The more Wang Kui behaved this way, the more amused Jiang Chen became. There was no doubt about it — the more Wang Kui postured, the more convinced Jiang Chen that this man was all bark and no bite.
A truly powerful expert with inner strength had no need to intimidate opponents through such theatrics.
A real powerhouse displayed their might on the fighting stage. That was what true dominance looked like.
Flexing and swaggering off the stage was nothing but cheap tricks. It was hardly enough to scare anyone. Every person who had made it into the final sixty-four would have been intimidated by mere looks?
Jiang Chen certainly wouldn't be. Neither would anyone else, most likely.
Jiang Chen's complete indifference, however, was interpreted by Wang Kui as cowardice. This only made Wang Kui more smug, utterly convinced that Jiang Chen didn't even have the courage to meet his gaze.
Jiang Chen ignored Wang Kui entirely, his mind perfectly calm as he watched the ongoing battle on the stage. This was a confrontation between Emperors, and the spectacle was nothing short of spectacular.
There was no denying it — the Emperor-tier geniuses of Dongyan Island, in terms of cultivation, combat power, and understanding of the martial path, truly were a step above their counterparts from the Human Domain.
"This Dongyan Island is a desperate place. Perhaps because those who survive here are constantly on the brink of life and death, their martial potential is stimulated more thoroughly?"
Jiang Chen felt that while a place like Dongyan Island was grim and hopeless, it did serve as a powerful catalyst for a warrior's potential.
In such harsh living conditions, who would dare slack off? And who even could?
Of course, at the end of the day, these were still Emperor-level confrontations. With limitations imposed on various aspects, the pure Emperor-versus-Emperor battles at this level didn't pose a particularly significant challenge for Jiang Chen.
After all, back when Jiang Chen had been only at the early stages of the Emperor realm, he had already fought against Emperors — and not just any Emperors, but top-tier ones.
Now that Jiang Chen himself had stepped into the Emperor realm, he was confident he could sweep through every Emperor-tier powerhouse in the Human Domain.
These Emperor-level duels on the stage, while somewhat dazzling in their caliber, were far below what Jiang Chen now considered his proper level. He was confident that his realm had already risen above cultivators of the same tier.
His gaze should be directed toward those in the Heavenly realm.
Emperor-tier opponents of the same level posed no threat to Jiang Chen. Even without employing heaven-defying treasures, even without summoning his contracted spirit beasts, he was confident he could handle such situations with ease.
One battle after another unfolded with fierce intensity. One-sided fights were rare — practically every match escalated into a heated, white-hot struggle.
It was evident that among the Emperor-tier geniuses who had earned their place in the final sixty-four, the gap in strength between them was no longer particularly wide.
Of course, there were the occasional overwhelming victories. Such scenes were simply few and far between.
And every time one occurred, the winning side was immediately branded as a top contender to break into the final eight.
Finally, it was Jiang Chen and Wang Kui's turn to take the stage.
Wang Kui could hardly contain himself. He strode onto the platform with sweeping, meteor-like steps, his divine presence towering, and glared down at Jiang Chen from atop the stage.
"Are you going to forfeit on your own, or will you come up and let me throw you off?" Wang Kui's tone already placed himself squarely in the winner's seat, his posture impossibly arrogant.
Jiang Chen let out a quiet laugh, his expression utterly placid as he leisurely strolled up to the stage.
Once on the platform, Jiang Chen met Wang Kui's eyes evenly and said flatly, "I don't know where you got all that confidence, but given your rudeness, I've decided to send you flying off this stage in the fastest way possible!"
As he spoke, a brilliant golden light abruptly shot from Jiang Chen's pupils.
The Evil Golden Eye, like an evil spirit's lightning bolt, lanced forward.
Through Jiang Chen's continuous refinement, the Evil Golden Eye had now reached a terrifying level of power. Against opponents of the same tier, virtually no one could withstand its overwhelming force.
Wang Kui, blinded by his own arrogance, hadn't been paying attention to Jiang Chen at all — he was simply gathering his strength for a killing blow.
The golden beam from the Evil Golden Eye struck in an instant. Wang Kui's entire body shuddered.
In the next moment, his fierce gaze went blank. His soul seemed to be seized by some unseen force, and he immediately became dazed and groggy.
"Get off!"
While the rules technically permitted killing on the stage, Jiang Chen didn't want to leave the impression of being cruel and bloodthirsty.
With that thought, he activated the Celestial Kun Flowing Light Escape. His body transformed into a streak of lightning, soaring forward like a radiant Kun Peng. A single beat of its wings, and he was already upon Wang Kui.
A palm seal struck, and an enormous spectral palm materialized, slamming into Wang Kui's chest.
Bang!
Wang Kui was frozen solid, utterly immobile, as if hit by a binding spell. The colossal palm shoved him, and his body hurtled off the stage like a kite with its string cut, tumbling helplessly through the air.
Bang!
A cloud of dust kicked up from the stage as Wang Kui's burly body made intimate contact with the ground in the most undignified fashion imaginable.
The moment he fell, Jiang Chen's gaze technique released its hold. Wang Kui's consciousness snapped back to freedom. A full-body shudder ran through him, and when his senses returned, he realized he was sprawled miserably below the stage, his body battered and dazed in every way possible.
"…I lost?"
Wang Kui stared blankly for a moment. He clearly hadn't recovered yet — how had it happened in the span of a single breath? He had only spaced out for an instant, and he'd already lost? And lost in such a bewildering manner? Lost so miserably?
Fury surged from the depths of Wang Kui's heart. An unprecedented wave of humiliation drove him to roar, "This isn't right — you used sorcery!"
Unable to find any other plausible explanation, Wang Kui decided that only sorcery could account for everything he'd just experienced.
"Reporting to the referee, sir — this man, he used sorcery!" Wang Kui refused to accept it. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became: if the other party hadn't resorted to sorcery, how could his mind have suddenly gone out of control? How could he have been so easily knocked off the stage?