Chapter 616: Initial emergence of latent power, lethal force unleashed!

「Old Duan, it's your turn to go on stage, right? 」Hei Di said with a chuckle.

「Hmph, going on stage is a piece of cake for me; no matter who comes, I'll just get it done. 」Duan Di brimmed with confidence.

Since Hei Di could easily win, he naturally couldn't lose face.

Soon, faint light flickered on the dueling platform, and two floating gates slowly opened. Duan Di strode in head high, taking large steps.

「Isn't that Duan Di? 」

「The second to go on stage is Duan Di! The opponent is probably in for a headache. 」

「Although Duan Di's moves aren't as fierce as Hei Di's, they're really hard to deal with. 」

Some who had previously crossed hands with Duan Di began to complain.

Duan Di's myriad divine abilities are not to be taken lightly.

Although not lethal, it can make opponents' heads ache incessantly; even with full-force attacks, it feels like hitting cotton—neither painful nor itchy.

Its harm is low, but its humiliation factor is extremely high!

At this moment, the side that lost the first round sent out a mysterious man wrapped head to toe in black bandages.

He wore a cloak, his face hidden in the shadows.

「Yo, this guy is all mysterious and secretive, looks tough to handle... 」Outside the spectator area, Bi Xiao narrowed her eyes and muttered.

「The opponent exudes a strange vigor, and his rhythm is also odd—I've never seen anything like it before. 」Zhao Gongming standing nearby said slowly.

Since Ye Qin merged the myriad realms into the Primordial World, powerful beings have emerged in endless succession.

All kinds of strange and varied.

Some are completely non-human in form, yet their strength is overwhelmingly invincible, terrifying to the extreme.

Right now, this mysterious man in a black cloak instantly drew everyone's attention.

「Who is he? 」

「I don't know him... 」

「But if he's on the same team as that three-headed, six-armed guy from earlier, then his strength shouldn't be weak either... 」

「Which world does he come from? 」

For a moment, everyone's faces were filled with question marks, all trying to figure out the other's identity.

However, the answer they got was just everyone shaking their heads.

「I am Duan Di, nice to meet you... 」Duan Di cupped his fists and greeted politely.

This is his way of treating an opponent, after all this is just a match, not a life-or-death battle.

As the saying goes, "No fight, no acquaintance."

However, just as Duan Di finished speaking, the black-robed man remained silent, showing no intention to respond.

Duan Di's eyes turned cold, his tone sharpening: 「When someone introduces themselves, shouldn't the other party also respond? 」

Silence, still silence.

「Tsk... really seems like an ill-mannered guy. 」

Duan Di shook his head, then directly drew his Coiling Dragon Sword from his hand, saying, 「Since you don't wish to talk with me, let's settle this with our techniques! 」

Before his words even faded, Duan Di's aura exploded, rolling into the heavens and transforming into gusts of vigorous wind.

Such a surging, mighty aura…

Yet it failed to make the black-robed man move even a bit; he remained rooted in place, utterly still.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

「What's wrong with this person? Is he deaf? 」

「Duan Di took the initiative to greet him, yet he hasn't made a sound—isn't that an insult? 」

「Duan Di! Take him down! 」

Spectators outside the arena cheered for Duan Di, determined to defeat this ill-mannered deaf guy!

「Something's off... 」The Lord of the Great Wilderness' eyes suddenly flashed with a faint light, and he exclaimed in a low voice.

Hei Di also sensed something amiss.

「This man... 」

Why does he possess such an unusual rhythm on his body?

Normally, no matter how high one's cultivation level, they still follow the Dao, or cannot escape it.

Whether it's Dao essence, Dao qi, or Dao profundity… it's all the same.

However, this black-robed man before us, who sends chills down our spines, besides a trace of Dao rhythm, Hei Di and the Lord of the Great Wilderness can also sense other presences.

Like the azure dragon in the clouds and mist, or the flood dragon in clear seas.

It stirs the heart and soul.

「Old Duan, you must absolutely not let your guard down... 」The Lord of the Great Wilderness muttered to himself.

At this moment, Duan Di on the dueling platform, annoyed by the black-robed man's silent attitude, gripped his Coiling Dragon Sword tightly, his blazing eyes locked firmly on the opponent.

「What bad luck... then I'll make the first move! 」

Having said that, Duan Di, without hesitation, waved his Coiling Dragon Sword, quickly slashing a few times in the air!

For the first move, he didn't dare go all out; he needed to first probe the opponent's depth of strength.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles!"

If, like Hei Di's earlier battle against that three-headed monstrous demon, a slight mistake could lead to a misstep that brings eternal regret!

Boom—

The sword art pierces the heavens; an azure dragon rises, clouds and mist swirling, as it coils and flies through the void.

