Three Ultimates Melee (Part 2)

The setting sun was like blood, stretching the shadows of the three figures across the wasteland. After fighting to this point, none of them retained their initial composure. Yu Yuanchen breathed heavily. His level-54 Soul Power had been consumed at an enormous rate in such an intense melee; if not for Thunder God Power's efficient use of Soul Power and the additional endurance granted by Bloodline Power, he would have collapsed long ago. Tang Chen had gained several more scorch marks and sword wounds. Though the Clear Sky Hammer remained fierce in his hands, it had lost much of its effortless heaviness, revealing his fatigue. The radiance of Qian Daoliu's six wings had also noticeably dimmed. His sacred white robe was stained with dust and specks of blood, and maintaining the Angel Domain was an immense burden for him as well.

Yet their eyes were brighter and sharper than ever! All three knew that this melee was nearing its end, and the victor 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 fiercely in his eyes, as though he had made some kind of decision. Facing Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu as they closed in together once more—they had finally regained a brief understanding after failing to defeat him for so long—he neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he charged straight at them!

"Thunder Domain, extreme compression!"

With a low shout, the intermittent Purple Lightning Domain that had covered a ten-meter radius around him suddenly collapsed inward with wild force! All the Thunder Power was forcibly compressed into his dragon-transformed right arm! His entire right arm instantly swelled, its scales flaring open as Purple-Gold lightning became so dense that it nearly turned tangible. It crackled with heart-palpitating explosions, as if he were gripping a thunderstorm on the verge of eruption! A wave carrying an aura of Destruction, far beyond his own level, spread out fiercely!

"He's trying to fight to the death?!" Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu were both startled, their forward momentum involuntarily slowing. They had both sensed a lethal threat from Yu Yuanchen's move!

However, Yu Yuanchen's target was neither of them! In the instant they became wary, his right arm, which held the full power of the Thunder Domain, 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. Immediately afterward, the ground within thirty meters shook violently, bulged upward, and then exploded! No dirt or stones flew into the air. Instead, endless purple lightning erupted from below, as though a temporary, boiling swamp of thunder had been created across the surface!

This was another deep development Yu Yuanchen had made with the Purple Lightning Domain! Rather than using the domain's power to control space, he converted it into an extreme instantaneous burst, forming an indiscriminate, wide-area attack! Though it consumed an enormous amount of power and could not last, at this critical moment that would decide victory or defeat, it was enough to alter the course of battle!

Caught off guard, Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu were instantly swallowed by the thunderous tide erupting beneath their feet!

"Damn it!" Tang Chen roared. He pushed the Second Soul Skill, Clear Sky Body Protection, to its limit. Dense dark light wrapped tightly around him as he endured the bites and impacts of countless Electric Snakes. He staggered unsteadily within the Thunder Pool, his entire body numb and stinging while his Soul Power drained rapidly.

Qian Daoliu's expression changed as well. His six wings beat fiercely as he tried to rise into the air and escape, but the Thunder Pool's eruption carried a powerful pulling and numbing force, making flight exceptionally difficult. He had no choice but to shrink the Angel Domain close against his body. Holy Light and purple lightning clashed and consumed one another, producing endless detonations. His speed dropped drastically, and he could only use Angel's Guard to endure it head-on.

This sudden wide-area eruption successfully held both men back, inflicting effective disruption and exhaustion!

After unleashing this desperate fight attack, Yu Yuanchen's face instantly turned as pale as paper, and his aura plummeted. His Soul Power was clearly almost depleted. Yet he forced himself not to fall, his gaze fixed firmly on the two of them as he searched for his final opportunity.

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

The glow of Tang Chen's Clear Sky Body Protection had dimmed by more than half. He panted like a bull, and his movements were visibly sluggish. Though Qian Daoliu had suffered less damage thanks to the Angel Domain and his advantage in flight, he had also consumed a great deal of Soul Power, his face pale.

At the instant the Thunder Pool vanished, when their old strength had faded but new strength not yet arisen, and their minds relaxed for a fleeting moment due to the previous eruption—

Yu Yuanchen moved! He squeezed out the last trace of Soul Power within his body, merging it with that faint wisp of Thunder God Power and surging qi and blood. Like a streak of purple lightning racing low across the ground, he shot toward Tang Chen, whose condition was comparatively worse and whose footing remained unstable!

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

"Thunder Dragon Shatters Void!"

It was still that highly penetrating Self-Created Soul Skill, but this time, its power was greatly weakened by his condition. Yet his timing was exquisite! The Purple-Gold Dragon Claw shot straight for Tang Chen's chest, where his defense had opened a gap after enduring the Thunder Pool!

Tang Chen's pupils abruptly contracted. In haste, he could only raise the Clear Sky Hammer horizontally before his chest to block!

Bang!

Thunder Dragon Shatters Void struck the hammer's body. Its penetrating thunder force passed through the weapon and drilled violently into Tang Chen's body! Tang Chen shook all over, finally unable to suppress the mouthful of blood that sprayed from his lips. The force sent him flying backward, and he crashed heavily onto the ground. After struggling twice, he was temporarily unable to rise! Though he had not been directly defeated, he had clearly lost the ability to continue fighting.

Having succeeded with his strike, Yu Yuanchen also dropped to one knee from exhaustion, gasping violently. Even maintaining his Dragon Transformation had become 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 trace of complexity flashed through his golden eyes. He had not expected Yu Yuanchen to employ such a decisive tactic and force the situation to this point.

