The Yin Evil Ice Light Wheel, with its curved spikes, began to spin, slippery as an eel, refusing to yield to any applied force!
The moment the Seal of the Overturning Sea slammed into the Yin Evil Ice Light Wheel, it was as if a dish had hit a patch of ice, sliding sideways and skittering away.
Not only did it slide away, but the massive amount of Yin Luo Ice Evil on the Yin Evil Ice Light Wheel spread like a tidal wave toward the Seal of the Overturning Sea and instantly covered more than half of it.
The shock forced Yun Ce’s Divine Sense into overdrive, and the Seal of the Overturning Sea burst into radiance, scattering the Yin Luo Ice Evil.
Having dispersed the Yin Luo Ice Evil, Yun Ce felt relieved, but in the next instant, his face turned pale.
Because the Yin Evil Ice Light Wheel had already smashed into his chest!
Boom!
An intense burst of light exploded at Yun Ce’s chest.
Surprisingly, the strike from such a terrifying Low Grade Spirit Artifact only sent Yun Ce flying back dozens of meters. Aside from his pallor, there were no other injuries, though the sudden covering of dark blue, almost black Yin Luo Ice Evil over his body certainly left Yun Ce in a bit of a frantic state.
"Defensive Spirit Artifact, Yun Ce has a defensive Spirit Artifact on him!" Everyone realized this, and Yan Yijun, who was in the midst of the battle, was no exception.
"You even have a Low Grade Spirit Armor to protect you? Then I’d like to see how much longer you can last!" With a harsh shout, the just-rebounded Yin Evil Ice Light Wheel screeched as it once again bombarded Yun Ce.
"This battle, we Qingyun Castle admit defeat!"
Unexpectedly, the voice of Qingyun Castle Master Yun Chongxiao rang out, surprising all the martial artists present. The battle was reaching its climax, why suddenly admit defeat?
Even though Yun Ce was slightly at a disadvantage at the moment, in a fight between masters, a small difference could turn the tide. And after this battle, there was still a whole night for recovery, so why give up?
Yun Ce was also stunned.
On hearing the voice, he even turned to look at Qingyun Castle Master Yun Chongxiao with disbelief, but all he saw was the latter nodding at him firmly.
Almost the moment Yun Chongxiao took the initiative to admit defeat, Wug Mengshan, the one presiding over the martial arena, sank down and landed between Yan Yijun and Yun Ce.
As the strongest competitor to Qingyun Castle, Heavenly Net Sect, Wug Mengshan did not want to give anyone cause for complaint on account of the rules.
"Hmph, you are lucky!"
With a cold snort, Yan Yijun headed back to the Stars Tower side, while Yun Ce walked down from the martial stage somewhat dispiritedly. His pride took a hit by his clan’s initiated surrender.
Qingyun Castle’s reasons for the voluntary surrender were not initially clear to Ye Zhen, but after a short reflection, he understood the real reason behind the surrender.
Strategy, it was still a strategy aimed at securing ultimate victory.
Among the Five Great Forces, only Stars Tower, left with two martial artists, and Longevity Sect, mere spectators with their main fighter Lio Kechu dead, were not considered threats.
Even if Yan Yijun managed to take first place, Stars Tower would only have three hundred points. Adding the score of Xing Fei who had lost four battles in a row, Stars Tower’s points would by no means exceed three hundred fifty.
Qingyun Castle’s Yun Feng, who had died, had thirty points. There were three others left, with Yun Ce having no trouble entering the top three and Yun Xin being able to score over seventy points after recovery tomorrow.
Additionally, Qingyun Castle’s Yun Yue earned twenty points today and had primarily faced strong opponents, so his score in the coming two days was bound to increase.
In this way, Qingyun Castle’s score could easily surpass three hundred fifty points and could even reach four hundred.
So, in Qingyun Castle’s eyes, Stars Tower was not their true competitor at all.
Their real opponents were supposed to be Heavenly Net Sect and Sun and Moon Divine Sect, particularly Heavenly Net Sect, their biggest rival for this expedition.
