Chapter 244

"Wanxiang Sect's Li Minghan, versus Linglong Sect's Yang Chengxu."

As the lot-drawing results were announced on the high platform, Li Minghan's mouth twitched; he wanted to cry but had no tears.

"This is only the first match. I've hit the jackpot again — why did it have to be Yang Chengxu."

Li Minghan appeared somewhat dejected, letting out a light sigh.

"It's fine, just do your best."

Yu Zhangsheng thought for a moment, patted Li Minghan's shoulder, and comforted him, feeling some sympathy in his heart as well.

"It's fine, anyway I've pretty much gone as far as I can; Yang Chengxu — I've been wanting to find a chance to spar with him anyway."

"Zhangsheng, you can even fight pill-popping Tang Chen single-handedly; I can't fall too far behind either."

Shaking his head, Li Minghan suddenly smiled; as he looked up, his eyes held not a trace of fear, and a blazing combat intent burned so fiercely that even Yu Zhangsheng was startled.

"Safety first; if it really doesn't work, just concede defeat."

Zhang Tianwen at the side likewise thought for a moment, and after a pause spoke in a gentle, tactful tone to advise him.

Li Minghan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, cupped his fists toward the two, and nodded. "Alright, I'll be careful."

Turning, he leapt onto the arena stage; Yang Chengxu likewise jumped up with a calm expression, standing opposite Li Minghan, his splendid robes fluttering without wind.

Perhaps because of Yu Zhangsheng's battle that day, the arena stages for this competition had all been newly reinforced and repaired, and their combat range had suddenly expanded by a full circle, becoming much more spacious.

"Wanxiang Sect, Li Minghan, please instruct me."

Li Minghan took a deep breath, his expression unchanged, and politely cupped his fists toward Yang Chengxu.

"Mm, good." Yang Chengxu's face was calm; he nodded at Li Minghan, revealing a faint smile. "Linglong Sect's Yang Chengxu, we meet again, Young Tower Master."

"Indeed, I still hope Brother Yang will show mercy." Li Minghan laughed heartily, acting as if the two were quite familiar; with a wave of his hand, two tamed beasts appeared beside him.

"Ling Feng Viper..."

"Cold Pool Giant Crocodile..."

"Easy, easy." Yang Chengxu laughed heartily, and in the depths of his gaze a glimmer of dim light surfaced.

This time, Yang Chengxu did not underestimate the enemy; with a wave of his hand, the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon entered the field.

"Ang!!!"

A dragon roar, like ox and bird combined, resounded through the void; merely by appearing, the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon's slender massive body unfurled, manifesting atop the dragon — a single dragon roar drew everyone's gaze.

An azure body, winding coiling dragon horns, long flowing dragon whiskers, six claws black-azure, scales flashing blue-gold luster under the sunlight, awe-inspiring without anger; judging by appearance alone, it was truly similar to an Azure Dragon.

"Tian Qing Sub-Dragon... finally seeing Yang Chengxu make a move."

"Li Minghan... looks like he's in danger this time; just don't know how long he can hold out."

Gaze after gaze focused on the two; countless people watched in shock and doubt, looking at the coiling Tian Qing Sub-Dragon, their eyes revealing envy and reverence.

Li Minghan's eyes narrowed slightly; after exhaling a light breath, he waved his hand and struck first.

"Ling Feng Viper, Sunset Radiance! Cold Pool Giant Crocodile, Ice Seal Ten Thousand Miles!"

The Ling Feng Viper roared, its body also floating in the air, its whole form ablaze with green light; the sunlight in the sky suddenly tilted, projecting toward the Ling Feng Viper, and then a sky-piercing earth-penetrating green wind pillar sprayed out, blasting toward the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon.

The Cold Pool Giant Crocodile's stout forelimbs stepped forward, the arena trembled; a trace of cold qi continuously emanated from beneath its four limbs, permeating the air; in just a moment the air temperature kept dropping, cold mist enveloped the arena floor, layer upon layer of ice began to spread, frigid air currents raged, a gale blew, sweeping toward the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon.

Li Minghan's two tamed beasts were both at Second Rank Fourth Layer; among them, the Ling Feng Viper had already shown its abilities before; as for the Cold Pool Giant Crocodile, although its potential was inferior to the Ling Feng Viper, it likewise could not be underestimated — as an ice-attribute spirit beast, its combat ability was even greater than the Ling Feng Viper's.

Stout limbs, crocodile tail covered in scales, ice crystals bristling upside-down all over its body, flashing faint light under the sunlight; in every movement cold qi raged, air froze — nothing failed to demonstrate the power of its flesh and divine abilities.

And Li Minghan's own strength had also reached Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer; against ordinary people, he truly could win easily.

"A bit interesting."

Facing this quite imposing strike, Yang Chengxu nodded slightly; the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon roared, its body coiling, surrounding and protecting Yang Chengxu within; its dragon head raised, its dragon body shook.

Instantly, the frost originally covering its scale surfaces shattered completely, binding not the slightest movement; its dragon horns circulated green light. A rippling water-wave protective barrier blocked in front.

