now."

"Only his set of ancient medical techniques is still somewhat useful."

"Ancient medicine?" Zhang Yu couldn't help but respond, "History class said those are all scams, unreliable, unregulated, and reckless use can even worsen injuries..."

Zhang Yu was genuinely worried this guy might use some ancient medical technique to mess him up.

Xiao Qingxuan calmly replied, "That's just modern pharmaceutical companies hiring internet trolls to discredit ancient medicine, all to monopolize medical resources."

"Don't worry, I'll activate the power of mutual generation within your internal organs with my Five Elements True Qi. This will nourish your body, heal your wounds, and prevent your internal injuries from worsening... Hmm? Your physique is incredibly strong; it's already actively healing itself? That's even better, the treatment will be faster."

Zhang Yu felt his heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs gradually accelerate their healing under the influence of the other party's mana. He asked in surprise, "What's the principle behind this?"

Xiao Qingxuan replied, "It's the principle of mutual generation and overcoming among internal organs. Don't ask me why. I understand the internal organ generation and overcoming, and I understand cells and bacteria, but I don't know the relationship between the two, nor can I explain it to you."

"All I can tell you is, ancient medical techniques and modern immortal cultivation medical technology... are completely different matters."

While Xiao Qingxuan merely pressed Zhang Yu's shoulder, their entire conversation concluded in an instant.

And at the very moment Xiao Qingxuan and Zhang Yu were conversing, Ma Xuan also completed his communication with Ji Yuanshu and Cong Na outside.

Ji Yuanshu: How are things in there?

Ma Xuan: Bu Ziran has been taken down.

Ji Yuanshu: What about Zhang Yu?

Ma Xuan: Still fighting us.

Ji Yuanshu: ???

Seeing Ma Xuan's reply, Ji Yuanshu was stunned.

"You four have been ganging up on Zhang Yu for over twenty seconds in there, four upperclassmen against one sophomore... and he managed to counter and eliminate one of you?"

"Are you ******* throwing the match?"

Ji Yuanshu desperately wanted to confront Ma Xuan and the other three with these questions, but he knew that now was not the time for words that would undermine unity.

He could only say, "Shi Huaiyu is leading a pursuit force after me and Cong Na. Cong Na is too slow and is about to be caught. What do we do now?"

Ma Xuan hadn't expected that in just twenty seconds, the situation both inside and outside had drastically changed.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan were already charging towards them, and within the layered barriers, a chaotic battle erupted once more.

Streaks of dragon-shaped aura surged out from Xiao Qingxuan, sweeping towards the people before him.

Zhang Yu, on the other hand, moved around Xiao Qingxuan's side, constantly deflecting attacks for him.

As Xiao Qingxuan periodically channeled a stream of Five Elements True Qi into Zhang Yu, healing his injuries, and combined with Zhang Yu's Crippled Ox Sacrifice Technique and Terra-Wood Sacred Physique, his injuries gradually stabilized within a certain range. He maintained extremely high defensive power while also unleashing formidable combat strength.

With Xiao Qingxuan's offense and Zhang Yu's defense working in tandem, Ma Xuan and the other two felt their bills constantly skyrocketing, yet the two opponents remained as vigorous as dragons and fierce as tigers, showing no signs of weakening.

After Cong Na was also apprehended by Shi Huaiyu outside, Bu Ziran immediately spoke in the group chat: "Surrender. Don't waste any more money."

Bu Ziran: Four against six. There's no point fighting anymore.

Yang Yan: Surrender.

Ji Susu: Surrendering.

Ji Yuanshu: ???