Ye Mo was in a complicated position, the injuries he sustained could have killed him without a healing battle skill and although they were healing fast, it still needed a short time for him to completely recover.
However, this time, the treemen didn't let him have any as they attacked all together, sending palm strikes, stomping with their feet, or trying to clutch him down.
In his weakened state, Ye Mo's movements weren't as fast as before and he had to roll or side-step in extremis to avoid the treemen's strikes, trying his best to gain time and leave the encirclement until he recovered enough to counterattack.
With only one valid arm, fighting right now against all of them wasn't a viable solution.
In the meantime, Liu Zhi was still healing himself, but his healing battle skill didn't seem as effective as Ye Mo's one since his wounds were lighter but still appeared to take more time to treat.
From that, spectators understood his healing battle skill was only of the mid-tier Yellow class. With his combination of battle skills, Liu Zhi's defense was excellent and just finding a way to touch him would be nerve-wracking for his opponents.
Indubitably, suffering from injuries was rare for him and he didn't take healing as vital nor did he have to use it often.
Sending all his treemen to attack Ye Mo while he was left behind, it was to make use of the first's weakened state but also to buy time for himself and lastly because he was enraged.
In his struggle, Ye Mo was scratched several times, having small wounds on his legs or his back, but they weren't much for him.
Bam!
Yet, after some time, a treeman was sent flying.
Then another had his torso broken while a third was pushed back several steps before he regained his balance.
The three deep injuries strewn over Ye Mo's shoulder and chest disappeared, while his lightheadedness and unsteady footsteps vanished as he became the one engaging the treemen furiously, breaking them one by one.
With a cultivation of the peak 7th layer and a body refining cultivation, how could these beasts be his match?
Liu Zhi saw his enemy progress towards him as all his treemen were destroyed, each in less than three strikes, and panicked.
Currently, only four of them remained.
"This should be enough, I can't continue healing anymore." Liu Zhi gritted his teeth as he stood up, the radiance in the palm of his hand waning.
Treeman Metamorphosis.
Immediately, Liu Zhi returned to his form of treeman right before a punch welcomed his face.
The tree was hurled back violently, bouncing on the stage multiple times until it slowed down and stopped near the edge.
Yet, one of those remaining behind Ye Mo chuckled, raising his attention.
"You think you got me? I just wanted to end it fast so our public doesn't waste its time, but since you take it this way, fine. Let's see how you do now that I remain hidden."
Self Army.
As soon as he said this, fifteen treemen appeared in the arena, facing his opponent.
Liu Zhi laughed sinisterly. Since Ye Mo was waiting for an opportunity to defeat him when he strikes and reveals his position, he decided he wouldn't risk it anymore and let his treemen deal with him.
With no way to reach him, Ye Mo can only fight aimlessly.
No matter how great your strength is, if you can't hit me, you cannot cause damage.
The nineteen treemen marched together like a squadron, encircling him.
Ye Mo used Wind flow and charged in a straight line, his shoulder raised as he collided against one of them.
The treeman was hit and flew, bringing others with him in his fall until he was stopped by the last ones in his path, raising their arms and blocking him.
Ye Mo fought fire with fire as he went in short range and attacked fiercely.
Crack! Crack!
Punches and kicks shattered the treemen's protections, Ye Mo's strikes were simple, yet brutal and effective with a domineering aura.
His movements were inconstant and didn't follow any pattern, at times he was agile like a snake, other times he was acrobatic like a monkey, and in-between he would be tough like a bull.
The treemen growled in pain as their number fell continuously.
"I see, Ye Mo's attacks appear to be useless but he's destroying the treemen single-handedly until only Liu Zhi remains."
"That's right, when all the treemen are taken care of and Liu Zhi stands by himself, he won't have anywhere else to hide and Ye Mo will have all the leisure to deal with him."
"One Soul Investitude battle skill is powerful but also has its flaws, and I'm not even talking about the qi consumption. Liu Zhi's battle skill combination is ingenious but it only needs one link to fall for the whole strategy to crumble."
"Ye Mo's body abilities are absurd, if I were in his place, I would never be able to wreck all these treemen like that."
Liu Zhi understood this as well as he saw his opponent deal with his army by himself without paying him any heed, only focused on hitting without being hit.
He gritted his teeth and expanded his qi greatly, using Self Army twice in a row as thirty treemen appeared in the arena.
Their huge stature covered most of the battle stage.
Ye Mo was indifferent, his eyes dark and eerie.
He clenched his fists and kept attacking on all sides, sending treemen flying, rolling on the ground, shattering from the base or directly bashing in the head.
His fists broke the air, the momentum and fierceness they contained were incomparable, like tides striking a cliff.
Additionally, the treemen's movements turned constrained and awkward.
They were simply too numerous at the time, and with their tall and large stature attacking the small Ye Mo, they often hindered themselves, walking on each other or hitting an ally while attempting to land a blow on their target.
Moreover, a huge part of them couldn't even approach Ye Mo. This one being encircled, only four or five treemen at best could attack at the same time while the rest stood at the back waiting for their turn once their comrades were eliminated.
