Han Li gave a bitter smile, his trembling hands clasped in salute before he turned and staggered away, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints. If Tang Ying hadn't withdrawn his sword at the last moment, he might not have left the stage alive.
The supervising elder of the Wind Lightning Pavilion raised his voice as the outcome was clear.
"First battle, Tang Ying wins! Next match—Xiang Liuyun versus Zhang Nan! Prepare to enter the arena!"
Xiang Liuyun stepped forward in a white robe, his bearing upright and sharp, like a spear that pierced the heavens. His hand gripped the air, summoning a long spear engraved with dragon patterns. The weapon twirled gracefully as the tip bloomed into a dazzling spear flower.
"Xiang Liuyun—please enlighten me!"
Zhang Nan's expression was cold, his eyes gleaming with a feral light as he raised a wicked-looking blade.
"Zhang Nan. 'Please enlighten me' is unnecessary. If you're afraid to die, better surrender early."
As his voice fell, both men's auras erupted at once—one fierce and sharp, the other saturated with killing intent.
In the next instant, they moved.
Two afterimages flashed across the arena, clashing violently.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Metal rang against metal in a rapid storm of blows. The shockwaves swept across the arena, stirring fierce winds that forced nearby spectators to shield their faces. The air itself trembled beneath the intensity of their clash.
The duel was vicious, and the audience roared in excitement. Battles like this—ferocious, bloody, unrestrained—were the ones that stirred the soul.
But Liu Xi only watched with mild disinterest. Resting his chin on one hand, he even stifled a yawn. To him, these two were merely decent among the high-level Dou Huangs—nothing to spark real curiosity.
Time flowed by.
The combatants' movements grew wild, their breathing ragged, their eyes red with frenzy.
Zhang Nan suddenly roared, black Dou Qi erupting from his body as the edge of his blade pulsed with eerie light.
"Let's settle this in one strike! Victory is mine!—Senluo Blade Shadow!"
Xiang Liuyun steadied his spear, his eyes resolute. Dou Qi surged into the weapon as he shouted, "Then let this be the day I carve my name into history! Azure Dragon Shatters the Sky!"
Behind him, a vast dragon phantom coalesced from Dou Qi, its roar echoing through the square as it lunged forward to meet the incoming strike.
The two attacks collided.
Black blade light cleaved through the air like a slash from the abyss, while the dragon shadow met it head-on, roaring defiantly.
But Zhang Nan's eyes turned frenzied—he bit his tongue, blood spraying across his blade.
"Die!"
The black glow deepened to a terrifying pitch. It tore through the dragon phantom, shattering it into countless fragments before continuing toward Xiang Liuyun.
Caught off guard, Xiang Liuyun's spear barely managed to intercept the blow, yet he was still flung backward like a broken kite. Without that final defense, the strike might have taken his life.
Zhang Nan's ruthless decisiveness made Venerable Huang's eyes gleam with interest. The Yellow Spring Pavilion favored such lunatics—if trained properly, they became deadly blades.
'After the tournament, I should investigate him further.'
Xiang Liuyun had already fallen unconscious.
After a brief inspection, the Wind Lightning Pavilion elder raised his voice again.
"Second battle—Zhang Nan wins! Next match, Mu Qingluan versus Wang Chen! Prepare to enter the arena!"
At the mention of those two names, Liu Xi finally sat up straighter, interest flickering in his eyes. This would be worth watching.
The unconscious Xiang Liuyun was carried away. Zhang Nan, pale but elated, limped to the edge of the arena—no matter what came next, he had already secured a place among the top four of the Four Pavilion Grand Meeting.
For countless cultivators, such glory was a dream beyond reach.
Mu Qingluan entered gracefully, her steps light and airy as she clasped her hands behind her back. Her sweet voice echoed across the square. "I didn't expect we'd meet this soon. Whoever loses today will be the bottom of the Four Pavilions' ranking—I can't afford to lose."
Wang Chen's expression was cold, his dagger spinning rapidly between his fingers before locking in place with a snap. The Yellow Spring Pavilion was unlike the others; if he lost, Venerable Huang would not take it lightly.
He wouldn't die—but he'd wish he had.
His tongue flicked across his blade, leaving a thin crimson trail as madness flashed in his eyes. "If you want to beat me, we'll see if you've got the skill. I don't know the meaning of 'mercy.'"
Before his words had even faded, Wang Chen vanished into a streak of black light. In an instant, he appeared behind Mu Qingluan, his dagger slicing toward her neck and waist in a double strike.
The daggers struck cleanly—but his triumphant grin froze in disbelief.
An afterimage?
A bell-like laugh rang from behind him. "Silent sneak attacks—how despicable."
He spun around to find Mu Qingluan standing a few paces away, her elegant figure clad in azure, her eyes calm yet mocking.
"As expected of Venerable Feng's prized disciple," Wang Chen sneered. "You're fast, but can you do more than run?"
"Speed is my advantage," Mu Qingluan replied easily. "Why would I waste it trying to overpower you?"
Her tone only deepened his frustration. Black Dou Qi surged from his body, its corrosive power twisting the air. The sheer force surpassed ordinary peak Dou Huangs—he was already half a step into the Dou Zong realm.
Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd. Even as a quasi-Dou Zong, Wang Chen was already terrifying among the younger generation.
But Mu Qingluan remained serene. Pale blue Dou Qi burst from her, her aura climbing rapidly to match his level.
"So you've reached this realm too," Wang Chen hissed. "But the victory will still be mine—Corrosive Bone Dagger Dance!"
His Dou Qi flared, leaving blackened scars across the ground wherever it touched. His speed doubled as he lunged forward, daggers weaving in twisted, unpredictable arcs that seemed to seal off every path of retreat.
Yet Mu Qingluan only laughed, her body moving like the wind itself. A soft current wrapped around her as she glided effortlessly through the storm of blades, always one step ahead.
Wang Chen attacked relentlessly, but every strike missed by a hair's breadth—just close enough to drive him mad.
So close, yet so far.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more his patience frayed. He knew time was against him—Mu Qingluan could toy with him until his Dou Qi ran dry.
A spark of rage ignited.
With a feral roar, his skin flushed red as the veins beneath it burst open, flooding his body with boiling blood energy. His entire figure turned crimson, his killing intent erupting like a tidal wave.
"Yellow Spring Blood Technique!"
(End of Chapter)
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