Rather than exhausting Yun Ce in a fierce fight with Yan Yijun, it was better to concede this match voluntarily, conserve their strength, and let Yan Yijun cause more damage to other forces.
Overall, an immediate surrender brought only advantages and no disadvantages.
This was Qingyun Castle’s strategy.
Following that, the last match of the fifth round took place, insignificant to most but crucial for the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.
In the eighth battle of the fifth round, Number Eight Zuo Xiong faced off against Number Thirteen Zhao Xiuming, a martial artist of the Third Stage of Vein Forging Realm from Longevity Sect.
The condition of both competitors was more or less the same; they had both been injured in the first two rounds but had mostly recovered.
However, Zhao Xiuming was evidently not at his best!
Perhaps due to the death of Lio Kechu, Longevity Sect had lost hope, Zhao Xiuming seemed somewhat absent-minded.
"Xiuming, although our Longevity Sect no longer has the possibility of claiming the ultimate victory, if you manage to slay Sun and Moon Divine Sect’s Zuo Xiong in this battle, the promise I made before the war began will still hold true!" Longevity Sect Master Yin Changsheng looked solemn.
"Rest assured, Sect Leader!" With his thick eyebrows raised, Zhao Xiuming strode boldly onto the martial stage.
"Zuo Xiong, die!"
In a roar, Zhao Xiuming of Longevity Sect immediately engaged in a blood battle with Zuo Xiong.
This battle was a true, bloody fight.
Both men were of the fierce and violent type, fist to flesh, both with a desperate resolve, landing blows that drew blood with almost every strike.
In just a few moves, the fight reached a fever pitch.
Just as before, at the crucial moment, Zuo Xiong burst forth with his fierce bravery. At the cost of his left hand and half of his left arm being shattered, along with numerous minor injuries, he delivered three consecutive punches, smashing Zhao Xiuming’s ribs, making him spew blood wildly as he was sent tumbling out of the Martial Arena, securing an extremely ghastly victory.
"Sect Leader, your subordinate has completed the mission ahead of time!"
When Zuo Xiong, covered in blood and gritting his teeth, stood before Sect Leader Jian Qianxiong, that gruesome sight, that momentum, even Ye Zhen was slightly shocked.
"Good, good, good!"
The overjoyed Jian Qianxiong had already excitedly stood up. The phrase "completed the mission ahead of time" was actually a euphemism.
Zuo Xiong had obtained the sixty points dictated by Sect Leader Jian Qianxiong ahead of schedule.
Of course, with only five martial matches per day, it was impossible for Zuo Xiong to earn sixty points.
However, Zuo Xiong was rather lucky today; besides encountering Young Master Demon Sound Shang Lingqi, who admitted defeat directly, the other opponents were either seriously injured or of equal strength.
With his recklessness and disregard for his own life, Zuo Xiong successfully defeated three opponents. Coupled with a bye he drew against Xie Zhi, he earned a total of forty points on the first day.
Today, two Martial Artists died in combat, namely Lio Kechu and Yun Fei.
In other words, even if Zuo Xiong did not fight in any battles in the next two days, he would be able to earn twenty points, thus achieving the target of sixty points just like that.
Even if he was not too unlucky, it was also possible for Zuo Xiong to reach eighty or even ninety points.
"Very good, excellent, the dignity of the Divine Sect needs brave warriors like you to defend it." As he spoke, Jian Qianxiong proudly glanced at the ashen-faced Longevity Sect Master, Yin Changsheng.
On the other side, when Yin Changsheng saw Zhao Xiuming being blasted away, he was almost enraged to the point of spitting blood. Not only had their main fighter been slain, other Martial Artists were blown away as well!
What was this supposed to mean?
"Zuo Xiong, you suffered physical disabilities today, all because you fought desperately for the Divine Sect. Rest assured, I will certainly not watch idly as a brave warrior who fought for the Divine Sect becomes crippled!"
