From twenty meters away, I could still clearly sense the intense battle intent radiating from Chi Hao, Chi Ming, and the seven individuals including Ji Du. The profound fluctuations of magic and battle aura, like countless volcanoes refusing to be suppressed, formed a strange, dazzling stream of light swirling and lingering around their bodies.
Although this was merely a simulated drill, it represented a rare opportunity to test one’s true strength, holding immense significance for everyone present.
And I, too, was unwilling to lose this bout!
Yes, even if the opponent was Ji Du, it was no exception.
There was one more thing: I firmly believed that with the combination of myself and Chi Hao and Chi Ming, there were no flaws in our coordination—meaning the three of us were the most ideally paired partners.
Perhaps only by confronting Ji Du leading Bai Chuan and the others could the true potential of our trio’s combination be fully discovered.
Whoosh! A blue light flashed! Dragon Shadow unsheathed! It was as if the light of the entire world had been absorbed by the azure blade! Dragon Shadow Sword was grasped tightly in my hand!
At the hilt, that familiar vibration returned, and the entirety of my mind seemed to plunge into a marvelous state the moment the long sword was drawn!
I could feel the miraculous power surging from Dragon Shadow Sword merging seamlessly with the Heavenly Fiend Battle Armor upon me, making my entire being feel like a blazing inferno.
My body was driven by a ferocious surge of killing intent.
Yet, deep within my soul, an unusual state of calm and emptiness was maintained.
It seemed that my physical body and soul had momentarily split in two: madness, brutality, bloodlust, alongside an unconscious clarity, emptiness, and peace!
These two extremely contradictory and opposing consciousnesses merged miraculously in an instant, appearing simultaneously within me.
Sensing this marvelous feeling, an unparalleled confidence surged from the depths of my heart! The long sword moved gently, and I casually executed a sword flourish across my chest!
Everyone at the edge of the field involuntarily held their breath, watching the arena with tension! Almost the very instant Dragon Shadow was drawn!
Everyone felt a dull, suffocating pressure!
“Such powerful killing intent.” Although it wasn't the first time witnessing Jiuyao Shenzhen in action, Chi Long still couldn't suppress the fear and agitation churning inside him!
Yes, the Jiuyao Shenzhen before them seemed to overlap once again with the terrifying god of slaughter who wreaked havoc on the walls of Qila City!
Chi Long would never forget the scene that unfolded in Qila City!
Golden afterimages, like streaks of lightning darting across the heavens, zipped everywhere! Bringing forth swathes of blurred, crimson phantoms! That scene was forever etched into Chi Long’s mind, and it became an indelible brand on the hearts of every Blood Wolf Knight!
Every Blood Wolf Knight firmly believed! Jiuyao Shenzhen would never lose! Even if the opponents were heavy armored generals twice their number at the same level, it would be the same!
“Roar! Marshal, victory!”
“Blue Demon Star, Blue Demon Star.”
“Jiuyao Shenzhen, Jiuyao Zhenzhen.”
As if driven into a frenzy! The surrounding Blood Wolf Knights roared wildly.
Hooo! Hooo! Amidst the frenzied shouts were mixed the heavy grunts and roars of the Blood Wolves!
Yes, in that moment! The moment Dragon Shadow was drawn! All the Blood Wolf Knights and all their Blood Wolves sensed that familiar aura—an aura that drove men mad, restless!
It was as if, at that instant, all light had been absorbed by that azure long sword, condensed, and then radiated outward!
Golden armor! An azure long sword! And those black eyes like vortexes of the abyss, resembling a plume of deep, black flame!
This astonishing contrast in momentum was so intense that Bai Chuan, Yin Hu, and the others, who had never experienced such an aura, couldn't help but change color drastically! Even Ji Du was greatly startled!
It had only been two short months, yet Jiuyao Shenzhen’s cultivation had advanced to such an astonishing degree! What made Ji Du’s heart tremble inexplicably was that at this moment, Jiuyao Shenzhen gave him a strange feeling of familiarity and trepidation!
At this moment, Ji Du couldn't help but recall the only crushing defeat in his life! Yes!
The aura of the Jiuyao Shenzhen before him was almost exactly the same as that of Xuehuluo Jiang in the past! What in the world was going on!
Ah! Is this the true power of a Heavenly Fiend Warrior, the real strength of Jiuyao Shenzhen!
Bai Chuan felt as if he were a tiny boat tossed in a raging storm, ready to be submerged and torn to shreds by this terrifying killing aura at any moment!
