Chapter 603: Invincible in the Golden Core Stage

Swish!

With a swift sweep of the Yuguang Sword, one of Zhu Yunwu's wings was severed. It fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.

Zhu Yunwu's eyes were bloodshot, and his handsome face was contorted as he panted heavily. After hundreds of rounds of fighting, he fully realized that he couldn't possibly defeat his opponent on his own.

Since that was the case, he had no choice but to use the essence blood bestowed by his master.

As Zhu Yunwu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, he swallowed a drop of essence blood.

This was Zhu Tian's essence blood, incredibly precious, capable of allowing Zhu Yunwu to exert the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator even while still at the Golden Core stage.

A continuous surge of power erupted from within him. The wounds, which had been eroded by sword energy, sizzled and smoked, then rapidly healed, and a new wing grew where the old one had been severed.

"Again!" Zhu Yunwu initiated the attack, charging towards Lu Yang.

"Heavenly Stride!" Lu Yang hadn't anticipated Zhu Yunwu's attack to be so swift this time. He held the Yuguang Sword horizontally across his chest, blocking the blow, and retreated a few steps to absorb the force.

The two tangled again, but unlike before, Lu Yang could distinctly feel that Zhu Yunwu was much stronger than he had been.

Lu Yang somewhat missed the finals held in Great Xia, where he could report an opponent's foul to the referee and get them disqualified. This time, however, it was different; the referee was on the other side, so reporting would be useless.

Each of Zhu Yunwu's attacks was powerful and heavy. Lu Yang shifted from offense to defense, constantly neutralizing Zhu Yunwu's fierce assaults.

The Art of Defense was a sword move Lu Yang rarely employed. He had always believed that the best defense was offense, but this situation was unique. Unless he cultivated both body and sword, clashing head-on with the current Zhu Yunwu would only bring him trouble.

Zhu Yunwu strode through the air, leaping high. His four hind hooves gathered power, and his front hooves slammed violently towards Lu Yang.

Lu Yang had anticipated this and dodged in advance, causing Zhu Yunwu to strike empty air.

Zhu Yunwu spun in mid-air, changed direction, and charged at Lu Yang once more.

Clang. The Yuguang Sword was knocked away, landing far off.

"Without your sword, let's see how you fight!" Zhu Yunwu sneered, confident of victory.

Zhu Tian sighed in relief. Though there had been some twists, winning was all that mattered.

Qin Feng and the others cheered, witnessing the young sect leader Lu's defeat.

"I thought this guy Lu had some real skill, but he's nothing special."

"Just now I was worried about Brother Yunwu; I must have poor judgment."

"Exactly, how could Brother Yunwu possibly lose?"

Lu Yang looked at the Yuguang Sword that had been knocked away, scratching his head in a bit of a predicament.

Picking it up was impossible; Zhu Yunwu wouldn't give him the chance.

Should he pick one of the other six swords and continue with a war of attrition?

Forget it, he'd listen to the Invincible Pill. Lu Yang sighed, conceding that the Invincible Pill's method was indeed superior.

He pulled out a pill, swallowed it, and a warm current gathered in his dantian.

Below the stage, the Seventh Elder let out a soft exclamation, "This pill..."

"Do you know it, Old Seven?" the Fifth Elder transmitted, asking.

"That's the Rejuvenation and Yang-Return Pill I refined for Lu Yang."

"Sounds like a pill for restoring spiritual energy."

"It is indeed a spiritual energy recovery pill. This boy possesses a move that, when unleashed, is absolutely unrivaled among those of the same cultivation level. Even I, if my cultivation were lowered to the Golden Core stage, couldn't withstand it. It simply consumes too much spiritual energy, which is why he asked me to specially refine that pill."

"What move?"

The Seventh Elder chuckled, offering no answer.

"Die!" Zhu Yunwu roared, flapping his four wings. With a "Heavenly Stride, Soul Severing" move, he sealed off all escape routes.

Lu Yang retreated two steps, then with a flip of his right hand, the situation abruptly changed. Dark clouds rolled, and the space of the ninth layer of the Altar of Heaven solidified, slowing Zhu Yunwu's movements infinitely.

