Chapter 519: Crushing Gu Cheng! (Requesting Monthly Votes)

"Boom!!"

In the center of the arena, the crimson blade, resembling a fire dragon, and the golden spear first collided.

"Whoosh!!"

With a thunderous explosion, energy sprayed everywhere, forming a violent gale that raged across the arena.

In the span of a breath, the two figures pierced through the gale and saw each other.

"Die!"

Gu Cheng radiated murderous intent; terrifying power erupted from his body, coalescing invisibly into a fully crimson, scorching lizard.

This was the Level Eleven beast he had comprehended from the Ten Thousand Beasts Wanshou Xuezhu—the Lava Lizard!

"Roar!!"

The massive lizard emerged as he swung his battle blade, the blade intensely condensed, its essence woven with the fire dragon's power.

Seeing this, Lin Qi unleashed the Six Records of Shanhe; the mountain-river artistic conception appeared, swirling around the spear tip.

Clenching the great spear with both hands, he seized the moment and thrust upward sharply—the air ripped apart instantly!

"Boom!!"

The weapons clashed, the martial energies collided—pure force alone generated concentric shockwaves that radiated outward.

The air exploded; the terrifying recoil force flung both men backward, each retreating several steps.

"Tap-tap-tap!!"

Lin Qi retreated five steps in succession, his feet striking the alloy ground, leaving behind a network of cracks.

He felt the force rebounding along the spear shaft, absorbed and dissipated by his martial energy.

This power is strong!

Lin Qi swiftly assessed—he compared his opponent to the Black man Jenos of the Silver Federation.

That man's strength was immense, leaving a deep impression on him.

But now, Gu Cheng's strength far surpassed Jenos's, especially in the impact of his blade technique.

Gu Cheng stood over two meters one tall, his strength extraordinary.

Lin Qi felt he had used only five-tenths of his power—and still fell into disadvantage.

"Tap-tap-tap!!"

Gu Cheng retreated three steps, staring at Lin Qi, his inner excitement growing:

"Lin Qi, is this your strength?"

"Too weak!"

"Let me show you true power!"

He charged forward again in long strides, like a fire dragon, swinging his blade.

The blade burned fiercely, continuously raising the air's temperature as he further amplified the power of his technique.

His previous strike had been only seven-tenths of his strength—and it had already completely suppressed Lin Qi.

With this level, how dare he provoke me?

He can only bully his younger brother, who hasn't awakened.

Still, he's the Global Martial Arts Champion.

These days, geniuses are getting weaker; if my generation's opponents were placed now, they'd all win the championship.

"Fire Dragon Blade Art"—Fire Dragon's Chaotic Dance!

This time he unleashed eight-tenths of his strength, effortlessly crushing Lin Qi, as easily as stepping on an ant.

"Boom!!"

Lin Qi swung his great spear, boosting his power to seven-tenths, continuing to probe.

The mountain-river artistic conception appeared, its heavy force reinforcing his entire body.

"Boom-boom!!"

In mid-air above the arena, they clashed again—crimson flame met golden martial energy.

Both sides engaged in fierce collision.

After reaching the Seventh Realm, cultivators condense martial energy—this is the ultimate offensive method.

The collision of martial energies is the collision of martial arts.

If a technique's power is weaker, one naturally falls into disadvantage—unless one possesses superior speed or astonishing defense.

Lin Qi could feel Gu Cheng's fighting style was relentless, blazing and ferocious.

Each blade strike was tyrannical, like a fire dragon in chaotic dance.

"Boom-boom!!"

Both sides clashed head-on in the arena!

He felt the scorching flames, like dancing embers crawling wildly over his body.

Attempting to pierce his martial energy defense and burn him to ash.

The two continued clashing in the arena; within mere seconds, they exchanged several strikes.

Terrifying martial energy spread outward; the ground beneath their feet, struck by the energy, cracked into a vast spiderweb pattern.

……

In the spectator stands,

The Sword Emperor, who had remained silent, slowly spoke his evaluation:

"Gu Cheng's Fire Dragon Blade Art has fully inherited Chi Lie's true teachings."

"Your blade art, created from the Emperor Chi's ultimate techniques, carries your own style—more brutal and forceful."

"Gu Cheng has now advanced far along the path of Divine artistic conception, drawing ever closer to the peak of the Fourth Realm."

"He can already look toward Fifth Realm blade techniques!"

"Hahahaha!"

Chi Lie Wang burst into loud laughter; among Ninth Realm cultivators, most used titles or true names.

