Bang!

Within the arena, a deafening explosion erupted, and immeasurable brilliance burst forth. At this moment, those still able to make out what was happening inside the arena were few and far between!

Chu Mo's body staggered backward, the bones in his body cracking extensively, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. He looked incredibly miserable.

Ji Qingyu let out a soft cry, tears instantly streaming from her eyes. Beside her, Chu Tianji tightly gripped her hand and said in a deep voice, "Don't panic!"

Don't panic? How could she not? A mother's heart is connected to her child's—seeing Chu Mo injured, how could Ji Qingyu possibly remain calm? Watching Chu Mo stumble through the void, Ji Qingyu's heart felt as if it were being pierced by knives. In an instant, she also thought of all the suffering and hardships her son must have endured, the unimaginable pain and torment he had experienced all these years without growing up before her eyes.

Although Chu Tianji tried to counsel and comfort Ji Qingyu, how could his own heart feel any better?

In this world, the ones who care most unconditionally for a person are that person's parents!

A father's love is as steadfast and profound as a mountain; a mother's love is as vast and boundless as the ocean.

Under the canopy of heavens, even the emperor's face revealed a trace of concern, though his eyes brimmed more with resolute determination!

He was the maternal uncle—seeing his nephew tormented naturally pained him deeply as well. Yet at the same time, he noticed the present state of Zhong Cheng, the Great Saint!

It could be said that, apart from the old vine in the Jiang Family's camp, the emperor was the first and perhaps the only one there to perceive Zhong Cheng's current predicament.

Most people only noticed the state of Chu Mo; after all, the light had revealed Chu Mo's retreating figure, his stumbling steps in plain view.

But almost no one noticed Zhong Cheng, because to the vast majority, a Great Saint suppressing his cultivation to the peak of the Saint Realm should face no issues. If Zhong Cheng couldn't defeat Chu Mo even with that much suppression, then that would truly be bizarre!

Let alone suppressing his realm—if Zhong Cheng were merely an ordinary practitioner at the peak of the Saint Realm, fighting against a recently ascended Saint like Chu Mo, it would still be a surefire victory. How could there be any issues?

And yet, there were issues!

And not just small issues—gargantuan ones!

Zhong Cheng, even when suppressing his cultivation to the peak of the Saint Realm, had been cleaved in half by a single strike from Chu Mo!

As the immeasurable radiance within the arena began to dissipate and more people saw the scene clearly, the stands surrounding the arena erupted into chaos!

There was no dead silence; instead, gasps and exclamations filled the air!

No one dared to believe their eyes—it was no longer a matter of improbability; it defied outright impossibility!

This was because, regardless of how Zhong Cheng suppressed his cultivation and power, his physical body remained indisputably that of a Great Saint!

How strong is a Great Saint's physical body? Few can truly explain in detail. However, one fact all the cultivators present seemed to agree on: a Great Saint's passive defense could withstand the full-force strike of a Saint realm practitioner with, at most, just some pain.

That's right—pain was the limit!

Just pain!

Even if weapons were used, a Great Saint's physical body would, at most, receive a slightly deep wound. There might be blood; there might be injury—but the bones would remain intact.

Once a practitioner reaches the Great Saint Realm, their physical body becomes nearly indestructible—as immovable and unyielding as diamond. It's not something that can be harmed at will.

Take for instance the most famous monkey—back in its day, countless beings sought to destroy it, yet not a single one succeeded in bringing it to ruin. Even supreme beings couldn't achieve that!

Though the monkey was an anomaly among Great Saints, the point remains: at the Great Saint level, both the physical body and mastery of the Great Dao reach incomprehensible heights.

No matter how formidable Chu Mo might be, he had just stepped into the Saint Realm. How profound could his mastery of the Great Dao truly be?

At this moment, countless eyes turned to the eerie, blood-red long blade in Chu Mo's hand.

It was the blade!

The blade!

The peerless fiendish blade!

The terrifying blade that had shaken the Immortal Domain of Luotian countless epochs ago!

Chu Mo—he had actually managed to wield that blade!

How did he accomplish it?

Within the arena, Zhong Cheng's body, cleaved into two halves, was desperately trying to reassemble itself. However, the terrifying laws embedded in the wound were preventing his body from reforming!

Finally, Zhong Cheng let out a primordial, earth-shattering roar. His two halves each formed into complete entities, but those bodies were continually collapsing. And yet, Zhong Cheng's body suddenly erupted with vast, overwhelming energy.

A Great Saint!

He had restored his Great Saint cultivation!

The Great Saint of the Jiang Family, overseeing the arena, coldly admonished, "Zhong Cheng, are you intending to go back on your word?"

