A Gathering of Monstrous Geniuses

As Dao Wudao's Great Dao Golden Lotus flew toward the Sword Sect's Sword Child, the Sword Child retreated dozens of steps. Then his innate Sword Qi surged throughout his body. His presence was extraordinarily powerful, matching Dao Wudao's, and the Heaven-Defying Emperor Sword appeared in his hand.

As soon as the Emperor Sword appeared, earth-shaking Sword Qi erupted, bringing with it an immense pressure. He then poured all his spiritual power into the Emperor Sword. Its white sword light blazed, and the terrifying sword force grew ever more pronounced as spiritual power continued to flow into it. Then he cried softly, "Sword-Drawing Heaven-Slaying Art!"

He swung the Emperor Sword with all his might. A streak of earth-shaking white sword light erupted toward the Great Dao Golden Lotus.

The Sword-Drawing Heaven-Slaying Art collided with the Great Dao Golden Lotus. A tremendous explosion rang out. Boom! The light from the explosion was blinding. The force of the two terrifying powers shook even the barrier Yuan Changsheng had casually set up, making it flicker as though it might shatter. Clouds of smoke then rose into the air.

Everyone stared inside without blinking, wanting to know which of the two innate physiques was stronger. The smoke cleared. Dao Wudao's lips were bleeding, both knees on the ground and both hands braced against it as he struggled to support himself.

The Sword Sect's Sword Child was in much the same condition, down on one knee. One hand clutched his chest while the other gripped the Emperor Sword tightly, its point driven into the ground. Blood continued to pour from his mouth.

It was actually a draw... No one had expected that outcome. They had thought that one way or another, a winner would emerge. But the strength of both men was already enough to sweep aside everyone of their generation. If Yuan Changsheng's protective barrier had not restricted their space, the fight would probably have been even more spectacular.

The supreme elders of the Highest Purity Sect and the Sword Sect each came to Dao Wudao and the Sword Child, feeding them medicinal pills. Then they took them away to recuperate and heal.

Dao Wudao and the Sword Sect's Sword Child had only just withdrawn when someone else stood up. It was none other than the Primordial Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land in Primordial Heaven.

"I have long heard that the Yuan Clan's Divine Son, Yuan Zhexian, possesses unparalleled combat strength and is invincible among those of the same realm. I would also like to experience the Divine Son's finest moves. Please enlighten me."

"Primordial Holy Son, do you think you can challenge our clan's Divine Son? I'll be the one to face you."

With that, Yuan Changkong stepped forward in his black-and-yellow robes. He bowed slightly and cupped his hands to Yuan Zhexian. "Divine Son, let me go. I've wanted to face the Primordial Holy Son for a long time and see whether his Primordial God King Body is stronger or my Black-Yellow Imperishable Physique is superior."

Yuan Zhexian looked at Yuan Changkong and said with a smile, "Let Brother Changkong fight this battle."

"I will not disgrace the might of our Yuan Clan," Yuan Changkong said solemnly.

With that, Yuan Changkong and the Primordial Holy Land flew into the barrier together. The Black-Yellow Imperishable Physique ranked thirteenth among the three thousand physiques, while the Primordial God King Body ranked fourteenth. If either physique had appeared alone in any period other than a golden age, it would surely have swept aside its contemporaries in crushing fashion. But this happened to be a golden age.

The two physiques had appeared in the same period several times over countless epochs, and each had won and lost against the other. It was as though they were born to be fated rivals, just like the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body and the Azure Heaven Tyrant Physique. Whenever they appeared together, a winner and loser would inevitably be decided, sometimes even in a fight to the death.

"Yuan Changkong? The Yuan Clan's second sequence. The Black-Yellow Imperishable Physique? Good, good, good! I didn't expect to encounter a fated rival physique. So be it. I'll defeat you first, then challenge the Yuan Clan's Divine Son." As he spoke, his presence surged, and he stretched out both hands. A circular dark halo appeared over each palm, and waves of power gathered within them. He cried softly at Yuan Changkong, "Primordial Light!"

