Chapter 109: One Upset After Another

Under the gaze of countless people, a fire lotus interwoven with green and blood colors shot fiercely toward Lin Yun not far away.

Upon sensing the terrifying power contained within the fire lotus, Lin Yun's face changed instantly; he quickly unleashed his life-saving ultimate move, forming layers of Fire Origin Shields before him!

Soon, the two-colored fire lotus crashed heavily onto those thick Fire Origin Shields!

Boom—!

A massive roar echoed through the entire Qianlong Ancient City at that moment!

The thunderous giant sound erupted in this vast square, like the wrath of the Nine Heavens Thunder God, making countless people tremble in fear involuntarily.

Amidst the loud roar, the power of that two-colored fire lotus exploded instantly; the Fire Origin Shields before Lin Yun's body were completely melted in an instant, and then the terrifying power swept toward Lin Yun behind the shields again.

Pfft! Pfft!

Even the slight residual waves spreading out and striking the energy shield on the fighting platform made the shield wobble precariously; some young ones nearby felt fear in their hearts after sensing that terrifying power.

"Not good!"

"Quickly thicken the energy shield and save Lin Yun!"

Seeing this, Referee Chief Luo Jiacheng quickly acted together with several Star Extreme Realm referees; finally, before Lin Yun was struck by that terrifying power, they saved him, and the energy shield of the fighting platform was reinforced with the true essence of several Star Extreme Realm experts, successfully blocking all the power of that two-colored fire lotus.

After the residual waves dissipated, the fighting platform was in a mess; only Xiao Yan stood there alone, holding a black iron ruler, spotless on his body, with even a hint of a smile on his face.

"How is this possible?"

Mo Yan, who originally wanted to teach Xiao Yan a lesson in the fight, was completely stunned.

Originally, he thought that Lin Yun, who had defeated Qian Yun by unleashing the 'Sky Fall Strike', was already difficult enough to deal with; even if he used all his means, it would be hard to defeat the opponent, but he never expected Lin Yun also possessed such a terrifying killing move as the 'Blood Flame Break'.

But even Lin Yun, who had unleashed such a terrifying killing move as the 'Blood Flame Break', was still defeated by Xiao Yan, who in his eyes was insignificant in every aspect except luck!

This is simply too incredible!

But thinking again, where was it that Xiao Yan had good luck? It was clearly the rest of them who had good luck!

If any of the others had encountered Xiao Yan first, their performance certainly would not have been much better than Lin Yun's!

At the same time various thoughts flashed through Mo Yan's mind, other geniuses looked at Xiao Yan on the fighting platform, a strand of Solemnity and fear flashing in their eyes one after another.

Even Yan Chihuo, who considered his strength to be a grade above Lin Yun's, did not dare to say he was confident he could withstand Xiao Yan's final terrifying strike at this moment.

Only Sikong Sheng, whose strength was the strongest, had a hint of Solemnity appear in his eyes at this time, but he did not look overly worried.

The match ended; Xiao Yan quickly left the fighting platform under the gaze of the multitude.

After returning to the side of Pang Bo and the others, Xiao Yan quickly asked with a smile: "Brothers, how did I perform this time?"

Hearing this, Han Li couldn't help but pout and say: "Your performance was simply too exaggerated!"

Facing Xiao Yan's terrifying strike just now, Han Li considered that under the same realm, he had the strength to withstand it.

But he also knew clearly in his heart that Xiao Yan had only used one type of Strange Fire just now, and moreover, it was the Green Lotus Earth Heart Fire, which ranked relatively low.

Once Xiao Yan simultaneously activated the Green Lotus Earth Heart Fire and the Fallen Heart Flame, even he, Han Li, would probably only be able to withstand it by relying on his higher cultivation!

Thinking of this, Han Li couldn't help but think silently in his heart: "Enough! Better not to compete with a madman like Xiao Yan who cultivates the 'Burning Art'! I will just cultivate slowly; after I become a Dao Ancestor, I will compete with him then!"

At this time, Pang Bo also quickly said: "Xiao Yan, you kid were really too much this time! Clearly, a wisp of Green Lotus Earth Heart Fire could have ended the fight, yet you insisted on showing off your Buddha-Nature Fire Lotus; now look, you've stolen everyone's spotlight!"

