Ancient and Modern, Only I Am Supreme

"What?!"

Wang Gang's pupils constricted sharply, and an exclamation of disbelief escaped his lips.

That surging force of vibration poured into his body, feeling like countless fine needles simultaneously piercing his internal organs!

A sharp pain swept through his entire body in an instant. He felt the blood and qi within him churning, and a sweetness rose in his throat—

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed out, turning into a mist of blood in the air.

Huo Yuhao shifted his feet, executing Explosive Step, and his figure instantly retreated several meters, avoiding the blood mist without a single drop staining his clothes.

Wang Gang stumbled back a few steps, one hand clutching his chest while the other wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He looked down at the golden light shield on his chest—his Vajra Body remained intact, showing no signs of damage whatsoever.

Yet, the agonizing pain inside his body was as real as being sliced by knives.

"This... what kind of soul skill is this? How can it bypass my defense?"

Wang Gang raised his head, staring fixedly at Huo Yuhao, his voice hoarse and trembling.

He had never seen such a soul skill before.

To be able to penetrate the defense of a Vajra Body and attack the internal organs directly—it was simply inconceivable!

Was the person before him truly just a level fourteen soul master?

The feeling he gave off was even more terrifying than some of the level fifty-plus seniors he had encountered.

Those strange and unpredictable Self-Created Soul Skills were simply impossible to guard against.

Huo Yuhao did not answer.

He stood there quietly, hands hanging at his sides, his gaze as calm as still water.

He had no habit of explaining his soul skills to others.

The more secretive a soul skill was, the more lethal it became in battle. To reveal one's trump cards to the public would be truly foolish.

He simply spoke indifferently:

"You have already lost. Under that palm strike, your internal organs have been displaced. If you do not receive treatment immediately, you will inevitably suffer irreparable injuries."

His voice was flat, as if he were merely stating a fact.

The crowd below erupted into an instant uproar—

"Lost? Wang Gang lost?!"

"That's impossible! He only threw one punch! How could he have lost already?!"

"Didn't you see him spit blood? Huo Yuhao's palm must have injured him!"

"But he's level twenty-nine! How could a level twenty-nine lose to a level fourteen so quickly?!"

No one wanted to believe it.

But the blood continuously seeping from the corner of Wang Gang's mouth was an ironclad fact.

Wang Gang lowered his head, gasping for air as blood dripped from his lips, blooming like flowers on the Soul Fighting Platform.

Inside his body, his organs felt as if they were being churned by a raging sea, with waves of intense pain following one after another.

Huo Yuhao was right; he had indeed lost.

In his current state, if he continued to fight, he would only aggravate his injuries and leave behind permanent damage.

Reason told him he should admit defeat.

He should step off the Soul Fighting Platform, seek treatment, and protect his future.

However—

Wang Gang raised his head, his gaze passing over Huo Yuhao to land on Zhou Yi below the stage.

Zhou Yi was staring at him intensely, her eyes filled with anxiety and unwillingness.

Her lips moved slightly, as if she were saying something silently.

Wang Gang understood.

She was saying—pill.

Wang Gang looked down at his tightly clenched left hand.

In his palm, that blood-red pill still lay there quietly.

Blood Soul Pill.

He recalled Zhou Yi's words—

"If you cannot defeat him, swallow this pill. Cripple him, and I will ensure you are not expelled from Shrek Academy, plus I will give you a large sum of Gold Soul Coins so your mother and sister will never have to worry about food or clothing again."

Mother... sister...

Wang Gang closed his eyes.

He thought of his mother's weather-beaten face and his younger sister's clear, innocent eyes.

They were still waiting for him back home, waiting for him to make something of himself, waiting for him to provide them with a better life.

He still had a bright future ahead of him.

As long as he broke through to level thirty, he could advance to the fourth year, participate in higher-level assessments, and step by step grow stronger to become the pride of his family.

He did not want to use this pill.

He did not want to ruin his own future.

He did not want to disappoint his mother and sister.

But—

Wang Gang opened his eyes and looked at Zhou Yi once more.

Zhou Yi was still staring at him, and in her eyes, besides anxiety, there was a trace of something he had never seen before... madness.

Would she let him go?

If he admitted defeat, how would Zhou Yi treat him? How would she treat his family?

Wang Gang did not know.

But he knew that Zhou Yi was no pushover.

She could make seventy-one students take turns fighting Huo Yuhao, she could produce a forbidden drug like the Blood Soul Pill without hesitation, and she could say "cripple him" without batting an eye—

There was nothing she wouldn't do.

Wang Gang gripped the pill in his hand tightly.

He remembered back when he first arrived at Shrek, friendless and penniless, struggling even to afford a meal.

It was Zhou Yi who had given him cultivation resources, allowing him to train with peace of mind.

He had always kept this debt of gratitude in his heart.

That was why, when Zhou Yi approached him, he did not refuse.

