A ferocious momentum, mixed with a scorching heatwave, preceded the fist. The sheer force of the punch made the black water mist tremble before it even arrived.

Seeing Long Zhen’s ferocious attack, Gou Shi let out a cold shout. The black water mist began to churn, and two tentacles shot out like lightning, stabbing toward Long Zhen!

"SWISH! SWISH!"

The black tentacles tore through the air, appearing before Long Zhen in the blink of an eye. However, they were deflected by Long Zhen’s fierce and Powerful Qi!

But Gou Shi just gave a sinister smile. He formed a Seal Technique, and the deflected tentacles abruptly changed direction, wrapping directly around Long Zhen’s arm. They forcefully stopped Long Zhen’s attack, then viciously slammed him onto the ground!

"BANG!"

With a tremendous crash, Long Zhen’s body smashed onto the bluestone slabs of the Martial Arts Arena. The immense force shattered the slabs, sending up a cloud of dust!

"Cough!"

His attack thwarted, Long Zhen suffered a backlash. Compounded by the massive impact, he spat out a mouthful of blood and grew weak.

"If you don’t have the skills, don’t try to act tough. Was it really worth it?" Gou Shi retracted his tentacles, dragging Long Zhen’s body up with them. He was left dangling in the air by a single tentacle, like a ragdoll.

"Cough, cough..." Long Zhen coughed heavily, his eyes half-open as he stared coldly at Gou Shi!

"My, what a tough little boy. Quick, beg big sister, and I’ll let you go!" Gou Shi said mockingly, lifting Long Zhen’s chin.

"Ptooey! You damned sissy, dream on!" Long Zhen spat the bloody foam in his mouth onto Gou Shi’s face and said coldly.

Gou Shi’s face darkened after being sprayed with Long Zhen’s bloody spittle.

"If that’s how you want it, I’ll just beat you until you beg!" Gou Shi wiped the bloodstain from his face and said with a savage expression.

With that, the black water mist roiled, and countless fists emerged, brutally bombarding Long Zhen’s body!

"THUD! THUD! THUD!"

A series of muffled thuds echoed from the Martial Arts Arena, making the hearts of the crowd tremble. Under the dense barrage of attacks, Long Zhen’s small frame swayed back and forth like a blade of grass in a storm.

"BANG!"

Another vicious blow landed. Long Zhen felt as if his organs were about to shatter, and he couldn’t help but spray out another mouthful of blood.

"Now, I’ll give you one last chance. Beg me, and I’ll let you go!" Gou Shi’s fat-filled face was twisted into a cruel smile.

"Wishful thinking!" Long Zhen shot a cold glance at Gou Shi, his weak voice barely audible.

"Then I’ll just have to end you!" Seeing the still-unyielding Long Zhen, Gou Shi sneered. Two tentacles shot out, stabbing toward Long Zhen’s Dantian. It looked like Gou Shi was actually going to destroy Long Zhen’s Cultivation!

Seeing the tentacles flying toward his Dantian, Long Zhen’s pupils contracted. ’If my Dantian is pierced, all my years of Cultivation will be for nothing!’

Long Zhen endured the searing pain and tried to break free from Gou Shi’s hold, but he was so weak he couldn’t even move a finger.

"SWISH!"

A sharp, piercing sound echoed in his ears. The fierce gust of wind from the attack tore his robes to shreds. Watching the black tentacles about to strike him, Long Zhen helplessly closed his eyes.

"BANG!"

A muffled thud. The piercing pain he had expected never came. He could still feel faint Spiritual Power flowing within him.

Long Zhen opened his eyes. A tall figure stood protectively in front of him. His right hand, formed into a blade, swung out. Purple Thunder Flame erupted, instantly vaporizing the two tentacles!

At the last possible moment, Long Mo had appeared and saved Long Zhen!

"Brother!"

Looking at Long Mo’s back, Long Zhen called out softly.

"I’m sorry. I disgraced you." Long Zhen lowered his head.

Hearing this, Long Mo turned around. He sliced off the tentacle binding Long Zhen and caught his brother’s battered body. Then, for the first time in a long while, he actually smiled. "You did very well. You didn’t disgrace me at all."

Long Mo stroked Long Zhen’s blood-matted hair, a tyrannical rage rising in his heart. Long Mo and Long Zhen had been orphans since childhood, abandoned in the deep mountains. Those days were the darkest period of their lives. If they hadn’t had each other for company, they would have long since died in the jaws of a Spirit Beast.

To Long Mo, Long Zhen was his last remaining family in this world. He was his Reversed Scale. The fact that Gou Shi had tried to destroy Long Zhen’s Cultivation made Long Mo’s heart surge with boundless killing intent.

"Take care of him!" Long Mo picked up the faintly breathing Long Zhen and handed him to Shen Haoran.

Looking at Long Mo’s ice-cold expression, Shen Haoran felt a chill run down his spine. ’The killing intent radiating from Long Mo... it’s so dense!’

Shen Haoran took Long Zhen and looked at Long Mo, saying solemnly, "Don’t worry. When you’re finished with what you have to do, you’ll see a Long Zhen who is alive and kicking!"

"Mm," Long Mo nodded. He then turned and walked toward the center of the arena. What he had to do now was make Gou Shi understand that no one dared to touch a dragon’s Reversed Scale—not even a god!

"Oh? After beating the younger one, the older one comes for revenge? You two really are brothers! But as I recall, your opponent is supposed to be Young Master Chen, isn’t it? What you’re doing is against the rules, you know!" Gou Shi said nonchalantly as he looked at Long Mo.

"SWISH!"

The moment he finished speaking, a bamboo stick stabbed into the ground right in front of him. Shen Haoran’s indifferent voice rang out, "Your next opponent is me. I’m swapping my bamboo stick with Long Mo’s. That should be within the rules, right?"

Seeing the bamboo stick embedded deep in the bluestone, Gou Shi sneered. "Hmph. If you’re all so eager to die, I won’t stop you. You’re nothing but losers anyway!"

As Gou Shi spoke, the black water mist on his body churned, and from deep within it, countless tentacles shot out, stabbing madly toward Long Mo!

"BOOM..."

Long Mo watched the tentacles stab toward him. The Void Purple Flame rose from his body, flickering with faint sparks of lightning, and enveloped him completely. Then, he began to walk slowly toward Gou Shi.

"THUD! THUD! THUD..."

A series of muffled sounds rang out. The moment the countless black tentacles touched the purple Thunder Flame, they were instantly vaporized into nothingness.

With every step Long Mo took, his aura surged. By the time he was less than a person’s length away from Gou Shi, the soaring purple Thunder Flame had drawn the eyes of the entire audience. Feeling Long Mo’s aura, everyone was too stunned to speak. Shen Haoran was also filled with shock, and the usually conceited Ouyang Chen stared at Long Mo with a grave expression. ’This aura... he’s already got one foot in the Spirit Marquis Tier!’

In the stands, Chen Yu stared at Long Mo in astonishment. He then shot a meaningful glance at Elder Huo. ’For a disciple of this caliber, Elder Huo certainly kept him well hidden!’

Elder Huo watched the imposing Long Mo, his heart pounding with excitement.

’He’s unleashed it! Long Mo is finally willing to use his full power!’