The power within the halos transformed into a beam of light that shot toward Yuan Changkong. Seeing the Primordial Light speeding toward him, Yuan Changkong hurriedly dodged.

Beams continued to fire from the halos, and Yuan Changkong kept dodging. Then he seized an opportunity, spotted an opening and hurriedly struck back. "Mystic Yellow Qi!" A stream of black-and-yellow Mystic Yellow Qi erupted from his body and collided with the Primordial Light.

Bang! A cloud of smoke rose from the collision.

The two continued to fire Primordial Light and Mystic Yellow Qi, relentlessly bombarding each other. Great clouds of smoke kept rising, and craters continued to appear in the ground. It was dazzling to watch.

As the two fought faster and faster, the Primordial Holy Son formed hand seals, and a gigantic God King apparition appeared behind him. The apparition gazed into the distance, looking down upon heaven and earth. The terrifying majesty of the God King spread throughout the banquet hall, leaving everyone deeply shaken.

Yuan Changkong then formed hand seals, and a gigantic apparition that looked just like him appeared behind him. The apparition was actually Yuan Changkong himself. "Could the apparition of the Black-Yellow Imperishable Physique be the bearer himself—the original form?" everyone exclaimed in surprise once again.

Yuan Changkong's apparition also radiated a powerful black-and-yellow light. Mystic Yellow Qi swirled around its body, and the presence it carried was exceptionally terrifying.

The two great apparitions appeared, confronting each other point against point. The Primordial Holy Son's primordial power then reached its peak, and the God King apparition behind him raised its palm toward Yuan Changkong. "Primordial Suppression of Heaven and Earth!"

A dark sphere appeared in the God King apparition's palm. The power contained within it was so terrifying that it seemed capable of destroying everything, and it flew toward Yuan Changkong.

The strength of the Black-Yellow Imperishable Physique lay in its powerful fleshly body. A Black-Yellow Physique at full mastery was nearly undying and indestructible unless it could be killed in a single blow, second only to the supreme physiques among the top ten of the three thousand, whose fleshly bodies were immensely powerful. At this moment, Yuan Changkong's presence surged to its peak, and all his spiritual power reached its limit as well.

Mystic Yellow Qi gathered throughout the apparition behind him, and it punched at the sphere.

Bang!

The Black-Yellow apparition's fist struck the sphere, producing a terrifying blast of air. If the barrier had not held it back, the blast would probably have shattered the banquet hall outright.

The Black-Yellow apparition's fist and the sphere were evenly matched. The two men continued pouring in more spiritual power, and terrifying power erupted where fist and sphere met. Then the Primordial Holy Son could no longer withstand Yuan Changkong's strength. The God King apparition shattered, and he spat blood.

Yuan Changkong's apparition had also turned transparent, flickering in and out of sight as though it might disperse. Yuan Changkong's Qi and blood churned, and his presence was extremely unstable. He then regulated himself, steadied his presence and quietly watched the Primordial Holy Son.

Neither wasted words. As if by agreement, they both brought out their Quasi-Emperor weapons: the Primordial Holy Son's Qianyuan Spear and Yuan Changkong's Azure Heaven Black and Yellow Halberd. The Primordial Holy Son unleashed the last of his primordial power, coating the Qianyuan Spear with it and sending it toward Yuan Changkong. Its terrifying force seemed ready to tear the void apart.

Likewise, Yuan Changkong coated the Azure Heaven Black and Yellow Halberd with his remaining Mystic Yellow Qi and sent it toward the Qianyuan Spear. The two continuously used their remaining spiritual power to control their Quasi-Emperor weapons. Spear and halberd met point against edge again and again, scraping against each other with a sharp, grating hiss.

Bang!

