"Ugh..." Qi Qinglong was red all over, his clothes almost completely blasted away by the white pillar of light. Beneath them, he actually wore a suit of close-fitting inner armor that shimmered with azure light. He knelt on one knee, gasping for breath, one arm dangling limply as though its bones had been shattered.
Clatter! The ruined Azure Light Umbrella fell in front of him. His face twitched, and both hands trembled uncontrollably.
Roar! At the sight of Qi Qinglong's condition, the entire square erupted into discussion, as though someone had poked a hornet's nest.
"No way! Qi Qinglong is Heavenly Lake City's strongest Core Condensation Stage cultivator! He lost just like that?"
"Exactly! Who on earth is this Dong Santong? How can he be so powerful?"
"Looks like the Du Household really has a chance this time!"
"I think Qinglong was just too careless, wasn't he?"
"Impossible! Look, Qinglong brought out all his treasures, but that fatty doesn't seem to have used a single Magic Treasure!"
"Now that you mention it..."
"Ah, I should've bet on the Du Household!"
"But there are still dozens of cultivators waiting to challenge him. However powerful that fatty is, he can't withstand all of them, can he?"
"..."
Whoosh! White light flashed, and Dong Santong appeared in front of Qi Qinglong on the ground. He suddenly crouched, narrowed his eyes, and looked him over before saying, "I hear you're Heavenly Lake City's strongest Core Condensation Stage cultivator? Do you know why you lost to me?" Qi Qinglong merely gritted his teeth and ignored him, struggling to stand. Dong Santong chuckled. "Tsk, tsk. To think you can still crawl back up! Looks like that armor really does have decent defenses!"
"You... ugh!" Hearing Dong Santong deliberately mimic his earlier tone, Qi Qinglong nearly burst