From a distance, Gu Zuo saw a person who was standing on the roof of the pagoda.
It was man who was wearing a bright-yellow, four-clawed dragon robe. His figure was great and tall, and his appearances were abstruse. As a pair of falcon eyes swept over, the spirited light within them shone deep and clear. It was sharp and penetrating.
This person was imperious and awe-inspiring, which gave people an unfettered and outspoken feeling. However, there was now a faint trace of malice, which would cause fear to well up unbidden once someone saw this.
Gu Zuo promptly realized that this person was definitely the Third Prince. As for the malice and what not, it was easy to comprehend. If several hundred of his own subordinates were killed by someone, his mood wouldn’t be very good, too.
The instant that he and Gongyi Tianheng arrived, they caught this person’s attention. Those imposing eyes glared daggers that tore through the void. Although it was completely imaginary, it actually made Gu Zuo’s skin feel a slight stinging sensation… Was this considered using one’s imposing aura to harm others? Or was this just intimidation?
Of course, this place didn’t only have the Third Prince by himself. It was just that his temperament was too distinct. By unleashing his aura, it caused their attentions to fall onto him at first glance. Once they saw this person clearly, their attentions shifted to the surroundings of the Great Smoke Pagoda. There were several commanders who each led a division of guards to encircle the pagoda. The objects of their fury-filled glares were precisely Gu Zuo and Tianheng.
…Yes. Of the living people here, some had only heard about their colleagues being killed one after another, while others had personally witnessed their colleagues’ deaths while they could only arduously escape with their own lives.
Their hatred and fury couldn’t be contained.
The Great Smoke Pagoda was a solitary structure that towered above a large plaza. Martial arts competitions would be held here, so the area was sufficiently spacious. Perhaps the Third Prince was too high-profile — Aside from himself and his people, there were also some martial artists with unknown identities who were waiting even farther away.
In particular, there were two tall terraces. Each one wasn’t any shorter or smaller than that Great Smoke Pagoda. At the tops of each of those tall terraces sat a young prodigy. Among them, one had a graceful posture who fluttered a fan like an elegant young mater. The other wore a smiling expression. Hints of ferocity would occasionally flicker within those eyes, and that smile was indescribably strange.
Gu Zuo immediately guessed that the one with the graceful posture was definitely Young Master Xin, and the one with the strange smile ought to have been Prince Zhou. Those two people were in a competitive relationship with the Third Prince, but it seemed that for the sake of face, they didn’t bring as many people as the Third Prince had.
Since these two had come, matters had become even more complicated.
If they were careless for a moment…they probably would suffer a defeat this time around.
However, if the previous Gu Zuo faced this kind of situation, his heart would certainly feel worried and nervous. Yet, for whatever reason, perhaps due to encountering too many dangers on the Road of Death, he was numb to it instead. At this moment, not only wasn’t he experiencing any negative mindsets, he seemed a bit excited. He was brimming with confidence in his big brother.
While Gu Zuo was sizing up and muttering about these prodigies in his heart, Tianheng was also naturally getting a quick look at these people’s features. Only, his pace didn’t falter in the least. He arrived with steady steps beneath the Great Smoke Pagoda.
Soon after, in the blink of an eye, the Third Prince appeared four or five meters in front of the two. He stood with his head held high and his hands clasped behind his back. His attitude was dignified and imposing, his gaze was as bright as a blazing fire, and his fury seemed to overflow the heavens. His terrifying aura blanketed the sky and covered the earth as it pressed down upon the two.
The Third Prince’s voice resonated like a bell.
“You guys finally came. Gongyi Tianheng, your speed is too slow!”
Tianheng was calm and unhurried as he put Gu Zuo down. He moved close to Gu Zuo’s ear, and quietly opened his mouth. However, he didn’t make any sounds. At the exact same time, his voice echoed inside Gu Zuo’s mind.
[Ah Zuo, go stand on the side and keep your guard up. If that Binglong Army makes any funny moves, just brandish your poison pills. Remember to be careful. Don’t get hurt.]
Gu Zuo nodded his head solemnly: “Big brother, rest assured. I’ll be careful.”
[There’s absolutely no need to be polite to the Third Prince! Kill him!]
The corner of Tianheng’s mouth curled into a grin: “Okay. As your elder brother, I’ll do my best.”
After that, Gu Zuo continuously retreated straight to the edge of the venue. A person stood all alone at one side. From beginning to end, his gaze didn’t leave Tianheng at all. Gu Zuo’s eyes followed Tianheng as he took a few steps forward to stand across from the Third Prince.
Suddenly, at this moment, Gu Zuo somewhat understood that Third Prince’s way of thinking — Having been thwarted many times previously, and it could be said that the Third Prince’s face had been trampled by him and his big brother. However, no traps were set up. Instead, the Third Prince openly invited his big brother to a fight. This was to personally kill his big brother under the watchful eyes of so many people. After that, the Third Prince would eliminate him!
Like this, the Third Prince would also be able to prove his own prowess, thereby reclaiming his honor. This would declare to the world that he was the strongest prodigy!
He was quite confident…
Gu Zuo composed himself, and tightened his grip around the poison pills in his hand.
But, he believed that the person who would ultimately prevail was certainly going to be his big brother!
