Chapter 37: A Breakthrough on the Brink of Battle

The entire arena fell silent!

Countless eyes turned in unison toward Nangong Lei.

A wound deep enough to bare the bone stretched from his left shoulder to his right abdomen, nearly cleaving him in two. The thunder-patterned spear lay broken in two at his side. Even the defensive robe, a treasured artifact of mid-grade quality, was torn as easily as paper.

That single strike had grievously wounded Nangong Lei.

"Did Young Master Nangong lose?"

A hushed exclamation rose from the crowd.

For a heartbeat, silence reigned.

Then, the entire place erupted!

"Am I seeing things? Young Master Nangong is a Xuan-level student at the Royal Martial Academy. How could he possibly lose to Jun Wushuang?"

"Exactly! Young Master Nangong is a formidable cultivator at the ninth tier of the Myriad Manifestations Realm and wields a superior treasure weapon. Who could match him? How could he be defeated so easily?"

"What exactly happened just now? Did Jun Wushuang truly land that strike? Since when did he become so strong?"

Shocked, the crowd could scarcely believe it.

They had witnessed everything with their own eyes. Nangong Lei held every advantage, yet he had been on the back foot from the outset. His innate divine ability was devoured in a single gulp by Jun Wushuang. His thunder-patterned spear, cleaved in two with one blow. And now, he lay gravely injured by a single strike.

This… this was unbelievable!

Jun Wushuang, at the fourth tier of the Myriad Manifestations Realm, had crushed Nangong Lei, who stood at the ninth?

Even having seen it, the crowd felt it was pure fantasy.

"Impossible! Nangong Lei is the genius of the Nangong Clan! How could he lose to that wretch Jun Wushuang?"

Ji Yuntian’s pupils contracted, his face aghast.

His greatest reliance was Nangong Lei. He had thought that with Nangong Lei taking action, Jun Wushuang would be easily slain, and then he could wipe out the Jun family and exact his revenge.

But things had gone awry from the very beginning. Nangong Lei, on whom he had pinned his hopes, not only failed to kill Jun Wushuang but had been severely wounded by him instead.

This…

"Young Master has won!"

Lin Mengyao leapt up, cheering in delight.

"Wushuang!"

Jun Zhantian was shaken to the core, but above all, he was filled with pride.

For this was his son!

"My master is truly a divine being!"

Master Wu watched, heart racing, unable to resist applauding Jun Wushuang. He too could scarcely believe that Jun Wushuang was so powerful even Nangong Lei was no match for him.

"With the master’s talent and strength, if he were to enter the Royal Martial Academy, perhaps he would be promoted straight to Earth-level student!"

Master Wu was filled with emotion, his admiration for the Prince of Zhen’nan’s judgment only deepening.

"Jun! Wu! Shuang!"

A furious, bone-chilling roar burst from Nangong Lei’s lips.

He swallowed a healing elixir, stabilizing his wounds, but his pale face was twisted with rage and venom. He glared at Jun Wushuang, murderous fury blazing in his eyes, so intense it made all who looked upon him quail in terror.

"I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!"

Nangong Lei erupted in fury.

With a sweep of his hand, he drew a handful of talismans from his storage ring. These were all treasure talismans—rare and powerful.

Thunder boomed!

Nangong Lei, sparing no expense, activated them all. Instantly, fireballs surged, ice arrows flew in all directions, lightning serpents hissed, and wind blades howled through the air. Each talisman unleashed an attack as powerful as a full-force blow from a Spirit Sea Realm master. Now, over a dozen talismans at once became a raging storm of energy, sweeping toward Jun Wushuang.

"Break!"

Jun Wushuang stepped forward, raising his blade.

A crimson arc of light shot skyward, as if a bloody flash of lightning, cleaving through the energy storm, unstoppable.

Though most of the demonic power of the Asura Demon Blade was sealed under nine layers of enchanted runes, its essence had not changed—it remained a supreme weapon of gods and demons. That was why it could sever the thunder-patterned spear and tear through the defensive robe. Even sacred artifacts would fall before the Asura Demon Blade.

"Die!"

With his talismans thwarted, Nangong Lei resorted to other means. He flicked his wrist, and poison powder billowed forth. At the same time, poisonous liquid splattered and toxic flames flared.

Nangong Lei was desperate to poison Jun Wushuang and strip him of his fighting strength.

Poison—insidious and treacherous, impossible to guard against.

The poisons in Nangong Lei’s collection were not only of the highest quality, but also numerous—over a dozen varieties. They were potent enough to wipe out the entire city of Jiangning, turning it into a city of the dead.

"Deadly poison! Get back!"

The spectators nearby turned pale with fright and fled in panic. But the toxic fumes spread too swiftly—those closest were overtaken at once, their faces turning black as they collapsed, dead before they hit the ground.

"Devouring Heaven Demonic Art!"

Jun Wushuang took another step, opened his mouth, and inhaled. In an instant, every trace of poison powder, liquid, and flame was drawn into him, where it was refined and annihilated.

Compared to the sinister death energy of the Prince of Zhen’nan, Nangong Lei’s poisons were as bland as water, utterly harmless.

"You’re not human—you’re a monster!"

Seeing his poisons devoured, Nangong Lei was struck with horror. He had never seen anyone so casually consume deadly toxins. Coupled with the earlier swallowing of his thunder tiger, he felt a growing, inexplicable fear of Jun Wushuang.

"Is that all you have? Use every trick you possess!"

Jun Wushuang advanced, blade in hand, moving step by step toward Nangong Lei.

Each step made Nangong Lei’s heart tremble, as if death itself drew ever nearer.

"I don’t believe you’re invulnerable!"

Nangong Lei, retreating involuntarily, drew more treasures from his storage ring.

As the genius of the Nangong Clan, his wealth was beyond imagination. Even if the entire city of Jiangning were sold, it could not match the treasures in his storage ring.

With a sweep, countless treasures flew forth, all activated and hurled at Jun Wushuang in a frenzied barrage. Each one was unimaginably valuable and immensely powerful.

Yet Jun Wushuang, with nothing but his blade, shattered everything in his path, pressing forward relentlessly.

The ground was soon littered with broken treasures, a heart-wrenching sight.

Though Nangong Lei’s fortune was great, it was not inexhaustible. At last, he had nothing left.

Yet Jun Wushuang remained untouched.

This outcome filled Nangong Lei with utter despair.

Too powerful! How could Jun Wushuang possess such strength?

It had been a long time since Nangong Lei had tasted despair, and now it was laced with humiliation.

I am the genius of the Nangong Clan.

A Xuan-level student at the Royal Martial Academy.

A chosen one with the Thundercloud King Body.

How could I possibly be defeated by a country bumpkin?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

I will never allow it!

In that instant, Nangong Lei’s eyes turned bloodshot.

He reached into his storage ring and retrieved a pill.

The Sea-Cleaving Treasure Pill!

And one refined by the Celestial Azure Pill King himself—priceless beyond measure.

"Jun Wushuang, I had planned to break through to the Spirit Sea Realm only after reaching my limits and perfecting my foundation. But now I’ve changed my mind."

"To force me to abandon my cultivation path—let that be your pride in the underworld!"

"Prepare to face terror!"

Nangong Lei grinned savagely and swallowed the Sea-Cleaving Treasure Pill.

In the next moment—

A wild surge of spiritual force erupted from within, soaring higher and higher.

Nangong Lei had succeeded in opening his spirit sea, breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm.

In that instant, Jun Wushuang stood in dire peril!