[Vol. 6] Chapter 224: Who Dares Claim to Be Invincible
Hearing some of the bizarre chatter from the audience, Violet nearly choked on her own breath. Her right foot, which had been poised to strike, immediately went back down.
How strange... She wasn’t like Xiao Guang, who had a barefoot fighting style…
Better to stick with a more conventional approach.
Since Violet hadn’t interrupted Shangguan Hong’s preparation, his momentum had already skyrocketed. His power surged past the [Eternal Life] threshold and kept climbing, hurtling toward the level of [Bright Mist] realm!
It was clear this wasn’t purely his own strength, confirming that the borrowed power was no myth.
Though it still fell short of someone like Murong Yun, who could unleash pseudo-god-level attacks in an instant, even at the same realm, this display of power was already enough to leave most people stunned.
The [Shocking God Sect] truly didn’t seem to have a single ordinary person.
After an extended charge-up that clearly pushed him to his limits, Shangguan Hong’s body was on the verge of collapse. While he might have been able to draw even more power, continuing would likely cause his physical body to explode.
Perhaps realizing this himself, a sharp glint flashed in his heterochromatic eyes. He brought his palms together and struck with full force.
"WHITE—ROYAL—HOWL!!!"
*BOOM!!!!*
Blood sprayed from his palms, not as part of the attack, but as a backlash from his body being unable to withstand the overwhelming energy. However, this desperate, all-or-nothing strike reached its absolute peak power as a result.
This was the strongest move Shangguan Hong could muster, a technique refined under the personal guidance of the Eastern Kingdom’s Saint Shangguan Qiuyue, designed to create a battle so awe-inspiring it would captivate everyone’s attention.
The white flame-colored aurora roared forth, expanding to a diameter of several meters in an instant. Its intense brilliance caused the surrounding air to distort and warp visibly. The sheer magnitude of the attack left even the commentator, who had been working tirelessly to steer the narrative, momentarily speechless.
In an instant, the terrifying attack infused with the power of the Eastern Holy Beast [Bai Ze] reached the black-haired girl.
Everyone held their breath.
There was no doubt that this was one of the most powerful strikes ever seen in the current [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony] hosted by the Eastern Kingdom. Even without the large projection screens, the audience could feel the heat and turbulent air currents radiating from the surging barrier.
Compared to Hongyan's intensely restrained ultimate sword strike from before, this move completely overshadowed it in both power and sheer spectacle. Even seasoned warriors could see the obvious gap in strength between the two attacks.
Some worried whether the seemingly delicate girl could withstand such an overwhelming assault. Others marveled at how Shangguan Hong, who also appeared so young, could unleash such a terrifying power, even if it was partly borrowed.
But most were simply wide-eyed, eager to see how [White Rainbow], the girl who had already achieved so many glorious victories and was rumored to be closely connected to the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden, would respond with an even stronger countermeasure to defeat her opponent.
No matter their thoughts, everyone was utterly captivated by this incredible battle, forgetting the trivial events of the past two days entirely.
And then, they saw it.
The petite girl, her black hair and white robe flowing wildly in the fierce winds, calmly raised a smooth hand.
Her palm faced forward.
"BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The blazing white light crashed into her without any embellishment, yet it was as if it struck an unbreakable wall. The strike, seemingly unstoppable, was met head-on by her small, outstretched palm. The sheer force of her hand split the attack cleanly in two, scattering it to either side as it dissolved into nothingness.
What appeared to be delicate, fragile fingers became the world’s most unyielding barrier in that moment. The white light, sliced apart by her hand, fell away like shimmering fragments, turning into a cascade of stars that adorned the girl in yet another layer of mystery and divinity.
The crowd erupted in deafening cheers, shaking the skies in awe of the girl who had once again achieved an unbelievable miracle.
“Ohhhhhhh!!!!!!”
“Did you see that? Did you see it?! She… [White Rainbow] stopped that attack with just one hand! This is unbelievable! Absolutely stunning! Is she even human?!”
“Miss White Rainbow is the best in the world!”
“Maybe she really is the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden’s disciple…”
“Phew… phew… Looking at this, it seems like the final champion is pretty much decided now, huh?”
“Not necessarily. I think Miss Silver Cat is also incredibly strong, not to mention there are still some seasoned veterans with deep reserves of power. The outcome might not be clear until the very end.”
“But at least for this match, it seems like the winner is obvious. It doesn’t look like her opponent can pull off anything stronger than that, right?”
Amid the lively discussions from the audience and the lingering warmth in her palm, Violet felt a hint of relief.
It looked like she still had the upper hand.
Shangguan Hong’s all-out attack had turned out to be even stronger than she anticipated. It likely involved some technique similar to the “Spirit Summoning” skill of Mevis, the little fox from Beastman kingdom. It was almost as if the Holy Beast [Bai Ze] itself had been summoned to strike at her.
Fortunately, Shangguan Hong’s personal strength still fell short. He couldn’t fully unleash pseudo-god-level power. If he’d been able to break through the [Feather Robe Graria] damage immunity threshold like Hongyan had, stopping the attack with her bare hand might have been a bit painful…
It seemed Shangguan Qiuyue had partly achieved his goal, but this battle was now over.
Violet didn’t even need to counterattack. While Shangguan Hong’s strike far exceeded his own limits, the cost he had to bear was equally high. Simply being able to remain standing after that attack would already be a testament to his incredible willpower.
As the blazing white beam finally faded away, the man standing over ten meters away was already pale-faced, barely able to stay on his feet. Blood flowed steadily from his hands and lips, and the once-vibrant [Bai Ze] embroidery on his chest had dimmed completely. In his current state, it was clear he had no strength left to continue the fight.
"I lost."
Shangguan Hong said, his voice devoid of the usual confidence that had made him seem so above it all. His gaze, fixed on the black-haired girl who had calmly lowered her hand, was unfocused and hollow.
He had likely anticipated the outcome of this battle, but he hadn’t imagined it would end so effortlessly, so decisively. The gap between their strength was staggering. So vast it felt crushing.
His all-out attack, unleashed with everything he had, had been deflected by the girl as casually as swatting a fly. For someone who had been arrogantly proud of his power, the realization of such an overwhelming disparity was hard to accept.
At last, Shangguan Hong began to understand the deeper meaning behind the reluctant smile his master, the Saint, had worn when teaching him this technique, warning him it was too destructive to use in a mere competition. He also began to grasp the significance of the words his mentor often repeated:
"There’s always someone stronger, and a sky beyond the sky."
"You don’t need to feel discouraged. You’ve already done well."
Her words brought a faint clarity back to Shangguan Hong’s dazed eyes. After a brief silence, as the thunderous cheers of the crowd began to fade, he lowered his voice and asked,
"Miss Violet, could you tell me your true level? And… if I dedicate my life to it, is there any chance I can catch up to you?"
Violet didn’t answer directly. Instead, she glanced meaningfully at the sky and shook her head slightly.
"As long as you don’t lose yourself to the pursuit of power, there’s nothing in this world that’s truly impossible."
A brief silence passed through Shangguan Hong’s mind before he nodded slowly.
"It seems my loss wasn’t in vain… Thank you for the lesson."