208: Chapter 208 Zhou Changyu VS Zhou Changfeng

After Baili Yunche defeated Ji Zhan, he successfully advanced to the top three.

Also successfully advancing was Liang Hong of the Beast Taming Sect.

This person had quite good luck; during the battle for the top three, he actually drew a bye, allowing him to rest and build up his strength.

Next up was Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu versus Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng.

When the referee announced the matchup, the entire crowd went into an uproar.

"I didn't expect the Seventh Prince and the Fifth Prince to meet in the semifinals!"

"The Seventh Prince and the Fifth Prince are the two with the highest cultivation among the competing Disciples, both at the Peak of the Fourth Layer of Nascent Soul! This battle is likely the finals happening early, destined to be recorded in the annals of the Cangxuan Empire!"

"Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng's Gengjin Sword Slashing Art has reached the Transcendent state, and Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's Heavenly Thunder Battle Body paired with the jinglei spear is peerlessly domineering. Who on earth is the number one Prodigy of the royal family?"

"I heard the Seventh Prince met with defeat in the Burial Heaven Abyss some time ago and lost the jiuyou ice flame. I wonder if his strength has been compromised..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down, do you want to die?"

Under the gaze of countless burning eyes, Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu and Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng landed on the arena stage, one after the other.

Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng held a three-foot green blade in his hand. Its scabbard was simple and ancient, emitting a faint, sharp Gengjin aura.

His facial features bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu, but he was more steady and experienced, looking to be around forty years old, with eyes as deep as a pool.

"Seventh Brother."

Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping down condescendingly at Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu, his tone carrying a hint of brotherly arrogance.

"You are no match for me. As your elder brother, I advise you to admit defeat on your own in a moment, lest you lose the royal family's face in front of the world."

"After all... your luck hasn't been very good lately, has it?"

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu held the twelve-foot-long jinglei spear. Purple lightning coiled around the shaft, and the thunder-patterned gold gleamed with an eye-piercing light under the sun.

Hearing these words, his pupils suddenly contracted, and a flash of icy anger flickered in his eyes.

"Hmph! You have merely cultivated for a few more years than me. When it comes to talent, no one in this Cangxuan Empire can compare to me!"

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's voice was deep and domineering, carrying an innate arrogance.

He violently shook the spear shaft, causing purple lightning to explode with crackling sounds, and the jinglei spear let out a trembling hum like a dragon's roar.

"Cultivated for a few more years?"

Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng sneered, his smile becoming increasingly playful, even carrying a few hints of undisguised sarcasm.

He slowly raised his right hand, gently tapped his temple, and pretended to have a sudden realization.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Seventh Brother's talent is indeed peerless: drawing Qi at seven, Foundation Establishment at ten, Golden Core at twenty, and Nascent Soul at forty—truly a rare genius of the Cangxuan Empire once in a thousand years."

"But... how is it that I heard the jiuyou cold flame you painstakingly planned for months in the Burial Heaven Abyss was actually snatched away by a kid at the Ninth Layer of Golden Core?"

He intentionally paused, then burst into hearty laughter, his booming voice clearly spreading across the entire arena.

"Hahaha! You couldn't even protect the jiuyou cold flame, yet you still have the nerve to mention your talent?"

"Seventh Brother, that Baili Yunche is merely a Disciple of a small border Sect, yet he was able to snatch the Spiritual Fire of Heaven and Earth from the hands of you, the Seventh Prince with the Heavenly Thunder Battle Body."

"Looking at it this way, your talent... is nothing more than this!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a dead silence fell over the entire arena.

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's face instantly darkened like water, and his handsome features immediately became distorted.

The theft of the jiuyou cold flame was the greatest humiliation of his life, the most untouchable sore spot in his heart!

For days, every night in his dreams, he would relive the scene of Baili Yunche snatching the jiuyou cold flame in the Blazing Valley.

That feeling of humiliation, of being trampled underfoot by an ant, almost burned his Dao Heart to ashes.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze like two poisoned daggers, stabbing dead towards Baili Yunche in the Xuanyang Sect area below the stage.

The killing intent in his eyes was so thick it almost solidified, as if he would pounce in the next moment to skin him alive and swallow him whole.

Immediately after, he abruptly turned back to stare at Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng, squeezing out a few words from between his teeth, his voice hoarse and venomous.

"The jiuyou cold flame, I will personally take back. That dog Baili Yunche's life will also be mine sooner or later."

"As for you... Fifth Brother, your road ends today."

"The nine-turn deity transformation pill can only be mine!"

"The future master of this Cangxuan Empire can also only be me!"

The ambition in Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's heart spread like wildfire.

Not only did he want to win, but he also wanted to crush Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng in the most domineering manner before the eyes of the world.

