Yu Xiaogang's sharp, distorted screams echoed again and again over Thunder Dragon Valley, until finally, they were completely drowned out by the frenzied mob tearing at and trampling over him.
"Ahhh! Bibi Dong! Bibi Dong—!! Save me! Save me—!!"
In that instant, Yu Xiaogang's voice became warped. It was the only thing he could latch onto. In the confusion of his mind, the woman who once seemed to still care for him was the only deity to appear in this hellish moment. He screamed desperately, praying for a purple figure to tear through space and descend from the sky and save him from this living nightmare.
But no matter how he screamed, there was only the furious curses of the mob, whirling poison mists, and shaded clouds. No miracle answered. The banner of the Spirit Hall did not appear. Bibi Dong was nowhere to be seen.
Bones snapping, flesh tearing, muffled insults, ragged breathing—all these sounds wound together, forming a bloody symphony of death.
...
Deep Within the Papal Palace, Spirit City
Bibi Dong sat on the cold floor, hair in disarray, her hands tightly shackled with silvery, angelic handcuffs. Floating before her was a dark, amethyst-black crystalline prism, radiating a powerful and ominous aura. Within its surface, the events unfolding at Thunder Dragon Valley played out clearly...
Near her ear, the shrunken Rakshasa Scythe, now only a fraction of its original size, floated quietly. Its blade quivered, trembling as if whispering.
"Look... look... tch tch tch..." The scythe's female voice carried outright contempt and ridicule.
"Isn't this the man you've always loved? The one who'd defy the gods themselves just to protect you?"
"And yet, that cowardly, incompetent, selfish, irresponsible man tried to pass all blame onto the only woman who protected him, even at the moment of death... He truly is a disgrace to all men."
"I have lived for countless ages. Yet I have never seen something so utterly contemptible."
Bibi Dong simply stared at the grotesque clown in the mirror. The madness and fury burning in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by a void so deep that words could not describe it.
The man howling and struggling in the mirror, writhing like a maggot—could this really be the Yu Xiaogang deeply imprinted in her memory? The man who, though not prodigiously gifted, always had a calm confidence, sparkling eyes, and a lively spirit?
"No... no... that's not Xiaogang..." she murmured, her voice hoarse and dry.
"How could Xiaogang do this? He wouldn't... he wouldn't ever..."
Suddenly, as though struck by a thought, she jerked her head up and stared intently at the Rakshasa Scythe floating before her.
"It was you! Wasn't it? You used your evil tricks to deceive and manipulate him, driving him to this! You destroyed Xiaogang!!"
…
Divine Realm, Temple of the Rakshasa God
Smack!
Overlooking the human world via the artifact link, the Rakshasa God heard Bibi Dong's unreasonable accusation and involuntarily twitched her lips, then raised a hand and smacked her smooth forehead.
"To be fooled by something as worthless as you—I must have been blind!" (PS: What's Rakshasa's true gender?)
The Rakshasa God cursed under her breath. As the Goddess of Evil and Resentment, she chooses successors based upon the darkness, prejudices, and desire for revenge in their hearts. Bibi Dong's experiences and temperament had made her the best candidate—but now her stupidity and blindness regarding romance seemed truly incurable.
"You still refuse to give up your foolish dreams...?"
Turning once more to gaze at Thunder Dragon Valley on the Douluo Continent, a cold glint shone in the Rakshasa God's eyes.
"Very well... this deity shall help you shatter every last illusion!"
…
Thunder Dragon Valley, outer mountain gate
Yu Xiaogang's terrified screams were, at last, utterly silenced.
After venting the final dregs of their fury, the maddened crowd finally began to disperse, revealing ground trampled to devastation.
At the spot where Yu Xiaogang once stood, countless pieces of indistinguishable coal were scattered across the earth. Nearby, the Grandmaster's tail, limp like a dead snake, sprawled atop the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan plaque, forming a pitiful sight.
Chen Yi watched dispassionately. To him, no matter the form it took, Yu Xiaogang's death was only proper and did not merit an emotional response.
His gaze shifted to the other side, where the former Shrek Academy team, having witnessed everything, displayed on their faces a mix of fear at the brutality, contempt for Yu Xiaogang's final disgrace, and, to various degrees, the joy of seeing an enemy die so wretchedly.
Chen Yi slowly raised his right hand; purplish-gold lightning quietly gathered at his fingertips.
In the next instant, several bolts of lightning shot forth, piercing the foreheads of several men. With no time even to scream, their expressions froze, and their bodies disintegrated into dust, dissipating into the air.
With all this done, Chen Yi slowly turned his head back, gaze returning to Yu Yuanzhen.
Simultaneously, Yu Yuanzhen abruptly raised his head, bloodshot eyes boring into Chen Yi.
As their gazes clashed, the air grew thick with murderous intent.
Yu Yuanzhen knew—the young man before him was the key to determining the fate of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan.
If he could capture him, given the importance the Body Sect placed on him, it might force his enemies to hesitate, giving their clan a chance to survive. This was his last gamble as the clan master.
For Chen Yi, this was his first real deathmatch against a titled Douluo.
