Three Ultimates Melee (Part 2)

The blood-red setting sun stretched the shadows of the three figures across the wasteland. By this point in the fierce battle, none of them retained their initial composure. Yu Yuanchen breathed heavily. His level fifty-four soul power had been consumed enormously in such an intense melee; if not for Thunder God Power's efficient use of soul power and the extra endurance brought by Bloodline Power, he would have collapsed long ago. Several more scorch marks and sword wounds had appeared on Tang Chen's body. Though the Clear Sky Hammer remained fierce and powerful in his hands, it had lost much of its effortless weightiness, revealing his fatigue. The glow of Qian Daoliu's six wings had also visibly dimmed. His holy white robe was stained with dust and specks of blood, and maintaining the Angel Domain was an enormous burden on him as well.

Yet their gazes were brighter and sharper than ever! They all knew that this melee was nearing its end, and victory or defeat would be decided within the next few moves!

The first to break the deadlock was Yu Yuanchen, who seemed to be at the greatest disadvantage!

Purple lightning flashed in his eyes as if he had made some sort of decision. Facing Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu, who were closing in together once more—the two had finally formed a brief tacit understanding after failing to defeat him for so long—he neither dodged nor retreated, instead charging toward them!

"Thunder Domain, extreme compression!"

With a low shout, the intermittent Purple Lightning Domain that had originally covered ten meters around him suddenly collapsed inward with mad force! All the Thunder Power was forcibly compressed into his dragonized right arm! His entire right arm instantly swelled, its scales flaring open. The Purple-Gold lightning became so dense that it nearly took physical form, crackling with heart-palpitating explosions as though he held a thunderstorm on the verge of erupting! A wave carrying destruction and vastly exceeding his own level spread out with force!

"He's trying to risk his life?!" Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu's hearts both tightened. Their forward momentum stalled slightly. They had both sensed a lethal threat in Yu Yuanchen's move!

However, Yu Yuanchen was not targeting either of them! In the instant the two guarded themselves warily, his right arm, which contained the full power of the Thunder Domain, suddenly smashed viciously into the ground beneath his feet!

"Fifth Soul Skill, Purple Lightning Domain—Lightning Pool Burial Annihilation!"

Rumble—!!!

Centered on where his fist struck, countless purple Electric Snakes as thick as a child's arm burrowed into the earth like living creatures. Then the ground within a thirty-meter radius shook violently, bulged upward, and exploded! It was not flying dirt and stone, but endless purple lightning erupting from underground, as though a brief, boiling swamp of thunder had been created upon the surface!

This was another advanced application Yu Yuanchen had developed for the Purple Lightning Domain! Rather than using the domain's power to control space, he converted it into an extreme instantaneous eruption, creating an indiscriminate, area-wide attack! Though it consumed tremendous energy and could not last long, at this decisive moment, it was enough to alter the battle!

Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu were caught off guard and instantly swallowed by the thunderstorm erupting beneath their feet!

"Damn it!" Tang Chen roared, pushing his Second Soul Skill, Clear Sky Body Protection, to its limit. Heavy dark light protected him tightly as he withstood the tearing bites and impacts of countless Electric Snakes. His body staggered unsteadily in the Thunder Pool, and he felt numb, piercing pain throughout his body as his soul power drained rapidly.

Qian Daoliu's expression changed as well. His six wings beat sharply as he tried to rise into the air, but the Thunder Pool's eruption carried powerful suction and paralysis, making flight exceptionally difficult. He had no choice but to shrink the Angel Domain close to his body. Holy Light and purple lightning violently wore each other down, producing continuous explosions. His speed plummeted, and he could only use Angel's Guard to endure the attack head-on.

This sudden area-wide eruption successfully held both men back while causing effective interference and exhaustion!

After unleashing this desperate strike, Yu Yuanchen's face instantly turned paper-white, and his aura plummeted. It was obvious that his soul power was nearly depleted. Yet he forced himself not to fall, his eyes locked firmly on the two men as he searched for his final opportunity.

The Thunder Pool's eruption lasted only three breaths before rapidly fading, but it had already achieved its intended effect.

