*RUMBLE!*
A loud crash tore the two apart abruptly.
"You insect!" Seymuh roared, charging forward in a frenzy.
This time, there was no pause between blows. Before the spectators could even recover, an immortal-level power shook the world. The pressure Seymuh released was already overwhelming before, but now it was absolutely suffocating.
He was using the power from the Infinite Chaos Seal. Instead of forming an ethereal weapon, his hands transformed into semi-transparent claws that quickly solidified, clearly carrying devastating force.
The space across the entire planet twisted violently. When Seymuh attacked Darian again, it was like the world itself was collapsing on top of him.
"That power… It's way beyond someone at the ninth level of the Celestial Master Realm!"
People in the stands muttered in horror. And it was true—if Seymuh fought someone at the absolute peak of cultivation in this universe… he would win in just a few moves. All thanks to the power of the Infinite Chaos Seal.
But…
Darian calmly faced him head-on, his eyes still glowing in five colors.
*BOOM!!!*
"Fall back!!!"
The barrier sealing the power inside the martial stage shattered completely like glass.
Miraculously, it had held for over a minute. That was precious time the people in the stands used to at least stabilize themselves a bit.
The moment everything exploded, Gildor, the three Queens, and all the other strongest figures had already rushed toward the disciples watching from up close. They grabbed them and shot into the sky at high speed, leaving the arena.
Everyone had come to watch a simple rookie tournament, but now it had turned into an apocalyptic duel—one where the fate of the universe could completely change depending on the outcome.
**KBOOOOM!!**
At that instant, the entire arena collapsed with a deafening roar.
Rainbow Heaven mountain trembled but remained standing. At its peak, there was now only a distorted, chaotic space, with a massive gray sphere floating several meters in the air.
Everyone retreated as far as possible, but still stayed on the planet, floating high above and watching from a "safe" distance.
That spherical prison remained untouched, with all those powerful figures still trapped inside. As for the artifacts that had been recording and broadcasting the fight across the universe, they were all reduced to dust. But those far away had similar artifacts and immediately brought them out.
Within seconds, in hundreds of locations across the universe, the images returned. Then they began retransmitting again, spreading it rapidly.
**BANG! BANG!!! BOOOOM!!!**
It was power against power.
Void-like holes tore open in space, and spatial blades shot across the sky and ground. Even the faintest breeze from that spatial storm could tear a cultivator apart like paper. It was utterly terrifying.
Hundreds of explosions shook everything and deafened the ears. Yet both fighters kept going.
After just a few seconds…
*BOOM!!*
Darian's fist met Seymuh's claws, and they froze midair, facing each other.
The world suddenly fell into complete silence.
Seymuh's face was twisted with tyrannical fury, all traces of calm gone from his eyes.
Meanwhile, Darian still wore the same mocking smile he'd had from the very beginning.
"I guess this really is your limit," Darian said, his tone filled with disappointment. "I actually thought you were more than you looked, the way you stood there with your hands behind your back, puffing your chest like a rooster and staring at everyone like you were some all-powerful god ruling the universe or something. But no—you're just a clown whose only purpose is to entertain the masses."
Everyone watching from afar heard that with frozen expressions. They could barely believe that this young man—someone they had only been curious about, someone they had watched fight in a rookie tournament—was actually…
…an unmatched monster who could kill them all like ants at any moment.
A surge of power burst once more from Seymuh's arm, but Darian took it without giving up even an inch.
Darian smiled faintly. "That's 3 minutes already. I'm getting bored… but I'll keep my word and play with you for two more minutes."
A nearly imperceptible sound echoed, and the gray energy surrounding Seymuh's body vanished without warning… just like the moment he had been blown away by Darian's punch earlier.
Seymuh was stunned; it felt like… all his power had been completely dominated by an invincible force.
His claws shattered instantly. At the same time, he fell from the sky, crashing into the ground like a meteor.
**BOOM!!!**
After the violent impact, everything went silent again.
Darian floated calmly in the sky, looking down with his hands behind his back. His hair swayed gently in the wind, and in that moment, he looked like an immortal observing the mortal world with complete indifference.
*AAAAH!*
Suddenly, a deep, furious roar echoed.
At that moment, the light of the world faded, replaced by an overwhelming gray darkness.
Everyone watching from afar felt their hearts stop.
Then, from the middle of the ruins… a massive, beast-like figure emerged.
