Chapter 435: Two Tigers Kill Each Other

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Everyone was stunned for a moment, then realized they truly weren’t nervous anymore. Compared to the hellish training back on Dark Demon Island, where they had faced life and death countless times, why fear a few Holy Sanctuary disciples now? The so-called battlefield before them now seemed like heaven compared to that hell.

Fan Tesi patted his face and found he really wasn’t nervous anymore. He understood what Feng meant by doing this.

“Don’t be a coward, but don’t be reckless either. Show what you’re made of, and if you really can’t win, just surrender decisively,” Old Wang said with a smile. Encouragement was one thing, but he still needed everyone to hold back a little. Their opponents this time were truly strong—he couldn’t let them go all out recklessly. “In short, do your best!”

“Don’t worry, Feng!” By now, Fan Tesi’s eyes were gleaming with determination, his confidence fully restored. “I’m bagging this first win!”

…………

“Fan Tesi, Dark Entanglement Technique, Rage Tai Chi Tiger. His best record was during his time at Xifeng Holy Sanctuary…” Seeing Fan Tesi step forward, one of Ye Dun’s subordinates immediately flipped through his notes to read out Fan Tesi’s profile. His name was Ye Xian, a Thunder Magic practitioner ranked within the top twenty in the Holy Sanctuary. Originally Ye Dun’s vice-captain, he had now been demoted to a glorified note-taker, only good for reading out information.

Before he could finish, a hulking figure launched skyward beside him.

“Tianzhe-ge, this match is mine!”

The towering figure left those words behind before slamming down into the arena.

Ye Xian frowned. Not only had his moment and opportunity been stolen, but now even his attempt to read out the information was ignored. Worse still, that guy hadn’t even bothered to ask Ye Dun for permission before entering the arena—instead, he had addressed the vice-captain…

He couldn’t help but glance at Ye Dun, as if silently condemning these former Holy Sanctuary members who had waltzed back in and hogged the spotlight. But Ye Dun remained silent, standing calmly with his arms crossed.

“That’s just how he is. Telling him a hundred times won’t fix him,” Tianzhe Yifeng said with a smile as he stood beside Ye Dun. “Don’t take it to heart, Ye-boy.”

“I won’t,” Ye Dun replied with a faint smile and a nod. “With you seniors here, there’s no suspense anyway.”

With a thunderous landing, the two-meter-tall, burly figure stood firmly in the arena. Though his soul power hadn’t erupted, his cold gaze carried a killing intent thick with bloodlust—this was someone who had truly seen bloodshed, oozing enough pressure to choke on.

Had this been Fan Tesi from five minutes ago, he might have been intimidated. But after reliving the hellish experiences of Dark Demon Island, how could he possibly be fazed by such meager killing intent now? Could it possibly compare to the aura of Dark Demon Island? Give me a break!

Boom!

Without wasting words, Fan Tesi let his soul power loose, the air swirling violently as the white tiger apparition materialized behind him.

His transformation was seamless, as if he had merely shifted his stance slightly—yet his aura was already fully formed. Compared to the days when he needed extensive preparation just to enter his Tai Chi Tiger form, Fan Tesi’s progress was leaps and bounds ahead.

A flicker of interest crossed Jin Ganghu’s face. To reach such a level of power right from the start was indeed rare among Holy Sanctuary disciples. Moreover, like him, Fan Tesi belonged to a special tiger-bloodline elite. “Interesting…”

He smashed his palms together fiercely in front of his chest.

Crack!

The sound of his palms meeting was as heavy as if a massive object had crashed to the ground from a great height.

Pure physical strength, combined with his wild, ferocious appearance, was already astonishing. At the same time, a majestic golden tiger apparition emerged behind Hu Sha—even larger than Fan Tesi’s white tiger. The Golden Tiger King!

Roar!

The golden tiger roared, its soul power erupting as the air around them surged outward like a hurricane. At this moment, Jin Ganghu looked like a war god touching down, his eyes gleaming with savagery. “Come on!”

“Bring it!” Fan Tesi didn’t hesitate either, blasting off the ground and charging forward aggressively.

He leapt into the air like a white tiger pouncing, while Hu Sha transformed into a golden tiger, rushing forward almost simultaneously.

In the blink of an eye, the gold and white blurs clashed at the center of the arena.

Boom—the shockwave rattled the stands!

The battle begins!

The essence of Dark Entanglement Arts isn't just about "entanglement." Entanglement represents softness, while combat embodies hardness!

Softness without hardness results in attacks that fail to conquer, while hardness without softness is wasted effort. True Dark Entanglement Arts is the perfect balance of hardness and softness, not the pure soft techniques used by players in Old Wang's *Dominion of the Nine Heavens*.

