Chapter 10: Contest of Magic—Shadows Chased Across the Yellow Sands

An Rui’s shout was intended to divert Zhou Chen’s attention, but in truth, the two figures locked in combat suddenly underwent a change.

Du Feiyang, beset by Mu Zhenshan’s relentless sneak attacks, found his divine power in turmoil and the twin stars within him dim and lifeless. The previous blow had already brushed his clothing, startling him so badly he nearly severed his connection with the flow of nature.

Fortunately, for a cultivator, as long as the divine power does not stop or run dry, and the bond with nature remains unbroken, the caster need not worry about losing their spell.

Now, Du Feiyang was in an awkward predicament. Mu Zhenshan’s repeated assaults prevented him from focusing on his communion with nature, while he remained anxious, fearing that any one attack might finally strike true. He wished to change tactics, but Mu Zhenshan pressed him so closely he had no opportunity to try anything else.

Mu Zhenshan, for his part, was suffering as well. Each time he charged into the whirling sands, he was battered by stones and grit, his entire body aching, his hands numb and pained, enduring only through sheer willpower. He knew that if he slowed down even a little, Du Feiyang would seize the moment, and he might well be buried beneath the sands.

Though their fierce battle seemed deadlocked, neither able to overcome the other, only a brief time had passed since their first clash. Both fought with all their might, burning through their strength at a terrifying pace, so within moments they found themselves at an impasse.

With Zhou Chen’s arrival, Mu Zhenshan grew desperate. He could no longer afford to hold back, and the abilities he had wished to keep secret were now forced into the open.

Mu Zhenshan moved with lightning speed, tapping dozens of acupoints across his body. His eyes filled with blood, fresh crimson trickled from his features, and his muscles twisted into a grotesque form. His circulatory energies shifted abruptly. He muttered words in a tongue none could understand, then suddenly lifted his head and let out an inhuman roar.

He harbored secrets he could not let others see, always hidden away, but now he cast aside his reservations. He would not rest until Du Feiyang was defeated.

Azure light flickered across Mu Zhenshan’s face and body, as patches of scales like green jade fish covered his skin. Even his pupils became vertical slits, shining with a predatory gleam, eyes locked on Du Feiyang like a beast eyeing its prey.

The sight drained all color from Du Feiyang’s face. He shouted, voice trembling, “The Jade Dragon Transformation Art—how can this be?”

His words quivered with disbelief. How could Mu Zhenshan possess such a legendary skill? Had he used it earlier, Du Feiyang would surely have been slain, sparing them all this effort. Though he harbored doubts, he dared not risk his life to test them.

Unwilling to die, Du Feiyang hastily drew a necklace from his chest, his eyes showing reluctance. Nevertheless, he bit open the pendant, revealing a crystal glowing yellow. With a flick of his tongue, he tucked it beneath his tongue.

Instantly, Du Feiyang seemed to merge with heaven and earth in a wondrous way. His hands formed several swift seals, mimicking the spell Mu Zhenshan had disrupted, though it appeared he omitted many steps for reasons unknown.

Mu Zhenshan would not let him finish. His form blurred in a flash of azure light, arriving at the whirlwind of sand, his fist striking out. The swirling debris bounced harmlessly off his scaled body, like insects hitting stone, not slowing him in the least.

As Mu Zhenshan’s thunderous punch was about to land, Du Feiyang exhaled a yellow vapor, sending it toward Mu Zhenshan. The blow halted mid-air, Mu Zhenshan frozen as if turned to stone.

Shocked and enraged, Mu Zhenshan realized that, after deploying his forbidden technique and almost defeating his foe, he was immobilized by a single breath. This was far more potent than any prior spell—he, even in his current state, could not move.

Had anyone witnessed the scene, they would see that the crystal in Du Feiyang’s mouth had melted away, leaving only a small shard.

Du Feiyang, spell complete, gave a sinister smile to the immobilized Mu Zhenshan. He stepped seven times, pressed his hands to the earth, and shouted, “Shadow of the Spell, Light Returns, Heaven and Earth Reversed!”

These words sounded like thunder, and the ground beneath him trembled violently. The earth within dozens of meters boiled as hundreds, then thousands, of streams of yellow soil, thick as a man’s arm and laden with stones, shot upward like serpents toward the sky.

It was as if a yellow storm had erupted, the streams moving erratically at great speed. A touch from one would likely spell death for any ordinary person.

Mu Zhenshan was trapped as if in a pit of snakes, with no safe place to dodge. He endured wave after wave of sand streams, his body feeling as if it would break apart. The ground itself seemed to turn to mire, each step threatening to pull him under—an added torment.

Fortunately, though battered, Mu Zhenshan’s body was unimaginably tough, resisting the streams that could not pierce him. He relied on his formidable physique to keep moving, always lunging for Du Feiyang. Yet Du Feiyang moved like a feather in a storm, shifting with the earth’s undulations. The sand streams seemed to avoid him entirely, frustrating Mu Zhenshan to curses.

