Chapter 83: The Four Guardian Beasts' Chieftains

Both of their fists trembled, the layer of frost encrusting them shattering completely, and they each staggered back from the impact. There was a trace of blood on Gaislason’s fist, the dragon scales covering it had cracked and splintered. Yet the faint golden radiance on Qian Kun’s fist faded away, leaving not the slightest mark. Instead, with a wide grin, Qian Kun said, “As expected of the son of the Azure Dragon, the Lord God. Gaislason, your body is indeed formidable. To go head-to-head with me and suffer only a few shattered dragon scales is impressive.”

“What? He’s completely unscathed? Is his body even stronger than mine? How is that possible?” Gaislason stared at Qian Kun in disbelief.

The elders and high gods of the Azure Dragon clan who had been watching were visibly stunned as well. None of them had expected Qian Kun to stand toe-to-toe with their clan’s greatest, their patriarch Gaislason, without falling behind in the slightest. Until now, they had only thought Qian Kun formidable in soul power—never had they imagined his physical prowess would be equally terrifying.

“Haha... Gaislason, take another punch from me!” Qian Kun laughed heartily and, in a flash, appeared before Gaislason, driving his fist forward with devastating force. The space before his knuckles twisted and collapsed.

Gaislason dared not be careless. He clenched his fist solemnly, a new layer of ice forming over it as he met Qian Kun’s attack head-on.

With a deep, muffled boom, Gaislason was sent flying once again, shattering the ice on his fist, then the dragon scales, leaving his knuckles bloodied and raw.

“That strike... so powerful! Did he not even use his full strength before?” Gaislason could no longer remain composed.

Qian Kun, growing ever more exhilarated by the fight, pressed the attack, forcing Gaislason to abandon all pretense and draw upon his true might. Gritting his teeth, a pair of black gauntlets materialized over Gaislason’s fists.

This time, when their fists collided, it was Qian Kun who was sent flying, a streak of blood appearing on the back of his hand.

Glancing at the blood, Qian Kun raised his brows in surprise and looked at Gaislason’s gauntleted fists. “Gaislason, your divine-rank gauntlets are truly formidable. They’re not quite at the level of a sovereign artifact, but far surpass any high godly weapon.”

“What can I say? Your strength is too great. If I didn’t use my divine weapon, I wouldn’t dare face you head-on,” Gaislason replied with a wry, helpless smile.

“Heh, since you’ve brought out your divine weapon, I can finally unleash myself as well,” Qian Kun said with a laugh. Before Gaislason’s astonished eyes, Qian Kun’s entire body shimmered with golden light, an intangible aura making the very air around them tremble.

Gaislason’s expression changed slightly, but Qian Kun only flashed him a grin and, in a burst of golden light, charged forward.

Thunderous strikes rang out again and again as their fists clashed, the reverberations echoing across the sky, drawing an ever larger crowd. Each blow from Qian Kun and Gaislason easily tore the fabric of space, leaving the onlookers dumbstruck. Who among them could withstand such might?

The fierce battle drew on, eventually attracting the attention of the other three patriarchs and elders from the Four Divine Beast Clans—the Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger. They, too, arrived at the scene.

With another explosive clash, Qian Kun and Gaislason were both hurled backward. Qian Kun remained unharmed, his eyes alight with the fire of battle and a broad smile on his face. Gaislason, however, was in a sorry state—bloodied, his dragon scales shattered, looking as if he’d been thoroughly battered by Qian Kun.

“Haha... Splendid! Gaislason, I have no wish to bully you further. Let’s call this match at an end.” Qian Kun laughed heartily.

Gaislason’s face flushed slightly, vexed and embarrassed, but he could not deny the vast gulf in their strength. Without his divine weapon, if this were a fight to the death, Qian Kun would surely have slain him.

“Hmph! Let me take you on!” A low, resonant snort echoed like thunder from a broad-chested giant nearly three meters tall, who strode forth, his muscles bulging like living rock, making for an intimidating sight.

Qian Kun’s eyes lit up as he saw the newcomer. “The patriarch of the Black Tortoise clan? As the son of the divine beast Black Tortoise, your body must be formidable as well. And since you practice the laws of earth, your attacks should be even stronger than Gaislason’s.”

“Why don’t you try me and see?” The Black Tortoise patriarch’s body was suddenly encased in dark-gold armor, his massive fists sheathed in short, spiked gauntlets, emanating a terrifying aura—not his own, but that of the armor itself. The mere presence of that armor made the surrounding space tremble with imminent collapse.

As he looked at the armor, Qian Kun’s pupils narrowed slightly. “A sovereign artifact armor? And gauntlets too. The Black Tortoise god truly spares no effort for his only son.”

“Take this punch!” With a deep shout, the Black Tortoise patriarch shot toward Qian Kun like a shadow, his fist crashing down. Within several meters, the space itself trembled, within a meter, it collapsed completely.

Faced with this terrifying blow, and under the disbelieving gazes of Gaislason and the others, Qian Kun simply met it head-on with his bare fist. Though his golden fist looked dazzling, it seemed rather small compared to the Black Tortoise patriarch’s massive, cauldron-like knuckles.

With a thunderous crash, Qian Kun was hurled backward as if struck by a mountain, tumbling through the air for miles before regaining his footing. His hand was now streaming with blood, the flesh torn and mangled, though his hand itself was still intact.

At the same time, the Black Tortoise patriarch was also thrown back, the force of his retreat causing the air itself to quiver. Stabilizing himself in midair, he stared at Qian Kun in shock. The force behind Qian Kun’s punch had far exceeded his expectations. If not for his sovereign artifact armor, he would not have escaped unscathed—indeed, he might have been killed outright by that single blow.

What stunned him even more was that Qian Kun’s punch had clearly employed the law of earth. Earlier, when fighting Gaislason, Qian Kun had used the law of water. His mastery of earth was no less than that of water. Two god-level avatars, both capable of such power—how could such a monstrous individual exist?

“You—” But what shocked him most was Qian Kun’s physical resilience. To withstand a sovereign artifact head-on and be injured but not crippled—how strong must his body be?

“Such a powerful body? How is that possible? Is it the willpower of a perfected expert aiding him?” The Vermilion Bird patriarch, resplendent in crimson robes and exuding regal bearing, could not help but exclaim in astonishment.

The White Tiger patriarch, dressed in a robe of tiger stripes, narrowed his eyes. “Perfected? It’s not impossible! He’s too strong! Second brother is clad in sovereign armor and armed with sovereign gauntlets, yet still couldn’t truly injure him. To withstand sovereign artifacts with just his body—such strength defies belief.”

“Earth and water laws aren’t especially known for soul attacks. You say his soul techniques are formidable—I’d like to see just how strong they are,” said the Vermilion Bird patriarch, preparing to step forth and test herself against Qian Kun. Of the Four Divine Beast patriarchs, she, who practiced the law of fire, was the strongest in soul techniques. Moreover, she wielded a sovereign artifact weapon gifted by her mother, the Vermilion Bird, making her material attacks equally fearsome.

Since Qian Kun had withstood his punch barehanded, the Black Tortoise patriarch knew he could do no more. Seeing the Vermilion Bird patriarch step forward, he retreated from the field.