Thus, he could only desperately suppress the fear and trembling in his heart!
At this moment, they were just like Jiuyao Shenzhen when he first arrived on the battlefield at Yuncheng—unable to adapt to the aura of slaughter emanating from the Heavenly Fiend Warrior!
The difference was that the Jiuyao Shenzhen back then overcame those unfavorable psychological factors with the aid of Dragon Shadow Sword!
But the Jiuyao Shenzhen now, relying on the killing aura accumulated from long periods of slaughter mixed with the terrifying aura unique to Dragon Shadow Sword! The aura displayed was far stronger than that of Mo Luo Zhankong back then.
It was no wonder that facing such astonishing momentum for the first time caused Bai Chuan, Yin Hu, and the others to lose their composure uncontrollably!
Roar! Roar!
The two Sacred White Tigers summoned by Bai Yan and Yin Hong seemed utterly unable to withstand the impact of this fierce killing aura, emitting restless roars!
Outside the arena, Yin Shuang stared in disbelief! As the chieftain of the Byron Tribe, Yin Shuang possessed an insight that ordinary people could hardly imagine, and in that instant, she saw things that others simply could not!
It was only now that Yin Shuang truly understood why Chi Long spoke of Jiuyao Shenzhen with such near-blind piety and reverence!
Having not personally experienced this momentum, one could not understand it! But in this moment, Yin Shuang finally comprehended!
Jiuyao Shenzhen’s strength lay not only in his immense power and imposing presence but also in that subtle, shocking, and infectious influence! That intense fighting spirit and battle intent burned like an eerie black flame! It was not just burning him, but also igniting the fire of battlelust in the heart of every Blood Wolf Knight!
It caused all the Blood Wolf Knights to uncontrollably enhance their battle intent, their momentum seeming endless, climbing infinitely!
Yes, in this moment, Jiuyao Shenzhen had merged into one entity with all the Blood Wolf Knights, indistinguishable from them! It was as if the rage of all the Blood Wolf Knights, all their frenzied killing intent and battle will, had also converged within Jiuyao Shenzhen!
And this was the truly terrifying aspect of Jiuyao Shenzhen! Like a deity living in the hearts of all the Blood Wolf Knights—as long as he stood, all the Blood Wolf Knights believed he was invincible.
Likewise, the intense battle intent of the Blood Wolf Knights and their earth-shattering shouts seemed to condense into Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s body!
At this moment, this intense infectiousness also permeated the representatives of the Byron and Nujiao tribes present!
“Jiuyao Shenzhen.” Bai Chi, Deputy Commander of the Nujiao Corps, said fearfully, “He is even more terrifying than the rumors described.”
“Indeed.” Yin Shuang took a deep breath and calmed herself.
In the arena!
Tap! Tap! Jiuyao Shenzhen took two slight steps! As if a stone had been dropped into a calm lake, the previously balanced energy field rippled and wavered!
Ji Du, Bai Chuan, and the others all felt their minds shaken, and then the energy field surrounding their bodies showed a trace of disorder!
However, in that split second! A golden afterimage suddenly flashed, accompanied by a hazy blue curtain of light! It swept towards Ji Du and Bai Chuan and the others like a blue sword spanning the heavens!
The chilling killing aura surged like bone-piercing cold wind, making the somber sky feel colder and fiercer!
Roar!
Perhaps among those present, only Ji Du caught that sword strike that flickered in the void! Frost Condensing Greatsword lashed upward in a sudden move!
A dazzling white light, like a waterfall soaring into the sky, rushed towards the sudden blue screen of light!
Boom! Rumble!
Amidst the muffled roar! Two streams of extreme sword energy collided instantly!
The shockwave generated by the astonishing battle aura explosion caused both figures to be thrown backward almost simultaneously!
The prelude to the decisive battle had finally begun!
Thud! The two retreating figures landed at the same time! Their black eyes and silver pupils seemed like two arcs of electricity entangled with each other.
Everyone clearly felt that the astonishing battle intent of Ji Du and Jiuyao Shenzhen was growing stronger and more fierce!
And Bai Chuan and the others, whose minds had previously been drawn by Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s aura, were freed from his restraint the moment Ji Du blocked Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s sword strike!
“Roar! Take this axe strike!” Chi Peng roared! His long saber swept up a dazzling blaze of firelight, cleaving down towards the direction where Jiuyao Zhenzhen was falling!
However, at that very moment, a blurry halo appeared almost as if passing through Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s right arm out of thin air! It flew toward Chi Peng!
Buzz! Buzz! A scorching aura followed immediately!
