Yi Tianyun had already anticipated this situation. When Domain Lord Liuli proposed that he would become the Vice Domain Lord, he knew he would face such challenges.
Unless he had significant prestige, it would naturally be a matter of proving his strength, just like Yi Tianyun, who had to demonstrate his abilities.
The two were soon given a designated area to fight. The other elders watched, unsure of Yi Tianyun's true power, wondering if it was truly as strong as Domain Lord Liuli had claimed.
"Elder Gou Huang, are you ready?" Yi Tianyun said in a deep voice.
"I'm ready, bring it on!" Elder Gou Huang replied as he unleashed all his internal power, forming an absolute defense around his body. Layer after layer of thick protection surrounded him.
He didn't need to counterattack, he only needed to defend. So, he activated his strongest defense technique, causing a blue glow to rise around him, which was essentially a thick water wall.
Most of these elders had water-type physiques, so their abilities were water-based. They worshipped the power of the Water God. When activated, a massive illusion of the Water God appeared behind him.
Elder Gou Huang, at the peak of God Monarch Level 7, was using his full strength, continuously releasing waves of powerful energy, creating an impregnable defense.
"Looks like Elder Gou Huang has made great progress in his Water Divine Art. The power he's released is comparable to the defense of a high-tier Heavenly Dao Armor. With his own strength added, it's not invincible, but even Domain Lord Liuli wouldn't easily break it," one of the elders commented.
"Not bad. I didn't expect Elder Gou Huang to progress so quickly. In just a short time, he's reached this level. Even Domain Lord Liuli might not be able to break it in one strike. Yi Tianyun is going to be in trouble," another elder remarked.
"Three moves would have been perfect for this. In the past, three moves was always the ideal number, just enough. A few moves would give a retreat, but now Yi Tianyun accepted one strike right away. Isn't that a bit too bold?"
Domain Lord Liuli stood quietly, her face expressionless, not showing any concern.
Yi Tianyun carefully observed Gou Huang's defense, nodding. "Your defense is truly impressive. If you turn that into an attack, it would be even more terrifying."
Gou Huang was, after all, the strongest elder aside from Domain Lord Liuli. His level was remarkably high. He seemed to have made breakthroughs. For someone of his age, it was rare to achieve such progress. Some cultivators spent their entire lives without ever breaking through again, but he had.
Yi Tianyun didn't attack immediately. This wasn't a fight to the death. If it had been, he would not have let his opponent prepare for so long. He'd have killed him in one strike without giving him a chance to gather strength.
Now, he waited for Gou Huang to finish preparing. Once all his defenses were released, Yi Tianyun would strike to break them, achieving the best effect.
"Now I can attack!" Gou Huang frowned when he saw Yi Tianyun wasn't rushing to attack. Even if he had confidence in himself, he didn't need such a long preparation time, right?
"Alright, I'll break your defense with one strike."
Yi Tianyun's eyes flashed. Without using a weapon, he took a step forward, releasing the power of his Supreme God Monarch title, pressing forward toward Gou Huang.
Instantly, Gou Huang felt himself being suppressed, his power reduced by more than half. The surrounding defense immediately weakened. It was like a thick wall being hit and thinned out, leaving only a thin layer.
It was an incredibly tragic sight. What had once been a powerful defense was now halved. Originally able to withstand half-step Heavenly Venerable attacks, it couldn't even hold up against God Monarch Level 5 now.
This was all due to a mere suppression of momentum, yet it had such an effect, leaving Gou Huang stunned and horrified.
The other elders and Domain Lord Liuli were puzzled. Why had Gou Huang's defense not gotten stronger but instead weakened?
Since Yi Tianyun wasn't targeting them, they didn't feel anything different. They were all confused, wondering why Gou Huang's defense had weakened.
While they were in confusion, Yi Tianyun had already made his move. Without incredible speed or explosive power, he quickly closed the distance and punched straight toward Gou Huang.
"Ding! Opponent is at God Monarch level, activating 30x damage increase!"
"Boom!"
The sudden increase in power made his punch incredibly sharp. The 30x damage multiplier fully unleashed the punch's power.
"Bang!"
As his fist collided with the shield, it shattered instantly, turning into a burst of energy and light, scattering everywhere. It was easily broken, like smashing a thin layer of water droplets, instant and effortless.
With the powerful punch, Yi Tianyun struck at Gou Huang. Gou Huang instinctively raised his hand to block, but Yi Tianyun's fist had already stopped.
"Gou Huang, do you think this is enough?" Yi Tianyun's fist didn't land. If it had, Gou Huang would have been severely injured.
They were all on the same side, and there was no need to go that far. The fact that he could easily break the defense was already enough to prove everything.
Gou Huang was stunned, his eyes showing a look of defeat. "I lost…"
He hadn't expected to lose so thoroughly. After just one exchange, his entire strength had been reduced. He didn't even know how it happened. He had been easily broken through, and then completely defeated.
He knew that the moment his power had been cut in half, he had lost. He didn't know how Yi Tianyun had done it, but he knew that with that level of power, he was bound to lose.
"Lost?"
Everyone was shocked, still not understanding what had happened. The defense had been so strong, how could it be broken so easily? It was like drinking water, no spectacular battle, and it was all over.
Domain Lord Liuli's eyes flickered. She hadn't expected Yi Tianyun to make it so easy. She had guessed that Yi Tianyun could solve it with one strike, but she hadn't expected him to do it so effortlessly.
"Sure enough, after the breakthrough, his power has grown immensely. How did he do it?"
Domain Lord Liuli wanted to tie Yi Tianyun to her side. After witnessing his power, how could she let him go? She had originally thought Yi Tianyun would be cannon fodder in the battle for the Divine Realm, but now, it was clear he was far from it, he was definitely among the best!
If he continued to grow, he could potentially become a key player in the Third Grade God Territory!