Chapter 1772: 1772
Truth be told, most hadn't anticipated the parity of the two competitors’ eye arts .
Xiahou Ying’s pout was pronounced enough to hang a coat on . She’d wanted to admire her brother making mincemeat out of Shao Yuan, but the familiar sight of his victory hadn't come .
The Scorching Sun Eye was one of Xiahou Zong’s most proficient arts . Who would’ve expected Xiahou Zong not to gain an inch in a contest involving it?
Eye arts were one of the most technical and involved of all martial skills . They required not only the arts themselves, but strength of cultivation and consciousness as well . They needed all three components to deploy at peak power . When perfected, an ocular skill used the cultivator’s consciousness to strike down their enemy .
What was up with Shao Yuan? Tying with Xiahou Zong was no easy feat .
Xiahou Ying almost wanted to head into the ring to help her brother .
Nearby, Duke Xiaoyao and Xiahou Zhen traded surprised looks . The two giants of House Xiahou were as astonished as the rest .
Xiahou Zong had never encountered such a tough opponent before in his life . Perhaps they had been too used to him stomping the competition, which made them somewhat discomfited by the current situation .
“Kid, your true dragon bloodline and your ocular skill would’ve made you a good candidate for being the strongest genius of this generation . Unfortunately for you, that’ll never happen because you met me . ” Xiahou Zong smiled coolly .
He was no longer interested in underestimating his opponent after the battle of the eye arts . He despised Jiang Chen’s guts, but he also knew that he needed to put some of his other skills into action .
“I don’t remember that being your tune when I first entered the ring, Xiahou Zong . ” Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow . “Didn’t you say you’d kill me within a single breath? Ah, I see . Your breath is simply far longer than everyone else’s . ”
Though jeering was hardly likely to be effective, Jiang Chen didn’t believe that Xiahou Zong’s dao heart was free of weaknesses .
He going in at every opportunity he saw, hoping to use any window to demolish his opponent with a single, decisive blow . Jiang Chen had been able to tell from the exchange of eye arts that Xiahou Zong had a higher cultivation level – at least fifth level empyrean, or perhaps sixth .
Jiang Chen himself was only new to the fourth level, and had matched Xiahou Zong thanks to different reasons .
Xiahou Zong was certainly the most exacting of opponents among Jiang Chen’s generation that he’d met so far . Up until now, Jiang Chen had always obviously held every advantage after commanding his full strength . He could typically crush his peers trivially .
Therefore, this bout was special to both Xiahou Zong and Jiang Chen . For the first time in their lives, the two young men had found a worthy adversary .
“What are you so proud of? You merely managed to match my ocular skill . ” Xiahou Zong sneered . “It’s just one out of many of my abilities . How can an ant like you know even a fraction of what I’m capable of?”
The source of his pride was his status as a reincarnated divine cultivator . Though he hadn't yet fully awakened, he considered himself practically a god already . He’d always felt an inherent superiority when it came to anyone else in his generation .
“Oh, is that so? Blowing yourself and your ego up, are you? I hope you live after it pops,” jeered Jiang Chen .
“Perhaps one day I will meet a deserving rival,” Xiahou Zong retorted with nonchalance . “But that person is not you, and that day is not today . ”
Jiang Chen chuckled . “You haven’t ever come down from your high horse in your life, have you? But today, your judgment is inevitable . ”
“Then… die!” Xiahou Zong’s eyes suddenly burned with radiance . In the next moment, he raised both hands to produce a huge disk of light atop his head . It shone like a real fiery sun .
Countless vines surged forth from around him, each bearing a sunflower upon its tip . They turned towards the burning sun above Xiahou Zong, charging up with vitality .
The spirit herbs were obviously much fiercer and more resilient than the typical sunflower . The maws at the center of the sunflowers’ heads made their aggressiveness evident . Their bloody cavities made them appear as ghouls from hell, intent on consuming the world around them .
“An Infernal Sunflower?” Data about the plant leapt into Jiang Chen’s mind .
It was a heavenly rank spirit herb for sure . Though it hadn't evolved to the crux of its potential, it appeared quite mature already .