There were times when Ye Mo was injured but none of them were to the extent of his first collision with Liu Zhi so with only Endless Vitality, they quickly disappeared.
Minor wounds weren't even dealt with as they didn't impede him and blood stopped leaking by itself after some time.
This way, the treemen's number decreased continually and after a few minutes, Liu Zhi had to use Self Army again, his face turning a pale white in trepidation.
However, it was only a temporary measure as the cycle repeated and without any change, defeat seemed inevitable.
After all, qi consumption had a great role in a battle between two cultivators.
Liu Zhi is a 9th layer cultivator so compared to Ye Mo who's still at the 7th layer, he should have much greater reserves in his dantian and last longer.
However, since the start of the fight, he has been continually using multiple high-tier battle skills, while Ye Mo was only alternating between the mid-tier Stone Breaking Punch and Cyclone Kick for offense and the low-tier Wind Flow for movement.
Their qi consumption was small and with just Endless Vitality used shortly here and there, he still had plenty of qi and his momentum rose perpetually.
Liu Zhi instead, just to lay out his strategy, had to use three high-tier battle skills in a row and Treeman Metamorphosis alongside Self Army kept drawing his qi out during the fight as long as they were in use.
In this aspect, it was clear that Liu Zhi's qi consumption was much greater and he was reaching a critical point right now.
An essential part of this fight was also that Ye Mo was a body refining cultivator and could rely more on his body, being less dependent on battle skills than an ordinary cultivator.
Often, he used nothing but the strength of his legs to move, activating Wind Flow only for short and necessary outbursts.
If it was someone else at his place, he could only fight the treemen until his qi was exhausted and lose if he wasn't already defeated by them or Liu Zhi's sneak attacks.
Besides this battle tactic, Liu Zhi also had other martial arts but their levels were either too low or they were simply of no use here.
The core of his battle strength was this combination of battle skill, and since he created it, he has never suffered a loss in a bout before.
But, when the audience looked at the battle stage, they wondered who was truly the beast.
Ye Mo became more violent as time passed, being completely immersed in the fight, he attacked again and again, his fists carrying the sound of the wind.
"This is the result of my dedication, after nearly a year putting my mind, my body and all my efforts towards this one goal."
"Fighting, killing, lying, stealing, risking my life! Using blood and bones to pave a path. This is the power I seek, heaven and earth quaking under my fists, my enemies helpless as my wrath fall on them, the world turned upside down by my will!"
"Still, this is only the start!"
His heartbeat pulsed rapidly and his blood raced.
Ye Mo grabbed a treeman's leg and spun around. The treeman knocked his counterparts surrounding Ye Mo on the ground as this one slowly grew faster in his rotation until he suddenly released his hold.
The treeman flew at an incredible speed, still spinning uncontrollably in the air before he crashed on the protective barrier covering the bleachers, greatly startling the spectators behind.
At this moment, less than ten treemen remained struggling in the arena.
"Am I really gonna lose against this kid? Impossible, I won't believe it!" Liu Zhi raged inside as ominous premonitions flashed in his mind.
Bam!
Ye Mo's fist ruthlessly struck a treeman, his hand penetrating deep into its torso.
Without notice, a treeman attacked from behind him with impeccable timing, its speed much greater than usual.
Hand Blade battle skill!
The sharp claws of the treeman joined together on one of its hands and turned into a great wooden blade nearly as long and twice as large as Ye Mo as it hacked down towards him.
"Even if I have to kill you and be imprisoned, I don't care, you're either leaving this battle stage defeated or dead!" Liu Zhi screamed in his heart.
Defeat wasn't an option, Liu Zhi bet it all on this last strike while Ye Mo's fist was lodged in a treeman!
Not far, Lan Xue frowned disgruntled and was about to intervene, but suddenly her brows rose and she seized her hand, spectating.
Ye Mo turned around and used the treeman, his fist was embedded into, as a shield to block the blade. The battle skill easily went through the treeman and cut him apart but missed its mark as Ye Mo was able to avoid it then attacked almost simultaneously with his other hand, punching with all his might.
Liu Zhi shrieked loudly, flying backwards before crashing on the stone tiles as he reverted to his true appearance.
He stayed prostrated on the ground touching his ribs before another cry left his mouth as waves of pain rushed to his brain.
In the meantime, the last treemen disappeared with this last exchange, the small amount of qi he possessed was exhausted.
Immediately, Ye Mo used Wind Flow and rushed towards him.
"Wait, wait, I can't fight anymore. Instructor Lan Xue, please help m—"
Liu Zhi attempted to seek help as he watched Ye Mo approaching, but Lan Xue didn't bat an eye when he was raised from the ground and took a palm strike in the belly.
The qi in the palm penetrated his body and targeted Liu Zhi's dantian which cracked up.
"You..."
He attempted to say something but his words trailed off as he vomited a pool of blood before his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
His cultivation was crippled and his dantian damaged. He would never be able to walk the path of a cultivator again.
This was a fate worse than death for many.
He paid the price fully for his transgression.
The battle ended abuptly; only Ye Mo stood standing, the brutality he showed still flashing in the audience's mind.
Other than that, it was a scene of silence, no one spoke!