Chapter 995: All-Out Effort

Before long, the Holy Son of the Demon Race, under the protection of several venerables, arrived at the arena.

Seeing that Ye Liuyun had already arrived, he stepped directly onto the stage.

Ye Liuyun also rose, climbed onto the stage, and stood opposite Zuo Mu.

"My realm has just broken through to the fifth level of the Zao Hua Realm; you have no problem, do you? If you think it's unfair, we can postpone the agreed time!"

Zuo Mu was indeed straightforward, not hiding his realm, and even gave Ye Liuyun a chance to back out.

Ye Liuyun smiled, "Thanks for your kindness. No need to wait; let's fight directly! I've improved a bit recently."

"You're so confident?" Zuo Mu noticed that Ye Liuyun's realm had not broken through the first level of the Zao Hua Realm.

"I just don't want to keep waiting!"

Ye Liuyun didn't close the argument. If Zuo Mu used a treasure, he might indeed not be a match.

"Fine! Then we'll have a fair fight, no treasure!" Zuo Mu said aloud.

He never intended to kill Ye Liuyun, so there was no need to reveal his Trump Card just to contest a momentary victory.

If Ye Liuyun wins, it would only show that he is outstanding; Zuo Mu would admire him, and it would also favor his relationship with Ling Shuang.

If Ye Liuyun loses, Zuo Mu would be somewhat disappointed. Yet he wouldn't be at a loss; he could still take Ye Liuyun back to fight the Foreign Tribe.

Ye Liuyun, not wanting to take advantage of Zuo Mu, warned him, "If we don't use a treasure, you're definitely not my opponent!"

"Ha ha! I indeed didn't misjudge you; you're truly confident!" Zuo Mu also laughed.

"No problem, we'll rely on true skill. If you beat me, I'll concede!" Zuo Mu readily agreed.

Ye Liuyun also greatly admired Zuo Mu's character.

"Alright, let's begin!"

He didn't act pretentiously, simply gathered his momentum and prepared to fight.

"Ready!"

Zuo Mu replied with a nod, and his Demon Qi burst forth.

After Zuo Mu broke through to the fifth level of the Zao Hua Realm, his Demon Qi became denser and darker, and his strength surged dramatically. Compared to when he was at the fourth level, the difference was night and day.

During the battle when Ye Liuyun broke through the first level of the Zao Hua Realm, Zuo Mu had personally watched. He thought that with his fifth‑level Zao Hua realm, even if Ye Liuyun concealed something then, he could at least hold his own.

But he still underestimated the "little bit" Ye Liuyun had just improved.

When Ye Liuyun advanced, he unleashed the Qiankun Palm.

His Qiankun Palm now not only wielded great power but also moved faster.

As he activated it, a massive palm descended from the sky straight at Zuo Mu, leaving him no chance to dodge, forcing him to brace.

And the Buddha Light Power within that palm was precisely the bane of Zuo Mu's Demonic Cultivation.

Therefore, for Zuo Mu to catch that palm, he naturally needed to use more True Essence to counter it.

However, Ye Liuyun gave him no breathing room at all.

After that palm struck, he instantly flashed, used spatial power to appear behind Zuo Mu's back, then swung another palm horizontally. Grasping the Qiankun Palm, he slammed it toward Zuo Mu.

Zuo Mu, while powering a punch, also tried to use spatial power to evade the palm behind him.

But suddenly he felt the space around him was locked, making Space Translocation impossible.

At that moment, Ye Liuyun's second palm was already close.

Zuo Mu, helpless, had to muster all his strength to meet that palm.

Immediately after, Ye Liuyun's third and fourth palms kept coming.

Each palm required Zuo Mu to gather all his True Essence and go all‑out to resist.

He had known beforehand that Ye Liuyun's use of spatial power was strong, but he didn't expect it to be this strong.

Moreover, he wielded a defensive‑offensive artifact; even if Ye Liuyun compressed space, it couldn't kill him.

He only didn't anticipate that Ye Liuyun would simply lock the space, restricting his movement and forcing a direct True Essence clash.

"Boom—, Boom—, Boom—..."

Six booming sounds erupted across the arena.

Each palm collision between them raised massive shockwaves, shaking the entire training ground's floor.

Although it seemed merely a True Essence duel, each of Ye Liuyun's palms blended Buddha Demon Power, the forces of two flames, and Heaven and Earth Power.

Otherwise, he couldn't have forced Zuo Mu to go all‑out.

Zuo Mu was secretly startled, "Ye Liuyun's power has increased again? Yet it looks like his realm hasn't risen much!"

Ye Liuyun's current palm force was clearly far stronger than when he first broke into the Zao Hua Realm.

This is due to a slight increase in the mass of his Mysterious Origin, as well as his more adept use of Heaven and Earth Power and Buddha Demon Power.

Besides being shocked, Zuo Mu began to worry.

After enduring six of Ye Liuyun's palms, his True Essence was exhausted. If Ye Liuyun struck once more, he would lose immediately.

Ye Liuyun as well; after six consecutive palms, the Mysterious Origin in his first Essence Pill was depleted, and half of that in his second Essence Pill was used.

But his Golden Pupil had already detected that the True Essence in Zuo Mu's Essence Pill was empty.

He didn't take advantage of Zuo Mu; instead, he stopped immediately.

He opened the locked space.

At the same time, he employed the Primordial Spirit Secret Technique to drain the ambient spiritual energy around Zuo Mu, preventing his recovery.

Zuo Mu suddenly realized the space around him had opened, felt a surge of joy, and instantly slipped out of Ye Liuyun's attack range.

His True Essence was now depleted and needed rapid restoration, so he planned a delaying tactic.

He thought Ye Liuyun's True Essence was also insufficient for another palm.

Now he would fight Ye Liuyun while contesting who could restore True Essence first.

However, he was surprised once again.

Although a Demon Cultivator absorbs spiritual energy to recover, the speed is far slower, yet it still manages to absorb some.

Especially since he has some secret techniques that can quickly absorb spiritual energy to restore True Essence.

But now when he tries to circulate, he cannot absorb even a trace of spiritual energy.

And Ye Liuyun at this moment has already rushed over, ready to grapple with him.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun's use of Spatial Power is far stronger than his; he cannot even dodge, and can only clash with Ye Liuyun again.

However, since it's a Physical Body contest, he is of the Demon Race and should have a great advantage.

Yet once they clash, he discovers that he was wrong again.

With his punching power, Ye Liuyun can hard‑block without any defense, and suffers no injury at all.

But when Ye Liuyun strikes him with a fist, it carries flame and Buddha Light Power; each blow leaves a charred mark on his surface.

And the flame and Buddha Light Power linger for a long time, continuing to inflict damage on him.