The Three-Strike Pact: The Saga Unfurls...

“First Strike…”

The Dragon God's domineering roar made eardrums ache, reverberating through the Eye of Heaven Forest!

With a low growl from the Dragon God, flames surged around him. His left hand held a scepter inverted behind his back as he casually strode towards Du Chen, the Divine, his right hand clenched into a fist, elbow slightly bent.

Although he had agreed to the Three-Strike Pact, the Dragon God truly did not take advantage of Du Chen, the Divine with this first strike.

“For this first strike, I shall use only one hand, aiming for your right shoulder! Apart from Eleventh-Tier fire-elemental battle qi, there will be no other variations. If you withstand it, then you've passed the first strike!” The Dragon God fully articulated his intentions, simple and direct!

“First strike: I shall not gain an advantage through technique, but only clash with you in terms of battle qi intensity!”

As he spoke, the Dragon God was already before Du Chen, the Divine. With a fierce roar, he unleashed a punch!

The fist moved, winds surged, flames erupted, and the Moon Lake mists simultaneously absorbed the spreading battle qi!

In this moment, everyone held different thoughts. The Dragon Clan scoffed at Du Chen, the Divine's arrogance, while the Pontiff quietly calculated: if he were in Du Chen, the Divine's position and circumstances, how would he respond to this strike? What would be the outcome?

The answer was… he would focus his strength into his right fist, condensing Earth, one of his dual elements, and counter the Dragon God with a formidable Earth Fist. In the end, perhaps he would only be forced back half a step to a full step! He shouldn't be injured…

This was the Pontiff’s chosen combat style and predicted outcome, but Du Chen, the Divine…

As the punch drew near, the golden mist around Du Chen, the Divine suddenly grew incredibly dense, obscuring everything within. Following this, an azure radiance enveloped all the mist, protecting his entire body—the Lotus Azureveil Shield!

The Dragon God's fist collided with the Azureveil Shield, akin to rumbling thunder. Samuel felt that the shield was truly impenetrable and unyielding, its aura becoming increasingly sacred and extraordinary. Moreover… an immense recoil force was bouncing back from it! What kind of defensive power was this? How was this possible? He had truly not moved to resist!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Dragon God was shaken back three full steps by the impact, his slightly closed eyes snapping wide open! The mist-shrouded water-elemental shield, though slightly swaying and with mists churning within, remained nailed to the arena floor like a steel spike even as he was forced back three steps! Not a single inch of retreat!

“Excellent! Truly a formidable opponent!” The Dragon God suddenly laughed heartily, looking up at the sky, then strode back to create distance. “The first strike, you have passed!”

The Dragon Clan erupted in an uproar, the Papal Curia cheered, but the Pontiff’s pupils contracted sharply!

Damn it, the Dragon God was forced back three steps, while Du Chen, the Divine, stood utterly still!? He couldn’t do that, absolutely couldn’t… The Pontiff understood: the Dragon God had recoiled from his own power. However, the Pontiff lacked the ability to produce the same recoil effect!

This proved that Du Chen, the Divine’s battle qi resilience and strength were enough to not only dissipate the Dragon God’s punch but also possess residual power to recoil the Dragon God, forcing him back three full steps! What level of cultivation was this?! Could Margaret achieve such a feat?

…

“Master Grape bless me, Fifth Brother, recover quickly!” Others were deceived by the golden mist, unaware of Du Chen, the Divine’s true plight within, but Du Chen knew the truth!

From afar, Beibei, cautious of the Pontiff’s presence and refraining from carelessly using his Spiritual Power, inquired about the situation through their Battle Soul link. Du Chen, with a guilty conscience, replied, “Beibei, the Dragon God is too formidable. Don’t let Uncle Dus’s magnificent appearance fool you, or even the Lotus Azureveil Shield’s recoil attack forcing the Dragon God back three steps. In reality, the power still transmits. Right now… your Uncle Dus has been pulverized into a meat paste! If he hadn’t, under the cover of the golden mist, used Old Nine—that silken thread—to bind himself and the shield tightly to the arena, which has absorbing properties, he would have flown off to who knows where by now!”

“Go, Laipisi!” Beibei exclaimed nervously.

At this moment, Du Chen received Dus’s Divine Sense message: “Samuel is truly formidable! If you, Francis, had taken that strike, we brothers would’ve had to reincarnate… Heh heh, but this old man has rounded himself out again! Samuel, come on, torment your Fifth Master again! I’m waiting for you!”

…

On the arena, Du Chen, the Divine’s shield vanished, and the golden mist also dimmed considerably. His form faintly reappeared before the Dragon God, completely unharmed! His voice remained mysterious and melodious, “Your Majesty Samuel, I await your second strike!”

The Dragon God suddenly soared high into the air. The fiery glow around him dissipated, but the dust around him seemed to increase. Initially, it was just fine dust, gradually forming a thick smoke. Then, the tiny particles in the smoke gathered more and more, actually forming a mound like a small mountain!

“For the second strike, I shall use my secondary element—Earth! An Eleventh-Tier Earth Mountain will descend upon you, and the name of this technique is the Mount Miglio Heavy Earth Art!”

No sooner had he spoken than the earth-elemental energy between heaven and earth seemed entirely siphoned by the Dragon God, converging before him to form a towering, precipitous peak that descended from the sky, pressing down upon Du Chen, the Divine!

What immense pressure… The Dragon God dared not be overconfident with his second strike; he had employed a Secret Technique!

The Pontiff’s thoughts raced. If he were to block this strike, there would be two methods: first, escape by retreating into the Moon Lake waters; second, use his other elemental attribute—Metal—to directly cleave the mountain above with a sharp finger attack, striking directly at the Dragon God! Although he might not be able to split it entirely, remaining undefeated should still be possible!