"Brother Yuanchen, impressive methods." Qian Daoliu's voice carried a trace of fatigue, yet 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 gave a bitter smile. "Brother Qian, haven't you also suffered tremendous exhaustion?" Though he no longer had the strength to launch another fierce assault, his eyes remained unyielding.

Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. "True. But in the end, I still hold a slight advantage." He slowly raised the Angel Sacred Sword in his hand. Though its light was dim, its sacred aura remained condensed. "Let the final strike decide victory and defeat."

The remaining light wings behind him gently flapped, lifting his body slowly into the air. Though he was no longer as swift as before, he carried a final solemnity and resolve. He poured every last bit of Soul Power in his body into the sacred sword, its tip pointing down at Yu Yuanchen. He used no Soul Skill. This was merely a sword containing all his remaining strength and will.

Yu Yuanchen drew a deep breath and forced himself upright. He knew he could no longer avoid this sword, nor did he have enough Soul Power to support another powerful defensive Soul Skill. The only things he could rely on were his tempered body and that trace of Dragon Clan pride buried deep in his bloodline!

He abandoned every defensive stance. His dragon-transformed right arm hung at his side, but a final, nearly imperceptible strand of Purple-Gold lightning quietly gathered at his fingertips. It was the last lingering glow of Thunder God Power. He prepared to take the strike head-on and, at the moment of contact, detonate that final power in the most brutal counterattack possible!

The atmosphere froze to its utmost limit.

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

Another change occurred!

Tang Chen, who had been lying on the ground 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 the last of his strength to hurl the stone viciously at the root of one of Qian Daoliu's light wings!

The throw carried no Soul Power Fluctuation. It relied purely on physical strength and precise control of angle. It was silent, yet exceptionally vicious and accurate!

Whoosh—thud!

The stone accurately struck the connecting point at the wing root, where Qian Daoliu's defense had fallen to its lowest due to excessive consumption! Though it did not inflict severe damage, the sudden pain and disruption instantly threw Qian Daoliu's gathered momentum into disarray. His diving movement suffered a fatal deviation and hesitation!

That fleeting instant was enough!

Yu Yuanchen's eyes burst with brilliant light below! This was precisely the opportunity he had been waiting for! The final trace of Thunder God Power that he had intended to use for mutual destruction immediately changed course. Rather than attacking Qian Daoliu, it surged fiercely into both legs!

Boom!

Two shallow craters exploded in the ground. With that final burst, Yu Yuanchen shifted sideways like a phantom, narrowly avoiding Qian Daoliu's diving attack, whose aim had been thrown off and whose power had greatly diminished by the interruption!

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

Qian Daoliu, meanwhile, missed this supposedly sure-hit strike and staggered due to the disturbance to his wings, nearly losing his balance and falling to the ground.

And in the absolute opening as he adjusted his body, his old strength exhausted and new strength not yet arisen—

A weak yet incomparably determined figure pounced from the side like a leopard! It was Yu Yuanchen! In the instant he evaded, he had actually used the momentum of his sidestep to slam himself into Qian Daoliu's chest! Though his dragon-transformed right arm no longer had the strength to use Thunder Dragon Claw, its hard elbow held the last of his Bloodline Power as it rammed viciously into Qian Daoliu's Danzhong Acupoint, exposed by his attack!

"Ugh!"

Qian Daoliu grunted. A brutal force penetrated his body. It was not fatal, but it instantly interrupted the circulation of his already nearly exhausted Soul Power, throwing his aura completely into chaos! He could no longer sustain flight. His body swayed as he fell from the low air, and only by planting his sword into the ground did he barely avoid collapsing. Yet he had clearly lost the ability to continue fighting.

The battlefield finally fell completely silent.

After throwing that elbow, Yu Yuanchen was also utterly drained. He slumped onto the ground, unable to move even a finger.

After throwing the stone, Tang Chen seemed to have exhausted his final bit of strength as well. He lay on the ground, breathing heavily as he looked at the scene before him, unable to stop a hoarse laugh. "Heh... hehehe... I never thought... in the end... it would turn out like this..."

Qian Daoliu supported himself with his sword and looked at the slumped Yu Yuanchen and the prone Tang Chen. Then he sensed the completely empty Soul Power within himself and the dull pain in his chest. Even his ever-elegant and composed face could not help revealing a helpless, bitter smile.

The sun completely sank beneath the horizon. Its final afterglow illuminated the wasteland, which looked as though it had been plowed over, and 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 breathtaking Three Ultimates Melee ultimately came to an end in such an almost farcical yet entirely reasonable fashion, with all three sides utterly drained.

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

Tang Chen weakly agreed, "A draw... a draw is good... no one lost... haha..."

Qian Daoliu slowly straightened as well. Though disheveled, he retained his bearing and smiled. "To have fought so freely and thoroughly against you both is Qian's good fortune. This battle has no victor or loser, only satisfaction."

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

In this battle, they had gone all out, competing in both strength and wit, forcing their own power, will, and even their hidden Trump Cards to their limits. They had not merely confirmed one another's strength; they had also seen each other's merits and their own shortcomings during the fight.

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

Night slowly fell, and stars began to glitter across the sky. The three struggled to their feet and supported one another, carrying exhaustion and newfound gains as they staggered beneath the starlight toward Stone Spring Town.

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