"Ye Zhen, Huaa Wushuang is really strong!"
After the second round of the ranking competition ended, Second Elder Jis Che and Seventh Elder Zhongli Jing started chatting with Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen did not immediately respond, instead waiting for the elders to continue.
"Ye Zhen, if you want to defeat Huaa Wushuang, I advise you to do it sooner rather than later, while Huaa Wushuang’s Divine Soul injuries have not yet healed. Preferably in the next round."
"That way, your chances of winning could be 50% or even 60 to 70%."
"In fact, the move Huaa Wushuang used to scare off Yem Yuan earlier was a bit of a bluff. It’s fair to say that the move, Three-colored Spiritual Mountain, didn’t dissipate completely by Huaa Wushuang’s deliberate doing, but by starting to fall apart on its own first, and then Huaa Wushuang let it disperse completely," Zhongli Jing explained.
"Ye Zhen, think it over carefully. Huaa Wushuang’s recovery speed is astounding. The sooner you challenge him, the better!" Jis Che added.
Ye Zhen did not reply immediately. He raised his head, his gaze fixed on the white clouds at the horizon. The scene of his encounter with Huaa Wushuang half a year ago at the Qingluo Sect seemed to reappear in his eyes.
The shame of losing in three moves, the helplessness!
The sneers of Huaa Wushuang!
The feeling of worthlessness when facing Huaa Wushuang!
The relief he felt after pushing Huaa Wushuang away with the three-move agreement welled up in Ye Zhen’s heart.
As these mixed feelings resurfaced in Ye Zhen’s heart, he made a decision on where to go from here.
Ye Zhen was prepared to give Huaa Wushuang plenty of time to recover and would challenge him tomorrow, even in the last match of the day, fighting Huaa Wushuang fairly and squarely.
It wasn’t about reputation, it wasn’t about winning or losing, it was just about that breath of pride!
It was about eradicating that ant-like feeling and washing away the shame of the three-move agreement.
To refine his spine to be as strong as Refined Steel, purging the last bit of impurity!
When Second Elder Jis Che and Seventh Elder Zhongli Jing heard about Ye Zhen’s decision, they both showed a look of astonishment.
Seventh Elder Zhongli Jing wanted to persuade him further, but was stopped by Second Elder Jis Che, "Old Zhong, have you forgotten Ye Zhen’s other identity, Zheng Fuyun?
This is a mental knot...."
Two hours later, the third round ranking match started as scheduled.
Of course, the opening match still featured the dramatic scenes of preemptive challenges.
As Qing Yii gave the command, a figure dashed like lightning onto Dragonhead Stage No.8. This person was none other than Bu Changtian.
An additional two hours for recovery, his Divine Soul Injuries had only slightly improved. He didn’t have Huaa Wushuang’s peculiar Daoist methods, and without a full night’s rest, his Divine Soul Injuries couldn’t fully recover.
However, before Bu Changtian could challenge someone, another figure leaped onto Dragonhead Stage No.8 almost simultaneously.
Then, both were stunned, looking at each other in astonishment.
"Senior Brother!"
"Zuo.... Junior Brother!"
The ones who had simultaneously raced onto Dragonhead Stage No.8 turned out to be the Phantom Divine Sect’s own Senior Brother Bu Changtian and Junior Brother Zuo Bin.
The two immediately felt downhearted.
They had intended to confront other competitors but ended up facing their own members.
"The first match, Bu Changtian versus Zuo Bin!" Qing Yii in the sky was also somewhat helpless, but what else could he do now.
However, neither Bu Changtian nor Zuo Bin made a move.
Bu Changtian was just looking at Zuo Bin with a gaze that was unusual yet familiar to him.
That gaze, Zuo Bin was very familiar with it, including other True Disciples of the Phantom Divine Sect, all knew what Bu Changtian’s gaze meant.
"Surrender, you’re no match for me!"
That was the meaning behind Bu Changtian’s gaze.
In the grand competitions within the Phantom Divine Sect, Bu Changtian many times with such a look had made many brothers voluntarily surrender. This time, however, there was added pressure and impatience.
