If Lu Xiuzhong had fought earlier, Zhou Shiyu would never have won.
Yet Lu Wuhen had summoned Lu Xiuzhong specifically for the fourth battle and provoked him by revealing that his younger brother Lu Xingyuan was dead...
Ye Feng had held out for nearly an hour against an early Body Integration Realm expert from the Sha organization, which meant he was fully capable of crushing Lu Xiuzhong as well.
Yet Lu Wuhen had not breathed a single word about Ye Feng's true strength, his peculiar flames, or anything else!
Li Guanqi's throat bobbed slightly as he stared fixedly at Lu Wuhen.
An audacious conjecture took shape in his mind...
"Are you... using my hands to eliminate those who pose a threat to you...?"
The moment the thought crossed Li Guanqi's mind, it spread wildly through his consciousness.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Lu Wuhen had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes!
That would explain why Lu Xiuzhong had looked so bewildered upon seeing Ye Feng's Yinming Profound Flame.
It also explained why Lu Hengtian's expression had turned so ugly.
The old patriarch must have pieced together the truth behind all this as well!
If the Ancient Clan remained hidden from the world, Lu Wuhen would naturally be the young master of the Lu clan, the undisputed leading figure.
In the future, he might very well become the successor to the clan.
Yet above him stood Lu Xingyuan and Lu Xiuzhong. Originating from the same main branch, their strength and talent were in no way inferior to his.
Now that the Hidden Clans were reemerging into the world amid the turbulence sweeping across the Six Domains, both Lu Xingyuan and Lu Xiuzhong had become real threats capable of replacing him.
A chill ran down Li Guanqi's spine. For the first time, he felt a flicker of dread at the sheer depth of a man's scheming mind.
Like everyone else, he had initially assumed Lu Wuhen was merely resorting to underhanded tricks out of fear that the Lu clan might lose this contest.
He had never imagined that the man's seemingly casual moves were actually killing two birds with one stone.
Not only had he trapped Ye Feng's trio, drastically drained their primal energy, and planted demonic energy inside Cao Yan and Xiao Chen,
but he had also achieved his own covert objective...
Crucially, even after reconstructing the entire plot, Li Guanqi had no choice but to play along!
Ye Feng even had to go all out, fulfilling Lu Wuhen's goal to the letter.
As if sensing Li Guanqi's scrutiny, Lu Wuhen slowly turned around with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down toward him.
Their gazes clashed, seeming to strike invisible sparks in midair.
In that instant, Li Guanqi felt that all his previous perceptions of Lu Wuhen had been utterly overturned.
This seemingly unthreatening man was like someone cloaked in dozens of layers of robes.
Just when you thought you saw through him, he would shed one layer and casually prove that you had never seen his true self at all.
Watching the upturned curve of Lu Wuhen's lips and those unfathomable eyes...
Li Guanqi found it hard to imagine how a man who was barely forty could possess such terrifying shrewdness.
He had once suspected whether Lu Wuhen might be that figure from Cang Lu.
Yet the style of the man before him was distinctly different.
Lu Wuhen was more like a meticulous strategist whose every action was pregnant with hidden purpose!
Furthermore, Lu Wuhen was far more selfish, entirely ruthless in pursuing his own ends.
A trace of killing intent surfaced silently in Li Guanqi's heart.
Like water seeping drop by drop from wet cloth weighed down by a stone, that murderous intent slowly welled forth.
The sword spirit was suddenly roused from her cultivation. She looked up into the void, her gaze seeming to pierce through every obstacle.
Her brow furrowed slightly as though confirming something, and she spoke in a chilled voice.
"Kill him."
"Why?"
"Kill him and you will understand. It is of utmost importance!"
Li Guanqi maintained an unperturbed expression on the outside, but tempestuous waves surged through his heart. This was the first time the sword spirit had ever demanded that he kill someone.
It seemed Lu Wuhen harbored far more secrets than met the eye!
While Li Guanqi's thoughts churned, the battle upon the Dao platform had escalated to a fever pitch.
Having ignited his soul, Lu Xiuzhong's power had climbed to a truly terrifying height.
Yet Ye Feng, fighting with his aura unleashed at full blast, showed no fear whatsoever. Earth-shattering detonations erupted in ceaseless succession.
The ferocious shockwaves pounded relentlessly against the boundary formations surrounding the platform. The bluestone pavers had long been blown away, leaving the entire arena in ruins.
