Chapter 638 - 638: Cyan Nether Bone Shield

"Cyan Nether Bone Shield!"

Zhang Ying let out a low shout and immediately used his Soul Technique.

Behind him, a two-meter-tall, legless Bone Martial Soul Illusion emerged. Two eerie, cyan flames burned in the Bone Martial Soul's eye sockets.

The Bone Martial Soul opened its mouth and spat out a ghastly white, cyan-tinged ray of light, which coalesced in Zhang Ying's hand into a massive bone shield nearly as tall as a person.

The front of the bone shield was marked with rows of horizontal lines, like a ribcage.

Moreover, streams of cyan light flowed across the entire shield.

With a THUD, Zhang Ying slammed the Cyan Nether Bone Shield heavily onto the battle stage. "Chu Qingyun, come on! Let me see just how strong this 'greatest power' you speak of really is!"

Zhang Ying had obviously given up on offense completely, focusing everything on defense.

For a Quasi-Core Disciple, being forced into such a corner was nothing short of humiliating.

But he had no choice. Knowing he couldn't defeat his opponent and that a loss was certain, Zhang Ying would rather be taken down by his foe's strongest move than be defeated and kicked off the stage after a drawn-out struggle.

"If you're ready, then here I come."

After he spoke, Chu Qingyun's figure flashed. He charged toward Zhang Ying at extreme speed, raising his fist to smash it into the Cyan Nether Bone Shield.

'So fast!'

Zhang Ying's heart leaped, but he immediately gritted his teeth.

'What an arrogant brat! He won't even draw his sword, yet he thinks he can use his physical body to fight my purely defensive Tier Four Martial Soul? He's courting death!'

Anger flared in Zhang Ying's heart, and he poured even more Primordial Power into his Soul Technique.

The cyan glow on the bone shield grew brighter.

"Break for me!"

Chu Qingyun let out a low shout. Primordial Power flashed around his fist as he smashed it into the Cyan Nether Bone Shield with all his might.

BOOM!

With a massive roar, the cyan glow on the bone shield flared brilliantly.

Chu Qingyun could clearly feel the brilliant cyan glow create immense resistance against his fist. His punch hadn't even truly touched the bone shield!

Yet, after taking such a punch, Zhang Ying's expression changed drastically in an instant.

He felt a terrifying power erupt from under Chu Qingyun's fist.

Without thinking, Zhang Ying instinctively activated the Martial Soul behind him.

A ray of cyan light instantly shot from the Martial Soul Illusion's eyes and poured into the Cyan Nether Bone Shield.

However, a moment later, the full force of Chu Qingyun's punch completely erupted. The cyan glow could no longer hold and burst apart with a POP.

And Chu Qingyun's fist, carrying the remaining force, truly slammed into the bone shield.

CRACK!

Three cracks instantly split across the bone shield.

As for Zhang Ying, he let out a muffled groan. The force of the punch sent him and his shield sliding back more than ten meters, his chest feeling tight and constricted.

After he stopped himself, Martial Soul Power continuously flowed from the Martial Soul Illusion behind him into the Soul Technique, and the cracks on the shield began to mend at a visible rate.

The cyan glow, however, recovered much more slowly.

'A Tier Four Martial Soul is impressive, just as expected…'

Chu Qingyun sighed inwardly as he watched the shield slowly mend itself.

A Tier Four Soul Technique was indeed far stronger than a Tier Three.

When Chu Qingyun was an eighth-level Martial Spirit, he could shatter Luo Jingwu's Soul Technique with a single punch and severely injure him with just the remaining force.

But now that he had advanced to the ninth level, he could only crack the Cyan Nether Bone Shield.

Of course, this was also related to the user's control over their Martial Soul Power.

The same amount of Primordial Power, or even the same physical strength, could produce vastly different results depending on the wielder.

For Zhang Ying to become a Quasi-Core Disciple, he must have been a battle-hardened veteran with excellent control over his various powers.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ying was even more horrified.

A single, simple punch—relying on nothing but physical strength—had sent him sliding back over ten meters and even cracked his shield.

If he hadn't been in a state of full defense, that one punch would likely have injured him so severely that he would have lost the ability to fight back!

At this moment, Zhang Ying no longer dared to think of Chu Qingyun as arrogant.

But he wasn't ready to give up and didn't want to concede voluntarily.

"Again!"

Zhang Ying slammed his shield on the ground and spoke again.

"Alright. I'd like to see just how many of my punches your Tier Four Soul Technique can take!"

A sharp glint flashed in Chu Qingyun's eyes as he rushed toward Zhang Ying once more, swinging his fist at the Cyan Nether Bone Shield again.

Even the strongest defense has its limits.

Even a Tier Four Soul Technique couldn't endure an unlimited number of attacks or recover indefinitely.

BOOM!

Another punch landed viciously on the shield.

This time, Chu Qingyun could clearly feel that the cyan glow on the shield was much weaker, and the resistance against him had also greatly diminished.

The cyan glow was blasted apart once more.

A much greater force than before instantly erupted upon the bone shield.

CRACK… CRACK!

This time, a denser web of cracks spread across the shield. Two of the largest ones nearly pierced all the way through the front!

Under this punch, Zhang Ying was sent sliding nearly a hundred meters, and with a SPURT, he coughed up a mouthful of blood onto his shield.

Originally, both he and Chu Qingyun had been relatively close to the center of the battle stage.

But after these two punches, Zhang Ying had already left the central area and was now near the edge.

"Get off the stage yourself. If you take another punch, I'm afraid you'll be seriously injured for real," Chu Qingyun said, standing his ground instead of pressing his advantage.

However, Zhang Ying wiped the blood from his mouth and slammed his shield onto the ground once more.

"Come on. Knock me off. I'm no match for you. I accept my defeat completely."

"But I will never jump off this stage myself!"

Zhang Ying said, his expression resolute as he gripped the shield with both hands.

Chu Qingyun nodded and said, "For the next punch, I will still use my full strength."

"Thank you!" Zhang Ying said.

BOOM!

Chu Qingyun threw another punch, holding nothing back as he smashed it heavily into Zhang Ying's shield.

This time, the cyan glow on the shield was even fainter, offering almost no substantial resistance or drain on Chu Qingyun's power.

Several cracks instantly pierced through the Cyan Nether Bone Shield, which was then forcefully shattered. It broke into several fragments that flew out and dissipated in mid-air.

As for Zhang Ying, he was sent flying backward in an arc, landing with a THUD below the battle stage.

Chu Qingyun felt a certain admiration for Zhang Ying's unyielding spirit, his refusal to admit defeat.

That was why he had still used his full power for the final punch and hadn't held back. To do so would have been an insult to Zhang Ying.

'I hope you'll fight again next year and become a Core Disciple…'

Chu Qingyun gave him one last look, then turned and walked toward the other side of the battle stage.