Zuo Bin’s face turned red in an instant!
Biting his lip, he bowed his head, then suddenly, Zuo Bin raised his head, his eyes filled with determination!
This was the moment to change his fate, to change his future, he absolutely could not give up now!
If it were before Bu Changtian was injured, Zuo Bin would have conceded without hesitation, he was very clear about the gap between them.
But now, with Bu Changtian injured, he saw a chance to win.
He wanted to... fight!
"Senior Brother, today let’s fight freely on the platform, and let the young talents of the world witness the elegance of our Phantom Divine Sect!" Zuo Bin said.
Bu Changtian’s expression instantly became dark, "Audacious," although he did not shout it out, he inwardly screamed it.
These junior brothers, were always eying his position.
"Fine!" Bu Changtian sneered, "Please!"
In the sky, Qing Yii’s expression changed, just as he was about to scold Zuo Bin sternly using Divine Soul Telecommunication, but as he was about to shout, he suppressed it.
He suddenly seemed to understand Zuo Bin’s mindset at this moment.
Under normal circumstances, Zuo Bin could never match Bu Changtian, today, however, was his only chance!
The moment the word was spoken, Zuo Bin soared into action like lightning, turning his sword into a flurry of images.
Phantom Divine Sect’s ultimate skill, Lotus Heart Illusion Sword battling against Thousand Extremes Palm!
It must be said, after suffering Divine Soul Injuries, Bu Changtian’s strength had indeed decreased considerably, and not just a little. Once engaged, he ended up on par with Zuo Bin.
To think, in the past Sect competitions, Zuo Bin’s best record was barely managing to hold on for thirty rounds under Bu Changtian, and always at a disadvantage!
"Junior Brother, I know what you’re thinking, but your plan, in this life, is doomed... to fail..." In the moment they passed by each other, Bu Changtian’s Divine Soul Telecommunication suddenly rang out in Zuo Bin’s mind, and Zuo Bin’s face turned abruptly crimson.
"Illusion Divine Palm!"
Bu Changtian’s form shook and abruptly an illusion appeared in the sky. With another tremble, another illusion was formed, and three illusions struck out with their palms at once.
To quickly decide the battle, Bu Changtian resorted to his ultimate skill once again.
The sequelae of the Divine Soul injuries were fully revealed at this moment, as the Illusion Divine Palm, which normally could create four illusions, could now only produce three.
Seeing these three illusions, Zuo Bin’s pupils suddenly shrunk to their limit.
How terrifying the Illusion Divine Palm truly was, he, a disciple of the Phantom Divine Sect, knew all too well.
However, Zuo Bin had once heard an elder discussing the vulnerability of the Illusion Divine Palm during a lecture on martial arts.
Normally, once the Illusion Divine Palm was executed, there were virtually no flaws and one could only counter it by withstanding the powerful offense head-on.
But, at the very moment the Illusion Divine Palm was unleashed, that was when it was most vulnerable.
The precise moment came just as the illusions were being formed and each was about to strike, when there was a brief unprotected area in front of the caster’s chest.
Zuo Bin’s body tightened, and the seven flashes of Sword Light abruptly converged into one. Together with Zuo Bin’s form, they shot upwards towards the Bu Changtian who had just produced the illusions in the sky, the seven flashes of Sword Light blooming like a lotus, stabbing directly at him.
"Lotus Heart Thorn!"
In the sky, seeing this Lotus Heart Thorn, Qing Yii was visibly tensed.
Zuo Bin was quite strong, and he had timed his move excellently, but his strength was still slightly lacking.
"Junior Brother, you’ve cultivated Connected Heart Illusion Sword well, but to deal with your senior brother, it’s still not enough!"
A mouthful of energy-rich Origin Essence Blood suddenly sprayed from Zuo Bin’s mouth, and instantly, the brilliance from the Lotus Heart created by the seven Sword Lights surged dramatically, even speeding up by more than fifty percent.
