That was another signature body refining technique of the Trioptic True Dragon Branch. Xuanyuan Yutuo stood in the middle of his beasts, acting as the core of their formation. His crimson scales burned hot. They were so thick that they made his hands look like dragon claws, resembling Tianming's black arm a little.
This was Lifeflame Dragonform, a kind of dragonform technique unique to the Trioptic True Dragon Branch that made them much more physically powerful and let them use ocular arts, a special kind of battle art that gave them a distinct advantage. After dragonforming, Xuanyuan Yutuo was two and a half meters tall and virtually impenetrable. However, his third eye seemed really calm.
"As expected of someone from the Trioptic True Dragon Branch. He feels so different from Xuanyuan Yufeng and those from the Sterling House of Fang," Tianming said after observing.
Their hearts were really stable. For instance, even though Xuanyuan Yutuo's dragon lifebound beasts were huge and imposing, their gazes were deep as the ocean and not the least bit angry or savage, applying a firm pressure on Tianming. The two dragons each had more than three hundred and thirty stars and were third order tribulation beasts, which made them inferior to Meow Meow and Lan Huang. However, their beast saint springs had been split into life and death springs.
As they were still in the life phase, they had one samsara ring above their life springs that gave off a rich and boundless life energy that was far more powerful than empyrean saint ki. Not only that, the same also applied to Xuanyuan Yutuo, allowing him to easily unleash power from a samsara ranked art.
"Xuanyuan Yutuo, you’re the first samsaran opponent I’ve encountered." Tianming felt that the life energy coming from him was completely different from the half-baked energy of Fang Chenyu.
"You think too highly of yourself. Someone destined to be defeated by me isn’t worthy of being called my opponent," Xuanyuan Yutuo said with a deep voice as he took out a blood colored bat covered in spiky dragon fangs and tribulation spirit hazard flames. "This is the Fatal Talon, a tribulation artifact with four tribulation patterns. What about yours?" he asked, looking at the Grand-Orient Sword.
"You don't deserve to know," Tianming said, mimicking the exact same arrogant tone that had been used on him.
"Interesting."
Xuanyuan Yutuo dragged the fiery weapon across the ground, looking furiously at Tianming. The audience was quite pumped to see him approach.
Before the fight had even begun, Tianming already had Ying Huo and Meow Meow on his shoulders. Even though they were small in size, their star counts shocked everyone.
When the two dragons tried flanking Tianming, Lan Huang burst out; it alone was far larger than the two of them. Immediately, Lan Huang used Primordial Soundwave, causing even Jian Lingchen's ears to ring from afar. He had to admit that Tianming showed true courage.
"To think that an empyrean saint like him is fighting a samsaran.... He won’t have an easy time."
Immediately after the soundwave, Lan Huang used its Primordial Wheel, causing lots of rock and stones to gather on Lan Huang's body as he spun faster and faster with the Kui Mountains facing out, turning into an impressive saw blade and flying toward the two dragons, who confidently charged in only to be sent flying in an instant and smashing into a mountain in the distance. They were so badly battered that they breathed flames in rage, forming a sort of fiery prison.
Right after that, Lan Huang used Azure Oceanic Purgatory and tried dragging them into the water, but only managed to catch one. The other dragon flew up and was immediately met with the charge of a black, lightning beast covered in layers of Chaos Disaster stored up by Ninefold Chaos Thunderscape.
Even with its thick scales, the dragon still ended up foaming from its mouth and charred from the severe electric shocks.
"His lifebound beasts are just empyrean saint beasts! How could they be so powerful?!"
"I heard he’s just become an empyrean saint himself. Not even a genius would be so ridiculously powerful!"
"What kind of lifebound beast would engage a Giant Flarehorn Dragon alone? This is ludicrous!"
The audience members who were initially watching the fight between Jian Lingchen, Jian Chenzhong, and Jian Mugu immediately looked away as Lan Huang stole the limelight.
"That leaves Xuanyuan Yutuo alone to face Li Tianming and his bird!" They watched as Tianming and Ying Huo ganged up on him.
"I’m far too powerful now. I don't even know what moves to use against you," Tianming said.
"Just keep boasting," Xuanyuan Yutuo said as he used his spiked bat to execute a samsara ranked battle art, Sky Dragon Hoard. All of a sudden, it was like ten thousand dragons swirled around the skies. When he attacked, his third eye shot out a red beam as it used an ocular art that had the effect of burning souls. This was Xuanyuan Yutuo's double combo attack. It was unmatched when coupled with his tough, refined body, and had earned him his place in the top five on the leaderboard of the Deepstar Battle.
However, Tianming's sea of consciousness was protected by the Soul Tower, so the ocular art was useless, completely unbeknownst to him.
"Boasting, you say? Then you’d better prepare yourself."
Tianming's white hair shimmered under the lustrous illumination of the Deepstar Formation. He raised the Grand-Orient Sword and infused it with more than a hundred and fifty strands of tribulation sword ki, utilizing Tribulation Sword Body with his full force as the Grand-Orient Sword clashed with Fatal Talon.
Even though Tianming had only used the relatively normal Shenxiao Sword Art, the awesome power of tribulation sword ki pierced straight through the defenses afforded by Xuanyuan Yutuo's life tribulation energy. After three audible clashes, the hand that held Fatal Talon was bleeding profusely as he was sent flying back hundreds of meters. Even though Tianming seemed far smaller than his opponent, he was a real beast.
"Watch my sword!" said a harrowing voice from behind Xuanyuan Yutuo.
"How dare a lifebound beast use a sword art against me?" He immediately turned around and punched, causing the air around him to explode utilizing his life tribulation energy.
"Naive!" Ying Huo said as it used the Hexapath Samsara Sword with a hundred strands of tribulation sword ki and its impressive Skypiercer Ki, thrusting straight into Xuanyuan Yutuo's finger.
He cried out, feeling like he had been pierced by a metal rod. His dragon scales fractured, revealing his bleeding hand.
"Eat my spit!" Ying Huo said as it further layered its attacks with the Sixpath Infernal Lotus. The six flames covered Xuanyuan Yutuo in his entirety, charring him so badly that he no longer looked like a crimson dragon.
"You’re too weak," said the sorrowful voice behind him.
"Nonsense!" Xuanyuan Yutuo was heavily shaken. He retrieved Fatal Talon in a panic and manifested his life energy in the form of a dragon.
"Xuanyuan Yutuo, you aren’t fit to be my match," Tianming said as he slashed with the Grand-Orient Sword, knocking off more than a dozen dragon fangs from Fatal Talon, shaving it flat on one side and disarming Xuanyuan Yutuo entirely.
Tianming flicked his sword around and thrust it into his target’s abdomen, but the Astral Formation appeared before it could go beyond two centimeters, marking Xuanyuan Yutuo's defeat at the hands of Tianming. He had defeated a samsaran only four short months after the faction battles.
Eighty percent of the audience stood up when they saw Xuanyuan Yutuo's Astral Formation appear. Both of his hands were still bleeding and he was wearing an expression of shock. He had been defeated too quickly and felt horrible about it. Not knowing what it truly meant, he knocked crazily on the Astral Formation. "I’m not convinced of my loss! You had an extra lifebound beast and ganged up on me! You didn't really defeat me!"
Tianming had made it look too easy, in part thanks to Xuanyuan Yutuo underestimating him. It was a most horrendous defeat.
"You still want to fight? Then I don't mind granting your wish!" Tianming charged and shot out all of the tribulation sword ki gathered at the tip of the Grand-Orient Sword toward the Astral Formation protecting Xuanyuan Yutuo, shattering it and sending him flying and rolling across the ground haggardly.