With a tremendous crash, the Primordial Holy Son's spiritual power ran dry, and the Qianyuan Spear was knocked away. The Azure Heaven Black and Yellow Halberd then flew toward him. The instant it struck, its immense force shook a mouthful of blood from him.

A bloody hole as wide as a bowl appeared in the Primordial Holy Son's stomach, and he collapsed.

"Holy Son!"

A supreme elder of the Primordial Holy Land cried out anxiously. In a flash, he appeared beside the Primordial Holy Son and crouched to examine his injuries.

"Mm... good, good. His origin wasn't harmed. He was only seriously injured and knocked unconscious." He then said to Yuan Changkong, "Sequence Changkong, we concede this battle." With that, he took the Primordial Holy Son off the stage to heal.

"It seems that in this era's contest between the Black-Yellow Imperishable Physique and the Primordial God King Body, the Black-Yellow Imperishable Physique has won after all," everyone said after the fight.

"A single victory or defeat proves little. Both are immensely powerful physiques, but Sequence Yuan Changkong was born into the Yuan Clan. The Yuan Clan's foundation is unfathomably deep, so of the two physiques in this era, Yuan Changkong will probably have the advantage."

As everyone voiced their opinions, another monstrous genius stepped forward. Smiling at Yuan Zhexian on the stage, he said, "Now that the battle between Sequence Changkong and the Primordial Holy Son is over, I would like to take up the Primordial Holy Son's original challenge and challenge Divine Son Zhexian. Might I ask whether the Divine Son dares accept?"

Everyone burst into loud discussion. "Oh... isn't that the Divine Son of Grand Sovereign Heaven's Wang Family, Wang Teng? Ever since Wang Teng placed sixth on the Heavenly Dao Ancient Tablet, the Wang Family head has told everyone he meets, 'My son Wang Teng has the makings of a Great Emperor.'"

Before that speaker had finished, the Wang Family head's laughter rang out, followed by his classic saying.

"My son actually has such courage, haha! My son Wang Teng has the makings of a Great Emperor!"

Everyone was utterly speechless. "He's only sixth, yet he's making such a show of it. Look at Divine Son Zhexian—he never goes around boasting about ranking first. Can your family's Divine Son even beat Divine Son Zhexian? Honestly."

When Wang Teng issued his provocation, a voice rang out. "Oh? Whether he... dares accept? What are you, to ask whether our clan's Divine Son dares accept? You want to fight the Divine Son? Fine. Get past me first."

A man appeared. Beneath his thick brows were a pair of bright, piercing eyes. His nose was high-bridged and his lips ruddy, giving his features a striking definition. His words were full of confidence. His hair was black and flowing, and he was exceptionally handsome.

That was... Yuan Ruochu, the Yuan Clan's first sequence. The moment he appeared, cries of surprise rang out throughout the hall. Even the Yu Clan in the seats of honor stared wide-eyed at Yuan Ruochu, wanting to see what sort of man had managed to stir their divine daughter's heart.

Wang Teng shouted angrily, "Who are you? How dare you act so arrogantly?"

"Oh... you don't even recognize me, yet you dare challenge our clan's Divine Son?" Yuan Ruochu said disdainfully.

"I am Yuan Ruochu, the Yuan Clan's first sequence."

"Oh? You're Yuan Ruochu? The legendary Samsara Physique? Good, good, good! Then today I'll see for myself just what makes the first sequence's Samsara Physique so formidable."

Without waiting for Yuan Ruochu to respond, he threw a punch straight at his face with immense force. Yuan Ruochu calmly reached out one hand and caught Wang Teng's fist.

Then he said, "If we're going to duel, let's do it inside the barrier. I don't want us to destroy our clan's banquet hall."

With that, he flashed into the barrier. Wang Teng rose and flashed inside after him.

Wang Teng struck first again, extending both hands. A pitch-black spatial rift appeared before them. At the same moment, another pitch-black spatial rift appeared behind Yuan Ruochu.