After spiraling in the sky, the sand streams dove back to earth, making the chaotic scene even more terrifying. Mu Zhenshan’s brute strength and speed were half neutralized by this spell, which seemed almost designed to restrain him.

Seeing this, Du Feiyang sat cross-legged to meditate, the whirlwind of sand and stones still circling him, though smaller than before. Most of his divine power was spent on the sand stream hell, leaving little for the whirlwind.

Du Feiyang’s face was as yellow as wax. Suddenly, he spat a mouthful of blood, containing a yellow crystal the size of a fingernail.

“Heh, let’s add something special for you.”

He picked up the yellow crystal, formed a seal with his left hand at his chest, drew several charms with his right, bit his left hand to smear blood on the crystal, then aimed at Mu Zhenshan, chanting “Swift!” The crystal vanished, teleporting to Mu Zhenshan’s body.

Mu Zhenshan was startled by Du Feiyang’s sudden moves. He had been wary, yet was still caught, though he could not guess the spell’s effect. Even if he knew, he could not have dodged—the damage to his body was severe, bones cracked and broken.

“So be it, today I’ll stake my worthless life.”

Mu Zhenshan sensed the spell was no simple matter, and he was almost powerless to resist. He had only acquired the first, incomplete volume of the Jade Dragon Transformation Art, with several pages missing. What he could perform bore only a fraction of the legendary technique’s power. The incomplete method hindered his use of mystical skills, leaving him unable to unlock their full potential.

Du Feiyang did not realize Mu Zhenshan’s skill was but a hollow shell. He had thrown in all his treasures, wondering why such legendary power showed little effect, suspecting Mu Zhenshan’s technique was flawed.

Mu Zhenshan took out a translucent emerald pill from his robe. He had obtained two with the Jade Dragon Transformation Art’s fragment—he had taken one before, which brought both a surge of power and chaotic consciousness, nearly killing him. He had lain bedridden for half a year and never used the second, saving it as a last resort.

The pill was intended to complement the cultivation of the Jade Dragon Transformation Art. Its potency was immense, but without mastery, its power and side effects were equally overwhelming. Such a rare divine medicine, wasted in this manner, would be tragic.

Resolute, Mu Zhenshan swallowed the pill, eyes fixed on Du Feiyang, as if imprinting his image in memory. He feared that if consciousness faltered, he would let Du Feiyang escape—he could not allow that.

His throat emitted guttural roars, and Mu Zhenshan’s form grew larger, bathed in flickering blue light. His eyes lost focus, closing and opening again, now void of all human emotion, expressionless as he surveyed the scene. His muscles bulged unnaturally, bones crackling within.

The sand streams still battered Mu Zhenshan, but now felt like mere tickles. He smashed a few larger streams with ease, and upon spotting Du Feiyang, his rage ignited. With a roar, he charged at him, lightning fast, earth’s pull no longer a hindrance.

Du Feiyang, seeing the transformation, grew anxious and began casting spells, stepping rapidly, hands forming seals at a frantic pace. His divine power drained swiftly into the earth, even the energy granted by the yellow crystal dissipating.

Just as Mu Zhenshan noticed and charged at him, Du Feiyang finished his spell. Pointing at Mu Zhenshan, he intoned, “Divine Might of Three Realms, Nature’s Power, Nine Stars Reverse, Yellow Dragon Turns—Go!” With that, he collapsed to his knees, using his last strength to maintain his bond with the earth.

The ground thundered, and seven or eight massive streams erupted, transforming into earthen dragons that roared, rushing toward Mu Zhenshan, leaving gaping holes in the earth.

Now, stripped of reason, Mu Zhenshan faced the monstrous earth dragons without fear, meeting them with his fists. Though his form was dwarfed by the dragons, he unleashed unimaginable power, clashing with them without yielding.

Thunderous crashes echoed without pause, dust rising as the earth dragons battled Mu Zhenshan’s iron fists, sand streams swirling like a storm. All around, heaven and earth were painted in hues of yellow and gray—a living purgatory.

The spectators watching trembled in terror, imagining themselves in the maelstrom and knowing they would be torn to pieces within seconds.

After a while, the crashing ceased, dust settling. They looked closely and saw a hill of earth in the arena, atop which stood a battered figure, blood-soaked, half-kneeling, the blue light a pale shadow of its former brilliance, yet roaring as if to proclaim victory.

The earth dragons had become nothing but a mound of yellow soil. Du Feiyang laughed, then threw his head back, tears streaming as he pointed at Mu Zhenshan and shouted,

“How much strength do you have left? Do you think the curse I placed on you is so easily undone?”

As soon as he spoke, the previously passive sand streams suddenly converged by the thousands, merging into several colossal flows as large as the earth dragons, rushing toward Mu Zhenshan.

Mu Zhenshan let out a wild howl, dragging his shattered body toward the sand streams with reckless abandon.

“It seems they are both doomed to destruction. Our wager must continue. Please.”

As the three watched the apocalyptic battle in horror, Zhou Chen’s voice sounded at their side, startling them from their reverie.