A Mountain Tops Another

In a flash of spiritual light, Yue Kunlun appeared before the great hall, Buzhou Blade in hand.

Everyone's eyes fell on Yue Kunlun—some baffled, some disdainful, some mocking. Their expressions were complicated.

Yue Kunlun had simply been too forceful and high-profile. Even before the Nine Provinces Assembly began, his reputation had already surged. Among all the prodigies, only Zhi Zhen's fame slightly surpassed his.

And Yue Kunlun did indeed possess the bearing of a bold hero. Both his appearance and his aura left a deep impression. With the Buzhou Divine Blade in his hand—one of the Nine Blades of Kunlun, a fifth-rank top-grade divine artifact—he was all the more striking.

With such a divine artifact in hand, many had held Yue Kunlun in extremely high regard, believing he would surely meet Zhi Zhen in the final showdown.

Yet Yue Kunlun had been blasted to death by a single palm strike from Gao Xian!

Those cultivators who witnessed it could scarcely believe their own eyes. Yue Kunlun had been holding the Buzhou Divine Blade, a fifth-rank top-grade divine artifact.

Such a divine blade could split mountains and rend the earth as easily as breathing. Yet Gao Xian had sent it flying with one palm. It was simply unimaginable.

With a horizontal sweep of his blade, Yue Kunlun could have taken Gao Xian's hand—and then Gao Xian's life right after it! Yet Yue Kunlun had been struck squarely, unable to make any response at all. Even his protective Nine-Bend Heavenly River Dharma Robe had failed to unleash its true power!

To the cultivators present, that battle had been utterly absurd. That was why the looks they gave Yue Kunlun were so complicated.

Yue Kunlun's face darkened. It was not that he could not accept defeat, but the crowd's stares angered him. A