Blade Drawing Tournament (11)
"Be careful. If it doesn't work, come back. Don't force it," Man Hu nodded and instructed.
In the arena, Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan had already withdrawn their protective Gang Qi. Although the time was not yet up, the two felt they had no other choice; forcibly drawing their swords would likely cost them their lives. They each sighed and returned to their respective sect's tent.
On the stage, Yue Qianchou kept his word. Holding the gong, he watched the hourglass below until it had completely run out before striking it with a "clang" to announce the end.
The tall, thin Second Brother had already slowly entered the arena. Yue Qianchou asked loudly, "We're still short one person for this round. Who's willing to go on?"
Despite asking several times, no one answered. Judging from everyone's expressions, it was clear that no one wanted to go on stage at the same time as Yan Zhuixing. Yue Qianchou was a little frustrated, but he couldn't force anyone to go on stage, so he had no choice but to announce the start.
The Second Brother glanced around, a hint of disdain on his face. But the chilling aura emanating from the blade immediately made his expression change; he dared not underestimate it and released his own protective Gang Qi. However, his protective Gang Qi was utterly powerless against the ensuing aura of death. The Second Brother immediately felt himself enveloped by endless despair, his mind becoming hazy, wanting to give up this futile resistance, his whole body swaying.
"Oh no! Something's wrong with the Second Brother!" the brothers exclaimed in alarm.
"Second Brother!" Seeing the situation was not good, Man Hu immediately roared, like a thunderbolt from the sky.
Lost in his illusion, the Second Brother shuddered, snapping back to reality. He thought to himself, "That was close! I was too careless." Resolute, he immediately walked towards the blade. With his cultivation level, he was naturally far stronger than Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan in resisting the pressure emanating from the blade.
At this moment, Yue Qianchou on the stage shouted, "The rules of the tournament have been posted all over the field. No one is allowed to assist in the Blade Drawing Tournament. If anyone dares to interfere, this round will be declared a failure according to the rules."
The Man Hu immediately bowed and apologized, saying, "I'm so sorry, I came in a hurry and haven't had time to look at it carefully yet. Please forgive me." Then he turned around and shouted, "Seventh Brother, go find a copy of the rules of the conference posted outside."
They were able to come here because they already knew the rules of the competition, but the Second Brother had been Man Hu careless, so the eldest brother, Manhu, couldn't help but remind him. The Seventh Brother understood that his eldest brother was looking for an excuse to back down, but when he turned around, he found that no one behind him made way for him, so he had to teleport away.
The Second Brother overheard these words and knew that his senior brother had lost face in front of so many people because of him. Filled with gratitude, he steeled himself and decided to pull the sword back. But as soon as he approached the sword, he encountered the same Black Fiend that Dongfang Changao and his companion had faced before.
The transparent protective Gang Qi flickered under the erosion of the black demon, startling the Second Brother. He hadn't expected the black demon to be so powerful; no wonder the two before had retreated upon encountering it. The others Man Hu, naturally saw that their True Essence was rapidly depleting, and their hearts leaped into their throats. However, this time Man Hu had learned his lesson. Instead of shouting, he transmitted a message: "Second Brother, if it's really too much, retreat. Don't force it."
The Second Brother silently shook his head; he had made up his mind to pull the knife away. Experienced members of various factions also realized that someone might be communicating with him telepathically, but since there was no evidence, they couldn't say anything without finding any proof.
With his profound cultivation at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage, the protective Gang Qi on the Second Brother's body was almost solidified, as if he were wearing a glove of light. He actually managed to grab the hilt of the sword despite the dark aura.
Yue Qianchou's pupils contracted slightly, noticing someone staring at him instead of drawing their sword. Their eyes met, and it was Yan Zhuixing. Yue Qianchou smiled and nodded. Inwardly, however, he sneered. "Trying to draw the sword so easily? That's far too easy! They're forcing me to kill!"
Seeing that the Second Brother -command was about to pull the knife away, the faces of all the factions changed color. If this were to happen, the Huaxia Cultivation World would lose face terribly. Although the opponent was at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage Transcending realm, so many people couldn't defeat one person, especially on their own territory. How shameful! Especially the people from Fu Xian Island and Myriad Demon Palace, these major sects that led Righteous and Demonic paths, their faces were even more unsightly, all regretting not having their sect elders personally intervene.
The Second Brother grabbed the knife handle, and suddenly, a raging black flame erupted from the blade, instantly engulfing him completely. His protective Gang Qi was easily destroyed in an instant.
"The Second Brother is back!" Man Hu and the others exclaimed, no longer caring about the rules.
"Ah!" Almost at the same time as their screams, the Second Brother had already teleported out of the black flames, but still let out a shrill scream while clutching his head. The pain that could make a cultivator at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage let out such a miserable sound was unimaginable. Everyone from the various sects shuddered in horror.
Although the Second Brother had emerged from the black flames, he was like a burning log, the black flames clinging to his body and burning, impossible to shake off. Man Hu and the others rushed over, but were immediately deterred by the terrifying power of the black flames, forced to keep their distance.
