Chapter 574 - 346: Green Temptation
"It seems your ’Overlord Body’ just isn’t suited to handle Zou Feng’s poison."
"It will come down to my Medical Dao..."
Even as he was stepping into the glowing gate, Gu Shaofeng didn’t forget to continue his analysis.
Seeing Gu Shaofeng go in, Song Yuanze gradually calmed down.
Although he was drawing strange looks and even hushed ridicule from the crowd, he paid it no mind. Instead, he focused on replaying the recent battle in his mind.
No, strictly speaking, that couldn’t even be called a battle. After all, he had been teleported out before he could even make a move.
He hadn’t even had time to use any of his Vajra Overlord Body’s Divine Skills.
Now that he was calm, a deep sense of indignation washed over Song Yuanze.
Admittedly, Zou Feng’s Mind Body had unleashed a Big Move right from the start, and its power was truly ferocious.
’But I was careless just now.’
’Besides, there’s no way someone at the Spiritual Energy Realm can sustain a Big Move that powerful for long!’
’So, in theory, as long as I can withstand Zou Feng’s initial onslaught, I’ll find an opening.’
Therefore, it was far from a hopeless situation.
’I’ll try again. This time, I’ll activate my Vajra Overlord Body at full power from the very beginning and tank the hit with my strongest Overlord Body!’
Just as Song Yuanze finished his mental review, the glowing gate began to flicker again, and Gu Shaofeng was teleported out.
Compared to Song Yuanze’s dumbfounded expression when he came out, Gu Shaofeng was in a much worse state. The moment he appeared, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Not only that, but Gu Shaofeng’s once smooth and flowing long hair was now scorched and curled, and his magnificent robes were in tatters.
The most shocking part was that his once-sharp and bright eyes were now, for some reason, crossed.
This was clearly a lingering side effect of failing to completely neutralize the poison.
"Younger Brother Gu?!"
Stepping forward to support the staggering Gu Shaofeng, Song Yuanze was surprised, but he couldn’t help but feel a sliver of schadenfreude.
’Your analysis just now was so clear and logical.’
’So what happened to the Medical Dao countering the Poison Dao?’
"Younger Brother Gu, don’t tell me you didn’t even get to use your medical Divine Skills?"
Song Yuanze figured Gu Shaofeng’s experience must have been similar to his own—caught by surprise and defeated before he could show his true abilities.
Gu Shaofeng didn’t answer Song Yuanze’s question. Instead, he quickly took out a few Elixirs and swallowed them.
After quite some time, he finally recovered.
"Something’s not right..." After recovering, Gu Shaofeng’s face was full of confusion.
"What’s not right?"
"How can a Poison Cultivator at the Spiritual Energy Realm be this strong? That Mixed Poison... just how many Poison Techniques did he have to cultivate to fuse them together?" Gu Shaofeng muttered. "With a training method like that, he should have died a violent death long ago!"
Song Yuanze frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
"Don’t you get it? Zou Feng’s Poison Technique is absurdly, illogically strong!"
"But weren’t you full of confidence before, saying your Medical Dao could easily counter him...?"
Gu Shaofeng immediately shook his head. "My judgment was based on his battle with Li Dingjie. But how much time has passed since then...?"
At this point, Gu Shaofeng suddenly looked at Song Yuanze and said dejectedly, "You don’t have to go to the battle tomorrow. There’s no chance of winning against a completely illogical Poison Cultivator like him..."
Seeing Gu Shaofeng go from looking down on Zou Feng to now hyping him up, Song Yuanze grew displeased.
He had just figured out a counter-strategy. How could he let this guy discourage him and boost the enemy’s morale?
"Alright, alright, look at how pathetic you are!
"In any case, I have my own judgment. I’ll know once I try again!" With that, Song Yuanze ignored Gu Shaofeng and stepped into the glowing gate once more.
Before long, the light of teleportation flashed again.
Compared to the last time, Song Yuanze managed to last a little longer.
But after he came out this time, Song Yuanze’s attitude changed in a flash.
"You were right. There’s no need to fight tomorrow..."
After saying this to Gu Shaofeng with a bitter smile, Song Yuanze hurriedly left the Battle Saint Palace as if fleeing a disaster.
「The next day at noon.」
Having rested and built up his energy all night, a refreshed Zou Feng arrived at the Battle Saint Palace early, waiting for Song Yuanze to appear.
But Noon arrived, and Song Yuanze was still nowhere to be seen.
And although a few disciples had witnessed Song Yuanze’s embarrassing state last night, they couldn’t be sure that he would actually do something so beneath his dignity and not show up.
Therefore, Zou Feng had no idea he was waiting in vain.
After a long while, Zou Feng finally grew impatient and sent a message directly to Song Yuanze: "Where are you?"
"Are we fighting or not?"
A long time passed, but he received no reply.
’Did he... stand me up?’
Zou Feng truly hadn’t expected that the person currently ranked first on the Ascension Rankings would actually stand him up.
Seeing that Song Yuanze really wasn’t brave enough to come, a disciple in the know stepped forward and said to Zou Feng, "Brother Zou, actually, last night..."
This disciple only recounted the facts of what he had seen last night, without any embellishment.
But anyone who heard the story would understand: last night, Song Yuanze and Gu Shaofeng had been so thoroughly beaten by Zou Feng’s Mind Body that they were left completely traumatized...
After hearing this, Zou Feng couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
’That’s it?’
The next moment, a clamor suddenly erupted from the crowd.
"Look, Brother Zou is first on the Ascension Rankings!"
"Huh? But they haven’t even fought yet, have they?"
"What’s there to fight? Song Yuanze is hiding in his shell. How can they fight?"
Hearing this, Zou Feng also immediately took out his Token to check the Ascension Rankings.
Sure enough, his name was in the number one spot. Just like that, inexplicably, he had become first on the Ascension Rankings.
But Zou Feng quickly figured out the reason.
Although challenging a Mind Body didn’t affect the Ascension Rankings, Song Yuanze had clearly scheduled a battle with Zou Feng only to flee at the last minute. This would cause the Celestial Dao Cauldron to drastically lower its evaluation of him.