The sky cracked open with the roar of an unseen beast. Dark clouds swirled violently above the Eternal Coliseum as if responding to the pressure of the gathering legends. Chu Feng stood at the heart of the storm, his long hair billowing with a life of its own. The Heaven-Defying Lightning Technique he had cultivated since childhood was now crackling on his skin like living armor.
"Step forward, if you dare," Chu Feng said, his voice calm but thunderous—echoing like judgment itself.
Across the ruined stone platform, Fang Han tightened his grip on his cosmic blade. Unlike the arrogant cultivators of his world, he understood Chu Feng's aura wasn't just bravado—it was layered with tribulation-level force. Beside him, Lin Feng's eyes shimmered, reading Chu Feng's movements like equations of death. Shi Hao, barefoot and fearless, cracked a smile. "So… you're the lightning brat everyone's whispering about?"
Chu Feng didn't respond. He simply raised one hand.
CRACK!
A bolt of black lightning fell from the sky—no, it answered him.
The attack wasn't aimed at anyone yet. It was a warning.
Nie Li stepped forward, runes dancing along his arms. "If we don't stop him now, he might dominate the entire arena," he whispered toward Qin Chen.
"I know," Qin Chen replied, drawing his Void Sword. "But rushing him will only speed our deaths."
But not everyone was so cautious.
With a roar, Xu Yang—the war god in flesh—launched himself forward, a blood-red spear in hand. "Let's see if your lightning can break my eternal armor!"
His body blurred into a streak of flame and momentum. He clashed against Chu Feng in mid-air with enough force to shatter nearby floating mountains.
BOOOOOM!!
The shockwave exploded outward. Lin Feng had to cast several spatial shields just to keep the debris from incinerating the others. Within the smoke, a figure was hurled back—Xu Yang, coughing blood, his armor cracked.
Chu Feng descended slowly, lightning dancing along his arms like dragons.
"You're strong," he said coldly. "But brute force won't touch me."
Chen Ye finally moved, stepping through a shimmering portal that opened like a blooming lotus. He appeared behind Chu Feng in a flash, palm glowing with soul energy. "He won't expect this."
But he did.
Chu Feng vanished in a flicker of light, reappearing atop a shattered spire. "Heaven's Eye," he muttered.
A glowing symbol opened on his forehead, and suddenly, Chen Ye's body froze. For a single second, time stood still for him—and that was all Chu Feng needed.
He descended like judgment, landing a strike charged with ninefold lightning directly into Chen Ye's core.
ZHHHRRAAAAK!!
Chen Ye was blasted across the battlefield, barely alive, his spirit energy shattered into fragments. Tang San rushed to catch him mid-air, face grim. "This is no ordinary lightning… it's divine," he whispered.
Meanwhile, Wang Ling sat cross-legged above them all, floating, observing. He hadn't moved once.
"He's suppressing their realms," he murmured to himself. "No... he's bending the laws around him."
"Do you plan to interfere?" asked a voice beside him.
It was Fang Han.
"No," Wang Ling said with a chuckle. "Let the storm rage. The deeper the chaos, the clearer the sky when I strike."
Back on the battlefield, Lin Feng stepped in, forming a massive sword from pure will.
"Chu Feng. Your strength is real. But I won't kneel before another 'chosen one'. Let's see whose heaven truly reigns."
Chu Feng's eyes narrowed. "You'll break before you bend me."
Their blades met with a resonance that made the very coliseum scream.
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To be continued…
Next chapter: Chapter 3 - When Heaven Bends