Three Ultimates Melee (Part 1)

Half an hour passed quickly in silent regulation of breath. The sun had sunk more than halfway below the horizon, leaving only a dim crimson glow at the edge of the sky, stretching the wreckage across the wasteland and the upright figures of the three men into long shadows.

Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen opened their eyes almost at the same time. After resting, neither had fully recovered to his peak, but their Soul Power had stabilized and their fighting spirit had reignited. The Holy Light around Qian Daoliu had withdrawn, making him seem even more unfathomable; Tang Chen rolled his shoulders and grinned, his eyes burning with battle intent.

Yu Yuanchen had also long since prepared himself. His fifty-fourth-level Soul Power surged through his body, restrained but ready to erupt, while the purple lightning flickering in his eyes revealed his inner unrest. A melee against two of the greatest geniuses of the age brought immense pressure, but it also set his blood boiling.

The three stood in a triangular formation, roughly thirty meters apart. There was no referee, no rules. The only principle was—fight until the very end!

The air seemed to freeze, and even the wind fell silent. Unsettled dust and a scorched smell hung over the wasteland, adding to its murderous atmosphere.

"Begin!"

No one knew who gave the low shout, or whether the Qi between the three had simply been drawn to its limit. The battle erupted in an instant!

The first to move was unexpectedly Yu Yuanchen, the one with the lowest Soul Power Level! He knew that before two Soul Emperors, his Soul Power was his weakness. He had to seize the initiative and create chaos!

Lightning flashed beneath his feet. Rather than charging at either opponent, he rapidly retreated while pressing both palms toward the ground!

"Purple Lightning Domain, activate!"

Rumble! A twenty-meter-wide Purple Lightning Domain abruptly expanded around him! Arcs of electricity danced wildly and thunder rumbled as it instantly engulfed half of both Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen! Its range was inferior to Qian Daoliu's Angel Domain, but the Furious Lightning Power and its energy-disrupting effects took effect immediately!

Tang Chen felt his body go numb, his Soul Power circulation becoming slightly sluggish. He could not help cursing, "Damn! This again!" The paralysis effect of the Thunder Domain had left a deep impression on him.

Qian Daoliu merely frowned slightly as his Angel Domain activated on its own. Holy Light and purple lightning clashed fiercely and annihilated one another at the boundary between the domains, producing sizzling sounds. Although his holy aura could purify part of the thunder, the energy disruption caused by the Thunder Domain still made him uncomfortable.

At the very instant the two were affected by the Thunder Domain, Yu Yuanchen moved! His target was clear—Tang Chen!

He moved like a bolt of lightning. Purple electricity coiled around his dragonized right arm as a condensed Thunder Dragon Claw shot toward Tang Chen's flank! He had chosen to attack Tang Chen first not because he considered Tang Chen weaker, but because Tang Chen, who had just fought fiercely with Qian Daoliu and expended more energy, was easier to break through! If he could first join forces with Qian Daoliu to force Tang Chen out, facing Qian Daoliu afterward would be far less taxing.

"Good kid! You picked me first?!" Tang Chen reacted with extraordinary speed. Though affected by the Thunder Domain, his battle instincts remained. Facing the incoming lightning claw, he neither dodged nor retreated. His Fifth Soul Ring flashed, and Clear Sky Body Protection instantly enveloped him. At the same time, the Clear Sky Hammer swept out with a heavy gust of force. Rather than meeting it head-on, he cleverly struck the side of the lightning claw, trying to divert it!

However, Yu Yuanchen's attack had always been a feint hiding something real! Just as the lightning claw was about to be knocked aside, he sharply flicked his wrist. The dragon claw abruptly changed shape, its five fingers drawing together into an exceedingly condensed Purple Lightning Finger Sword. Its speed increased by another thirty percent as it slipped past the hammer wind and stabbed at the relatively weaker glow beneath Tang Chen's ribs!