「Azure Dragon Emerges from the Sea! 」

A flood dragon entwined with thunder-fire attribute burst out of Cloud Mountain, rising on clouds and mist, its aura imposing!

Duan Emperor let out a loud shout, his Coiling Dragon Sword pointing straight at the black-robed man!

With this first move, I will surely force you to reveal your true form!

You dare act aloof before me? You're not worthy enough!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The flood dragon's phantom, carrying boundless momentum, suddenly fell, shattering the earth instantly; countless whirlwinds surged from the ground, instantly engulfing the black-robed man.

An ordinary person, with no preparation whatsoever, would be vaporized directly by the flood dragon!

Exactly!

Directly vaporized…… flesh and bones will be devoured, disappearing completely.

"No way? Is it really over like this?"

"This mysterious person, I thought they'd be formidable, but this is it?"

"So boring, so boring—what world is that opponent from? They're so weak, do they even deserve to be called strong?"

"Duan Emperor hasn't even made a move yet, and this guy already collapsed……"

Just as everyone mocked the black-robed man as unable to withstand a single blow, what happened before their eyes instantly silenced them.

Only see the mist permeating the competition field completely absorbed in an instant.

Even that flood dragon phantom vanished along with it.

"Huh?" Duan Emperor tilted his head, furrowed his brows, his heart filled with doubt.

What's going on?

What exactly happened just now?

How did my first move just suddenly disappear?

Yet, under everyone's incredulous gaze, a figure still stood firm in the arena.

It was that black-robed man, his whole body emanating killing intent.

That face, unseen by anyone, remained hidden in the shadows; the two arms wrapped in bandages faintly flickered with a hint of red light……

Seeping out bit by bit from the gaps in the bandages……

Soon, the bandages on the right hand also fell away.

For a moment, everyone froze. Countless eyes turned to the black-robed man, filled with bewilderment…… and astonishment……

Because the arm exposed after the bandages fell was covered in densely packed sigils!

String after string, line after line……

Like creeping vines, the symbols ran from fingertips to shoulder, countless in number!

"What is this?" Duan Emperor looked, his vision swimming.

Good thing I don't have trypophobia, or I'd have broken down!

"Nice kid, still playing tricks on me, huh?"

Duan Emperor's heart brimmed with disdain; his own abilities hadn't even been fully shown yet—how could he let this kid steal the spotlight?

Thinking this, his Coiling Dragon Sword transformed into a shadow, tightly coiling around his arm.

In an instant, heavenly thunder roared and fierce winds rose.

"That just now was merely probing your strength; the power wasn't fully unleashed. Now this move—you'd better watch closely!"

At that moment, lightning and thunder intertwined in the void, gathering into a mass that condensed onto Duan Emperor's right hand.

That Coiling Dragon Sword, as the energy reached its peak, burst forth with blinding light, forcing those nearby to shut their eyes lest they be blinded.

"Oh my God! What is this?!"

No mistake, one chant, one release, one inner, one content, one in one look!

"Where does such strong light come from?!"

Even the Lord of the Great Wasteland, accustomed to grand scenes, couldn't help but turn his head slightly.

"Tsk…… I've told Old Duan before, don't mess with these flashy things, but he just won't listen, insisting on stealing the limelight!"

Black Emperor stood aside, covering his eyes and laughing, "Oh dear, Old Wasteland, just let him show off—how else could we draw the attention of Great Master Ye Qin?"

The Lord of the Great Wasteland also thought it made some sense.

Since we've come to participate in this match, why not seize the chance to display our full power and shock the four directions? Perhaps Great Master Ye Qin will catch a glimpse somewhere in the heavens and earth, and then we could truly rise to prominence and reach the pinnacle of life!

But, is it necessary to be so ostentatious?

Within the arena, facing this blinding light, the black-robed man remained unmoving; only the runes on his arm undulated with the incoming waves of momentum.

The runes swayed slowly, trembling……

This scene, others didn't notice, but the Duobao Daoist far off in the spectator area saw it clearly.

The flesh on his cheek twitched, his eyes narrowed to a slit, as he observed carefully.

"Senior Brother Duobao, if you want to see more clearly, just go up front—no need to strike that pose, how embarrassing~"

Bixiao glanced at the Duobao Daoist beside her and said unhappily.

Shrinking his head, like a Divine Turtle of the Settled Sea, he practically embodied the word "lewd" to the fullest.

"No no no! Senior Brother, I'm carefully examining the patterns on that person's arm!"

The Duobao Daoist swallowed saliva, a terrifying thought suddenly popping into his mind.

"No way…… the runes on his arm are absorbing Duan Emperor's Spiritual Power?"

