Chapter 1523: Joining Hands

Li Feng, whose light-attuned genetic energy had been imbued with the attributes of gold-attuned genetic energy and which had evolved to include regenerative ability, was able to go head-to-head against the Immortal King's substitute without losing out at all.

The Immortal King's substitute's shoulder was a mass of white and black energy. It seemed to be encased in a white tiger's skin, which bolstered him with mysterious strength.

His strike caused the void to distort like a distended drum. It warped in a dissonant hum, sending quite a few cultivators on the altar falling down the stairs

It was clear just how strong the attack was—the resulting shockwaves alone were impossible to defend against.

Even the jade mantis and sapphire-blue scorpion were taken aback.

The two cultivators were forces of nature with incredibly strong physical bodies, even in comparison to beasts like they were.

The two cultivators they were facing retreated, blood seeping from their mouths. It was clear just how intense this confrontation was. A melee attack had injured the two cultivators.

This was a confrontation at the peak of physical strength.

The white tiger was a master of the hunt, and its attacks were tremendously potent and difficult to guard against. Even so, all parties involved in the confrontation were injured, a shocking sight.

The cultivators and beasts stared at each other in surprise and mounting killing intent.

The Immortal King's substitute made his move once again, faster than a loosed arrow. This time, violet light shot out as he stepped through the void and pounced at Li Feng.

The two cultivators fought intensely as light radiated from them.

Watching the fighting unfold below, the man in dark green robes exclaimed, "Impressive! Someone can actually defend against the Arms of the White Tiger. Impressive indeed. Are the hunters of the younger generation all that strong?"

Radiant Sun considered Li Feng, nodding.

"Indeed. Even among our generation, this cultivator would be at the pinnacle. Only the two of us might have been able to handle him."

The man in dark green robes turned toward Zhang Lie in the distance, who was launching attacks from time to time.

"This group of young cultivators seems to be extremely strong on the whole. They each have unique techniques and rich combat experience. It's clear that they've honed their skills in combat. They'd be among the top cultivators even in our generation."

Radiant Sun shook his head. "You're mistaken. They're far stronger than our generation."

The man in dark green robes accepted the correction with grace. "The past Rising Stars Cups have all largely been clashes between the supreme forces and ancient forces of yore. For one dark horse to emerge is unexpected enough; somehow, this year, there's a whole group of them. If not for my appearance, they'd likely have won the whole tournament."

Radiant Sun asked, "Why bother trying to recruit a team composed of cultivators from these supreme and ancient forces to deal with them despite the expense?"

The man in dark green robes raised his head. "Do you think we'd be able to sweep through the competition with just the two of us?"

"Wouldn't we?" Radiant Sun countered.

In truth, a large part of the reason these cultivators had stayed to deal with Zhang Lie and the other hunters of Team Zenith was that they feared Team Zenith's combat ability.

"If we had done so, that cultivator called Zhang Lie would have finished us off and seized all the treasure in this realm," the man said confidently. This was no hypothesis or false premise.

Radiant Sun frowned. He considered Zhang Lie carefully.

"You've seen it, then?"

The man nodded firmly. "That's why I prepared all these contingencies."

"We wouldn't have been able to win against him, even working together?"

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"We wouldn't have."

"[Light's Bulwark: Meteoric Fist]!"

The arclight imprint rapidly gathered, and a white dragon appeared behind him. As Li Feng punched forward, the dragon shot toward the hydra like a bullet from a sniper rifle. It left behind a starry trail, breathtakingly beautiful.

Bolstered by divine radiance, the Immortal King's substitute swung his halberd. It gave off silver and red light in a brilliant flare, like a phoenix's rebirth.

The blow was accompanied by a phoenix's shrill cry, a spiritual attack whose might could be felt even by the spectators. They sucked in a deep breath.

Starlight burst. The phoenix cried. The skies were dyed red, and stardust fell from the skies.

Lightning struck and thunder rumbled as bursts of fire peppered the sky like resplendent fireworks—the sparks and noise from two weapons clashing against each other.

"[Light's Bulwark: Earthbreak]!"

Li Feng's fists, glowing with light, were packed with huge quantities of light-attuned genetic energy.

They smashed into the ground in a massive explosion. All that energy headed in a certain direction.

The ground cracked, and white light zigzagged forward.

The Immortal King's substitute slammed his halberd on the ground. The phoenix swooped down as rosy light filled the heavens. White light shot forth from the ground like a volcanic explosion.

The ground quaked. Blinding light surged as the Immortal King's substitute stumbled back.

Fluid gushed down around Li Feng, a silver liquid in which fishes swam. It was filled with vitality, bubbling and vivacious.

This wasn't actually water but instead liquid light, much like one of Li Feng's techniques. More of the silver fluid emerged, forming a stream, a river. Li Feng sat in the middle of the river and allowed it to rush past him.

Then, within the sky appeared a waterfall. Rapids rushed out of the void and over his physical body. The river and waterfall together formed an expanding lake. The entire sky turned into a glittering silver ocean, possessed of uncommon beauty.

"[Light's Bulwark: Heavenfall]!"

The shockwaves that emanated from Li Feng's body were so intense as to distort space. They roared through the air like thundering dragons, turning the sky white.

As Li Feng punched forward, light-attuned genetic energy transformed into a raging flood. Thick, concentrated energy, like roaring dragons and galloping steeds, like sharp blades piercing heaven and earth, fell from the sky.

The Immortal King's substitute blocked the attack with the haft of his halberd.

As the flood descended, the white light exploded in a tempest of sword energy, dyeing the entire world white. The halberd was suppressed as the light pierced through the Immortal King's substitute's defenses, cutting apart both of his legs and his wrists, leaving a mass of wounds all over his body.

The Immortal King's substitute swung his halberd horizontally in a burst of strength, deflecting the flood of light.

He stood amidst the void, surrounded by blinding light. The blood that fell from him transformed into a silver humanoid figure, giving off an indomitable aura.

Bypassing the constraints of space, he flashed right up to Li Feng, prepared to kill him in one blow.

The Immortal King's substitute's blood was itself a treasure beyond any measure, boasting tremendous energy.

The silverblood lifeforms that formed were tremendously strong, with bones and tendons forged of divine light.

Each drop of blood manifested as such a lifeform.