Boom! A chilling, icy blue wave Annihilation across the entire arena, as if ancient frost were rising from the heavens and earth.
The flow of time around them suddenly slowed down, and the dream flowers fluttering beside Hua Jingmeng were briefly frozen in the void. At Chi Mulin's feet, an ice-blue sword domain slowly unfolded and took shape.
Everything within the domain sluggished, except for the two swords in her hands, whose speed surged to the Ultimate. One after another, silver and black sword lights crisscrossed and tore through the sky, and the entire arena was almost completely enveloped by the two-colored sword light.
Dragging her severely damaged Fate Soul, she shattered the void with a single step and unleashed the Vanishing Deep once more! However, Hua Jingmeng merely raised her head slowly, and the Dream Stillness Divine Blade, which spanned the heavens and earth, had already arrived before her.
Boom!!! The heavens and earth trembled violently, the defensive formation of the entire arena shook wildly, the silver and black sword light shattered and dissipated layer by layer, Chi Mulin's face turned pale in an instant, and the backlash of her Fate Soul completely erupted.
Just as the Dream Stillness Divine Blade was about to completely devour her, Chi Mulin gritted her teeth, flipped her hand, and an ancient talisman flew out. "Clan Chief's Talisman!" Buzz
The talisman hovered in mid-air, then exploded with a deafening roar! Golden Dao patterns spread outwards, forming a magnificent and imposing protective barrier that firmly shielded Chi Mulin. This was the protective treasure that Chi Boqian, the patriarch of the Chi Family Lineage, had personally bestowed upon her and Qin Yu.
Boom!!! The Dream Stillness Divine Blade crashed heavily into the golden barrier, and a terrifying shockwave swept across the arena. The golden light curtain trembled continuously, cracks spread everywhere, and finally it collapsed with a bang.
Although the talisman blocked most of the killing power, the residual impact still slammed into Chi Mulin's body. Pfft— Chi Mulin spat out a mouthful of blood, and her body flew hundreds of feet backward like a kite with a broken string.
With a loud crash, she fell heavily off the arena, her two swords flying out of her hands. Her face was as pale as paper, and the Fate Soul force within her body rapidly weakened. The moment she landed, the three elders of the Chi Lineage disappeared from their seats almost simultaneously.
In the next instant, the three of them arrived beside Chi Mulin. One of them reached out and steadily supported her, while the other two simultaneously channeled their powerful primal energy into her body, doing their utmost to stabilize her Fate Soul, which was on the verge of collapse.
The vast plaza fell into a deathly silence. Countless cultivators trembled, staring blankly at the scene before them. Nangong Xingyun slowly rose, his voice echoing throughout the Myriad Worlds Graveyard plaza. "This competition..." "Hua Jingmeng —Win! Advances to the next round!" "Chi Mulin —Defeat! Eliminated!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the square fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a deafening roar. "Hua Jingmeng has indeed won!" "Chi Mulin even used the life-saving talisman bestowed by the clan leader, yet she still couldn't turn the tide!" "This person is too terrifying!" "The number one prodigy of the Hua Lineage this generation truly lives up to her reputation!" "It seems that another formidable character has been added to the favorites for this year's Four Great Lineage Grand Competition!"
Hua Jingmeng slowly walked off the stage, and even now, his aura remained calm and composed.
In the battle just now, he unleashed the Ten Thousand Dreams Bury the Realm, overwhelming Chi Mulin's Stillness Frost Twin Deeps and ultimately forcing her to use the protective talisman personally bestowed by Chi Boqian. Yet, standing below the arena, his face showed no trace of triumphant arrogance, only a deep-seated indifference.
His dark robe swayed gently with his steps, and Stillness Dao lingering aura of the Dream of Silence slowly receded from his body. His deep eyes swept across the surroundings, and it seemed that none of the tens of thousands of cultivators in the vast Flourishing Age Square could fall into his sight.
Just as Hua Jingmeng passed by Ju Gongchen, the two stopped in their tracks simultaneously, and in the next instant, their gazes collided violently in the void.
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Ju Gongchen was dressed in a dark gold robe, his figure as upright as a pine tree, his face handsome, and his brows exuding an innate sharpness. He came from the Ju Lineage and his cultivation had reached the Eternal Silence Realm Initial Stage. He had always been regarded as one of the Ju Lineage's most outstanding prodigies of the contemporary era.
