Chapter 953 – Golden Winged Bird

There had been a crack. The crowd had heard it loud and clear.

That was the piercing sound of a nose breaking. When the crowd heard the crisp sound, they had goosebumps. Both participants had only just started moving, but Long Chen had rushed behind Gongsun Wudi faster than Gongsun Wudi could move. Then he threw a punch and broke Gongsun Wudi’s nose.

“That’s ...”

Gongsun Wudi screamed as he flew back, then crashed and tumbled several times on the stage.

The people watching the duel felt their throats become dry. It was silent.

Who was Gongsun Wudi? He was the best prodigy under fifty years of age, and he was almost at the Divine Martial Realm. He even had the Gongsun patriarch’s Golden Winged Bird. Gongsun Wudi was recorded to have defeated ten Ninth Heavenly Martial Stage experts in a row. Due to the Golden Winged Bird, he was faster than all of them.

It was not just speed. His attacking power also surpassed the average Ninth Heavenly Martial Stage cultivator. It was said that there was a Divine Martial Realm ancestor in his family who transferred his power to Gongsun Wudi’s body before he died using a secret treasure.

This led to the same effects as the Five Emperor Palm.

However, Gongsun Wudi’s ancestral power was more effective because the Five Emperor Palm was already useless to Long Chen at his current stage, while Gongsun Wudi was still benefiting from it.

Long Chen had beaten Gongsun Wudi back right when the duel started, which triggered a huge response from the crowd. Everyone was stunned.

“I can’t believe he sent Gongsun Wudi flying with just one punch.”

“It’s no wonder Long Chen was sitting next to City Lord Ye Xuan. He’s powerful.”

Some of the wiser ones said, “Don’t get too excited. Gongsun Wudi merely underestimated his opponent. He has his ancestor’s power and the Golden Winged Bird, as well as all sorts of Divine-tier combat techniques he has not used yet. If he uses them, Long Chen will be no match for him.”

Although Song Yang and Song Yuchun were shocked by Long Chen’s extraordinary performance, they had the same thoughts. Long Chen only had an edge because his opponent had underestimated him.

However, this was completely within the Ye siblings’ expectations.

“Elder Sister, look. Didn’t I say that Long Chen’s really good? He’s the guy who could fight off a Second Divine Martial Stage expert.” The youth secretly admired Long Chen, and he was slightly bragging to his sister when he said this.

The City Lord gave a small smile. “We still need to see his subsequent performance.”

After she spoke, Gongsun Wudi had gotten back on his feet. This time, his expression was completely different. That carefree look was long gone. His nose bridge was clearly crooked to one side, and two lines of blood flowed from his nostrils. He had been hit hard just moments after the duel began, so his expression was utterly gloomy. His eyes had completely turned blood-red.

This was likely the most humiliating moment of his life.

“Long Chen, I’ll tear you to pieces!” Gongsun Wudi roared, clenching his fists. At this point, more than half of the one hundred duels had already ended and the second duels had started on some stages. The duels on the first day tended to end quickly because of the large gaps between the strong and the weak.

“Use your most powerful techniques; don’t waste my time.”

There was a golden flash, and Long Chen instantly appeared right in front of Gongsun Wudi. Long Chen threw a punch at his chest, and his fist turned into a ray of golden light.

He’s fast!

This time, Gongsun Wudi understood that Long Chen’s strength was also in his speed. In a panic, Gongsun Wudi could only use both arms to block the punch, but the huge force still sent him flying.

Such a powerful force!

Gongsun Wudi finally had to admit that Long Chen was a very difficult opponent!

Previously, he had indeed underestimated Long Chen. Now he sensed that this underestimation would cost him dearly.

“Do your best, son!” a man hurriedly shouted, sensing Long Chen’s strength. He was sitting with the Gongsun family members.

“If even my dad is doing this, then my judgment was right. Meeting an opponent like you in the first round is exciting!” Although Gongsun Wudi’s nose was injured, he gave an eager smile.

Then he clenched his fists. There was a dull, golden ring on his left middle finger. Golden energy poured from it into Gongsun Wudi’s body. He was initially at the peak of the Ninth Heavenly Martial Stage, but his power kept increasing until he was very close to the Divine Martial Realm!

This was the power that the Gongsun ancestor had left behind for him. Divine Martial Realm experts could inject their powers into a piece of treasure just like this golden ring or Long Chen’s Five Emperor Seals.

