Roar! 

On the chaotic courtyard, Zhao Jing lifted his head skyward and roared. Black light wrapped around his body, making him appear as if he was made of an indestructible, black metal.

The present Zhao Jing was an ape monster. 

That fiendish and ruthless aura he exuded was enough to send one’s heart pounding with fear. 

At this moment, even Zuoqiu Qingyu and the others had a look of nervousness in their eyes. The present Zhao Jing was far too terrifying. 

Chief disciple Liu Fu of the Heavenly Ghost Sect immediately shot a glance at Zuoqiu Qingyu and sneered: “Zhao Yuan is decently strong to be able to force Zhao Jing to use the Ape Demon technique. Unfortunately for him, the price he needs to pay for forcing Zhao Jing's hand is his life.”

The other chief disciples present were all watching the scene with solemn faces. They knew clearly that they wouldn’t be able to withstand such attacks if they were instead the ones standing in front of Zhao Jing.

The chief disciple ranked second in the Sacred Palace indeed lived up to his reputation.

Boom!

Under the serious looks of countless people, Zhao Jing locked his vicious eyes on Zhou Yuan. This time, he no longer uttered a word. The corner of his mouth curved upwards, revealing an increasingly sinister smile. 

“Boom!”

Zhao Jing crouched down slightly and suddenly stomped his feet against the ground, forming a gigantic crack beneath him as he soared upward. His figure, like the ancient ape demon that pounced on the dragon, shrouded Zhou Yuan with his shadow.

“Ape demon’s arm!”

A long hiss rang out, and a black light wrapped around Zhao Jing's right arm. His arm was even growing strands of black hair, and it had, in that instant, turned into a thick ape's arm.

Boom!

A fist blasted out, tearing a huge chasm through the courtyard. 

The punch's shadow directly enveloped Zhou Yuan.

The level of ferocity had reached a point where it could not be any fiercer.

In the face of such a terrifying punch, Tang Muxin's and the others’ countenances changed dramatically. Genesis Qi surged from their bodies; they were preparing to lend aid.

While those countless eyes were wide with shock and horror because of Zhao Jing’s destructive punch, Zhou Yuan, who was shrouded in its shadow, maintained a calm and composed demeanour.

The golden light in his eyes was part hidden, part visible. There was a faint golden light that slowly covered his skin. It was as if this light was forming an ancient golden pattern on the surface of his body. 

The drop of golden blood in his heart was vibrating violently.

“Boy, get down on your knees!” Zhao Jing roared. His punch, filled with destructive power, came speeding over like a stormy torrent. 

Zhou Yuan’s face was devoid of expression. He clenched his hand slowly while a golden light pattern covered his arm.

As the light spread and gradually covered the surface of his fist, an indescribable force roared within his body like an enraged dragon. It was a kind of strength he had never felt before.

The power brought about by the golden blood stage was far beyond Zhou Yuan's imagination.

Boom!

Under countless shocked gazes, Zhou Yuan thrust out his fist. He met Zhao Jing’s destructive punch head on. 

“He’s looking to die!” Countless people shook their heads upon witnessing this scene.

Zhou Yuan's fist seemed rather unremarkable in comparison to Zhao Jing’s ape-like fist. They did not understand why Zhou Yuan would be so stupid as to choose to fight head on.

But it was too late to say anything.

The most likely outcome was that Zhou Yuan would be crushed into mincemeat.

Bang!

The moment the two collided, a huge shock wave erupted and frantically expanded. It sent all the slabs in the courtyard whirling into the air. The ground, layer by layer, was constantly lifted and removed.

The disciples of the Cangxuan Sect and the Sacred Palace repeatedly retreated.

If the chief disciples of all sides had not acted together at the same time, the impact of the collision could have destroyed the entire manor.

As the shock wave gradually faded, all eyes fixed on the middle of the courtyard.

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

All eyes fell on the two figures.

The two maintained the same position as before. Their fists were touching each other, and their bodies seemed to have not moved an inch.

“Who won?” Countless eyes were staring at them. Eyebrows were drawn together in puzzlement because it seemed impossible to determine the battle's outcome based on the scene in front of them.

Hou Tian was also staring at the courtyard. He frowned slightly, similarly unclear about the situation.

“What’s the situation?” the other chief disciples beside him asked.

Huo Tian said indifferently, “Zhao Jing should have won. His punch was so powerful that even I would have needed to use a lot of effort to withstand such a strike. That Zhou Yuan is asking for death by meeting that punch head on.” 

The other Sacred Palace chief disciples nodded. They were equally aware of Zhao Jing’s strength.

None of them could have withstood that punch. That Zhou Yuan had to have undoubtedly died.

Tang Muxin and the others were also nervously watching the scene.

“That fool, why would he go head on against Zhao Jing!” Baili Che couldn't help but scold him through gritted teeth. If Zhou Yuan was killed, the Cangxuan Sect would be the one to lose face.

The other chief disciples didn't speak, but there was worry in their eyes.

On the pavilion, everyone was holding their breath. Even Zuoqiu Qingyu couldn’t help but clench her hands tightly. Her beautiful eyes were transfixed on the scene below, not daring to look away.

The atmosphere throughout the manor also seemed to have solidified along with the stillness of the two figures in the courtyard. 

Such stillness lasted dozens of breaths.

In the center of the square, Zhou Yuan's eyelids moved slightly as he looked at the tall, ape-like figure before him. He slowly took a deep breath in through the nose.

His body was the first to move. He slowly withdrew his fist, but he did not take another glance at Zhao Jing. Instead, he brushed past Zhao Jing and headed straight towards Tang Muxin and the others.

On the other hand, Zhao Jing was still motionless.

Everybody stared at Zhou Yuan in astonishment.

“Zhao Jing, what are you doing?” Hou Tian thundered.

No one was certain as to what had happened.

“Boy, what have you done to him?” Huo Tian's gloomy eyes turned to Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan halted his footsteps and spoke in a gentle voice: “It seems that the Sacred Palace's physical body technique is not as strong as I thought. So what reason do you have to laugh at my Cangxuan Sect? 

“As for him?”

Zhou Yuan tilted his head slightly, his expression cold and detached. He stretched out two fingers. The next moment, a loud snap echoed across the courtyard.

Bang!

It was at that moment when he snapped his fingers that everyone was shocked to find that Zhao Jing’s thick, ape-like right arm had actually shattered into pieces!

Blood was jetting everywhere! 

His entire arm had exploded!

Zhao Jing slowly began to collapse, his body falling backwards. 

Hua!

The atmosphere of the whole manor was boiling, and countless gazes contained intense disbelief and horror.

All eyes then gathered on the young figure whose back was facing Zhao Jing. 

Their eyes were all full of astonishment. 

Who would have thought that Zhou Yuan, who seemed to have been at a disadvantage during that terrifying thunderous impact, could counter-attack with one punch and cause Zhao Jing’s ape-like arm to explode to pieces! 

What kind of terrifying force was that?

Within the manor, fear gradually filled the eyes focusing on Zhou Yuan. 

None of them would have thought that the newly appointed chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak, who was a nobody amongst the seven chief disciples of Cangxuan Sect, was a guardian asura!