The martial arts stage was utterly ruined at this moment. Both Zhang Yang and his three great spirit beasts, as well as the Elder of the Huyen family, possessed formidable strength.

The stage, constructed from ordinary bluestone, had shattered under the destructive force of their immense inner energy. Fortunately, the platform had been built sturdily enough; although the surface was severely damaged, it had not completely collapsed.

"Pfft!" The Huyen Elder was finally struck by Zhui Feng, forcing him back several steps. This time, it was Zhui Feng’s head that made contact, not its hooves—had it been the hooves, retreating would have been the least of his concerns.

Zhui Feng was not primarily a strength-based spirit beast, but the power emanating from its hooves was certainly comparable to those focused on raw power. Its unimaginable speed was precisely what those four hooves generated.

The struck Huyen Elder felt his inner energy churn within him. He had to divert some energy to suppress the poison, yet he dared not move into the surrounding miasma.

His maneuverability was drastically reduced. On Zhang Yang’s side, the fight was only growing fiercer.

To avoid the toxic mist, Wu Ying had bitten them all earlier. This single act not only rendered them immune to the lightning's venomous fog but also adjusted their condition to its absolute peak.

The inner energy Zhang Yang had expended battling Huyen Peng was now fully replenished. Zhang Yang at his peak, coupled with his three spirit beasts also at their peak, collectively possessed the strength to contend with a top-tier master of the Fourth Layer, and with their perfect coordination, they even held the capacity to suppress such a master.

The poisoned Huyen Elder was being utterly pinned down by them; even drawing upon his divine weapon proved useless. "Splat!" While dodging Zhui Feng, the Huyen Elder was grazed again by a blast of inner energy spat from Wu Ying, immediately losing agility.

By this point, the Huyen Elder’s eyes were bloodshot. He could scarcely believe that he, a peak Fourth Layer master, was being pushed to such extremes by this single human and three beasts.

"Whelp, prepare to die!" The Huyen Elder roared in fury. Suddenly, a small bottle appeared in his hand, which he promptly tilted back, pouring its contents down his throat.

As the liquid from the bottle entered his mouth, Zhang Yang’s expression shifted slightly. "Spirit Medicine!" From the brief, fragrant aroma, Zhang Yang immediately understood: he had consumed a spirit medicine, and judging by the scent, a high-grade one at that.

The Huyen family was, after all, an ancient lineage spanning a thousand years. A family of such magnitude could hardly lack spirit medicines; even ordinary disciples might have access to them, let alone an Elder like him.

Having a few on hand was perfectly normal. This spirit medicine not only helped the Huyen Elder recover a significant amount of inner energy but also aided in suppressing the toxin and eased the injury inflicted on his leg by the blast of inner energy.

A cruel glint reappeared in the Huyen Elder’s eyes, and the soft sword in his hand moved with even greater speed. The inner energy from his other hand was continuously unleashed.

With the supplement from the spirit medicine, he feared little of increased expenditure, at least for the short term, his reserves could keep up. All this energy was directed at Wu Ying.

Wu Ying’s spat inner energy consumed too much of his mental focus, preventing him from dedicating his full attention to Zhang Yang. He had also realized that among the one human and three beasts, Wu Ying was the only one with ranged offensive capability after its initial blast.

Repelling it meant cutting off the enemy’s ranged attack, eliminating a major concern. With a series of powerful energy projections, Wu Ying was forced to evade.

After all, he lacked the true might of the Fourth Layer, and the speed at which he could release inner energy was far inferior to an established Fourth Layer master. With Wu Ying suppressed, the pressure on Zhang Yang and his beasts immediately increased, as they were still facing a Fourth Layer expert whose cultivation level surpassed theirs.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The Cold Spring Sword continuously clashed with the soft sword. The chill emanating from the Cold Spring Sword could affect even a Fourth Layer master.

Watching the Cold Spring Sword on the platform, a flicker of greed crossed the eyes of the Li family Elder. The Cold Spring Sword—one of the Ten Great Divine Weapons.

Such an artifact ought to be in the hands of the Li family. Only the most formidable Sword Cultivator was truly worthy of wielding such a divine blade.

"Clang~" The soft sword collided once more with Zhang Yang’s Cold Spring Sword. This time, Lightning and Wu Ying were unable to press the attack.

The Huyen Elder extended his now-freed other hand forward, turning his fist into a claw and sweeping directly toward Zhang Yang’s chest. If he had connected cleanly, Zhang Yang would have been gravely injured, if not killed.

The Huyen Elder’s extended hand was quickly retracted before it even reached Zhang Yang. His body jerked backward as he stared at Zhang Yang in horror.

His striking palm had turned a deep, bloody red—his entire hand was slick with blood. Zhang Yang had produced a short dagger seemingly out of nowhere in his left hand.

He had guided the attack toward the dagger at the moment the Elder struck. The dagger was hidden beneath his hand until the moment the Huyen Elder grasped his arm, at which point the hidden weapon was revealed.

Had the Huyen Elder not retracted his hand so quickly, Zhang Yang could have severed that arm. The Huyen Elder was wounded.

After consuming the spirit medicine and seemingly regaining the upper hand, he was injured, causing many on the high platform to resume their discussions. The Huyen family members near the stage remained silent, their eyes fixed anxiously on their Elder.

