Chapter 797 778: Crisis

'Close combat?'

'He actually wants to fight me in close combat?'

'Close combat is great!'

The smile on Xu Luo's face was one of pure joy.

Facing Zhao Min's seemingly fatal blow, Xu Luo smiled, raised his right arm, and met it with a punch of his own!

BOOM!

It was like two massive stars colliding. The instantaneous impact tore the surrounding void to shreds.

At the same time, another wave of power blasted toward the ground below.

A violent, earth-shattering tremor ran through the depths of the entire Grand Canyon.

The raging river was instantly split in two!

The deep riverbed was exposed, and within it... a massive, bottomless fissure appeared!

The crowd, who thought they were already at a safe distance, all revealed looks of utter horror and retreated even farther away.

RUMBLE RUMBLE!

The walls of the Grand Canyon on both sides were also hit by the violent shockwave. Huge sections collapsed, and countless mountain-sized boulders crashed down with a world-shaking roar.

"My heavens... Are those really two members of the younger generation fighting?"

"It's too terrifying... Are those two Venerables fighting? Not two Celestial Venerables?"

"You're wrong. It's not two Celestial Venerables. Luo Tian from Celestial Brilliance isn't even in the Venerable Realm!"

"This... is simply too hard to believe!" an elder in the crowd muttered, sucking in a cold breath. "He possesses such terrifying combat strength before even reaching the Venerable Realm. If someone like him... were to become a Venerable, what would happen then?"

"Damn it all... I don't even know what to say. His opponent is a whole major realm above him!"

"More than that... the one from Blazing Flame Province is a Jiuzhou Seed!"

A buzz of discussion erupted among the spectators who had fled far away. They couldn't clearly see what was happening on the battlefield, but the astonishing destructive power alone was enough to leave them in a state of disbelief.

The area where the two clashed was filled with a dense web of Dao laws. These laws intertwined, emitting a dazzlingly brilliant light that prevented anyone outside from seeing what was going on inside.

Zhao Min stood opposite Xu Luo, his eyes filled with an incredulous light, with shock, astonishment, and... despair!

"You... how can you be so strong?" Zhao Min asked through gritted teeth as he stared at Xu Luo.

"I was born this way. Can't be helped," Xu Luo replied calmly.

He was telling the truth, but Zhao Min found it impossible to accept. He was the one who was supposed to be the peerless, heaven-gifted expert!

His talent, his bloodline, his background, everything about him... was the best in the world!

He was a Jiuzhou Seed!

'Who is Luo Tian?'

Before this, Zhao Min had never even heard of such a person existing in the world!

Yet this nobody, this insignificant figure in his eyes, had defeated him. And... he had done it using close combat, the very thing Zhao Min excelled at!

"This is impossible!" Zhao Min couldn't help but roar.

At that moment, the Dao laws swirling around them gradually dissipated, and their figures became visible to the crowd.

Zhao Min's roar, filled with indignation, reached the ears of everyone present.

"What? Zhao Min lost? That's... impossible!"

"A Jiuzhou Seed... actually lost to Luo Tian? This... is too unbelievable!"

"I can't believe Zhao Min actually lost..."

"Is this youth from Celestial Brilliance some kind of monster? Does Celestial Brilliance even know how formidable he is?"

"To think he could defeat a Jiuzhou Seed... why didn't he become a Seed back then?"

"Zhao Min was defeated?"

Countless people were shocked, stunned, and utterly incredulous!

The immense combat strength Xu Luo had just displayed had already shaken them to the core, especially the joyful smile on Luo Tian's face at the end, which was still fresh in their minds.

But a Great Saint... winning against a Mid-stage Celestial Venerable?

How... how is that possible?!

It was as hard to accept as a three-year-old child defeating a grown man.

And yet... it was the truth!

Zhao Min seemed completely deaf to the discussions around him. His eyes were fixed on Xu Luo, filled with resentment and venom, as he muttered, "Impossible. Who am I? I am Zhao Min! I am the peerless genius of the Zhao Family of Blazing Flame Province! I am a Jiuzhou Seed! I am the most powerful prodigy in this world! How could I possibly die here? To die at the hands of someone a realm beneath me? Impossible!"

The people all around showed expressions of disbelief.

"What? He's going to die? How... how is that possible?"

"A Jiuzhou Seed, a Mid-stage Ultimate Venerable expert, being defeated by someone at the Peak of the Great Saint Realm is already a legend in itself. How could he possibly die?"

"It's unbelievable. Could it be that the Celestial Brilliance of today has become this powerful?"

"To be able to nurture such a disciple... I'm afraid not even the three great Holy Lands could manage that, could they?"

Du Qingteng and Gao Ping stood there, exchanged a look, and gave a bitter smile.

Gao Ping mumbled, "There have been others like him in the past..."

Du Qingteng smiled bitterly. "But not in the last ten thousand years..."

Gao Ping said, "We're far behind!"

"Now I finally understand why the sect told us to walk the world. There's always someone stronger out there!" Du Qingteng said.

Yu Tianjie, Ming Youyue, Tang Xiao, and Shao Zheng, on the other hand, had joyous expressions, their eyes filled with adoration.

