Rumble—
Dark, heavy Tribulation Clouds gathered above the Sky Dome.
The deep rumble of thunder echoed incessantly in everyone's ears. The wind howled, thunder boomed, and the hem of a white dress fluttered in the air.
The Cold and Aloof Girl's voice reverberated between heaven and earth.
At that moment,
everyone was stunned.
They stared at the astonishing sight before them, unable to stop themselves from drawing in a sharp breath.
"Divine Sword Controlling Thunder?"
"This is the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art!"
"Good heavens!"
"Senior Sister Lu actually used the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art!?"
The many Qingyun Disciples watching were aghast.
The Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art was one of the Qingyun Sect's Four Great Mystic Arts. This sword art was immensely powerful, and the slightest mistake could cause it to backfire on its caster. After all, she was controlling the divine thunder of heaven and earth...
Only someone with powerful cultivation could perform it.
Therefore,
in the hearts of the many disciples throughout the Qingyun Sect,
the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art had practically become a secret art of the Upper Purity Realm, one that could only be performed by someone with Upper Purity Realm cultivation...
That belief was actually mistaken.
Although
performing the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art did indeed require powerful cultivation,
one didn't necessarily need to be in the Upper Purity Realm.
The Ninth Layer of Jade Purity was enough, too.
It all came down to whether one had the courage.
Outside the arena,
Ye Changfeng stared fixedly at Lu Xueqi in the air.
He had watched the girl's pretty face gradually grow pale and drained. It was a sign that her magical power was nearly depleted. She was close to collapsing...
Fortunately,
Lu Xueqi had now reached the Peak of Ninth Layer of Jade Purity.
Although performing the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art was still a bit of a strain for her, she could manage it in the end...
For a moment,
Ye Changfeng felt reassured.
On the arena,
Qi Hao stared at the astonishing sight before him.
He had watched the divine thunder of heaven and earth gather with his own eyes, and the rumbling thunder rang in his ears. He was completely dumbfounded...
"Gulp~"
Qi Hao couldn't help swallowing.
He stood rooted to the spot, staring up at the thunder in the Sky Dome and thinking, Is this thing really about to strike me? You've got to be kidding...
Qi Hao stood there dazed for a moment.
Could he win?
Rumble—
The deep rumble of thunder rolled through the air.
It seemed to tell him the answer: "Don't worry! You're definitely dead!"
At that moment,
the Thunder-Guarding Elder beside him hastily leaped off the arena.
If he didn't get down now, he might not get another chance.
He stared at Lu Xueqi above the Sky Dome, his scalp tingling, and thought:
Is this even a martial arts match anymore?
On the high platform,
the Seven Peaks' Masters had witnessed the entire process of the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art being performed.
Daoist Cangsong abruptly stood up.
He fixed his gaze on the arena, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes. Then he slowly turned to look at Shuiyue and sighed:
"Junior Sister Shuiyue."
"You've certainly raised an excellent disciple."
At that,
Shuiyue paid him no attention.
Worried, she looked toward the arena. Her clear, cool eyes remained fixed on the Cold and Aloof Girl amid the howling wind as she murmured, "Xueqi..."
True Lord Daoxuan raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected Lu Xueqi to be capable of performing the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art, either.
Rumble—
As everyone watched,
Lu Xueqi endured the backlash and successfully performed the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art.
Terrifying thunder tore through the Sky Dome.
An unimaginable aura of heavenly might filled the air.
A jagged bolt of lightning suddenly plunged from the clouds, roaring viciously as it hurtled without hesitation toward Qi Hao on the arena.
Seeing this,
Qi Hao hurriedly snapped out of his daze.
Damn it, if I don't come to my senses now, I'm definitely dead!
He summoned the Ice Immortal Sword in his hand and poured every ounce of strength into conjuring shield after shield of ice before him, hoping to use their defenses to weaken the divine thunder...
He didn't expect to stop the lightning.
He only hoped to survive.
Boom!
The lightning tore through everything.
The several ice shields before Qi Hao couldn't slow it down in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, they were shattered to pieces.
Rumble—
The final bolt of lightning slammed down.
Qi Hao sighed.
He calmly gave up resisting.
Then...
Bam!
The once dashing eldest disciple of Dragon Head Peak was blasted away. His white robes had turned black with soot, and every strand of his hair stood straight up.
Fortunately, the lightning's power had already been weakened.
Otherwise...
he really would've been dead.
"Cough, cough."
Qi Hao lay on the ground, utterly bereft.
He coughed violently several times, hacking the scorched air out of his lungs, then promptly fainted.
For a moment,
everyone present was stunned.
Their gazes shifted between Qi Hao, sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, and Lu Xueqi on the arena.
Whoosh!
Lu Xueqi stood on the arena, looking somewhat weak.
Her pretty face was a little pale, but she was otherwise fine. She was merely exhausted...
"This match"
"goes to Lu Xueqi of Little Bamboo Peak!"
Hearing the announcement,
the Cold and Aloof Girl felt dazed.
Her gaze instinctively fell on the white-clad young man outside the arena. Their eyes met, and she saw the affection in his eyes as he saw it in hers.
"I won!"
The girl said as much.
"I saw!"
The young man nodded with a smile.
And so,
Lu Xueqi officially won the championship.
She became the champion of this Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament.
On the high platform,
Daoist Cangsong abruptly stood up.
He cupped his hands toward True Lord Daoxuan.
Then, with a grim expression, he stepped forward and carried the unconscious Qi Hao away.
He left the arena.
At that moment,
many people had their attention on Lu Xueqi.
They were all marveling that she truly lived up to the title of Number One Female Sword Immortal Under Heaven bestowed on her by the Heavenly Curtain. With only Ninth Layer of Jade Purity cultivation, she had dared to perform the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art...
She had some nerve.
A hint of pride gleamed in Shuiyue's eyes.
She carefully checked her beloved disciple's condition. When she saw that the girl was merely exhausted, her worry finally eased...
"Junior Sister Shuiyue has raised an excellent disciple."
True Lord Daoxuan sighed.
Then he added:
"Junior Sister, check Xueqi's condition in a moment. If she's all right, have her come to Yuqing Hall."
"Yes, Senior Brother Sect Leader."
Shuiyue nodded slightly.
And so,
this Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament came to a satisfying end.
Although, judging by the time,
this year's tournament had been rushed, the final result had still been good.
The disciples of the various peaks left one after another.
As they departed, they continued discussing the matches, clearly deeply impressed by this year's Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament.
At that moment,
dusk was falling.
The Seven Peaks' Masters didn't immediately organize their disciples to return. Instead, they planned to stay the night on Heaven-Reaching Peak. Only Daoist Cangsong had already taken Qi Hao back to treat his injuries.
Shuiyue checked her beloved disciple's condition. Once she confirmed that Lu Xueqi truly hadn't suffered any serious injuries...
she took her to Yuqing Hall.
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