When that clone appeared, Yang Shenlong immediately figured out what Chu Liang wanted to do.

Chu Liang intended to attack while he himself was holding Yang Shenlong down, meaning that he would be launching a strike that targeted both himself and Yang Shenlong.

After all, Chu Liang's most powerful technique was the Sword Strike of Severing the Void. To defeat Yang Shenlong, he would need to use this technique. However, when he had used it normally, even Yun Chaoxian had been able to counter it—let alone someone like Yang Shenlong.

But the span of two breaths was enough for the other Chu Liang to raise the Dustless Sword from behind!

The sword was raised!

And the sword fell!

Shing—

A familiar arc of sword qi sliced through the air!

The six-armed Chu Liang twisted his body with all his might, striving to lock Yang Shenlong in his embrace, ensuring that both he and Yang Shenlong would bear the full force of the sword strike from the side.

Boom!

The sword qi erupted, sending both of them flying and crashing hard to the ground.

Amidst the dazzling sword light, a streak of azure energy shot out like a mighty Azure Dragon, piercing straight through the chest of the other Chu Liang wielding the sword.

With a loud bang, the clone exploded and vanished.

The moment Yang Shenlong was sent flying into the air, he was finally able to use his divine abilities and immediately seized the opportunity to use a divine technique. He quickly drew the dragon bone and struck down at the other Chu Liang wielding the sword, delivering a decisive and lethal blow.

But what he didn’t expect was that the Chu Liang he had killed was the clone!

Yang Shenlong had been certain that the person holding him in an embrace, ready to bear the attack with him, had to be the clone. He had been convinced that the real Chu Liang was the one wielding the sword.

This was common sense—who would use their real body as the target and have the clone do the attacking?

But Chu Liang had deliberately done the opposite.

Sure enough, amid the smoke and dust, the Chu Liang who had been sent flying a few zhang away and landing on the ground suddenly leaped up with such explosive force!

This was Chu Liang's first time experiencing the power of the Sword Strike of Severing the Void. Even with his formidable physique, he felt the sword qi pierce through the right side of his body, leaving it bloodied and splattered.

Yang Shenlong was in a similar state, though his left side was the one that had been injured.

The two were so close that Yang Shenlong couldn’t activate any divine abilities in time. Chu Liang charged forward, striking him in the face with a brick in his left hand. �

Thud—

As Chu Liang landed the strike, Yang Shenlong swatted him away with his right dragon claw, sending him flying.

Chu Liang crashed into the wall but rebounded instantly, following up with another strike using the brick.

Thud!

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

At this point, both of them were bleeding profusely. In fact, Chu Liang's injuries were even worse than that of Yang Shenlong. Yet, he charged forward relentlessly, as though he feared nothing, not even death.

Thud! Thud!

As Chu Liang smashed down with his brick, Yang Shenlong swung his claw to block. In the end, the two were locked in a fierce close-combat struggle.

This chaotic situation was precisely what Chu Liang had planned.

In terms of cultivation, Chu Liang was far inferior to Yang Shenlong. But in close combat, the situation would be different.

Yang Shenlong carried the legacy of the Azure Dragon, but Chu Liang wielded the power of the Blue Dragon, White Dragon, and Inferno Dragon.

Yang Shenlong could activate the Pure Jade Transcendent Form, while Chu Liang had the Large-Headed Dolls.

Though Chu Liang would still be at a slight disadvantage, he wouldn’t lose by much.

As long as he could close the distance and initiate a close-range combat with Yang Shenlong, even if he lost, he wouldn’t let Yang Shenlong leave the fight unscathed.

Chu Liang firmly believed that if he could drain enough of Yang Shenlong’s combat strength, Jiang Yuebai would ensure his efforts weren’t in vain. With this determination, he launched wave after wave of relentless attacks.

“

Hraaah—

”

Aside from that time in the illusory realm, when had Yang Shenlong ever suffered such severe injuries? One side of his body appeared bloodied and mangled. His eyes gleamed with a ferocious light as he swung his dragon claw, determined to obliterate Chu Liang with a single blow!

But Chu Liang's vitality radiated with the intensity of the sun, making it incredibly difficult to defeat him.

In truth, had all of Yang Shenlong’s attacks landed cleanly, the severely injured Chu Liang might have already collapsed. However, Chu Liang was wearing the Jiuli Soul Armor, which reflected part of Yang Shenlong’s strikes back onto him. This created a strange stalemate between them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two continued exchanging relentless blows, each strike landing with heavy force.

