Spirit Vessel

Prince Hongye's aura became purer. Each of his pores emitted a golden radiance as he gripped his fists resembling two large hammers.

His power created fluctuations in the air. The spectators instantly retreated for they felt a heavy pressure on their chest as if a boulder was pushing down on them despite the sealing formations on stage.

One could easily imagine the pressure Yan Ziyu was feeling.

It seemed that the prince wasn't exaggerating when he wanted to defeat Ziyu within ten moves.

"Boom!" The hair on his fists have turned yellow, seemingly cast from gold. A single punch created multiple ripples that eventually formed a golden wall.

The thunderous punch made the weaker cultivators bleed from their ears.

The students from Wanxiang were scared and backed off, no longer chanting.

Meanwhile, Yan Ziyu stood there, unmoving. His spear traveled like a flood dragon and pierced through the golden wall.

The prince wore a pair of ancient gauntlets. They allowed him to catch the tip of the spear, resulting in a metallic clanking.

Seven spirit stones were carved on each of the gauntlets, positioned in an astronomical order. The spear didn't leave a single mark on it.

"Boom!" The prince gathered power again. This time around, his bones started cracking. The second fist slammed directly on the spear.

A massive power traveled from the spear to Ziyu's hands. He had no choice but to spin his spear around six times in the air to dispel this force.

This prince was as strong as a bull; no one among the young generation could match him physically.

"This brute is super strong, I think he can break a mountain with a single punch." Ningshuai said.

"His offensive power is matchless because of the Golden Sacred Scripture on top of drinking the blood of spirit beasts growing up. If I'm correct, millennium beasts' blood at least seven times too. He also used Stargold Liquid refinement for his body, so his bones and muscles are reaching the limit." Feiyun said.

"Stargold Liquid? What's that?" Ningshuai's eyes flashed after hearing about a treasure.

"A precious liquid in the stars, perfect for body refinement. Even Enlightened Beings can't just get them."

"I see…" Ningshuai was even more interested.

"Stargold isn't actually the stars in space. Pieces are just floating right above the sky. Some are as big as a fist, floating about one meter above the ground, while others can have a radius of tens of thousand miles, way high up in the air, not much different from a real star."

"Well, wouldn't one that big blot out the sky, it must be majestic." Ningshuai said.

Feiyun nodded: "It is known by several other names, such as Earthstar, Mundane Star, and Gemstar. It is exceedingly rare. Not to mention a big one, even a fist-sized one is considered a supreme treasure. You won't see one every few million miles, only the luckiest person could randomly find them. It can also produce a liquid, a fist-sized one for a single drop. Prince Hongye probably used that much, so I suppose Qian Dynasty found one in the past."

Ningshuai's eyes almost left their sockets after hearing this.

Feiyun continued: "in fact, this prince has a better offensive game than Beiming Potian. I wonder if Jingshui can match up with him."

"Wait, he still isn't number one?" Ningshuai asked.

Feiyun gently shook his head - who knows if he didn't know or just didn't want to explain?

The two on stage have fought for nearly twenty moves. One white and one golden ray were slamming at each other; few could actually see their moves.

The prince was brutal but Ziyu didn't let up since he had improved in the last few days.

Though the prince had the advantage, he felt embarrassed for not beating the guy within ten moves.

"Golden Sacred Scripture - Elephant God!" The prince's blood boiled like gushing springs. He grew from three meters to seven meters tall. His arms became golden pillars, looking just like a god.

His ears became flat and big, almost like a palm-leaf fan. He got on all fours with gigantic hooves. Even the Giant watching the stage became startled as if this was a primordial beast coming into being.

"Boom!" The prince stampeded over, easily crushing the techniques unleashed by Ziyu.

His spear nearly got knocked away; his hands started bleeding with deep gashes.

The elephant finally made contact with an unstoppable momentum and continued pushing him into the barrier, even breaking it in the process.

Ziyu was stomped by the hoof indenting a hole into the ground with dust clouding everyone's vision. Cracks started to emanate from the impact point. Two cultivators were too slow so their legs broke, rendering them stuck in the crevices.

Ziyu's armor was cracked, on the verge of breaking. Once this final layer collapsed, he would be stomped to death.

"Let's go!" He gritted his teeth and mustered his remaining strength for one last thrust. The spear managed to penetrate the golden glow of the elephant and struck its stomach. Blood poured down.

The elephant god became furious and roared, causing more than ten spectators to bleed from all orifices and fainted.

It raised its frontal hooves with a blinding glow, ready to stomp its opponent into meat paste.

The students from Wanxiang screamed and covered their eyes, not wanting to look. The female cultivators also turned away.

"Killing is forbidden!" The Giant on stage saw this and rushed forward.

However, someone was even faster than him.

He was too far away and wouldn't make it on time. Feiyun was the closest so he had no choice but to dart over beneath the elephant and raised both of his hands.

9,998 beast souls rushed out at the same time. His body ignited with fire and issued countless roars. His hands made contact with the hooves and unleashed their massive power.

"Boom!" The ground beneath him got crushed, leaving a waist-deep pit.

The elephant also got blown back, needing dozens of meters of stabilization before coming to a halt. The ground was filled with large hoof marks now.

This was essentially an even exchange but Feiyun managed to save Yan Ziyu.

The crowd stared at him, petrified, unable to believe their own eyes.

Not because he was strong enough to stop the prince, but because his veil has been blown away by the impact, revealing his face.

A man presumed dead was standing before everyone as a cold wind swept by.

Feiyun got out of the pit and patted away the dirt. He touched his face - sure enough, he was exposed.

Nevertheless, he remained calm, unlike the spectators.

"Boom!" The golden glow dispersed and the prince assumed his original form. He stared at Feiyun in disbelief.

"That's… that's not the demonic successor…" A young girl became slack-jawed; her eyes agape.

"That's clearly Feng Feiyun."

"Wasn't he burned alive by that heavenly formation in his mansion? Why is he alive?"

An old cultivator rubbed his eyes to make sure: "The Divine King is alive. He hid his identity to join the competition."

"The Divine King is back now!" This news spread like a plague across the capital.

Numerous cultivators ran for the Earth stage for verification.

"Feng Feiyun, this monster had climbed out of hell. Even Yama can't take his life?" Many didn't wish to see him again, especially the Grand Chancellor and Long Shenya. They felt something ominous.