"How... how is this possible?"
Within the rubble, Yu Yuanzhen barely stood, blood at the corner of his mouth, searing pain in his chest.
He stared at the spot on Chen Yi's chest, at that faint gold skin—completely unscathed. Was there not even a mark left by his dragon claw?
Step by step, Chen Yi advanced, every stride thudding dully against the ruined earth. Despite the disbelief written on Yu Yuanzhen's face, Chen Yi's expression was cold and indifferent. His tone was purely contemptuous:
"Impossible? For frogs at the bottom of a well like you, how could you ever imagine the power of my Body Sect?"
Chen Yi was not surprised at his golden body's defensive power. This was the ultimate physical training secret technique relied upon by the Body Sect for supremacy in the original story. Was it really so strange for it to block a titled Douluo's full dragon claw strike?
By Chen Yi's own reckoning, the strength of his present golden body was in no way inferior to Qian Renxue's, right after she became a god in the original novel.
And yet, that divine appearance was nothing short of blasphemy against the gods!
In reality, before even becoming a god, Tang San pierced Qian Renxue's heart with the Guanyin's Tear.
This bizarre feat always struck Chen Yi as strange—how could a god's body be so fragile?
He had sometimes suspected, in his previous life, that the status of the gods had secretly been tampered with by the Sea God or Asura God, causing a fatal flaw in the inheritance or transition. Otherwise, Qian Renxue would not have been so shamed.
And as for the so-called Guanyin's Tear, if it truly could defy the heavens, why didn't Tang San use it later in the God Realm war to achieve similar feats? In the end, it seemed it was only effective against weak god-bodies like Qian Renxue's, and useless against true gods.
Far off, Chen Zhen, Xie Xiaoqing, and other powerhouses from the Body Sect, upon seeing Chen Yi shining with that golden light, were moved to tears.
This was the flawless golden body!
The highest secret art, perfected and tempered by the sect over generations of trials!
The ultimate foundation for the Body Sect to one day rule the world, unafraid of gods or demons!
In the distance, even spies from other factions—including Bo Saixi atop a far-off peak, and strong rogue cultivators—were shocked to the core as they witnessed this scene. Their pupils constricted; their hearts quivered with awe.
"That defense... it's terrifying!"
From behind the clouds, a titled Douluo gasped, voice trembling.
"He took Thunder Douluo's dragon claw with bare hands—without a single scratch? Is this truly a Soul Sage, let alone a human?"
On the other cliff, similar whispered exclamations echoed in disbelief.
Even in Bo Saixi's deep blue eyes, a somber, solemn look emerged. Though she was a rank 99 peerless Douluo, even she could not rely on her body alone to resist Yu Yuanzhen's full-powered dragon claw.
Did the Body Sect truly possess such a terrifying hidden trump card? Her estimation of Chen Yi rose even higher; she finally grasped the deeper meaning of the Seagod's oracle: "Be wary of this one."
…
"Arrogance—!"
Across from him, Yu Yuanzhen heard Chen Yi call him a "frog in a well." Seeing the youth's calm face, the fury already surging in Yu Yuanzhen's chest erupted like a volcano.
How dare a mere Soul Sage look down on the mighty Thunder Douluo, famed for over fifty years? When he had already risen to fame, this little brat's father hadn't even been born!
"This brat—wants to die!!"
Yu Yuanzhen's soul force flared, raging through the agony, his hands slamming into the earth as he leaped skyward!
"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul True Body!"
Boom—
Violent blue-violet lightning spewed from his body, the immense soul power blasting debris and dust away from him. Within the thunder, his form rapidly grew and transformed.
His entire body was covered in fine dragon scales at an incredible speed, his limbs thickened with new power, fingers elongating to become razor-sharp claws.
The air itself shrieked behind him as massive wings of lightning and soul force unfolded. His head lengthened, snout projected, fangs bared. With a sweep of a thick dragon tail, he soared through the sky!
In an instant, Yu Yuanzhen became a nearly ten-meter tall true dragon-man, covered in blue-violet scales, his head crowned with mighty horns.
Raging dragon might, fused with the pressure of rank 95 soul force, swirled in all directions. This was the ultimate secret of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan—the Dragon Transformation.
Only those who reached titled Douluo rank could merge their martial soul with their flesh so perfectly, manifesting this true dragon-human form.
With both the True Body and the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yu Yuanzhen's aura reached unprecedented peak, the pressure he now radiated even more overwhelming than that shown by Sword Douluo, Chen Xin.
"Just what I wanted!"
Faced with the mighty true form of the dragon-man, Chen Yi's eyes burned with fighting spirit as he shouted, full of excitement.
This was the moment he had waited for. He dreamed of defeating a seasoned Titled Douluo in front of the entire continent—crushing his opponent's reputation and inscribing his own in legend.
