Chapter 568: 567. Chapter 562: The Promotion Battle

567. Chapter 562: The Promotion Battle

Two students from the same academy competed in the finals for first place.

To be honest, this scenario was nearly impossible in the Dao Law Academy's grand competition, yet it occurred precisely in this individual combat final.

"Xi Yue, I know your family needs an Immortal Emperor slot—I'll let you have first place." Seeing Seeing Ji Xing's tone was sincere.

Long Xiyue shook her head: "Senior Ji, I'm no match for you. Besides, if I took first place myself, it would cause trouble."

"You can give it to me, but I can't take it myself. You know my family's situation—I was already cast out."

Seeing Seeing Ji Xing immediately understood: the Long Immortal Clan was just as snobbish as any other—they wouldn't have expelled Long Xiyue otherwise.

If he gave this slot to Long Xiyue, the Long Immortal Clan would be immensely grateful to both her and him.

But if she took it herself, the Long Immortal Clan would consider it her due. Though there'd be rewards and gratitude, they'd never match the value of a gift from an outsider.

"Fine." Seeing Seeing Ji Xing agreed.

The most thrilling final battle ended in anticlimax.

The second-place contestant surrendered; first place in the individual combat competition went to Seeing Seeing Ji Xing of the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy.

With so many promotion slots won, the moment the rewards were distributed, the training room of Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's Zhengdao Class was packed.

Principal Yuan You led a group of people there.

On the Great Dao Corridor, Immortal Venerable promotion slots and Immortal King promotion slots weren't particularly valuable.

With enough treasures and Immortal Crystals, you could easily trade for them.

But Immortal Emperor promotion slots? Each was a single pit in a field of one—extremely rare.

Almost every promotion slot had already been allocated.

Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy had suddenly emerged, seizing four Immortal Emperor promotion slots.

This shattered the plans of other academies hoping to claim them—they could now only beg Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy for one.

At the same time, Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's Zhengdao Class became legendary.

Eight people enrolled in five events and won four first places.

Moreover, each of them carried the halo of first place.

"Your performance this time was outstanding. As principal of Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy, having students like you is my honor—and Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's honor…"

Yuan You began his speech; no one interrupted him.

Everyone knew exactly what his goal was.

"Hand over your promotion Dao Yun Balls to me first. Once we return to the academy, the academy will oversee their distribution. We won't shortchange you—we'll give you individual bonuses."

The room fell silent.

For an academy of Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's caliber, even second place would be extraordinary.

Most often, Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy barely scraped into the top ten as a class in individual events.

Even top-ten class rankings came with rewards and points.

Seeing Seeing Ji Xing stepped forward again: "Principal, according to the Ten Thousand Laws of the Great Dao Corridor, the ranks we earned by registering independently for the academy competition belong to us and our Dao Master to decide."

"We all hope Dao Master Ding will return to distribute these Dao Yun Balls. If you find this inappropriate, you may expel us from the academy."

They were all about to reach Great Yi Immortal—expulsion wouldn't affect them at all.

Yuan You's face darkened. In front of so many, he dared not speak against the Ten Thousand Laws.

The Ten Thousand Laws held supreme authority on the Great Dao Corridor.

Yet these mere cultivators dared challenge the academy for promotion slots—how audacious.

His gaze at Seeing Seeing Ji Xing now looked at a dead man.

Did he think the Ten Thousand Laws protected him from being killed, just because he was a lowly Great Yi Immortal?

…

Ding Huan, in the frozen wastes, was entirely enveloped in divine aura mist; his soul sea's Dao universe expanded wildly.

With the divine aura's enhancement, his Immortal energy continuously piled up, his aura growing ever more turbulent.

"Boom!" Another barrier shattered effortlessly; Ding Huan stepped into Immortal King Level Twelve.

Seeing Ji Luo was ecstatic; he swiftly controlled the Celestial Scale to retreat from Ding Huan's vicinity.

At this rate, Ding Huan would face his Immortal Venerable Tribulation Lightning within half a month.

Even with the Celestial Scale, he still kept his distance from a cultivator like Ding Huan.

Not even half a month—only ten days.

Waves of Tribulation Lightning arcs crashed down; at the same moment, Ding Huan activated his Immortal Venerable Dao Charm Ball.

Far away, Seeing Ji Luo watched the gray-black Lei Jie arcs and hurriedly pulled the Celestial Scale farther back.

This was the most terrifying death Tribulation Lightning—he'd never before sensed the aura of death within Tribulation Lightning arcs.

But when he saw how Ding Huan crossed the Tribulation, he could only sigh in disbelief—he'd never seen such a reckless cultivator.

Ding Huan didn't summon any artifacts—he struck the Lei Jie arcs barehanded.

This only made the deadly Lei Jie even more terrifying.

Yet the Lei Jie arcs couldn't deliver fatal harm to Ding Huan.

Brother Ding's body refinement art is incredible—but there's no top-tier body refinement art among the Three Thousand Daos, or if there was, someone already took it.

After I regain my physical form, I might ask Brother Ding if he can get me a copy to cultivate.

After the first three waves of Lei Jie, Ding Huan's aura grew even stronger, and his body, tempered by the Lei Jie, continued to strengthen.

The first to sense Ding Huan's terrifying Tribulation Crossing was Zuo Shanwei.

Zuo Shanwei had just entered Immortal Venerable Level Three.

Is someone ascending to Immortal Emperor?