Under Old Wang's guidance, Fan Xier had already mastered the "entanglement" aspect to a decent level, but his hardness was still lacking, preventing him from fully realizing the essence of Taiji Tiger. However, after a month of training on Dark Demon Island, Fan Xier had at least begun to grasp the hardness aspect—though he couldn't be called an expert yet. Meanwhile, his opponent, Jin Ganghu, was the very embodiment of sheer ferocity.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

The two clashed instantly, with Fan Xier employing the "combat" principle. Fists and feet flew, filling the air with violent concussive blasts and collision sounds. The intense exchange was dazzling to behold.

Hu Sha's attacks were clearly more savage and aggressive, but Fan Xier's blubber's natural defense completely neutralized that advantage. Though it was obvious to discerning eyes that both were still testing each other, their control over power had already reached a highly refined level. From the very start, they unleashed the absolute peak of Tiger Peak's power—fierce, relentless exchanges—yet neither had even begun to fight seriously.

Over at Flame God Mountain, Chai Jing was stunned. He had once been evenly matched with Fan Xier, but now? Listening to the rapid concussive blasts and witnessing such wild attacks, he doubted he could last even five seconds.

Beside him, Famier's face flushed with excitement. Who would've thought Fan Xier had reached this level? Was this still the same shy, kind-hearted chubby boy from her memories? Now, he felt like a towering tree capable of shielding her from storms. *Win, Ah Xi, you must win!*

"See that? See that? How sick is that?!" Mo Tong was both shocked and thrilled. Though he'd read many reports about Old Wang Squad over the past few months, words on a page couldn't compare to witnessing this firsthand. Fan Xier was truly incredible—almost as strong as Mo Tong himself had been months ago. "Ah Xi is my disciple! I whipped him into shape with my own hands and feet. How about that?!"

"...I feel like that fatty is stronger than you," Aota remarked with a strange look.

"Tch!" Mo Tong glared. "I'm way stronger than him! Back in the day—"

"Ah, a real man doesn't brag about past glories," Aota teased with a grin. "Doesn't it just mean he's surpassed you now?"

Mo Tong froze, then nearly exploded in anger. *That fatty, stronger than me?* Sure, he'd improved over these months, but Mo Tong hadn't been slacking either. He could still take on ten of him anytime!

Yin Fu was happy for Fan Xier, but even happier for Senior Brother Wang Feng. She nodded cheerfully. "That's because Brother Ah Xi has always stayed by Senior Brother Wang Feng's side, receiving his guidance and grinding day in, day out."

Since Yin Fu said it, Mo Tong couldn't argue. He instantly felt like he'd taken 10,000 points of emotional damage.

"Exactly! Anyone who follows my boss can't be weak," Aota agreed, nodding repeatedly. "Someone like Mo Tong? Left eating his dust in no time."

The emotional damage soared to 100,000 points. Mo Tong's face darkened. "I oughta kick your ass..."

......

Their exchanges were lightning-fast—seven or eight rounds in the blink of an eye. The stands went dead silent.

BOOM!

A shockwave rippled outward like a halo as the two figures separated.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

Two heavy footsteps landed simultaneously. Both Fan Xier and Hu Sha took a step back upon landing.

*Is that all?* Fan Xier's confidence had fully returned. He'd almost been intimidated by his opponent's reputation and experience earlier—but not because the other was overrated. *It's because I've truly grown strong!*

"You're not bad," Hu Sha suddenly spoke, a faint smile on his face. "With such a weak foundation, you've managed to utilize your Soul Seed to this extent in such a short time and even developed a combat style that suits you. You must have a martial arts master guiding you. Too bad your luck ran into me."

Fan Xier blinked, then burst into laughter. *A master?* The people of Dark Demon Island were indeed fierce. "You talk a big game too!"

As he spoke, Fan Xier slightly crouched. The deadlock had fully ignited his fighting spirit and confidence. While lowering his stance, his soul power suddenly withdrew, and the White Tiger specter behind him vanished. Power coiled inward, and Fan Xier's world went dead silent.

At this moment, his rotund frame looked like nothing more than an unassuming "egg."

Had he given up? Or was something else happening? Before anyone could wonder, the change had already begun.

Bang!

In Fanteith's silent world, it was as if a primal energy burst at its core. His eyes, which had seemed dull after the inward focus, suddenly underwent a transformation—his pupils were no longer round black orbs but had morphed into vertical white pupils!

Vertical pupils—the mark of a predator, radiating cunning, brutality, and wildness!