Next, Chen Yi revealed everything, holding nothing back!
Boom—
As if answering Chen Yi's will, the thick thunderclouds that had hung for years above Thunder Dragon Valley churned and swelled, boiling. Simultaneously, purplish-gold lightning erupted from Chen Yi's frame like a volcanic explosion.
In an instant, the entire area for hundreds of feet around was submerged in purplish-gold lightning.
The dark clouds in the sky, the thunder and lightning on the ground—they mirrored each other, echoing with an ear-splitting roar, turning the entire land into an endless sea of lightning.
"Retreat! Retreat, now!!"
"Get out of here!!"
All those left behind—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan soul masters, the powerhouses observing from the physical faction—all faces turned ashen, terrified to the core.
The destructive aura radiating from that purplish-gold lightning was enough to shake their souls. For those below Soul Douluo level, there was no resisting even a trace of the aftermath—touch meant instant death.
With a signal from Dugu Bo and others, the Body Sect disciples withdrew en masse, abandoning the battlefield completely.
Within that limitless lightning sea, soul rings appeared one after another beneath Chen Yi's feet.
Purple! Purple! Black! Black! Black! Red! Purplish gold!
The colors of the first five spirit rings were already astonishing, but when the sixth, blood-red 100,000-year spirit ring appeared, shocked cries erupted from countless shadows.
Yet that was not the end!
As the seventh spirit ring arose, the pupils of every witness—including Bo Saixi—shrunk to pinpoints, their faces twisted in disbelief and shock.
Because that ring's color had never been seen in the history of Douluo Continent—it was profound, noble, and seemed to contain the fundamental law of thunder itself—
Purplish gold!
"A purple... a purplish-gold spirit ring?!"
"What is that?!"
"Never heard of it! Never seen it!"
Cries of shock rose from every hiding spot—this color, this spirit ring, shattered the very foundations of the soul master world's common sense.
Feeling the immense force welling up within, the resonance with the supreme being in the depths of his bloodline, Chen Yi began to speak, his voice booming across the world like the thunder from the heavens:
"The True Form of Thunder God!"
"Roar—!!!"
A deafening roar, like that of primitive wilderness or thunder from the sky itself, burst from Chen Yi's body. Purplish-gold lightning raged chaotically around him, his figure expanding rapidly within the thunder.
In a heartbeat, an enormous being nearly ten meters tall, composed entirely of condensed purplish-gold lightning, rose between heaven and earth.
This giant's face was identical to Chen Yi's, but even more majestic and sacred; his eyes were blazing suns, flickering open and shut, hurling bolts of lightning. Thunder serpents raged over the giant's form, crackling with electricity, exuding a terrifying divine might in every direction.
This was the true body of Chen Yi's innate martial soul, merging the aura of the Thunder God's bloodline, the ultimate law of this world, and Chen Yi's own power:
The True Form of Thunder God!
What truly shocked onlookers was that, on the surface of this gigantic lightning body, the ghostly image of an ancient being—half-dragon, half-human—spun slowly, also in purplish-gold.
The instant that phantom appeared, silvery lightning cut through the thunderclouds above, blue-violet bolts encircled Yu Yuanzhen's dragon body, and even the sea of lightning summoned by Chen Yi pulsed in response.
Everything froze, then—
As if compelled by some irresistible sovereignty, every bolt of lightning, every gaze bowed subconsciously before the supreme overlord.
Thump!
Thump!
In the distance, every low-ranked Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan soul master collapsed to their knees, unable to withstand the overwhelming power, trembling uncontrollably and utterly losing the courage to even look up.
Even Yu Yuanzhen, transformed into a dragon, felt an uncontrollable shiver, and—somewhere deep in his soul—a surge of primal terror.
His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul shuddered before that purplish-gold, half-dragon, half-human phantom—the awe hardwired by heredity, confronting a higher-dimensional existence.
"No—!!!"
Yu Yuanzhen twisted his dragon head in fierce, unwilling laughter, biting his tongue hard to suppress his fear with pain. Blood nearly poured from his eyes.
Suddenly, his ninth spirit ring blazed with an unprecedented radiance.
"Ninth Soul Skill: True Dragon's Wrath!"
Yu Yuanzhen's wings beat furiously, whipping up a fearsome storm of thunder and lightning. The dragon body flashed, transforming into a streak of blue-violet lightning, tearing through the air to tear at the purplish-gold giant—a desperate strike for mutual destruction.
"It's nothing but tricks to fool people!!
Die—!!"
The dragon's claw struck straight for the giant's head!
"Just in time!"
From within the True Form of Thunder God, Chen Yi's excited voice boomed.
The giant knew no hesitation. He clenched his right fist, gathering limitless purplish-gold lightning at the tip, and smashed it straight into the attacking dragon-human.