"Thunder Wings."

Just as Song Batian was still immersed in shock, Li Yun forcefully stabilized his retreating body in midair.

At the same time, a pair of lightning wings suddenly unfolded behind his back. Countless arcs of electricity crackled across their surface, releasing violent flashes of blue light.

The moment the wings flapped, Li Yun vanished.

His entire body transformed into a streak of lightning that tore through the sky at astonishing speed.

In less than an instant, he crossed a distance of over a thousand meters and appeared directly in front of Song Batian as though he had teleported.

Before Song Batian could even react, Li Yun’s body spun violently through the air. His right leg rose high above him before descending with terrifying force.

Although it was merely a kick, in Song Batian’s eyes it felt completely different.

At that moment, it seemed as though a supreme Sword God had unleashed a peerless slash capable of cleaving apart heaven and earth itself. The overwhelming pressure carried within that strike caused a deep sense of terror to surge from the bottom of his heart.

"No!"

Song Batian’s face turned deathly pale as he roared in panic.

Unfortunately, his roar changed nothing.

Li Yun’s descending kick landed heavily upon his body under the horrified gaze of countless spectators.

A muffled explosion echoed through the battlefield.

Blood burst from Song Batian’s mouth as his massive figure was smashed downward like a falling meteor.

With a thunderous boom, he crashed into the ground violently, causing the earth to tremble. A massive human-shaped crater appeared where he landed, with cracks rapidly spreading outward in all directions.

Song Batian had been defeated.

The entire arena erupted instantly.

"My heavens."

"Song Batian actually lost this quickly?"

"The battle only lasted a few minutes."

Disbelief filled the faces of the crowd.

Everyone had expected a fierce and evenly matched battle between experts of the top ten Hidden Dragon Ranking. Yet the fight had ended far faster than anyone imagined.

From beginning to end, only a few short minutes had passed before victory was already decided.

Of course, Song Batian should not have lost so quickly under normal circumstances.

However, he had made one fatal mistake.

He underestimated Li Yun.

The strength Song Batian relied upon most was his Battle Heaven Tyrant Body, yet compared to Li Yun’s fourth stage Titan Flesh of the Ninefold Origin Flesh Scripture, it was simply inferior.

Not only was he already weaker in terms of physical body strength, but he had also approached the battle carelessly while underestimating his opponent.

Given those circumstances, his swift defeat was almost inevitable.

After Song Batian collapsed, the Dragon Qi within his body immediately separated from him.

A streak of golden light rushed upward through the sky and flew directly toward Li Yun.

Li Yun absorbed the Dragon Qi without resistance.

Inside his Sea of Consciousness, the golden Heavenly Dragon suddenly raised its head and released an excited roar that shook the surrounding spiritual space.

Then, the dragon’s body surged upward.

The massive golden dragon transformed into a stream of radiant light and burst out from Li Yun’s forehead, soaring directly into the sky above the battlefield. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Under countless shocked gazes, the golden Heavenly Dragon moved through the heavens, twisting and circling through the clouds like a true divine dragon roaming the nine heavens.

"Golden Dragon Soaring Through the Nine Heavens."

"This phenomenon only appears when the Dragon Qi within a participant’s body reaches nine meters."

"Li Yun has achieved the highest level of Dragon Qi."

Shocked cries erupted throughout the Hidden Dragon Battlefield.

According to the ancient rules of the Hidden Dragon Tournament, once the Dragon Qi within a participant reached the perfect limit of nine meters, the golden Heavenly Dragon within their Sea of Consciousness would break free and soar into the heavens, forming the legendary phenomenon known as the Golden Dragon Soaring Through the Nine Heavens.

The appearance of this phenomenon signified one thing.

The participant had reached the highest possible achievement of Dragon Qi.

Countless gazes looked toward Li Yun with astonishment and disbelief.

"He truly deserves the title of the greatest dark horse of this Hidden Dragon Tournament."

"With Dragon Qi reaching nine meters, Li Yun now possesses the qualifications to stand alongside the three young giants."

Before this moment, many people merely believed that Li Yun possessed the potential to rival the three young titans in the future.

But now, after witnessing the appearance of the nine-meter Dragon Qi phenomenon, no one dared to question his standing any longer.

At this point, Li Yun had already reached the same level as the monsters standing at the peak of the younger generation.

On the judges’ platform, the reactions of the elders were equally intense.

Long Yutian, Elder Youhun, Elder Binglie, and Elder Fenyan all turned toward Elder Feiyu and cupped their hands in congratulations.

"Congratulations, Brother Feiyu."

"It seems the Martial Ascension Gate has finally produced an extraordinary genius."

Elder Feiyu’s face glowed with excitement.

"Good. Very good. Excellent."

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

In the past several Hidden Dragon Tournaments, the performance of the Martial Ascension Gate had consistently ranked at the bottom among the Four Great Sects. At times, even powerful factions beneath the Four Great Sects had produced results superior to theirs.

This had long been a source of humiliation for the Martial Ascension Gate.

Yet now, Li Yun had changed everything.

A genius capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the three young giants had finally emerged from their sect. The shame accumulated over the years had finally been washed away.

How could Elder Feiyu not feel excited?

However, before the excitement within the arena could settle, another shocking scene unfolded.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

Roars echoed through the heavens one after another.

Four deafening dragon roars suddenly resounded across the battlefield.

Immediately afterward, four golden Heavenly Dragons burst into the sky, soaring toward the nine heavens just like Li Yun’s had done moments earlier.

The same phenomenon appeared once more.

Four additional participants had achieved the perfect limit of nine-meter Dragon Qi.

The owners of these Heavenly Dragons were naturally Su Fengyan, Li Hao, Huang Chen, and Teng Jian.

The sight of five golden dragons roaming the heavens simultaneously caused the entire Hidden Dragon Battlefield to fall into complete chaos.

Yet just as everyone was still immersed in shock, an ancient voice suddenly echoed throughout the battlefield.

"The five great prodigies have appeared. The Dragon Emperor Secret Realm awakens."

The voice was ancient and weathered, carrying a profound aura that seemed to originate from a primordial age long forgotten by history.

It reverberated through every corner of the Hidden Dragon Battlefield, echoing clearly within the ears of every person present.

For a moment, the entire arena fell silent.

Then countless expressions changed drastically.

"Who spoke?"

Shock filled the faces of the crowd.

Everyone immediately stood up and began searching frantically for the source of the voice.

Even the five Mortal Core Realm experts, including Long Yutian himself, narrowed their eyes sharply and released their spiritual senses in all directions like bolts of lightning, attempting to locate the mysterious speaker hidden within the battlefield.