Can one person defeat several equally powerful experts?
If it's a series of one-on-one battles, it's hard to say. After all, many victories don't require three hundred rounds of fighting. Sometimes, all it takes is spotting a single flaw to end a battle, which not only saves energy but also improves one's technique.
But if they attack simultaneously, it's a different story.
Even for human martial artists, defeating three equally matched and coordinated opponents is incredibly difficult. Even with a significant skill gap, defeat is highly likely. If the opponents are fearless and willing to endure blows, they can use their bodies to restrict movement and ultimately win.
However, it's not impossible for the lone fighter to win...
By creating distance and swiftly defeating each opponent one by one, turning a group attack into a series of individual duels, victory is still possible.
When people say one's strength is far beyond others, it means this kind of situation.
In ancient battlefields, a nimble warrior with a good horse could charge through an army ten times their size, going in and out seven times... This highlights the importance of mobility.
Hit-and-run tactics can indeed create miracles.
But...
What if a powerful expert simply stood their ground, accepting a simultaneous assault from a dozen equally strong opponents, without dodging or evading?
Could they win?
That is indeed a question.
"Excuse me."
At that moment, Su Zhou stepped forward, extending his hand to signal the Grand Beginning Saint to step back, who had intended to advance alongside him to confront the other Dao Harmonization experts.
[Eh?]
Immediately, the Daoist revealed a surprised expression, and the other Dao Harmonization experts present seemed to feel insulted.
[What do you mean by this!]
[Primordial Candle Dragon, are you really planning to fight us all alone?]
[...Ridiculous.]
For a moment, a cacophony of voices echoed within the small world.
Their shock was understandable.
The situation is vastly different when facing a group assault alone compared to having a partner. A lone individual might struggle against a few opponents, but two people supporting each other can withstand an attack from over a dozen without being defeated. Watching each other's blind spots creates a synergistic effect where one plus one is greater than two.
In that scenario, perhaps exhausting the opponents' stamina would be the only viable strategy.
[Candle Dragon, what are you doing...]
The Grand Beginning Saint was considered a strong expert even among the many Dao Harmonization experts. If he joined forces with Su Zhou, it would indeed make things incredibly difficult for the others... But the youth's actions puzzled him: [All of us here are powerful experts. Even if you possess dozens of Dao Harmonization avatars, they would still be able to defeat you before you could summon them!]
[The risk is too great!]
"Don't worry," the youth replied calmly, "correctness will not be defeated."
[This... ]
How could that be possible?
Although he said it and thought it, the Grand Beginning Saint did not intend to go against Su Zhou's will.
Su Zhou was indeed a more correct expert than him. His current confusion might simply stem from his inability to comprehend Su Zhou's power.
So, was Su Zhou really planning to confront them single-handedly?
The answer was no.
At that moment, led by Divine Venerable Qing Song, the Dao Harmonization experts had already raised their divine weapons and Dao artifacts, stepping forward to meet Su Zhou, who had also raised the divine saber in his hand.
On the verge of tribulation of Dao Transformation, everything in the mortal world held no stimulation for Divine Venerable Qing Song. Only Su Zhou's declaration and evaluation of his Great Dao could make this veteran Dao Harmonization expert feel humiliated and enraged. Afterwards, Su Zhou's lack of fear towards their alliance, even showing contempt, was not so important anymore. After all, if it were him, being questioned about his Great Dao in such a way, he would not hesitate to challenge everyone present.
This was the pride of Dao Harmonization experts, and also their arrogance.
Fifteen Dao Harmonization experts pressed forward together. Even their intangible aura transformed into a reality capable of replacing the universe. In the void, the tiny world originally chosen as the meeting place suddenly shone brightly, its brightness briefly surpassing the entire sealed world, transforming into a dazzling new star in the chaotic currents of space-time.
Every new Great Dao, in essence, represented a completely new 'cosmic structure'. After all, for a completely self-consistent universe, adding a brand-new Great Dao while perfectly accommodating everything from the past was no less difficult than creating a new universe. Even if they couldn't do it at the beginning of Dao Harmonization, every veteran Dao Harmonization expert possessed the potential to create a universe.
At this moment, fifteen veteran Dao Harmonization experts unleashed their powers. Instantly, countless laws intertwined, and numerous runes and spiritual lights illuminated countless worlds and stars. The vast power accumulated in their Dao Harmonization worlds poured out from their bodies, with nearly 'infinite' power surging forth.
Dao Harmonization experts, although they had not yet touched the boundary of infinity and could not be considered a torrent, could infinitely accumulate their power... Within a certain time, it wouldn't be wrong for them to claim to possess infinite power.
And Su Zhou, facing such fifteen powerful enemies, merely raised his saber.