Now, it was time to repay that debt.

Wang Gang took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at Huo Yuhao.

A flash of resolve crossed his eyes.

Huo Yuhao met his gaze, his brows knitting slightly.

In Wang Gang's eyes, he saw something familiar—

The light in the eyes of a man walking to his death.

"Why bother?"

Huo Yuhao spoke softly, as if talking to himself.

Wang Gang did not answer.

He simply raised his hand and popped the blood-red pill into his mouth.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

The pill entered his stomach.

In an instant—

Wang Gang's body shuddered violently!

A terrifying aura erupted from within him!

That aura was violent, bloodthirsty, and insane, spreading in all directions like a beast breaking free from its cage!

Wang Gang's eyes instantly turned blood-red!

Dark red veins appeared on the surface of his skin, like cracked earth or burning flames!

His soul power began to surge wildly—

Level twenty-nine...

Peak level twenty-nine...

Level thirty!

Level thirty!

In just a single breath, his soul power broke through the shackles of level twenty-nine and stepped into the realm of a level thirty Soul Elder!

And it was still rising!

Level thirty-one!

Level thirty-two!

The crowd below was dumbfounded—

"What... what is happening to him?!"

"How did his soul power suddenly surge so much?!"

"He's at level thirty! He's broken through to become a Soul Elder!"

"No! That's not it! Look at his eyes! Why have his eyes turned red?!"

"He's gone mad! He's completely lost his mind!"

Mu Jin stood up abruptly, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

She stared fixedly at Wang Gang on the stage, her eyes filled with shock and fury—

"Zhou Yi!"

She whipped her head around to look at Zhou Yi, her voice squeezed out from between her teeth:

"You actually let him consume a Blood Soul Pill?!"

Facing Mu Jin's interrogation, Zhou Yi merely raised an eyebrow, putting on an expression of complete ignorance.

"What Blood Soul Pill? I don't know anything about that."

Her tone was extremely innocent, yet a trace of smugness flashed in her eyes.

In any case, Mu Jin had no evidence.

With Fan Yu backing her, a small matter like this could be easily smoothed over.

When the time came, she would just give Wang Gang's family a sum of Gold Soul Coins, and the matter would be settled.

As for Wang Gang—

He was just a tool; if he was ruined, he was ruined.

Seeing this look on Zhou Yi's face, Mu Jin felt her anger burning like a wildfire.

But she had no time to argue with Zhou Yi; she turned her head sharply back toward the stage—

Wang Gang had already moved!

After consuming the Blood Soul Pill, his speed had surged, and he rushed toward Huo Yuhao like a bloody afterimage!

Mu Jin moved to step forward, wanting to rush onto the stage to intervene—

It was too late!

Wang Gang's speed was too fast; he covered the ten-meter distance in an instant!

His arms were once again covered by the Steel Arm, but they were thicker and more hideous than before!

Dark red patterns spread across the surface of the steel, radiating a tyrannical aura!

His eyes were blood-red, like a beast that had lost its reason, staring fixedly at Huo Yuhao—

He threw a punch!

The wind of the fist whistled, and the air was torn apart with a sharp, explosive roar!

This punch was enough to shatter rock!

Everyone off-stage held their breath, waiting for Huo Yuhao's inevitable defeat.

However—

Huo Yuhao remained standing where he was.

He watched the violent punch coming toward him, watched Wang Gang's blood-red eyes, and watched that face twisted in agony.

In his heart, he sighed softly.

Why bother?

He slowly raised his right hand.

At the same time, the soul power and spiritual power within his body began to surge wildly!

Not releasing outward.

But condensing inward.

Condensing behind him.

The next instant—

A phantom over three meters tall emerged behind him!

The phantom wore the Star Emperor Crown and was draped in the Sun Moon Emperor Robe. Although its features were not clear, the supreme bearing of one who looked down upon the world and controlled the universe was soul-shaking!

It hovered behind Huo Yuhao just like that, as if it had walked out from the ancient past, or descended from the nine heavens.

Looking closely, the silhouette of the phantom was actually seven or eight parts similar to Huo Yuhao's appearance as an adult!

This was exactly how Huo Yuhao looked in his previous life when he unified the continent and became the Sun Moon Emperor.

This move was also self-created.

It combined the Reign Over the World Fist Technique left behind by Dragon God Douluo Mu En of Shrek Academy, integrated the self-created fist techniques and soul skills of the Body Sect and various sects across the continent, and was finally condensed through the insights of his two lifetimes.

This was his ultimate trump card.

Unless absolutely necessary, he would never use it.

But now—

Wang Gang's fist was already within reach.

Huo Yuhao raised his right hand, meeting the punch head-on.

The phantom behind him also raised its right hand, throwing a punch outward.

Before the fists even touched, the force of the blow had already arrived.

The entire Soul Fighting Platform was trembling!

Huo Yuhao spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it resonated in everyone's heart like the judgment of a deity—

"Throughout history, I alone am supreme."

