Chapter 266 : Difference in Struggle

Chapter 266: Difference in Struggle

"Very well, let me see your limits!"

With a swipe of his fingertip through the air, Chen Beiwu unleashed his essence, energy, and spirit in full, manifesting the Landscape Diagram of Heaven-Reaching Tree, All-Encompassing River, Ascending Profundity, and Five Elements Unified Dragon Transformation, which slowly unfurled before him.

The Dueling Contention within the Contention Realm was different from dueling in the real world.

If he were to push the Bestowed Beginning of the Scene to its limit in the real world, Chen Beiwu wasn’t certain if Golden Egg, with his terrifyingly strong physical body, could withstand the amplification from the Companion Beast Landscape without sustaining severe injuries—or even facing death.

But he himself would undoubtedly be the first to collapse into unconsciousness due to exhaustion of essence, spirit, and divine sense.

However, there was no such concern in the Contention Realm.

Even death was not the end—once he exited the Contention Realm, Chen Beiwu would be alive and well again. At most, he might suffer minor injuries and require some recovery time.

Boom!

The moment the landscape emerged, the sealed spiritual energy within the Lava Prison began to stir violently, casting forth various vision-like manifestations.

A Heaven-reaching Divine Tree burst forth from the ground, its branches coiling like azure dragons, piercing the clouds and connecting to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Realms, its leaves supporting mountains and rivers, suppressing earth veins.

A Milky Way descended from the Ninth Heaven, merging with the tree, revealing a pair of golden dragon eyes that flickered in and out of view.

Under that draconic gaze, a plump Golden Scale leapt upward repeatedly, trying to swim against the current of the Milky Way, attempting to pass through the Five Elements Mountain surrounded by five-colored spiritual light, and ascend into the heavenly realm.

"Heaven-reaching Tree connects the heavens, myriad rivers converge."

"Five Elements transform into dragon, all phenomena return to truth!"

These seemingly slow manifestations of the Bestowed Beginning of the Scene actually occurred in an instant.

Chen Beiwu clapped his hands together, and all visions collapsed at once.

Heaven-reaching Tree as bones, Heavenly River as meridians, Five Elements as scales, One Qi as claws, True Intention as soul.

Roar!

The moment the Landscape Diagram of Heaven-Reaching Tree, All-Encompassing River, Ascending Profundity, and Five Elements Unified Dragon Transformation fused into his body, Golden Egg's golden scales bristled upright, emitting a metallic clanging resonance. His form gradually elongated and stretched, condensing into a coiled draconic body.

Along the draconic spine, twenty-four vertebrae lit up sequentially from tail to neck, corresponding to the Five Elements’ rotation through the heavenly cycle.

Next, Golden Egg’s head split apart with tearing flesh and blood, and a golden dragon horn pierced outward.

His abdomen burst open with four bloody holes, from which newly formed five-toed dragon claws emerged, streaked with blood, completing the final metamorphosis of leaping through the dragon gate.

In a flash, all visions vanished, and what entered Chen Beiwu’s sight was a majestic golden flood dragon coiling through the sky, riding clouds and mist, its overwhelming might shaking the heavens and earth—radiating the terrifying aura of a Third-Realm Beast General.

Roar.

Sensing the boundless power surging within him, Golden Egg lashed out with his tail, shattering the Lava Prison. Lifting his head, he stared at the Flintrock Coiled Dragon, a trace of unease rising in his heart.

The latter stood upon the molten earth, and with a flash of its figure, its magma-laced claws struck directly toward Golden Egg's neck.

Boom!

The shockwave from their violent clash spread outward from their battle, scattering waves of molten rock. Droplets of searing lava dripped down along Golden Egg’s gilded dragon scales.

‘He held out!’ Chen Beiwu let out a sigh of relief.

As a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast, the Flintrock Coiled Dragon’s body coursed with not ordinary lava, but lava-heart fire born from the deepest reaches of the earth’s lungs.

Its color was “Dark Crimson”, capable of instantly vaporizing gold and iron and melting magical artifacts.

More outrageous still, the Earth-Core Lava was linked to the Earth’s Lung, regenerating endlessly. It could defile a cultivator’s dharma body and ignite on contact with mana.

The Daoist Canon – Crimson Flame Chapter records: “Earth-Core Lava, imperishable through tribulations, melts even immortal metals, and burns the Purple Mansion Nascent Soul.”

