Two breaths passed before Xiao Chen dashed out of the void. Resting his hands on his knees, he panted heavily, unable to even speak.
His fingers trembled as he pointed toward the stage, gasping breathlessly, "I... I... I'll go up... cough, cough... *blech*..."
Seeing Xiao Chen in such a state, Li Guanqi hurried to extend his hand and channel a wisp of primal energy into him, sending it coursing through Xiao Chen's body to help smooth out his chaotic aura.
Li Guanqi's brow furrowed slightly as he discovered that the breath inside Xiao Chen was disordered beyond belief.
What was more, demonic qi was concealed within his meridians!
Xiao Chen was slightly taken aback as well. Under the refinement of his internal lightning, there had actually been traces of demonic qi lurking in his meridians?
"Wait..."
Li Guanqi's expression drastically shifted!
His sharp gaze snapped toward Lu Wuhen, and he said in an icy voice, "How despicable of you!"
The corner of Lu Wuhen's mouth curled up as he looked back at Li Guanqi with amusement.
Li Guanqi turned to Nangong Xuandu and asked in a low voice, "Could we wait a moment?"
Nangong Xuandu glanced at Li Guanqi and said plainly, "The barrier is sealed. Once an arena match begins, the seal cannot be undone."
Li Guanqi's face darkened. Without a doubt, residual demonic qi had to be lurking inside Cao Yan as well!
The Lu clan truly deserved to die, resorting to such vile and underhanded tactics just to win.
The crux was that there was no evidence whatsoever pointing to the Lu clan. And even if they could prove it, what then?
The Lu clan would merely bear the reputation of being shameless and unscrupulously dirty.
Yet inside the barrier, isolated from all outside sounds, Cao Yan seemed to sense something. With his back to Li Guanqi, he raised a clenched fist high above his head!
At the sight of this, every member of the Great Xia Sword Sect felt their heart jolt!
Li Guanqi took a deep breath. With a wave of his hand, he set up a spirit-gathering array and a mind-calming array around Xiao Chen, saying in a low voice, "Don't think about anything else. Focus on recovering your strength as quickly as you can."
*Buzz!*
Pengluo poked its head out of the void at that moment, looking distressed. Holding a white slice in its hand, it murmured, "Master, this barrier... if I drill inside, I'll be discovered..."
Li Guanqi nodded, took what it held, and stuffed it straight into Xiao Chen's mouth.
Xiao Chen didn't waste any time. Sitting cross-legged beside Li Guanqi, he suddenly looked up with concern in his eyes. "Big Brother... to save the two of us, Second Brother and Elder Li were left behind in the domain."
Li Guanqi nodded, placed a hand firmly on his shoulder, and replied in a steady voice, "I know. Old Ye... will be fine. He has never broken a promise!"
Xiao Chen stared blankly at Li Guanqi, a sudden wave of inexplicable warmth swelling in his heart. It was a feeling hard to put into words, yet he could sense so much so clearly.
Just like... Cao Yan raising his clenched fist above his head.
Just like... Ye Feng believing Cao Yan would bring him back at the most critical moment.
And just like right now, Li Guanqi's unshakable conviction that Ye Feng would return, without a shred of doubt in his eyes.
Feeling the strength of Li Guanqi's heavy hand on his shoulder, Xiao Chen felt that profound trust!
"Phew..."
"Being brothers with you guys is damn awesome!"
With that, Xiao Chen closed his eyes and directly entered a state of cultivation.
*Whoosh!*
The roars and cheers of the crowd nearly tore the heavens apart.
Lu Kangnian waved his arm, tearing open the domain behind him, and over a hundred disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect hauled out over a hundred oxhide war drums!
"Beat the drums!!"
*Boom!*
Over a hundred Nascent Soul realm cultivators struck their drumsticks against the war drums in unison.
*Boom! Boom-boom-boom! Tat! Boom-boom!!*
The war drums thundered. Lu Kangnian took up a pair himself, vigorously striking with his drumsticks. In an instant, a rousing, chilling drumbeat reverberated through the skies!
In an instant, the momentum of the Great Xia Sword Sect reached its peak. Witnessing this, cultivators from across the Six Domains clenched their fists and raised their arms, shouting at the top of their lungs:
"Victory to the Six Domains!"
"Victory to the Six Domains! Kill!"
"Victory to the Six Domains!"
The scene made goosebumps prickle across the arms of many Six Domains cultivators, blood rushing hot to their heads. At this moment, regardless of sect or clan or place of origin, everyone was spontaneously cheering on the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Above the Dao platform's barrier, Cao Yan slowly shed the upper half of his robe, revealing a lean, sculpted physique.
*Buzz!*
A pair of sleekly contoured gauntlets with intricate, ornate engravings appeared before everyone's eyes.
No one had expected this mild, refined-looking youth to be a close-combat fighter.
Even Lu Yun across from him furrowed his brow; he had assumed this scholarly-looking youth was a sword cultivator as well.
Narrowing his eyes at Cao Yan, Lu Yun unexpectedly felt a strange sense of pressure emanating from his opponent.
As the barrier separating the two slowly dissolved, a sword shimmering with radiant light materialized in Lu Yun's hand.
Holding his sword with both hands, he cupped his fist and said softly, "Lu clan, Lu Yun."
Cao Yan rolled his wrists, and in an instant, a terrifying pressure erupted!
In the blink of an eye, the entire Dao platform transformed into a sea of azure flames!
Lu Yun's expression flickered slightly. Stamping his foot hard, he released his origin energy domain.
Bathed in shimmering golden light, countless golden sword qi crisscrossed through the air, standing on equal footing against the sea of flames!
*Boom!!*
A deafening explosion rang out as Cao Yan's figure vanished from sight.
Lu Yun's eyes narrowed. Circulating his movement technique, he spun around in an instant and slashed horizontally!
*Clang!!*
The moment Lu Yun's sword light lashed out, a fist crashed straight into the blade, brutally cutting his strike short.
A tremendous force shoved him backward. With no time to think, he spun in midair and swung his blade fiercely into the empty void behind him!
*Swish!*
"Hmph, you only know how to sneak-attack?"
"Wave-Severing Slash!"
*Boom!!*
A blinding ribbon of sword light slashed toward the empty space behind him—yet right as Lu Yun struck, Cao Yan's figure materialized from the void in that very spot!
Cao Yan's brow creased slightly. Raising his fist, he condensed primal energy and punched directly toward the oncoming sword light.
Li Guanqi frowned, murmuring in a low voice, "Third Brother's movement technique has already been seen through."
"Lu Yun... an ocular technique?"
The expressions of many spectators shifted. Just a breath ago, Cao Yan had relied on his superior speed to seize the initiative and force Lu Yun back.
Yet in the very next breath, Lu Yun had anticipated the precise location of Cao Yan's movement technique an instant ahead of time. Such a swift adaptation was almost inconceivable!
Li Guanqi had rarely encountered anyone possessing an ocular technique, but he had heard of them. Those who awakened ocular techniques through special gifts would invariably possess unique abilities.
Through his mind's eye, Li Guanqi noticed that Lu Yun's pupils were currently flickering with faint golden light, his gaze shifting with astonishing speed.
As the two clashed, fist meeting blade, both moved with blinding speed.
In the blink of an eye, they had traded over a hundred blows amid flying sparks, deadlocked in an even match.
*Boom, boom, boom! Crack!!*
At the epicenter of their clash, the void fractured into jagged rifts, the turbulent aftershocks relentlessly battering the barrier screen.
Even Nangong Xuandu watched the battle within the barrier with keen interest.
Chapter 789