[Arrogant!] Divine Venerable Qing Song briefly spat out these two words. With his experience and strength, he could naturally see that Su Zhou's strength, will, and even the solidity of his Great Dao surpassed his own by half a level – but he could also naturally see how short Su Zhou's true age was, and could deduce that Su Zhou's accumulation was far less than theirs.
Limitless potential? More than that. Honestly, Divine Venerable Qing Song believed that Su Zhou could definitely achieve the Flood, and surpass Dao Harmonization experts like himself who were about to undergo Dao Transformation in the future with ease.
But that was the future, and so-called limitless potential required time.
And right now, he didn't have time.
Because he had already launched an attack.
With a single strike, Divine Venerable Qing Song poured all his strength into this attack.
The dark void instantly lit up with a sword light that could pierce through the world. It broke through layers of chaotic currents, directly stabbing towards Su Zhou's location. And where the sword's edge passed, time was reversing, and all energy and matter regressed as if time were flowing backwards, and then merged into that sword, as if that sword was the origin of all things, the beginning and end of all causes and effects.
So-called plundering was nothing more than the law of nature, where low-entropy life plundered other low-entropy entities to maintain its own low-entropy state. When entropy no longer transferred and there was no more plundering in the world, it would be the heat death of the universe, the end of all things.
To say it was a single sword that opened the sky would be an understatement. Divine Venerable Qing Song's strike elaborated on the objective laws of many different worlds, and exhausted the similarities of many universes with different Great Dao constants—he was already close to touching the edge of the Flood.
With one sword strike, many world shadows appeared, accompanied by the aura of the destruction of all worlds, crushing everything.
But Su Zhou remained unmoved. He simply revealed a calm smile, and then raised the Blade of Annihilation, blocking the sword with the most ordinary 'horizontal saber stance'.
The edge of the Blade of Annihilation shimmered with a crystalline halo. The divine saber, augmented with Su Zhou's personal space and the power of his Great Dao, was like an entire solid world, blocking Divine Venerable Qing Song's attack. The power of both sides, enough to shatter the world, collided and annihilated each other in the most microscopic realm, mutually eroding and consuming each other, and then reflecting into the most macroscopic multiverse void.
Blocked? Such a thought flashed through Divine Venerable Qing Song's mind, but he didn't take it to heart. On the contrary, blocking it was just right. He knew very well that if he wanted to win, he had to drag Su Zhou into a competition of hard power. And this kind of head-on block was precisely the best way to compare hard power.
But when this Dao Harmonization expert wanted to continue exerting force, using his deep accumulation to force Su Zhou to retreat, exposing flaws, and creating opportunities for other Dao Harmonization experts.
An accident happened.
A long spear suddenly appeared in Su Zhou's right hand. The youth, who should have had no strength left, suddenly summoned his second divine weapon. He swiftly raised the spear and pierced Divine Venerable Qing Song's chest, then burst out, leaving a straight line. Instantly, scarlet light mist and runes surged out from the Dao Harmonization expert's wound like rising clouds, reflecting the other’s astonished expression, and the thought that flashed through his mind.
[How does he still have strength left?]
[That is?!]
The Heavenly Intent Divine Emperor, who was holding the line on the other side, also widened his eyes. He could sense the power of the divine tree in that spear, far exceeding his own in purity.
The aura of the World Tree Spear was not dazzling, even dim—even with the Wisdom Tree and Su Zhou's personal space constantly nurturing it, this divine weapon was still inferior to the Blade of Annihilation. However, after all, it was a divine weapon blessed by the two divine trees. Its greatest power lay in 'eternal existence, eternal continuation', it was virtually indestructible. Even if it was annihilated by unimaginable existences, it would be reborn from death.
However, now that Su Zhou had achieved Dao Harmonization, it was impossible for anyone in the Dao Harmonization realm to annihilate it. The simple and smooth divine tree spear was easily pulled out, bringing up a plume of light mist, causing Divine Venerable Qing Song to stop his attack and stagger backward—and he still hadn't figured out why Su Zhou suddenly had another burst of power, and could still have the strength to launch a second attack while confronting him.
This injury was not serious... but it was not something that could be completely restored immediately. Moreover, if he couldn't find the reason, his re-entry would only result in a second serious injury.
Even the other Dao Harmonization experts were shocked by the power that Su Zhou suddenly exploded with, and stopped their attacking footsteps.
[Why, I sensed that a portion of Qing Song's power suddenly turned towards that Primordial Candle Dragon?]
[What is this principle?!]
"Do you really think that you are the masters of the world?"