Tang Chen's Clear Sky Body Protection had dimmed by more than half. He panted like a bull, and his movements were noticeably slower. Though Qian Daoliu had suffered less damage thanks to the Angel Domain and his advantage in flight, his soul power consumption was also substantial, leaving his face pale.

At the instant the Thunder Pool vanished, when their old strength had faded and New Strength Not Yet Arisen, their minds momentarily loosened from the recent eruption—

Yu Yuanchen moved! He squeezed out the final thread of soul power within him, merging it with that faint strand of Thunder God Power and his surging qi and blood. His body became a purple streak of lightning racing close to the ground, shooting straight toward Tang Chen, whose condition was worse and whose footing was unsteady!

He knew this was his only chance! Before Qian Daoliu could react, he had to take one of them out first!

"Thunder Dragon Shatters Void!"

It was still that highly penetrating Self-Created Soul Skill, but this time, its power was greatly diminished by his condition. However, his timing was exquisite! The Purple-Gold Dragon Claw shot straight toward Tang Chen's chest, where a gap had appeared in his defense after he had withstood the Thunder Pool!

Tang Chen's pupils shrank sharply. In haste, he could only raise the Clear Sky Hammer across his chest to block!

Bang!

Thunder Dragon Shatters Void struck the hammer. The penetrating lightning force passed through the hammer and burrowed viciously into Tang Chen's body! Tang Chen's entire body shook violently, and he finally could not hold back a mouthful of blood. He was blasted backward by the force, crashing heavily to the ground. He struggled twice but could not rise for the moment! Though he had not been directly defeated, he had clearly lost the ability to continue fighting.

Having landed the strike, Yu Yuanchen also dropped to one knee from exhaustion, panting violently. Even maintaining his dragonized state was difficult.

In an instant, only Yu Yuanchen and Qian Daoliu remained standing on the battlefield, but both were at the end of their strength.

Qian Daoliu looked at Tang Chen, who could not rise, and Yu Yuanchen, who was clearly exhausted. A complicated glint flashed through his golden eyes. He had not expected Yu Yuanchen to employ such a decisive tactic and forcibly drag the battle to this point.

"Brother Yuanchen, impressive methods." Qian Daoliu's voice carried a trace of fatigue, but it remained calm. "Unfortunately, you no longer have the strength to fight."

Yu Yuanchen raised his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and revealed a bitter smile. "Brother Qian, haven't you also spent a tremendous amount?" Though he no longer had the strength to launch another fierce attack, his gaze remained unyielding.

Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. "Indeed. But in the end, I still hold a slight advantage." He slowly raised the Angel Sacred Sword in his hand. Though its glow had dimmed, its holy aura remained concentrated. "One final strike. Let victory decide itself."

The remaining light wings behind him fluttered gently as his body slowly rose into the air. Though he was no longer as swift as before, he carried a final solemnity and resolve. He poured every remaining bit of soul power in his body into the sacred sword without reservation, its tip pointing at Yu Yuanchen below. He used no soul skill. This was merely a sword containing his final strength and will.

Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath and forced himself upright. He knew he could no longer evade this sword, nor did he have enough soul power to support another powerful defensive soul skill. The only thing he could rely on was his tempered Physical Strength and the trace of dragon pride hidden deep within his bloodline!

He abandoned all defensive stances. His dragonized right arm hung low, but the tips of his fingers quietly gathered a final, nearly imperceptible strand of Purple-Gold lightning. It was the last lingering glow of Thunder God Power. He was prepared to take the attack head-on and, at the moment of contact, detonate this last strength in the most brutal counterattack!

The atmosphere froze to its utmost limit.

However, just as Qian Daoliu was about to dive down and Yu Yuanchen prepared to make a desperate final stand—

Another change occurred!

Tang Chen, who had seemed unable to rise, had somehow quietly grasped a fist-sized hard stone! At the instant Qian Daoliu focused all his attention on Yu Yuanchen, Tang Chen suddenly used his last strength to hurl the stone viciously toward the root of one of Qian Daoliu's light wings!

This throw carried no Soul Power Fluctuation. It relied purely on Physical Strength and mastery of angle. It was silent, yet exceptionally vicious and precise!

Whoosh—pfft!