Ye Feng forced Lu Xiuzhong back with a heavy strike. Cold light flashed in his eyes; he was finally holding nothing back.
Empowered by the strength of the ghost hand, the sword Nu Sha in his grip let out ringing chimes that echoed across the grounds.
Ye Feng's form grew elusive and indistinct, his surging sword momentum climbing higher with every passing moment.
Lu Xiuzhong's pale face tightened, his pupils contracting as a chill shot straight to the crown of his head!
Suddenly!
Ye Feng's figure materialized behind him, an overwhelmingly terrifying sword momentum erupting in full fury!
"Shura: Prison-Severing Slash!"
Boom!
This was none other than the first technique of the Nine Shura Slashes!
Boom!
The fearsome sword light resembled a blade plummeting off a cliff edge, sweeping downward from above and carrying an unstoppable momentum meant to sever all creation!
Lu Xiuzhong had no time to deliberate. Releasing the full power of his White Tiger Beast Spirit Tattoo, he raised his blade and slashed out to counter!
When the sword lights collided, a violent explosion tore apart several hundred fathoms of the surrounding void, sending thick plumes of chaotic energy swirling through the air.
Yet before that sword light even faded, Ye Feng's voice rang out once more—this time laced with the shrieking wails of malevolent spirits.
"Shura: Soul-Refining Slash!"
Wicked ghosts shrieked as pitch-black sword light surged forward, looking as though it would swallow human souls whole.
With this strike, the Yinming Profound Flame became a fire that refined the very soul!
Lu Xiuzhong was shaken to the core, swinging his sword with even greater desperation. Every exchange was now far more perilous than anything earlier in the match!
The slightest misstep would mean the end of his life and cultivation!
Yet Lu Xiuzhong was by no means weak. In his Soul Burning state, he forcefully tore through the pincer attack of the two sword lights.
Shattering the void, he teleported behind Ye Feng, slashing out a brilliant sheet of sword light.
"Great Three Profound Vast Sword!"
Yet the moment he broke through the sword light with his teleportation, spiritual energy in the surrounding space went wild, sending fractured sword lights flying in chaotic disarray.
The instant Lu Xiuzhong appeared, two sword beams struck simultaneously from before and behind him!
It was as if Ye Feng had anticipated his arrival all along. Facing those three wondrous beams of sword light, Ye Feng stood completely fearless.
"Shura: Life-Extinguishing Slash!"
"Shura: Heaven-Breaking Slash!"
Two sword beams tore through the void in an instant, followed immediately by another two devastating sword beams!
"Shura: Boundless Slash!"
"Shura: World End!"
Boom!
A terrifying pillar of sword light fell straight from the heavens. Lu Xiuzhong turned a snarling, contorted face to the side, veins bulging violently on his forehead.
Blood poured unceasingly from wounds all over his body, yet looking at that final descent of sword light, a sense of utter powerlessness welled up inside him.
The hand gripping his sword had long gone numb; he could no longer recall how many times he had swung his blade.
Yet no matter how hard he swung, Ye Feng's strength had always crushed his own.
Watching that final strike descend, he wanted to raise his blade again, yet for some reason his arms refused to lift.
Glancing down, he finally realized—both of his arms were already gone.
The apocalyptic sword strike crashed down, bearing several shades of likeness to the majestic stance of the sword spirit whenever she wielded her blade.
Boom!
The thousand-fathom Dao platform was split straight down the middle in that single strike. Watching the scene unfold, onlookers could not help but swallow hard.
Ye Feng's robes were in tatters, hanging from his frame like shredded rags.
He was soaked in blood from head to toe, covered in countless wounds.
In his hand, Ye Feng held a severed head, standing suspended in midair as he gasped violently for breath.
His vision blurred by blood, he casually tossed the head into the air.
Whoosh!
Flicking his fingers, he sent out a wisp of sword energy that pinned Lu Xiuzhong's severed head firmly against the mountain gate.
Having done all this, Ye Feng braced his hands on his knees, took a couple of labored breaths, and then straightened his spine, standing tall like an unsheathed blade.
He extended his left hand toward the Lu clan and gave a thumbs-up.
Then, slowly, his wrist twisted, turning the thumb downward!
With his disheveled hair fluttering around him, Ye Feng tilted his head up and cast a scornful glare toward the outraged members of the Lu clan aboard the distant cloud boat. In a chilling voice, he spat:
"Useless trash."
Chapter 805