"Here, this is a bottle of Essence Blood Reconstitution Pills, containing twelve pills. After the Spirit Returning Assembly is over, take one pill daily, then prompt it with Spiritual Power, and within ten days, your severed left hand will grow back. With some further conditioning, you will recover to your original state in no more than three months!" Jian Qianxiong presented the reward on the spot.
"Thank... thank you, Sect Leader!"
Zuo Xiong was completely moved, and Ye Zhen was somewhat surprised watching from the side.
Sect Leader Jian Qianxiong indeed had a certain air of a hero. As Ye Zhen knew, those Essence Blood Reconstitution Pills were incredibly precious, selling for two hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals each on the Ten Thousand Stars Plate, and they were the kind that were priceless and hard to find.
Yet Jian Qianxiong was able to bestow an entire bottle on the spot.
The first day’s martial competition ended with Zuo Xiong’s tragic victory.
But ironically, by the end of the first day, it was the Sun and Moon Divine Sect that had accumulated the most points.
After the first day’s five matches, Qingyun Castle had one fighter crippled right from the start and another who died in combat, while Yun Ce lost one match, totaling only one hundred points.
The situation was slightly better for the Heavenly Net Sect; among their four competitors, one was crippled at the beginning, Shang Lingqi remained undefeated, and the other two had mixed results, accumulating a total of one hundred ten points.
The Sun and Moon Divine Sect had only three fighters, but with Ye Zhen winning all matches, Nian Xinghe winning four matches for forty points, and Zuo Xiong earning forty points from four victories, they had a total of one hundred thirty points, temporarily in the lead.
On the first day for Stars Tower, Yan Yijun was in full power, but Xing Fei lost all matches, gathering only fifty points.
The worst off was the Longevity Sect, where Zhao Xiuming won only one match, and Mann He’an lost all, not counting the ten points gained by the White Bone Young Master Lio Kechu before his death, only amounted to a mere twenty points altogether.
This situation made Sect Leader Jian Qianxiong very happy. He even personally treated Zuo Xiong’s injuries so that he could score more points the next day.
Where there is joy, there is also worry!
With the Sun and Moon Divine Sect leading with one hundred thirty points and their overall strength almost undamaged, the Heavenly Net Sect and Qingyun Castle became unsettled.
"This won’t do, we must curb the momentum of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect. If this Ye Zhen has the strength to slay Lio Kechu, then he has the potential to enter the top three. If we allow him to enter the top three, with their lead in points, it’s not impossible for them to snatch the final victory!"
Inside a giant tent on the middle of Immortal Light Mountain, the Heavenly Net Sect Master Wug Mengshan looked grave. "Lingqi, if you encounter any Martial Artist from the Sun and Moon Divine Sect tomorrow, as soon as they enter the match, use your Thunderclap methods to slay them without any hesitation, even if it means revealing your ultimate Killing Move!"
After speaking, Wug Mengshan’s gaze shifted to the other three. "You lot, listen to my command when the time comes, and be cautious in accumulating points!"
A similar scene was also unfolding in the tent of Qingyun Castle.
"Ce’er, tomorrow, if you confront any Martial Artist from the Heavenly Net Sect or the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, be ruthless, and make sure to slay one or two. Otherwise, it will be dangerous for our Qingyun Castle to seize the rights to use this Supreme Spirit Vein!"
"Clan Leader, rest assured, I will definitely not disappoint you!" said Yun Ce.
"Clan Leader, now that our Qingyun Castle is down to three people, Yun Yue’s strength seems a bit weak. Without the support of a Low Grade Spirit Artifact, his battles tomorrow will likely end more in defeat than victory!" Clan Elder Yun Chonggao said.
"Elder brother, what are you implying?" asked Clan Leader Yun Chongxiao.
"Our clan is not without Low Grade Spirit Artifacts, right?"
"But even if we bestow one now, there’s not enough time, and with Yun Yue’s average Cultivation, I fear he won’t be able to wield the Low Grade Spirit Artifact more than a few times?"
"Clan Leader, I will refine it for Yun Yue overnight. Although he won’t be able to control it at will by tomorrow, there won’t be any issue if he just points and shoots."
"Good idea!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)

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