Screech!

Electricity flashed as the finger sword struck the protective glow with a piercing sound. Clear Sky Body Protection rippled violently. Though it did not shatter, the penetrating Thunder Power still sent a wave of stinging numbness through Tang Chen's side! He grunted and was forced half a step back.

Yet just as Yu Yuanchen attacked Tang Chen, Qian Daoliu moved from the other side! His choice was unexpected! Rather than joining Yu Yuanchen in attacking Tang Chen as Yu Yuanchen wished, he beat his six wings and turned into a streak of golden lightning, lunging straight at Yu Yuanchen himself! The Angel Sacred Sword, glowing with holy radiance, slashed toward Yu Yuanchen's left hand, which was maintaining the Thunder Domain! Attack what the enemy must save!

Qian Daoliu was meticulous. How could he let Yu Yuanchen lead him by the nose so easily? He saw that Yu Yuanchen wanted to join forces to eliminate Tang Chen first, so he deliberately did the opposite. He intended to break this troublesome Thunder Domain first and weaken Yu Yuanchen's greatest advantage!

"Perfect!" Yu Yuanchen seemed to have expected it. Facing Qian Daoliu's surprise attack, he did not panic in the slightest. The gesture of his left hand maintaining the Thunder Domain remained unchanged, but his right arm suddenly drew back. Purple-Gold lightning exploded from his dragon claw as the Thunder Dragon Claw appeared once more, fiercely meeting Qian Daoliu's Angel Sacred Sword! He actually intended to face the attacks of two great experts by himself!

Clang!!!

The Thunder Dragon Claw and Angel Sacred Sword collided viciously! Purple-Gold lightning and holy radiance crashed against each other! Yu Yuanchen's body shuddered violently, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch. Sweetness rose in his throat, but he braced himself stubbornly and did not retreat a single step! Qian Daoliu's arm was also numbed by the claw containing Thunder God Power, halting his forward momentum.

In that instant of deadlock, Tang Chen, who had just been forced half a step back, seized the opportunity!

"Ha ha ha! None of you are getting away!" He laughed wildly, a trace of cunning flashing through his eyes. He did not care why Qian Daoliu had attacked Yu Yuanchen. To him, both of them were opponents! His Third Soul Ring lit up as Whirlwind Dance activated once again! But this time, his target was neither Yu Yuanchen nor Qian Daoliu—it was the center of their clash!

A black whirlwind, like a gigantic drill and carrying the force to tear apart everything, crashed fiercely into the chaotic energy currents created by the collision between the Thunder Dragon Claw and Angel Sacred Sword!

Boom—!

The three forces collided explosively! The already unstable energy instantly spiraled out of control, unleashing a shockwave even more chaotic and violent than any before it!

Yu Yuanchen bore the brunt of it. He grunted as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, staggering backward while the glow of his Thunder Domain dimmed considerably. Qian Daoliu was also driven backward through the air by the sudden explosion, the light on his sacred sword flickering chaotically. As for Tang Chen, though he had promptly activated Clear Sky Body Protection and greatly enhanced his defenses, the chaotic shockwave still sent his Qi and Blood churning, slowing the force of his whirlwind.

Only a few breaths into the battle, the first three-way collision ended in such a chaotic and brutal manner, with all three suffering losses! There were no allies, only mutual calculations and restraint!

The chaos did not subside. Instead, it intensified!

Yu Yuanchen had barely steadied himself when Qian Daoliu's Holy Light Judgment was already upon him! He had no choice but to abandon the Thunder Domain and fully execute the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. His body became a series of afterimages, narrowly evading the golden pillar of light. The place where he had stood was blasted into a charred crater.

Tang Chen took the opportunity to swing the Clear Sky Hammer, unleashing a powerful Soaring Strike at Qian Daoliu, whose aura had dipped slightly after releasing Holy Light Judgment!

