The reversal of the situation not only left the contestants at a loss but also stunned most of the spectators watching. The formidable Saraf, commanding a strong presence just a second ago, was instantly subdued by Nero. Yet, Nero's triumph was short-lived as he was swiftly countered and captured by the opponent. These events unfolded in the blink of an eye, leaving onlookers unable to discern how the next twist in the battle might occur.

"You weren't affected by my poison gas from the start!" Nero propped himself up against Saraf's tail, which wrapped around him like an iron hoop, asking with difficulty as he tried to prevent it from snapping him in half.

"Do you know Suhabaru?" Saraf didn't respond directly, instead asking a name in return.

On hearing this name, Pei Yan and Lin Daozi outside the arena immediately comprehended the connection, smiling knowingly, whereas Nero remained puzzled. He knew of the person but couldn't understand why Saraf mentioned him at this moment.

"Suhabaru?"

"That's right! It was him! The day Lin Daozi battled him, turning vitality into an offensive method infused into his body, making him unknowingly fall and fail—I was there, watching! Do you think I would be naive enough to fall for the same trick twice?"

"So you were just acting!" Nero angrily accused Saraf with his face beginning to turn grim.

"Yes, don't blame me for it; I hadn't learned this trick yet! It's what I learned from that guy named Pei Yan, so if you're going to hate someone, hate him!"

"Pff, what does it have to do with me!" Pei Yan, sipping cola on the sidelines, choked on his drink, inexplicably receiving the blame, causing him to retort sarcastically.

"Dragon Breath!" Having shifted the blame to Pei Yan, Saraf didn't hear Pei Yan's retort. He didn't want to miss this opportunity for vindication, targeting Nero's head with his own, slowly opening his mouth as red light shone, illuminating his sharp fangs glittering brilliantly.

At such close range, with spatial mobility blocked, Nero couldn't evade and had to raise his arms to protect his head, leaving his abdomen exposed. Saraf's blade-covered hands sank forcefully into his abdomen simultaneously as the beam inside his mouth shot forth.

The scorching beam focused on Nero's face, magnified in the light projection, allowing Pei Yan to see instantly, Nero's arms began to smoke upon contact with the beam. Their stalemate didn't last long; the beam pierced through the arms and penetrated the protected skull effortlessly before striking the platform below.

"Dead?" Jiang Feiyang was so shocked at this sight that he forgot to eat the chips at his lips, staring at the scene on the platform—an abdomen torn open, intestines exposed, charred bone stumps with limp arms, and a head burned beyond recognition with smoke curling from a large cavity, whispering if there was any life in Nero.

"No, it's just the beginning," After watching Saraf's dramatic turn, Pei Yan had collapsed into his seat, disheartened, and took the chips from Jiang Feiyang, sighing: "Saraf's brilliant performance has ended; we should prepare to go on stage."

"Huh! Why?" Jiang Feiyang regaining his senses looked at Pei Yan in confusion: "Even if you don't have confidence in Saraf winning, aren't there two matches left?"

"Saraf won't win and will actually suffer a crushing defeat. Among the remaining two from the Spirit Monster Plane, Long Jin, stands no chance against any of the Blood Demon lot; as for that child." Pei Yan spoke, recalling the youngest contestant from the Spirit Monster Plane: "She should be really strong, I sensed an unusual aura from her, yet no matter how strong she is, I don't believe she can take on three and win the last battle royale. Were I the Lord of the Plane, I wouldn't risk letting the other two compete."

By now, Wang Wenze was accustomed to trusting Pei Yan's words, so he didn't question them, merely watching Saraf on stage, lamenting: "So strong and they still fall, is Nero a monster?"

"Yes, you'll soon see the monster awaken, don't be too shocked when you see his true power!" Feeling a threat enough to endanger himself in normal circumstances, Pei Yan gazed at Nero on the stage with a grave expression. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"The life source energy I absorbed from you never entered my body's source energy cycle; it's stored separately in an independent chamber, and the Dragon Breath just now was enhanced with this source energy. How does it feel to be concentrated poison gas by yourself?" Facing the already limp body, Saraf slowly retracted his dragon tail, mockingly speaking.

He knew it was the opponent's moment of life regeneration; even if he attacked now, it would only land on an unconscious corpse, wasting effort. So, he saved his strength, quietly waiting for awareness to return.

"Ugh~ Ah~ Ah!" A series of non-human sounds echoed across the stage; moments later, the battle-scarred body turned into a pool of blood sludge. Feeling the opponent's consciousness awaken, Saraf was unwilling to let the healing proceed smoothly and flicked his fingers, constantly firing source qi bombs into the soft mud.

Unfortunately, this attack seemed ineffective, as the source qi group sank into the writhing blood sludge like mud disappearing in the sea, causing only minor ripples before vanishing without further reaction, a change that made Saraf frown and he couldn't help feeling a foreboding premonition.

"Haha, after all, as the Child of Origin specially trained, I truly underestimated you! Originally wanting to suppress power until facing Daoist Realm and Pei Yan but alas, my cultivation isn't enough yet." Mud amidst Saraf's continuous attack still grew robust, finally reformed into a human, skin covering the crimson exposed flesh, Nero fully restored flicked away Saraf's attacks with one hand, begrudgingly changing into clothes with the other.

"Knew you wouldn't fall so easily, don't put on airs!" Saraf dismissively mocked Nero's words of underestimating him: "Such damage should have consumed considerable origin to compensate; your arrogance resulted in me gaining the upper hand, suppressing power? Don't make me laugh! You think only you have cards not yet revealed? I'm just warming up as well."