Great Demon Plants Thunder Vine

Heavenly Song Academy encouraged its students to spar and compete with one another. To this end, they had expended vast resources and effort to carve out hundreds of spacious arenas within Green Mountain.

Despite the high number of arenas, they were barely enough to meet the demand. Almost every day, they were packed to capacity with battles of all sizes taking place.

Today, however, was different. The other arenas appeared quite desolate, while a large crowd of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder, jostling to watch the action at one particular large arena.

The air was filled with a deafening roar of voices as everyone engaged in heated discussion. At the two focal points of their gazes stood two youths.

One was thirteen, the other fourteen.

Yet, transformed by the spiritual energy of demons, they had transcended their apparent ages. One stood six feet tall, a gleaming, snow-bright blade strapped to his back, his physique robust and his spirit soaring. The other stood eight feet tall, clad in green robes, his eyes brimming with sharp light.

In the midst of their standoff, Yan Que suddenly spoke: "I know you were set up and arranged to be in the West Mountain dormitory. However, I must challenge you in public and defeat you. Only in this way can I uphold the honor and dignity of us commoner students. Consider yourself unlucky."

Chu Yun raised his eyebrows and smiled with a hint of mockery: "You are quite confident, assuming victory before the fight has even begun. Ask the Drunken Snow Blade in my hand if it agrees first."

Yan Que held his head high, his tone condescending: "This is not mere confidence, but strength. Although my Thunder Vine only has three hundred and eighty years of cultivation, your combat experience is a blank slate, your knowledge of me is a blank slate, and you have possessed the Drunken Snow Blade for a hundred times less time than I have. This is the gap in strength. Freshman, you are still too green; there are many things you have yet to learn."

"Ha, I never indulge in empty talk. I prefer to let facts do the speaking! Let us fight." Chu Yun's eyes were like lightning. As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his blade and charged forward, initiating the battle!

"It's started!" The crowd watching the fight erupted instantly.

"Chu Yun is the one who launched the first attack. He truly is a Young Tiger—brave, advancing with vigor, and fearless." Some favored Chu Yun.

"The opponent is Senior Yan Que, though! This is going to be a great battle!" Others had eyes gleaming, believing the two were evenly matched.

"Not necessarily. Chu Yun just had a stroke of dog-shit luck and managed to kill Remnant Wolf. He is nothing more than a freshman, while Senior Yan Que is the leader of us commoner students. His combat power ranks among the top tier in the entire Heavenly Song Academy. I'll just sit back and wait for Chu Yun's crushing defeat." More people favored Yan Que.

Noisy voices rose in a clamor, but the two combatants in the arena had automatically blocked out the commotion, focusing their entire being on one another.

"Thunder Vine, come forth." Yan Que slapped the Immortal Pouch at his waist, and instantly, countless light-blue vines surged out from within.

These vines were no thicker than a human finger, and each long, slender vine was covered in countless oval-shaped leaves. As they spread out, they looked like waves of blue tide, continuous and unending.

"Flying Leaf Chaotic Slash!" Yan Que pointed a finger, his tongue blooming like spring thunder. He opened with a major technique, attempting to strike Chu Yun down in one go to maximize the prestige of the commoner faction.

In an instant, countless oval leaves spiraled and flew out, forming a sky-covering barrage of leaf blades. The xiu-xiu-xiu sound was incessant, like a fierce gale and torrential rain, ruthlessly enveloping Chu Yun.

"He opened with the Flying Leaf Chaotic Slash technique right away. It seems Senior Yan Que wants to ruthlessly suppress Chu Yun."

"Too powerful. So many flying leaf blades—it's dizzying to watch. If one were to be hit, I fear not a scrap of flesh would be left on their body."

"Retreat, he must retreat. One cannot meet the edge of such a major technique head-on. He should bide his time."

The crowd let out gasps of alarm. From the very beginning of the battle, Yan Que had displayed formidable combat power, shaking the hearts of all who watched.