According to the original novel, Yu Yuanzhen possessed terrifying combat strength, once defeating multiple enemies at once and even surpassing the Mountain Dragon Douluo.
To make his name known and firmly seize power within the sect, Chen Yi needed a brilliant victory—and there was no better stepping stone than Yu Yuanzhen himself.
In the next moment, the two exploded into motion at almost the exact same time!
Boom—
No words wasted, each was instantly transformed into dazzling lightning, rushing at close to invisible speed toward one another.
Soul power at rank 95 gushed forth without reservation. Blue lightning raged around Yu Yuanzhen, and a fierce Thunder Dragon phantom condensed on his right fist, smashing toward Chen Yi.
Chen Yi transformed into purplish-gold lightning, moving even faster, arriving first despite starting slowly. Eschewing any flashy soul skill, he simply threw a direct, straight punch—his fist shining with purplish-gold lightning, as if he held the sun itself.
With no unnecessary movements, the two fists collided squarely!
Bang—!
A deafening crash resounded—far louder than any before—accompanied by an intense shockwave spreading in all directions.
Countless pebbles and clouds of dust flew skyward; dozens of Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan disciples closest to the scene were blown back, bones and tendons snapping.
But at the center of that storm of energy—the result was shocking.
With a single blow and a sharp crack, Yu Yuanzhen's right arm trembled and groaned under the pressure. Unable to withstand the force, he was knocked back out of control, his feet gouging twin furrows in the earth over a hundred meters long before coming to a stop.
Yu Yuanzhen abruptly looked up, staring in disbelief at his quivering right hand, then at Chen Yi, who stood like a mountain, having stepped back only half a pace. His eyes filled with fear.
It had been a direct clash of lightning, and his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul was top-tier in thunder attribute. His powerful titled Douluo soul power as well. How could he lose so easily and decisively in a head-on exchange?
Chen Yi slowly lowered his fist and lightly tapped his wrist. Upon seeing Yu Yuanzhen's incredulous expression, the corner of his lips curled in a cold smile.
Did he think a mediocre thunder-attribute martial soul could match his ultimate lightning in raw power?
That was courting death.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Yi transformed back into lightning and charged forward once more.
"You brat!"
Yu Yuanzhen felt both shocked and enraged. Steeling himself, he forcibly suppressed the numbness spreading down his right arm and the churning of his blood.
"Youngster! Just because you have a thunder ability, don't get arrogant!"
Yu Yuanzhen roared, soul force surging again, fine scales of blue-violet appeared upon his skin, his blood and qi burned furiously.
"Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has never relied on just thunder to become invincible. It is this dragon body, forged through countless ordeals, that can tear apart all things—this is our true ultimate form!"
Before he finished speaking, Yu Yuanzhen stomped the ground, leaving a deep crater, and shot forth like a cannonball.
This time, instead of a ranged lightning attack, he poured his furious soul force into his right arm, which instantly swelled and transformed into a gleaming dragon claw, slashing fiercely at Chen Yi's chest.
He intended to thoroughly crush this upstart who relied on flashy abilities, with the top-tier beast physique refined by generations of trials!
But Chen Yi showed no fear before the devastating claws. He didn't dodge, didn't retreat—simply balled his right fist and drove an unadorned, simple punch straight into Yu Yuanzhen's chest as the claw descended.
His intention was clear: crush Yu Yuanzhen's pride in the most brutal, direct way!
An exchange of wounds for victory?
Yu Yuanzhen, seeing Chen Yi's choice, was at first shocked and then even more infuriated.
This kid, a mere Soul Sage, dared to take his dragon claw head-on? Such arrogance and ignorance!
"With that frail body of yours, do you think you can survive by exchanging your life for mine? Die!!!"
His eyes bloodshot, Yu Yuanzhen poured every ounce of strength into that claw. He wanted to show this youth just how fragile the human body was before his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!
Crash—!!!
But the expected scene of slaughter never occurred. His dragon claw felt as if it were grabbing an indestructible steel plate. He could not break through the defense; in fact, the backlash left his fingers numb and even cracked his claws!
Almost simultaneously, Chen Yi's fist slammed brutally into Yu Yuanzhen's left chest!
A pop—
A terrifying force, enough to crush mountains, blasted straight into Yu Yuanzhen's chest. The ferocity on his face instantly froze.
His defending soul force was instantly torn asunder, and the entire sternum audibly cracked, as if giant, invisible hands were mashing his internal organs.
Urgh—!
Yu Yuanzhen spat a mouthful of blood mixed with pieces of his shattered insides. Screaming, he flew back even faster than he had arrived, crashing heavily into a collapsed stone column and was instantly buried.
He struggled to raise his head. As his chest was torn open, a clear fist mark appeared, and blood sprayed from the corner of his mouth.
His gaze toward Chen Yi showed nothing but utter disbelief.
Because at that moment, Chen Yi's clothes had exploded open, unveiling skin glowing with dazzling golden light.
The gold was not just on the surface; it seemed to shine from deep within his bones and had merged perfectly with his flesh and blood. Even against a full-strength attack, not a single scratch appeared!
His body was perfect, untouchable by any law.
…