A single punch landed, and Huangfu Jiangyao was sent hurtling backward.
"Courting death."
But while still midair, he steadied himself. The void exploded as Huangfu Jiangyao shot back toward Yuwen Yanri.
Moreover, his entire body was wrapped in lightning — he had unleashed a martial skill.
It was a martial skill that augmented his combat power.
He probably wanted to prove himself, so rather than launching a ranged attack, he chose to close the distance and reclaim his pride through close combat.
But soon, Huangfu Jiangyao regretted it. Even with lightning coiling around him and his combat power boosted, Yuwen Yanri showed no inclination whatsoever to dodge his onslaught. Instead, he chose to meet it head-on.
Yuwen Yanri had stopped targeting Huangfu Jiangyao's weak points entirely.
Whenever Huangfu Jiangyao threw a punch, he threw a punch. Whenever Huangfu Jiangyao kicked, he kicked.
Fist against fist. Foot against foot.
The battle quickly devolved into a stalemate.
This outcome surprised Long Chengyu, Qin Xuan, and even Ling Xiao and the others.
"This guy's got something to him," Long Chengyu muttered.
A flash of surprise also appeared in Feng Ling's beautiful eyes. She had agreed to fight on Yuwen Yanri's behalf purely as a favor to Chu Feng and hadn't held any real expectations for him — yet she hadn't anticipated that Yuwen Yanri would be this strong.
"Yuwen Yanri is actually this powerful?"
"He can fight Huangfu Jiangyao to a standstill?" Long Chengyu's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open.
"It's not a standstill — Yuwen Yanri hasn't even gotten serious yet," Chu Feng said.
"He hasn't gotten serious?"
Both Long Chengyu and Qin Xuan turned to look at Chu Feng.
"Huangfu Jiangyao has already unleashed his martial skill, but Yuwen Yanri's aura hasn't changed in the slightest compared to before," Chu Feng explained.
"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case."
"So he... wasn't using his full strength at all. He's been toying with Huangfu Jiangyao."
Upon hearing Chu Feng's words, Long Chengyu, Qin Xuan, and the others observed more carefully — and sure enough, it was exactly as Chu Feng had said.
This gave them an entirely new perspective on Yuwen Yanri.
"Huangfu Jiangyao, don't tell me you can't even beat him?" Huangfu Shengyu's expression turned ugly.
The moment Huangfu Shengyu spoke, Huangfu Jiangyao's aura surged instantly. Thunder runes, a thunder armor, and thunder wings manifested all at once.
His aura shot from the sixth rank of Half God all the way up to the ninth rank.
Yet almost the instant Huangfu Jiangyao raised his aura, Yuwen Yanri's aura climbed in tandem — also rising from the sixth rank of Half God to the ninth rank.
And after a brief exchange, they clashed with another punch. This time, Huangfu Jiangyao couldn't withstand the impact and was forced back several steps through the air.
His fist felt numb. Looking down, he saw fresh blood seeping from it. Huangfu Jiangyao immediately gritted his teeth in fury.
"Damn it!"
He cursed, then reached behind him and removed the box from his back, drawing out a divine weapon crackling with lightning.
At the same moment Huangfu Jiangyao produced his weapon, Yuwen Yanri flicked his wrist. A bracelet slipped free from his arm and floated before him.
The bracelet was gold. The instant it left his palm, it began to transform — not only expanding to a diameter of one meter as it hovered before him, but changing its very shape as well.
The center was hollow, and the outer ring took on a flame-like form — though these were merely shaped like flames, not actual fire. Complex runic patterns were etched across its surface.
It looked like a blazing sun.
It, too, was a divine weapon.