The five-colored orb was only the size of a fist. It flew from Jiang Tian's palm at an apparently unhurried pace, yet carried a pressure that made the heart quail.
It crossed the distance between the two in an instant and arrived before the Flame Armor Shield.
Then it exploded with a roar.
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening explosion rang across the plaza like a sudden thunderclap from a clear sky.
Blinding light burst from the heart of the explosion, five colors interwoven—red, gold, green, blue, and yellow—illuminating the entire Duel Platform until it shone so brightly no one could keep their eyes open.
The shock wave spread in all directions like a rising tide. The gusts whipped the robes of the Qi Gathering disciples in the front rows. Some staggered backward, others covered their ears, and still others instinctively squeezed their eyes shut.
Dust filled the air.
When the smoke had cleared a little, everyone looked closely.
On the Duel Platform, Song Yongheng knelt on one knee, his clothes in tatters and his face blackened with soot. A large patch of his hair had been scorched, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
The Flame Armor Shield had gone dull. The dark red flames that had once flowed across it were completely extinguished, and fine cracks had appeared at its center, spreading outward like a spiderweb.
Song Yongheng stared blankly at the Flame Armor Shield in his hands, then looked up at Jiang Tian, who stood not far away with an indifferent expression.
He grunted and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
How could this be?
How was this possible!
That unknown technique had nearly destroyed the Flame Armor Shield.
He, too, had been seriously injured; his internal organs had all sustained varying degrees of damage.