Legend of the Divine Archer

Gu Zhun lunged first, his monstrous arms swinging with brutal force. The air cracked with the sound of his fists slicing through it, the sheer power behind his strikes sending shockwaves rippling through the chamber. Yan Jin didn't flinch. He ducked, slipped past the first blow, and spun to the side, his movements fluid and precise.

The second swing came at him like a battering ram, but Yan Jin met it with a block, their bodies colliding with a bone-rattling thud.

The impact sent a shockwave through Yan Jin's frame, but he absorbed it like a mountain absorbing a storm. He twisted his body, using Gu Zhun's own momentum against him, and delivered a vicious elbow strike to Gu Zhun's ribs. The sound of cracking bone was sickening, and Gu Zhun's roar of pain echoed off the stone walls.

Gu Zhun retaliated instantly, his claws swiping down in a wild frenzy. Yan Jin parried the first swipe with his forearm, deflecting the clawed hand away, but the second strike came faster—a hammer blow aimed at Yan Jin's skull. Yan Jin barely had time to bring his arm up, the force of the hit sending him skidding backward, his boots scraping against the rough stone.

Yan Jin recovered instantly, his body reacting on instinct. He surged forward, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. His knee shot up, driving into Gu Zhun's midsection with the force of a sledgehammer. Gu Zhun's body folded inward, the air rushing out of his lungs in a strangled gasp.

Yan Jin followed up with a brutal headbutt, his forehead slamming into Gu Zhun's nose with a sickening crunch.

The crowd watching from the arena's screens gasped in unison, unable to tear their eyes away from the savage exchange. "Did you see that? Yan Jin's fighting him like a beast!" someone shouted, their voice tinged with a mix of horror and excitement.

Gu Zhun staggered back, blood streaming from his broken nose, his vision blurring with rage and pain. He lashed out with all four arms, his claws slashing through the air in a whirlwind of violence. Yan Jin weaved through the assault, his movements impossibly quick. He dodged left, then right, his body flowing like water around Gu Zhun's attacks.

When Gu Zhun overextended, Yan Jin seized the moment, delivering a crushing palm strike to Gu Zhun's chest that sent him reeling.

Their bodies crashed together again, a brutal collision of flesh and bone. Yan Jin's fists hammered against Gu Zhun's torso in rapid succession, each punch delivered with surgical precision. The impacts echoed like drumbeats, the sound of flesh pummeling flesh reverberating through the chamber.

Gu Zhun grunted and roared, his corrupted blood spraying the floor as Yan Jin's relentless assault drove him back.

Gu Zhun's frustration boiled over. With a surge of corrupted energy, he grabbed Yan Jin's arm and twisted, trying to snap it like a twig. Yan Jin grimaced, his muscles straining against the hold, but instead of pulling away, he leaned into the pain. Using Gu Zhun's grip to anchor himself, Yan Jin launched a vicious counterattack, his free hand clawing at Gu Zhun's face.

His fingers dug into flesh, raking across Gu Zhun's eyes and ripping away chunks of corrupted tissue.

Gu Zhun howled in agony, flinging Yan Jin away with a wild burst of strength. Yan Jin hit the ground but rolled with the momentum, springing back to his feet with feline agility. His face remained impassive, even as blood trickled down his arm from the brutal exchange. Gu Zhun's face was a mess of torn flesh and seething fury, his corrupted energy flaring wildly as he charged again.

The fight devolved into a savage, close-quarters brawl. Yan Jin's legs lashed out, sweeping Gu Zhun's feet from under him, sending the corrupted monster crashing to the ground. But Gu Zhun's multiple arms grabbed at Yan Jin's legs, dragging him down into the chaos. The two rolled across the stone floor, a writhing mass of punches, kicks, and raw, unrestrained violence.

Yan Jin's knee slammed into Gu Zhun's chin, snapping his head back with a brutal snap. Gu Zhun retaliated by sinking his fangs into Yan Jin's shoulder, the corrupted venom burning like acid. Yan Jin's expression didn't change; instead, he grabbed Gu Zhun by the throat and squeezed, his grip like a vice.

The corrupted veins on Gu Zhun's neck bulged, his breath coming in ragged gasps as Yan Jin's grip tightened.

With a sudden, explosive burst of strength, Yan Jin hoisted Gu Zhun off the ground and slammed him into the altar's base. The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across the stone, and Gu Zhun's body convulsed from the shock. Yan Jin didn't let up. He mounted Gu Zhun, raining down a relentless barrage of punches that battered Gu Zhun's face into a bloody ruin.

Each strike was delivered with the force of a judge's gavel, a brutal rhythm of punishment.

Gu Zhun's once-mighty form was reduced to a quivering mass of broken limbs and shattered pride. Yan Jin grabbed him by the collar, lifting him effortlessly as he snarled through gritted teeth. "You disgusting rat," Yan Jin hissed, his voice dripping with contempt. "You sold your soul, killed your father and you're still as useless and incapable as I remember."

Yan Jin threw Gu Zhun to the ground, his body skidding across the stone like discarded refuse. Gu Zhun tried to rise, his energy flaring one last time in a desperate attempt to fight back, but Yan Jin was already upon him. With a brutal kick, Yan Jin sent him tumbling down the altar's stairs, each impact a painful reminder of his failure.

The audience watched in stunned silence, the reality of Gu Zhun's downfall setting in. "He's completely dominating him…" one spectator murmured, their voice barely audible over the sound of Gu Zhun's pained groans. "He's not just beating him—he's breaking him."

Yan Jin descended the steps slowly, each movement deliberate, each step resonating like the tolling of a bell. Gu Zhun tried to rise once more, his body trembling, his corrupted energy flickering like a dying flame. "What do you know?" Gu Zhun spat, blood spraying from his lips. "It was me—I was meant for glory. I was supposed to win. You ruined it.