The loudest murmurs came from the Li and Hua families. Many looked upon Zhang Yang with a mixture of envy and terror.

Their initial feeling was jealousy, but that emotion had significantly subsided. When one's strength far surpasses one's own, fear tends to eclipse envy.

Zhang Yang had managed to injure a Fourth Layer master, completely shattering their expectations. Such a person was beyond aspirations for surpassing; merely avoiding offense was sufficient.

Li Changfeng couldn't help but shrink his neck. Had he known Zhang Yang was this formidable, he never would have dared approach him to exchange pleasantries.

Thinking back now, it would have been incredibly easy for Zhang Yang to harm him back then—not just Zhang Yang himself, but even a single deployment of Wu Ying or Lightning could have finished him. Hua Tian of the Hua family stared wide-eyed.

He had carried a lingering knot in his heart that even Hua Zheng couldn't untangle, but now he had resolved it himself. Zhang Yang was someone capable of wounding a Fourth Layer master; losing to such a person was entirely understandable, a defeat honored in its own right.

If he had managed to win, that would have been abnormal. Hua Tian let out a breath of relief, the knot gone; he still had hope for future progress.

Hua Zheng watched him, also relaxing slightly, though his mood quickly turned complex. He had initially considered it a great fortune that the Hua family had produced a genius rarely seen in a century, but then the Zhang family revealed such a monstrous talent.

Twenty years old, late Third Layer, possessing three great spirit beasts, and what was most outrageous—not only holding his own against a Fourth Layer master but managing to wound him. Regardless of the method Zhang Yang employed, the fact remained: the Huyen Elder was hurt.

"Huyen Second Brother has been backed into a corner!" The Li family Elder stated calmly. The two elders from the Long family remained silent, but they both nodded their heads unconsciously.

The Huyen Elder had consumed the spirit medicine and was subsequently wounded by the Elder’s concealed weapon; he was indeed cornered, just as the Li Elder had predicted. This young man, if allowed to develop further, was terrifyingly unpredictable.

Since he was not a member of the Long family, any connection he had was purely personal through Long Feng. Such an individual posed an absolute threat to the Long family’s interests.

"Shameless brat, I will tear you limb from limb!" The Huyen Elder suddenly roared. He threw his soft sword away—that high-grade divine weapon was discarded just like that.

His hands clasped together, his body swayed slightly, and three afterimages instantly materialized, leaving Zhang Yang uncertain which spectral form belonged to the true Elder Huyen. As the three afterimages dispersed, the Huyen Elder’s hands were already crimson, and his eyes were completely blood-red, void of any other color.

"Blood Man Art, Old Second Huyen is fighting for his life!" The Li family Elder uttered those few words with a complex expression. Every major family possessed their most potent martial arts, which usually came with self-inflicted harm.

The Long family’s Dragon Transformation Art was the most tyrannical; it could temporarily boost power but demanded a price paid in life force. The Blood Man Art was similar, though it did not cost one’s life; using it meant being unable to circulate inner energy for three months afterward.

The Huyen Elder using this technique clearly meant he intended to fight Zhang Yang to the death. If, after using this art, he still failed to defeat Zhang Yang and his three spirit beasts, the loser was predetermined.

Following the Li Elder’s words, the Huyen Elder’s entire body began to flush red, resembling a figure smeared entirely in fresh blood. "Bang!" Zhui Feng leaped forward and slammed violently into him.

Afterward, Zhui Feng recoiled a considerable distance, shaking his head, yet the Huyen Elder didn't budge an inch. The Blood Man Art had forcefully elevated his power to the mid-Fourth Layer.

The current Huyen Elder was now more than ten times stronger than before. "Die!" The Huyen Elder’s blood-red eyes became impossibly terrifying.

After shoving Zhui Feng back, he lunged toward Zhang Yang with a palm strike. His speed was now even greater than before.

The Huyen Elder had activated a secret technique, causing the pressure on Zhang Yang to increase exponentially. He retreated with all his might, barely managing to evade the strike.

"Zhui Feng!" A thought flashed through Zhang Yang’s mind, and he shouted immediately. Zhui Feng, snapping back to full awareness, instantly appeared before Zhang Yang, who unhesitatingly vaulted onto his back.

"Run!" Zhang Yang commanded quietly. Zhui Feng immediately broke into a gallop, appearing far off the stage the next instant.

Zhang Yang didn't know why the Huyen Elder’s strength had suddenly surged, but he recognized the use of some secret technique. While the Zhang family also possessed such techniques, they were akin to piercing acupuncture points with fine needles and couldn't be activated instantly.

Now was not the time for him to deploy such arts; evading was the better course. Such secret techniques shared a common trait: their duration was brief, and severe negative repercussions followed once the effect wore off.

Zhang Yang had no need to clash head-on; if he could endure the duration of the technique, victory would surely be his. "Shameless, bastard, don't run!" He was frantic inside.

His Blood Man Art truly wouldn't last long. Once the effect faded, his inner energy would vanish, leaving him akin to an ordinary man; then, whether to kill him or torture him would be entirely up to Zhang Yang.

In his desperation, his speed reached the zenith of his capabilities, momentarily surpassing even Zhang Yang’s previous speed. Unfortunately for him, he was pursuing the supreme terrestrial speed spirit beast, the Heavenly Horse Zhui Feng, which whinnied at the sky, took a stride, and instantly left him far behind once more.