Yun Ze remained emotionally calm. He raised both hands, and flames condensed into a long phoenix bow. He pulled the string and released an arrow.
A flaming arrow shot out like lightning, leaving a fiery tail in the air.
Long Yue's heart tightened. The scorching heat carried by the rapidly approaching arrow made the air in front of him thin and difficult to breathe.
The arrow was too fast to dodge. Long Yue reached out and grabbed toward the center with both hands.
"Ah!" Long Yue grimaced in pain. Black smoke rose from his hands as the flames burned his flesh.
The arrow's force was immense; Long Yue's feet scraped tightly against the ground as he was pushed back several meters before stabilizing himself.
Just as he regained balance, several more arrows were already flying his way. Long Yue hurried to dodge—his speed was not slow, but he was still struck.
One of the flaming arrows pierced into his left abdomen by several centimeters, the burning pain forcing him to clench his teeth.
His arms and thighs were also grazed, leaving bloody marks.
The arrows Yun Ze fired were too fast; their trajectory couldn't be seen with the naked eye—only streaks of fiery light shooting toward him.
With such high speed and precision, the pressure was immense, causing Long Yue to appear rather disheveled from the very start.
Long Yue pushed his speed to the limit and used the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dodge agilely.
However, this movement technique may confuse others by its irregular footwork, making it hard for them to aim.
But it was still a footwork with patterns. Yun Ze quickly saw through it, predicting Long Yue's movements.
Every arrow landed exactly where Long Yue was about to move, making it seem as though Long Yue was running into the arrows himself.
Long Yue desperately mobilized his soul power, and his first soul ring finally lit up amidst the evasion—Mountain River.
A towering mountain rose before him, becoming his shield to block the incoming arrows.
As the arrows struck the mountain, stones shattered and the entire structure trembled. After four consecutive hits, the mountain collapsed entirely.
The flying debris dispersed into energy mid-air—after all, it was a manifestation of power, not real matter.
"Mountain River!" Long Yue shouted again, summoning another mountain before him, pushing it forward as he advanced.
Seen this way, it looked as if Long Yue was moving the mountain forward, powerful enough to shake mountains—an impressive display.
Yun Ze summoned three towering mountains around himself, enclosing him. The only opening faced Long Yue's charging direction.
Yun Ze's first soul ring lit up—Flame Prison. Fierce flames burst out like a flamethrower, wild and violent.
Like a tidal wave of fire, the flames surged forward but, under Yun Ze's control, instantly dispersed to circle around the mountains and converge toward Long Yue from behind.
Seeing flames attack from all directions, Long Yue's second soul ring, prepared earlier, lit up—River.
A river manifested, flowing in the air and enveloping him in an attempt to block the flames.
However, Long Yue overestimated his second soul skill and underestimated Yun Ze's flames.
Ordinary water could not extinguish Phoenix Flame, known for its extremely high combustive power.
The river water evaporated rapidly, visible to the naked eye, like boiling water producing constant steam.
Long Yue continued producing river water—not to extinguish the fire, but at least to delay its advance.
With a roar, he charged forward with full force as his third soul ring lit up—Swamp.
A viscous energy appeared around Yun Ze, like a swamp, making movement heavy and difficult.
The mountain simultaneously arrived in front of Yun Ze. The massive structure, over ten meters tall, towered over him as if ready to crush him.
Yun Ze remained calm. The phoenix bow vanished as he charged forward against the swamp's resistance. His stride stayed natural—slower than usual, but still advancing.
His right fist clenched, flames wrapped around it, and he smashed it into the mountain.
Bang! A visible shockwave erupted as the mountain instantly shattered. Yun Ze's fist continued forward, colliding against Long Yue's fist.
Both were blasted apart by the impact. Yun Ze, who had leapt forward, spread his phoenix wings and glided back mid-air.
Long Yue's feet scraped against the ground as he slid back over ten meters, nearly stumbling before stabilizing himself.
Once steady, Long Yue shook his right hand. The back of it was charred, his arm numb and in pain, tormented by both force and flame.
"Roar!" Long Yue let out a thunderous dragon roar as his body expanded, rapidly growing to over ten meters tall.
Earlier, when Yun Ze was using bow and arrow, expanding his form would have made him an easy target, so he refrained.
Now, he couldn't care anymore. As long as he could deal effective damage to Yun Ze, he was willing to take more arrows.
Long Yue swung his massive tail like a serpent, the air exploding with a deafening sonic boom.
With a flap of his phoenix wings, Yun Ze flew upward, dodging the sweeping tail.
His second soul ring lit up instantly—another phoenix bow appeared, the arrow this time longer and sharper.
Swoosh! The arrow shot out, transforming into a flaming phoenix mid-air, spreading its wings and screeching with terrifying might.
Long Yue's heartbeat accelerated as a strong sense of danger overwhelmed him. He tried to dodge, but after the powerful tail sweep, his body was hard to control.
"Mountain River!" He summoned a mountain as fast as he could.
Boom! The phoenix slammed into the mountain, instantly shattering it, unable to stop its charge.
Long Yue grabbed it barehanded, enduring the searing flames as he was blasted away by the force.
Thud! His massive body crashed to the ground, causing the arena to tremble as he slid a distance.
Yun Ze gave him no time to breathe. His third soul ring lit up—Rock Burst.
Before Long Yue could catch his breath, he felt terrifying energy rising from the ground beneath him. His expression changed drastically.
He mobilized all his energy, turning his body to face downward, arms crossed forward, forming an energy shield.
Boom! Magma erupted violently, launching his massive body into the air.
Long Yue gritted his teeth, pouring all his strength into defense. The energy barrier barely resisted the magma's assault.
Sweat dripped down his red-hot skin, the intense heat making him feel like his blood was about to ignite.
As he struggled against the magma, Yun Ze's fourth soul ring was already glowing—Flame Chains.
The sky above the arena turned crimson as nine fox tails emerged, moving as if alive, flickering with agility.
They shot down swiftly. With Long Yue fully occupied defending against the magma, he had no ability to respond.
End of Chapter