Of course, the Flintrock Coiled Dragon before him was still in its growth phase, not yet at the peak of its bloodline. The lava flowing through its body was but the prototype of a prototype—far from the tyrannical might recorded in the ancient texts.

Even so, its unleashed power could still melt a Golden Core True Person’s mana. While Golden Egg’s Gilded Body had withstood the first strike, there was no guarantee it could survive a second.

Roar!

Fortunately, Golden Egg didn’t merely endure the attack—his sweeping tail, cutting through the terrifying lava, pierced straight into the heart of the Flintrock Coiled Dragon.

Sizzle!

But in the very next instant, magma writhed around the dragon’s heart, gushing forth and visibly creeping up Golden Egg’s tail, trying to engulf his entire body like an erupting volcano.

‘Damn Magma-Core Mystic Body!’ Chen Beiwu’s eyes narrowed as he endured the splitting headache and pushed his divine sense to its limit.

The terror of Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts lay in their partial inheritance of the undying and immortal traits from their Fourth-Realm Beast King parents.

Unless he could locate the Flintrock Coiled Dragon’s magma core, all of Golden Egg’s spell attacks would simply disperse into lava, failing to cause any real harm.

However, Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts possessed inherently powerful divine senses that were perfectly aligned with their physical bodies. Even with divine sense comparable to a Late-Stage Golden Core cultivator, Chen Beiwu couldn’t pinpoint the magma core in a short time.

‘Innate Dao Body is truly enviable—it alone can directly earn the recognition of a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast.’

As he drew his bowstring taut, a fleeting thought slipped through Chen Beiwu’s mind.

Comparison only leads to frustration.

Despite possessing the Nine-Breath Chaos Supreme Treasure, Chen Beiwu couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy toward the legitimate heirs of Dao Venerable Immortal Families.

Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts were arrogant and unyielding— even Nascent Soul True Monarchs struggled to tame them.

Their juveniles were slightly easier to contract, but still far beyond the reach of Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment prodigies.

After all, these young beasts had grown up at the side of their parents, witnessing all manner of marvels and beings.

Even the Golden Core elites of the Thirteen Immortal Sects often failed to earn their recognition—let alone the so-called geniuses of the Immortal Alliance’s Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment circles.

In the eyes of some Heavenly-Gang Beast Cubs, those in Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment were mere ants—unworthy even of notice, let alone acknowledgment.

Only those with the Innate Dao Body could earn their true regard, for behind such physiques stood at least a Void-Refining Dao Venerable.

In the face of such entities, not even Fortune-Origin Beasts had the right to be proud—much less Heavenly-Gang Beasts.

Precisely because Chen Beiwu had studied widely and deeply understood the pride rooted in the hearts of these beasts, he hadn’t immediately used the Yuqing Token.

If taming a Heavenly-Gang Beast were so easy, he would’ve long ventured into the depths of the Yuqing Mountains to find a Five Qi Vine for contracting, shoring up his shortcomings.

He wouldn’t have to keep visiting the archives, poring over texts related to Five Qi Vine, and concocting endless A-B-C-D plans for subduing Heavenly-Gang Beasts.

Buzz.

A faint glimmer shone from the Guarding-the-One Mirror in his spiritual platform, cleansing distractions and restoring clarity. Chen Beiwu regained composure, released his right hand, and fired the long-prepared Twelve Calamity Fiend Arrow, which once again transformed into a thread of death.

But this time, his target wasn’t Yu Zhaohua—it was the Flintrock Coiled Dragon that had clashed head-on with Golden Egg multiple times without suffering the slightest scratch.

In that instant, the pitch-black death thread split heaven and earth, cutting through the surging lava.

She formed a seal with two fingers pressed together, and a red mark lit up between Yu Zhaohua’s brows. Within three zhang around her, the spiritual energy twisted and billowed, transforming into countless sparks of fire that settled over the Flintrock Coiled Dragon, forming a semi-transparent glazed barrier—this was the Third-Tier fire-element Treasure Art, Crimson-Flame Glaze Barrier.

The Crimson-Flame Glaze Barrier had three main effects:

First, it could nullify a fatal strike from a Third-Tier spell in critical moments.

Second, when struck, it would automatically release glazed crimson flames to burn the attacker.

