Chapter 115: Know One

However, the real issue is whether Zhou Yi has the ability to match Zhong Li Zu Wu; when news of Zhou Yi's challenge to Zhong Li spread, the other ancestor shamans also rushed over to watch the battle.

"Hou Tujie, this is the young man you brought back, huh? He doesn't look particularly special!" a lively, playful girl standing beside Hou Tu curiously sized up Zhou Yi. Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, aside from Hou Tu, the only female is the youngest Xuan Ming Zu Wu.

"I met this fellow cultivator on the shore of the You Ming Blood Sea; his inspiration allowed me to comprehend my own Dao," Hou Tu explained.

"Hou Tujie, are you really going to do this? The brothers are right—if you throw yourself into reincarnation, what will become of the Wu Clan?"

Xuan Ming Zu Wu's face was full of confusion; she could not grasp the meaning of Hou Tu's entering reincarnation, but she knew she did not want to lose this sister.

It is precisely this confusion that keeps Hou Tu from making a final decision.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches are an indivisible whole; once Hou Tu enters reincarnation, the Twelve Ancestral Witches will no longer be complete.

Thus, the Wu Clan's crucial power, the Twelve Celestial Deity Sha Formation, will also struggle to exert its full might.

When this array is deployed, the Twelve Ancestral Witches can condense the true form of Pangu, and even a Saint would feel wary of it.

From this perspective, the Wu Clan's strength actually surpasses that of the Demon Race, because the Demon Race lacks equally formidable beings.

Since most ancestor shamans cannot comprehend Hou Tu's decision, they generally believe all of this is caused by Zhou Yi, and not only are they extremely dissatisfied with him, they even harbor subtle hostility—yet out of respect for Hou Tu, they have not acted directly.

As Hou Tu had foreseen, this battle is inevitable; Zhou Yi must win the ancestor shamans' respect with his own strength.

Zhong Li Zu Wu faced Zhou Yi; although a smile was on his face, he looked unusually ferocious.

He was eager to test, impatient to punish Zhou Yi to vent his inner fury.

However, watching Zhou Yi before him, Zhong Li grew increasingly surprised—why did this person seem more excited than he was?

Zhou Yi's heart was filled with excitement; ever since he refined his ancient holy body to its pinnacle, he had longed to spar with the ancestor shamans.

If we consider only physical strength, is the ancestor shaman superior, or is the achieved ancient holy body even stronger?

"Young man, if you feel you cannot hold on, remember to concede in time; otherwise, should disaster strike, don't say I was merciless." Although Zhong Li Zu Wu harbored doubts, he did not believe a mere Human could contend with an ancestor shaman.

"I return that sentence in kind. Though my cultivation time is short, I often struggle to gauge the weight of my strikes; Zhong Li Zu Wu, please be especially careful."

Zhou Yi is not an easy target either; he knows that within the Wu Clan, only the strong earn respect. Courtesy? That simply does not exist.

Hearing this, Zhong Li Zu Wu roared in anger, said no more, and stepped forward, a pair of massive hands pressing toward Zhou Yi. This power, purely bodily, was so great it could tear the fabric of space.

"Just as I wish!" Zhou Yi showed no fear, also stepping forward; the power of his ancient holy body erupted suddenly, meeting Zhong Li Zu Wu's assault head‑on.

"Boom—boom—boom!" The two palms collided violently under the gaze of the ancestor shamans, invisible energy ripples instantly spreading, shaking countless dimensions.

Immediately afterward, all the ancestor shamans present displayed shocked expressions; they could hardly believe their eyes: after the clash, Zhong Li Zu Wu and Zhou Yi each stepped back three steps.

Is this a display of an even match? How could such a situation arise?

In the Vast Wilderness World, when it comes to sheer bodily strength, none can surpass the Wu Clan. As the Wu Clan's top‑tier warriors, the ancestor shamans are unrivaled in physical power.

Yet at this moment, they witnessed a fact: a Human could actually stand toe‑to‑toe with Zhong Li Zu Wu.

That is not all; after all, in the Vast Wilderness World, there are not zero strong beings capable of challenging an ancestor shaman.

But the key is that each of them is a well‑versed ancestor shaman, and they clearly saw Zhou Yi opposing Zhong Li Zu Wu by virtue of his bodily strength.

Could it be that the Human Race has already evolved to possess such robust physiques? Is it the ancestor shamans' limited insight, or the rapid changes of the Vast Wilderness World?

Before the ancestor shamans could recover from their shock, Zhou Yi and Zhong Li Zu Wu launched another round of fierce combat, exchanging blows punch for punch, the battle exceedingly intense.

"Now that's exhilarating!"

Zhou Yi employed no flashy techniques, nor did any phenomena appear; relying solely on the power of his consummate holy body, he faced Zhong Li Zu Wu.

Each strike poured all his might, as Zhou Yi unleashed his maximized bodily power without reservation.

Zhong Li Zu Wu was equally unmatched; the Wu Clan's famed strongest bodily defense in the Vast Wilderness World was perfectly embodied in him, worthy of being called immortal after ten thousand tribulations.

Both sides exchanged blows, the fight exceedingly fierce, yet neither Zhou Yi nor Zhong Li Zu Wu could gain any advantage in this contest.

"Ha ha, how refreshing; I never expected the Human Race to harbor such formidable bodily strength."

As the battle progressed, Zhong Li Zu Wu grew increasingly excited; unconsciously his hostility toward Zhou Yi lessened, and his gaze now held a hint of admiration.

This reflects the Wu Clan's nature; its straightforward warriors never favor roundabout ways, they worship pure strength alone.

If it were merely raw power, Zhong Li Zu Wu might not value Zhou Yi so highly, but Zhou Yi displayed precisely the robust physique he most admires.

This trait struck Zhong Li Zu Wu's preference, causing a fundamental shift in his attitude toward Zhou Yi.

Perhaps, in the eyes of these ancient Wu Clan, possessing great power equates to truth, or perhaps they simply favor those with well‑developed muscles.

Not only Zhong Li Zu Wu, but several other ancestor shamans also altered their view of Zhou Yi.

Even the usually composed Hou Tu Ancestor Shaman, when gazing at Zhou Yi, had a strange glint in his eyes, mixed with an unmistakable hint of surprise.

Hou Tu Ancestor Shaman knew Zhou Yi's strength was no ordinary matter; otherwise he could not have delivered a heavy blow to the Demon Master's Great Peng Bird in Taiyi Shen's hand.

Yet she never imagined Zhou Yi's bodily form could reach such astonishing strength.

"You're quite impressive as well; since the test is over, why not each show our true abilities, so I can see how formidable a genuine ancestor shaman truly is."

After a bout, both sides remained evenly matched; Zhou Yi halted his attack and proposed to Zhong Li Zu Wu.

"Fine, your bodily strength truly commands respect, worthy of witnessing my ancestor shaman's true form," Zhong Li Zu Wu nodded in response.

At first, though his anger burned, Zhong Li Zu Wu maintained composure, originally only intending to teach Zhou Yi a lesson. Yet after the real clash—

Seeing the Human Zhou Yi possess such astonishing bodily power, Zhong Li Zu Wu's heart surged with intense interest.

As an ancestor shaman, being unable to defeat a Human in a bodily strength contest would undoubtedly be extremely shameful.

To preserve the Wu Clan's dignity, Zhong Li Zu Wu had to give his all, with no reservations left.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, his body swelled rapidly, soon transforming into a massive demon‑god figure.