Just a defeated opponent

High above the nine heavens, deep within the clouds.

The father of Wang Zhan, the middle-aged man in the dark robe, had long lost the indifference and faint smugness that previously graced his face.

His face was livid, his body leaning forward. The vast, ocean-like aura around him violently fluctuated out of control, causing the surrounding clouds to churn endlessly.

He stared dead at the falling figure below, then abruptly turned to Xiao Ruobai, who, despite kneeling on one knee, still stood tall in spirit. His lips trembled, but he could not utter a single word.

His deep eyes were filled with disbelief, monstrous fury, and a trace of trepidation that even he refused to admit!

Defeated...

Zhan'er was actually defeated?

After using his complete Sacred Body anomaly, and even igniting all the spiritual energy of the peak King Realm, he lost to a cultivator in the Celestial Realm?

How could this be possible?!

"Wang Zhan actually lost to the Battle Asura?"

Beside him, a mighty figure from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, shrouded in dazzling starlight, muttered involuntarily, his tone filled with world-shattering shock.

Another old woman, surrounded by swirling sword qi, slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Her voice was dry: "This child has already formed an invincible momentum. To strike down a King Realm Sacred Body while only in the Celestial Realm... Once he breaks through to the King Realm, who among his peers could possibly suppress him?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the several mighty figures standing at the apex of this world actually felt a trace of a chill.

Wang Zhan's father snapped his head around, his gaze sweeping over them like lightning, especially targeting the mighty figure from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. His voice was bone-chillingly cold: "This battle was merely a sparring match. My son was just momentarily careless. How can the potential of a Sacred Body be something you people can arbitrarily speculate upon!"

Despite his words, his slightly trembling hands hidden within his sleeves betrayed the stormy waves raging in his heart.

He knew better than anyone that a defeat was a defeat.

After today, Wang Zhan's invincible Dao heart was broken, and the name of the Battle Asura would become like a towering ten-thousand-foot mountain, pressing down heavily on the hearts of all prodigies of this generation!

...

Below, amidst the ruins.

After a dead silence came an earth-shattering uproar, like an erupting volcano!

"Defeated! Wang Zhan has been defeated!"

"The Azure Heaven Sacred Body is actually no match for the Battle God Body!"

"Using the Celestial Realm to strike down a King Realm Sacred Body! What a heaven-defying battle record this is!"

"Battle Asura! From today onward, he is the well-deserved number one person of our Eastern Region's younger generation!"

"No! More than just the Eastern Region! With such combat power, looking across all Five Regions, who among his peers can rival him?!"

Exclamations of shock, horror, and excited shouts merged into a rolling wave of sound that swept in all directions.

Countless gazes focused on the dark golden figure slowly standing up, filled with awe, worship, fear, and an indescribable complexity.

Meanwhile, the originally arrogant and proud prodigies now had ashen faces, their Dao hearts wavering.

They once thought they were the main characters of this era, but today's battle completely shattered their illusions.

To be born in the same era as such a monster was a blessing, as they could witness a legend, but it was an even greater misfortune, because their own brilliance would be completely eclipsed.

Xiao Ruobai slowly stood up straight and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

His dark golden vital blood slowly retracted into his body, but that invincible battle intent—tempered through blood and fire, and becoming even more condensed and pure after a great victory—was like an unsheathed divine weapon. It revealed an even sharper edge, making others not dare to look directly at it.

His calm gaze swept across the entire venue. Anyone brushed by his eyes felt a chill in their hearts and subconsciously averted their gaze.

Finally, his gaze landed on the center of the ruins, the direction where Wang Zhan had fallen.

The smoke and dust slightly dispersed, and a figure slowly stood up from the deep crater.

It was exactly Wang Zhan!

His body swayed, his dark robes torn, golden sacred blood spilling from his mouth. His entire right arm hung down unnaturally; clearly, the arm bone had been fractured.

His aura was chaotic and sluggish, his injuries far from light.

However, in stark contrast to his wretched appearance were his eyes.

In those pale azure eyes, the initial shock and disbelief receded like the tide, replaced by an extreme iciness, as well as a surging humiliation and unwillingness beneath the ice that threatened to burn everything to ashes!

He stared dead at Xiao Ruobai, a low, injured beast-like roar coming from his throat:

"Impossible. My Heavenly Azure Sacred Body is invincible among my peers. How could I lose to you?!"

This voice was filled with the chaos of self-doubt and collapsing beliefs.

Clearly a whole major realm higher than the opponent, yet he still lost?

However, this chaos did not last long.

Wang Zhan suddenly took a deep breath. The remaining pale azure vital blood around him was forcefully gathered. Though weak, it stabilized his tottering figure.

The chaos in his eyes was swiftly replaced by an almost cruel calmness.

He was Wang Zhan! The Heavenly Azure Sacred Body destined to stand at the absolute peak!

A single defeat was not enough to completely crush him!

"Cough..."

He coughed up a mouthful of congested blood, but his gaze became even sharper, piercing toward Xiao Ruobai like two ice picks.

"Good! Very good! Battle Asura!"

His voice was still hoarse, but it lacked its previous madness. Instead, it carried a settled, heart-palpitating chill.

"You won this battle."

But immediately after, Wang Zhan's tone shifted. The pride and confidence belonging to a King surged around him once more. Despite his injuries, he seemed even more restrained and dangerous:

"I admit, I underestimated you earlier. I didn't go all out, and my trump cards were not revealed."

His gaze swept over his twisted right arm, then looked at Xiao Ruobai, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold and rebellious arc:

"But do you think this is all my Azure Heaven Sacred Body amounts to?"

"I have memorized today's defeat. Once my injuries are healed and my foundations are fully restored..."

Wang Zhan's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable resolve and battle intent that echoed throughout the venue:

"Battle Asura! You and I shall fight again!"

"When that time comes, I will let you witness what true Sacred Body invincibility is!"

However, facing this resounding declaration of war, Xiao Ruobai's reaction was so plain that it stunned everyone expecting a verbal clash.

He still stood quietly in place. His dark golden vital blood had completely retracted, leaving only that battle intent which had grown more profound and solid after being tempered by blood and fire.

There was no anger, no sarcasm, not even the slightest hint of emotion.

"Just a defeated opponent."

Next time? Then I will just defeat you once again next time.

It was an understatement, yet it possessed a more crushing power than any impassioned response!

At this moment, everyone clearly felt a bone-deep confidence stemming from absolute strength!

Wang Zhan froze in place, his chest heaving violently. A mouthful of rebellious blood surged up his throat, only to be forcefully swallowed back down.

He stared fixedly at that back, his nails digging deeply into his palms until they bled, yet he felt no pain whatsoever, because the humiliation and coldness in his heart had surpassed everything else.

Xiao Ruobai ignored Wang Zhan further, sinking his entire mind into his own body.

He had won this battle.

But this victory was not the end.

On the contrary, in the instant he completely crushed a formidable foe and validated his own invincible Dao heart, his spirit, energy, and soul, his synergy with the Battle God Body, and his comprehension of the Dao of Combat were all pushed to an unprecedented, perfect peak!

There should be another chapter!