He felt the surroundings were not like air, but like seawater—no, even more viscous than seawater, severely restricting his movements.

"Look, what's that!" Qin Feng cried out in astonishment, staring blankly at the sky.

An enormous hand pierced through the dark clouds, pressing down. Its movement was slow, yet it was inescapable and unavoidable.

This palm strike didn't seem to be aimed at the Altar of Heaven, but directly at him, and a sense of powerlessness washed over him.

"Universe in the Palm!" Zhu Tian recognized the move at a glance, watching in disbelief, his mind momentarily blank.

What a joke! Even if it was countless times smaller compared to the true "Universe in the Palm," it was still a move that only Tribulation Transcenders could cast. How could someone at the Golden Core stage possibly unleash it?!

How terrifying must his magical talent be?

But the fact was right before his eyes; he had no choice but to believe.

For a Golden Core cultivator to unleash a move theoretically impossible for their stage meant that no other Golden Core cultivator could withstand it.

The major powers couldn't remain calm; this move completely overturned their understanding.

They saw clearly that the young sect leader Lu had consumed a spiritual energy recovery pill, not one that temporarily boosted his combat strength.

In other words, this was his true level of power.

He was invincible at the Golden Core stage.

This move was a true spatial great divine ability, capable of sealing the space beneath the palm, which was why Zhu Yunwu couldn't move.

Rumble—

A single hand covered the sky, sealed the space, and descended upon the Altar of Heaven.

Gulp. Qin Feng and the others gulped, watching the scene. The power displayed by this move was truly terrifying. If Zhu Yunwu was an idol for the demon clan's proud talents to chase, then this move was a peak that filled them with utter despair, extinguishing any thought of even trying to catch up.

It was too despairing.

Kong Hao, who was watching the battle, had once been an opponent of the young sect leader Lu. After falling into a disadvantage, he used the power of the old Taotie and was disqualified by the referee.

"Mr. Ji, could I withstand that move?"

"I advise you to learn the art of seizing a body early, lest I have to die alongside you."

The five elders secretly discussed without end upon seeing this scene.

"This is almost on par with Disciple Yun's level at the Golden Core stage, isn't it?"

"Nearly identical."

The giant hand vanished, and dust filled the air, obscuring the situation on the Altar of Heaven. The altar was protected by an array, preventing spiritual sense from probing.

"Is Zhu Yunwu dead or alive?"

"He's moving, he's alive!"

Originally, people had been guessing who would win the battle between the two.

But ever since the "Universe in the Palm" was unleashed, people only wanted to know if Zhu Yunwu was dead or alive.

Just being alive was already remarkable.

"Didn't expect it, did you? I'm still alive." His wings fluttered, dispersing the dust. Zhu Yunwu was surprisingly vibrant, his injuries lighter than anyone had imagined.

"Did he break through to the Nascent Soul stage?" Lu Yang had an extremely strong grasp of the battlefield. He noticed that after he unleashed the "Universe in the Palm," an unusual surge of power erupted from Zhu Yunwu, offsetting most of the attack.

This was a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

"You're somewhat perceptive." Zhu Yunwu's words were sharp, but in reality, he was still greatly frightened.

If he had broken through at the last moment during a life-or-death crisis, he would likely have died under that palm strike.

Given his master's cold-blooded nature, he wouldn't have cared whether Zhu Yunwu lived or died.

"Well, let's see how you fight now!" Zhu Yunwu regained the initiative. The previous move had exhausted his opponent's spiritual energy, leaving him at the end of his tether and no longer a threat. He was determined not to give his opponent a chance to take another pill.

In contrast, he himself had broken through during the battle and was brimming with spiritual energy.

A complete reversal of strength.

"Heh." Lu Yang couldn't help but shake his head and laugh aloud.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhu Yunwu was displeased.

Lu Yang slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing, seemingly able to see through people's hearts. Zhu Yunwu felt flustered under his stare.

"You don't actually think you're the only one who can break through to the Nascent Soul stage, do you?"