Chapter 56: The Three Sovereigns Battle Again (Part 2)
The air in the valley seemed to solidify into substance, becoming so heavy it was suffocating. The setting sun was like blood, casting the long shadows of the three men onto the shattered earth, adding a sense of desolation and killing intent. After a series of shocking collisions, Yu Yuanchen, Tang Chen, and Qian Daoliu had all reached the end of their ropes; their Soul Power, physical strength, and Spiritual energy were on the verge of exhaustion. However, their eyes were brighter than ever, like the most brilliant stars in the night sky, burning with a final and most extreme Battle Intent.
This final blow would condense all their convictions, wills, and remaining power. It was not about victory or defeat, but only to verify their growth over the past five years and to draw a regret-free conclusion to this Peak battle!
"One last move!" Tang Chen growled hoarsely, his voice like a broken gong, yet carrying a resolve of burning his bridges. He forcibly suppressed the agonizing pain of the Meridians tearing caused by the Ring Explosion. He took the last surge of majestic Soul Power within his body—which was still raging from the explosion of the first six Soul Rings and barely restrained by the hundred-thousand-year Martial Soul True Body—and poured it all into the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand, along with his indomitable will to forge ahead and compete with the heavens!
"Buzz—!"
The Clear Sky Hammer let out an overburdened hum as its black light surged. The phantom of the Martial Soul True Body, which had briefly reached the hundred-thousand-year level, solidified once more. But this time, it was no longer just a pile-up of power. In Tang Chen's mind, images of countless past hammer swings, his pursuit of the ultimate power, and the insights gained from being pushed to the limit by Yu Yuanchen's Five Elements Divine Thunder flashed by like a revolving lantern. A realization flooded his heart—power is not just about ferocity! True power is control, the ability to release and retract!
His originally peerless and overbearing hammer intent underwent a subtle sublimation at this moment, gaining a hint of the charm of handling heavy weights as if they were light. Within that Concept of destroying everything, a prototype of the intent to create the World faintly emerged! This strike contained his unprecedented understanding of the Clear Sky Hammer techniques, marking a giant leap in his hammer technique's Concept!
"Clear Sky—Earth Splitter!"
The giant hammer swung out. Its speed didn't seem fast, yet it appeared to drive the entire gravity field of the valley. Space distorted, carrying a terrifying will to open the heavens and reshape the earth as it locked onto Yu Yuanchen!
On the other side, Qian Daoliu's face was as pale as paper. The backlash of the Divine Descent state hit his divine soul like a tide, but his golden eyes still maintained that indifferent divine radiance. He perfectly combined his last sacred Soul Power with that borrowed sliver of Angelic divinity, raising the Angelic Sacred Sword high with both hands. Upon the blade, the platinum flames condensed to the extreme; it was no longer just light and fire, but seemed to have become the manifestation of the Law that adjudicates all injustice in the World and purifies all evil!
"God said, those who desecrate the Divine Might shall be judged—Angelic · Nirvana Slash!"
The sword light slashed down silently, yet it was more terrifying than any previous attack. Wherever it passed was not simply energy annihilation; it was as if that piece of space had been temporarily "stripped" away from the rules of the World, carrying an absolute and unquestionable sense of finality!
Facing these strongest strikes from both sides that were enough to threaten his Life, Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath, and the thunder rune at the center of his brow became hotter than ever before. He felt unprecedented pressure, but it also stimulated all the potential in his bones!
"I shall use this move to return the favor to my two brothers!"
He pressed his left hand against his right arm, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon right arm Soul Bone, which shared the same origin, suddenly lit up! Soul Bone Skill—[Thunder Dragon Explosion] activated! This was not a simple energy explosion, but an activation of the shattering property contained within the right arm Thunder Dragon Claw. It instantly elevated the activity of the Thunder True Essence in the right arm's Meridians to the limit and endowed it with the property of "chain disintegration"!
