"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." A thunderous laugh echoed from the sky.
At that moment, everyone in the arena was frozen and silent. A large portion of the people there were in the same cultivation realm as Seymuh. But there was no one above the sixth level, while he was at the ninth; the gap was like heaven and earth.
But that wasn't all. Seymuh had activated all the power from his sect's Infinite Chaos Seal. That force made everyone below feel smaller than ants.
Gildor even thought about trying to do something to help Darian escape, but that was completely impossible. His body could barely move.
"Pathetic. I'll personally make you wish for death!" Seymuh's voice sounded as he slowly descended from the sky.
Darian had a calm smile on his face, then slightly turned toward Vymara and waved.
A wave of celestial power flowed from him, covering her and lifting her up. In a second, Darian made her float out of the martial stage.
When Seymuh landed, the entire martial stage trembled. The inscriptions finally restored themselves, using the mountain's power. The barrier automatically activated again.
"Come," Seymuh said, placing his arms behind his back.
His heart was screaming for blood, his greatest desire was to tear Darian apart right there, at that very moment, but… something inside him was warning him to be careful. So he activated part of his power and observed Darian closely.
Darian nodded calmly and took a deep breath.
His eyes were still glowing in five colors. That wasn't the stellar physique; it was the Heavenly Elemental Body at level five. He could keep it active all the time without losing any energy, unlike the old stellar physique. On top of that, the difference in power was absurd.
He could barely contain his excitement to test this new power.
Vymara was beside Darian's group, outside the martial stage. Everyone stared fixedly at the center of it all, barely able to breathe.
In the stands, everything was silent; people couldn't even run or think about escaping. Everyone felt completely terrified, their focus locked on those two figures.
The entire universe was watching. They weren't being directly suppressed by that power, but they understood the meaning of Seymuh's words. From today onward, all the order and stability of the universe would be overturned into chaos.
Most likely, everything would become a thousand times more dangerous and difficult.
"Let's begin."
With that, Darian gathered all his energy into his right fist and rushed toward Seymuh like a tornado.
Seymuh's eyes shifted. Chaos Heavenly Elemental Spirits didn't use weapons because they could materialize, through chaos power, an ethereal weapon superior to almost anything in the universe.
On top of that, the highest-level figures of that race possessed supreme defensive power in their bodies, comparable to a Dragon's physique. As for Darian…
He was just a young human with a cultivation lower by several realms.
Even worse, he chose to throw a direct punch at Seymuh instead of using his strongest abilities. From any perspective, he was practically digging his own grave.
The ten Elders, focused on maintaining the prison, sensed it unfolding with disdain… they could already imagine what would happen next.
Seymuh hadn't reacted yet to Darian's action. He didn't feel anything particularly strange coming from Darian. So his defensive power, created through chaos power, would be more than enough.
He let Darian's fist fly toward his face…
*BOOM*
Darian's fist struck the space above Seymuh's forehead.
There were no golden flames, no mental power… or anything he had used earlier in the tournament. Even so, it was the power of an absolute genius at the peak of the Celestial Tribulation Realm. The entire space hummed from the impact.
The martial stage shattered, and dust flew everywhere. Even so, Seymuh didn't move an inch, and his head only tilted back about five centimeters.
That was because a faint layer of gray light prevented Darian's fist from actually hitting him.
The cultivators in the stands felt their hearts stop. Even though this outcome seemed obvious, after seeing Darian perform so many miracles, an irrational hope had formed within them. But now, this was clearly an extremely despairing sight.
Seymuh's expression didn't change at all. It was like he had just been punched by a helpless child.
He looked at Darian the same way one looks at a dying, writhing larva. "Have you realized just how ridiculous you are?"
Darian's face didn't twist in surprise or panic, like Seymuh expected. Instead…
…his lips stretched into a cold, mocking smile.
"Good question."
*Rumble!!!*
Suddenly, Darian's power defied all common sense and erupted with even greater force and intensity than before. At the same time, a violent energy exploded on Seymuh's forehead.
The thin gray layer of light surrounding Seymuh suddenly vanished, and even his protective defense shrank back like a withering plant.
