Chapter 145: Instant Defeat! Has Liu Yuan Truly Reached Such Heights?
Inside the main hall, a deathly silence spread like a suffocating blanket. That blood-red soul ring pulsated slowly around Liu Yuan, its crimson light rolling and twisting like physical flames. The dark red halo cast long, distorted shadows across the faces of every Body Sect disciple, turning their frozen expressions into masks of absolute horror.
Elder Chen's right hand, which had been resting comfortably on his long beard, locked in place. His fingers twitched, unconsciously tearing out a few white strands without him even registering the sting. He stared fixedly at that fifth soul ring, his aged eyes trembling with disbelief. As a senior elder of the sect, he had witnessed countless miracles and monstrous talents, but the scene unfolding before him completely shattered his lifelong understanding of cultivation.
Long Aotian stood to the side, his pupils contracting violently into pinpricks. He could physically feel the sensation of space tearing apart, emitted directly from that red ring, constantly assaulting his heightened senses. He prided himself on his tyrannical physical body, yet at this very moment, his instincts screamed at him. He had the distinct illusion that if he were struck head-on by that crimson halo, his bones and flesh would instantly shatter into dust.
The rest of the disciples fared far worse, standing stiff as wooden boards as if struck by heavenly lightning. Some had their jaws hanging wide open, their vocal cords paralyzed; others rubbed their eyes frantically, desperately trying to deny this reality that defied all common sense.
Only after several long breaths did the first sharp gasp for air echo through the cavernous hall. That single sound broke the dam. Long-repressed exclamations swept across the room like a sudden mountain torrent.
"It actually... he really succeeded..."
"The fifth soul ring! It really is a hundred-thousand-year soul ring! Look at that red!"
"This kind of monstrous feat is absolutely the first in the entire history of the Douluo Continent!"
"Even if you flip through every ancient text and history book, you will never find a second existence capable of enduring hundred-thousand-year energy at the level of a Rank 50 Soul King."
"Even the strongest rumored existence from ten thousand years ago, Sea God Tang San, possessed a soul ring configuration that was far less heaven-defying than Senior Brother Liu Yuan's at the same rank!"
"With this kind of terrifying talent, just how far will Senior Brother Liu Yuan grow? Are we standing here witnessing the birth of a living legend who will pierce through rank one hundred and ascend to godhood?"
"His sixth soul ring... could it be that he will absorb another one over a hundred thousand years, or even something higher?"
Shocked murmurs rose one after another, layering over each other until the air in the main hall grew scorching hot from the sheer collective excitement.
Elder Chen was, after all, a veteran who had weathered massive storms. He forcibly swallowed the surging shock in his chest and took a heavy step forward. Compared to the blinding color of the soul ring, his pragmatic nature demanded answers about utility. He cared far more about the exact combat prowess this limit-breaking red ring had bestowed upon their sect's greatest treasure.
"Liu Yuan, this trip must have been incredibly taxing." Elder Chen's voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. "Since the soul ring has been successfully absorbed, I am exceedingly curious. What kind of fifth soul skill did this hundred-thousand-year spatial-type beast grant you?"
Elder Chen's inquiry immediately struck a chord with the crowd. The disciples snapped to attention, holding their breath as they stared at Liu Yuan, their faces flushed with burning curiosity.
Long Aotian spoke up at this exact moment, the battle intent in his eyes climbing to an absolute peak. He possessed a straightforward, unyielding personality and had always favored practical combat over empty theory. In his eyes, no amount of flowery explanation could ever compare to the brutal honesty of a fist.
"Junior Brother Liu Yuan, just talking about it will leave us all unsatisfied. Why don't we follow the old rules and head to the martial arts arena? I also want to see exactly how much of a leap this hundred-thousand-year red ring has brought to your strength."
Liu Yuan met Long Aotian's fiery gaze. A faint curve of amusement tugged at the corner of his mouth. He understood this senior brother perfectly. Long Aotian would never cower before the intimidating color of a soul ring; instead, the sheer pressure of a powerful opponent only fueled his bloodlust.
"Since Senior Brother has such high interest, I naturally have no reason to refuse." Liu Yuan agreed crisply, his tone calm and measured.
The massive crowd quickly shifted from the main hall toward the sect's core martial arts arena. The news spread like wildfire. By the time they arrived, the arena was already packed tight with spectators. Not only had the disciples from the main hall followed, but even reclusive members, jolted awake by the massive commotion, had rushed over to witness the spectacle.
Under the burning gazes of hundreds of pairs of eyes, Liu Yuan and Long Aotian walked up the stone steps onto the elevated martial arts platform from opposite sides.
The two stood facing each other. An invisible, suffocating aura of slaughter instantly flooded the platform, pressing down on the audience.
Long Aotian took a deep, ragged breath. His muscles bulged slightly beneath his clothes, twitching from extreme adrenaline. He lowered his stance and emphasized in a gruff, low voice, "Junior Brother, the power you possess right now is no small matter. In a moment, when you make your move, you absolutely must not show mercy! I want to experience exactly how terrifying your strength has become."
