Chapter 103: Battle Against Zhangliu

"He actually came back on his own!"

Zhangliu had thick eyebrows and large eyes, a rugged appearance, and a tall, sturdy build; he felt deeply surprised that Mengchen had returned of his own volition.

For someone who had failed to defect and escape a hundred times to finally succeed in escaping, only to then show up at their doorstep, this was truly something difficult to fathom.

"Zhangliu! You go and test the current strength of that turncoat," an elder instructed Zhangliu.

"Yes!" Zhangliu turned and bowed in response.

"Remember, although this turncoat has been nominally expelled by the Sect Leader, in terms of ability, he remains the apple of the Sect Leader's eye; you must exercise restraint when you strike," the elder cautioned again.

"Rest assured, Elders, Zhangliu understands!"

Having said that, Zhangliu flashed and vanished, and when he reappeared, he was already in the void in front of Mengchen.

"All disciples, stand back!" Zhangliu shouted, and the group of disciples who had been tangling with Mengchen all retreated to the side.

Hearing this, the disciples began to withdraw; Mengchen's gaze was stern as he looked at Zhangliu ahead, and it seemed a bitter battle was now unavoidable.

This Zhangliu had been in the Array Formation Realm for many years and possessed great strength.

Seeing the disciples retreat, Zhangliu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Mengchen with a smile, and said, "Good lad! Three years no see, your strength has grown!"

"Indeed! Three years no see, and you, old boy, have made absolutely no progress." Hearing what Zhangliu said, Mengchen spoke rudely.

The scene of Zhangliu beating him up at the Xuan Gate back then was still fresh in his memory, so Mengchen speaking this way had, more or less, a bit of a vengeful motive.

"What a sharp tongue!" Zhangliu endured it and did not get angry; if it weren't for the fact that this was the Western Sect, he would have really wanted to rush up and give this turncoat two slaps.

"Come! Fight me at the Martial Arts Arena, let me see just how much you have grown in these three years, and whether you are as strong as your tongue."

With that said, Zhangliu turned and stepped through the air directly toward the Martial Arts Arena.

"Come then! Do you really think I'm still the same as I was three years ago!" Mengchen replied loudly, then flashed out.

Behind him, the Tianhu girl, Xiyao, and Heizi, as well as the group of Western Sect disciples, also followed.

"Is this the Western Sect's Martial Arts Arena? It truly lives up to the name of a top-tier sect; this scale is truly astonishing."

Xiyao was surprised; an incomparably vast arena came into view ahead. It was extremely huge and glowed with brilliant golden light, as if cast from divine metal, looking solemn and magnificent.

"Little Sister Xiyao, are you interested in joining my Jietian Sect? Our sect's Martial Arts Arena is much more magnificent than this. Once there, you can practice martial arts to your heart's content. Most importantly, after joining my Jietian Sect, there are many precious arts and techniques for you to choose from, and treasure resources can help you quickly improve your cultivation; by then, you will surely be able to avenge your blood feud soon."

The Tianhu girl whispered to the surprised Xiyao, and astonishing light bloomed in her beautiful and enchanting eyes.

"You are a disciple of the Jietian Sect?" Xiyao was shocked again, not expecting this woman beside her to be from the Jietian Sect.

The Jietian Sect was a great sect just like this Western Sect, with a resounding reputation, so she had naturally heard of it.

"I am the Saintess of the Jietian Sect, big sister!" the Tianhu girl said with a proud smile.

"The Saintess of the Jietian Sect!" Xiyao was even more surprised.

Although she had also once been a Saintess, compared to the Saintess of the Jietian Sect, her own worth was a bit lacking. Moreover, now that her sect had been overturned, the so-called Saintess had become a thing of the past.

Seeing this, Heizi, next to the Tianhu girl, cast a puzzled look and said, "Why do you want to recruit everyone you see into your Jietian Sect? Is your sect not so poor that it makes a generation's Saintess go out to recruit disciples! It's one thing to be poor in resources, but I didn't expect to see this today—a great sect that is even poor in people; it really is an eye-opener."

The Tianhu girl cast a sidelong glance and said coquettishly, "What business is it of yours? Go away!"

After finishing, she looked at Xiyao again and asked, "How about it? Little Sister Xiyao, do you want to join my Jietian Sect?"