**KBOOOOOM!**
A deafening impact rang out, and Seymuh's forehead caved inward like a balloon.
Not only that, the terrifying force made him spin through the air before crashing violently into the ground where the martial stage had once stood.
*BOOOM! BOOOOM!! BOOOOM!!!*
The earth split open, and clouds of dust rose. The ground was plowed for at least fifteen meters, forming a massive crater before Seymuh's body finally came to a stop.
Dust clouds kept rising as the eyeballs of those watching nearly popped out of their sockets. Not even those who had the most faith in Darian before dared believe what they had just seen.
Fortunately, Darian had directed all his power into the ground on impact. A wave of energy hit the barrier, but nothing leaked out to the people outside.
*CRACK!*
The ground suddenly split apart as Seymuh shot up into the air.
His face was expressionless, his clothes perfectly clean, and his appearance as flawless as ever. The embarrassing look from moments ago had completely disappeared.
It was almost as if he hadn't just taken a punch strong enough to send him plowing through the ground uncontrollably.
But even though Seymuh looked perfectly unharmed… at that moment, everyone could see how his forehead had caved inward where Darian had punched him.
"Humph!"
Expressionless, Seymuh let out a faint snort as he stared at Darian.
In a cold, intimidating voice, he said, "Looks like I underestimated you a bit. I didn't even fully activate my cultivation, let alone use any technique. Even so, not bad."
Seymuh maintained an arrogant posture despite being sent flying by the first blow. But internally, he was completely tense. What the hell just happened? How was that even possible?
All the rage from watching his son die vanished, replaced by a deep, visceral seriousness.
However, the moment he finished speaking, a warm sensation suddenly filled his nose.
The essence of chaos—which was like blood, if he had a real body—spurted from his nostrils despite his attempt to hold it back.
That instantly shattered the composed image he was trying to project.
"Please, keep up the act. It's actually entertaining… but remember, I only gave you 5 minutes," Darian said with a mocking smile.
Seymuh's expression remained unchanged despite Darian's words. After wiping the 'blood' with his hand, he suddenly shot toward Darian.
*Buzz!*
Seymuh's face stayed expressionless, but everyone could feel the seriousness behind his attack. When he threw a punch, just like before, space itself compressed, and the world trembled.
Cracks spread across the entire barrier protecting the people in the arena. Power from inside leaked through those fractures, even if only slightly.
Everyone outside—even the strongest—felt a suffocating pressure like never before. Their hearts were instantly filled with deep fear and anxiety.
Darian's clothes and hair whipped violently in the incoming storm, but instead of dodging, he answered Seymuh's punch with one of his own.
**BOOOOM!!**
All the space inside the martial stage warped, twisted, and finally exploded into countless fragments, leaving behind numerous trembling black scars.
The barrier almost shattered along with it, but fortunately, it barely held.
Darian and Seymuh stood frozen at the center of the distortion. Their strength seemed equal, and neither of them had taken even a single step back.
"That's impossible! That's absolutely impossible!"
"What… what!?"
The people across the universe, who were only watching without directly feeling their power, were the most stunned of all.
Darian endured Seymuh's force head-on… using only his fists!?
Seymuh's brows twitched slightly. At this point, even he couldn't maintain an indifferent expression on the surface.
*BOOOM!*
The two separated with an explosion. At the same time, a deafening shout cut through the air.
"DIE!"
A blade resembling a gray saber appeared in Seymuh's hands. It was a weapon made of energy, but not just any kind. It contained terrifying power from the Infinite Chaos Seal.
Everyone watching could feel it clearly. This time, Seymuh was going all out.
Darian's expression darkened, and he clenched his fingers tighter. Energy flooded his right arm as he threw a second punch.
**KBOOOM!!**
The sound was like thousands of thunderbolts exploding at once. Everyone watching the fight instantly lost control of their bodies and collapsed to the ground. The entire planet trembled from the impact.
Seconds later, they managed to steady themselves and focused forward again…
There, they saw Darian and Seymuh frozen facing each other, in the middle of a massive spatial storm.
Darian smiled faintly. "One minute's gone… so? Done warming up yet? You're not that weak, are you?"
