"How is that possible?!"
Li Yan, who had been full of confidence, stared blankly in disbelief at the scene.
He kept murmuring "impossible" to himself.
In the center of the battle, Long Tu, who had been arrogant moments ago, now lay collapsed on the ground.
Blood streamed from his body, his aura weak.
His True Dragon Undying Body, which he had prided himself on, had shattered inch by inch.
The speed of his body's repair was far outpaced by the speed of its fragmentation.
The arm that had exchanged blows with Xu Chuan had vanished completely.
Only a gaping, bloody wound the size of a bowl remained.
And the blood-stained Emperor's Arm gauntlet lay discarded on the ground.
His face was pale, his gaze vacant, fixed on the sky.
Boundless confusion and bewilderment surrounded him.
"How could it be?"
"How could he be so strong?"
Even now, he could not accept this reality.
How had he, invincible, been defeated?
This was not the script he had envisioned!
In his original plan, he was to defeat Xu Chuan with his invincible might, trample him underfoot, and prove his status as the number one prodigy of Xuan Tian to all.
Then, he would lead his army to directly attack Tai Yi, destroy the Holy Land, seize the opportunity to break through to Emperor Lord, and then make a high-profile return to Xuan Tian.
But the reality?
He had lost!
And he had lost completely!
His prized physique, his invincible strength, after launching the first attack, had failed to withstand a single punch from Xu Chuan!
Not only that, but he had also suffered severe injuries.
His True Dragon Undying Body was rendered half-crippled by a single punch, and he had lost an arm in the process.
In contrast, Xu Chuan?
He still floated in the air, high above.
His expression remained unchanged, his gaze indifferent, his demeanor calm.
He was still the same ethereal immortal clad in snow-white robes.
After the exchange, not even the corner of his robe was disturbed.
His transcendent demeanor and extraordinary bearing spoke volumes of his power.
In comparison, Long Tu appeared like a clown, utterly ridiculous.
The half-Emperor and Heavenly King realm cultivators brought by Li Yan now snapped back to reality.
Hiss!
They all gasped in collective shock.
None of them had expected such an outcome.
They were all aware of Long Tu's strength.
Most of the half-Emperors present were no match for him.
Yet, such a powerful figure could not withstand a single move from Xu Chuan?!
Furthermore, Xu Chuan had not even used his most proficient blade techniques?
The cultivators present understood the implications of this.
At this moment, they all stared at Xu Chuan with wary eyes.
By extension, Xuan Sa also came under their apprehension.
To be able to teach such a disciple as Xu Chuan, Xuan Sa's strength must also be formidable.
Although Xuan Sa had killed five half-Emperors with overwhelming force earlier, they had been confident that their nearly twenty half-Emperors could contend with Xuan Sa.
But now, with the emergence of a prodigy like Xu Chuan, they had to be cautious.
A moment's carelessness could lead to their downfall.
Long Tu was the prime example!
"Your Highness is invincible!"
"The Holy Son's power reaches the heavens, unrivaled!"
"Long live Tai Yi Holy Land!"
Within the Holy Land, the disciples, who had been on edge, completely relaxed upon witnessing this scene.
They began to cheer, celebrate, and acclaim Xu Chuan's victory.
Xu Chuan's power was undoubtedly a strong shot in the arm, instantly revitalizing their spirits.
It rekindled the soul of Tai Yi!
"Not bad!"
"He has a bit of my youthful spirit!"
Xuan Sa praised with a smile.
He was genuinely pleased.
With his discerning eye, he could tell that Xu Chuan had not used his full strength.
But from this single instance, he could deduce Xu Chuan's true power!
Xu Chuan's current strength was no weaker than his own, and perhaps even surpassed it!
This was truly a blessing for Tai Yi!
Xue San Jian and Zhu Ru Feng also wore beaming smiles.
With a monstrous talent like Xu Chuan emerging from Tai Yi Holy Land, it was destined to ascend to the pinnacle of Xuan Tian.
They never imagined that they would live to see this day!
Amidst their joy, upon hearing Xuan Sa's words, a few black lines appeared on their foreheads.
While Xuan Sa was powerful in his youth, he had not been as overwhelmingly strong as Xu Chuan!
These words were nothing more than self-aggrandizement.
However, they chose not to expose him, allowing him to boast.
"The Holy Master is too kind!"
Xu Chuan replied calmly and respectfully.
Defeating the number one Holy Son of Xuan Tian was hardly a cause for pride.
His ambitions lay far beyond this!
Meanwhile, Long Tu, lying on the ground, was not faring as well.
His Dao heart was on the verge of collapse, and he simply could not accept his defeat.
As the saying goes, the higher one climbs, the harder they fall.
He had plummeted from the summit to the depths in a mere moment.
Such a drastic reversal was impossible for anyone to accept.
"It's all fake!"
"This is all an illusion!"
"I will never lose!"
Unable to accept defeat, he began to self-hypnotize.
He kept murmuring to himself.
His excessive pursuit of strength had already shown signs of internal demon possession.
Now, his inner demons had been fully unleashed by him.
His eyes turned bloodshot, and a terrifying aura of malevolence began to emanate from his body.
He slowly stood up, pulled out a blood-colored bead from his embrace.
After a moment's hesitation, he glared fiercely at Xu Chuan.
Then, without any reservation, he swallowed the bead.
"Unacceptable!"
Hou Qing Lin, who had been closely watching Long Tu, turned pale with alarm and tried to intervene.
But it was too late.
The moment the bead entered Long Tu's mouth, it was instantly absorbed.
Under everyone's gaze, Long Tu's power surged dramatically.
The arm that Xu Chuan had crippled rapidly regenerated.
Wisps of black flames ignited around his body.
Blood-red patterns appeared on his face.
He became incredibly sinister, exuding an aura of bloodlust.
"I am the strongest in Xuan Tian!"
"I cannot lose!"
Long Tu roared like a frenzied beast.
A terrifying pressure radiated from his body, and an infinite blood-red light enveloped the heavens and earth, as if a great demon had descended.
"This is the Heart Devouring Gu?!"
The leader of a Central Domain faction exclaimed with a look of dread.
The Heart Devouring Gu was a top-tier Gu worm from the Myriad Worm Valley.
Legend had it that it was cultivated by a Demon Emperor using the blood of humans.
Upon consumption, it could instantly boost one's cultivation by a major realm.
However, the price was that after use, one would die from the myriad worms gnawing at their heart.
It was an utterly vile and poisonous technique.
In the past, the Myriad Worm Valley had massacred countless humans to cultivate this Gu worm, leading to their joint annihilation by the forces of the Central Domain.
The cultivation method for the Heart Devouring Gu had been lost.
Who would have thought that it would reappear today in the hands of a Xuan Tian Holy Son?!
Considering the recent resurgence of the Myriad Worm Valley, did this imply...
He dared not think further, for the implications were terrifying.
His gaze returned to the battlefield.
After consuming the Heart Devouring Gu, Long Tu's strength had skyrocketed.
Already at the peak of the half-Emperor realm, his power now directly broke through to the level of a first-rank Emperor Lord.
A terrifying pressure spread outwards, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.
"Die!"
Long Tu roared, his crimson eyes fixed on Xu Chuan.
His hands transformed into dragon claws, tearing through the void and lashing out at Xu Chuan.
With the power of a first-rank Emperor Lord, this claw strike annihilated all things, rendering it irresistible.