It had to be said that Xiahou Zong's reaction was rather slow. For the longest time, the title of "number-one genius" had instilled in him a natural, effortless sense of superiority whenever he faced younger opponents.
In ordinary circumstances, that sense of superiority served him well—it helped him project confidence.
But when that superiority became a negative force, the consequences could be fatal.
By the time Xiahou Zong finally realized what was happening, it was already too late. The four Great Demon Gods had been firmly pinned down by the four Battle Puppets.
Meanwhile, more and more Yuan Magnet Spirit Soldiers and Gold-Edda Demons poured into the fray with near-frenzied momentum, further entangling the four Great Demon Gods.
The Great Demon Gods were formidable, yes, but they could not withstand this kind of situation.
The Yuan Magnet Storm was inherently powerful at pinning targets down. Under normal conditions, these Yuan Magnet Spirit Soldiers and Gold-Edda Demons would not have survived even a few volleys from the four Great Demon Gods.
And even the four Bewildering Battle Puppets would have struggled to keep the Great Demon Gods pinned in place. Perhaps it would have taken the four Great Demon Gods a bit more time to destroy those puppets—or they might not have been able to destroy them completely. But as for retreating freely, that would have posed absolutely no problem.
However, the current situation was anything but a normal environment.
The Yuan Magnet Storm was growing more frenzied by the moment, and the Gold-Edda Demons and Yuan Magnet Spirit Soldiers kept increasing in number. Under these circumstances, the chances of breaking through were virtually nonexistent.
All of this, in truth, had been part of Jiang Chen's calculations.
Without the four Great Demon Gods to contend with, Xiahou Zong was now a tiger stripped of its claws and fangs. This was the perfect opportunity for Jiang Chen to strike him down.
"Xiahou Zong. Face your end."
In an instant, countless copies of Jiang Chen's figure drifted upward into the sky across the void, each one drawing back the bowstring and taking aim at Xiahou Zong.
Xiahou Zong's eyes were bloodshot as he roared: "Kid—playing your ghost tricks? You think I'm afraid of you? Come at me if you've got the guts!" His voice was raw and ragged from the screaming.
Clearly, with death looming, the violent fury that had been building in Xiahou Zong's chest had finally erupted.
Jiang Chen regarded Xiahou Zong with a gaze full of pity as his hand seals once again shifted. New waves of Gold-Edda Demons and Yuan Magnet Spirit Soldiers drilled their way out of the Yuan Magnet Storm one after another, all surging toward Xiahou Zong.
Xiahou Zong was weakened, but he was not so far gone that he could not handle a few Gold-Edda Demons.
The problem was that the Gold-Edda Demons and Yuan Magnet Spirit Soldiers feared neither pain nor death, and they came in endless waves. Enough ants, after all, could take down even an elephant.
Wave after wave of Yuan Magnet Spirit Soldiers and Gold-Edda Demons lunged at Xiahou Zong without pause. No matter how powerful his Divine Ability might be, he could not endure this relentless, wolf-like assault.
Though he had not yet collapsed, he was thrown into utter disarray.
Jiang Chen's Evil Golden Eye locked on tight, and his spiritual sense surged.
"Now—now!"
The True Dragon bloodline's primordial dragon energy drove the Holy Dragon Bow. In that moment, the sound of dragon roars filled the entire formation, crashing like mountains collapsing and tsunamis roaring—a spectacle of terrifying grandeur.
On and around the arena, every single person's face drained of color.
Had the time finally come to decide the victor?
Marquis Xiaoyao shot to his feet, his expression dramatically shifting.
The Grand Priest narrowed his eyes slightly, and a thread of spiritual sense shot toward Marquis Xiaoyao. Clearly, if Marquis Xiaoyao attempted to interfere with the arena, the Grand Priest would not hesitate to act.
At that moment, the Grand Priest's overwhelming pressure flooded outward, blanketing the entire venue and pressing down on every person present.
"Marquis Xiaoyao, the arena is where geniuses clash. Us old folk would do well to keep our composure."
Though the Grand Priest's words were ostensibly directed at Marquis Xiaoyao, they were in truth a warning to everyone: no tricks, no interference with the arena.
Otherwise, in her capacity as Holy Sovereign, she would absolutely not stand by and watch.
Even Xiahou Ying, dense as she was, could see that her brother was in mortal danger.
"Patriarch—Elder Zhen—what do we do? What do we do?" Xiahou Ying was panicking. He was her own flesh and blood, after all—the shelter she had always relied upon. If something happened to her brother, Xiahou Ying could barely imagine the consequences. Her lofty standing within the clan, all those people who fawned over her—it was all built upon Xiahou Zong's position.
If Xiahou Zong fell, she—Xiahou Ying—would be nothing!
Yan Qingsang's eyes were wide as saucers, fixed on the arena as he shouted with a ferocious expression: "Brother, take him down! Take him down! Little Huang'er suffered years of humiliation—it's about time someone paid him back for all of it!"
Yan Qingsang, too, had swallowed his fair share of grievance over the years.
In this moment, his emotions ran hotter than anyone's.
Over on the Yan family's side, watching Yan Qingsang pump his fist in the air, the others wore expressions of deep, quiet dejection. This Shao Yuan—once upon a time, he had been one of their own.
And now, in barely a year or two, he was on the Genius Sword Debate stage, beating Xiahou Zong senseless.
The legend of Xiahou Zong was about to shatter.
The Yan patriarch's face was heavy with loss. A sense of defeat unlike anything he had ever known washed over him, and a regret he could not put into words suddenly took root.
It seemed that his choice had truly been wrong.
Perhaps this genius called Shao Yuan really was the one who would alter the balance of power in the Eternal Divine Kingdom? Perhaps the future of the Divine Kingdom would be fundamentally transformed by the appearance of this single genius?
But no matter what—the Yan family had let him slip through their fingers.