Xiao Heng slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. The longsword in his hand dissipated, and he cupped his hands toward Elder Tong Xuan.
"Thank you for letting me win!"
With that, Xiao Heng lowered his hands, stepped out of the barrier's bounds, then stood in the air and looked at Gu Yao under everyone's gaze.
Then, in an extremely calm voice, he said, "Everything you take pride in means nothing in my eyes..."
"Your bloodline... cultivation method... Dou Techniques...!"
"They were all given to you by the Ancient Clan! The Ancient Clan is powerful, not you!"
"From today onward, you no longer have the qualifications to fight Xiao Yan. The gap between you will only grow wider! Until you cannot even see his back!"
"You may think I am merely trying to undermine you, but that is fine. Time will prove everything!"
After speaking, Xiao Heng said nothing more. He casually withdrew his gaze and returned to his seat in the Audience Stand. Just like before, the entire venue fell deathly silent before erupting once again into even fiercer clamor.
Gu Yao clenched his teeth as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. At this moment, the way everyone looked at him had changed. There was no longer any reverence or admiration, only pity. Even some Ancient Clan members who had supported him earlier now looked at him with extremely complicated expressions.
Elder Tong Xuan watched this scene and merely sighed inwardly. Gu Yao... was likely finished!
Looking at Gu Zhen and the other two, all three appeared utterly dejected. Yet he offered no consolation. The Ancient Clan had many geniuses and did not lack these few. If they could endure this, their strength would rise greatly once more. If they could not, the Ancient Clan could simply