The next second, terrifying Soul Energy erupted from Fanteith's body. Unlike the earlier white tiger phantom with its composed gaze, the one that manifested behind him now was not only larger in size but also had pupil-less white-hot eyes. Its fur bristled wildly, and the surging Soul Energy gushed forth like a floodgate suddenly thrown open, doubling—no, surpassing—its previous intensity!

*Rage Tai Chi Tiger*!

Yes—no thirty years of fervent martial training, no external stimulation, no life-or-death desperation, and even retaining a sliver of conscious will after activation. This was a *Rage Tai Chi Tiger* under complete control, the result of Fanteith's month-long hellish training on Dark Demon Island!

*Huuuuum—*

The Soul Energy quickly surpassed the limits of Tiger Peak, reaching a transcendent realm. Though its essence remained at Tiger Peak, its "quantity" seemed boundless, manifesting as streams of white flames that continuously surged and reversed around his body. Fanteith's entire face twisted into a snarl, his white-hot gaze pinned Hu Sha ahead, his aura overwhelming!

Even more terrifying was the fact that Fanteith, in his enraged state, could still maintain a degree of consciousness. *"Kill!"*

With a roar, the white tiger phantom behind him erupted in fury, its tiger's roar resounding across the arena. Then, in a flash, his entire body transformed into a streak of white light, shooting toward Hu Sha.

The charging white figure was lightning-fast, thunderous—far surpassing Hu Sha in strength, speed, and momentum. Yet—

Boom! Crash—

A shockwave blasted across the arena, dust and debris scattering. But soon, two figures emerged from the chaos, pushing against each other.

Fanteith was advancing, Hu Sha retreating. His legs braced backward as he was forced over a dozen meters by Fanteith's monstrous enraged strength, gouging trenches into the ground. Yet his thick arms remained rigidly extended, using the retreat to dissipate the force before finally stabilizing—completely halting Fanteith's charge!

Truth be told, when Fanteith displayed the controlled might of the *Rage Tai Chi Tiger*, the entire stands fell silent. Anyone with a discerning eye could see the terrifying explosive power contained within that berserk form. In terms of strength, speed, and even Soul Energy, Fanteith had reached a level where he could utterly overwhelm Hu Sha. And yet… he was stopped cold—unscathed!

Famier and the others were stunned. How could he have blocked it? His momentum was clearly far inferior!

A flicker of surprise flashed through Fanteith's vertical pupils, but then a calm voice rang out.

"Rage Tai Chi Tiger… is *overrated*."

Bang—

Soul Energy erupted as Hu Sha's shirt shattered, revealing golden sigils ignited from his head, neck, arms, shoulders, and entire body. Dense golden patterns intertwined like runes, forging his arms into something as hard as a soul artifact!

Tiger King Golden Aegis!

Soft overcoming hard? A balance of both? That was only because he hadn't encountered the pinnacle of unyielding yang force!

"Let me enlighten you." A smirk flashed at the corner of Hu Sha's eye as his fingers clamped down on Fanteith's fist—Jin Ganghu's Claw!

The entire audience fell silent.

Boom!

Golden light flashed as Hu Sha unleashed his power. Though his Soul Energy wasn't as inexhaustible as Fanteith's, his instantaneous explosive force was no less. With a sudden yank of his arms, he dragged Fanteith backward with overwhelming strength.

But the enraged Tai Chi Tiger wasn't so easily controlled. Fanteith's eyes blazed—grappling with a disciple of the Dark Entanglement Arts? He had ten thousand ways to grapple and ten thousand ways to break free.

His deceptively soft wrist twisted unnaturally, slipping out of Jin Ganghu's Claw as if boneless. Yet the moment his left wrist broke free, those steel-like fingers lunged for his neck. Fanteith swayed like a weighted pendulum, not only dodging the grab but countering by locking Hu Sha's arm with his own.

Slap, slap, slap, slap!

Four hands clashed in a blur of counters—and it was Fanteith who first wrenched Hu Sha's wrist.

Got him!

Ah Xi's heart surged with joy. In the state of Rage Tai Chi Tiger, once he got hold of an opponent, it was as good as sealing their fate!

Human joints? He knew them inside out. That arm of Hu Sha’s? He was taking it! His right arm tensed with explosive force.

But the next second—*snap*!

Ah Xi felt as if his immense strength had slammed into a thick slab of raw iron. The wrist joint was completely immovable, as if *fused* shut.

He… couldn’t bend it?

"If steel can snap, it wasn’t hard to begin with." Ah Xi stiffened as Hu Sha’s light chuckle rang out. "You can’t hurt me!"

With a yank of his wrist, Hu Sha’s steel fist shot forward. Ah Xi snapped back to his senses, but it was too late to retreat. Switching to offense as defense, he drove his legs hard into Hu Sha’s chest. Hu Sha twisted aside, toes tapping the ground as his body lifted slightly. Ah Xi lunged past—then felt a crushing gust slam into his back.