"What?" Bixiao was completely confused, hearing something nonsensical, "Senior Brother Duobao, are you seeing things?"

"Absolutely not! Junior Sister Bixiao, look for yourself!"

Bixiao half-believing, half-doubting, pouted, following the Duobao Daoist's gaze over. This look—unbelievable!

In the arena, the black‑robed man who was originally not optimistic faced the dazzling light; even the strong nearby could not bear the torture of this intense light, turning their heads away and closing their eyes.

Only the black‑robed man, as if enjoying this moment, did not retreat half a step.

Moreover, on his right arm covered in talismans, the red patterns became increasingly visible and increasingly fierce!

Ya ah!

Duan Di let out a loud shout and took the Coiling Dragon Sword from his arm.

At this moment, his whole body was filled with endless power, and the Coiling Dragon Sword became an illusory shape, appearing and disappearing around him.

"From now on, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Duan Di snorted coldly, lightly waved his right hand, and the Coiling Dragon Sword rose into the air, its sword qi transforming into a dragon that roared twice and shot forward.

This lightning‑fast speed left everyone unable to catch the trace of the dragon's phantom; they could only see a flash of light and shadow in the air, and in an instant it pierced straight through the black‑robed man.

Zizizi!

Heaven‑filling lightning poured down in an instant!

Wherever the Coiling Dragon Sword went, the ground was covered in purple lightning.

Boom!

Immediately followed by endless bombardment; within the area covered by lightning, no place could escape the devastation of the lightning explosion.

In an instant, the yellow earth turned into scorched earth, becoming completely ruined.

Amid the flashing lightning and thunder, the spectators closest to the scene all retreated far away, fearing to be struck by the electric light.

Although they knew that a barrier set up by the great Ye Qin protected them, their bodily instinct still drove them to avoid harm.

"What a powerful aura!"

"What exactly is this ability?"

"I have never seen such a move; it's simply terrifying!"

Everyone exclaimed in amazement, while also feeling regret for the black‑robed man.

He had just arrived not long ago and hadn't even had a chance to show off; now he's probably already been killed by this lightning devastation.

I fear that once the smoke clears, all that will remain lying on the ground is a charred corpse.

Although the flesh can be restored via the primordial spirit even if destroyed, such a death state is truly too humiliating.

However, before the crowd could finish marveling at Duan Di's terrifying power, an even more shocking scene occurred.

Under everyone's gaze, the black‑robed man who had been outright judged dead was not only not blown up, nor turned into a charred corpse, but instead stood alive within the lightning, firmly planted inside the blast zone!

And the flood dragon covered in purple lightning was actually brought under his control!

"What?!"

Everyone's expressions froze; even Duan Di himself, who had unleashed such a heaven‑shattering, earth‑destroying move, could not help but let out a startled cry.

"This, this is impossible!"

"Although my previous strike lacked the power to instantly destroy heaven and earth, it was more than enough to deal with a single person!"

"But……"

"Zizizi!"

The black‑robed man raised his right hand, covered in talismans, with his fingers curled like claws, as if gripping the flood dragon's neck; a slight force would cause the dragon's phantom to instantly vanish.

And the pervasive lightning aura likewise disappeared.

This left everyone unable to remain calm!

The gazes toward the black‑robed man shifted from sympathy to fear!

"Just what background does this guy have?!"

"Just who the hell is he?!"

Even the Lord of the Great Wasteland, who had seen countless strong fighters, couldn't help but frown and ponder upon seeing the black‑robed man on the field swallow Duan Di's full‑power strike.

"This battle might well have variables."

Heaven‑filling thunder and a flood dragon spanning the sky were actually subdued by a single arm's strength!

This scene left everyone dumbstruck, unable to speak for a long time!

Duan Di was the same; besides being incredulous, he could find no other words to describe his current mood!

However, the matter is far from over!

Although it was thought that Duan Di's strike was merely easily dispelled by the black‑robed man, when everyone came to their senses and observed closely, they discovered that the talismans on his right arm were actually covered in purple lightning!

Zizi sounds, each ringing into the ears!

"No way! Duan Di's move just now was actually completely absorbed by him!"

"Just what kind of heretical martial art is this?"

"I take back my earlier comment that he was fragile; this guy really makes me look at him anew!"

"Under heaven, nothing is strange; truly monsters abound!"

Duan Di descended from the sky; at this point he regarded the black‑robed man with new eyes, no longer daring to harbor the slightest contempt.

He sheathed the Coiling Dragon Sword, faced the black‑robed man, and asked: "Just who are you? You ought to tell me your identity, right?"

"You don't need to know who I am."

The black‑robed man finally spoke, his voice deep and powerful; each word conveyed endless dignity, adding to his mysterious aura. (End of chapter)