On the other side, Ye Chen had a Solemn face; he was also thinking at this moment about what method he could use to block Xiao Yan's strike.

As for Meng Huan, his expression was quite calm.

In his eyes, the growth ceiling of Xiao Yan's move 'Buddha-Nature Fire Lotus' was naturally extremely high, but merely the power it had now would still be very difficult to cause him trouble at the same realm!

Amidst everyone's shock, the next match started very quickly, but many people were still shocked by Xiao Yan's previous performance.

Even several Star Extreme Realm referees were no exception; at this moment, they were gathered together discussing Xiao Yan.

"This time we all misjudged!"

"With Xiao Yan's strength, he absolutely has the qualification to compete for the number one spot on the Qianlong List; should we list him as a seed contestant too?"

"Of course! But if we list him as a seed contestant, wouldn't we have to kick one of the other seed contestants out?"

"There's no need for that! Anyway, there is no difference between ten seed contestants and eleven seed contestants; we just need to know it ourselves, and then arrange the fights between them for the end; I imagine others won't have any objections!"

"That's true! Arranging the fights of these strongest geniuses for the end is absolutely no problem!"

After discussing Xiao Yan's matter, these Star Extreme Realm referees quickly resumed normally hosting the upcoming matches.

On the other side, although the people of the Tianyun Sect were quite depressed because Lin Yun lost to Xiao Yan.

But after witnessing Xiao Yan's terrifying strength, the Tianyun Sect elders did not blame Lin Yun; instead, they brought out precious pills prepared long ago to help Lin Yun recover his state quickly, after all, they still needed to rely on Lin Yun to strive for a high ranking on the Qianlong List and the corresponding fortune as much as possible.

Just like that, time kept passing, and the matches continued one after another.

Until the sixty-first round of matches began, the top ten seed contestants and Xiao Yan, besides not having fought each other, had already fought everyone else.

Among these eleven people, besides Meng Huan intentionally losing one match to Yue Buqun and Lin Yun losing to Xiao Yan, everyone else naturally defeated the other sixty-one opponents, still maintaining a perfect record.

Precisely because of this, the dragon-shaped phantom shadows on their bodies had all reached over eight zhang.

And in the last match of the sixty-first round, Sikong Sheng very easily defeated Mo Yan, the eldest disciple of the Flying Heaven Sect; then the dragon-shaped phantom shadow behind him, after devouring the dragon-shaped phantom shadow on Mo Yan, directly grew to eight zhang and six, which was also the largest dragon-shaped phantom shadow among all the geniuses.

It was seen that the scales and claws of the dragon-shaped phantom shadow behind him gradually became clear, revealing its sharpness, with a majestic demeanor, just like a true dragon about to ride the clouds and mist.

Then that dragon-shaped phantom shadow suddenly opened its eyes, sweeping without any emotion toward the dragon-shaped phantom shadows behind the young generation present; even the crowd of Spirit Sea Realm experts in the audience stands specifically averted their eyes.

Among the many Spirit Sea Realm experts, besides Sikong Ba, the Sect Master of Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain, everyone else felt extremely aggrieved in their hearts.

After all, with their strength, there was no need to fear a small dragon-shaped phantom shadow; it was just that the dragon-shaped phantom shadows behind these geniuses were closely connected to the fortune of the entire Nanzhuo Region, and Sikong Sheng's dragon-shaped phantom shadow was the foremost among them; staring at it might bring trouble to their own sects.

As for Sikong Ba, the Sect Master of Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face at this moment.

Although this Qianlong List competition saw many unexpected geniuses, he always believed in his heart that Sikong Sheng could defeat everyone and sit on the throne of the number one spot in the Qianlong List competition again.

Moreover, this Qianlong List competition could be called the most prosperous one in a thousand years; after Sikong Sheng defeated others, his dragon-shaped phantom shadow might surpass nine zhang, and finally, relying on this massive fortune power, become the third Life-and-Death Realm King of the Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain lineage.

And the geniuses of the other Liupin Sects would fall far behind in ranking due to those unexpected geniuses, and the gap between them and Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain would naturally grow wider and wider.