Hua Jingmeng stood silently opposite them, gazing at each other without uttering a word. Yet, in that instant, many powerful figures sensed an invisible pressure bearing down on them, as if their Fate Soul paths had already clashed remotely.
On the high platform, Xuanyuan Canglan narrowed his eyes slightly. "These two... are bound to clash sooner or later."
Nalan Yanqing spoke softly, "One wields the Dream Stillness Great Dao, the other inherits the ancient lineage of the Ju Lineage; their methods of combat are diametrically opposed. If they were to truly clash, the outcome would be unpredictable."
... Hua Jingmeng gazed at Ju Gongchen, a faint smile curving his lips. In an instant, his gaze passed over Ju Gongchen and landed on Qin Yu in the distance. At the same moment, Qin Yu clearly caught that gaze.
Two gazes met briefly across the distance, Hua Jingmeng's eyes turning slightly cold. The next moment, a chilling voice entered Qin Yu's mind. "Qin Yu." "I never expected you to grow so quickly." "It's time to settle all the grudges between us."
His voice was flat and emotionless, cold and deathly still, carrying an undisguised killing intent. Qin Yu stood amidst the crowd, his expression calm and composed, silently gazing towards the arena. After a moment, he responded telepathically, "I'm ready to fight at any time."
These five simple words, devoid of anger or provocation, stirred a flicker of emotion in Hua Jingmeng's eyes. Without lingering, Hua Jingmeng strode straight towards her own camp. Ju Gongchen watched her departing figure, his brows furrowed, clearly sensing the hidden entanglement between Hua Jingmeng and Qin Yu.
A moment later, Nangong Xingyun slowly rose, his resounding voice echoing throughout the entire Flourishing Age Square. "Next match." "Shangguan Haoqian." "A duel." "Ju Mohan." Boom—the plaza erupted in clamor once more. "The Shangguan Lineage's prodigy has finally taken the stage!" "This is a direct clash between the Shangguan and Ju Lineage families!"
"It remains to be seen who will ultimately emerge victorious." "Shangguan Haoqian is a top figure among the younger generation of the Shangguan clan, Ju Mohan's strength is equally formidable." All eyes were focused on the arena.
The next instant, a golden streak of light tore through the sky, and a man calmly stepped onto the arena; it was Shangguan Haoqian.
He wore a long robe interwoven with gold and white, the edges of which were engraved with layers of ancient patterns. His long hair was tied up, and his brows were gentle, yet a sharp edge was hidden within. His steps were steady, and with each step, his Fate Soul resonated with the Dao of Heaven and Earth. It was obvious that the Shangguan Lineage had spent endless resources to cultivate him, and his foundation was extremely profound.
On the other side, a dark figure appeared, stepping through the air –Ju Mohan.
He was tall and slender, with a cold and aloof face. He wore dark armor that shimmered with an eerie light. His eyes were calm and devoid of emotion, exuding the unique arrogance of a member of the Ju Lineage.
The two stood facing each other in the center of the arena, their auras locked tightly, devoid of any politeness or warmth. Shangguan Haoqian stood upright, his golden-white robes fluttering slightly, his eyes sharp and piercing, and spoke calmly, "I've heard you're very strong. Make your move."
Ju Mohan remained expressionless, his black armor gleaming coldly, his aura solemn and aloof, his tone indifferent and distant. "No need for further words, let's settle this with a decisive victory." The next instant, Nangong Xingyun raised his hand and waved it lightly. "Begin."
Boom!!! Two powerful auras of Fate Soul belonging to Eternal Silence Realm Initial Stage suddenly exploded! One was majestic and righteous, dominating the heavens; the other was cold and murderous, suppressing all directions.
Two completely different and domineering domains collided and squeezed each other instantly, causing the void of the arena to tremble violently, and the aura of heaven and earth to become tense in an instant!
On the arena, the atmosphere was tense and deadly. Shangguan Haoqian and Ju Mohan faced each other across the distance, their confrontation sharp and devoid of any politeness or warmth. The immense pressure of their Fate Soul spread out completely, enveloping the entire arena. The void trembled slightly under the clash of the two Eternal Silence Realm geniuses' Dao, Dao patterns appeared and disappeared, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi became restless.
Shangguan Haoqian's eyes were cold, and as he raised his hand, a crimson-gold ancient seal slowly appeared in his palm.