It's your fault."

Yan Jin's response was immediate and unrelenting. He slapped Gu Zhun's face with enough force to twist his head violently to the side, the sound of the impact echoing like a gunshot. "Show me," Yan Jin taunted, his voice cold and commanding. "Show me the power you killed your father for." He kicked Gu Zhun again, sending him crashing against the steps.

"Show me!" he yelled, his aura flaring with a terrifying intensity.

Gu Zhun snarled, baring elongated canines, his breath hissing between teeth as he launched himself forward. The impact of his massive frame hitting the ground sent shockwaves rippling across the stone floor. His four arms swung with unrestrained fury, each blow aimed to crush, to tear, to obliterate. Dark energy erupted with each strike, slashing through the air in chaotic arcs.

But Yan Jin did not back down. Instead, he met Gu Zhun's wild onslaught head-on. His movements were a stark contrast—fluid, controlled, each step a precise calculation. As Gu Zhun's first fist came crashing down, Yan Jin sidestepped with an effortless glide, his body brushing past the corrupted energy as if it were nothing more than smoke.

He countered with a brutal elbow to Gu Zhun's ribs, the impact resonating with a sickening crack.

The sound of bone shattering echoed through the chamber, and Gu Zhun staggered back, gasping in pain. But he barely had time to recover before Yan Jin was on him again, his movements a relentless onslaught of power. Yan Jin's fist drove into Gu Zhun's abdomen, folding the larger man in half, forcing the air from his lungs in a strangled wheeze.

Gu Zhun retaliated with a savage uppercut, his fist crackling with corrupted energy. Yan Jin blocked the blow with his forearm, but the force sent tremors through his entire body. He gritted his teeth, absorbing the impact as he twisted to deliver a vicious knee to Gu Zhun's midsection.

The sheer force lifted Gu Zhun off his feet, sending him crashing into a nearby pillar with enough force to crack the stone.

The spectators outside the labyrinth watched in stunned silence, the violent exchange playing out on the massive screens.

"This isn't a duel—it's a massacre!" another voice added, eyes wide as they watched the brutal display of strength.

Gu Zhun roared in fury, his monstrous arms flailing wildly as he charged back at Yan Jin. He swung with reckless abandon, each strike fueled by desperation and rage. Yan Jin ducked beneath one of Gu Zhun's arms, driving his shoulder into the corrupted fighter's chest and slamming him into the ground. The impact sent a spiderweb of cracks rippling across the stone floor.

Before Gu Zhun could even rise, Yan Jin's fist collided with his face in a brutal downward punch. Blood sprayed from Gu Zhun's mouth as his head snapped back, his body convulsing from the sheer force. But Yan Jin did not relent. He grabbed Gu Zhun by the collar, lifting him partially off the ground, and delivered a savage headbutt that sent a shockwave through both of their bodies.

Gu Zhun's vision blurred, his corrupted energy faltering as he stumbled backward. Yan Jin advanced like an unstoppable force, his movements precise and unyielding. With every punch, kick, and knee, he tore through Gu Zhun's defenses, systematically breaking him down. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was like thunder, each blow resonating with the weight of Yan Jin's unbridled fury.

Gu Zhun lashed out in a last-ditch effort, his claws swiping wildly in an attempt to catch Yan Jin off guard. Yan Jin dodged with a swift sidestep, his footwork impeccable. He countered with a punishing series of body blows, his fists hammering into Gu Zhun's torso with relentless precision. Each hit was a calculated strike, targeting weak points and exploiting every opening.

Gu Zhun's body convulsed with every impact, the once fearsome creature now reduced to a desperate, writhing mass. His corrupted energy flared erratically, sputtering like a dying flame as Yan Jin's unrelenting assault continued. Yan Jin grabbed Gu Zhun by the back of the neck, slamming his face into the stone floor with bone-crushing force.

The sound of Gu Zhun's skull cracking against the ground was sickening, his pained groans echoing through the chamber.

Gu Zhun tried to rise, his movements sluggish and disjointed. But Yan Jin was relentless. He stomped on Gu Zhun's back with a force that made the ground tremble. Gu Zhun cried out, his monstrous form buckling under the weight of Yan Jin's dominance. Yan Jin's foot remained pressed against his back, pinning him in place like an emperor asserting his absolute control.

"You can be the chosen one, child of god, hero, or savior," Yan Jin said, his voice cold and commanding as he stared down at the broken figure beneath him. "But I am the rule. I am the law. I am the Emperor."

Gu Zhun's red eyes flickered with a mixture of defiance and despair, but his body had already betrayed him. He was nothing more than a quivering, defeated shell, the corruption that had once fueled him now a dying ember. Yan Jin's words hung heavy in the air, a declaration of unchallenged supremacy.

With a final, disdainful shove, Yan Jin stepped away, leaving Gu Zhun sprawled on the floor. The monstrous figure's breath came in ragged, shallow gasps, his body battered and broken. The chamber was filled with the echo of Yan Jin's footsteps as he ascended the stairs, each step resonating with the authority of a sovereign claiming his throne.

At the same moment, Wei Xi and Yan Bai made they way into the core room, as they watched in confusion and disbelief Yan Jin's ascension.

Yan Jin reached the top of the altar and seated himself on the highest step, his posture regal and unyielding. He aimed his head, as if looking down at Gu Zhun, Wei Xi and Yan Bai. His aura was radiating a cold, imperial majestic feel. "… I am Huang". He said.

The spectators outside erupted into a mix of awe and fear, their cheers mingled with hushed whispers of disbelief.