"Huh?" In the sky, Qing Yii’s eyes suddenly widened.
But in a flash, Bu Changtian’s expression turned fierce, and a violent Divine Soul Wave crazily erupted from his body.
Just as the Lotus Heart Thorn was about to pierce Bu Changtian’s front chest, two illusions, positioned about three to four meters to Bu Changtian’s left and right, seemed to instantaneously teleport, shielding in front of Bu Changtian’s chest.
Thud, thud!
The two illusions, formed purely from Spiritual Power, were instantly penetrated by the greatly enhanced Lotus Heart Thorn, and the Seven Sword Lotus Heart continued to fiercely stab towards Bu Changtian’s chest.
A series of heavy Palm Shadows burst forth like flowing water from Bu Changtian’s chest, and he met the Seven Sword Lotus Heart Thorn with a single palm of his right hand.
Thanks to the brief respite bought by the two illusions, Bu Changtian finally covered the unprotected area on his chest.
The Sword Light and Palm Shadow exploded simultaneously, accompanied by the sound of a sword piercing flesh ringing out at the same time.
Zuo Bin’s long sword pierced through Bu Changtian’s Protective Spirit Force, stabbing into the root of Bu Changtian’s right hand, with half the hilt disappearing as it emerged from the elbow.
At the same time, Bu Changtian’s left palm, driven by fury, struck harshly at the critical point on Zuo Bin’s back, and Zuo Bin’s Protective Spirit Force was instantaneously extinguished!
In midair, Zuo Bin’s mouth spewed fresh blood prolifically, his body plummeting from the sky like an uncontrolled stone. During the fall, he even coughed up some small fragments of internal organs, indicating the ferocity of Bu Changtian’s palm strike.
The severe physical damage was nothing compared to how cold Zuo Bin’s heart was!
Zuo Bin knew that his only chance to turn the tables in front of Bu Changtian had utterly failed.
For the next five years, even ten years, there was no possibility of any change in his position within the sect or his prospects.
"Senior brother, as expected... you are formidable. I’ve lost... cough cough cough!" Clutching his chest, Zuo Bin staggered off the Dragonhead Stage No.8.
Around the Dragonhead Stage No.8, many Martial Artists from the Phantom Divine Sect in both the Spirit Summoning Realm and Spirit Transformation Realm watched as Zuo Bin staggered, but no one dared to assist him.
Becasue in the sky, Bu Changtian’s face was gloomy enough to drip water.
Who would dare!
Zuo Bin’s Lotus Heart Thorn had nearly inflicted severe damage or even taken his life, which infuriated Bu Changtian greatly.
What made Bu Changtian nearly go mad was the fact that his old wound had not yet healed and now he had new injuries, inflicted by a fellow sect brother!
Even if all kinds of elixirs were employed, the through-and-through wound on his arm couldn’t heal within half a day.
Zuo Bin had hurt him indeed!
Ye Zhen watched Zuo Bin’s staggering back and sighed quietly, his expression somewhat complex.
This was Zuo Bin’s struggle, and it had failed...
Bu Changtian was fuming, but the competition continued unabated.
However, with the developments and observations from the previous two rounds, the speed of the third round of the ranking competition increased dramatically.
For instance, Yem Yuan, after facing Caiyi, leapt onto the Dragonhead Stage and crisply conceded defeat. Facing Mo Xinsui’s Bi Zheng, he also conceded promptly.
"In the third round, the fourth match, Ye Zhen challenges Bai Xin!"
Ye Zhen took the initiative to enter the arena, calling out Bai Xin. It wasn’t that Ye Zhen had any ulterior motive, but he was simply curious about Bai Xin’s technique, which resembled Sword Heart Enlightenment.
Ye Zhen wanted to fight with Bai Xin to see what was special about her mental method and if there were aspects he could miscontrue.
"Senior Brother Ye, you are very strong..."
This was the first sentence from Bai Xin upon entering the stage.
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhen felt a bit dizzy, thinking that Bai Xin might directly admit defeat! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

Comments

Loading...