213: The entire city of Kaifeng was in complete chaos.

"Hah, whatever."

Jie ignored the 'Zhou Yan' whose pupils were constricted and whose body trembled.

He merely walked calmly to the edge of the arena, spread his arms under the bewildered gazes of the crowd, and declared loudly.

"I apologize, everyone, this match will not be as entertaining as you hoped."

"But I thank you all for your sacrifice."

"You will have the honor of participating in this unprecedented Human Revival."

"The Human Race of the future will ultimately be proud of you."

"At the same time, I offer you my final apology."

The voice from under the black robe gradually changed from a clear, youthful tone to one of ancient vicissitudes.

With that, he performed a gentleman's bow, then threw back his hood, revealing a lizard-like head. One of his eyes, surprisingly, had three distinct pupils.

Then, he snapped his fingers.

"Snap."

The crisp sound instantly spread throughout the venue.

The originally noisy venue became eerily silent for a moment.

What followed immediately were various wails and angry shouts.

"Aaaah! Wh-what in the world is this?!"

"No... don't come over! You damned monster!"

"How dare you! How dare you injure me!"

There were originally tens of thousands of spectators in the venue. After the snap, one-third of them transformed into various bizarre forms.

Some were half-human, half-beast; some were half-human, half-fish; and there were also some indescribable monsters, mixed with multiple characteristics.

The venue immediately descended into chaos.

People either fled or fought, soon discovering that the entire venue was enveloped by an invisible barrier.

Just as everyone despaired, a towering Sword Qi erupted from the high platform, instantly shattering the barrier on the stage, and simultaneously breaking the outer shield.

The majestic Sword Intent surged, striking directly at Jie.

"As expected!"

Jie laughed with open arms, as if he had understood everything. The next moment, he was torn apart by the sword light and utterly annihilated.

Watching that person die, Song Yan was stunned for a moment, seemingly finally coming back to his senses, then charged directly towards the high platform, heading straight for Prince Kang.

Meanwhile, on the high platform.

Zhou Yan looked at the Sword Seal he had unleashed, let out a slight sigh of relief, then continued his fierce assault on Chen Jingyuan, leading the battlefield into the sky.

The sudden turn of events was indeed unexpected, but fortunately, preparations were sufficient, preventing too much chaos.

As soon as the Black-Robed Man named Jie began uttering those classic villainous remarks, Zhou Yan had already secretly prepared a Sword Seal.

At first, separated by the barrier, he hadn't noticed, but upon hearing the voice, he remembered that it was precisely the Soul Transformation Cultivator from the Truth Cult.

Therefore, Zhou Yan did not hesitate. The moment the opponent revealed his intentions, he activated his Sword Intent and unleashed a strike from a distance.

Because the fellow named Arthur had previously pushed back an attack, he still had two Sword Seals in his hand.

To kill a Soul Transformation Cultivator from a distance without the blessing of Law, even Zhou Yan would find it difficult, let alone with three more troublesome characters nearby.

Directly using a Sword Seal was the most efficient way, and it perfectly returned the attack he hadn't launched last time.

Indeed, as soon as he made his move, the seemingly peaceful Chen Jingyuan unleashed a punch.

Because Zhou Yan used a pre-prepared Sword Seal, his own combat power was unaffected. He immediately unleashed his strength to meet Chen Jingyuan's attack.

At the same time, Prince Kang's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he attacked Zhou Yan from behind.

To Zhou Yan's surprise, the young emperor was inexplicably stunned in place, unable to provide timely support, and the Soul Transformation Cultivator from the Joyous Union Sect was also nowhere to be found.

Zhou Yan had originally intended to take this blow head-on, as he was not skilled in the application of Law, and had planned to act as a meat shield to buy time. Taking one more or one less blow made no difference.

But unexpectedly, Zhang Feng actually took the initiative to intervene and blocked Prince Kang.

The moment he glanced back at the two clashing, Zhang Feng's Sound Transmission also reached Zhou Yan's ears.

"That guy in the venue won't die so easily. The Joyous Union Sect's Soul Transformation Cultivator has gone to intercept him."

"I know I'm not trustworthy, but at least... please let me use my remaining time to try and atone for my mistakes."

The battlefield had already descended into chaos.

Song Yan fully unleashed his power, revealing his true form, and joined forces with Zhang Feng to besiege Prince Kang.

Zhou Yan, on the other hand, quickly led Chen Jingyuan away from the venue and into the sky.

All of this happened within a few breaths, and at the same time, Formations lit up one after another; these were the contingencies Li Wenbo had prepared beforehand.

At this moment, everyone in the arena had been transferred to the Kaifeng of Kaifeng. Elite soldiers, already deployed, were dealing with the Half-Demons.

Before ascending, Zhou Yan saw the Kaifeng's protective Formation rise over the Kaifeng of Kaifeng, and in the distance, a stone giant was battling two enormous light figures.

He also received the last piece of good news from Li Wenbo's Sound Transmission.

"Everything is ready. The Dragon Scales, Dragon Corpse, and Dragon Veins have all been secured."

"You can fight without restraint!"

Such a grand scene made Zhou Yan's blood surge. He tore off his disguise, unleashed his full power, and sent Chen Jingyuan flying into the clouds with a single punch.

The Divine Abilities of Thunder Control and Water Control were fully activated. Although without the blessing of Law, driven by Body Integration level power, they still displayed unimaginable might.

Dense dark clouds suddenly gathered, making the already dark night sky even deeper.

