The Fury Jiangshi was a failed creation.

A mutation.

An uncontrollable entity born from corrupted Blood Jiangshi.

Its blood…

Was power.

But at a cost.

A heavy one.

Meng Ji did not hesitate.

He tore open the gourd.

And drank.

All of it.

The effect was instant.

Violent.

His body convulsed.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

His flesh twisted unnaturally, muscles bulging and shifting beneath his skin. Tumors began to form, swelling rapidly across his limbs and torso.

He screamed.

Not jjust in pain, but in transformation.

His body expanded.

Growing.

Stretching.

Until he stood over five meters tall.

Two additional arms burst from his sides, tearing through flesh before stabilizing. His skin hardened, covered in jagged, bony protrusions that jutted outward like spikes.

Blood-red fur spread across his body, thick and coarse.

His face…

Changed.

His jaw extended, splitting open to reveal rows upon rows of sharp, uneven fangs. His eyes glowed like twin bloody moons, radiating madness and fury.

His voice…

Was no longer human.

"GRAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

A guttural roar erupted from his throat, shaking the arena as his aura exploded outward, far surpassing its previous limits.

The ground cracked beneath his feet.

The air trembled.

The audience fell silent.

Then erupted.

"He… transformed…!"

"That power… it's insane!"

"He's gone mad!"

Even the elders' expressions shifted.

This…

Was no longer a standard duel.

This was something else entirely.

Meng Ji's massive form leaned forward.

His gaze locked onto Han Yu.

And then…

He charged.

CRACK CRACK CRACK

The ground shattered beneath each step as he closed the distance in an instant, his massive arms raised, claws gleaming, his entire being consumed by a single intent.

Kill.

Han Yu stood still.

Unmoving.

The abyssal frost spread further beneath his feet.

And for the first time since the transformation…

His eyes sharpened.

The real battle had begun.

Meng Ji's transformation changed everything.

The moment his massive, twisted body lunged forward, the entire rhythm of the battle shifted. What had once been a contest of technique and control became something far more brutal.

Raw force.

Unrestrained violence.

CLANG CLANG CLANG

Han Yu raised his halberd just as Meng Ji's clawed arm came crashing down. The impact thundered across the arena, the sheer weight behind the strike forcing Han Yu's feet to slide backward across the frost-covered ground.

KACHA

Stone cracked beneath him.

The black ice shattered in places.

For the first time…

He was pushed back.

The audience gasped.

"He's… being forced back?"

"That monster… what kind of strength is that?"

Meng Ji did not stop.

His additional arms moved in a relentless barrage, each strike carrying overwhelming Blood Qi that surged like a tidal wave. His claws tore through the air, ripping apart anything in their path.

Han Yu blocked again.

And again.

Each collision sent shockwaves through his body, the vibrations traveling up his arms and into his core. The Abyssal Frost spread across Meng Ji's limbs with every contact, but it did not hold.

It cracked.

Shattered.

Overwhelmed.

The Blood Qi within Meng Ji's body had become something else entirely. It was no longer controlled or refined. It was wild. Explosive. Constantly erupting and destroying anything that attempted to suppress it.

The frost could not take hold.

Not against that sheer volume.

Han Yu narrowed his eyes.

'His strength…'

He reassessed quickly. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Before, Meng Ji had been at the Infant Soul Stage.

Now…

He had surpassed it.

Child Soul Stage.

And approaching the Adolescent Soul Stage.

A forced, unstable leap in power.

But power nonetheless.

"GRAAAHHHH!"

Meng Ji roared, his voice shaking the air as he slammed both of his upper arms downward. Han Yu pivoted, narrowly avoiding the strike as the ground beneath him exploded, sending debris flying in all directions.

BANG!

Han Yu retaliated.

His halberd swept upward, releasing a burst of abyssal frost that struck Meng Ji's torso. The black ice spread instantly, consuming a large portion of his chest.

For a moment…

It held.

Then Meng Ji roared again.

His Blood Qi surged.

The ice shattered.

Completely.

Han Yu stepped back.

This was no longer a battle he could control through technique alone.

He needed something more.

His gaze sharpened.

Soul Skills.

He raised a hand slightly.

Invisible.

Silent.

The Soul Needle formed and shot forward, piercing directly toward Meng Ji's consciousness.

For a fraction of a second…

It connected.

Then... It broke.

Shattered.

Dispersed instantly under the overwhelming pressure of Meng Ji's mutated state.

Han Yu's expression remained unchanged.

But internally…

He understood.

'Too strong.'

The gap, in this state, was too large for precise soul attacks to take effect. The raging Blood Qi within Meng Ji acted like a storm, disrupting any attempt at subtle interference.

Han Yu exhaled slowly.

There was no more room for restraint.

He spoke.

Calm.

Clear.

"You are not the only one with a trump card."

The words echoed.

Meng Ji roared in response, charging again.

But before he could reach him…

Everything changed.

HUALA

A wave of energy erupted from Han Yu.

It was not violent.

But it was vast.

Oppressive.

It spread outward instantly, pressing down upon the entire arena, silencing the noise, stilling the air.

Then…

The sky responded.

Darkness gathered.

Clouds formed rapidly above, swirling into existence as if drawn by an unseen force. Within seconds, the clear sky was gone, replaced by a mass of churning black clouds.

RUMBLE

Lightning flickered within them.

Dancing.

Growing.

The elders reacted instantly.

Their expressions changed.

Recognition.

Shock.

"Heavenly Tribulation…"

Voices spread through the audience.

"He's breaking through?!"

"Now?!"

"This is madness!" The disciples shouted.

"Even for our standards!" Another disciple added.

The scale…

Was enormous.

The clouds continued to expand, covering nearly half the sect, their presence casting a shadow over everything below.

Orders rang out immediately.

"Activate the barriers!"

"Deploy the Tribulation Defense Array!"

HONG HONG HONG

Multiple formations lit up across the sect, layers of protection rising to shield the surroundings. The defensive arrays hummed with power, reinforcing the arena and isolating the tribulation's impact.

But there was a problem.

This was not a prepared breakthrough.