After Chu Shaohong uttered those words, the atmosphere in the grand hall shifted dramatically.
Even Gongsun Mian hadn’t expected that the two would suddenly clash head-on. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Yan burst into loud laughter, slammed his wine cup to the floor with a "smack," and shouted, "Chu Shaohong, out of respect for Brother Gongsun, I won’t make things difficult for you. Get out on your own!"
Chu Shaohong was enraged upon hearing this. He kicked over the table in front of him, abruptly stood up, and pointed at Zhang Yan as he cursed, "Li Yuanba, don’t be so arrogant! Do you think Chu Shaohong is someone you can bully? Do you dare to come down here and face me in a duel?"
Seeing his furious demeanor, so impatient to act, Zhang Yan glanced at him a few times before suddenly bursting into uproarious laughter.
Chu Shaohong, for some reason, felt a twinge of unease in his heart at the sound of Zhang Yan’s laughter. He shouted again in a harsh voice, "What are you laughing at? Could it be that you’re too afraid to accept my challenge?"
Zhang Yan locked his gaze on Chu Shaohong’s eyes, smiled faintly, and said, "Chu Shaohong, if you can survive three of my strikes, I’ll let you walk away today!"
Though his tone was calm, his words carried an overwhelming murderous intent, like sudden frost chilling one to the core. When Chu Shaohong met Zhang Yan’s blade-like stare, he felt as if a ferocious beast had locked onto him. His hair stood on end, and his muscles tensed instinctively.
The other four in the hall sensed that something was amiss and were just about to step in to mediate. However, at that moment, Zhang Yan let out a thunderous shout, straightened his body, and took a step forward.
As his foot struck the ground, the blue tiles beneath him cracked, and the entire grand hall trembled. Concurrently, he lifted his hand, and with a loud "rip," his aggressive movement tore his sleeve apart. Raising his palm, he struck directly at Chu Shaohong’s head. Even before his palm descended, the force of the Qi Wave it generated had already pressed down, nearly stifling the air.
Although Chu Shaohong had never fought against a Power Dao Practitioner before, he knew better than to let one get close. However, having initiated the provocation himself, and with the others in the hall watching, how could he show signs of retreat?
He had come prepared, and as Zhang Yan’s palm was about to strike, a pristine Jade Pearl appeared in his hand. Holding the pearl steady, he chanted a True Technique under his breath. In an instant, a dome-like golden light emerged from the pearl, spinning and shielding him entirely.
With that treasure activated, Chu Shaohong’s courage swelled. Yet earlier, when Zhang Yan had stepped forward, the sheer force of his presence had been terrifying, to the point where Chu Shaohong almost couldn’t resist fleeing for his life in tunneling light.
By then, Zhang Yan had already closed in. His palm struck down, landing squarely on the golden light.
A loud "clang" resonated like the strike of a copper bell, producing an earsplitting sound. The other four in the hall felt a wave of nausea and tightness in their chests. Under that strike, the golden light quivered violently, showing faint signs of collapse.
Chu Shaohong was startled. Overwhelmed by Zhang Yan’s imposing presence, the thought of counterattacking didn’t even cross his mind. Hastily, he chanted another spell, pouring all his effort into stabilizing the golden light barrier.
The treasure, called "Kun Stabilizer," was a Protective Treasure. Seven pearls had been forged from the same batch. If all seven were together, their power would be boundless. However, Chu Shaohong only possessed one. Typically, even powerful Dharma Treasures couldn’t harm him when he relied on this pearl. He had never experienced failure before. Yet with Zhang Yan’s first strike, he had almost lost it completely.
He was genuinely shaken. This was Zhang Yan fighting barehanded. If Zhang Yan used a Divine Weapon, would Chu Shaohong even have the chance to survive?
Realizing this, Chu Shaohong summoned all the Mana in his body, causing the golden barrier around him to glow even more brilliantly than before.
Zhang Yan’s face remained impassive. He extracted a sliver of Essence from the Golden Core within his abdomen. With a "crack," his palm appeared to swell, inflating as if it had been filled with air, and he struck at the golden glow once more!
As his palm collided with the golden light, a deafening "boom" reverberated. Dust rained down from above, the hall’s columns quaked, and the beams groaned as if on the verge of collapsing. The Kun Stabilizer in Chu Shaohong’s hand shattered on impact, causing blood to spurt from his mouth and nose as he staggered backward in a daze.
With the golden barrier dissipated, he felt as vulnerable as standing naked in an icy wilderness. Seeing Zhang Yan take a step forward, raising his palm for another strike, Chu Shaohong was utterly horrified.
By then, Chu Shaohong knew that blocking such an unstoppable force was futile. In desperation, a flash of Xuan Guang erupted from the crown of his head. With a feral scream, his bloodshot eyes fixated on Zhang Yan, and he threw himself toward him, trying to force Zhang Yan to halt his attack in self-preservation.