'That's our Senior Brother!'

'He's one of us, from Celestial Brilliance!'

'So what if he's a Jiuzhou Seed? When faced with our Senior Brother, he's finished!'

Xu Luo's eyes, however, were perfectly calm. He looked at Zhao Min and said softly, "Go in peace."

"I am not at peace!"

"How can I be at peace?"

"I cannot accept this!"

Zhao Min's roars still sounded full of vigor, and the surging qi and blood in his body made people afraid to get close.

Therefore, many people couldn't believe it, nor could they understand why Zhao Min was going to die.

"Luo Tian... If I die here today, my Zhao Family ancestors will surely tear you into ten thousand pieces!" Zhao Min snarled, looking at Xu Luo with venomous hatred.

"Then you can wait for me down below," Xu Luo said with a slight smile, not bothering to refute him.

Zhao Min felt a sense of powerlessness, like he had punched at thin air. He glared at Xu Luo with immense venom, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

Just then, a very faint cracking sound came from his body.

It was as if an eggshell had been tapped open.

Fear instantly filled Zhao Min's eyes. He couldn't help but let out a great roar, "Ancestor, save me!"

CRACK! CRACK!

Two more crisp sounds followed in succession.

This time... everyone heard it!

Fear finally appeared in the crowd's eyes. Someone suddenly exclaimed, "I... I know what it is!"

With this shout, countless gazes fell upon him.

The man said, his face pale, "His Dao Heart... the Dao Heart of the Jiuzhou Seed from Blazing Flame Province must have been shattered!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed. They looked at Xu Luo as if he were a peerless, ferocious beast, their gazes filled with dread.

Shattering the Dao Heart of an expert a whole major realm above him with a single punch... How... how is that possible?

But the facts were laid out right before them!

It was indisputable!

If his Dao Heart hadn't been shattered, Zhao Min wouldn't still appear so full of vigor and overflowing with qi and blood.

Being decapitated or having one's Primordial Spirit annihilated also meant death, but that was completely different from having one's Dao Heart shattered!

When the Dao Heart shatters, one's entire cultivation is crippled, but the vast, ocean-like power within the body does not disappear!

A Martial Artist's Dao Heart is the very foundation for controlling all that power!

Now that this foundation was destroyed, that terrifying power was completely out of control. Ultimately, it would cause the person to explode and die!

Just like what was happening to Zhao Min right now!

The higher one's cultivation and the more powerful one's strength... the more terrifying the destruction caused by a shattered Dao Heart.

Therefore, after that person shouted out the truth, almost everyone retreated even farther away.

BANG!

An enormous hand descended from above, piercing through the layers of mist in the Grand Canyon and grabbing directly for Zhao Min!

But it was... a step too slow!

BOOM!

With a world-shaking bang, Zhao Min's body suddenly exploded!

The entire world was thrown into chaos!

The giant hand was also caught in the blast. It was mangled and bloody before it retracted with a WHOOSH.

Then, a terrifying roar echoed from above the Grand Canyon: "Celestial Brilliance... Luo Tian, you little bastard! You dare kill a genius from Blazing Flame Province? I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

It was followed by a cold female voice from above: "You shameless old fool, have you gotten addicted to attacking the younger generation? If you want to kill a disciple of Celestial Brilliance, you'll have to get through me first!"

Watching Zhao Min get obliterated by his own power and then hearing the voices from above, Xu Luo raised an eyebrow, his expression resolute.

Du Qingteng, Gao Ping, Ming Youyue, and the others came up to Xu Luo. Du Qingteng sighed. "Don't go up there for now. The other disciples from Blazing Flame Province are one thing, but a Jiuzhou Seed is different. Their ancestors will definitely come after you with everything they have!"

Gao Ping also said, "Going up at a time like this would be unwise. Although Du Qingteng and I both have Guardians, they... won't intervene to help others."

Du Qingteng looked at Xu Luo apologetically. "Our Guardians only protect our lives. As long as our lives aren't in danger, even if we're injured... they won't make a move."

Xu Luo nodded in understanding. When he had fought Du Qingteng that day, his Guardian, Ding Lie, hadn't intervened or even shown his face.

Although Yu Tianjie was worried about his brother's safety, going up now would be certain death. He couldn't bring himself to tell Xu Luo to force his way up.

Xu Luo shook his head and said, "Their injuries can't wait..."

Ming Youyue looked at the surging river and suddenly said, "Then why don't we... follow this river downstream? I'm sure... we can escape that way!"

"If we go up from here, there might still be a sliver of a chance. After all... there are a lot of people up there, a mixed crowd. The old monsters from Blazing Flame Province might not act completely without restraint," Du Qingteng said with a bitter smile. "But if we choose to go downstream along this river... that would truly be a dead end."

Xu Luo nodded. "Brother Du is right. If we go up, there might be a turning point. But if we try to escape down the river, then our opponent... will truly have no scruples at all!"

Ming Youyue sighed softly and finally nodded. Trying to escape from a Celestial Venerable... was indeed an impossible task.