Third, it reduced the casting time required for the Flintrock Coiled Dragon’s spell techniques.

Boom!

The thread of death dispersed, and the glazed barrier shattered.

The clash between Chen Beiwu’s Twelve Calamity Fiend Arrow and Yu Zhaohua’s Treasure Art ended in a draw.

Yet the Flintrock Coiled Dragon grew impatient and unwilling to continue its entanglement with Golden Egg. Its molten-gold dragon eyes glowed, summoning the full might of heaven and earth within the Contention Realm.

‘Flintrock Sword!’

Sensing the terrifying pressure bursting forth from the dragon, Golden Egg, under Chen Beiwu’s mental command, retreated swiftly, meeting the dragon’s gaze from afar.

Even after its transformation through the Bestowed Beginning of the Scene, achieving a form close to a Third-Realm Flood Dragon, there was still a considerable gap between it and the Flintrock Coiled Dragon.

After all, Golden Egg had not truly nurtured an innate Immortal Gold Attribute, but only neared the Golden Core tier by leveraging the divine amplification of the Bestowed Beginning of the Scene, thus attaining the battle power of a Third-Realm Beast General.

In contrast, the Flintrock Coiled Dragon was without question a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast capable of battling across realms.

What came next was bound to be an earth-shattering strike using its Fourth-Tier Innate Mystic Ability.

The dragon raised a claw and stomped.

Boom!

The earth collapsed, and lava surged skyward for thousands of li, igniting the spiritual energy and unleashing a storm of falling fire. A ten-thousand-zhang-tall sword-shaped peak erupted from the ground.

Wherever the Lava Sword Edge passed, all matter was pierced and obliterated—even the golden flood dragon coiling in the sky was no exception.

Golden Egg’s body split apart, half dissipating into the world, while the other half turned into scorched rock, becoming part of the towering sword-shaped peak. Chen Beiwu slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with Yu Zhaohua and the dragon above.

In the next instant, the Flintrock Coiled Dragon’s body shuddered—and the world before it changed dramatically.

The domineering golden flood dragon still coiled through the heavens, but now a massive molten sword peak stood before it, piercing straight through its body.

‘The opponent can also use the Flintrock Sword? Could it be of the same species?’

‘No, that’s not it. This is the Flintrock Sword I released!’

The Contention Realm’s projected Flintrock Coiled Dragon, with its limited intelligence, took a brief pause before realizing—it had fallen for an illusion technique.

‘Can I win?’ Chen Beiwu stood atop Golden Egg’s head, eyes fixed on the Flintrock Coiled Dragon.

The Flintrock Sword was a Fourth-Tier Supreme Mystic Ability, ranked above Third-Tier Treasure Arts—an ability even Golden Core True Persons could not wield.

The Flintrock Coiled Dragon, though possessing a powerful bloodline, could only unleash a fraction of this ability's power once, relying on the latent strength of its Heavenly-Gang Beast bloodline.

If fortune favored him and the arrow struck the Magma Core, victory could be his—and so would his fifth consecutive win.

Roar.

Golden Egg instinctively sensed danger.

Having fully committed to executing the Third Realm of Mirror Flower, Water Moon—Manifested Illusion Wounds Without Form, its internal mana was nearly depleted.

Yet the Flintrock Coiled Dragon, despite taking the Flintrock Sword head-on, showed no sign of weakening. Its aura was, in fact, rising rapidly.

‘Three-Yang Armor Condensation!’

‘Molten Jade Bone Tempering!’

‘Flame-Domain Ignition!’

‘Nirvana Flame Illumination!’

“……”

Yu Zhaohua moved her slender fingers into a seal. In Chen Beiwu’s stunned gaze, she cast thirty-six distinct fire-element Treasure Arts in under two breaths, stacking them on the Flintrock Coiled Dragon, causing its aura to skyrocket, transforming it into a pure, devastating lava beast.

‘What the hell? It’s already absurd that the dragon survived a full Fourth-Tier Supreme Mystic Ability strike—how can a mere peak Foundation Establishment cultivator instantly cast thirty-six fire-element Treasure Arts with different effects? This is cheating!’ Chen Beiwu’s heart trembled.

Ridiculous. Compared to him, it was Yu Zhaohua, the Innate Dao Body holder, who felt more like the one cheating.