Chu Yun, however, did not slow his charge. His eyes flashed with a cold light of profound depth. The moment the leaf blades were about to reach him, he suddenly gave a light shout: "Shelter from Wind and Rain."

Receiving this command, the Drunken Snow Blade let out a soft hum. Instantly, it emitted a surging blade aura, rolling forth like snow, never-ending.

The Drunken Snow Blade also recorded a set of demon-soldier techniques, inherited by the successive Lords of Shu Family Island, known as the Shu Clan Blade Technique. It consisted of six forms.

Chu Yun felt the blade become as light as a feather. He swung it left and right, the blade aura forming a curtain that cleaved through every leaf blade. Breaking through the imposing attack, he maintained his speed and charged in with his body.

Yan Que let out a cry of surprise; Chu Yun's ability to handle the situation so calmly exceeded his expectations.

"Immortal Vine Grappling Hand!" He shouted, extending both hands like eagle claws, making a grasping motion toward Chu Yun through the air.

Instantly, the Thunder Vines around him spread wildly. Countless vines coiled like snakes, forming two giant five-fingered hands under Yan Que's remote control. The momentum was awe-inspiring and heart-palpitating.

The vine hands were as large as carriages. Before them, Chu Yun appeared tiny. He sprinted forward as if courting death.

A massive shadow enveloped Chu Yun. The two blue vine hands, seemingly slow but actually fast, were vivid and lifelike, and it appeared they were about to seize Chu Yun's small frame.

"Hmph, hand rises, blade falls!" Chu Yun gave a light shout. Spotting the opening, he executed a form from the Shu Clan Blade Technique and slashed out.

A blade glow erupted, snow-bright and sharp. It tore directly through the blue vine hand, carrying Chu Yun's body through the encirclement of vines and charging out.

"What a sharp Drunken Snow Blade! The Young Tiger is brave and fearless, unstoppable!"

"Just wait, Senior Yan Que still has many tricks up his sleeve."

The exchange had been extremely perilous, enough to make one's breathing difficult. Only now could the crowd catch their breath and let out exclamations of wonder.

"Hmph! I want to see how long you can hold out." Yan Que snorted coldly in his heart, his eyes flashing with eerie light. He was very confident; with such a gap in strength, victory must belong to him. He decided to unleash another powerful major technique to force Chu Yun into a state of disarray.

"Brute Force Vine Whip!" At his command, countless vines intertwined to form a long blue whip.

The whip was over ten feet long, winding and twisting, lashing through the air like a swarm of snakes dancing. The offensive was extremely fierce.

"Single Blade Direct Entry!" Chu Yun's expression was cold and unmoved, as if he had never regarded these frenzied giant whips as a threat.

The momentum of the Drunken Snow Blade rose, driving Chu Yun's pace and causing his speed to surge. He constantly adjusted the blade's angle, relying on the sharpness of the Drunken Snow Blade to pave the way, thrusting and weaving through the shadows of the whips, dodging continuously. When he truly could not avoid them, he would thrust the blade forward, severing the giant whips.

"So formidable! Chu Yun is countering attack with attack; even a killing move like the Brute Force Vine Whip cannot stop him!"

"The Young Tiger's personality is fierce and brave. If it were me facing such a major technique, I would have been on the defensive long ago. He is actually still attacking!"

"Look, Senior Yan Que's expression has changed. Who will win this match is still anyone's guess."

Exclamations rippled through the crowd; the strength and style Chu Yun displayed were shocking.

Yan Que's expression had to change. He finally realized: this was no inexperienced freshman. The blade technique was seasoned, with at least ten years of tempering. Breaking the Brute Force Vine Whip technique was not easy. In particular, this method of breaking it required calm and reason, constant maneuvering, and not getting overly entangled when breaking the whips, lest one be ensnared by others.

At this moment, he looked at Chu Yun with newfound seriousness, placing him on equal footing. He decided to use his trump card; otherwise, he would not be able to win.