For example, Chi Lie Wang—everyone called him Chi Lie, a kind of alternate name.

Chi Lie was delighted, showing no restraint in his joy—even though he knew Lin Qi was the granddisciple of the Shanhe King.

"In our Xia Nation, apart from Emperor Chi, only I have been able to comprehend a new blade art from Emperor Chi's ultimate techniques."

Chi Lie Wang was immensely proud.

"Gu Cheng is my most proud disciple; defeating Lin Qi is normal."

"After all, he is the Global Martial Arts Champion."

"Look—Gu Cheng hasn't even used his full strength, and Lin Qi is already at a disadvantage!"

Beijiang Sword King frowned, silently scoffing inside:

"Copied the Emperor Chi's ultimate techniques, tweaked a little—what's there to be proud of?"

Emperor Chi's most outstanding son was Chi Huang, so their ultimate techniques shared similar styles, all derived from Emperor Chi's teachings.

He had every right to do so.

But for Chi Lie Wang to do the same made other Ninth Realm cultivators secretly look down on him.

He glanced at Lin Qi on the arena—he greatly admired him; had the Shanhe King not intervened, he would have taken Lin Qi as his own disciple.

Naturally, he did not wish for Lin Qi to lose this battle.

So he turned to observe the Shanhe King, finding the man's expression calm, unreadable.

……

In a corner of the spectator stands,

"Hahahaha, Lin Qi is falling behind!"

Gu Ming sat with a group in the corner, his expression excited, fists clenched and swinging!

He was wildly thrilled, eagerly anticipating the moment Lin Qi knelt before him.

"Lin Qi is doomed to lose!"

"Some fools still think Lin Qi can win—haven't they seen the War House forum? Eighty percent believe Gu Cheng will win for sure."

Gu Ming looked up at the giant screen above; the Dalian River live comments scrolled rapidly.

"It's over—he's no match!"

"Completely dominated—he's bound to lose!"

"I knew Lin Qi would lose; such a genius needs a good lesson!"

In a distant corner of the audience, Xu Qin, dressed in green, frowned at the live comments:

"Lin Qi's strength shouldn't be this weak!"

As a genius who had awakened two abilities himself, he knew full well the power of this level.

The condensed martial energy could unleash far greater combat enhancement.

Not to mention, Lin Qi's talent surpassed his own.

He had received word from home: Lin Qi had broken the record of the Ten Thousand Beasts Wanshou Xuezhu.

The strength he was showing now was completely inconsistent with his talent.

"Could Lin Qi be hiding his true strength?"

Xu Qin suddenly had this thought.

Looking back at the arena, Lin Qi's expression remained calm—the tide of suppression was beginning to shift.

They became evenly matched.

A smile immediately appeared on her lips.

Many high-level martial artists in the audience sensed something was off.

On the arena.

Gu Cheng swung his battle blade wildly, his body activated, growing more excited with each strike.

Without realizing it, he unleashed his full power!

"Die!!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

His blade technique raged wildly, fire dragons rampaged, colliding with golden martial energy.

Without realizing it, they had exchanged dozens of strikes.

In the arena, the air trembled like rippling waves, surging outward in all directions.

"Lin Qi, is this your true strength?"

Gu Cheng couldn't help but mock Lin Qi, his heart brimming with confidence!

In the first twenty moves, he completely suppressed Lin Qi.

Lin Qi merely sneered at this and continued attacking.

At the fortieth move, Gu Cheng unleashed his full power; Lin Qi unleashed seven-tenths of his strength—the tide began to turn.

At the fiftieth move, Gu Cheng's expression changed; a bad premonition crept over him.

At the seventieth move, both were evenly matched; even Gu Cheng felt terrifying force slamming into his body.

His powerful physique began to tire, his internal organs aching faintly.

His arms went numb, his blood churned violently.

His face grew pale.

Yet Lin Qi's expression remained calm as he unleashed the Mountain-Shanhe Qiang Fa Technique.

He unleashed the Six Strikes of Mountain-River, each strike merging with spear martial energy, continuously clashing.

After dozens of exchanges, apart from the recoil from collisions, only stamina had been consumed.

Against Gu Cheng, he didn't even need to activate 【Golden Eyes】.

"Is this your full strength? Should I let you use only one hand?"

"Clang!"

Both sides clashed again, pulling apart.

Lin Qi finally spoke in mockery.

Upon hearing this, Gu Cheng's rage ignited instantly—he had been unable to break through Lin Qi, and the strain was driving him mad.

Sweat beads poured from his forehead, instantly evaporated, his face flushed red.