Zuo Shanyi stopped his cultivation and sent out his spiritual sense; soon he confirmed: this was not a promotion to Immortal Emperor, this was a promotion to Immortal Sovereign.

Could this Immortal Sovereign Tribulation Crossing be no weaker than his own Lei Jie?

No—this was stronger than his Lei Jie. Who was it?

Zuo Shanyi immediately rushed toward Ding Huan.

He could clearly sense the Dao Yun Ball of the Dao Corridor's promotion to Immortal Sovereign.

In the Dao Corridor's One Hundred Thousand Laws, any cultivator whose Dao Yun Ball activates during promotion is forbidden from interference; anyone caught doing so is executed without mercy.

No one dared violate this rule—yet in Zuo Shanyi's eyes, this rule was air.

He didn't even consider it—he intended to approach the Tribulation Crossing cultivator openly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Another wave of furious Lei Jie arcs descended; Zuo Shanyi felt Ding Huan's aura surge wildly, and he instinctively halted his steps, then chose to conceal his form and move closer.

He knew the other had broken through to Immortal Sovereign, becoming an Immortal Sovereign powerhouse.

As Ding Huan broke through to Immortal Sovereign, he already sensed someone approaching—a top-tier powerhouse.

Their strength was absolutely greater than his, and far greater.

If he faced them alone and didn't flee, he'd only be offering his life.

As Ding Huan stabilized his cultivation and prepared for the next Lei Jie arc, a cold voice rang out: "You must be Ding Huan?"

Ding Huan did not answer. He gathered the remaining divine crystals and frantically absorbed immortal spiritual energy to further stabilize his cultivation.

Even if he had to flee, he'd make this bastard break a few bones.

"It really is you. Didn't expect you could conceal yourself so well—a Perfect Immortal King hiding at the Luo Tian Xian realm. Heh…"

As he spoke, a massive immortal energy palm seized toward Ding Huan.

The one arriving was Xie Kuangren; he had only just realized Ding Huan might undergo Tribulation Crossing.

Otherwise, why would Ding Huan's disciples have given their Dao Yun Ball to him?

As Director of the Dao Corridor's Immortal Surveillance Office, he possessed the Dao Corridor's protective array flag.

The core of the Dao Corridor's protective array was the Heaven's Dao Qian Kun Cover; with the array flag, he could clearly sense where anyone was undergoing Tribulation Crossing if he wished.

Over the past few months, he had visited countless cultivators undergoing Tribulation Crossing.

Today, he finally caught one.

Is this an Immortal Emperor?

Ding Huan summoned the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear and thrust it forward.

Simultaneously, his Starry Domain engulfed Xie Kuangren.

Ding Huan held nothing back; the killing aura swirling around the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear nearly tore the void apart.

Boom!

Crack!

Ding Huan felt a massive hammer strike his chest—he spat a jet of blood, then was flung backward.

Xie Kuangren charged forward, raising his artifact—the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Ding Huan was merely an Immortal Sovereign, and a newly promoted one at that; yet that single spear strike had nearly wounded him.

With such power, if he failed to capture Ding Huan today, what would happen when Ding Huan grew stronger?

Ding Huan was filled with shock.

He had never seen such a terrifying Immortal Emperor.

He had just become an Immortal Sovereign—if he had still been an Immortal King, he would have had no chance against this man.

This fellow might not even be an Immortal Emperor—he might have already taken a half-step beyond that realm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The final wave of Lei Jie arcs crashed down.

With Xie Kuangren's interference, this wave of Lei Jie arcs was stronger than any previous one by several times over.

With the Nirvana Decree enhancing him and his resilient body, Ding Huan paid no heed to the falling Lei Jie arcs.

The spear intent of the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear surged violently, sweeping through the surrounding space with killing Dao rhyme.

Spear Technique: Thousand Piles of Snow.

This place was already an extreme cold region; under the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear's influence, the Thousand Piles of Snow technique's power doubled.

Massive ice peaks were drawn in by the spear, exploding in the void with deep, rumbling sounds, like boulders piercing the sky.

Interspersed were illusory spear intents shaped into ice peaks of killing force.

Xie Kuangren's Demon-Slaying Sword summoned illusory sword mountains; these clashed with Ding Huan's ice peaks.

Like crashing waves against a shore!

Dao rhyme exploded.

Fine cracks tore through the void, swirling up Thousand Piles of Snow.

Ice peaks shattered piece by piece; each shattered peak's residual force carved a bloody gash into Ding Huan's body.

Powerful immortal energy backlash struck him—he spat another jet of blood.

Crack!

Xie Kuangren's spine was struck by a Lei Jie arc and snapped clean.

No matter how strong his Dao, his body was no match for Ding Huan's. Under this terrifying Heavenly Dao Lei Jie arc, even he would be gravely wounded.

Xie Kuangren was stunned—he had ignored the danger because, in his eyes, even a doubled Immortal Sovereign Lei Jie was like children playing.

But this was no ordinary Immortal Sovereign Lei Jie?

Yet he could not care for his wounds—he must seize this chance to capture Ding Huan; his Demon-Slaying Sword's killing intent intensified further.

At that very moment, he felt a breath of death coming from his side.

Someone had ambushed him, and the timing was perfect.

It was during his attack on Ding Huan, when he ignored his own injuries — now it was clearly impossible for him to retract his Lu Mo Sword.

Xie Kuangren could only punch forward, and again he saw a long spear, entirely black, roaring toward him with a mad aura of slaughter.

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