Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Conclusion of the Martial Arts Debate

Cao Yun returned to the reception peak and continued to condense the killing intent within his body. Having already refined four strands, he had exhausted nearly half of his internal reserves. He estimated that, with his current capacity, he would likely only be able to forge thirteen strands of killing intent in total.

It seemed he had been too merciful in the past; his future acts of slaughter would need to be far more ruthless.

The only headache Cao Yun faced now was how to explain the red light that had plundered the spirits to Dai Wuyai. If not asked, he would let it be, but if questioned, he could only play the fool. After all, based on his current experience, there was no logical explanation he could provide. Cao Yun was certainly not foolish enough to tell Dai Wuyai the truth about the mysterious space, so he would have to grit his teeth and feign ignorance.

After a day and a night of refinement, Cao Yun successfully forged one more strand. By now, five strands of killing intent swirled within his consciousness, resembling pulsating, crimson lightning, poised and ready to strike.

After a long while, Cao Yun slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He looked at his identity token, which had vibrated several times while he was busy refining. He picked it up, swept his divine sense over it, and couldn't help but stroke his chin in suspicion.

"Mu Churen of the Beast Taming Sect and Qingye of the Demon Buddha Gate both perished in their match, leaving only Kumu and me to face off in the finals. Truly unexpected," Cao Yun muttered to himself, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

After meditating for a while longer, he decided it was time. He rose, left his cave dwelling, and flew on his magical artifact toward the competition plaza. He found a quiet corner to land, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to steady his focus and prepare his state of mind.

Before long, twelve melodious and deep bell tolls drifted through the sky, echoing between heaven and earth. Simultaneously, the disciple token at Cao Yun’s waist began to vibrate.

The final showdown had arrived.

Without a word, Cao Yun flew onto the arena. Opposite him, Kumu stood with his Demonic Aspect already manifested. Kumu’s manifestation was thicker and more massive than the one Kumu-Zhang had conjured, standing upon the stage like a small mountain.

The tenth-level Qi Refining Kumu was wreathed in demonic energy; he transformed into a streak of demonic light and shot toward Cao Yun with blinding speed, clearly intending to strike first.

Cao Yun let out a cold snort, and several fireballs flew from his palms like meteors streaking across the night sky. Kumu, however, was unfazed. The fireballs struck the Demonic Aspect like rain hitting banana leaves, leaving only a series of popping sounds without causing the slightest damage.

Kumu swung a fist from the Demonic Aspect directly at Cao Yun. The fist crackled with the roar of thunder, exploding with tremendous force. Cao Yun dared not meet the blow head-on; he turned into an afterimage, nimbly dodging the strike.

Yet, before he could steady himself, the sound of wind accompanied by thunder reached his ears. Kumu followed like a shadow, landing another punch that slammed into Cao Yun’s golden light barrier. The barrier shattered instantly. Although most of the force had been deflected, Kumu’s solid punch still struck Cao Yun’s back heavily.

Cao Yun was sent flying like a bundle of straw, tracing a graceful arc through the air. However, a wicked smile curled the corner of his blood-stained lips, as if he had anticipated this all along.

As he flew through the air, Cao Yun twisted his body nimbly. With a flick of his fingers, a string of dazzling fire-attribute sub-and-mother nails poured down like meteors from above Kumu’s head. Kumu roared, and his Demonic Aspect expanded instantly, becoming even denser. With several dull thuds, the indestructible nails failed to pierce the defense.

Kumu glared at Cao Yun, a savage, bloodthirsty grin on his face. Cao Yun licked the lingering taste of blood from his lips, smiled faintly, and raised his hand. A dense swarm of bone nails shot from his sleeves like a volley of ten thousand arrows.

Kumu was shocked. He hurriedly channeled his demonic energy, flooding it into his Aspect to fortify it. Yet, at that moment, the Demonic Aspect suddenly erupted with golden light as the phantom of a Vajra, over a zhang tall, manifested and enveloped Kumu tightly.

"The Demon Buddha Vajra? Isn't that a secret technique only accessible at the Foundation Establishment stage?" someone in the audience exclaimed.

Cao Yun remained unmoved. As the bone nails shattered against Kumu’s defense, he tapped his finger and whispered, "Gale Spell!" In an instant, the dust and mist in the air were whipped up by a fierce wind, rushing toward Kumu’s Vajra phantom.

The once-glistening Demon Buddha Vajra began to develop tiny, visible holes. Kumu was terrified and frantically channeled demonic energy to repair them, but for every hole he mended, another appeared.

Cao Yun’s wicked smile turned ferocious as he pointed directly at Kumu. Kumu finally broke down and shouted, "I surrender! I surrender!"

At the same time, the fire-attribute nails hovering above Kumu’s head ceased their assault. They hung suspended above his collapsing Vajra phantom, humming as if venting their rage or mocking him.

Kumu lowered his head and slowly retracted the Vajra phantom. But the moment he did, he let out a heaven-shaking scream, collapsed to the ground, and writhed in agony.

At that moment, a streak of golden light descended from the stands. Liu Ziru, a youth with the cultivation of the Golden Core stage, landed and pressed a palm onto Kumu’s head, channeling strands of golden energy into his body.

Looking at the struggling Kumu, Liu Ziru turned to Cao Yun and said coldly, "Such a ruthless youngster. With a heart like that, aren't you afraid your life will be short?"

Seeing the killing intent flickering in Liu Ziru’s eyes, Cao Yun felt a chill and remained deathly silent, not daring to move a muscle.

At this moment, Liu Ziru had him locked firmly with his divine sense; any slight movement might invite a fatal strike from this Golden Core powerhouse. Cao Yun knew his life hung by a thread.

"Junior Uncle Liu, it is common to use any means necessary in a martial competition. But if one acts in such a manner, how can the decennial martial assembly of the Ten Thousand Monster Forest continue?" Dai Wuyai stepped forward, shielding Cao Yun. His words were respectful, but his tone was indifferent.

"Very well, Dai Wuyai! Very well indeed!" Liu Ziru laughed in extreme anger. He picked up Kumu, transformed into a streak of demonic light, and vanished from the arena, leaving only a lingering tremor in the air.

Dai Wuyai turned to Cao Yun, a hint of approval in his eyes. He tapped him lightly on the shoulder and said, "Not bad."

He then looked toward the elder of the Demon Buddha Gate floating in mid-air and said loudly, "Brother Chen, is it time to announce the results?"

Before the words faded, a figure flashed in the air, and the elder appeared on the stage. "In this martial assembly, Cao Yun is the victor; the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect takes the top spot. The specific rankings will be sent to your identity tokens tomorrow. In ten days, the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect will preside over the planning of the territorial divisions for the Ten Thousand Monster Forest for the next decade."