Boom!

The defensive array that had originally protected the arena instantly unleashed an unimaginably dominating aura, filled with icy killing intent aimed squarely at Zhong Cheng.

At this moment, Zhong Cheng's voice emerged from within: "I concede."

From all sides, countless mouths fell open in shock, gaping in disbelief as they stared at Zhong Cheng—his aura of a Great Saint bursting forth, his body frantically struggling to reassemble.

Zhong Cheng's complexion was unnaturally pale—he had sustained grave injuries to his Great Dao. Now, he would need extensive rest and resources to slowly recover. Though he may have restored his Great Saint-level cultivation, the truth was: he had lost ninety percent of his combat strength!

Chu Mo stood tall in the void, his long black hair flowing like waves. His whole body was enveloped in surging blood energy—the Heaven's Will Heart Technique running ceaselessly, his ancestral realm physique autonomously healing, and the purple-gold blood coursing through his body constantly repairing the wounds within him. He stared coldly at Zhong Cheng, not attacking further nor making any redundant moves.

In truth, when Chu Mo had swung his blade earlier, he truly wanted to cut Zhong Cheng down completely!

Even when he was in the Supreme Realm, Chu Mo already had the ability to slay a Great Saint. Now, having stepped into the Saint Realm, killing Zhong Cheng would not have posed a great challenge. Yet in the end, Chu Mo chose to spare him for now.

That singular slash had already been astonishing and enough to shake the world—to have silenced the doubts of countless onlookers. For now, Chu Mo intended to keep his stronger capabilities hidden; he didn't want to expose too much before the eyes of all. Killing Zhong Cheng would also leave him severely weakened.

Though there might be someone to save him, Chu Mo believed that unless it came to a dire, life-and-death scenario—like last time in the Tian'gang Domain—he wouldn't entrust his fate to the hands of others.

Zhong Cheng may not have died, but he wouldn't recover easily either. Fully recuperating would take immense effort, and Chu Mo had already vented much of his pent-up rage—seven or eight parts of it at least. Zhong Cheng, having suffered such a loss, wouldn't let this go quietly, but with the long-standing enmity between the Zhong Family and the Imperial Clan, there would be plenty of opportunities to finish him later!

The overseeing Great Saint of the Jiang Family revealed a faint surprise on his face. He gazed at Zhong Cheng in the arena and did not let down the array's defenses. Instead, he asked sternly, "Are you admitting defeat?"

The Zhong Family's camp was suffused with expressions of unbearable humiliation—all enraged to the point of trembling.

The surrounding crowd was equally tense, holding their breath in anticipation.

In the arena, Zhong Cheng's pale face and trembling figure nodded. In a low voice, he said, "Correct. I... concede."

The Jiang Family's Great Saint paid no heed to sentiment—upon hearing his acknowledgment, he immediately declared loudly, "In the second match, Chu Mo wins; Zhong Cheng is defeated!"

The words reverberated, sparking wild cheers from the viewing stands on the Imperial Clan's side, spreading like a tidal wave in all directions. Excluding the Zhong Family's camp, which remained enveloped in deathly silence, everyone else erupted in celebration!

A single warrior challenging the Zhong Family father and son duo—nearly achieving a double kill!

A Great Saint like Zhong Cheng, bowing to admit defeat before a newly ascended Saint like Chu Mo!

Is there anything more unbelievable than this?

This was simply... a legendary morale-boosting triumph!

The entire Imperial Clan was ablaze with excitement. Yet in one secluded corner, a group of individuals from the Imperial Clan's side-branches carried expressions eerily similar to that of the Zhong Family's.

A chill pervaded their gazes as they looked at Chu Mo.

The Jiang Family's Great Saint spoke again: "Zhong Cheng, the battle has ended. If you take any further action, it will be considered provocation. You've confirmed you've conceded, haven't you?"

Zhong Cheng couldn't restrain his fury as he glared at the Jiang Family's Great Saint, each moment spent there proving a torment of unprecedented proportions. Yet the Great Saint of the Jiang Family kept emphasizing repeatedly: You lost. You were defeated...

"Yes!" Zhong Cheng's voice emerged like ice piercing from an ancient glacier millions of years old.

Only then did the Jiang Family's Great Saint nod and decisively deactivate the defensive array protecting the arena.

When the array disappeared, Zhong Cheng's figure instantly vanished.

At the same time, three piercing, unparalleled killing intents shot out in a triangular formation, aimed fiercely at Chu Mo standing there...

Swift as lightning, unstoppable and unmatched!

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Delivered at the third night watch—a double-release period. Brothers and sisters, please show your support!

Many thanks with a bow!

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