The impact of the abyssal arrow did not end the battle.

Meng Ji's body lay embedded in the fractured arena floor, the stone beneath him shattered into jagged fragments from the force of the collision. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the fight had already reached its conclusion.

Then…

He moved.

A ragged breath escaped him as his body twitched, blood spilling from multiple wounds. His left arm was gone entirely, obliterated by the strike. Deep wounds ran across his torso, and the black frost still clung to parts of his flesh, slowly eating away at what remained of his defenses.

Yet…

He lived.

A Nascent Soul cultivator.

A disciple of the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect.

This was not enough to kill him.

Meng Ji forced himself up, his body trembling under the strain. His eyes burned with fury, veins bulging across his neck as he glared at Han Yu.

Without hesitation, he reached into his storage and pulled out several pills.

Han Yu recognized one of them immediately.

The Blood Flood Pill.

The others were restorative.

Regenerative.

Meng Ji swallowed them all at once.

The effect was immediate.

SHUA

Blood Qi erupted from his body in a violent surge, swirling around him like a storm. The wound where his arm had once been began to writhe, flesh bubbling and reforming at an unnatural pace.

Muscle.

Bone.

Skin.

All regrew within seconds.

His other injuries followed, closing rapidly, the damage reversing as if it had never existed.

The audience reacted audibly.

"That regeneration…"

"That's the Blood Flood Pill…"

"Incredible speed..."

This was one of the defining traits of the sect.

They did not fall easily.

They did not break.

Pain meant little to them.

Loss meant even less.

As long as they had the means…

They could rise again.

Meng Ji flexed his newly formed arm, his breathing stabilizing as his strength returned. Then, his gaze snapped back toward Han Yu.

His expression twisted.

Hatred.

Rage.

Desperation.

"I'll kill you!" he roared, his voice hoarse yet filled with venom. "I'll tear you apart and eat your heart!"

The words echoed across the arena.

Han Yu did not respond.

Not a single word.

He did not even acknowledge the threat.

Instead…

He moved.

SHING

His halberd swept outward in a clean, controlled arc. The black ice coating its blade surged forward, forming a crescent wave of abyssal frost that cut through the air with terrifying precision.

The attack was silent.

But deadly.

Meng Ji reacted instantly.

He could not afford to take that strike head-on again.

His Blood Qi exploded outward, forming a spiraling defensive structure in front of him.

"Slaughter Mince Spiral!"

The rotating mass of energy twisted violently, grinding against the incoming wave of black ice. The two forces collided, the clash producing a grinding sound that reverberated through the arena.

For a moment…

They held.

Then, Meng Ji pushed.

With a roar, he forced the spiral outward, redirecting the arc of ice just enough to send it crashing into the ground beside him. The impact split the arena floor, leaving behind a trail of black frost that continued to spread slowly.

Meng Ji landed heavily, his breathing rough.

Han Yu did not stop.

Now that the Freezing Abyss Glacial Art had been revealed…

He no longer held back.

The battlefield changed.

Completely.

Han Yu advanced, each step leaving behind creeping layers of black ice. His halberd moved fluidly, each strike carrying the weight of abyssal frost.

He slashed.

A vertical strike descended.

Meng Ji dodged.

He thrust.

A spear of black ice formed mid-motion, shooting forward.

Meng Ji deflected.

He spun.

A circular wave of frost expanded outward, forcing Meng Ji to retreat.

Each technique was new.

Unknown.

Unfamiliar.

The audience watched in stunned silence.

"What are these techniques…?"

"I've never seen anything like this…"

"That's not any known Kidney Peak art…"

Even the elders leaned forward, their expressions shifting from curiosity to focused interest. Several of them began recording the techniques, their senses capturing every detail.

"This is… a complete system…"

"A lost legacy…"

One of them murmured, their voice barely audible.

They turned toward the First Kidney Peak Head.

Bing Yansu.

He stood still.

Silent.

Then, slowly…

He nodded.

A single, heavy nod.

Confirmation.

The realization spread among the elders like a ripple.

This was not a variation.

Not an evolution.

This was something older.

Something lost.

Something…

Reclaimed.

Bing Yansu's gaze shifted briefly toward his junior brother.

The Second Kidney Peak Head.

Who sat with a faint, unmistakable smirk.

That expression alone was enough.

Bing Yansu's frown deepened.

But he said nothing.

Below, the battle intensified.

Meng Ji fought fiercely, his experience and strength evident in every movement. He adapted quickly, learning to avoid direct clashes with the abyssal frost, relying on mobility and bursts of Blood Qi to counterattack.

He struck with precision.

With power.

His techniques were refined, his control sharp.

Han Yu acknowledged it.

Silently.

Meng Ji was not weak.

He had earned his position.

Even now, under these conditions, he remained a formidable opponent.

But…

It was not enough.

Minutes passed.

The difference became clear.

Meng Ji was sustaining.

Han Yu was dominating.

Each exchange left Meng Ji with new injuries, which he healed with his pills and techniques. But the cost was accumulating. His reserves were being drained. His movements were growing heavier.

And Han Yu…

Showed no sign of slowing.

No sign of fatigue.

That realization broke something within Meng Ji.

Desperation took over.

"I'll kill you… no matter what…" he growled, his voice trembling with fury.

Then…

He reached into his storage again.

And pulled out…

A large dark sealed gourd.

The moment it appeared…

A scent spread.

Thick.

Heavy.

And most of all vile.

It filled the arena almost instantly.

Some disciples recoiled.

Others froze.

Then, one voice shouted.

"That's… Fury Jiangshi blood!"

The reaction was immediate.

Shock.

Disbelief.

"Fury Jiangshi…?!"

"He's insane!"

"That's a last resort!"

Even Han Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew of it.

Fury Jiangshi.