At the same time, the sixth Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed, and the Profound Truth of [Thunder Spear Punishing Evil] merged into the thunder dragon spear in his hand—adding the characteristics of extreme penetration, evil-breaking, and locked-on tracking!
Finally, his mind communicated with the thunder Law brand that had spontaneously condensed within his Dantian, operating the Five Thunders Orthodox Method to the extreme! But this time, it was no longer the differentiation of the Five Elements, but a reverse operation of the technique. He forcibly fused the destructive sides of the five elemental transformations—the sharpness of Geng-Gold, the Binding of Yi-Wood, the invasion of Gui-Water, the explosion of Bing-Fire, and the suppression of Wu-Earth—triggering that sliver of destructive true intent originating from the Heavenly Tribulation!
"Five Thunders as One, Invoking the Tribulation to Slay Evil—Thunder Emperor · Nirvana Tribulation Spear!"
Accompanied by a majestic low shout that seemed to come from above the Nine Heavens, Yu Yuanchen poured all the remaining Thunder True Essence in his body, along with the activity stimulated by [Thunder Dragon Explosion], the penetration Profound Truth of [Thunder Spear Punishing Evil], and the terrifying energy that fused the destruction of the Five Elements with the power of the Heavenly Tribulation, into the thunder dragon spear!
"Buzz-Roar—!"
The thunder dragon spear emitted a vibration that sounded like a mix of a dragon's roar and thunder. The spear shaft trembled violently, and the purple-gold lightning completely withdrew inward, turning into a deep, dark purple-gold bolt of electricity that seemed capable of swallowing light as it wrapped around the spear tip. Where the spear pointed, space did not just distort but showed fine black cracks, as if unable to bear its might! The Heavenly Tribulation Holy Dragon Domain contracted to the extreme, its power completely merging into this strike, giving the spear the supreme majesty of executing punishment on behalf of Heaven and judging all living beings!
One spear strike, and all things fall silent!
In the next instant, three attacks representing the strongest power of the current younger generation collided violently in the center of the valley!
There was no earth-shattering explosion as expected.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Tang Chen's "Earth Splitter" hammer strike containing the intent of creation, Qian Daoliu's "Nirvana Slash" with its sense of Law stripping, and Yu Yuanchen's "Nirvana Tribulation Spear" which invoked the destruction of the Heavenly Tribulation—the moment the three touched, they formed a highly unstable energy singularity.
The singularity first contracted extremely, swallowing the surrounding light, sound, and even energy, turning into an insignificant black dot. Immediately after, the black dot suddenly expanded—
"Screech—Boom!!!"
After an indescribable, strange sound that seemed like cloth being torn and also like the beginning of the Universe, the belated explosion that swept everything finally arrived! This explosion was not a simple energy impact, but an annihilation and disintegration of three completely different rule-based powers!
A translucent energy sphere mixed with black light, platinum holy flames, and dark purple tribulation lightning expanded rapidly. Wherever it passed, all matter—whether rock, soil, or remnant vegetation—was silently decomposed, vaporized, and completely vanished! The valley floor was forcibly scraped away by several meters, forming a massive crater as smooth as a mirror!
After the energy sphere expanded to a diameter of a hundred meters, it finally reached its limit and collapsed with a bang. The residual energy turned into a destructive storm, sweeping in all directions and toppling all the rocks and trees further away!
After a long time, the dust settled.
In the center of the crater, three figures faced each other from a distance. All were kneeling on one knee, supporting their bodies with their weapons, looking pathetic to the extreme.
Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer was dim and lusterless. He was coughing up large amounts of blood, and countless bones in his body were broken. The backlash from the Ring Explosion and the final strike that exceeded his limits almost made him faint, but he still held onto the hammer handle firmly, refusing to fall.
Qian Daoliu's Angelic Sacred Sword was stabbed into the ground, his six wings drooping powerlessly. The sense of weakness after the Divine Descent state ended flooded him like a tide. His Martial Soul was in pain, his Soul Power was completely drained, and even maintaining his Martial Soul Possession seemed difficult.