The Infernal Sunflower had the suppleness and regeneration of a plant, the bloodthirst of an animal, and specialized in eating others . Most formidable was the Sunflower’s noxious scent, able to invade a cultivator’s consciousness undetected .
Most cultivators were defenseless before the olfactory ambush, even if they knew about how deadly the Sunflower’s smell really was .
In an intense fight, it was difficult to defend against the Infernal Sunflower’s multiple vectors of attack . Its poisonous miasma, constricting vines, and consuming maw formed three angles with which it approached any given fight .
The petals of the Sunflower possessed incredibly strong suction, enough to change the tide of the battle . Even if it couldn't draw in more capable cultivators, it would serve sufficient interference . All of the above often made the Sunflower’s summoning often fatal .
“To force me to call upon the Infernal Sunflower… you can congratulate yourself on a worthy death, Shao Yuan . ”
Jiang Chen’s focused expression was slowly replaced by a smile . “An Infernal Sunflower is an aberrant plant, Xiahou Zong . Still, I’m game if you want to play with your toys . ”
His interest had only grown upon spotting the Infernal Sunflower . Showing off manipulation of plants? Well then, bring it!
Flexing both arms, he produced a mass of vines from himself as well . It was naturally the Bewitching Lotus of Ice and Fire .
The lotus had evolved alongside his cultivation, and now that he was fourth level empyrean, it neared great perfection . Furthermore, it was valuable and powerful enough in the heavenly planes to be ranked among the top ten . It claimed superiority to the Infernal Sunflower in its genealogy .
In any case, his plant was also better grown than Xiahou Zong’s . There was nothing to be concerned about .
The Infernal Sunflower did have the advantage of a poison that affected the consciousness, but the Bewitching Lotus was uniquely dual attribute and adept at illusion in its own right .
There was another wave of surprised gasps from the crowd . There was intense interest in Jiang Chen’s spectacular performance . Current events were almost too incredible to behold .
Everyone had thought Shao Yuan would suffer at the tendrils of Xiahou Zong’s new treasure . Its properties were widely known by many, and a cultivator with insufficient strength would be easily crushed .
Even those who were higher level than Xiahou Zong didn't enjoy going up against the Sunflower . The plant was simply too dangerous to deal with . It was hard to handle both on the attack and defense . Unless one was significantly higher level, avoiding the plant was far superior .
But if Shao Yuan were to retreat from the plant in the arena, that would be tantamount to surrender .
Public opinion had previously been uniform about Shao Yuan’s eventual loss in the near future – though there was some disagreement about exactly how . And yet, he’d defied common expectations in a very good way once again . What would he do next?
“How cool . I know Xiahou Zong’s plant is the Infernal Sunflower, but what is Shao Yuan’s? Are both young men spirit creature controllers? That’s real genius for you!”
“Indeed . We’ve all known about Xiahou Zong’s genius for a long time, but there’s plenty to discover about Shao Yuan . ”
“Everyone has underestimated Shao Yuan . Looks like he held back in the fights against Wu You and Shen Fan . If he hadn’t, those two wouldn’t have lasted a second against him . ”
“Amazing, amazing . This fight will go down in history as a classic!”
“How many years has it been since a fight like this between youngsters of Eternal Divine Nation? Is Xiahou Zong’s arrogant era over?”
“Impossible! Xiahou Zong has been established for too long . Shao Yuan has the genius to match, but not the time and experience . He won’t be able to win in the end without those other necessary factors . ” Most favored Xiahou Zong still .
In fact, very few actually favored Jiang Chen to win despite his defiance of expectations time and time again . Still, most were hopeful he could hold Xiahou Zong up for awhile longer and cause him some more trouble . Learning about the best genius of the generation’s special attacks was useful in itself .
Only some from Eternal Divine Nation had the beautiful dream of Jiang Chen’s triumph .
Xiahou Zong glanced at the Bewitching Lotus disdainfully . “I wouldn’t be able to tell from just looking at you that you had something like this . But do you think you’ll be able to stop my sunflower’s attacks using those pathetic vines?”
“The Infernal Sunflower is just a second rate spirit herb . Only a third rate cultivator like you would treat it like his treasure . What would your little sunflower do if I simply… stood here?” Jiang Chen matched with equal scorn .
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