The moment the words fell, the fists collided!

"BOOM—!"

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar exploded on the Soul Fighting Platform!

Violent shockwaves spread in all directions like a tsunami, knocking over the students in the front rows and triggering cries of alarm everywhere!

Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision.

No one saw clearly what had happened.

They only saw a figure, like a kite with a broken string, flying backward—

It was Wang Gang.

He flew across the Soul Fighting Platform, over the heads of the crowd, and out for dozens of meters—

"BANG!"

He slammed heavily into the wall at the edge of the Soul Fighting Arena!

The wall cracked, and rubble flew everywhere.

Wang Gang remained embedded in the wall, eyes tightly shut, his breathing faint as he fell completely unconscious.

The entire arena was deathly silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the figure embedded in the wall, their minds a complete blank.

One punch.

It was just one punch.

Wang Gang, whose strength had surged after consuming the Blood Soul Pill, a quasi-Soul Elder of over level thirty, had been sent flying dozens of meters by a single punch and embedded into a wall.

What kind of power was this?

What kind of fist technique was this?

The dust and smoke gradually dissipated.

On the Soul Fighting Platform, Huo Yuhao's figure was revealed once more.

He remained standing in the same spot, as if he had never moved at all.

But the phantom behind him had already dissipated.

His right hand hung low, his fist covered in blood—not Wang Gang's, but his own.

Although his physical body was powerful, having achieved both the first and second stages of the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body and possessing Copper Skin Golden Muscle, it was still far from strong enough to fully unleash that fist technique.

Forcing even a sliver of its essence had caused his right arm to suffer a massive backlash.

At this moment, the meridians in his right arm felt as if they had been scorched by fire, with waves of intense pain washing over him.

The skin on his fist was torn open, and blood dripped down between his fingers, blooming like flowers on the Soul Fighting Platform.

Huo Yuhao looked down at his right fist and frowned slightly.

It was still too much of a stretch.

Yet he showed no sign of pain, only slowly raising his head to look at Wang Gang embedded in the wall, then turning his gaze toward the direction of Zhou Yi below the platform.

Zhou Yi's face was completely twisted.

Her mouth hung open, but she could not make a sound. The disbelief in her eyes was practically overflowing.

Below the platform, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone stared blankly at Huo Yuhao, as if looking at a monster.

And Huo Yuhao simply stood there quietly.

With a thought, a gentle life force flowed quietly from the Eye of Destiny deep within his pupils, spreading through his meridians to his entire body.

That power, like a clear spring, flowed through his damaged meridians and his split right fist, repairing those injuries bit by bit.

The bleeding gradually stopped.

The wounds began to heal.

Seeing that Huo Yuhao was unharmed, Mu Jin finally set her mind at ease.

She let out a long breath, the heart that had been hanging in her chest finally settling back into place. That scene just moments ago had been far too perilous—after Wang Gang swallowed the Blood Soul Pill, his strength had surged explosively, and when that punch was thrown, she had almost believed Huo Yuhao was finished.

Fortunately.

Fortunately, he was fine.

Mu Jin's gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao for a moment, a flicker of complex light flashing through her eyes—this youth was even more unfathomable than she had imagined.

But she quickly withdrew her gaze and turned toward Zhou Yi, who stood beside her.

Fury surged into her heart once more.

"Zhou Yi!"

Mu Jin's voice rose abruptly, carrying irrepressible anger and accusation. She stepped forward, her beautiful eyes locked onto Zhou Yi, as if they were about to spit fire:

"It was just a match, yet you allowed a student to consume a pill! Does your conduct even befit a teacher anymore?!"

Her voice was sharp, echoing throughout the Soul Fighting Arena.

The students who had not yet dispersed turned their heads, their gazes shifting back and forth between Mu Jin and Zhou Yi. Some whispered to one another, some wore expressions of shock, and others looked entirely bewildered—a pill? What pill?

Facing Mu Jin's interrogation, Zhou Yi merely raised an eyebrow slightly.

There was not a trace of panic on her face; instead, a perfectly measured look of innocence and confusion appeared.

"I told you, I know nothing about this."

Zhou Yi spread her hands, her tone extremely innocent. "It was Wang Gang's own doing; what does it have to do with me? As the homeroom teacher, I only sent the student out to spar. How could I have known he was hiding a pill on his person?"

As she spoke, she even shook her head, putting on an "I am just as surprised as you are" act.

Mu Jin was trembling with rage—

Shameless!

Utterly shameless!

It was clearly she who had personally shoved the pill into Wang Gang's hand, and clearly she who had transmitted her voice to command Wang Gang to "cripple him," yet now she was acting as if nothing had happened!

But she had no evidence.

Wang Gang had already been carried off to the infirmary, unconscious.

Even if he were awake, given his gratitude and fear toward Zhou Yi, he would never reveal the truth.