Su Zhou lowered the Blade of Annihilation, and carried the World Tree Spear behind him, looking around. The youth's question, spoken in a calm tone, was so powerful that the surrounding void was shaking because of it, and the aftermath of the battle between him and Divine Venerable Qing Song was sweeping through the surrounding uninhabited worlds, causing the brilliance of each small world to flicker and dim.
"Do you really think that you are the controllers of the universe?"
His question was like saying 'People who are eating lunch right now must be eating lunch' or 'The last time I saw you read this book was the last time', causing the many Dao Harmonization experts to feel emotions more ridiculous than absurdity—they were originally the masters of the world, the controllers of the universe, and every Dao Harmonization expert could even be said to be a re-creator of a universe.
The Primordial Candle Dragon himself was also a Dao Harmonization expert, so how could he say such a thing?
However, they saw Su Zhou raise his index finger and shake it.
"You can't do it."
"The universe you are in itself does not think so."
The other Dao Harmonization experts could not understand Su Zhou's words for a moment.
But Divine Venerable Qing Song, who was covering his wound, looked at Su Zhou.
He could see that in the eyes looking at him, there was no malice, no hostility, and they were as calm as an ancient well, just like a sage watching the heavens and the earth, a pure gaze.
Even, not gazing at himself.
But gazing at the entire world and universe behind him.
[...Innovation...]
--He felt it.
--The Dao Harmonization world behind him... the world in which he was born, was accepting the Great Dao of this Primordial Candle Dragon through his power!
Even, it was cheering and rejoicing because of this!
[How is it possible...] Divine Venerable Qing Song couldn't help but murmur.
This feeling, even for Qing Song, who was about to undergo Dao Transformation, felt complicated and difficult to describe his heart.
His hometown, where he had achieved Dao Harmonization for millions of years... was so eager, almost without any obstacles, accepting the Great Dao of this Primordial Candle Dragon even more smoothly than accepting his own Great Dao?
--What a joke!
But that was the truth.
As everyone knows, the body of a Dao Harmonization expert is the Great Dao itself of the universe in which they reside. All the entities that are projected are all incarnations of the Great Dao, which are 'Dao Appearances', and can be easily restored even if they are destroyed.
Su Zhou's tens of thousands of Dao Appearances originated from the tens of thousands of worlds where he achieved Dao Harmonization, and the number was still increasing. But this time it was different... This time, he was directly harmonizing with the mother world of Qing Song in front of his face!
Generally speaking, it is difficult for a world with a Dao Harmonization expert to accept the Dao Harmonization of other Dao Harmonization experts. The reason is very simple, because the first Dao Harmonization expert only has to face the rejection of the universe itself when harmonizing with the Dao, then the second one has to face the rejection of the first Dao Harmonization expert in addition to the universe.
But... what if the universe itself doesn't reject it?
Then the rejection of the first Dao Harmonization expert is irrelevant—after all, there is a saying that the match was made in heaven, what right do you, a monster, have to object?
Therefore, the world that originally provided power to Divine Venerable Qing Song also began to provide power to Su Zhou, allowing the youth to have additional divine power, to use a second divine weapon, and to defeat Divine Venerable Qing Song.
[Sorcery--]
Hearing Divine Venerable Qing Song's instinctive rebuke under the agitation of his heart, Su Zhou just shook his head slightly: "Why do you say that? Your world and I are in love, both sides are willing."
"You don't think that your universe will only accept your Great Dao, do you?"
This is pure love!
Not only Divine Venerable Qing Song, who was almost speechless, but also the other Dao Harmonization experts present were shaken by this.
The fourteen Dao Harmonization experts suddenly felt a chill rising from their hearts. This sense of danger mixed with the unknown and incomprehensible was a feeling that they hadn't felt for hundreds of thousands of years. In their eyes, Su Zhou, who was carrying a long saber and slowly walking towards them, was simply an indescribable and terrifying monster, and had already begun to show his fangs to them. The absolute sense of danger forced them to fight back.
[Attack!]
Perhaps because of the shock brought by the Divine Wood Spear earlier, the Heavenly Intent Divine Emperor was the first to react from this shock. He let out a breath and immediately raised the long axe in his hand: [The Primordial Candle Dragon is truly our great enemy, don't be frightened by his techniques!]
Instantly, the many experts joined forces. Although they had never joined forces in the past, the instinct to fight made them quickly occupy all favorable positions around Su Zhou.
[Be careful, Lord Candle Dragon!] Even the Grand Beginning Saint couldn't help but remind him, wanting to join the battle—but Su Zhou raised his hand again, reassuring him.
"I never fight alone."
He said, "Because all things, and even those who seem to be hostile to me, are my allies."
"Just as their worlds will willingly accept me."
"They themselves, are the same."