Gu You's rising body had already reached the apex in midair. His twin dragon claws emitted sharp whooshing sounds as they tore through the air.
Where they passed, even space itself seemed to twist and warp.
It was simply terrifying. Was this really power a human could reach? The same thought arose in every spectator's mind. Even a mech would probably be sliced in half by those claws.
The dragon claws descended from above. Long Yue subconsciously raised his head. The suppression of bloodline became more and more distinct as Gu You drew closer — yet at this moment, Long Yue rapidly entered his own battle state.
He let out a low shout. Seven spirit rings flew around him protectively, and then his body began to expand, swelling like a mountain. A massive tail also appeared behind him.
"Mountain!" Long Yue shouted.
He lifted both hands toward the sky. A towering mountain abruptly surged upward. It was clearly not a real mountain, yet in that instant it felt as if an actual mountain had appeared on the arena.
"Boom—!"
A violent roar exploded. Mountains shattered. Gu You was blasted backward. Long Yue's previously suppressed momentum surged again.
Gu You was shaken. His shock was no less than Long Yue's.
This method of forming all things through creative power made him feel enormous pressure.
It was like facing a god of creation.
Dragon Transformation!
Gu You's first bloodline spirit ring lit up.
His body expanded as well. In humanoid form, dragon wings unfurled, dragon horns emerged, and a dragon tail appeared behind him.
At this moment, Long Yue's height had swelled to over ten meters, his body brimming with terrifying power.
After transforming, Gu You stood nearly six to seven meters tall, his entire body radiating an aura of destruction — standing in opposition to that power which created mountains and rivers.
Gu You's purple eyes flashed. Waves of destructive energy surged out as he charged toward Long Yue again.
Purplish-Gold Annihilation Strike!
A massive dragon head seemed to engulf everything, swallowing up the newly formed mountains in front of Long Yue.
The scene shifted — everything was devoured by destruction. Gu You instantly appeared before Long Yue and threw a punch!
Facing Gu You's arrival, Long Yue twisted his body sideways and swept his enormous tail toward Gu You.
Gu You's fist collided with the tail. A terrifying explosion shook the entire arena violently.
The Mountains and Rivers soul skill was extremely fearsome — offense and defense in one, also granting Long Yue tremendous defense. Yet even so, he was still sent flying backward by a single punch, tail thrown aside, followed by his entire body.
Gu You wasn't feeling great either. The Mountain Dragon King's tail was spiked. The rebound shock left his arm numb.
"Boom—!" Long Yue slammed into the protective barrier. Flames burned in his eyes, and a trace of madness appeared deep within them.
He flicked his right hand in the air, and a double-tipped spear appeared in his grip. The spear was over ten meters long and as thick as a normal human's waist, entirely brownish-gray, made of some unknown material. Gripping it with both hands, he swept it violently and thrust it toward Gu You.
"Boom—!"
It sounded like two weapons colliding. Thick dust rose at the center of the arena, mixed with blooming purple light.
Many spectators instinctively covered their ears.
Almost everyone had long been anticipating this match — but very few had imagined it would turn into a pure contest of brute force.
The power displayed by Gu You and Long Yue could only be described as inhuman. The audience was left both stunned and speechless.
En Ci sat on the VIP platform, staring at the scene in a daze.
He had never imagined that someone could match Long Yue head-on in raw strength.
"Wonderful! Exhilarating!" Long Yue laughed loudly. Since reaching his current cultivation, he had never encountered an equal in strength. Even eight-ring and nine-ring assault-type soul masters could not suppress him in power.
Yet now, Gu You was clashing with him directly — pure power against pure power — and it made Long Yue feel utterly exhilarated.
When a person becomes strong enough, what they most desire is an equally strong opponent. Only then can one fully release one's strength and continue to grow through that process.
Purplish-Gold Dragon God Halberd!
Gu You swung the halberd in his hands. The earlier clash of weapons had also made him feel invigorated. After so long, he had finally met someone who could truly fight him on the same level. Although Long Yue still could not defeat him, it proved that only a dragon could overcome dragon bloodline power.
In the waiting area, Dai Yueyan's gaze was somewhat dull. Since losing that match, he had been in poor spirits.
As a crown prince, how could he accept losing such an important battle?
But now, watching Gu You clash head-on with Long Yue, he finally understood just how strong Gu You really was.
He had sparred with Long Yue many times, but Long Yue had never used a weapon during those sessions. Yet today, Gu You had forced him to use that double-tipped spear right from the start.
So Long Yue had such weapon strength as well. Though the spear was not particularly fast, its momentum was the strongest Dai Yueyan had ever seen. Every thrust tore through the air, perfectly blending with Long Yue's own aura and the Mountains and Rivers soul skill — like a mountain collapsing.
Yet Gu You faced such Long Yue with ease. The mountains posed no threat at all, directly devoured by destruction. He too had a weapon — and it even seemed stronger.
Could I do this? Dai Yueyan asked himself. Even with his battle armor, he absolutely could not.
But then he relaxed. As a prince, he had to consider not only personal combat power, but also the empire's future — and strength was a core part of that.
Thinking this way, the gloom in his heart eased. Deep down, he even began to look forward to Gu You's performance. The stronger Gu You appeared, the less shameful his own defeat became. Losing to someone overwhelmingly powerful was very different from losing due to one's own mistake.
"Boom—!" Gu You's halberd continued to swing as the Mountain Dragon King retreated again and again. The spear in Long Yue's hands rang with a series of humming sounds.
"Good — again!" Long Yue roared, his body expanding as he stepped forward.
(End of chapter)