It was a colossal abomination over thirty meters tall, wrapped in charcoal-gray skin. Its body was humanoid; its musculature wasn't just intimidating, it was wrong, like the muscles were struggling to tear free from the skin itself. Behind it, a massive tail lashed through the air with the fluidity of a serpent. Its head was a distorted, ugly version of a baboon's, bearing two pulsing red orbs.
With its appearance, everyone on the planet felt an absolute, lethal pressure on their bodies, as if that thing could destroy the entire world with just a thought.
Darian looked at that figure indifferently. That was Seymuh, but he had destroyed his entire metamorphosis body and sacrificed his own essence and life to create a new body a thousand times stronger, made purely from the most refined energy of the Infinite Chaos Seal.
With every minute using this new form, his lifespan was being shaved away by years. After all, using power above the immortal level shouldn't even be possible for a mortal. The people of that sect only managed it thanks to the inheritance of the Heavenly Elemental Spirit God.
Most likely, the Heavenly Elemental Spirit God and the creator of the Chaos Elementals Sect never expected that the combination of what they left behind in this universe would result in this. It was the fusion of two different inheritances that, when used together by people with sinister intentions, created this critical situation.
"HAHAHAHAH! I'LL RIP YOU INTO A THOUSAND PIECES!"
A thunderous laugh, followed by a roar that shook the entire planet, echoed out.
Darian looked at that creature… and his expression didn't change at all.
"Oh? So you really had a few extra tricks. Good."
At that moment, Darian let out a breath, and the energy in his body surged like a tsunami.
*Wooooooosh!*
For an instant, everyone felt like a heavenly thunderclap had exploded inside their minds.
The colors of the world shifted once again. The dark gray from before was now covered by a multicolored sun in the sky, illuminating the lives and souls of everyone.
Cultivators far away felt a warmth spread through their bodies, calming them.
The release of the primordial physique made the very air come to a halt. The laws of the world resonated, as if a deity had opened its eyes after a long slumber.
People looked at Darian in complete shock.
He was the center of everything. A dense, multicolored aura moved around him like a manifestation of Heaven's Will. His presence felt like absolute dominion, rejecting everything that wasn't him.
"Im… impossible… impossible… impossible…" Seymuh muttered to himself in a daze, over and over. It felt like he had been dragged into some absurd dream.
How could a young man with such low cultivation have this kind of power? He could clearly dominate the entire universe with his strength. Never—not even the anomalies that appeared in this universe in the past—had been this terrifying so early.
He froze, his shock so overwhelming it even suppressed his hatred for a moment. Then it turned into confusion and disbelief.
Darian slowly clenched his fists, feeling a devastating force flowing inside him. Now, with the Heavenly Elemental Body at level five, the five elemental energies in his body fit together perfectly, forming something like a divine structure.
He had thought he would need to create levels six and seven, using Yin and Yang as well… but it seemed the five natural elements alone were enough to reach the absolute peak. If he tried to add anything else, the overall power wouldn't increase—it would do the opposite.
Before completing level five, Darian wouldn't have dared do what he was doing now. If he had to fight this figure back then, he would've lost miserably.
But coming to this tournament, and the time he had to absorb the power of the mountain's inscription, had been more than worth it.
By activating his primordial physique together with the Heavenly Elemental Body, his potential multiplied dozens of times. Maybe the only person in this universe who could give him a proper fight now was Remira. But…
This still wasn't even his absolute peak.
At that moment, in front of Darian, the last trace of Seymuh's confidence began to crumble.
His energies had become unstable, and even his roars turned noticeably lower… and somewhat fearful. Even though he had borrowed power above the immortal level… it wasn't his, and he couldn't control it properly.
But… there was nowhere left for him to run. So the only thing he could do was convince himself this was all just a show. That power coming from that young man couldn't be real.
"Humph, what a pathetic trick!" Seymuh's voice echoed. "You dare use an illusory aura to show off in front of me!?"
Darian just gave a faint smile, like he'd just heard a bad joke.
All of Seymuh's aura suddenly turned incredibly wild and frenzied. It was like all the chaos power forming his body had ignited, turning into violent, bubbling magma.
*ROAAAAAAAAAR!!!!*
A roar filled with unrestrained fury made every cultivator's soul tremble in fear again.
His claw-shaped fists shot toward Darian, radiating savage, frenzied power.
**BOOOOM!!**
Darian spread his arms, and his aura surged forward, instantly colliding with Seymuh's power. The two forces clashed, struggling to overpower each other.
Compared to Seymuh's massive claws, Darian looked tiny and insignificant.
And yet, that "insignificant" figure completely blocked the raging power.