The spectators outside were dumbfounded. The sheer resilience of these two fighters surpassed all expectations. Time and again, they thought one would finally collapse, only for them to stagger back to their feet.

And yet… why in the world had these two ended up fighting like this?

After exchanging several devastating strikes in quick succession, Yang Shenlong realized that defeating Chu Liang in close combat was impossible. A portion of the force he unleashed seemed to rebound onto him, worsening his injuries.

Without hesitation, he flipped his right palm, drawing power once again from the Great Dao of the World, aiming to compress Chu Liang completely.

Feeling the crushing pressure around him, Chu Liang began to shrink under its weight. Just as he was about to be compressed into Yang Shenlong’s palm, he let out a thunderous shout, "

Ahhhhhhhhhhh—

"

Boom!

Chu Liang ignited his vitality and qi, forcibly breaking free from the grip of the Great Dao of the World. The cost was his blood erupting from his body and hot dragon blood splattering everywhere. He collapsed backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

If he didn’t want to be compressed within the Great Dao of the World, he had no choice but to pay this price.

It seemed as though Yang Shenlong was on the verge of winning, yet he didn’t relax. He raised his hand and conjured a barrier of azure light.

Sure enough, the golden blood droplets in the air suddenly coalesced and formed into a sharp sword, slashing downward with blinding speed.

Chu Liang had just used the Blood-Refinement Technique: Divine Light.

Through this complex technique, Chu Liang had refined his blood, imbuing it with powerful spiritual energy. During the Mount Shu Summit, he had used this very move to feign defeat and severely injure Xu Ziyang.

Yang Shenlong had specifically studied the techniques and moves used by Chu Liang. Naturally, he knew better than to let his guard down now.

Screech—

The Spirit Blood Sword struck the barrier, shattering it with a single blow. As the barrier crumbled, the sword dissolved into droplets of blood, which fell to the ground, forming a puddle.

Huff—

A gentle breeze swept through.

Yang Shenlong stood tall, his body drenched in blood.

Chu Liang lay on the ground, soaked in blood.

It was unknown if he was dead or alive.

The outcome seemed obvious.

Yet Yang Shenlong’s brows were tightly furrowed, showing no sign of joy.

For someone of Chu Liang’s cultivation level, the power he unleashed was far too overwhelming. A person of his level shouldn’t have been able to put Yang Shenlong in such an embarrassing state.

Nevertheless, he was an opponent worthy of respect.

“You should be proud of yourself for injuring me this badly,” Yang Shenlong said slowly.

With that, he turned and walked away.

Jiang Yuebai was waiting for him in the next corridor.

At this moment, Yang Shenlong had no idea whether he could defeat her in his current, severely injured state.

"Yang Shenlong of the Penglai Supreme Sect defeats—" the announcer began, but then abruptly stopped.

The blood-soaked figure on the ground was trembling as he slowly rose once again.

"You should be proud of yourself for beating me to such a state," Chu Liang said with great difficulty. "Unfortunately, you haven’t won yet..."

Chu Liang lifted his head high.

Yang Shenlong glanced at him in astonishment, baffled by how Chu Liang could still stand after losing so much blood.

In the next moment, Chu Liang threw his head back and let out a deafening roar as his face morphed into that of a dragon!

“

Hraaah—

”

Taking on the form of a dragon was Yang Shenlong’s signature move! Yet here it was, suddenly demonstrated by Chu Liang.

But Chu Liang's dragon head was a striking blend of three colors: one side blue-black, the other pure white, with fiery red whiskers.

A tri-colored dragon?

The audience thought.

Then, Chu Liang opened his mouth and unleashed a crimson-gold flame.

The flames caught Yang Shenlong off guard, and he was instantly engulfed by the raging fire!

Boom—

The spiritual power within the flame was so intense that even Yang Shenlong, with his invincible body, couldn’t endure it. As he was already gravely injured, he was forced to retreat in a panic.

But Chu Liang quickly pursued, launching another attack.

He grabbed Yang Shenlong by the waist with his massive dragon claw. At the same time, his right hand blazed with fire as he formed a fist, ready to strike again.

This was indeed Yang Shenlong’s technique, but now it was being used by Chu Liang, who demonstrated far greater power.

After all, Yang Shenlong only carried the legacy of one dragon. What good would just one legacy do?

Boom—

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT