Sea-Burning Raging Flame Palm

"Hehehe... Interesting little fellow, his keenness is unpleasant."

Just as Dongfang Yueming finished speaking, an old and hoarse voice, as if from the deepest hell, echoed throughout the stone hall. The voice carried an aura of decay, causing everyone present to feel a chill in their hearts, as if an invisible shackle had been tightly gripping their throats.

This sound didn't come from any single passage, but from all directions, from... the will of this space!

"Who?!" Chi Qing's body trembled with gray mist, his blood-red eyes scanning his surroundings warily. His confidence, which had swelled with power, was instantly extinguished.

"Playing tricks!" Lang Po and Lang Xiaotian also stopped fighting and stood back to back, wary of the unknown danger.

Qiang Feng and Wei Dao's expressions also became extremely solemn. They could feel a terrifying pressure far exceeding that of Grandmaster slowly descending.

"It's him... he's the master of the Trial Valley!" Wei Meng's voice trembled, her face filled with despair.

"This little girl is quite knowledgeable."

The aged voice rang out again, and this time, a dark vortex slowly emerged from the ground in the center of the stone hall. An old man dressed in a black robe, with a withered face and sunken eyes, rose from the vortex like a ghost.

His appearance brought no fluctuations in true energy, yet it made it difficult for everyone present to even breathe. It was an absolute suppression on a life level!

The old man's withered eyes swept over the crowd, finally nodding in satisfaction, and said in a tone that conveyed final judgment, "Not bad, not bad, the quality of this year's offerings is very high. What remains is the essence."

He extended three fingers that were as dry and withered as chicken claws.

"The rules are simple. The last three standing will survive."

These words instantly ignited the already tense atmosphere!

The sense of unity that had just been formed among the group because of Dongfang Yueming's analysis was shattered by this cruel reality. Three people! Only three people could survive!

Everyone's eyes changed. Companions, rivals, monsters... In the face of the most primal desire to "survive," all boundaries became blurred.

The three monsters, Chi Qing, Lang Po, and Lang Xiaotian, gleamed with an even more cruel light in their eyes. They had fallen into depravity for power, and now that they had a legitimate reason, they were even more unscrupulous!

Qiang Feng and Wei Dao simultaneously distanced themselves from everyone else; they were the strongest beings in the arena besides the monsters, and also each other's biggest rivals.

Wei Meng's face turned ashen, and she fell into deep despair.

No one noticed that amidst the chaos and despair, a calm shone in Dongfang Yueming's lowered eyes.

His mind once again sank into the system panel.

[The points are enough!]

[Point Allocation!]

Without the slightest hesitation, a massive amount of points poured into the martial arts skill bar like a flood bursting its banks!

[Ding! Consumed 540 points, "Heaven-Overwhelming Palm" has been upgraded to Minor Accomplishment!]

[Ding! 900 points consumed, "Heaven-Overwhelming Palm" upgraded to Major Accomplishment!]

[Ding! 1800 points consumed, "Heaven-Overwhelming Palm" upgraded to Perfection!]

[Ding! Consumed...]

[Ding! Crimson Flame Fist Technique has been upgraded to Perfection!]

In an instant, two completely different, yet equally domineering, Martial Dao True Intent exploded within Dongfang Yueming's body! One was a blazing inferno that could burn everything, and the other was a raging torrent that swept across the heavens and earth!

However, this time, they did not clash with each other, but under the guidance of the mysterious power of the "Origin Page," they began a mysterious fusion!

[Ding! Detected two martial arts of the same origin: Crimson Flame Fist Technique (Perfection) and Heaven-Overwhelming Palm (Perfection). Initiating fusion...]

[Fusion successful! Obtained a brand new martial art - "Sea-Burning Raging Flame Palm"!]

An unprecedented realization welled up in my mind. Water no longer extinguishes fire, and fire no longer evaporates water. On a higher level, they transformed into the yin and yang poles of destruction and creation, mutually generating and complementing each other, their power increasing exponentially!

At that very moment, the melee erupted completely!

"Since that's the case, then you can all die!" Chi Qing laughed wildly and was the first to pounce on Qiang Feng, who was closest to him!

However, another figure was faster than him!

The Dongfang Yueming!

That's enough.

He spoke calmly, his voice not loud, yet it drowned out all the screams and roars.

He took a step forward, ignoring everyone's astonished gazes, and walked straight towards the high and mighty old man in black robes.

"Once you use the Gray Mist Pearl, it's equivalent to giving up your humanity, right?" Dongfang Yueming looked up and stared directly at the old man. "So, your so-called 'three survivors' aren't meant for 'humans' at all. If you don't speak up, and we fight each other to the end, the only survivors will be three completely irrational monsters."

"And what you need is precisely this kind of 'sacrifice'."

For the first time, a look of surprise appeared on the withered face of the old man in black robes. He stared intently at Dongfang Yueming, as if trying to see right through him.

Chi Qing, Lang Po, and the others also stopped what they were doing, looking at this young man who dared to challenge the rule-makers in disbelief.

"You're right," the old man admitted, a hint of admiration in his voice, "But what good does knowing the truth do? The fate of an ant was sealed from the very beginning."

"Yeah?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Dongfang Yueming's lips.

The next moment, he moved!

Without any earth-shattering momentum, he simply struck out with his palm at the old man in black robes!

"Sea-Burning Raging Flame Palm!"

Boom--!

The entire stone hall shook violently!

Half of it was a raging inferno, as red as purgatory, and the other half was a devastating torrent, as black as an abyss! The power of water and fire merged perfectly at this moment, transforming into a palm print containing the true meaning of destruction, arriving in an instant!

"This is...?!" The composure on the old man's face vanished instantly, replaced by uncontrollable shock and fear! He sensed a deadly threat!

He extended both hands simultaneously, creating a jet-black energy shield in front of him.

"BOOM!!!"

The violent collision of energy distorted the entire space!

Before everyone's horrified eyes, the seemingly invincible black-robed elder's shield was torn apart like paper by the palm print of water and fire!

The palm print, still powerful, was firmly imprinted on his chest!

"Puff--!"

The old man was struck as if by lightning, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the stone wall. His life force instantly weakened to the extreme.

"Impossible... you... your true intention..." The old man pointed at Dongfang Yueming, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Dongfang Yueming gave him no chance. In One Flash, he reappeared in front of him and struck again with a palm.

"Bang!"

The old man's head exploded like a watermelon.

A seemingly invincible and terrifying being who controlled the fate of everyone... just like that, died?

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

The gray mist surrounding Chi Qing, Lang Po, and Lang Xiaotian seemed to solidify as they looked at Dongfang Yueming as if they were looking at a true god or demon.

"He... he must have been injured before." After a long silence, Wei Meng finally spoke her observation in a trembling voice.

Hearing this, everyone felt somewhat relieved, but their gazes toward Dongfang Yueming remained filled with awe.

Dongfang Yueming walked up to the old man's headless corpse and began to search it without any hesitation. He quickly found an ancient manual, put it in his pocket, and then turned around, his gaze calmly sweeping over the entire scene.

Those whose gaze swept over him all felt a shiver run through them and instinctively stepped back.

Dongfang Yueming didn't look at them again and walked straight towards the only exit.

He already knew the answer.

[Chi Qing, Lang Po... their families probably knew the truth about this Trial Valley all along. This wasn't a selection process at all, but a transaction. Using the lives of their family's geniuses to exchange for some kind of benefit...]

[This place is no longer safe to stay.]