Pain! For an instant, Qian Jin's arms felt as if they were about to fall off; the Fen Jin Lian Zhan (Dividing Gold Continuous Slash) simulated by his Wind Cloud Dou Qi was, after all, not as flawless as the Iron Mantis Bloodline.

This was... the Fen Jin Lian Zhan of the Iron Mantis Bloodline! In a flash of electric thought within Qian Wuqing's mind, he recalled a Dou Technique almost completely forgotten.

It was the exclusive Dou Technique of the Iron Mantis Bloodline Warriors, once one of the ten great Bloodline Warriors of the Zhence Dynasty! Yet, with the decline of the Iron Mantis Bloodline Warrior family, it had long been forgotten by many Bloodline Warriors.

Qian Jin using it suddenly, and moreover as an ordinary warrior, struck Qian Wuqing with astonishment equivalent to a bolt of lightning striking directly onto his skull from the sky.

Their arms were tightly locked together; the key to the contest now rested solely on Dou Qi, strength, and technique! Among these, Dou Qi was the most crucial element; formidable Dou Qi in such a situation could, through prolonged contact, crush the opponent.

Four arms intertwined, the collision of their Dou Qi sounding like earth-shaking war drums! As Qian Wuqing felt their Dou Qi was evenly matched, a massive brute force transmitted through Qian Jin’s fingers.

Qian Jin’s body suddenly leaned back slightly, his two arms yanking backward with force! Qian Wuqing’s feet, rooted to the ground, could no longer maintain stability, and he was hard-pulled rapidly toward Qian Jin. In his eyes, Qian Jin’s head suddenly slammed forward.

Headbutt! Qian Wuqing’s eyes widened. Having survived countless battles on the Man-Demon Battlefield, he knew instantly that the following contest was not just about the hardness of skulls, but also whose neck was sturdier! On the Man-Demon Battlefield, he had personally witnessed someone die with an intact skull, their neck snapped and driven entirely into their chest cavity.

In that instant, Qian Wuqing sucked in a sharp breath, the muscles on his neck writhing rapidly, suddenly thickening by a full circle, completing his combat readiness in a split second.

At this distance, under this contact, evasion was utterly impossible; it had to be met head-on! The Elven King Bloodline battle form was inherently extremely tough, plus...

In that instant, two shields materialized before Qian Wuqing's forehead: one a stone shield formed from the dust swirling in the air, and the other an ice shield condensed from the moisture in the atmosphere!

This was the advantage of dual cultivation in both Martial and Magic arts—magic could be used for offense or defense, anytime, anywhere!

“Want to slam me?” Qian Wuqing sneered, “Let my two shields knock the stars out of your eyes first! Even if your physical body is tough, I don't believe your head is equally hard!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Three deafening roars, sounding like firecrackers exploding in sequence, the two shields composed of different elements were shattered consecutively by Qian Jin in an instant. It was as if what blocked him were not magical shields sturdy enough to clash with stone, but merely two beautifully decorated eggshells.

Qian Jin was like a rampaging giant beast, violently crashing into Qian Wuqing’s head. The Wind Cloud Dou Qi erupted like an uncontrollable volcano, brutally blasting through Qian Wuqing’s protective Dou Qi, smashing open his skull—which could dent slate—and blood instantly splattered into his vision.

As the crowd collectively gasped, the sound of bone fracturing emanated from Qian Wuqing’s head. After Qian Jin released his arms, the man was sent flying backward a full ten meters before crashing heavily to the ground, skidding for another dozen meters before finally stopping.

The fierce battle, resembling the Man-Demon Battlefield, which had been filled with continuous roars outside the Qian family mansion, suddenly reverted to its initial quiet—perhaps even deathly silence.

Qian Wuchen and Qian Wuji stared blankly at the bloody bruise on Qian Wuqing’s forehead. He struggled to stand, swaying precariously. Qian Wuqing, tempered by days on the Man-Demon Battlefield and on the verge of entering the Qianzhou War Academy, had actually... actually been defeated... and defeated so miserably!

Defeated! Qian Wuqing swayed, his vision blurring as Qian Jin seemed to wobble too. He still couldn't believe he had lost to a good-for-nothing who hadn't awakened the power of the Elven King Bloodline.

“Defeated! Defeated so miserably, so disgracefully...” Qian Wuqing violently shook his head, trying to flick away the blood clinging to his pupils, to shake off the crimson image, to cast off the fact of his defeat, to erase this fight he should never have lost.

Kun Dou Technique! Qian Dou Technique!

The strongest Dou Techniques of the Elven King Bloodline family! Only true Elven King Bloodline Warriors could unleash their essence, special Dou Techniques capable of turning the tide when in absolute disadvantage.

But... Qian Wuqing hadn't had time to deploy the Qian Dou Technique or the Kun Dou Technique before being heavily struck and defeated.

Qian Jin raised a hand to touch his forehead where he’d impacted; the protective power of the Wind Cloud Golden Body could match the hardness of the Carapace Beast in the Four Seasons Valley. Qian Wuqing, relying only on his Elven King Bloodline battle form without a protective Dou Technique, was ultimately inferior to the Wind Cloud Golden Body.

