Below the arena, not even a crow or sparrow could be heard.
Everyone's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Even Zhao Songzhai and Huo Xiyan were somewhat stunned. They looked at Ning Chuan on the arena as though seeing him for the first time.
After all, Li Zhenfei had taken a Blood-Burning Spirit Pill to unleash his potential, forcibly raising his cultivation to the peak of the ninth level of the spirit sea realm. Wielding a low-grade spirit artifact, he had unleashed a terrifyingly powerful Sword Qi Net.
Even other ninth-level spirit sea realm martial artists would almost certainly have lost to that strike, unable to withstand it at all.
Everyone had believed Ning Chuan was certain to lose!
Yet who could have imagined that, at the last moment, Ning Chuan would unleash overwhelming combat power and defeat Li Zhenfei as easily as smashing rotten wood and sweeping away withered branches?
The crowd could hardly believe it. They simply could not understand how Ning Chuan had done it.
"Ning Chuan... he actually won?"
At that moment, Shen Qianxun stood below the arena with her beautiful eyes wide, disbelief written all over them.
Just a single strand of sword qi had destroyed her weapon and knocked her straight off the arena. She had been frantic with worry over Ning Chuan's safety, never imagining that he would actually defeat Li Zhenfei.
"Mother, Brother-in-law... Brother-in-law won! We won the Spirit-Seizing Battle..."
Shen Qingqing's face flushed red as she tugged at the equally stunned Shen Wan, speaking with boundless excitement and delight.
"Yes, he won!"
Shen Wan took a deep breath, a hint of puzzlement entering her gaze as she looked at Ning Chuan.
With such monstrous talent, why had Ning Chuan previously seemed like a lump of mud that could never be plastered onto a wall?
Could he have been pretending all along?
"A secret art that unleashes his potential? Interesting!"
Huo Xiyan's beautiful eyes sparkled, and her lips curved into a lovely smile. She had seen that Ning Chuan had defeated Li Zhenfei by using an exceptionally terrifying secret art at the crucial moment, unleashing his potential and causing his combat power to soar.
Ning Chuan, oh, Ning Chuan. You possess such extraordinary martial talent and combat power, along with such attainments in the Pill Dao. Why are you hiding in this tiny Flame Dragon City?
Huo Xiyan was growing increasingly interested in Ning Chuan.
"Damn it! He actually won?"
Chen Lin's expression was livid.
He had thought Ning Chuan would surely die at Li Zhenfei's hands, never expecting Li Zhenfei to be the one defeated in the end.
So what if you've recovered your cultivation? You've offended someone you can't afford to offend. Your end will only be more miserable!
Chen Lin thought this to himself, but a trace of deep wariness appeared in his gaze as he looked at Ning Chuan.
"The final winner of the Spirit-Seizing Battle is the Shen family! Therefore, I hereby declare that the Spirit Stone Mine belongs to the Shen family..."
Zhao Songzhai rose to his feet, his eyes filled with approval as he made the announcement in a clear, ringing voice.
"Wait!"
Just then, Li Yan abruptly stood, his face livid and icy killing intent surging in his eyes.
"What is it? Does the head of the Li family object to the result?"
Zhao Songzhai frowned.
"City Lord Zhao, I have no objection to the result of the Spirit-Seizing Battle. I only wish to ask Ning Chuan one question. Did you kill my son Yunfei?"
Li Yan stared fixedly at Ning Chuan, his voice chilling to the bone.
"What?! Ning Chuan killed Li Yunfei?"
Li Yan's words instantly sent an uproar through the surrounding crowd.
This was nothing short of an explosive revelation.
Li Yunfei was the Li family's second young master. If Ning Chuan had truly killed him, the Li family would never let the matter rest. The feud between the Li family and the Shen family would likely end only with one side's destruction!
Shen Wan's expression changed. She stared at Li Yan and said, "Li Yan, can't you accept defeat? What does your son Li Yunfei's death have to do with Ning Chuan? Don't spew bloody slander!"
She knew Ning Chuan had killed Li Yunfei, but naturally, she could not admit it now.
In any case, Li Yan had no evidence. He merely suspected it.
"Ning Chuan, you still don't dare admit it? Five days ago, my son Yunfei went to the Great Wilderness Mountains to find the purple spirit spring and cultivate. You also left Flame Dragon City. But two days ago, my son was murdered in the Great Wilderness Mountains, while you returned-and your cultivation just happened to have increased dramatically!
"In all of Flame Dragon City, only your Shen family has a feud with my Li family, and you were the only one who left Flame Dragon City. If you didn't kill my son Yunfei, who did?"
Li Yan roared, his eyes blood-red.
Violent spiritual energy rose from his body, forming a terrifying aura that bore down on Ning Chuan.
He had not thought of Ning Chuan at first. After all, Ning Chuan was merely a useless live-in son-in-law. But now, he was almost certain that Ning Chuan had killed Li Yunfei.
"What a joke! You claim I killed Li Yunfei, but what evidence do you have? Your Li family acts with such arrogance and tyranny. Who knows how many people you've offended, or whether someone secretly took revenge by killing Li Yunfei?"
Ning Chuan sneered.
"Ning Chuan, you still dare quibble? You killed my son Yunfei. Today, you will die! Once I capture you, I'll make you confess!"
Li Yan roared, his killing intent boiling over. In an instant, he shot into the air and struck down at Ning Chuan with his palm.
"Li Yan, who gave you the nerve to attack Ning Chuan? If you harm so much as a hair on his head, my Shen family will fight you to the death!"
Shen Wan also shouted furiously, her eyes icy. She shot into the air, summoned her vast spiritual energy, and placed herself in front of Ning Chuan, meeting Li Yan's blow head-on!
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