He swung his blade again, infusing it with the fire dragon's intent.

He lunged forward, transforming into a fire dragon, diving down, his blade Gangjinningju into four meters, slashing violently.

The Fire Dragon Blade Technique's killing move—Fire Dragon Fury!

"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"

The blade martial energy released, roaring like a fire dragon.

Lin Qi remained calm, swinging his black-gold great spear, Ningju Golden Emperor Spear Golden Gangjin, releasing an endless stream of power.

The golden spear martial energy extended for several meters, striking with the force of a roaring tiger.

A golden giant tiger seemed to erupt from his body.

He gathered his strength, then shot forward with full force.

"Boom!!"

The two clashed violently in midair, martial energies colliding, flames burning; those in the audience felt the scorching heat wave rushing toward them.

And the cutting edge capable of slicing through all things.

The violent collision sent energy spraying everywhere.

In an instant, Gu Cheng felt terrifying force travel up his blade into his body.

His own martial energy shattered like glass; countless sharp shards, like razor blades, cut into his flesh.

"Puff! Puff!!"

His battle armor instantly bore countless scratches; blood trails appeared on his face.

His body flew uncontrollably backward.

"Boom!!"

In the gale, he rolled several meters along the ground before stopping.

In an instant, every spectator fell silent.

The air suddenly grew still.

On the Red Realm's live comments, the screen filled with question marks.

"???"

In the audience, Red Flame King frowned, his face darkening.

Mountain-Senior Shanhe Wang's lips curled slightly upward.

Others in the audience were stunned—the arena's situation had shifted drastically, beyond their expectations.

On the arena

"Shhh!"

Lin Qi stood firm, radiating golden light, his black-gold great spear sheathed in spear martial energy, gazing down at Gu Cheng like a celestial deity.

He spoke with disdain:

"Gu Cheng, is that all…?"

"I didn't deny you a chance—use your Minor Divine Art, or you might as well just die."

Gu Cheng leapt up like a leaping carp, his face grim, his hands gripping the blade trembling uncontrollably.

His blood churned violently, his throat sweetened, blood oozing from his lips.

"How is this possible…?"

How could I possibly lose?

Gu Cheng's eyes turned bloodshot, his rage boiling over, his emotions completely out of control.

He only wanted to defeat Lin Qi!

"Boom!!"

In an instant, he activated his Minor Divine Art—his eyes turned blood-red, his blood accelerated, his power surging with it.

His muscles swelled, his body grew even more massive, his martial energy seeming to solidify.

His physical strength surged dramatically, his power skyrocketed, and all pain vanished.

The air's temperature skyrocketed, making it feel like a furnace.

When first awakened, Minor Divine Arts are at their strongest, greatly enhancing physical attributes.

As one's realm advances, the enhancement from Minor Divine Arts diminishes.

It may even be weaker than the boost from martial energy alone.

But it remains the best choice in life-or-death battles.

"Lin Qi, you're asking for death!"

Gu Cheng condensed his martial energy, his entire body engulfed in crimson flames, vanishing instantly—the ground beneath him cracked into a spiderweb of fissures.

A colossal magma lizard emerged.

"Shhh!"

Gu Cheng shot forward, his martial energy negating air resistance, emitting a tearing shriek.

He was faster!

Lin Qi's gaze sharpened—he clearly sensed Gu Cheng's speed had increased.

But so what!

He activated his special ability 【Golden Light】, enhancing his entire body.

With full power unleashed, his body gained strength, becoming light and swift.

"Shhh!!"

He unleashed the Body Technique 【Lei Jijiu Flash】, enhanced by 【Golden Light】, shooting forth like a black-gold lightning bolt.

Instantly, he swung his great spear, tendons bulging, the full might of Golden Emperor martial energy revealed in its brutal glory.

"Roar!"

The phantom of the Golden Emperor Tiger appeared, his aura surging dramatically.

Mountain-Senior Shanhe Wang's eyes brightened in the audience.

"Bang!"

Gu Cheng unleashed his killing move again—Fire Dragon Fury!

This time, with his physical attributes fully enhanced, the move's power surged dramatically.

"Roar!!"

The Fire Dragon blade martial energy erupted, roaring through the air.

What greeted him was a golden spear-gang, condensed into a golden staff like the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Lin Qi swung his great spear and thrust forward violently.

The killing technique of the Mountain-Shanhe Qiang Fa Art—Heaven and Earth Return to Void!

On the arena floor, shattered alloy surfaces, the two men clashed again.