In the Divine Martial Realm, the Martial Overlord’s lineage had rings that could provide the Martial Overlord Body to its user. Gongsun Wudi’s technique was based on a different concept. The Martial Overlord’s technique was more of a roundabout method with high cost but relatively small effects.

Long Chen obviously felt his opponent’s strength increase. Gongsun Wudi’s essence was initially stronger than his, but now it was even stronger.

But this was not the end of it all. After the ancestral power flowed into Gongsun Wudi’s body, his eyes turned dark golden. An image of a golden Peng[1] appeared on his body, then solidified on his back into a pair of golden wings.

Whoosh!

The golden wings flapped, and a suffocating force hit Long Chen. Even the whole stage trembled from the wind.

This was Gongsun Wudi’s strongest form, and he once used this form to defeat ten Ninth Heavenly Martial Stage cultivators simultaneously.

The tables had turned in the blink of an eye.

“In this form, Gongsun Wudi can even somewhat withstand a Divine Martial Realm expert’s attack. Plus, he is much faster with the Golden Winged Bird. Long Chen no longer has his speed advantage,” said the spectators.

The duel was filled with uncertainty once again.

“It’s over.”

Gongsun Wudi chuckled, then his golden wings flapped gently behind him. Suddenly, dust and sand flew into the air and he turned into a golden ray of light, moving faster than Long Chen. He arrived in front of Long Chen in an instant.

He was just too fast. The crowd roared.

“One for you too!” Gongsun Wudi threw a punch at Long Chen’s chest, exactly like the one Long Chen had hit him with. His strength was boosted by his ancestor, and the momentum of this punch was much more forceful than Long Chen’s punch. Long Chen felt the air tremble as the powerful punch approached.

Gongsun Wudi was currently moving faster than Long Chen, and he was taking revenge by using the same method.

When the crowd thought Long Chen was going to lose, Long Chen’s expression was so calm that it was terrifying. When Gongsun Wudi’s punch landed on Long Chen’s chest, it left Gongsun Wudi utterly stunned because he realized his fist had landed on nothing. It was merely an afterimage of Long Chen.

“You’re... Still too slow.” Long Chen’s wistful voice came from behind him.

Gongsun Wudi looked behind him in shock, and a gigantic golden fist landed on his abdomen. Gongsun Wudi almost vomited last night’s dinner from the heart-clenching pain.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth and he was sent flying once more. He tumbled a few times on the ground. His injuries were more severe this time. He had lost at least a portion of his combat abilities!

The crowd cried even louder. Almost all eyes were on Long Chen’s duel now.

“How’s that possible?! Gongsun Wudi has activated his Golden Winged Bird, but he’s still not as fast as Long Chen!”

“Has Long Chen’s speed reached the Perfect stage of the Divine Martial Realm?”

“That’s terrifying! Even the Golden Winged Bird isn’t as fast as he is. How is it possible that he has such an advantage in speed?!”

Even the Gongsun family members could not accept this outcome. Speed was their forte. This was what they were proudest of. However, Long Chen had easily defeated a very talented youth from their family with speed.

The feeling of defeat crept into their hearts.

From the stands, the City Lord gave an approving look.

Long Chen had suppressed Gongsun Wudi since the beginning. There was no doubt about his abilities.

“Hmph!”

Gongsun Wudi endured his pain and forced himself on his feet. His eyes were bright red.

“Good! Very good! You’re the first person who has ever beaten me in terms of speed! You have earned the right for me to use this technique on you!”

The contemptuous and pitiful looks from the crowd ignited fury in Gongsun Wudi’s heart. He mustered all the strength he could, flapping his golden wings. A powerful aura erupted from him, radiating in Long Chen’s direction.

“Rank Two Divine-tier technique, Golden Winged Bird, Six Counter Spins!”

He was about to use a Rank Two Divine-tier technique! It looked like Gongsun Wudi was indeed a talented prodigy.

The image of the divine bird appeared behind him once more. The golden wings burned with bright, illusory flames. Then, when Gongsun Wudi threw a punch, the golden wings turned into millions of golden blades. They spun and aggregated together into the shape of a drill, then flew at Long Chen!

This was the Gongsun family’s signature technique, so it was expected to be this strong.

This Rank Two Divine-tier technique moved much faster than Gongsun Wudi.

Boom!

1. The Peng is a gigantic bird in Chinese mythology ☜