That was... the Great Void Art! Everyone from the Ji Family sprang to their feet. The Great Void Art was a secret the Ji Family did not pass on to outsiders. Why did Wang Teng know it too? They looked at the Wang Family with confusion and anger on their faces.

Wang Teng entered the spatial rift and vanished, then appeared behind Yuan Ruochu and struck at him with his palm. Yuan Ruochu sensed him, turned and dodged the strike unhurriedly.

Seeing that he had missed Yuan Ruochu, Wang Teng vanished into the spatial rift again. Then more than a dozen identical spatial rifts appeared inside the barrier, and Wang Teng's figure flickered constantly among them. He appeared unpredictably from one rift or another, repeatedly sending radiant bursts of power at Yuan Ruochu.

Looking at the many spatial rifts, Yuan Ruochu dodged while thinking about how to counter the Great Void Technique. Otherwise, he could only take the attacks passively.

Purple light suddenly blazed around Yuan Ruochu. He extended one hand and channeled his spiritual power. A purple black hole appeared before his palm. It was strange and powerful, radiating a mysterious presence.

Someone cried out, "That's... the Samsara Physique's secret Samsara art, the Six Paths of Samsara!"

"The Six Paths of Samsara is a secret art exclusive to the Samsara Physique. There are six black holes in all, and each has a different ability. It's said that if all six emerge together, they can turn heaven and earth upside down. It's terrifying beyond measure."

Yuan Ruochu then said softly, "Secret Samsara art: Animal Path."

Countless exotic beasts suddenly poured out of the purple black hole. They stared fixedly at the dozen or so spatial rifts. As soon as Wang Teng appeared from any black hole, the countless beasts would attack him, freeing Yuan Ruochu to find a way to counter the Great Void Technique more quickly.

Wang Teng appeared from one of the spatial rifts, preparing to attack Yuan Ruochu. But before he could strike, a pack of exotic beasts spat different powers from their mouths: water, fire, lightning and light. Countless streams of power flew at Wang Teng. Unable to strike, he hid within a spatial rift again. He tried several more times, but still could not do it.

Right here!

Just as Wang Teng prepared to try attacking Yuan Ruochu once more, Yuan Ruochu struck first with Samsara Light imbued with the power of Samsara.

Bang! The powerful Samsara Light struck Wang Teng hard with a terrifying explosion. The spatial rifts all vanished. Wang Teng clutched his chest, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and looked at Yuan Ruochu. "I didn't expect you to counter the Great Void Technique."

Yuan Ruochu looked at Wang Teng quietly and said with disdain, "If that's all you have, this battle can end now."

Seeing the disdain in Yuan Ruochu's eyes, Wang Teng immediately said in anger, "End? It is time to end it, but you're the one who's finished."

Then he roared, "Star Radiance Heaven-Battling Art!"

The Star Radiance Heaven-Slaying Art was a Great Emperor art Wang Teng had obtained from the Heavenly Dao Ancient Tablet, and one of his most powerful moves at present. Suddenly, the space inside the barrier transformed into a starry sky filled with stars. Their radiance gathered together, forming a crescent that shone with starlight. After the space once filled with starlight took the form of a crescent, everyone felt an extraordinary pressure. Then it flew toward Yuan Ruochu.

Yuan Ruochu looked at the Star Radiance Heaven-Battling Art and said indifferently, "That's it?"

He waved a hand, and the countless exotic beasts throughout the barrier suddenly vanished. Purple black holes like the one for the Animal Path appeared one after another. Then he cried at Wang Teng, "Secret Samsara art: Human Path!"

A gigantic golden dragon flew from the Human Path within the purple black hole toward the Star Radiance Heaven-Slaying Art. It carried a terrifying presence and waves of Heavenly Dao's providence. This was a golden dragon of providence, one that gathered the Qi of the human world.

Watching the golden dragon of providence fly toward Wang Teng, Yuan Ruochu said disdainfully once more, "End!"