Blade-gang met spear-gang; the air vibrated at high speed, invisible ripples spreading like waves.

In the next instant, heat and sharpness collided, competing, matching force against force.

Like two cars racing on a highway, colliding in an instant.

Lin Qi considered himself a modified armored vehicle, while Gu Cheng was merely an ordinary electric car.

The outcome, naturally, went without saying.

Dozens of thousands watching, eyes wide, stared at the colliding forces on the arena, awaiting the final result.

"Ahh!!"

Gu Cheng felt a terrifying force—he watched helplessly as his Fire Dragon blade-gang shattered.

Like two sharp blades colliding, his weapon broke—this meant defeat.

The blade-gang was blasted apart, revealing the battle knife within; intense force transmitted through the blade into his body.

The golden spear-gang pierced through the battle knife like a spiraling arrow, striking his body.

Intense agony spread through his body like a spiderweb, the searing pain forcing a roar from his throat.

His protective gang-jin was shattered; the sharp gang-jin sliced his flesh, tearing open exposed skin.

"Bang!"

In the spectators' eyes, Gu Cheng's body fell like a kite with severed string, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Puh~"

A torrent of blood and internal fragments sprayed into the air.

A deep crater formed on the earth; Gu Cheng was embedded within it.

"Tap-tap-tap!!"

Lin Qi merely used the recoil to step back ten paces and stabilized himself.

"Gu Cheng, is this your full strength?"

"Too weak!"

"You're just like Gu Ming—nothing but a clown!"

After speaking, Lin Qi swung his great spear, leapt high into the air, stretched his body, and came down like Mount Tai crushing down.

Gu Cheng, gritting his teeth against the pain, rose and swung his battle knife to block.

"Bang!"

The great spear struck the battle knife again; in an instant, the terrifying force knocked the knife from his grasp.

"Crack!"

Multiple bones shattered in unison; Gu Cheng knelt on the ground, his knees smashing into the floor and shattering instantly.

Though his shoulders were protected by battle armor, the terrifying force still fractured his bones.

"Puh~"

Gu Cheng's face twisted in agony as he looked up at Lin Qi across from him.

"Gu Cheng, three months?"

"Laughable. With my cultivation at the sixth realm, I could have defeated you."

"Do you know Ivan Petrov from Mao Xiong?"

"If he mastered gang-jin, you wouldn't even be able to beat him!"

Lin Qi's words pierced Gu Cheng's heart like countless blades; more painful than his physical wounds was the agony in his soul.

"Lin Qi, you...!"

Gu Cheng's eyes turned bloodshot, helpless with rage.

Lin Qi said finally:

"What, unsatisfied?"

"You can bring in outside help—I have no problem with anyone of the seventh realm."

As he spoke, Lin Qi channeled Jin Di gang-jin into Gu Cheng's body, shattering his heart.

Gu Cheng's face froze, then dissolved into nothingness in the air.

Lin Qi sheathed his spear and looked out at the audience.

【Arena Match Ended!】

【Challenge Result: Gu Cheng Lost, Lin Qi Won!】

Above the arena, the AI voice announced the final result.

With the announcement, the entire audience erupted.

"Impossible!"

Gu Ming leapt to his feet, face pale with terror, repeating "Impossible!"

Fear replaced his thoughts.

His brother Gu Cheng had lost?

His brother was the champion of the Global Martial Arts Championship, had arrived months before Lin Qi—and already lost?

How could this be?

Those around him were stunned.

Gu Cheng lost? Had they all hallucinated?

"Hahahaha!!"

"Little brother won!"

The four members of Lie Yan Team laughed, especially Liang Tai, who laughed without restraint.

To Gu Ming and his companions, the laughter was painfully sharp.

The live comments were filled with question marks and exclamation points.

"Worth it—this match was pure entertainment!"

"Lin Qi is insane—he actually won!"

"Gu Cheng isn't ordinary—he easily swept the competition to win the championship in the last Global Martial Arts Championship."

"Now he's been crushed by Lin Qi, three generations younger."

"There's always a higher mountain!"

"Can you believe this is a genius who just broke into the seventh realm?"

"I'm convinced—this is true genius!"

In the front rows of the audience, several high-realm martial artists were stunned.

"Clap-clap!!"

Someone clapped, watching Lin Qi on the arena.

Pei Pei Yiqing, in a crimson robe, was the most excited; beside her, Pei Pei Hongfeng couldn't help but nod in awe:

"Impressive—this is a top-tier genius!"

"Always shattering expectations, achieving the impossible!"

…

(End of Chapter)