The Body of Rebellion.

In this state, all cells in his body—aside from his brain cells—would be replaced by virus cells. Under the control of his own magnetic field, these virus cells would then compress themselves, resulting in an unimaginably powerful physique.

CRACK! CRACK!

Before Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes, Yuan Luàn’s Demon Body Form, which had resembled a suit of armor, began to crack and crumble. Like a cicada shedding its skin, a new body broke free from the old form and stepped out.

Compared to the four-meter-plus height of the Demon Body Form, this new physique wasn’t as outlandish, standing only about two-point-two meters tall. Its skin was perfectly smooth, bearing no distinct gender characteristics. Aside from its facial features, it was completely featureless.

The body didn’t appear particularly muscular; instead, it possessed a nearly perfect, streamlined physique. Its eyes, however, burned with a malice so intense it bordered on madness.

THUD!! THUD!! THUD!!

He advanced, and with each step, the ground trembled slightly. He left behind footprints nearly five centimeters deep.

Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes narrowed at the sight. ’That’s not from a deliberate exertion of force,’ he thought. ’It’s a natural consequence of his sheer weight.’

Although the body had shrunk considerably, its density and weight were even more horrifying than before. This meant his Physical Strength had also reached an extreme level.

’So the Seven Mo Luo are capable of this.’

Facing Yuan Luàn in this state, Zhou Yuanjue felt a suffocating pressure he had rarely experienced before.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled across the sky. This time, Ford’s live stream had been shut down. It wasn’t due to damaged equipment; officials from Tai Lan Country had arrived at his door, demanding an immediate evacuation. The Tai Lan government was nearly doubling the size of the quarantine perimeter, and the area Ford and his team were in was no longer safe.

The stream’s shutdown left countless viewers both furious and helpless. They could only flock to other forums on "Fei Bu" to continue the discussion. The most talked-about topic was a name that had appeared constantly in the live stream’s comments.

Zhou Yuanjue.

The expansion of the quarantine zone was, of course, thanks to Boku. While rapidly recovering his stamina and combat strength, he continued to monitor the battlefield.

Yuan Luàn’s third form filled Boku with a terrifying sense of dread. The glint of madness in his opponent’s eyes had prompted him to immediately contact Master Zama via Telepathy and have him order a rapid expansion of the quarantine zone.

’He has to hold on,’ Boku thought. ’If a monster in that state loses control...’

Boku looked toward Zhou Yuanjue, quickly took out some energy rations, and began regulating his breathing to restore his stamina, hoping to re-enter the battle as soon as possible.

This was the side effect of the Body of Rebellion—though it wasn’t really a side effect.

With his entire body, sans the brain, converted into a high concentration of the virus, the mentally deranging properties of the Plague of Rebellion inevitably affected Yuan Luàn himself, driving him into a state of near-demonic madness.

"You’d better hold out,"

The corners of Yuan Luàn’s mouth twisted into a savage grin.

Terrifying Physical Strength, an immortal Recovery Ability.

In this state, aside from humanity’s most advanced strategic-class weapons, practically nothing could pose a true threat to him.

If he were allowed to run rampant, it was truly hard to say what would become of the city.

WHOOSH!!

Yuan Luàn’s body abruptly vanished into the night.

’So fast!’

’How can such a heavy body move with such unbelievable speed!’

’The kinetic inertia from that speed, added to his inherent strength... the amplification is twofold...’

’This is, without a doubt, the power of the Peak of the First Generation!’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

’I can’t block that head-on!’

Zhou Yuanjue made an instant judgment. Power erupted from his feet, and his body shot sideways.

BOOM!!

The air exploded. The effect was like a world-class boxer throwing a punch into a pool filled with water.

It wasn’t just the point of impact; the water in the entire pool would churn violently from that single punch!

And now, for Yuan Luàn, the air was like water, and the ground was like the pool.

Having dodged Yuan Luàn’s strike, Zhou Yuanjue could feel the air around him, several meters away, roil like disturbed water.

’What terrifying power.’

Ever since ascending to Saint Awakening—especially after comprehending Yin Yang Life and Death, unlocking the Southern Dipper Star Fire, and gaining immense Recovery Power—this was the first time Zhou Yuanjue had actively dodged an opponent’s attack.

It was also the first time he had faced an opponent whose destructive force could exceed the combined limits of his own Physical Strength and Recovery Power.

’So this is the true power of the Peak of the First Generation, the power of the Seven Mo Luo.’

’This is the foundation upon which the Celestial Organization built its place in the world.’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It is common knowledge that the tremors from an undersea earthquake can trigger a tsunami.

But likely no one had ever witnessed a "tsunami" on dry land.

Now, Boku was seeing one.

The air was an ocean, and Yuan Luàn was the epicenter.

Yuan Luàn’s figure flickered again and again as he unleashed a terrifying combo. The air surged like a tsunami, washing away everything in its path.

’What kind of monster was I just fighting...?’

A chill crept into Boku’s heart.

In the thick of the fight, Zhou Yuanjue was constantly dodging his opponent’s attacks. Unlike the wild, chaotic assaults of other Celestial Demons, Yuan Luàn’s offense was exceedingly precise and masterful, leaving no openings.