Deep growls kept coming from Seymuh's throat as the chaos energy around his claws grew so dense it made space-time emit a sharp, disturbing screech. Slowly, those claws began closing in on Darian, trying to crush him between them.
The space around Darian was being compressed over and over again. As it warped violently, it looked like his body was starting to bend and twist under the terrifying pressure.
Darian's arms trembled slightly, and his expression darkened. It looked like holding back Seymuh's attack was becoming difficult.
The cultivators watching from afar noticed this—and went completely pale.
This terrifying stalemate lasted for a few seconds.
Then, suddenly, Darian raised his head to look at Seymuh, a cold, bizarre smile crossing his face.
The grim look on his face vanished, and he even spoke in a calm, lazy tone while still holding back Seymuh's claws. "Looks like this really is your limit right now."
"!?"
"I don't know if I underestimated myself or overestimated your power, but honestly… I'm very disappointed."
As he said that calmly, Darian's arms suddenly trembled.
**KBOOOOM!**
A massive explosion echoed through the air as Seymuh was blasted hundreds of meters away, crashing into the ground far from the mountain.
A violent earthquake rippled across the entire planet for several seconds.
People watching from afar let out deep breaths, feeling relief like never before. The apparent stalemate had been shattered instantly. In truth… Darian had just been toying with them.
"You've got 20 seconds left," Darian's indifferent voice echoed. High above, he looked down at Seymuh, who was sprawled on the ground, writhing.
"Since you were so boring, I'll at least have some fun now. You'll last a bit, right?"
The moment he finished speaking, Darian's gaze changed drastically as his multicolored aura began to spin.
Everyone watching from afar stared at him, their hearts racing.
Darian turned into a streak of light—a streak carrying supreme power—and shot straight toward Seymuh.
**BANG!**
The chaos energy protecting Seymuh's body was weaker than a thin cloth in front of Darian. He struck Seymuh's stomach directly, opening a massive black hole. A rain of grayish blood burst out from it.
*Crack!!*
With another punch, a multicolored beam seemed to tear through space itself as it exploded against Seymuh, who writhed uncontrollably in fury and pain. His entire body fractured instantly like porcelain, pieces flying everywhere.
Darian kept attacking, appearing and disappearing like a shadow at extreme speed.
The senses of all the cultivators at the peak of the universe were completely incapable of tracking Darian's figure or energy. Meanwhile, one black hole after another was mercilessly torn open across Seymuh's body.
**BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!**
Seymuh twisted in the air, letting out frenzied roars. In just ten seconds, the continuous attacks opened hundreds of holes in his body. His entire figure looked like a sieve, and his essence sprayed through the air before raining down onto the ground. It was a horrifying sight—a completely ruthless massacre.
Everyone watching was stunned. Except for Darian's group and the younger ones who came with him to the tournament—those had shining eyes and hearts pounding wildly.
Before, they saw Darian as someone they trusted and deeply respected; he had become the leader they wanted to follow. He was always friendly and treated everyone as equals. Now…
…they were witnessing something they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Across the planet and beyond, cultivators stared at the battle with wide eyes, mouths hanging open for a long time.
Seymuh, with his current power, could dominate the entire universe. And yet…
…he was completely helpless while Darian unleashed blow after blow.
But…
Exactly 20 seconds later—
Everything stopped.
Darian floated calmly in the sky while the world below fell into absolute silence.
"Your time's up. That was a bit dull, but I wasn't expecting much anyway. I'll end this now."
Darian's voice was the only thing in the world.
Then—
"ATTACK HIM WITH EVERYTHING! KILL HIM!"
Seymuh's guttural voice exploded across the sky.
At that moment, all ten Elders maintaining the prison opened their eyes.
One of them raised a hand and pierced his own chest.
*BUZZ*
In that instant, his metamorphosed body dissolved into the air, leaving behind only a small rune—his true body.
That rune moved toward the gray prison and merged with it.
Everyone watching immediately understood. That Elder had completely sacrificed himself to maintain the prison for a short time without the help of the other nine.
Then, the remaining nine turned toward Darian with cold expressions.
All nine had the same cultivation level as Seymuh. Even if their individual talent and strength were lower than the sect leader's, each of them, using the full power of the Infinite Chaos Seal, wouldn't be much weaker.
If Seymuh alone had already been terrifying…
…then with nine of them together, Darian really might—
A calm, indifferent voice cut through everyone's thoughts.
"You want to fight too? What a shame—the time's already up, and my patience isn't very big."
At that moment, Darian clenched his fists.
His eyes closed.
Then, all the celestial power of his cultivation surged into motion.