Ah! It was Chi Hao’s Blazing Flying Wheel!
As a member of the Blood Wolf Tribe like Chi Peng, he recognized Chi Hao’s specialty at a glance—the Blazing Flying Wheel, improved from the Great Fireball and capable of free manipulation!
It wasn't the appearance of the Blazing Flying Wheel that shocked Chi Peng; what truly stunned him was the bizarre way it manifested—it shot out suddenly, skimming right past Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s right side, making it look, at first glance, as if it had flown directly from Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s right arm.
Clearly, the cunning Chi Hao had cleverly used Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s body to obscure Chi Peng’s vision and executed a long-range sniping interception!
Roar! Damn it! Chi Peng, whose saber strike was halfway through, could only abruptly change direction, switching to a sweep, and a golden crescent flew out under almost impossible circumstances, striking the Blazing Flying Wheel that had appeared from nowhere!
Clang! Rumble!
Chi Peng, having hastily changed his move, managed to block the terrifying fire wheel but still suffered a heavy blow! The powerful explosion shook him uncontrollably backward!
All this happened too fast!
Among the observers outside the arena, only a select few like Yin Shuang and Chi Lang could see clearly; everyone else had no idea that Chi Peng had fallen for Chi Hao’s ambush in the very first exchange!
Almost simultaneously as Chi Peng was thrown back by the shockwave! Two blue arcs of light suddenly passed Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s left and right arms, flying towards Chi Peng!
It was Swift Light Movie!
Without a doubt, the one attacking was Chi Ming, and the method of attack was almost identical to Chi Hao’s Blazing Flying Wheel—cleverly using Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s body as cover, and the timing of the strike was astonishingly precise.
At this moment, Chi Peng, having just been shaken by Chi Hao’s Blazing Flying Wheel, was thrown airborne, losing his balance and having no leverage to evade. Furthermore, the previous impact had made his aura instantly chaotic, preventing him from immediately adjusting his energy circulation to defend!
Seeing that Chi Peng was about to be struck head-on by the Swift Light Movie!
A gleam of silver suddenly flashed in the void—it was the two Frost Condensing Greatswords swung by Bai Chuan and Yin Hu!
Clang! Sizzle!
The two arcs of electricity darting out seemed to be pulled by an invisible tether, wrapping around the two Frost Condensing Greatswords.
Roar! Bai Chuan and Yin Hu simultaneously channeled their protective battle auras and plunged their swords into the ground!
Sizzle! The dazzling electrical arcs immediately drilled into the earth and vanished!
Thud!
It was only then! Chi Peng, who was still retreating, managed to regain his footing, stumbling backward several steps before stabilizing himself, looking utterly disheveled!
In this first round of confrontation, Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s group clearly held the advantage!
Ji Du, Bai Chuan, and the others were all greatly shocked!
They had to admit that the two killer moves executed by Chi Hao and Chi Ming, using Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s body as cover, were completely unexpected and exceedingly ingenious!
The Demon Devouring Body indeed proved extraordinary. If an ordinary person had been grazed by the Blazing Flying Wheel and the Swift Light Movie, they would have been severely injured or crippled, if not killed, yet Jiuyao Zhenzhen showed no reaction of discomfort whatsoever.
And magic attacks launched under these circumstances were impossible to guard against! If Bai Chuan and Yin Hu had not provided timely rescue, their side might have lost the general Chi Peng in just one exchange!
“Marshal victory! Marshal victory!”
Outside the arena, the Blood Wolf Legion roared with deafening cheers!
Although the Blood Wolf Knights had witnessed the terrifying power of Jiuyao Zhenzhen’s Demon Devouring Body during the surprise raid on Qila City, seeing it firsthand now still made them unable to suppress their excitement, roaring wildly!
“Ah! Is this the horror of the Demon Devouring Body?” Yin Shuang murmured, almost dumbfounded.
“Back then, the four Great Fireballs from Teng Xuan and Teng Jiao all hit the Marshal, and they didn't even manage to injure him,” Lan Da exclaimed excitedly. “Now Chi Hao and Chi Ming actually thought of using the Marshal’s body as cover to launch hidden magical attacks. Chi Peng and the others are in trouble now.”
Yes, although it was just a single exchange, everyone saw how formidable the combination of the Demon Devouring Body and magical attacks was!
In the arena! Ji Du and the others all saw their expressions change drastically! Who would have thought that in just one exchange, their side would be suffocated by the three of them!
However, both sides understood clearly that the preceding attacks were merely probes. The true contest would come next!