Lotus Brilliance Blooms

As the words fell.

The Nuo Opera Mask on the old man's face, which had already regained its color, suddenly lit up; the patterns seemed to come alive, flowing slowly across the surface of the mask.

"The Nuo Opera Mask can manifest Martial God Power."

The old man whispered, his voice echoing through the space.

The next second...

BOOM!

A pillar of Crimson Blood-Qi Wolf Smoke, several times thicker than Jiang Ran's, erupted from the old man's hunched body and shot into the sky.

Amidst the roiling blood-qi, the faint, murderous sound of clashing iron and galloping horses could be heard.

The entire underground space was bathed in a scarlet glow.

Jiang Ran frowned at the sight.

The opponent was actually following the path of the Blood-Qi Circulation Method as well!?

And judging by this blood-qi, it was clear that the opponent had already reached the Blood-Nourishing Realm.

Before Jiang Ran could think further, the old man moved.

His hunched figure left a blurred afterimage in place.

When he reappeared, he was already standing before the five-meter-tall Vajra Phantom.

The old man looked up at the majestic, glaring manifestation, and the corners of his mouth beneath the Nuo Opera Mask seemed to curl into an imperceptible arc.

Then, he raised his withered right fist.

He threw a punch.

Simple, direct.

There was nothing flashy about it, just pure blood-qi concentrated at the fist's edge.

Jiang Ran's Combat Intuition screamed a frantic warning, and the Vajra Phantom crossed its arms to block in front of its chest.

CLANG!!

The moment the fist struck the arms, the sound of clashing metal exploded, shaking dust from the ceiling of the entire underground space.

Jiang Ran felt an irresistible, immense force travel from the Vajra Phantom's arms, causing the golden light on its surface to flicker wildly.

He retreated several steps, each one leaving a deep depression in the ground.

The old man, however, stood where he was, completely unmoved.

He merely withdrew his fist slowly, his gaze behind the Nuo Opera Mask watching Jiang Ran calmly, as if that punch had been nothing more than a casual gesture.

Jiang Ran steadied himself, his brows furrowed tightly.

Since stepping into extraordinary combat, he had relied on Dragon-Tiger Fist for offense, Golden Bell Shield for defense, and Eight-Step Cicada Chase for maneuvering.

Buddha's Wrathful Vajra served as his trump card for bursts of power.

This self-contained combat system allowed him to almost crush opponents of the same rank.

Because his opponents were never as comprehensive as he was.

He could even fight across ranks.

Because the Level 3 Buddha's Wrathful Vajra provided a nearly fifty-percent boost to all attributes.

That was why, when facing the Hairy Person in his true form earlier, Jiang Ran had been able to activate Buddha's Wrathful Vajra and slap him to death.

But the same system also meant that once Buddha's Wrathful Vajra was activated, if he still couldn't suppress his opponent...

Then he would only have that final punch left.

Unless...

A thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Ran's mind.

Back when he was in the Blood Sensing Realm, his Buddha's Wrathful Vajra, Dragon-Tiger Fist, and Golden Bell Shield could only act upon his own body; they could not be imbued into the Vajra Phantom.

The phantom was more like an outer shell.

It could be used for combat and could amplify his own strength and defense, but it could not inherit the characteristics of his divine abilities.

But now, he was in the Blood-Flow Realm.

His blood-qi flowed like a rushing river, and his control was far beyond what it had been before.

If he could combine the form of the Dragon-Tiger Fist with the momentum of the Vajra Phantom...

He wondered if it would work!?

Just as this thought arose, the old man in front spoke:

"Young man, you seem surprised?"

"It seems you do not understand the Shaman."

Speaking of this, the old man smiled.

"Summoning rain and calling for clear skies is shamanism, communicating with ghosts and gods is shamanism, and suppressing evil with martial arts... is also shamanism."

Before his words had even faded, the old man surged forward once more.

At the same time, the remaining masked men behind him moved in unison.

Various long-range divine abilities coalesced again, sealing off Jiang Ran's retreat from every direction.

Jiang Ran's eyes sharpened.

There was no time to experiment.

Time to gamble.

If it didn't work, he would use his final punch.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jiang Ran chose not to clash head-on with the old man.

The Vajra Phantom stomped its feet against the ground, its massive body suddenly leaping up, vaulting directly over the old man and charging toward the masked men behind him.

Those long-range divine abilities traced arcs through the air, all slamming into the front of the Vajra Phantom.

Explosions rang out in succession.

The Buddha light on the surface of the phantom rippled violently, but it did not shatter.

And Jiang Ran had already landed.

BOOM!

The ground shook, and dust billowed into the air.

Those masked men clearly hadn't expected Jiang Ran to leap over the old man and strike at them directly, causing their movements to falter for a moment.

Now!

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Ran's eyes as the Vajra Phantom raised its right fist.

Taking a deep breath, the blood and qi within his body surged thunderously, no longer confined to his physical form but pouring madly into the manifested Vajra Phantom!

Hum...!!

Crimson blood and qi erupted like a volcanic eruption, pouring out from Jiang Ran's body.

In an instant, the entire Vajra Phantom was stained with a layer of blood-red.

Following that, the energy of the Golden Bell Shield emerged from the surface of the phantom, forming a pale golden film of light that covered the blood-red smoke of his qi.

And most crucially...

On the right fist, the Dragon Form and Tiger Form phantoms coiled and emerged from the arm, but they did not appear on Jiang Ran's own body; instead, they manifested directly upon the giant hand of the Vajra Phantom!

A low dragon's roar echoed, and tiger stripes surged in the shadows.

Black flames rose from the Underworld Binding Gauntlets, spreading to the phantom's fist as well.

It worked!

The corners of Jiang Ran's mouth curled up slightly.