The brothers' eyes were bloodshot as they watched helplessly as the Second Brother's flesh and blood vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only a skeletal skeleton that swayed precariously. Finally, even the skeleton collapsed, scattering fragments across the ground. The black fire gradually died down, and a gust of wind swept through, instantly turning the scattered bones on the ground into ashes.
The fellow disciples were dumbfounded as they watched the second Second Brother disappear. People from various sects looked at the two swords in astonishment. With such power, who could possibly pull these swords away?
Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan especially relieved. Fortunately, they had retreated when they saw Hei Sha. If they had actually grabbed the hilt of the knife and provoked the black fire, they would probably have ended up like the person in front of them. The two of them exchanged a silent glance across the field.
"It's over!" Yue Qianchou saw the expressions on everyone's faces and suddenly realized what was happening. He sighed inwardly, "After this commotion, who would dare to pull out the knife? Nobody would pay to die!"
The raging black flames on the blades gradually subsided, and they stood there silently, calm as ever. At this moment, everyone could only describe these two blades as unparalleled deadly weapons!
Of the seven disciples of the Man Hu Sect, only six remain. These six didn't even have a chance to collect the body of their Second Brother. Liu Daohuan's fierce gaze fixed on Yue Qianchou on the stage; the atmosphere was tense!
Although Yue Qianchou's character wasn't great in everyone's eyes, he had just annihilated a late Tribulation Transcendence stage expert from a foreign country, giving face to the Director of the Chinese Cultivation Bureau. At this moment, without saying a word, everyone stood up with a "whoosh," staring coldly at Man Hu and the others, showing their support for Yue Qianchou.
The six Clan Elders from the Four Great Families, who had been waiting backstage, also made a grand entrance, standing on either side of Yue Qianchou. Man Hu's gaze swept over the six elders, noticing that they were all at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage, and his eyes flickered. It wasn't that Man Hu was afraid of the six of them, but rather that the Ziyi standing beside Yue Qianchou made him quite wary. Otherwise, with the cultivation levels of his six fellow disciples, they would have dared to cause trouble anywhere.
Wu Sihai silent. Wherever this kid went, something bad was bound to happen. There was no way to prevent it. He was a jinx!
Yue Qianchou cupped his hands in apology to Man Hu and the others, saying, "I deeply sympathize with what you junior brothers have gone through, but the Blade Drawing Tournament has long had rules: I am not responsible for any accidents that may occur." He then looked around and said, "The next round will begin. Anyone interested can come up and pay their Spirit Stones."
"Come again? Who would come? They'd be asking for death!" All eyes were fixed on Yue Qianchou, no one had expected him to be so greedy. Actually Yue Qianchou had already given up hope; he was just saying it to see what would happen if someone was willing to risk their life for the treasure. He was a little unwilling to accept that he had only made 60 million so far.
Just in case, Yan Zhuixing slowly stepped forward and said, "I'll give it a try." As he spoke, he threw a Storage Bag onto the stage.
Yue Qianchou was stunned when he caught the Storage Bag. Everyone looked at Yan Zhuixing. Only then did they realize that Yan Zhuixing, whose cultivation was originally only at the Core Formation stage, now had the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. It had only been a few years! However, a mocking look immediately appeared in everyone's eyes. Even someone at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage couldn't withstand it. Wasn't Yan Nascent Soul Realm, who was only at the Nascent Soul stage, courting death?
Man Hu stepped forward and stopped him, saying solemnly, "We appreciate the Young Palace Lord 'Young Palace Lord kindness, but please do not act rashly."
He thought Yan Zhuixing was still seething with anger because of the death of the Second Brother. Little did he know that ever since those two swords had triggered Yan Zhuixing's demonic eyes, he had harbored a strong obsession to challenge those two swords. The terrifying aura of death emanating from them made his own body surge uncontrollably. Yan Zhuixing said to Man Hu, "Imperial Preceptor, there's no need to worry. I know what I'm doing."
Man Hu and the others looked at each other, wondering where he got his confidence from. But they also knew that Yan Zhuixing was too independent. Once he made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise. Otherwise, he would not have been able to build a Demonic Body.
Damn it! My enemy! I've been waiting for this opportunity to kill you and avoid future trouble. Yue Qianchou didn't even look at the contents of his Storage Bag before stuffing them into his own. He waved to Wu Licheng below and said, "Begin, begin!"
He was eager to kill Yan Zhuixing. He might not care about the feud between them, but Yan Zhuixing wouldn't!
Yan Zhuixing glanced around, his gaze finally meeting Yue Qianchou's. The latter, beaming, gestured for him to proceed. Yan Zhuixing nodded, his face expressionless, and walked directly towards a knife.
Before even getting close, a bone-chilling cold suddenly swept over them. Yan Zhuixing stopped, closed his eyes, and opened his arms to welcome the approaching aura of death.
A deathly aura, a mixture of extreme negativity—coldness, ruthlessness, chilling intensity, and despair—wafted over them. Yan Zhuixing slowly opened his eyes, turning to look at Yue Qianchou, a smile surprisingly appearing on his face. Yue Qianchou's expression changed; he could feel that the pressure emanating from the black fire had no effect on Yan Zhuixing whatsoever; on the contrary, it was all being absorbed into Yan Zhuixing's body.
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