But just then;
At this hairbreadth moment:
Zhou Chenlong let out a long laugh, fighting spirit blazing like roaring flames in his eyes.
Only at this moment did he seem to truly regard Chen Qingyu as an opponent worthy of his full strength.
Whoosh!
Facing the yellow sandstorm sweeping toward him and blotting out the sky, he abruptly became a crimson meteor and plunged downward.
In less than half a blink, he broke through the surface and dove straight into the boundless depths.
Boom, boom, boom!
The terrifyingly powerful, earthy-yellow sandstorm hammered the sea, blasting the endless seawater apart and raising one immense wave after another with earth-shaking force.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of seawater were instantly vaporized and evaporated by the bombardment, filling the air with thick mist.
A miscalculation!
Chen Qingyu frowned.
The attack had looked spectacular, but he was certain it had not harmed Zhou Chenlong in the slightest.
The boundless seawater was the strongest barrier. Whatever martial technique or art he used, unless it possessed the power to overturn rivers and seas, it would be hard-pressed to do anything to someone hiding beneath the surface.
I have to force him high into the sky for a decisive battle.
He swiftly reached a judgment, immediately drawing a deep breath as True Qi surged throughout his body.
Heavy clouds instantly gathered overhead, and a biting wind howled down, sending temperatures plummeting across dozens of miles of sea.
Even the blazing midday sun, spilling its light down, could not stop a thin sheet of ice from rapidly forming on the surface.
If Zhou Chenlong refused to emerge, he would sooner or later suffocate in the sea.
However-
Even after the surface froze, Zhou Chenlong remained hidden beneath it, seemingly determined not to come out.
Not coming out? All the better!
Chen Qingyu remained composed.
Freezing the sea served far more than the simple purpose of forcing Zhou Chenlong out.
Seawater had a much lower freezing point than freshwater on land. Because it contained numerous salts and impurities, only at temperatures far below zero would some of its pure water freeze into ice and float on the surface.
And given the battlefield space's limited size, he was perfectly capable of freezing the entire sea's surface.
When that happened-
The temperature within the battlefield space would fall to a terrifying level. Even after he dispelled [Summoning Wind and Rain], the extreme cold would persist for a long time.
In such an environment, Zhou Chenlong's martial techniques would be restricted in every respect, their power reduced and their consumption doubled. He would have virtually no chance of victory.
Whoosh!
Concealed from sight, Chen Qingyu transformed into astral wind and roamed about, continuously sustaining [Summoning Wind and Rain].
Cold winds howled and heavy snow swirled, as though summer had given way to the depths of winter on a northern glacier.
Gradually-
A quarter of an hour passed. Through his strength alone, he forcibly froze the dozens of miles of sea covering the entire battlefield space, and the ice was still rapidly thickening.
But after waiting all that time, he still did not see Zhou Chenlong break through the ice.
It seemed Zhou Chenlong had resolved to be a turtle hiding its head.
Still not coming out?
Chen Qingyu's brows knitted tightly as he realized something was wrong.
Just what is Zhou Chenlong doing?
"Chen Shaojun is too strong! Freezing such an enormous stretch of sea is practically a miracle!"
"Obviously! Without attacks on the scale of natural phenomena, how could he possibly have cleared the eighth floor of the [War God Tower]?"
"But where is Zhou Chenlong?"
"Right, why is he still hiding beneath the sea? Does he think he's a turtle?"
"This is strange. Just what is Zhou Chenlong doing? Why does he keep hiding?"
The spectator space had already expanded into a vast, boundless expanse. Over twenty trillion Blood Sea Realm martial artists had gathered there, and more continued streaming in from outside.
It was an unprecedented spectacle.
Thanks to the Supreme Void Eternal World Mirror's power, everyone could still clearly see the ongoing battle, and they could not help discussing it and offering all sorts of guesses.
What do these people know?
In the spectator space, the girl in the purple dress's lips curled slightly.
Chen Shaojun has fallen for it. He's wasted an enormous amount of True Qi and gained nothing!
Now it's time for the situation to reverse.
Her thought had only just ended.
Within the battle space, a savage burst of power suddenly erupted, striking Chen Qingyu squarely in the back.
No!
Chen Qingyu was startled, but at such close range, he had no time to dodge. He could only circulate his True Qi at full strength to protect himself.
Bang!
Formidable power erupted, tearing through Chen Qingyu's protective True Qi and crashing heavily into his body, blasting him over a hundred zhang away.
It's Zhou Chenlong!
Alarm bells rang in Chen Qingyu's mind. He swiftly manipulated the astral winds in midair, turning and activating [Seeing Through Walls].
In an instant:
His gaze seemed to penetrate an invisible barrier, revealing a hidden scene:
True Qi surged around Zhou Chenlong as he flew through the sky without relying on it, charging swiftly toward him.
He's actually proficient in concealment arts too! And he can fly without relying on True Qi!
Chen Qingyu's expression changed.
He finally understood and saw the truth-
In that brief instant earlier, Zhou Chenlong had used the towering waves and the mist from the evaporating seawater as cover, quietly concealing himself and leaving the sea long ago.
Then, by some unknown means, he had flown silently through the air and even pinpointed Chen Qingyu's location.
I underestimated this fellow.
Chen Qingyu's heart grew wary.
Zhou Chenlong's methods of concealment and stealth were likewise extremely sophisticated.
He had relied on those very methods to evade the encirclement of two thousand top martial artists and clear the eighth floor of the War God Tower.
Chen Qingyu had been trapped in a mistaken assumption, believing Zhou Chenlong was still beneath the sea. With his attention also occupied by sustaining [Summoning Wind and Rain], he had failed to watch his surroundings, allowing Zhou Chenlong to sneak close and launch a lethal ambush.
Had his body not grown ever more terrifyingly strong as his cultivation advanced, that unexpected blow would probably have severely injured him.
Hm?
Zhou Chenlong, charging swiftly toward him, could not help his expression changing as well.
How can this be? Chen Shaojun's body is actually this formidable?
He had thought his meticulously prepared, full-strength strike would be enough to severely injure Chen Shaojun, securing victory in a single move.
At the very least, it should have wounded him, reversing the situation and giving Zhou Chenlong the upper hand.
Yet Chen Shaojun had taken his offensive martial technique head-on and emerged completely unscathed, with only some damage to his clothes.
A body of such terrifying strength far exceeded his expectations.
Boom!
Meanwhile, Chen Qingyu had already pinpointed Zhou Chenlong's location again. Riding the astral winds, he turned and charged back with a howl.
No!
He actually has a way to pinpoint my location too!
Zhou Chenlong's expression changed, and he immediately retreated at full speed without a second thought.
He knew full well that, given the terrifying physique Chen Shaojun had displayed, a head-on fight could only end in defeat for him.
"Too late! You're not getting away!"
Chen Qingyu let out a long cry.
An uncanny light shone in his eyes as he maintained [Seeing Through Walls]. At the same time, auspicious clouds rose beneath his feet, setting the surrounding astral winds howling and violent currents blasting.
Combining [Riding Clouds and Controlling Mist] with [Summoning Wind and Rain] sent his speed soaring, instantly surpassing Zhou Chenlong's.
The distance between them rapidly shrank!