*BOOM!*

In that split-second exchange of moves, Hu Sha’s reactions were clearly faster. A spinning elbow strike landed like a point-blank cannon shot, smashing Ah Xi’s massive frame straight into the ground.

For anyone else, that elbow would’ve shattered their spine. But Ah Xi seemed unfazed—the moment he hit the ground, he sprang up like a rubber man, scrambling onto Hu Sha’s unprepared back. His hands slithered like nimble eels under Hu Sha’s arms, aiming to lock a chokehold from behind!

But before his thick fingers could clasp together, Hu Sha’s shoulders jerked up, arms spreading wide. At the same time, his head flashed gold as he snapped it backward in a vicious headbutt.

*CRACK!*

Jin Ganghu’s Iron Headbutt!

Every inch of Hu Sha’s body was now as hard as tempered steel. His golden-glowing skull struck like a warhammer, smashing straight into Ah Xi’s nose. No matter how tough Ah Xi’s defenses were, his fragile nasal bone couldn’t withstand the impact. His vision swam with stars as blood gushed out, and the incomplete chokehold was effortlessly broken.

"Ah Xi, defend! Defend! Create distance—don’t trade blows! Drag it out, he can’t last long!" Winnie stomped frantically at the sidelines, shouting at the top of her lungs. But Ah Xi could no longer make out her words.

*Thud… thud…*

The dazed Rage Tai Chi Tiger staggered back two steps. Before he could steady himself, a flash of gold streaked across his vision—a sweeping elbow smashed into his left cheek, sending him flying before he could even plant his feet.

*BOOM!*

Ah Xi twisted midair and forced himself to land, but two heavy blows had already left his nose bleeding and left cheek swelling. Before he could regain balance, Hu Sha vanished from sight.

The howl of wind filled the air as golden strikes rained down from all directions like a storm.

Hundred Tigers’ Onslaught!

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Ah Xi’s head was still spinning from the earlier hit—now, he could barely track the attacks. Everywhere he turned, strikes seemed to come from nowhere. In seconds, dozens of punches had already landed. His flesh dented unevenly, his defensive movements always a step behind, full of holes, even chaotic. Like a routed battalion, he was instantly overwhelmed.

The once-majestic Rage Tai Chi Tiger was now utterly dominated by Jin Ganghu. Winnie covered her face in dismay. The Rose disciples' stands were dead silent—but the rest of the arena erupted in thunderous cheers.

Truth be told, Ah Xi’s Rage Tai Chi Tiger had gained fame after blocking a ghost-level technique at West Peak. His soul power, speed, and strength were undeniable. But honestly, victory in battle wasn’t decided by just those three factors—experience, technique, and precise control of soul power mattered just as much!

Though Ah Xi’s soul power surpassed Hu Sha’s, he wasted far too much of it. Scarcely half his energy went into effective offense or defense. Meanwhile, Hu Sha’s mastery over his soul power was that of a true grandmaster—not a shred wasted, every bit of strength delivering twice the impact!

Moreover, Ah Xi had brute strength and speed but was always one step behind. Suppressed by experience and technique, each misstep compounded into mental imbalance…

"The match is decided."

The Holy Son smiled faintly. Honestly, he barely cared about this match. Not just Ah Xi’s—even the remaining matches were hopeless for Rose. The skill gap was insurmountable. Compared to the competition, his interest lay far more with Lucky Heaven and Long Jing beside him. Seated together, they needed *some* conversation. "That Rose disciple might’ve had a glimmer of hope if he dragged it out. But he was too eager to win—pitting his flaws against the enemy’s strengths. He’ll be down in under a minute."

Ji Xiangtian smiled faintly without speaking. Instead, Long Jing chuckled and said, "I beg to differ."

"Oh?" The Saint smiled. "I'd love to hear your esteemed opinion, Brother Long Jing."

The two, seemingly at odds, conversed with ease. Yet no one around them found it strange—those seated nearby were all high-ranking individuals. At their level, personal relationships mattered little; mutual status was what truly counted.

"Haha, I'm hardly an expert in combat, so I have no profound insights," Long Jing laughed, toying with a jade snuff bottle in his hand. "I just think that Rose disciple is built like a tank, and I wanted to take the opposite side against you, Saint. I bet he won't go down so easily. How about a small wager for fun?"

For your next reading convenience, you can click the "Bookmark" button below to record this session (Chapter 435: Two Tigers at War). Next time you open your bookshelf, it'll be right there! If you enjoy *King of the Nine Heavens*, please recommend it to your friends (via QQ, blog, WeChat, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!