The ancient seal was covered with interwoven divine patterns, as if the veins of heaven and earth were flowing. The seal surface Emptiness the arena, crisscrossing and spreading out a vast and boundless golden sky, covering the arena territory in all directions.
The Shangguan Lineage's inherited treasure, a divine power, manifests in the world— Myriad Phenomena Order Fixing.
This technique takes Shangguan Haoqian's Source Dao foundation as its core, forcibly sorts out all the laws of heaven and earth, reconstructs the surrounding rules and order, places itself at the center of the Dao, and takes control of all the laws of this small world.
The golden canopy slowly descended, suppressing all directions. In an instant, the arena space was forcibly reshaped. Distances were locked, the flow of time was slowed, and the trajectory of free Spiritual Qi was completely regulated and defined. Everything followed the order, and no one was allowed to deviate from it.
The expressions of countless cultivators in the spectator stands changed drastically, their hearts filled with trepidation. "The Shangguan Lineage's Myriad Phenomena Order Fixing! They started with a top-tier Dao Domain divine ability, showing no intention of testing us!"
"With a single move, he locked down the rules of heaven and earth; Shangguan Haoqian's intention in this battle is to end it quickly!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, facing this golden Dao Domain that governs order and suppresses all laws, Ju Mohan stood still, his figure as upright as an ancient cold peak, his expression indifferent and calm from beginning to end, showing no emotion whatsoever.
He slowly closed his eyes, his five fingers suddenly clenched into a fist, boom!
A deep, dark Source Power erupted from his body. This power was neither ostentatious nor rampant; instead of expanding outwards, it was Ultimate restrained, compressing and settling layer by layer, gathering all the power of the Dao into its origin, and brewing a terrifying foundation capable of dismantling heaven and earth.
The next instant, behind Ju Mohan, an endless dark phantom slowly unfolded.
It was a desolate, Annihilation Structure space, Boundless Realm. Countless broken Dao patterns rose and fell and reassembled within it, and countless destroyed origins were reborn here, dismantling, reconstructing, and recreating in an endless cycle.
The core tradition of the Ju Lineage is the Primordial Annihilation Structure.
This path is by no means a crude act of destruction and slaughter, but rather a journey back to the beginning of heaven and earth, dismantling existing rules, overturning established order, and then using one's own Dao heart to reshape the laws governing all things.
The dark, Annihilation Structure power slowly spread, and the moment it touched the golden sky, Shangguan Haoqian's stable Myriad Phenomena Order Fixing Domain suddenly rippled violently. Those rules of heaven and earth that had been forcibly regulated and firmly locked began to loosen and become disordered, ushering in a new round of deconstruction and reorganization.
Shangguan Haoqian's gaze suddenly sharpened, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Interesting." He pressed down abruptly with the golden ancient seal in his palm, uttering a single word that silenced all laws. "Freeze!" Boom!!!
The entire arena was instantly covered by dense golden Daoist scales, every inch of space was locked, the chaotic time was completely frozen, all things returned to order, and all laws returned to their origin.
In the blink of an eye, Ju Mohan took a step forward, his black clothes Annihilation Structure black tide surged like an abyss, overturning all directions. "Break." A simple word, yet it contained the power to overturn heaven and earth.
The once stable and flawless golden world of order instantly developed fine cracks. The locked rules, the orderly Spiritual Qi, and the stagnant spacetime were all dismantled, overturned, and reconstructed layer by layer by the power of Annihilation Structure.
The two top-tier Dao Domains clashed head-on, without earth-shattering roars or blinding flashes of light, only layers of invisible Dao storms continuously surging, spreading, and sweeping across all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The arena trembled repeatedly, and the void alternated between light and darkness.
Shangguan Haoqian's golden sky shattered and was rebuilt, with order changing repeatedly, yet he adhered to the established laws; Ju Mohan's Annihilation Structure space was dismantled and reborn, constantly subverting existing rules and creating a brand new Daoist rhythm.
One person upholds order, defines all phenomena, and governs all laws, taking himself as the core of heaven and earth; another person breaks shackles, dismantles the origin, constructs a new path, and uses his own power to reverse the universe.
The two prodigies, whose Dao Path diverged and whose great principles contradicted each other, were locked in a stalemate for a time, with neither able to gain the upper hand. On the viewing platform, the elders and envoys all wore solemn expressions.