Contracting a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast was one thing—but being able to instantly cast Third-Tier Treasure Arts with seemingly infinite mana? That was another.

No wonder Senior Brother Jiang had said that Flawless Foundation Establishments were hardly a match for Innate Dao Bodies.

Fortunately, such monsters were rare, even among the Five Great Grotto-Heavens.

‘Golden Egg, let’s go all in—I want to see just how strong this Innate Dao Body really is!’

With the Twelve Yuanchen Fiend Bow in hand, Chen Beiwu charged with Golden Egg toward the sky-darkening Earth-Core Lava.

To push the Bestowed Beginning of the Scene to its utmost limit, both he and Golden Egg had reached their own, and could collapse at any moment from total essence, spirit, and energy depletion.

But under such circumstances—what was there to fear in a death battle?

…

Meanwhile, in another Contention Realm space—

【Challenger】: Shen Yuanbao

【Cultivation Level】: Mid Foundation Establishment

【Contention Realm Opponent】: Yuqing Immortal Sect Candidate No. 24523, Chen Beiwu, highest historical ranking: Third on the Rising Stars List (Mid Foundation Establishment)

Shen Yuanbao beamed as the projection of Chen Beiwu and his golden fish-dragon companion gradually materialized.

Excellent! Finally, a chance to regain his dignity.

In equal cultivation, Shen Yuanbao didn’t believe he would lose.

In his mind, his prior defeat was simply due to the gap in cultivation levels.

‘Bring it on!’

With a flash of lightning in his eyes, Shen Yuanbao’s Violet-Electric Thunder Leopard lunged straight for the golden fish-dragon.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Thunder and dragon clashed again and again. After dozens of exchanges, Shen Yuanbao strategically retreated, preparing to unleash his ultimate spell tailored specifically against Chen Beiwu.

At that moment, his divine sense wavered—and a golden dragon tail suddenly pierced through his dantian and qi sea.

‘Impossible—I won’t lose to the same opponent twice!’

This bitter thought flickered through Shen Yuanbao’s mind just as his divine sense was ejected from the Contention Realm, but it could not change the outcome of another crushing defeat.

This time, he had failed so miserably that Chen Beiwu’s projection didn’t even need to use the Bestowed Beginning of the Scene.

…

At another Contention Realm arena—

Yu Zhaohua, after easily claiming four consecutive victories, also encountered Chen Beiwu’s projection.

‘Interesting. So Chen Beiwu ranks above Gu Xiao.’ She was slightly surprised.

The Contention Realm rankings never lied.

If he had reached the fifth trial, it meant that according to the Realm’s assessment, Chen Beiwu was the most gifted cultivator of the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s past ten generations—second only to her Innate Dao Body.

He was, without doubt, the most talented among all without an innate body.

‘A pity.’

Yu Zhaohua did not rush into combat but instead carefully studied the projection of Chen Beiwu.

No matter how high a cultivator’s talent, they still required vast resources to cultivate and ascend the immortal path.

Born of the Dao Venerable Immortal Family Tianyuan Yu Clan, Yu Zhaohua understood the vast chasm that separated geniuses of humble origin from the powerful lineages of Dao Venerables.

It was no exaggeration—resources accessible to Dao Venerable Clans and True Venerable Lineages were beyond even the imagination of most Golden Core True Persons.

And yet Chen Beiwu, despite being born in a tiny county under the Fallen Dragon Prefecture, had managed to surpass many noble-born geniuses, becoming one of the brightest stars of the Yuqing Immortal Sect.

It was a testament to his extraordinary comprehension and aptitude.

Had he been born into a Dao Venerable Immortal Family like hers, enjoying the full weight of resource support, perhaps even her Innate Dao Body wouldn’t be enough to suppress him.

But there were no “ifs” in this world. Lineage and physique were part of a cultivator’s strength.

At least for now, Yu Zhaohua did not believe she would lose to Chen Beiwu.

Of course, if he were willing to set aside his pride and follow the example of many Immortal Alliance seniors from humble backgrounds—marrying into a Dao Venerable Clan, becoming one of them—perhaps then he would have a future that could rival her own.

Under the resource blessings of the Immortal Alliance, he could one day forge a First-Grade Golden Core, attain the seat of True Monarch, and step into the realm of Divine Transformation True Venerables.