Crushing Defeat of the Foundation Establishment

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Fang Xuan, standing beside Fang Runan, stared blankly at Fang Yuan on the stage.

And at that sword qi stretching three hundred zhang...

From the start of the match, his expression had shifted from initial frivolity to later gravity, and now, it had shattered his entire worldview.

He had just been dissatisfied with his elder brother's dissuasion.

Thinking it was merely a sneak attack, that there was a chance to fight back.

But when he saw Fang Yuan cleave out a hundred-zhang sword qi, despair had already begun to seep into his heart.

And at three hundred zhang of true qi, the gap between them needed no further elaboration—it utterly crushed his pride.

Remembering his confident boasts at last night's banquet, his face stung with shame, and he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

After all, those present weren't just the young elites of Clear Sea City, but also the outstanding disciples of their own clan.

"Can't even take this little setback? Get out of the ancestral hall immediately."

A thunderous shout exploded in Fang Xuan's mind.

His consciousness instantly cleared, and he cautiously glanced at Fang Runan from the corner of his eye before straightening his posture.

"I actually lost focus during battle."

Fang Lian came to his senses, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his palm, pushing it forward flatly. A sharp, blade-like true essence surged out in an instant.

In that moment.

A massive palm imprint pressed down, compressing a vast expanse of air, as if a gale had been stirred up, producing a deafening roar.

The unrivaled sword qi slashed against the palm imprint, flashing with dazzling light and erupting in a thunderous boom.

Such a clash didn't last long. The sword qi melted like snow and ice, gradually shattering into wisps of mist that dissipated.

"His true essence density is far inferior to the Mad Blood Daoist's, and his combat experience is very shallow."

After two or three exchanges, Fang Yuan had a rough grasp of Fang Lian's strength.

The Mad Blood Daoist was at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, striking with ruthless moves, never holding back, and extremely decisive.

This Fang Lian in front of him was likely still at Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

Perhaps there was also an element of underestimation, but the pressure he brought wasn't that intense.

Of course, after so many days.

Fang Yuan's own strength had also improved, giving him the confidence to defy heaven and strike down those above him, to cross realms and fight Foundation Establishment.

"Again!"

After shattering the palm imprint, Fang Yuan quickly drew the Spiritual Sword from his back, shook his arm, and thrust forward.

Eighteen sword shadows, wrapped in boundless true qi, shot out in an instant, swift as lightning, enough to pierce through a Foundation Establishment cultivator's flesh!

"I didn't expect him to have cultivated the Gale Nine Swords to this level."

Below the stage, Fang Yuan murmured to himself, his gaze somewhat dazed.

He himself had only just managed to cultivate the Gale Nine Swords to perfection, barely able to unleash nine sword shadows. He had thought he was catching up to Fang Yuan's pace.

But the other had long surpassed perfection, reaching a height he couldn't even imagine.

"Could it be that I'll never catch up to you in this lifetime?"

Fang Yuan wasn't Fang Xuan. His martial heart was firm, and he quickly broke free from his current state of confusion.

"What you can do, I can too."

On the stage, Fang Lian grew more shocked with each battle.

He had completely abandoned any trace of contempt, now treating Fang Yuan as an opponent on the same level.

"What a freak. His strength at the Xiantian Realm is simply absurdly strong."

Fang Lian spat, gritting his teeth. "But the chasm of realms isn't so easy to cross!"

In an instant.

His aura surged dramatically, a torrent of true essence rampaging forward, with a faint gray light swirling around his palm.

"Desolate Palm!"

It was still a palm imprint pushed forward.

But this time, it radiated a terrifying, heart-stopping aura.

Wherever the palm imprint passed, the surrounding green vegetation instantly withered to yellow, all its vitality seemingly absorbed and transformed into power.

"The clan's ultimate martial art, the Desolate Palm!" a Fang Family clansman exclaimed in shock.

"Fang Yuan is no simpleton—he's actually forced the Young Master to use the clan's ultimate martial art."

"A Desolate Palm cultivated to its peak—wherever it passes, not a blade of grass grows, turning everything into boundless power, annihilating all life."

"To lose to the clan's ultimate martial art—Fang Yuan can hold his head high."

The crowd below buzzed with discussion, faces etched with shock.

In their eyes, Fang Yuan was all but certain to lose.

After all, the gap in cultivation realm was plain to see, and with the clan's ultimate technique unleashed, even an equal would be suppressed and slain, let alone him.

Honorable defeat, even in loss!

Though they were members of the Royal City Fang Family, they had to admit Fang Yuan's talent was formidable.

The Prefecture City Fang Family's clansmen, however, wore grim expressions, fists clenched tight, silent.

Facing the gray palm imprint radiating an aura of annihilation, Fang Yuan, in one burst, slashed out thirty-six sword shadows, startling the onlookers, yet still could not stop the crushing palm from bearing down.

Fang Yuan's eyes flickered. True qi surged endlessly from within his body, coating his skin, as if he had made a certain resolve.

Then, he swung the Spiritual Sword in succession. Sword shadows filled the air, ultimately layering back into the blade itself, and he charged forward with great strides.

"What does he think he's doing?"

"Facing the Desolate Palm with flesh and blood—he'll die!"

"Even if the Spiritual Sword can pierce the Desolate Palm, his true qi will run dry eventually. How long can he hold out?"

Many below looked at Fang Yuan as if he were a madman.

Channeling the Spiritual Sword alone demanded vast amounts of true qi, and now he had to shield himself as well—it was simply impossible.

"You're not a reckless man."

Not far away, Fang Zhongwu watched the changes on the stage intently, murmuring to himself, though true essence swirled within his clenched palms.

"Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish."

Fang Lian's face turned cold, confidence blazing in his eyes. He even poured more true essence into the Desolate Palm, killing intent already seeping through!

He had once used this clan's ultimate technique to suppress and kill a Foundation Establishment True Person!

Fang Yuan stood no chance of blocking it.

"A single strand of true essence from the Foundation Building Realm can stir heaven and earth's spiritual energy and transform into over a dozen streams of true qi. No wonder it's said that the innate realm cannot contend."

Only at the center of the pressure could Fang Yuan truly feel Fang Lian's overwhelming strength.

The Spiritual Sword in his grip pierced the Desolate Palm, but the surrounding pressure relentlessly eroded his true qi shield.

His internal true qi drained at a terrifying speed. The palm imprint was like a descending hydraulic press, intent on grinding him to dust.

"Release!"

Fang Yuan barked softly. His spiritual awareness probed into his dantian, fully activating the Jade Cup, which had long been filled with true qi.

In an instant, the true qi within the Jade Cup burst forth like a breached dam, surging violently. His dantian, parched as if after a long drought, was suddenly flooded with abundance.

"Myriad Star Fist!"

With his true qi restored, Fang Yuan swung his sword repeatedly, utterly severing the lingering bonds around him, and closed in with Phantom Step.

The knuckles of his left hand shimmered with brilliant starlight, then slammed heavily into Fang Lian's body.

"Not good!"

In that split second, Fang Lian felt as if a great enemy had arrived, a thick sense of mortal danger washing over him. Every hair on his body stood on end.

He waved his hands frantically, hastily condensing true essence to block in front of him, but falling meteors hammered down relentlessly, shattering the shield in an instant.

Some dozens of powerful fist strikes landed on his body, blasting blood from his mouth as he crashed heavily off the arena platform.

Fang Lian, defeated!

At this moment, the entire venue fell into a silence as still as dead water!