On the battlefield, the Third Prince and Gongyi Tianheng locked gazes.
The Third Prince’s palm made a light grasping motion, and from his palm appeared a weapon. It was a golden, square-edged baton. Its entire body seemed to have been cast in gold, but anyone would know that it was impossible for this weapon to possess the soft qualities of gold. It should’ve been meticulously cast with an extraordinary material.
The baton had four sides, and it was surprisingly heavy. However, each and every person who dared to wield this kind of weapon had outstanding strength. The Third Prince, who took this weapon out during this life and death battle, certainly had ample confidence, and possessed the corresponding martial skills.
Tianheng also didn’t cover anything up. His fingers faintly moved, and he gripped a spear. He could use many weapons, and there wasn’t a single one that he wasn’t proficient in. However, the length of the weapon determined its advantage in battle. The other party’s golden baton was only a little bit more than a meter long. It also wasn’t known what trump cards the Third Prince kept hidden. As such, Tianheng naturally wouldn’t fight him at close-range, and switched to using the spear in response.
The Third Prince saw this, but didn’t have much to say in terms of starting the fight. He only said: “My realm far exceeds yours. As I disdain pushing around the weak, I shouldn’t be fighting with you. But from your successes in battle, it can clearly be seen that your strength is not lower than that of a mid Immortal Realm. I’ll let you make the first move right now so I won’t be considered to have taken advantage of you.”
Tianheng faintly smiled. Those filled with youthful vigor might hear these words and feel that the other side was looking down on them, which would mess up their mental states. But on the contrary, Tianheng calmly lifted his spear: “If you insist, deference is no substitute for obedience.”
After he finished speaking, he swiftly made his move!
Two masses of light and shadow clashed together. That Third Prince was fast, but Tianheng wasn’t the least bit slower! The golden baton and the spear continuously collided. The figures of two people crisscrossed, and countless streams of qi energy burst forth with each collision. The unrestrained attacks caused sand to fly and rocks to shift all over the place. Even the ground had been fissured!
The profound qi surrounding the Third Prince was robust, and its power far surpassed that of true qi. Meanwhile, Tianheng’s victories in terms of strength were continuous and unbroken. The spear tip, which carried exotic energy, was also capable of offsetting the might of the profound qi.
This scene should’ve left people astonished, but the Third Prince didn’t feel that this was strange. The spectators like Prince Zhou and Young Master Xin likewise gave minimal responses, and they believed that this was to be expected.
Yes, he was able to kill that many Immortal Realm martial artists, so how could he have sliced through the profound qi that protected those martial artists’ bodies if it wasn’t for some special power? The strength of true qi couldn’t be compared to that of profound qi. However, if it was specialized true qi, then the difference wasn’t that large.
Perhaps ordinary geniuses would lack these insights, but those prodigy-class personages naturally wouldn’t be caught by surprise.
Tianheng wielded the powers of his Tiandu Body, and fought with the Third Prince. He could also sense that the Third Prince truly was unlike the people he had battled in the past. If those mid Immortal Realm martial artists seemed like rivers, then the Third Prince’s strength was like a great sea.
And since it was like the sea, he naturally fought like the churning waves, which billowed and surged. The Third Prince was extremely tyrannical and formidable. Tianheng’s martial skills were the combination of many schools of thought and his own creations, so they were the most suitable for him. Consequently, although they weren’t as profound as the martial disciplines of the Third Prince, there was a special type of exquisite subtlety.
The two battled for a long time.
Among the spectators, many watched in stupefaction. They couldn’t help opening their mouths and commenting:
“Sure enough, someone who can trample on another prodigy’s face is also a prodigy!”
“Originally, I thought that this person would suffer a realm limitation when fighting the Third Prince, and that he wouldn’t last long in the hands of the Third Prince. But now, four hours have already passed, but he’s still fighting fiercely and endlessly. He’s truly extraordinary!”
“One can indeed gain comprehensions from a battle between prodigies!”
“As it turns out, that martial skill can also be used like this! Hahaha, when I go into seclusion this time around, I’ll definitely be able to make a breakthrough!”
All of a sudden, as the discussions sprang up, a person’s voice feebly spoke: “The Third Prince is a prodigy, and his realm is at the mid Immortal Realm. That Gongyi Tianheng has been fighting the Third Prince, but his realm is only peak Xiantian… What would happen if Gongyi Tianheng was an Immortal Realm?”
In a split second, a phrase couldn’t help pouring out from everyone’s hearts.
— If Gongyi Tianheng was at the Immortal Realm, couldn’t a single move slap the Third Prince to death like a common mongrel?
However, this kind of sentence wasn’t something that anyone dared to utter.
On the contrary, on the other two terraces, someone spoke with ridicule: “As expected, that Third Zhao is really stupid! He’s fighting with a Xiantian Realm prodigy with a strength that’s two realms higher. If he loses, it’ll be unbelievably ugly, and he’ll never be able to live it down. And if he wins, would that really be something praiseworthy? The large takes advantage of the small, and the strong bully the weak — He has no sense of shame. The prestige of my generation’s prodigies has been lost because of him!”
Winning was a matter of course, but losing would make him trash. It was seriously stupid.
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