"Hum hum hum..."

The next instant, Sunset Radiance slammed into this protective barrier and instantly collapsed, like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir a single ripple.

"Merely a lower subspecies, yet dares to offend a True Dragon?"

Yang Chengxu shook his head, curled his lip and said lightly.

"True Dragon?" Li Minghan sneered, his gaze deep.

The Tian Qing Sub-Dragon understood, suddenly roaring, its shock spell shaking the void; its whole aura fully erupted, covering the arena.

"Ang!!!"

Violent sound waves, carrying mental pressure, surged forth; Li Minghan's expression did not change, he stepped back one pace and steadied his stance, yet saw the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon's hair flying, six claws spread, its dragon eyes wide open, glaring fiercely.

"Lie down!" Yang Chengxu's voice drifted faintly on the wind. Following his momentum, a vast Dragon Might also fully erupted, sweeping across heaven and earth.

"What joke is this, relying on just this Dragon Might!" Li Minghan sneered, looking at the Ling Feng Viper trembling under this pressure, his gaze sinking slightly.

"So it's bloodline suppression..."

As a lower subspecies of flood dragon, to a certain extent the Ling Feng Viper would indeed suffer the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon's bloodline suppression; after all the latter was a lower subspecies of the Tian Qing Spirit Dragon, and moreover contained a trace of Azure Dragon bloodline.

Its bloodline grade was indeed not something the Ling Feng Viper could compare to.

Consequently, compared to the Cold Pool Giant Crocodile, the Ling Feng Viper was even more passive in this battle; the instinctive fear from its bloodline forced it to generate a sense of submission; its body heaved, as if it truly had the urge to lie down.

Seeing this, Li Minghan took a deep breath, hesitated no longer, waved his hand again, and another tamed beast appeared.

"Wu Ang!!!"

This tamed beast, the moment it appeared, the surrounding violent power suddenly stagnated; likewise a faint pressure enveloped the arena, confronting the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon's Dragon Might.

A beast roar resounded; its cry actually had several points of similarity to that Tian Qing Sub-Dragon's. Yang Chengxu concentrated, looked over — this tamed beast was covered in flames, yet its outer armor was an earth-yellow glow; its skull was smaller; though a pangolin, it possessed a few points of dragon-head bearing; its slender body was more like a dragon body, yet its tail was a pangolin's.

And most eye-catching: its scales were not ordinary beast scales, but neat and orderly, genuine Dragon Scales!

Dragon Scale Pangolin! Merely by entering, it likewise released Dragon Might, forming resistance against the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon's pressure; for a time it actually did not lose the slightest ground, and the trembling Ling Feng Viper also gradually recovered its mobility.

"So this is your trump card."

Yang Chengxu's gaze, for the first time, showed a change; a solemn glint appeared in his eyes, and behind the solemnity lay a hidden trace... of greed.

"A mutated spirit beast, a pangolin containing the Red Mountain Spirit Dragon bloodline — interesting."

Yang Chengxu chuckled lightly; not only was he unafraid, excitement even surfaced on his face.

Li Minghan's expression was calm as he looked at the Dragon Scale Pangolin, nodding in satisfaction. After fusing with the Red Mountain Spirit Dragon bloodline, the Dragon Scale Pangolin — or what could now be called the Dragon Scale Chi Shan Armor — had seen its bloodline potential leap upward.

Compared to the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon, it was in no way inferior; it could likewise unleash Dragon Might, and naturally would not be suppressed by the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon.

After all, the Red Mountain Spirit Dragon's bloodline strength was even above that of the Tian Qing Spirit Dragon.

"Tian Qing Sub-Dragon, time to get serious. Tian Qing Sun Moon Light!"

Yang Chengxu withdrew the disdain in his heart; a smile curled at the corner of his mouth, his tongue lightly licked his lips, and the excitement in his eyes could not be concealed.

The appearance of the Dragon Scale Chi Shan Armor had indeed surprised him, but more than that, it was a pleasant surprise.

"Never expected this trip would yield such a harvest — a spirit beast tamed by a Beast Tamer that contains the Red Mountain Spirit Dragon bloodline. If I can obtain it and have my Tian Qing Sub-Dragon devour it, combined with the Spirit Dragon Blood..."

"Then my Tian Qing Sub-Dragon will surely advance further, even surpassing the limit of the Tian Qing Spirit Dragon! At that time, among all the prodigies of Wu Zhou, I, Yang Chengxu, can be called number one!"

Thinking of this, Yang Chengxu's breathing grew rapid; his gaze became blazing, and he treated this battle with even greater seriousness.

As for the outcome of this battle, he had absolute confidence. Although the Dragon Scale Chi Shan Armor's appearance surprised him, the realm gap between the two was there: a Second Rank Fifth Layer Tian Qing Sub-Dragon, plus his own Second Rank Sixth Layer cultivation base — absolutely not something a Second Rank Third Layer Dragon Scale Chi Shan Armor could compare to.

Moreover, his tamed beasts were not limited to just this one; merely, another tamed beast, due to some special reasons, he did not wish to deploy lightly.

As thoughts whirled, the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon rose into flight, its dragon body coiling forward, and intense green light suddenly burst forth from all around its body.

This light was blinding; in a short time the arena was a vast white expanse, outsiders unable to see clearly — it surpassed the brilliance of the scorching sun, as if even the sun paled before it.

High above the arena, green light flickered across heaven and earth; before long, two blazing suns and a bright moon hung suspended left and right, rising and falling within the green light, emitting violent energy fluctuations continuously.

Tian Qing Sun Moon Light! And the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon's figure, within this sea of light, kept leaping — now left, now right — as if receiving amplification.

"Domain... divine ability!"

Yang Chengxu's complexion turned grave; his mouth moved, slowly voicing a few words.

Without a doubt, this group-covering skill the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon displayed was a domain-type skill; its power went without saying.

It could be said that within this domain, the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon was like a fish in water, while the opponent suffered massive weakening.

"Logically speaking, your Dragon Scale Chi Shan Armor, since it contains the Red Mountain Spirit Dragon bloodline, should also be able to grasp this kind of innate domain divine ability — merely a pity, you, this Beast Tamer, are not too qualified."

"Otherwise, hand it over and let me nurture it for a while — you see how that works?"

Within the sea of light, Yang Chengxu's figure flickered in and out of sight; his laughter came now from the left, now from the right, impossible to pin down.

"Hmph! Playing tricks!"

Li Minghan let out a cold hum; his brows and eyes sharpened, and the three spirit beasts each occupied a position, forming a triangular formation.

Within the sea of light, the blazing sun shone, the bright moon rose and fell, rays of light sprinkled down — all tinged green. This light was formless and substanceless, yet unlike ordinary warm gentle light, it drew violent power; in just a moment Li Minghan felt a burning sensation on his skin, and his spirit power could not stop leaking outward.

A sense of weakness continuously emanated from every part of his mind and spirit; his body likewise rapidly lost power, and the three spirit beasts were similarly affected, their movements becoming sluggish.

"No good, can't go on like this."

Li Minghan shook his head, bit through his tongue; a bloody sensation came, barely letting him rally his spirit. He frowned, scanning the surroundings, trying to pinpoint Yang Chengxu's location in order to launch an attack.

Merely a pity — within this domain, even divine sense was suppressed; the naked eye was even more blind. Within the visible range there was only piercing green light, blurring everything.

And this Tian Qing Sun Moon Light was formless, substanceless, yet everywhere — so that one fundamentally did not know from where to defend. This was also the terrifying aspect of domain-type divine abilities.

Just as Li Minghan pursed his lips in vigilance, Yang Chengxu's distant voice transmitted over.

"Tian Qing, Sun Rises, Moon Sets!"

The sea of light flickered; within it the blazing sun phantom suddenly soared higher, even more violent light and heat flashing down continuously, while the bright moon plummeted with a resounding crash, its moonlight becoming increasingly real.

The void erupted; spirit qi was drawn into a vortex, at whose very center the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon coiled, circling and flying in rings, then suddenly roared — at once the sun and moon were drawn by it, and following the dragon chant sound both resounded booming, one above, one below, each carrying violent force, smashing toward Li Minghan! Boom—! At this moment the green light contracted; the sun and moon were dragged out into afterimages, at an inconceivable speed, streaming light across the sky, detonating the void, hurtling straight at Li Minghan.

"Huh?!!"

Li Minghan's complexion changed drastically; the swirling storms around him finally restored his clarity, and a sense of crisis exploded throughout his mind and spirit.

The three spirit beasts beside him were likewise startled; looking at the plummeting sun and moon, each exerted its power.

"Ling Feng Viper, Wind Rises, Water Rises!"

"Cold Pool Giant Crocodile, Fold Ice Crystals!"

"Dragon Scale Pangolin, Magma Chi Shan!"

Li Minghan roared low, continuously commanding the three spirit beasts; as his body retreated, a decisive glint flashed in his eyes. His right-hand finger slashed across his left-hand finger — instantly a blood mark appeared, drops of fresh blood welled from his fingertips, falling into the mouths of the three tamed beasts at Beast Taming Peak.

Instantly, a faint red halo appeared around the three tamed beasts' bodies, shielding them from the erosion of the omnipresent Tian Qing light, while simultaneously empowering them — their cultivation bases fluctuated violently.

Yet Li Minghan's complexion abruptly turned pale; his whole aura withered several degrees, his footsteps staggered, and a mouthful of dark red spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The Ling Feng Viper hissed; its body undulated rhythmically with a tremble — in an instant, rings of blue ripples spread outward centered on it, a gale swept in, and a layer of water mist surged along with the wind.

The mist churned ceaselessly; water moved with wind, forming another vortex around the Ling Feng Viper that kept expanding — everything around, even the sky light, was torn open a gap.

(Chapter End)