The stone accurately struck the connection at the wing root, where Qian Daoliu's defense had fallen to its lowest point due to excessive consumption! Though it did not inflict serious injury, the sudden pain and interference instantly threw Qian Daoliu's gathered momentum into disarray, causing a fatal deviation and hesitation in his dive!

That instant was enough!

A brilliant light burst from Yu Yuanchen's eyes! This was the chance he had been waiting for! The final thread of Thunder God Power he had originally intended to use for mutual destruction instantly changed course. Rather than attacking Qian Daoliu, it surged fiercely into both his legs!

Boom!

Two shallow craters exploded in the ground. With this final burst, Yu Yuanchen shifted sideways like a phantom, narrowly avoiding Qian Daoliu's diving strike, which had lost both its accuracy and much of its power after being disrupted!

The Angel Sacred Sword skimmed past the hem of Yu Yuanchen's clothes, carving a deep trench into the ground.

Qian Daoliu, meanwhile, had missed his strike that had been Determined to Win. Coupled with the disturbance to his wing, he staggered and nearly lost his balance as he landed.

And at the absolute instant when he adjusted his posture, his old strength exhausted and New Strength Not Yet Arisen—

A weak yet incomparably resolute figure pounced from the side like a leopard! It was Yu Yuanchen! The instant he evaded, he had used the momentum of his sidestep to crash bodily into Qian Daoliu's embrace! Though his dragonized right arm no longer had the strength to use Thunder Dragon Claw, its hard elbow contained the last of his Bloodline Power as it rammed viciously into Qian Daoliu's Danzhong Acupoint, exposed by his attack!

"Ugh!"

Qian Daoliu gave a muffled groan. He felt an overbearing force penetrate his body. It was not fatal, but it instantly interrupted the circulation of his soul power, which was already on the verge of depletion, completely throwing his aura into disorder! He could no longer maintain flight. His body swayed as he fell from the low air, only barely avoiding collapse by supporting himself with his sword. However, he had clearly lost the ability to continue fighting as well.

The battlefield finally fell completely silent.

After throwing that elbow, Yu Yuanchen also completely ran out of strength and slumped onto the ground, unable to move even a finger.

After throwing the stone, Tang Chen also seemed to have exhausted his final bit of strength. Lying on the ground and gasping heavily, he looked at the scene before him and could not help letting out a hoarse laugh. "Heh... hehehe... never thought... in the end... it would turn out like this..."

Qian Daoliu leaned on his sword, looking at the slumped Yu Yuanchen and the fallen Tang Chen. Feeling the emptiness of his own soul power and the dull pain in his chest, a helpless bitter smile appeared on the face of the man who was always elegant and composed.

The sun finally sank beneath the horizon. Its last afterglow shone over the wasteland, which looked as if it had been plowed, and over the three peerless prodigies at its center. All had collapsed from exhaustion in different postures, yet all wore smiles.

There was no true victor. Or rather, all three were victors, and all three were defeated.

This thrilling Three Ultimates Melee finally came to an end in a manner that was almost farcical, yet entirely reasonable: all three sides had exhausted every last drop of their strength.

After a long while, Yu Yuanchen was the first to recover enough breath to speak. He laughed hoarsely. "Looks like... the three of us... tied..."

Tang Chen weakly echoed, "A tie... a tie is good... nobody lost... haha..."

Qian Daoliu slowly straightened as well. Though disheveled, he still maintained his bearing and smiled. "To fight so freely and thoroughly against the two of you is Qian's fortune. This battle has neither winner nor loser, only satisfaction."

The three looked at one another. Though exhausted and wounded, they each saw sincere admiration, recognition, and a trace of mutual appreciation in the others' eyes.

In this battle, they had given everything, competing in both wits and strength, pushing their power, will, and even their hidden Trump Cards to the limit. They had not only tested one another's strength, but also seen each other's brilliance and their own shortcomings through battle.

Resilience of the Hidden Dragon, Power of Clear Sky, and Wisdom of the Angel intertwined and collided in this melee, leaving behind an indelible mark.

Night slowly descended, and stars began to glitter across the sky. The three struggled to their feet, supporting one another as they carried their exhaustion and gains beneath the starlight, stumbling back toward Stone Spring Town.

Their story was still far from over. And this day's Three Ultimates Melee would surely become a bold, unforgettable stroke in the legends that would one day resound across the continent.