And countless bolts of lightning surged within the clouds, replacing the moonlight and starlight, illuminating the entire Kaifeng of Kaifeng once more.

Chen Jingyuan recovered from his momentary surprise.

"I had suspected it was you, but seeing it in person still surprises me."

"Prodigies... truly terrifying."

"Under the whims of Heaven's Will, how many monsters have been born in this world? But one like you, I've never seen before."

Zhou Yan didn't know what he wanted to say, only that buying time was beneficial to him. Just as he was about to retort casually, he was sent flying by a fierce punch.

Immediately after, countless blade lights and bloody shadows assailed him, giving him no time to even speak.

At this moment, Chen Jingyuan was no longer his aged self. He had regained his youthful appearance, and although his hair remained white, his combat power had returned to its Peak.

When the blood light enveloped him, his strength also steadily entered the Body Integration Stage.

Unlike Zhou Yan, who was merely a 'poser' with power but no corresponding Realm, this was a genuine Body Integration Cultivator.

Therefore, Chen Jingyuan merely waved his hand, and the sky full of blood shadows overwhelmed Zhou Yan, making it difficult for him to parry.

After enduring an Unknown number of blows, Zhou Yan finally managed to keep up with the rhythm, and with the eighteen-times speed boost, began to counterattack. However, these counterattacks, in the eyes of a seasoned veteran, were like a child wielding a wooden sword, only provoking laughter.

"Zhou Yan, I admit, you are the strongest Prodigy I have ever seen."

"But before a Prodigy grows up, compared to a Mortal, they are merely a bit harder to kill."

"Prodigies... who hasn't killed a few?"

Seeing the opponent's Aura surge again, Zhou Yan also unleashed all his techniques.

These clouds were originally constructed by his Divine Ability, practically forming a world of their own, yet Chen Jingyuan remained unfazed, fending off the surrounding moisture and lightning with blood shadows while calmly suppressing Zhou Yan, appearing to have plenty of leeway.

This made Zhou Yan feel incredibly stifled, and his anger flared.

At the same time, he found that under the intertwining of being attacked and angered, his Heart Demon value began to climb.

Seeing this, Zhou Yan endured the assault and started trash-talking.

"Old man, didn't you eat? I've been waiting for this fight for a long time. With only this much ability, you can't satisfy me."

"Oh, and by the way."

"Just now, the Dragon Corpse, Dragon Veins, and Dragon Scales were all taken by us. Hope you don't mind."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jingyuan's originally calm figure suddenly stiffened, then visibly panicked, and immediately became enraged, unleashing a storm of attacks on Zhou Yan.

"Damn it! You actually took them all?!"

"Do you know what you've done!"

"Immediately withdraw this Divine Ability and let me out!"

Chen Jingyuan had not fought with Zhou Yan for long before he understood his opponent's true capabilities.

This person, by some Unknown method, borrowed Emperor Taizong's power, but possessed only brute force without the blessing of a corresponding Realm. In a battle of similar levels, he held an absolute advantage.

However, after fighting for a while, he discovered that this kid seemed to be a Sacred Body or Divine Body. Attacks landed on him without drawing blood or causing injury, thus preventing his own Law power from fully manifesting. That's why he switched to a war of attrition, intending to wear down the opponent's strength.

But Zhou Yan's words made him unable to remain calm any longer.

He didn't care about the loss of the Dragon Corpse; this was within his expectations. But if even the other items for dragon transformation were taken, it meant he had also been outsmarted.

More troublesome was that two tiny horns were quietly emerging from his forehead.

Therefore, he shifted from primarily attacking Zhou Yan and defending against the Divine Ability, to fully bombarding the surrounding Divine Ability environment.

His sole purpose now was to tear open a gap in this Divine Ability Domain.

This also gave Zhou Yan an opportunity. Although he didn't know why the opponent was enraged, Zhou Yan only needed to cling to him tightly. He quickly closed in, tangling with Chen Jingyuan.

Although Zhou Yan was suppressed throughout, the scene looked like an evenly matched fight.

Meanwhile, in a world that resembled a traditional ink painting.

Jie, who should have died, was standing by an ink-wash riverbank.

He squatted down, cupped a handful of river water, and watched it flow through his fingers, not turning to look at the young man holding a paintbrush, only murmuring to his palm.

"You little bastard from the Joyous Union Sect, are you truly going to stop me?"

The young man merely smiled faintly.

"I originally didn't intend to stop you. My target was someone else, but now it seems... you're really unpopular."

Jie shook his head helplessly, flicked the water from his hands, and stood up to face the young man.

"I never expected them to understand me."

"But to be told that by a bastard like you, who doesn't even have a heart, it's actually a bit hurtful."

At this moment, Jie's originally gaunt lizard head actually showed some Dragon features, with two sharp horns clearly visible on his slightly raised forehead.

And in his triple-pupiled eye, there were now only two pupils left.

"Since it's already started, playing with you for a while won't delay anything."

——————————

Current Battlefield Divisions.

[Sky Battlefield]: Zhou Yan, Chen Jingyuan.

[Venue Battlefield]: Song Yan, Zhang Feng, Prince Kang.

[Outside Kaifeng City]: Joyous Union Sect Soul Transformation Cultivator, Minister of Justice, Prince Kangs Residence.

[Kaifeng City]: Wang Yao, Xiao Sheng, Shi Suiyan, Yuan Chenling.

[Unknown]: Joyous Union Sect Soul Transformation Cultivator, Truth Cult Soul Transformation Cultivator.