"An Asura reincarnation..."
Yan Shouyi had some suspicions about Shi Kui's true identity before, but now that Shi Kui had announced it, he finally understood.
Seeing Shi Kui completely corrupted, with six eyes and six arms, Yan Shouyi's expression was more serious than ever.
The audience was also stunned, or their faces looked extremely grim.
Shi Kui's displayed strength had consistently surpassed everyone's expectations, and although Yan Shouyi had always held the upper hand, this time... it seemed different.
He was a reincarnation of an Asura. Even if his current power was inferior to his past life, his soul was undeniably real.
How could a mortal rival a god?
"Yan Shouyi, so what if you are a Heavenly Corpse Puppet? You are merely a walking corpse, how can you compare to me, an Asura?"
Shi Kui laughed wildly. "Now that all my seals are broken, I'll make you a side dish to celebrate my freedom!"
With that, Shi Kui flashed in front of Yan Shouyi, his six arms extended, all striking Yan Shouyi with six fists simultaneously!
Yan Shouyi calmly blocked with his Zanpakuto, fighting while retreating.
Shi Kui's strength and speed had increased dramatically, but it wasn't insurmountable. Yan Shouyi skillfully used the Wudang sect's 'four ounces deflect a thousand pounds' technique to deflect Shi Kui's power, preventing himself from being directly sent flying.
However, Yan Shouyi's counter-attack, seizing an opening, was easily seen through by Shi Kui, as Shi Kui's six eyes allowed him to observe Yan Shouyi's every move.
For a time, the two exchanged blows on the stage, fighting back and forth. In the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, they had exchanged over a thousand moves.
The arena echoed with the clang of metal, occasionally punctuated by flashes of silver lightning and golden heavenly thunder, none of which seemed to harm Shi Kui.
The spectators below watched with bated breath, simultaneously astonished by the sheer power of Yan Shouyi's true form.
He could actually fight Shi Kui to a standstill!
"Yan Shouyi is too strong! He's only in his early twenties. If he had another twenty years... our folk sects would have hope for a resurgence!"
"But Shi Kui is also terrifyingly powerful. Even if Yan Shouyi can hold on for now, he has no chance of winning. He'll surely be defeated if this continues..."
"Why are you dampening our spirits and boosting the enemy's? You traitor! If Yan Shouyi loses, you'll be the first one I chop!"
"What? I can't even speak the truth?"
"Shut up! You've been predicting doom for the Folk Research Association since the beginning. Are you a spy sent by the Scarlet Flower Society?"
"Brothers, there's a Scarlet Flower Society spy here! Even if Yan Shouyi wins, it'll be fine, but if Yan Shouyi loses, let's all take him down!"
Yan Shouyi had immense crowd appeal. Any normal person would naturally side with him.
However, a small minority, perhaps due to their own stances or jealousy, watched the fight with schadenfreude.
The more Yan Shouyi shone, the more they envied him.
The more Yan Shouyi was at a disadvantage, the happier they felt.
As the audience argued incessantly, something unusual happened on the stage.
Shi Kui realized that pure physical strength alone might not be enough to defeat Yan Shouyi. He suddenly retreated, creating distance between them, then brought his six arms together, and a black ripple erupted around him!
Behind him, a half-body phantom of an Asura slowly appeared, but this phantom was a staggering twenty meters tall!
The Asura in the phantom had black, metallic-looking skin, was bald, had purple runes on its face, and its eyes were in an angry glare.
Like Shi Kui, this Asura also had six arms. Even more astonishingly, its six arms each held a Dharma artifact!
A pestle, a Vajra bell, prayer beads, a alms bowl, a wish-fulfilling scepter, and a khakkhara staff.
Each of these Dharma artifacts was highly representative of Buddhism. Although no one knew their specific functions, no one doubted their power!
"This is the Asura Dharma Form!" Shi Kui declared.
Yan Shouyi's eyes darkened as he gazed at the colossal Dharma Form, which loomed before him like a skyscraper.
The Asura's soul was still in a damaged state, which was why Shi Kui's summoned Asura Dharma Form was only a half-body manifestation.
But even so, it was already terrifying.
"Hah!"
Shi Kui swung his fist, and the Asura Dharma Form behind him also swung its fist. The fist was like a massive truck descending from the heavens, charging headlong.
After dodging using Vertical Ground Golden Light, Yan Shouyi's footing suddenly faltered.
It wasn't that his feet slipped, but the phantom fist of the Asura Dharma Form was so immense that even a miss on the ground caused the surrounding area to tremble violently!
Before he could regain his balance, Shi Kui's next fist descended!
With six arms, Shi Kui could launch continuous attacks without interruption. Yan Shouyi, with only two arms and two legs, found it incredibly difficult to dodge.
As Shi Kui's fist was about to fall, Yan Shouyi suddenly let out a whistle.
A golden figure descended from the sky, skimming low at extreme speed. Yan Shouyi's figure was instantly swept away.
"What was that?!"
Shi Kui frowned, searching carefully, but couldn't find Yan Shouyi on the ground.
"He's in the sky!"
At this moment, a spectator couldn't help but shout out.
But as soon as he shouted, other spectators covered his mouth. "That's outside interference! It will disrupt Yan Shouyi and the demon monk's fight!"
However, the words were already spoken and couldn't be taken back.
Shi Kui immediately raised his head alertly and saw Yan Shouyi, Zanpakuto in hand, descending from the sky, slashing at the head of the Asura Dharma Form!
*Swish!*
The blade light of the Zanpakuto streaked across, and the face of the Asura Dharma Form instantly split like a torn piece of paper. A huge gash appeared, and the now bisected head swayed in the wind.
Yan Shouyi landed, followed by a golden figure that circled above his head a few times before finally landing on Yan Shouyi's shoulder.
It was a goose, glowing golden all over, engraved with intricate runes. Its pair of intelligent small eyes darted around, displaying a sentience unlike that of ordinary puppets.
[Xiao Ye: Yin Wood Soul Binding? That's a peerless technique of a Lu Ban descendant! Yan Shouyi indeed has some tricks up his sleeve, you've broadened my horizons again!]
[Only Love Zhong: What's the use of this small puppet? Can anyone explain?]
[Cherish Possession: It seals a soul within its body, naturally it's no ordinary puppet... but compared to this, shouldn't we be paying attention to the demon monk's situation?!]
Yan Shouyi's sudden aerial attack had split the head of the Asura Dharma Form in two. The subsequent situation was what everyone truly needed to focus on.