Qian Daoliu snorted coldly. A shield of Angel's Guard appeared, taking the hammer blow head-on. At the same time, he swung out a Holy Spirit Slash, sending several golden sword lights toward Tang Chen's lower body and forcing him to defend.

Yu Yuanchen spotted an opening and unfolded the Thunder Domain again. This time, however, its range was smaller, covering only ten meters around him in an effort to defend himself and disrupt his opponents. Like a slippery Electric Eel, he weaved along the edge of the battlefield, occasionally harassing the two with Purple Lightning Finger Swords or condensed Thunder Palm Prints. He targeted them when their old strength had run out and New Strength Not Yet Arisen, or at critical moments just before they clashed, forcibly intervening to muddy the waters further.

Tang Chen's fighting style was fierce and forceful. He often ignored his own defense and attacked with all his strength, trying to break the deadlock through absolute power. His Clear Sky Hammer sometimes smashed toward Qian Daoliu like Mount Tai pressing down, and at other times struck at Yu Yuanchen like a venomous snake leaving its hole, forcing both men to divert their attention to deal with him.

Qian Daoliu, meanwhile, retained his elegant and efficient style. His Angel Domain opened and closed at intervals, precisely weakening his opponents and strengthening himself. His attacks often appeared at the most unexpected moments, from tricky angles and with concentrated power. At times, he exchanged direct blows with Tang Chen to test the limits of his strength; at others, he ambushed Yu Yuanchen with lightning speed, forcing him to expend Soul Power on defense and evasion.

With the three locked in melee, the situation changed from moment to moment!

Yu Yuanchen once attempted to "tacitly" join Qian Daoliu in pincer-attacking Tang Chen again. He used the Thunder Domain to disrupt Tang Chen while a Thunder Dragon Shatters Void shot straight toward Tang Chen's back. Qian Daoliu indeed understood at once, thrusting the Angel Sacred Sword at Tang Chen's chest. Yet at the critical moment, Tang Chen used Whirlwind Dance to forcibly twist his direction. Instead of blocking, he fiercely smashed the Clear Sky Hammer into the ground—Fifth Soul Skill, Earthquake Mountain! The terrifying seismic wave not only neutralized the attack from both front and back, but also threw Yu Yuanchen and Qian Daoliu off balance!

Qian Daoliu had also once "unintentionally" formed an Encirclement Formation with Tang Chen, forcing Yu Yuanchen into a corner. Tang Chen launched a frontal assault while Qian Daoliu sealed off the air above. Just when Yu Yuanchen seemed to have nowhere left to evade, he suddenly compressed the Thunder Domain to its limit, turning it into a purple lightning sphere that shielded his body. He took Tang Chen's hammer blow head-on, then used the force to crash backward toward Qian Daoliu! Unwilling to receive the lightning sphere containing rebounding force directly, Qian Daoliu could only dodge, and the Encirclement Formation instantly collapsed.

As the battle reached its fiercest point, all three had been injured. Yu Yuanchen's clothes were torn in many places, exposing skin that shimmered with a faint Purple-Gold glow beneath—evidence of Bloodline Power automatically protecting his body. Tang Chen had gained several charred lightning wounds and Holy Light burns, and his breathing had grown heavier. Qian Daoliu's wings were no longer as spotless as before, now stained with dust and scorch marks.

Their Soul Power consumption was even more severe. Yu Yuanchen's Thunder Domain could no longer be maintained for long and began flickering in and out; Tang Chen's hammer swings had visibly slowed by a fraction; even the light of Qian Daoliu's Angel Domain had dimmed considerably.

Yet the eyes of all three grew sharper, and their fighting spirit rose ever higher! They all knew that the decisive moment was about to arrive. On this chaotic battlefield, whoever could seize that fleeting opportunity would be the one to laugh last!

Across the wasteland, lightning, Holy Light, and Hammer Shadows intertwined into a violent yet magnificent Scroll Painting.