Yu Yuanchen was also not doing well. He leaned on his thunder dragon spear, his face pale and his breath ragged. That final strike had almost drained all of his Thunder True Essence, and his Meridians were sending waves of needle-like pain. But trembling slightly, he was actually the first to slowly stand up straight.
He looked at Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu, who had almost lost their combat capability, and felt his own Soul Power, which, although empty, was slowly recovering, along with his still-tough physique. He understood in his heart.
The outcome was decided.
It was a draw, but he still had energy to spare. If this were a battle to the death, he might have achieved a tragic victory, but the price would have been immense.
Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu also saw Yu Yuanchen's state. A flash of complexity and loss that was hard to hide appeared in both their eyes simultaneously, but it was immediately replaced by an even stronger fighting Martial Soul.
Tang Chen struggled, using the Clear Sky Hammer to prop up his body, and grinned to reveal a bloody yet still wild smile: "Cough, cough... good kid... you won! I'm convinced! But you wait, the next time we meet, I'll definitely hammer you into the ground!"
Qian Daoliu also slowly stood up. Although weak, his demeanor remained elegant. He took a deep look at Yu Yuanchen and spoke in a calm but firm tone: "Brother Yuanchen, your skills are superior; I am impressed. In this battle, the two of us have lost. But the struggle for the Great Dao only ends in death. Today's defeat might be tomorrow's teacher. Once I break through to Soul Douluo, I will come to seek your guidance again!"
There were no unwilling roars, no undignified anger. There was only the capacity to calmly admit defeat and the determination to rise again.
Yu Yuanchen was filled with emotion. Five years ago, when they first met in the Savage Beast Hills, Qian Daoliu was the strongest, Tang Chen was slightly inferior, and if not for his own quick wit and the two of them holding back, he would have found it hard to endure. Five years later, Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen were still evenly matched, both having reached the Peak of Soul Saint, their combat power touching the threshold of Titled Douluo. Their progress in strength could be described as rapid.
Yet, he was able to steadily surpass them.
He knew this wasn't entirely because his talent far exceeded theirs. The biggest turning point was the "Thunder God Power" he accidentally obtained during his fourth Soul Ring! This was a sliver of divine force of extremely high essence.
Although it grew later, it had subtly nourished his Martial Soul, physique, and even his Martial Soul from an early stage. Especially, it had nurtured a sliver of divine Foundation for him ahead of time, giving him an Innate advantage in subsequent cultivation—whether it was absorbing high-level Soul Rings, comprehending Domains, or converting Thunder True Essence. It was equivalent to standing on a higher starting point in advance.
Without this Opportunity, relying solely on his own efforts, five years later today, he might have been able to stand side-by-side with Qian and Tang, but wanting to steadily surpass them as he did now would have been as difficult as reaching the heavens. The talent and Heart-Nature of these two close friends were truly the best he had ever seen in his Life.
"Brother Tang, Brother Qian, thank you for the match," Yu Yuanchen said sincerely as he put away the thunder dragon spear. "This battle was hearty and dripping with excitement; I have benefited much. Your strength and will command my admiration. I look forward to our next meeting, when we can all step into a higher Realm."
The three looked at each other. Although exhausted and wounded, after this Peak battle where they gave their all, their understanding of and friendship with each other had deepened by another layer. It was a special bond of mutual respect and whetting between the strong.
In this battle, Yu Yuanchen won, ascending to the throne of the number one person of the younger generation.
Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen lost, but they were not discouraged. They let go of any slight arrogance they might have once had and truly settled their hearts, taking the pursuit of Yu Yuanchen as their new goal.
The setting sun of the Savage Beast Hills finally sank completely below the horizon. Stars began to dot the night sky, and the cold moonlight fell upon the massive crater and the three exhausted young men, as if drawing the curtain on this legendary battle and signaling that a new journey was about to begin
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