Over his long life, he had honed his fighting techniques to perfection; he was no amateur, especially for a type like Yuan Luàn, whose abilities specialized in physical combat.

This put Zhou Yuanjue in a grim situation. A direct hit wouldn’t kill him instantly, but his Recovery Power and Physical Strength couldn’t keep up with the sheer destructive force. He would only get weaker as the battle wore on, gradually being dragged into a quagmire.

He had to find the right opportunity and exploit any weakness he could find.

’It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this...’

’But this dance on a razor’s edge... this is what makes it truly intoxicating!’

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

As he observed and dodged, he couldn’t avoid being injured by the aftershocks, even without taking a direct hit. However, this was all within his expectations.

’He’s in a frenzied state... which means he can’t fully control his emotions. That’s his weakness...’

"Is that all you’ve got? You’re just relying on your powers. Look at you, you’re an old man, and you can’t even beat someone in his twenties like me. You must have wasted your whole life living like a dog. A Celestial Demon? How about we call you a Celestial Dog instead?"

Uncharacteristically, Zhou Yuanjue had started spouting trash talk in the middle of the fight.

"You’re the fucking dog!"

Hearing Zhou Yuanjue’s words, the already frenzied Yuan Luàn seemed to be triggered, his attacks becoming even more savage.

’Just as I thought...’

Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed to have found his opponent’s weakness.

Exploiting a weakness this way might not be honorable, but this wasn’t a formal duel; it was a battle of life and death.

And in battle, anything goes.

"Alright, my mistake,"

Zhou Yuanjue calmly vibrated his magnetic field, transmitting the message without a word.

"HUFF! PUFF!"

Yuan Luàn’s eyes seemed to grow even redder.

"How about Celestial Pig, then?"

Zhou Yuanjue continued to probe.

"AHHH!!!"

Amidst Yuan Luàn’s frenzied assault, a slight opening appeared.

’There’s my chance.’

Zhou Yuanjue’s pupils contracted. Having waited so patiently for this moment, he certainly wasn’t going to let it pass.

SWISH!!

He surged into the opening, channeling power with the Soaring Seal and unleashing a ferocious attack!

The Starlight Phoenix spread its wings and soared!

This time, it was not a fist, nor a palm, but the Cunning Hand!!

SCREECH!!

The shockwave blasted the air away. The friction of his hand against the air created an intense, high-frequency soundwave, and a blazing red light converged at his fingertips, forming a zone of extreme heat.

Soaring, Flame Beak!!

This was a new variation based on the Soaring Seal. The principle was actually very simple: he had changed the form of the Hand Seal and Fist Seal into that of the Cunning Hand.

Though it seemed like a tiny alteration, its implications were immense.

It meant that the physical force and magnetic field of the attack were now focused from a "surface" to a "point."

One must understand that with his self-imposed limits removed, every one of Zhou Yuanjue’s attacks came at the cost of immense damage to his own body.

Even with muscles like steel cables and bones like alloy, his body still couldn’t withstand such an explosive output.

Therefore, when using the Soaring Seal, he had always relied on his fists and palms, because a "surface" could better withstand the stress and sustain less damage. If he were to switch to the Cunning Hand, all that power and magnetic force would be concentrated on a single point. His bones would likely shatter into dust, and even the Southern Dipper Star Fire would struggle to heal it in time, which would affect the battle.

But now, with the Southern Dipper Immortal Seat formed, his own Physical Strength had improved, and his overall Recovery Ability had been drastically enhanced to the point where he could practically bring himself back from the dead. Only now did he dare to unleash such an attack!

「At the same time.」

Southern Dipper Immortal Seat!!

Six Acupoints burst with light, the Power of the Southern Dipper Starlight accumulated within ready to erupt at a moment’s notice, prepared to instantly and completely heal the massive injuries that the Cunning Hand attack would cause to his own body.

RRRRIP!!

If the air was the sea and Yuan Luàn’s attacks had stirred up a tsunami, then Zhou Yuanjue’s attack was one that parted the very sea in two!

As the strike was launched, Yuan Luàn seemed to sense the danger. But it was too late to completely evade the attack aimed at the acupoint between his eyebrows; he could only slightly tilt his head.

BOOM!!

A direct hit!

Although it didn’t strike the point between his eyebrows, Zhou Yuanjue’s attack landed squarely on his opponent’s skull!

The immense force sent Yuan Luàn’s heavy body flying backward, crashing hard into the ground.

’He succeeded?!’

A flash of disbelief and intense excitement appeared in Boku’s eyes.

However, in the next moment, that excitement turned into a bone-chilling dread.

Because Yuan Luàn’s body was already climbing back up from the ground.

There was a deep finger-shaped indentation on his skull, but the bone had not been pierced. The dent was quickly repaired by his powerful Recovery Power, leaving no trace of damage. His blood-red face twisted into an even more savage grin.

"You almost got the better of me there."

’He’s completely unharmed after a blow like that?! With that level of Physical Strength, how in the world can he be defeated?!’

Even in Boku’s resilient heart, a sense of defeat began to sprout. He was starting to feel that this figure was simply invincible.