"I..." Xiyao was a bit conflicted and couldn't make up her mind for a moment.

A "Swoosh!" sound instantly attracted their attention.

They saw two light shadows flash, and Mengchen and Zhangliu arrived at the center of the Martial Arts Arena almost simultaneously.

The two of them were far apart, facing each other from a distance; in just an instant, the Martial Arts Arena was filled with a solemn atmosphere. "Mengchen actually dares to fight Zhangliu; is he out of his mind?"

"I believe Mengchen will definitely lose. Zhangliu's strength is powerful, and I heard his Golden Body has been cultivated to perfection; how could he possibly contend with that?"

"If he wants to seek abuse, we can just treat it as watching a good show."

"Confidence is a good thing, but once it goes too far, it's not so good."

The Western Sect disciples discussed, none of them optimistic about Mengchen, believing that Mengchen was overconfident and was looking for abuse.

Listening to the surrounding discussions, the Tianhu girl held a dissenting opinion and shook her head, saying, "I don't think so."

Beside her, Xiyao and Heizi both nodded in agreement.

A Western Sect disciple saw this and sneered with disdain, saying, "Heh... I really don't know where Mengchen got two female demons and a little black dog; they are just as ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth as he is."

"Tch! Then let's wait and see!" The Tianhu girl cast a glance, too lazy to argue with a group of bald men who didn't know how to speak.

"Boom..."

The two entered the arena, not saying a word, and directly turned into beams of light, rushing toward each other like two meteorites, erupting with blinding light. The sound was like thunder, making the very heavens and earth roar, with vibrations so intense they were soul-shaking.

In the arena, smoke and mist surged, and divine light surged; the previous collision was truly too terrifying.

After a moment, the arena returned to silence, and the various mists and lights vanished; they still occupied their respective sides, their eyes fixed on each other from afar.

The Western Sect disciples were horrified; the collision just now had made them tremble with fear.

They asked themselves, if it were them clashing with Zhangliu, they would absolutely be unable to withstand it, and would most likely end up crippled.

"Good lad, it seems your progress in these three years is indeed great." Zhangliu's eyes flickered, and he was very surprised in his heart.

Three years ago, dealing with him was like catching a chick; now, just three years later, he had actually grown to this extent.

If another three years passed, he feared he would be left far behind.

"It's not as exaggerated as you say; if compared to your standing still, it can indeed be said so." Mengchen revealed a strange expression, suppressing the other party with his words.

After Mengchen's words fell, the arena fell into a momentary silence.

Everyone could see that their respective auras were climbing, becoming increasingly terrifying. Zhangliu's monk robe fluttered, his thick eyebrows stood upright, and his eyes became increasingly cold and sharp, as if he had been completely enraged.

On the other side, Mengchen did not show weakness; strands of golden Divine Radiance from within his body sprayed out through his conspicuous orange monk robe, his whole body appearing as if golden flames were dancing, exceptionally dazzling and eye-catching.

In the distance, atop the golden roof of a great hall, auspicious clouds gathered, and among those clouds, a Western Sect elder said, "This Mengchen has successfully enraged Zhangliu!"

Beside him were over a dozen other elders, all sitting steadily on Lotus Platforms, appearing exceptionally holy and solemn.

Clearly, they also sensed the change in Zhangliu's mood, and someone continued, "With this turncoat speaking like that, who wouldn't be angry!"

"I truly do not know where he intends to place himself after angering Zhangliu," another elder said.

"Let us watch first! Perhaps this traitor has some unexpected methods. You all saw it too; Zhangliu's previous strike was not weak, yet after taking it, he is neither flushed nor out of breath. This is enough to show that the current traitor is likely not simple at all," another elder said, gazing at Mengchen with piercing eyes.

Hearing these words, the group of elders nodded one after another and cast their gazes forward, focusing their attention entirely on Mengchen.

"Boom...!"

Golden light erupted from Zhangliu's palm, spewing auspicious rays that made his entire hand look like a golden palm, carrying an overwhelming aura as it struck forward—terrifying and monstrous! At this moment, his divine might was awe-inspiring and unstoppable, making the crowd outside the arena feel a chilling, hair-raising aura.

Among them, a disciple of the Western Sect recognized the technique Zhangliu was using and shouted in shock, "Vajra Palm! Zhangliu has actually used the Vajra Palm!"

(End of this chapter)