The golden beam struck the Dragon Claw head-on, shattering it instantly, before relentlessly shooting toward Huangfu Buyue, its incredible speed and tyrannical aura causing every spectator to blanch... Even Luo Xiaofeng wore a look of sheer terror;

from that golden beam, he sensed a power so profoundly terrifying—a dominion that scoffed at all opposition... Tyranny. Yes, naked, brazen tyranny. No rationale could argue it, no justification could temper it. Against such force, all other powers were rendered futile... What in the world was this power?

Huangfu Buyue was equally stunned.

The moment his Dragon Claw, forged from his True Essence, splintered, he felt the horror of the beam. Though he was a Grandmaster and instinctively tried to evade, the golden light struck his sternum without mercy... His outer robes were pierced in an instant, followed immediately by the Dragon Scale Armor beneath.

His internal True Essence surged wildly toward his heart, attempting to repel the invasive energy, but it was utterly useless; the energy ruthlessly bored through his vital organ...

"Hiss..."

A spray of crimson blood erupted. Huangfu Buyue’s eyes were wide with profound shock as his body slowly began to topple downward... Everyone watched, dumbfounded.

In that moment, thought deserted them, reason vanished, the capacity to react was stripped away—they simply stared, frozen... The immensely powerful Huangfu Buyue, the super-genius who had reached the Grandmaster realm, was killed by Ye Jingyu with a single finger strike... This... what earth-shattering news was this...

Luo Xiaofeng was adrift, unsure what course to take. While he hadn't wanted Huangfu Buyue to win, he certainly hadn't wished for his death. To reach the Grandmaster realm so young marked him as a prodigy of the Qinlong Sect. If he died now, how could Luo Xiaofeng possibly withstand the inevitable retribution from the sect? What bewildered him even more was Ye Jingyu. This young man possessed only the strength of a Martial Master, yet the power he occasionally unleashed was terrifying.

That golden light just now seemed capable of ignoring any worldly defense. Where did such power originate within him?

Who truly stood behind him?

Ye Jingyu, the one who had pierced Huangfu Buyue with a single digit, was hardly faring any better... In that moment, he finally understood the name of the strange power coursing through him: it was the Hegemonic Essence, an energy that dominated all things. He also understood why the old man had called him too fragile.

He had assumed his own physical toughness was sufficient to withstand the Innate True Qi of an Innate Master, but now he learned what it meant to wish for death, to feel life itself was a torment...

Nearly all the meridians in his body were ruptured; large swathes of muscle tissue were severely damaged, especially his striking finger, whose very bones had been pulverized. The searing, drilling pain forced him into unconsciousness, only to be dragged violently back by the agony...

His body crashed onto the arena floor. He longed to succumb to darkness, but the intense pain denied him even the mercy of fading away... The Hegemonic Essence—truly power without peer. Even with his hardened body, he couldn't sustain it. Did he truly need to complete the entire Cultivation of the Body chapter before he could wield this power normally? The Finger of Heaven-Shock—it was aptly named, a true Finger of Heaven-Shock... He recalled his boast before the fight that one finger would suffice against Huangfu Buyue. He had actually accomplished it with one finger.

He really was powerful... But what a price. In dealing with him, he had simultaneously dealt with himself. Such grievous wounds—surely he wouldn't die from this?

That fellow always called himself my ancestor; an ancestor wouldn't harm his own descendant, would he... A faint, self-satisfied smile touched Ye Jingyu's lips before he slipped into a deep, final unconsciousness...

Seeing both figures collapse onto the field, Luo Xiaofeng hesitated, uncertain how to declare the victor. However, having witnessed Ye Jingyu's terrifying might, he knew this man was not someone a person like himself, even a Martial Saint, could easily provoke...

As for Huangfu Buyue, he was also untouchable. The immediate priority was rescuing both;

he prayed neither would perish... Just as Luo Xiaofeng was about to command the medics forward, a colossal dragon's roar suddenly echoed from the heavens.

Not only those in the arena heard it, but the entire Yunjing City reverberated with the sound. Simultaneously, everyone craned their necks skyward...

Yet, the sky was merely scattered with white clouds, empty of any visible form. However, an irresistible majesty descended from above. Every soul—be they Soul Masters, martial artists, or common folk—felt their own spirits threatened with shattering, an overwhelming pressure rising from the depths of their being...

Even Luo Xiaofeng, a Martial Saint, was choked by this oppressive force, struggling for breath...

Only the gluttonous beast, Taotie, sleeping soundly in the Third Young Master's manor, blinked open its eyes drowsily. It glanced toward the sky, then resumed its slumber, utterly unfazed by the immense pressure... At that moment, a black speck descended from the sky, reaching the center of the arena in the blink of an eye.

The crowd looked up to see a figure cloaked in white robes standing beside Huangfu Buyue...

He possessed long white hair, but his face was indistinct, as if veiled to the casual observer.

Only Luo Xiaofeng caught a fleeting glimpse of an intensely young, handsome face, though his brow was etched with the weariness of one who had witnessed the fleeting nature of the mortal realm... "In this match, Huangfu Buyue is defeated..."

the man stated plainly. With a casual lift of one hand, Huangfu Buyue's body was drawn up into the air. He didn't spare a glance for Luo Xiaofeng, merely swept his eyes over the prone Ye Jingyu, then suddenly ascended, vanishing from sight...

And yet, his tone, brooking no refusal, echoed clearly in the ears of everyone present...

As the figure departed, the invisible pressure in the sky slowly dissipated. But within the hearts of the crowd, a heavy stone remained lodged, impossible to dislodge...