The hands clamping down on Gao Han's back possessed monstrous strength. Every movement sent searing pain through his body, making it impossible to execute his Phantom Step.
With the fire clouds closing in to within a meter, Gao Han made his decision. He channeled all his power into his palm and sent Zhuang Ling flying with a single strike.
He then seized the claws behind him with both hands, unleashing his minor-attainment Ice Momentum alongside his soul power. A bone-chilling aura erupted from his body, freezing the surrounding air. The four fire clouds slowed dramatically, while the claws at his back were encased in ice outright. The frost spread rapidly upward along the arms.
"Aaargh!" A piercing scream rang out—this was Hound Fang.
The ice crept past his forearms, freezing his entire torso. Hound Fang struggled desperately to pull his arms free, but Gao Han held fast, locking their hands together with thick layers of ice.
By now, the four fire clouds were nearly upon him. Though the pervasive Ice Momentum slowed their advance, most of Gao Han's power was focused on restraining Hound Fang, a Fourth Layer True Essence cultivator whose actual strength rivaled the Fifth Layer.
Even with his Ice Momentum far surpassing Zhuang Ling's Fire Might and augmented by soul force, the residual power alone could not halt the blazing clouds.
"Despicable…" Yi Yingying began to shout, but Yi Zhiyong quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.
Zhuang Ling and Hound Fang were indeed fighting two against one, a cowardly act. But to insult disciples of two major sects in public would spell disaster for the Yi family.
The onlookers seethed in silence. With two disciples already eliminated from both Firecloud Manor and Qianling Sect, the remaining members glared fiercely at anyone who dared speak ill of their allies.
Gao Han's expression turned grave. He had yet to reveal his true trump cards:
Mysterious Shield, Illusory Sword Art, Floating Light and Gliding Shadow, Frost Condensing Into Mountain…
Any of these techniques would have overwhelmed Zhuang Ling and Hound Fang.
He had held back, using only eighty percent of his strength, unwilling to kill.
But the murderous intent in his opponents' eyes left him no choice.
"Shatter!"
The ice encasing Gao Han and Hound Fang shattered into countless icy fragments.
Hound Fang's hands were frozen stiff, useless. A single jolt from Gao Han wrenched them free.
"Floating Light and Gliding Shadow!"
Gao Han vanished in an instant, reappearing high above the arena.
Freed from the frost's restraint, the four fire clouds slashed downward toward his original position.
But Gao Han was no longer there. Their new target was Hound Fang.
The fire clouds surged toward him at blistering speed. Hound Fang's eyes turned bloodshot, devoid of all humanity, as a savage aura erupted from him.
The two Qianling Sect disciples watching showed no concern—only knowing smirks. Only they understood: this was the true Hound Fang.
"ROAR!"
His cry was inhuman, like a wounded beast driven mad.
He crouched low, hands planted on the ground, and darted between the fire clouds like a shadow.
Though he escaped mortal injury, the searing heat incinerated his clothes, singeing his hair and eyebrows into curls.
Yet he paid no mind to Zhuang Ling, the true source of the attack. His gaze locked onto the sky, where he sensed the greatest danger.
Zhuang Ling also felt it. He raised his hands, sending the four fire clouds soaring toward Gao Han.
"Frost Condensing Into Mountain!"
Gao Han had gathered his full power. The menacing aura Hound Fang had sensed emanated from him.
He slammed his palm downward. A massive pillar of frost crashed toward the fire clouds, its strike covering three-quarters of the arena circle.
The combatants within sensed the overwhelming pressure. The stronger ones scrambled to flee the blast radius.
The weaker disciples, lost in their duels, reacted too late. They poured all their power into attacking the incoming ice mountain, only to watch their strikes freeze solid and shatter into icy dust.
Only the four fire clouds remained, struggling against the frost. They could not stop the mountain's descent, merely stave off being frozen entirely.
Gao Han descended from the sky, stomping violently onto the ice mountain and pouring his strength into it.
The outer edges of the fire clouds froze instantly and were crushed to powder. Half of the blazing formations were destroyed in a single blow.
Zhuang Ling stood below, channeling his essence furiously to sustain the remaining fire clouds.
"What are you standing there gawking for, you mangy cur?! Help me!" he snarled at Hound Fang.
The insult jolted Hound Fang back to his senses. He leaped upward, slamming his body against the ice mountain and biting at it savagely. A violent suction erupted from his jaws, swallowing copious amounts of frigid energy.
Beneath the ice mountain stood six disciples; two more from Serene Lotus Sect hovered just outside its range.
Seeing their comrade trapped, they gritted their teeth and charged back, unleashing their strongest techniques.
The two Misty Sect disciples were utterly bewildered. As their sectmate, Gao Han should have aided them—but instead, they were caught in his attack. They could only weep inwardly.
Gao Han had not intended to harm them, but he had no other choice. To hold back would mean revealing his Illusory Sword Art or Mysterious Shield, which he wished to avoid.
The crowd stared in stunned silence, including Yi Zhiyong. He could scarcely believe that a single palm strike from Gao Han had subdued all the remaining disciples. His talent was truly monstrous.