Liu Yuan nodded slowly. Purple-gold divine light began to swirl deep within his Double Pupils, cold and calculating. "Rest assured, Senior Brother. Since this is a practical combat test, I naturally will not hold back."
Elder Chen stood at the edge of the platform in the referee's position. His sharp gaze swept over the two combatants, ensuring they were ready. He raised his arm high and chopped it down violently.
"The test begins!"
The very instant those words left his mouth, Long Aotian exploded into motion. He knew perfectly well that maintaining a passive defense against a monster like Liu Yuan was pure suicide. He stomped the solid stone ground hard with both feet, cracking the floorboards as he transformed into a streak of blinding golden light. He charged directly at Liu Yuan, the tyrannical aura of his Secondary Awakening erupting at full capacity, tearing through the air with a deafening howl.
However, Liu Yuan's reaction speed existed on an entirely different plane.
The fifth blood-red soul ring at his feet flashed with a blinding crimson glare. Without a single wasted movement, the origin power of his Double Pupils was driven to its absolute maximum.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Forbidden Domain!"
Following Liu Yuan's low, chilling chant, the space covering the entire martial arts platform underwent an extremely bizarre distortion. The air folded in on itself, darkening instantly as if the sun had been snuffed out.
An independent, isolated spatial zone laced with crackling dark purple lightning arcs rose directly from the ground, completely swallowing Long Aotian within its borders.
Inside this terrifying space known as the Forbidden Domain, countless massive, freezing phantoms of Double Pupils materialized out of thin air. These giant, ethereal eyes looked down from every conceivable angle in the void, projecting a supreme pressure that seemed to judge the very souls of all living things.
The onlookers outside the barrier were entirely dumbfounded, their scalps tingling at the sight.
"Is this Senior Brother Liu Yuan's fifth soul skill? This has completely transcended the boundaries of an ordinary soul skill. It acts exactly like a Domain!"
Long Aotian, trapped directly in the center of it, felt the effects with fatal clarity. The instant he crossed the threshold into this bizarre space, the raging flow of his soul power, which had been surging like a tidal wave just a second prior, was forcibly slashed in half by an invisible, absolute rule.
It did not stop there. He felt the surrounding space actively rejecting his existence. The air turned into thick mud, and an all-pervasive, crushing pressure bore down on his physical body, making even the simple act of lifting his arm feel incomparably heavy.
"What a bizarre suppression!" Long Aotian gritted his teeth, his heart pounding with genuine shock.
Right in that split second of delay, when Long Aotian struggled against the spatial gravity, Liu Yuan made his move.
The fourth black soul ring at his feet lit up.
"Ultimate Sublimation!"
Liu Yuan's aura skyrocketed. His vast mental force and dense soul power fused together in perfect harmony, wrapping his body in a brilliant glow that made him look like a descending purple-gold god of war.
He took a casual step forward into the distorted space, locked his gaze onto Long Aotian, and triggered the second ability housed within his hundred-thousand-year ring.
"Dominator!"
In a flash, Liu Yuan's absolute control over the Forbidden Domain reached its absolute peak. His already monstrous physical and mental attributes received a terrifying, leap-forward amplification under the blessing of the Dominator state.
Through his glowing purple-gold eyes, Long Aotian's previously lightning-fast charge now appeared agonizingly slow, as if the man were frozen in thick amber.
Liu Yuan did not waste a single breath. He raised his right hand, and faint, shimmering blue scales materialized beneath the skin of his arm.
"Qilin Precious Technique!"
With a sharp swish that tore the wind apart, Liu Yuan's figure vanished from his original spot.
Because he was the absolute master within the Forbidden Domain, he required zero preparation time for displacement. He directly tapped into the spatial teleportation property of the domain, flashing instantly to appear inches in front of Long Aotian's face.
Long Aotian's pupils shrank to the size of needles. He only registered a violent flash of purple light blinding his vision. His combat instincts screamed at him to raise his arms in defense, but his heavily suppressed physical body simply could not keep pace with the speed of his racing thoughts.
A sickeningly dull thud of bone and muscle colliding echoed across the entire arena, shaking the eardrums of the spectators.
Liu Yuan's fist, thickly wrapped in the tyrannical Qilin divine force and the pure origin power of the Double Pupils, moved with such excessive speed that it generated a visible vacuum ripple in the air. The strike smashed ruthlessly into Long Aotian's lower abdomen.
Long Aotian's vaunted golden defense shattered like brittle glass, failing to provide even a fraction of cushioning against the apocalyptic punch.
He felt an indescribable, agonizing pain explode from his gut. It felt as though his internal organs had been violently displaced in that single microsecond. The surging, destructive force of the fist bypassed his skin entirely, rushing directly into his body and wreaking havoc along his meridians.
Long Aotian violently spat out a mouthful of bitter bile. His massive frame folded over the fist before shooting backward like a cannonball fired from its chamber. He was blasted completely off his feet, drawing a long, pathetic arc through the air.
His body crashed heavily outside the boundaries of the elevated arena, skidding and bouncing several meters across the hard stone floor before finally grinding to a halt.
The entire arena plunged into a suffocating silence.
Every single person present stood frozen, their minds completely blank.
Long Aotian... actually lost just like that?
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