Chapter 516 - 38: Edge of Death

"To think I underestimated you." Jin Yue’s brow furrowed as he looked at the cage of starlight surrounding them. With a continuous supply of Star Power to rely on, it was like having a near-infinite source of energy.

He was not skilled in the way of Arrays. To break it, he would have to wait until dawn when the Star Power faded. But by then, the arena match would already be over.

"A clever idea, but how do you plan to defeat me? Do you think restricting the space is enough to reclaim this arena from me?" Jin Yue said, holding his Fangtian Halberd and looking unhurriedly at Song Changsheng.

He was in no hurry now. Ownership of the arena was in his hands, and he had plenty of time to wear Song Changsheng down.

CHIK!

Song Changsheng relaxed his grip, and the Book Language Sword dropped from his hand, sinking into the arena floor like a knife through tofu until only the hilt remained visible.

"What’s this? Giving up already?"

Song Changsheng did not reply. With a wave of his hand, a black and white gourd appeared in his palm—the Spirit-Slaying Gourd.

Seeing the plump, round gourd, Jin Yue’s brow twitched. A terrible premonition suddenly washed over him.

"Hah!"

Song Changsheng presented the gourd, and a torrent of eerie blue flames poured out. It started as a few sparks touching the ground, then rapidly spread into a sheet of fire, quickly filling the entire cage.

The eerie blue tongues of fire licked continuously at Jin Yue’s Protective Spiritual Gang, emitting a sizzling sound. Soon, several small holes were burned through it, which then began to expand.

He tried to extinguish the flames, but they clung to him like maggots to a bone, refusing to stop until they had burned through everything. His Protective Spiritual Gang was soon riddled with holes.

Jin Yue’s expression changed. This flame was... strange. Recalling the intelligence he had received earlier, he blurted out, "Earth Core Cold Flame?"

"That’s right." Song Changsheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back. The Spiritual Fire, which Jin Yue avoided like the plague, was as docile as a lamb in his presence. It formed a small, clear space at his feet. Even when a corner of his robe was occasionally lifted by a draft, the Spiritual Fire would "sensibly" move away.

This miraculous sight wasn’t because the Spiritual Fire recognized its master, but because of the Water and Fire Manipulation Technique Song Changsheng had cultivated in his early years. It allowed him to control any water or fire in the world, and that naturally included the Spiritual Fire.

As his cultivation realm had advanced, Song Changsheng had rarely used this technique, but today it had proven useful once again.

Within this cramped cage, with Spiritual Fire flooding the space, Song Changsheng’s Fire Manipulation Technique made him the undisputed master of this domain. The pressure on Jin Yue more than doubled!

He would have to expend far more energy to resist the corrosion of the Earth Core Cold Flame.

Jin Yue’s eyes grew cold. He had only one option now: end this fight quickly.

ROAR—

He raised his Fangtian Halberd, which let out a high-pitched dragon’s cry. A lifelike phantom of a Black Dragon coiled around the halberd, roaring at the sky, its copper-bell eyes filled with majesty.

"Little Divine Technique, Coiling Dragon!"

ROAR—

The massive black dragon came hurtling toward him. Song Changsheng’s expression remained unchanged. Making a grasping motion with both hands, he commanded coldly, "Gather!"

The rampaging flames in the area instantly converged, forming a giant fist of fire that shot toward the Black Dragon phantom.

BOOM—

The fist of flames suddenly exploded, and the sea of fire churned. The Black Dragon burst from the inferno, charging unstoppably toward Song Changsheng.

Song Changsheng’s expression remained unchanged. An image of mountains and rivers appeared in his hands as he formed a seal. A single Mountain-Flipping Seal smashed the Black Dragon phantom to smithereens.

Then, Song Changsheng unleashed the Book Language Sword. With lightning speed, it transformed into a streak of light and shot straight for Jin Yue. At the same time, he directed the Earth Core Cold Flame to surge toward Jin Yue like a tidal wave.

"Insignificant tricks."

Jin Yue swept his Fangtian Halberd sideways, batting the Book Language Sword away. He then moved in a flash, dissipating the encroaching wave of fire.

But a stray spark landed on his arm, instantly burning a small hole that began to spread.

Jin Yue’s face contorted. Gritting his teeth, he sliced off that piece of his own flesh. Blood splattered everywhere.

At that exact moment, a cold glint of light erupted from the sea of fire, instantly piercing his shoulder and sending a spray of blood into the air. The light then shot back, landing in Song Changsheng’s hand.

"Song Changsheng, you... will... DIE!"

Jin Yue’s eyes were wide with fury. An inferno of rage burned within him. The last of his clothes instantly burst apart, revealing a powerful, chiseled physique. He grew at a visible rate, soon towering over ten feet tall, like a small giant.

’War Body.’

Song Changsheng’s eyes narrowed.

When Body Refiners cultivated to a certain realm, they forged a War Body. Niu Dazhuang’s Nine-Transformation Golden Body and Jin Yue’s current state were both manifestations of this.

Song Changsheng had not yet cultivated the Five Beasts Body Forging Technique to the Perfection Realm, so he still didn’t have a War Body. But he knew that in this state, Jin Yue’s power would increase explosively.

He also noticed a strange film forming over Jin Yue’s skin, which could actually resist the burning of the Earth Core Cold Flame.

"Seven Extremes Swordsmanship, Second Style!"

The Long Sword danced in his palm, erupting with a dazzling Sword Light. It formed a storm of Sword Qi that enveloped Jin Yue’s massive body.

The Sword Qi cut like blades, leaving a crisscrossing network of deep and shallow gashes on Jin Yue’s bronze skin.

Jin Yue let out a beast-like roar. Completely ignoring the Sword Qi slicing through the air around him, he charged toward Song Changsheng.