He wanted to tell everyone that he, Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu, was the true Chosen One of the Cangxuan Empire, and no one could stop his steps to ascend to the Peak.

"Since that is the case, let us begin!"

Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng put away his smile, his face growing solemn.

He knew very well the terror of his seventh brother; even without the jiuyou cold flame, his combat strength with the Heavenly Thunder Battle Body paired with the jinglei spear was still not to be underestimated.

He slowly drew the longsword from his waist. The moment the blade left its scabbard, a blinding golden light shot into the sky, its sharp aura tearing through the Void Realm and letting out a piercing shriek.

"Gengjin Sword Slashing Art—Myriad Swords Return to Origin!"

Fifth Prince Zhou Changfeng gave a low shout, the spiritual energy of the Peak of the Fourth Layer of Nascent Soul around his body surging wildly.

Metal-attribute Cultivation Techniques were known for being decisive in killing and incomparably sharp, and Gengjin was the absolute extreme of the Five Elements' metal Qi, governing slaughter and destruction.

This "Gengjin Sword Slashing Art" was an Earth Rank Medium Grade sword art secretly passed down in the royal family. The Gengjin Sword Qi cultivated from it was indestructible, capable of severing mountains and rivers, and shattering all laws.

Paired with the Tier Four High Grade Magic Treasure in his hand, the 'Gold-Cleaving Sword', it was like adding wings to a tiger.

In an instant, the sky full of golden Sword Qi condensed out of thin air, turning into over ten thousand three-foot-long golden sword shadows.

Each one contained a terrifying sharpness capable of tearing the Void Realm, strangling towards Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu from all directions.

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, even the ground of the arena was scraped into deep gullies, sparks flying everywhere.

"Well met!"

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu let out a long cry, and the jinglei spear in his hand shook violently.

The purple thunder patterns on the spear shaft lit up one by one, as if sleeping thunder dragons were being awakened.

"Purple Heaven Thunder Dragon Spear Art—Thunder Dragon Emerging from the Sea!"

He bellowed, and the jinglei spear turned into a purple-gold spear glow dozens of zhang long.

The spear glow twisted and deformed in mid-air, actually turning into a baring-clawed purple-gold thunder dragon. Electric arcs leaped on the dragon's body, and the sound of thunder was deafening, as if a true Heavenly Tribulation had descended!

This "Purple Heaven Thunder Dragon Spear Art" was an Earth Rank High Grade Cultivation Technique treasured by the royal family. When executed in coordination with the Heavenly Thunder Battle Body, it could draw upon the power of the Nine Heavens' thunder.

Every spear strike was like a heavenly punishment descending upon the world, extremely yang and rigid, destroying all things.

Boom!

The golden sea of swords and the purple-gold dragon shadow collided with a crash!

In an instant, the entire arena was submerged in purple-gold thunder light and pure golden sword glows.

The violent waves of energy swept in all directions with the two of them as the center, like a tsunami. Even the Tier Five defensive formation runes of the arena were shaken, flickering erratically and making an overburdened creaking sound.

"Terrifying! How does it feel like these two aren't at the Fourth Layer of Nascent Soul, but rather like experts of the Ninth Layer of Nascent Soul fighting! This is truly too terrifying!"

"Gengjin Sword Qi and thunderous spear glows, this... this is simply a clash of gods! If an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage Level 5 cultivator went up, they would probably be instantly shredded to pieces!"

"The Fifth Prince's sword formation is incredibly powerful, but the Seventh Prince's thunder dragon seems even more domineering!"

On the spectator stands, Ji Family Old Ancestor Ancestor Ji Tianxing stroked his beard and laughed heartily, cupping his hands toward the Cangxuan Emperor Zhou Daoyan beside him:

"Your Majesty, the two princes possess the elegance of dragons and phoenixes, and both have talents that can encompass heaven and earth!"

"The Seventh Prince's thunder is domineering, and the Fifth Prince's Sword Qi sweeps horizontally. With the two princes presiding over the Cangxuan Empire in the future, it will surely awe the Dongxuan Domain, sweep across the eight wildernesses, and prosper for ten thousand generations!"

Zhou Daoyan sat upright on the Nine Dragons Golden Chair. Hearing Ancestor Ji Tianxing's flattery, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but he waved his hand gently, pretending to be modest:

"Minister Ji praises them too highly. These two unworthy sons of mine only got some natural fortune of heaven and earth by luck. Compared to the Prodigies of the various Sects, they still fall short."

"The future of the Cangxuan Empire still relies on the joint support of all you ministers."

Even so, the slightly raised corners of his mouth could not be suppressed, and the pride and arrogance in his eyes were fully revealed.

After all, both princes were at the Peak of the Fourth Layer of Nascent Soul, with combat strength comparable to the Sixth Layer of Nascent Soul—what grand royal majesty was this?