As expected, the control and precision over blood and qi granted by the Blood-Flow Realm allowed him to extend his divine abilities onto the Vajra.

The next second.

The giant fist of the Vajra Phantom, wreathed in dragon, tiger, and black flames, smashed down toward the masked men standing together.

Amidst the roars of the Dragon Tiger, the giant fist struck the ground.

BANG!!

The ground exploded into a deep crater several meters in diameter.

Those masked men didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to scattered debris beneath the giant fist.

Masks and corpses shattered together, leaving no trace of life.

Only then did the old man turn around.

He looked at Jiang Ran, and a flicker of surprise seemed to pass through the eyes behind his Nuo Opera Mask, but it quickly returned to calm.

"It is useless, young man."

He shook his head, his voice remaining as still as an ancient well.

"Face me."

"To die for the resurrection of the First Sage—no one will blame you."

Jiang Ran turned around slowly, the Vajra Phantom turning to face the old man in sync with his movements.

Looking through the phantom at the hunched old man, he spoke softly:

"Have you... not spoken to anyone in too long?"

"Otherwise..."

"Why so much chatter!?"

As the words fell, Jiang Ran gave the old man no time to react.

The Vajra Phantom leaped up once more, slamming the remaining masked men who were attempting to retreat directly into the ground.

Following this, he stepped into the rhythm of the Eight-Step Cicada Chase.

He charged straight at the old man.

The Dragon-Tiger Phantom roared upon the giant golden fist, wreathed in black flames, his lifeblood surging.

He threw a punch...!

The old man's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips tightening beneath the Nuo Opera Mask for the first time.

He raised his right fist, his lifeblood smoke erupting once again to meet that giant fist.

The two fists collided.

CLANG!!

A shockwave exploded in a ring, sending waves of blood several meters high from the pool.

But the result was completely different from before.

The old man's withered body was sent flying backward instantly.

An expression of disbelief seemed to emerge from behind the mask.

He attempted to adjust his posture in mid-air, but Jiang Ran gave him no such opportunity.

The Vajra Phantom stepped forward, using Prediction to track his trajectory, and smashed down fiercely toward the spot where he was about to land.

The old man's pupils constricted.

BOOM!!

The ground shattered, and gravel scattered in all directions.

The old man was smashed hard into the depths of the earth by this punch.

Jiang Ran's expression remained calm, without a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

Strike while the iron is hot.

The Vajra Phantom raised both fists, crimson lifeblood and the Dragon-Tiger black flames merging at the knuckles.

Then, he rained blows down into the pit like a torrential storm.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Every punch shook the ground incessantly.

Debris and dust fell from the cavern ceiling, and the blood pool churned without end.

Jiang Ran threw over a dozen punches in one breath, only stopping when there was no movement left in the pit, panting slightly.

Maintaining such high-intensity output consumed a massive amount of lifeblood.

However...

Just as Jiang Ran prepared to withdraw and inspect the scene.

A strange melody suddenly drifted up from the bottom of the pit.

It sounded like a xun or a flute, desolate and ancient.

Seeing this, Jiang Ran raised his right fist again and smashed down with all his might!

BOOM!!

A rebounding force surged back, causing his giant fist to be slightly deflected.

In the pit, the smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

A figure slowly floated up from the deep crater.

It was none other than the old man.

At this moment, his hair was disheveled, his shaman robes were filthy, and he was covered in blood, looking utterly wretched.

Yet, the Nuo Opera Mask on his face was emitting a blinding light.

Colors swirled and patterns shifted, as if it possessed a life of its own.

The old man hovered in mid-air, his hands dancing slowly before him, his feet moving to a certain rhythm as if performing a sacrificial ritual.

His aura climbed steadily with every movement.

The lifeblood smoke shifted from crimson to dark gold, thick as mercury.

At the same time, he chanted softly:

"Soul, come back! Why leave your eternal home to wander the four directions?"

"Why abandon your joyful place to depart for those inauspicious lands?"

"Soul, come back! The East is not a place to be trusted."

"The Tall Man stands a thousand fathoms high, seeking only the soul..."

Strange music echoed through the underground space.

With every line chanted, the old man's aura surged by another notch.

Dark golden smoke of vitality began to coalesce, vaguely outlining a phantom behind him.

Wearing a high crown and ornate robes, holding a jade tablet, the figure's face was blurred yet possessed immense majesty.

It was as if an Ancient Great Shaman had emerged in this very moment.

The core skill of the Mixed Martial Artist, Combat Intuition, at this instant...

Sent the most intense sense of crisis Jiang Ran had ever felt in his life.

If he didn't throw that punch now...

He would die!!!

There was no time to think.

Jiang Ran made his choice instinctively.

The Vajra Phantom pulled its right fist back to its waist.

All the vitality within his body roared, surging madly toward his right fist.

Inside his dantian, his vitality spun violently, nearly being drained dry.

Jiang Ran squeezed his eyes shut, his consciousness sinking into the depths.

That blood-colored Lotus Brilliance, still in bud, rotated slowly within his mind.

He whispered, his voice calm:

"Lotus Brilliance..."

As the words fell.

A point of crimson light ignited at the tip of the Vajra Phantom's massive right fist.

Immediately after, the light bloomed, transforming into a lifelike blood-colored Lotus Brilliance, hovering before the fist.

The Lotus Brilliance rotated slowly, golden runes flowing across its petals.

Black flames entwined it, and the Dragon-Tiger Phantom coiled around it.

And Jiang Ran's voice delivered the final two words.

"...Bloom!!"

The Vajra Phantom's right fist, carrying that blood-colored Lotus Brilliance, struck out toward the old man who was still chanting and dancing in the air...

With a thunderous boom.