Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Clan Pattern, Activate

"Wh-what is this thing!" The scorching heat from the Qilin Arm washed over Murong Wanqing’s face, turning it pale. Her Top Grade Spiritual Artifact, which could slice through iron like mud, had struck it but only managed to leave a faint white scratch. The arm was otherwise completely unharmed.

"A monster! That’s not a human arm!" The crowd below stared in terror at the Qilin Arm and its crimson patterns. They had never seen a human grow such an arm before!

Shen Haoran ignored the crowd’s shock. With a jolt of his Qilin Arm, he knocked the longsword aside, clenched his fist, and smashed it toward Murong Wanqing once more!

This time, empowered by the Qilin Arm, Shen Haoran’s strength multiplied. A faint phantom of a Qilin appeared over his fist, roaring as it slammed into the Duality Eight Trigrams Array!

BOOM...

A wave of Powerful Qi, visible to the naked eye, radiated out from between them. The stone slabs beneath their feet shattered on impact, and a web of fine cracks spread rapidly outward!

KRAKA... KRAK...

Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound rang out. Beneath Shen Haoran’s fist, a fissure appeared on the phantom of the Duality Eight Trigrams Array. The crack then spread out like a spiderweb, covering the entire phantom in the blink of an eye.

At this sight, Murong Wanqing’s pupils constricted. She hurriedly mobilized her Spiritual Power, trying to maintain the Duality Eight Trigrams phantom. However, she had underestimated Shen Haoran’s terrifying destructive force; her repair speed simply couldn’t keep up with his destructive power!

BANG... In the end, the phantom of the Duality Eight Trigrams Array failed to withstand Shen Haoran’s punch, and it shattered before Murong Wanqing’s shocked eyes.

While the Duality Eight Trigrams Palm could use softness to overcome brute force, it had its limits. Murong Wanqing, after all, had not yet mastered it to the stage of Great Success. Empowered by the Qilin Arm, Shen Haoran’s strength had far surpassed the threshold the technique could withstand, allowing him to shatter her defense completely!

After shattering the Duality Eight Trigrams Palm, the force of Shen Haoran’s fist didn’t diminish as it continued hurtling toward Murong Wanqing’s face. The scorching wind whipped her long, dark hair back. In the blink of an eye, it was about to connect!

The overwhelming force made Murong Wanqing’s face pale. All she could do was raise her longsword horizontally in front of her to block.

CLANG...

The terrifying force was unleashed entirely on the longsword. Murong Wanqing was sent flying, skidding several meters across the ground before she finally stopped.

Murong Wanqing looked down at her cracked longsword, her heart pounding with shock. ’This is a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact, and he nearly destroyed it with a single punch! His strength is horrifying. Is he even human?’

Tossing the ruined Top Grade Spiritual Artifact aside, Murong Wanqing looked at Shen Haoran with a grave expression. In a low voice, she said, "You’re very strong. To possess such terrifying combat power as a mere Tier One Spirit Marquis... I won’t be holding back any longer!"

Shen Haoran sneered at her words. He relaxed his fist and flexed his Qilin Arm, feeling the power of the Primordial Chaos surge within it. He then beckoned to Murong Wanqing with his finger—the exact same gesture she had used to taunt him moments before.

"Hmph!" Seeing Shen Haoran’s gesture, Murong Wanqing snorted. Her hands flew through a series of Seal Techniques, and crimson flames erupted around her body!

"Clan Pattern, activate!" Murong Wanqing shouted. A blinding light erupted from her, forcing the spectators to shield their eyes.

Shen Haoran narrowed his eyes. Dark flames ignited in his pupils, allowing him to see through the crimson glare and focus on Murong Wanqing.

A moment later, the light faded, revealing Murong Wanqing’s new form. The entire crowd gasped.

Murong Wanqing looked like a completely different person. She was now clad head to toe in crimson Battle Armor, with red flames coiling around her body. A strange, bewitching rune had appeared between her eyebrows, making her stunning features look even more dangerously beautiful.

"W-what’s happening?" The crowd was stunned by Murong Wanqing’s radical transformation.

"It’s said the great clans possess secret legacies. Could this be the Murong Clan’s?" Lan Sha wondered aloud, staring at Murong Wanqing in amazement.

Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed. Although Murong Wanqing’s raw power level hadn’t increased, the pressure radiating from her had multiplied. She now posed a lethal threat.

CRACK!

With a crisp crack, a fiery red whip materialized in Murong Wanqing’s hand. Crimson flames licked along its length, instantly scorching a black line into the stone floor.

"Consider it an honor to be defeated by the Clan Pattern of my Murong Family!" Murong Wanqing snorted, flicking her whip and stirring up a scorching gale.

"Hmph. Defeated? The thought never crossed my mind. This fight is mine to win!" Shen Haoran sneered as black flames erupted around him.

"You want to play with fire? Fine, I’ll play."

As the Black Flame surged from Shen Haoran, the flames on Murong Wanqing’s body grew agitated. She stared at Shen Haoran in disbelief and cried out, "Fire Spirit Black Obsidian! You’ve actually gone through the Refinement of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian!" The Murong Clan was composed entirely of Fire Attribute Martial Artists; they were all intimately familiar with it.

Shen Haoran didn’t answer. His aura simply continued to rise until it was every bit as powerful as Murong Wanqing’s.

"Hmph. Don’t think you can contend with me just because you refined the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian. You’re losing today, and that’s final!" Murong Wanqing said, pushing down her shock with a cold shout.

With that, Murong Wanqing’s body blurred, transforming into a streak of red light as she charged at Shen Haoran.

Shen Haoran watched Murong Wanqing charge toward him and took a deep breath, drawing the scorching air into his lungs. With a wave of his hand, black flames began to gather, slowly forming a Black Flame Giant Ruler in his grip.

BOOM...

With the Black Flame Giant Ruler in hand, Shen Haoran stomped hard, launching himself toward Murong Wanqing. They both moved with incredible speed. In the next instant, the two figures collided like a pair of meteorites in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, and a gale of two-toned flames erupted outward!

Only then did Shen Haoran realize that while activating the Clan Pattern hadn’t increased Murong Wanqing’s raw strength, it had made the quality of her Spiritual Power incredibly pure—so pure that it nearly rivaled his own. And his Spiritual Power had been tempered by the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian!

After their initial collision, a fierce battle erupted. Splatters of crimson and black flame flew everywhere, turning the entire Martial Arts Arena into a raging sea of fire. The searing heat was so intense it seemed to burn and warp the very air!