Hu Lei's Purple-Light Black Thunder Divine Whip kept yanking, yet it couldn't budge an inch. He already understood in his heart — he had met a truly formidable opponent.
However, Hu Lei was not afraid. He was a battle-hungry person by nature, and the stronger the opponent, the fiercer his combat power became.
Moreover, on this island, all the participants in the trial were young-generation cultivators. Hu Lei had always had a good opinion of himself, believing that among the younger generation, he was absolutely a top-tier existence.
Even though the Eternal Sacred Land had produced a monster like Jiang Chen, Hu Lei didn't feel much pressure at all. He had carefully analyzed Jiang Chen's battle for fame.
Like many others, he admitted that Jiang Chen was a remarkable genius and acknowledged that Jiang Chen had accomplished many great deeds.
However, he also felt that the reason Jiang Chen had been able to achieve those things was entirely due to that Vermilion Bird divine beast. Without that Vermilion Bird, Jiang Chen would never have been able to accomplish those feats.
To put it bluntly, many people only acknowledged Jiang Chen's luck, only acknowledged Jiang Chen's strategy and wisdom, but when it came to Jiang Chen's personal strength, everyone still inferred it from his battle against Xiahou Zong.
In the battle against Xiahou Zong, Jiang Chen had won, but he was clearly only a notch above Xiahou Zong. And the top geniuses of the Ten Great Sacred Lands — people like Hu Lei — believed they could also overpower Xiahou Zong. Moreover, they felt that Jiang Chen had only been in the Eternal Sacred Land for a relatively short time, so even if he had obtained some inheritance, his foundation was surely mediocre.
This time, at the Grand Genius Tournament, these top-tier geniuses had all come bearing their respective sects' supreme inheritances. Therefore, they believed that if they faced Jiang Chen head-on, they might very well have a chance to beat him.
For precisely this reason, Hu Lei was eager to fight Jiang Chen. If he could trample Jiang Chen underfoot in this battle, wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity for him, Hu Lei, to make a name for himself?
There were actually several others who shared Hu Lei's thinking.
So, although Hu Lei was surprised at this moment, he was not flustered. He guessed that Jiang Chen must have arrived. Otherwise, there was no reason for Gan Ning to be so overjoyed.
Hu Lei let out a cold laugh and flung the Purple-Light Black Thunder Divine Whip with all his might. The surface of the whip once again bristled with what looked like countless serrated teeth, and it began to cut on its own.
The binding force of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus was still extraordinarily powerful. Even after being sawed through, it possessed tremendous regenerative ability.
However, the terrifying nature of the Purple-Light Black Thunder Divine Whip was now fully revealed. After the serrated teeth sawed through the vines of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus, streams of dark energy seeped from the whip's surface and continuously poured into the severed ends of the vines.
In this way, the regenerative function of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus was temporarily completely suppressed.
As the Ice Fire Demon Lotus was continually sawed apart, the Purple-Light Black Thunder Divine Whip's bindings grew fewer and fewer.
Hu Lei suddenly shifted his body and lunged for the Purple-Light Black Thunder Divine Whip, attempting to grab it back into his hand. Just then, a massive golden palm came hurtling toward him head-on like a lateral volcanic eruption, its momentum overwhelming.
Hu Lei was greatly alarmed. If that golden palm struck his body directly, even with an iron frame and steel bones, he would certainly suffer severe injuries.
He hastily dodged, transforming his body into a streak of purple light, and tried to evade.
However, just as he shot skyward, a golden mountain descended from above, crushing down upon him once more.
This caught Hu Lei off guard again — he hadn't expected the attacks to come in such relentless succession.
Feeling the terrifying downward pressure of the golden mountain, he felt his entire body grow heavy with oppression. He quickly flipped sideways and darted off at an angle.
But when he looked back toward the Purple-Light Black Thunder Divine Whip, it had already become a translucent shadow, pinned down by some mysterious force on the far side, emitting waves of mournful wails.
The Purple-Light Black Thunder Divine Whip — in such a short span of time — had actually been subdued.
Hu Lei was utterly shocked. From a distance, he stared toward the other side and saw a young face standing far away, looking at him with a half-smile.