But Du Chen, the Divine, could neither dodge nor counterattack… Damn it, if he were in Du Chen's place, what would he do? Wait for death?!

In the blink of an eye, the Pontiff could not conceive of any method. He knew that if he were currently in the arena, abiding by the rules of the Three-Strike Pact, he would surely have been defeated!

The Pontiff fixed his gaze intently upon Du Chen, the Divine!

Then, the mist-shrouded Du Chen, the Divine, slowly lifted his head, glancing at the mountain above him. His indistinct expression was incredibly confident, utterly relaxed, as if a tiny mosquito was flying overhead!

The Lotus Azureveil Shield reappeared, enveloping Du Chen, the Divine's entire body. The Pontiff could no longer discern the situation within the mist, but he saw a lotus flower emerge from above Du Chen, the Divine's head. The lotus grew larger and larger, adorned with swirling garlands, becoming increasingly beautiful. Finally, it resembled a golden basin, catching the towering mountain above.

Following that…

The lotus vanished, and with it, the mountain disappeared!

Heavens! The Dragon God’s Heavy Earth Art could be nullified like this!? Gasps of astonishment, sharp intakes of breath, and shouts of disbelief erupted, a cacophony echoing throughout the Eye of Heaven Forest!

To silently and effortlessly nullify the Dragon God’s Secret Technique? And with such ease, such comfort, such elegant mystery! Beyond shock, there were no other thoughts!! The Pontiff’s usually placid face twitched imperceptibly, but instantly reverted to a blank expression. Yet, in his heart, he made a crucial decision!

His initial insistence on Du Chen, the Divine’s participation was already The Ultimate Gamble, but so far, this gamble was absolutely advantageous to the Holy Church!

It was enough. Du Chen, the Divine had proven his terrifying strength. Francis’s utility must be re-evaluated!

…

Hidden within the mist, Dus’s appearance was utterly bizarre, even grotesque!

“Francis, do you know what your Fifth Brother looks like right now? Just now, the Dragon God unleashed his 'mountain pressing down' move, and I used the lotus to 'collect' his mountain, then instantly shrank it, making others believe I effortlessly shattered the Dragon God’s killing blow. But… that damn Dragon God is too formidable! After that mountain entered the lotus, the impact force didn’t weaken one bit, it relentlessly pushed the lotus down onto my head—I didn’t even have time to dodge! Now, your Fifth Brother has been crushed by the lotus from head to rear… flattened into two puddles of flesh!”

As he spoke, the two puddles of flesh within the golden mist diligently wriggled, attempting to fuse the two flattened halves of his body, squashed by the mountain-press! One couldn’t help but admire “Fifth Brother”; he recovered in the blink of an eye!

From afar, Du Chen inwardly clicked his tongue in amazement, “Damn it, even the bomb that annihilated a hundred thousand Merfolk that day didn’t torment you this badly!”

“Tell me about it! Though it’s close! In my opinion, this Dragon God is a little stronger than the Pontiff. If the Pontiff can destroy a city with a single strike, then turning me into meat paste would be even less of an issue for the Dragon God!”

“Alright, one strike left. Let’s watch Fifth Brother continue getting abused!”

…

Upon seeing his mountain collected, the Dragon God stood motionless in mid-air for a long while.

The shock in the Eye of Heaven Forest gradually subsided. Du Chen, the Divine, once again faintly revealed his perfect physique, still without a single scratch!

“Dragon God, only one strike remains! This is your final opportunity! Please make it count!”

Samuel slowly descended before Du Chen, the Divine. “Your Eminence is indeed formidable! Your earlier words, ‘not wanting to harm me,’ were certainly no empty boast! But I, Samuel, have dominated the Three Continents for centuries and have never once been defeated! Tonight, I shall not be defeated either!”

He raised the Dragon God’s Scepter in his hand high above his head. “The ancestors of your Papal Curia learned countless peerless secret techniques from Divine Emperor Prince…” In his heart, he still believed the lotus that collected his mountain earlier was one of the Holy Church’s hidden secret techniques.

“However, Muto, the ancestor of my Mount Miglio, was also a Divine Empress, the Guardian Battle God of the Moon Goddess! Since Your Excellency confronts me with Prince’s Secret Techniques, then I, Samuel, shall not hold back either. I invite Your Eminence to witness the peerless art of the former Divine Empress—the Azure Moon Starlight Dance!”

As he spoke, the Dragon God’s Scepter began to spin in his hand!

Something from the Divine Empress? This was quite a surprise! Du Chen rubbed his nose, thinking to himself, *Dus should be able to handle it. After all, it was that old geezer Master Grape who created Primordial Spirit undying and clones immortal. Master Grape should be far stronger than some what’s-his-name Divine Empress, right?*

Du Chen watched the arena, but then heard Andy complaining through their Battle Soul link, “I, Chris Andy, favored child of the Moon Goddess, am a noble Snow Wolf with an appetite and dreams, and my greatest dream right now is… Noble and great master, Andy hasn’t eaten for over two hours… please have some mercy!”

Andy was also Du Chen’s magical beast companion, naturally able to connect with Du Chen via Battle Soul.

Du Chen chided him testily, “Hold on for a bit! What time is it now? This is the most critical moment determining your destiny! Hungry? Then just look at the moon for now. Perhaps with a flash of moonlight, some free food will be delivered!”

Andy, protected by Deboning, hid far in the distance. He looked up at the star-studded night sky, where even the Silver Moon’s Retreat was visible, and with a long face, he said to Deboning, “Esteemed Lord Brook, I heard you’ve acquired a new sacred artifact and your strength has greatly increased. So… can you conjure up a bit of moonlight? Andy’s starving to death!”