“Again!”

Qian Wuqing roared toward the sky, his Dou Qi erupting violently once more. Pain and the humiliation of defeat mixed into a raging fury, causing his Dou Qi to climb once more. His amber-bright eyes flickered intermittently, like a failing lightbulb.

Awakening! Natural Awakening! Qian Jin was not unfamiliar with Qian Wuqing's reaction; heavily injured in the fierce battle, Qian Wuqing was about to undergo a third awakening after his defeat.

The most troublesome aspect of Bloodline Warriors was this sudden natural awakening.

Under the Nine Battles of Demon Subjugation, after achieving the second stage of awakening, Chekflit had abruptly surpassed the peak of the Nine Battles that Qian Jin had pondered over for days, entering the realm of the First Battle of Demon Subjugation.

Awakening meant a sudden surge in combat power! This was something destined to happen to any Bloodline Warrior.

Qian Wuqing had reached the third awakening at the Seven Battles of Demon Subjugation, and he was a top-tier Elven King Bloodline Warrior. Who knew if he would directly jump to the Nine Battles of Demon Subjugation, or perhaps even immediately surpass it into a new realm?

Regardless of what realm he entered, Qian Jin knew one thing clearly: once Qian Wuqing completed his breakthrough, even with the Elven King Bloodline Warrior’s body still heavily wounded, today he might truly not walk away.

The Elven King Bloodline practiced both Martial and Magic arts; every awakening was not merely an explosive surge in Dou Qi strength, but also an increase in spiritual power.

“Wake up slower for me!”

Qian Jin could no longer hesitate. He bent his legs slightly, pushing off the ground violently, transforming his body into a cannonball rushing forward, his five fingers spread wide, aiming directly for Qian Wuqing’s face!

“Seeking death.”

No loud shout, no angry words—a sudden voice echoed from the sky. Qian Jin instantly felt an immense might descending from high above. Under this oppressive force, he felt like a toad pinned down by a giant hand, or a captive bound by countless ropes, unable to break free.

The pressure instantly skyrocketed! Qian Jin’s throat convulsed several times, and a long roar burst from his mouth, spewing out the pressure that seemed to crush his chest. He stomped down again, his muscles from toes to the root of his thighs vibrating at a high frequency, shaking the dust within a three-meter radius around his feet high into the air. His charge accelerated again, leaving behind only a faint phantom trail in the air.

Wan Ying (Myriad Shadows)! The strongest movement technique from Old Black the blacksmith! It had never failed, a super Dou Technique movement skill that had repeatedly achieved miracles!

“Bang!” A tremendous sound erupted from the ground behind Qian Jin, ten times louder than his own initial impact. The solid ground seemed to jump as if a tabletop had been struck hard.

On the sturdy earth, a massive palm print, nearly two meters in diameter, was left behind.

The clear palm print was half a meter deep! As if intricately carved by a master craftsman into the ground.

The force of that single palm created a violent gust of wind! Qian Jin’s body stopped abruptly; his five fingers gripped Qian Wuqing’s head, the veins on the back of his hands crisscrossing and pulsing, exuding an aura ready to unleash explosive power at any moment.

“Whoosh...”

The gale generated by the earth-shattering palm struck Qian Jin’s back, the black warrior uniform snapping loudly in the wind. His long black hair danced, and his sharp, hawk-like eyes immediately lifted to stare at the old man standing at the entrance of the Qian family mansion, clad in a gold robe, sporting a white beard and two long, sweeping white eyebrows, emanating an aura of dominance, his eyes like those of a dragon.

The current head of the Qian family—Qian Zhanxuan!

Every household in the Qian family received a new portrait annually—a portrait of the current family head.

Even the youths in the Qian family who had not awakened their bloodline power knew exactly what their patriarch looked like.

Over the years, Qian Jin had deeply etched Qian Zhanxuan’s image into his memory; even after three years without seeing the patriarch’s new portrait, he would not have any memory errors.

Qian Jin never expected to encounter the current head of the Qian family here today, one of the absolute top experts among the Zhence Dynasty, the Demon Race, and the Barbarian Race!

The most powerful Elven King Bloodline Warrior alive! Heralded as being only one step away from reaching the ultimate awakening!

Qian Jin looked up at the gaze shot by Qian Zhanxuan, the bones within his body clicking audibly. This was the crushing pressure of the strongest expert; even without exerting his full power, those rumored dragon-like pupils were in themselves a force! A force so immense it could crush a person!

What luck was this? Qian Jin forced his head up to meet Qian Zhanxuan’s gaze; lowering his head under that stare would cause his mental defenses to completely collapse, and he would unconsciously release Qian Wuqing, his only bargaining chip.

Qian Zhanxuan stood quietly on the high platform, observing Qian Jin. He was quite surprised: where had this young man come from, managing to defeat the Qian family's Elven King Bloodline Warrior? Looking at their ages, they seemed similar; how could one be an ordinary warrior? That movement technique just now... was very strange! It was like an explosive acceleration in an instant, and the 'Elven Giant Hand Seal'—a strike that should have landed definitely—had missed. Chapter Ends