Dragon Capturing Hand vs. Withering Finger

"It's over." 

This was the common thought in the minds of all the spectators. After all, Chen Kong was using a Heavenly-rank martial skill! 

Many among them had witnessed Lin Yang's powerful 'Fire God's Fury' during the martial examination a year ago. 

It was unstoppable and unmatched in strength! 

If it hadn't been for Mo Qingkuang's clever use of the arena rules, it would have been nearly impossible to defeat Lin Yang. 

Now, Chen Kong's strength far surpassed Lin Yang's back then. His innate attributes also meant that Mo Qingkuang's attempt to replicate last year's strategy would be futile. 

The repelling effect of the Falling Flower Palm was almost ineffective against Chen Kong's Earth Spirit Body. It was as if Chen Kong's body was rooted to the ground. 

As the ten-zhang-long golden finger imprint gradually solidified, Mo Qingkuang's pupils suddenly contracted! 

(T/L: The zhang is a customary Chinese unit of length equal to 10 chi [Chinese feet].) 

Chen Kong truly deserved his title as the Inner Academy's top genius before Mo Qingkuang. In just one year, he had cultivated the 'Withering and Flourishing Sutra' to such a formidable level. 

Even Lin Yang's 'Fire God's Fury' now wouldn't be more powerful than this. 

But Mo Qingkuang did not panic. He was no longer the weakling who had no means to counter Lin Yang's Heavenly-rank martial skill during the martial examination. 

His form stopped drifting. His hands quickly formed over ten hand seals, causing the energy around him to surge violently. 

The crowd was amazed to see that the sky darkened instantly, with dense black clouds, flashes of lightning, and thunderclaps. 

A resounding dragon roar pierced through the clouds, shaking everyone's eardrums. 

Looking up, they saw a massive azure dragon head emerging from the clouds as Mo Qingkuang completed his hand seals. 

The giant dragon was covered in azure scales, entirely blue in colour, including its horns and whiskers, exuding an ethereal elegance. 

The dragon swiftly circled in mid-air and then coiled behind Mo Qingkuang. 

"What is this!" The crowd was shocked. 

Mo Qingkuang did not manage to perform the Withering Finger like Chen Kong, despite being the one who brought back the Withering and Flourishing Sutra. 

But faced with such a terrifying heavenly phenomenon, who could say that Mo Qingkuang's martial skill was inferior to the Withering Finger? 

"This is also a Heavenly-rank martial skill!" 

Zheng Tao was internally shaken. He had thought that Mo Qingkuang had also cultivated the Withering Finger, and even if he wasn't Chen Kong's match, he would have a chance to contend. 

But he hadn't expected Mo Qingkuang to have another Heavenly-rank martial skill, and judging by the heavenly phenomenon, its grade might even surpass the Withering Finger! 

Seeing the azure dragon that Mo Qingkuang had conjured, Chen Kong didn't hesitate. He pointed forward, sending the ten-zhang-long finger imprint straight toward Mo Qingkuang. 

The fierce wind howled, imbued with the profoundness of life and death. This finger could determine life or death at its will! 

Mo Qingkuang also did not hesitate. His hands turned into claws, and he fiercely grabbed forward! 

The dragon behind him let out a thunderous roar, charging straight at the Withering Finger. 

The dragon, tens of zhang's long, with azure scales and five claws, was extraordinarily powerful! 

It twisted through the air and, in an instant, wrapped around the advancing Withering Finger. 

But instead of colliding, the azure dragon acted like a flexible rope, separating upon contact. 

Its long body coiled tightly around the seemingly unstoppable Withering Finger in mid-air. 

For a moment, the Withering Finger could advance no further. 

The power of the Dragon Capturing Hand martial skill was not in its attack but in the capturing aspect! 

Its control effect was incredibly pronounced! 

The azure dragon and the Withering Finger Imprint remained locked in a stalemate in mid-air. The dragon strained to contract, trying to shatter the Withering Finger Imprint through its own strength. 

The Withering Finger Imprint was not to be outdone. The withering aspect of its dual nature was activated ahead of time, causing the azure dragon wrapped around it to become transparent at a visible rate. 

The excessive consumption caused the true qi forming the dragon to evaporate rapidly. 

The crowd didn't dare blink, afraid of missing the direct clash of these two Heavenly-rank martial skills! They even forgot to breathe. 

Many had seen fights between masters, but most had never witnessed a clash of two Heavenly-rank martial skills! 

Besides, this battle between Mo Qingkuang and Chen Kong was nothing like a typical master's fight. Not even grandmasters could create such a commotion. 

From this fight alone, who in the inner courtyard could contend with these two, besides the long-absent Han Kongming? 

The stalemate between the Finger Imprint and the dragon shadow on the platform was reaching its end. 

The Finger Imprint was covered in cracks from the azure dragon's constriction, and it seemed about to collapse. 

Similarly, the azure dragon wasn't in much better shape. Its once tens-of-zhang-long body had shrunk to just over ten zhang, and its once clearly visible azure scales had thinned out. 

The dragon's once solid form was now so translucent that one could see through it to the other side. 

Its once formidable five claws had already lost three. 

Both were at their limits. 

The two who wielded these techniques were also at their limits, their true qi nearly exhausted. 

The stalemate between the martial skills was mirrored by the internal struggle for qi between Mo Qingkuang and Chen Kong. 

Mo Qingkuang's Dragon Capturing Hand was of a higher grade, but Chen Kong's cultivation level was higher. They were evenly matched. 

Whoever could hold out the longest would be the true victor. 

Chen Kong's normally serene face was now contorted in pain. Constantly channelling true qi, even with the earth's replenishment, was barely keeping up with the immense consumption. 

The Heavenly rank 'Withering and Flourishing Sutra' had a great advantage in prolonged battles. 

But what surprised him was that Mo Qingkuang's cultivation technique seemed not to be the 'Withering and Flourishing Sutra,' yet his endurance was comparable to Chen Kong's! 

Mo Qingkuang's ability to match him was not only due to the higher quality of the Dragon Capturing Hand. 

The true qi a first-rank grandmaster could control and store wasn't on the same level as a third-rank grandmaster. To reach such a stalemate relied entirely on the quality of his true qi. 

As a first-rank grandmaster, Mo Qingkuang's true qi quality had improved. His recovery speed even surpassed Chen Kong's, a third-rank grandmaster. 

Both were gritting their teeth, holding on! 

Chen Kong didn't want to lose. He couldn't accept being defeated by this newly promoted junior brother in just a year. He had his pride. 

Mo Qingkuang couldn't afford to lose. He needed to go to the Blue Flame Empire and had to prove he had the strength to protect himself! 

"Break!" Mo Qingkuang took a deep breath, like a whale sucking in water, absorbing all the wind attribute qi around him. 

The azure dragon suddenly expanded and solidified slightly, increasing the pressure on the Withering Finger Imprint. 

The cracks on the Finger Imprint grew more numerous and more pronounced. 

Chen Kong hadn't expected Mo Qingkuang to have the energy for one last burst. 

He stomped the ground hard, channeling the remaining true qi into the Withering Finger Imprint. 

But it was too late. The azure dragon roared, exerting a sudden force, and the Withering Finger Imprint that had been locked in stalemate for so long shattered, turning to nothing. 

Under Mo Qingkuang's control, the nearly transparent dragon staggered toward Chen Kong. 

Chen Kong was out of energy. He had no true qi left in his body, not even enough to lift a leg. 

There was no way to avoid it!