At that moment, Lu Qingshan, standing with the Liuyun Sect members, saw the dragon-shaped phantom behind Sikong Sheng's back grow arrogant, and a flash of Lei Guang instantly shot through his eyes.

With his current strength, even shattering the entire Nan Zhuo Region into pieces would be effortless; others feared backlash from this fortune, but he had no such fear.

As Lei Guang flared in Lu Qingshan's eyes, the dragon-shaped phantom behind Sikong Sheng's back, as if encountering its natural enemy, immediately fell silent and ceased all movement.

In the chat group, Pang Bo and others who noticed Lu Qingshan's action quickly spoke up.

【Pang Bo: Group Master, mighty!】

【Xiao Yan: Group Master, mighty!】

【Han Li: Group Master, mighty!】

……

【Lu Qingshan: Enough with these words. Just work together—tomorrow, give that kid a surprise!】

【Pang Bo: Group Master, rest easy! I'm already eager to see Sikong Sheng's strength!】

【Xiao Yan: Group Master, don't worry—I'll definitely give Sikong Sheng a surprise!】

【Ye Chen: Let's all work together to make sure Sikong Sheng doesn't even make the top five!】

【Han Li: That's a bit difficult! The Dragon Ascension Rankings have too many restrictions—I can't use many of my treasures; I'm afraid I can't beat Sikong Sheng!】

【Pang Bo: Han Li, you're not going to let us down, are you?】

【Han Li: I don't want to either, but Sikong Sheng's strength really is formidable! Fine, I'll give it my all—if I still lose, don't blame me!】

……

Time quickly arrived at the fourth morning.

At the combat arena, nearly all eyes were fixed on the top ten seeds and Xiao Yan; the other young generation had become mere background.

"The judges' eyes are truly sharp! I thought Mo Yan and Bing Ling might pull off an upset, but they both lost to the top ten seeds!"

"Actually, not all of them! Didn't the judges overlook Xiao Yan?"

"That Xiao Yan was an anomaly—who could have imagined he had such terrifying strength? I'd even believe he could rank first overall!"

"I heard the people with Xiao Yan are all disciples of a ninth-rank sect—how could they have such strength? It's because they stumbled into an ancient inheritance site and obtained many precious cultivation arts—do you believe it?"

"What does it matter to us? I know that even if it's true, the benefits won't reach us lowly Baoyuan realm cultivators!"

"Exactly! Forget whether we can beat Xiao Yan and the others—even if we could, star-level experts would surely appear afterward, and maybe even Liupin Sects would get involved!"

"That can't be possible!!"

"You don't know anything! Do you think Liupin Sects are good people? They've destroyed countless sects and clans!"

……

Amid countless expectations, the sixty-second round of matches began.

The first match was not between the top ten seeds and Xiao Yan, but between Bingjue Sect's eldest disciple, Bing Ling, and Feitian Mo Sect's eldest disciple, Mo Yan.

In the original storyline, Mo Yan had narrowly defeated Bing Ling by exploiting his Heaven-Piercing Demon Eye's ability to spot weaknesses.

But in this match, Mo Yan's mindset had crumbled after being repeatedly crushed by Han Li and the others, while Bing Ling, though also defeated by Han Li's group, had continuously absorbed experience and refined her killing techniques during battle.

As a result, after dozens of exchanges, Bing Ling reversed the tide—despite her protective true qi nearly shattered by Mo Yan—and landed her perfected killing technique to defeat him outright.

As time passed, the sixty-second round continued.

By the thirty-first match, the battle among the top ten seeds finally arrived.

This time, Yan Chihuo faced Han Li.

Seeing Han Li as his opponent, Yan Chihuo felt a slight sigh of relief.

Among the many undefeated prodigies, Han Li had clearly displayed the weakest strength among the top few.

Though he feared Sikong Sheng and Xiao Yan, he had great confidence in defeating others.

Thus, amid the crowd's anticipation, the battle between Han Li and Yan Chihuo, two top seeds, finally began.

Yan Chihuo had expected to defeat Han Li easily, but Han Li held firm against his relentless assaults.

Even as Yan Chihuo unleashed his killing techniques one after another, he still could not overcome his opponent.

When the battle stalled, Yan Chihuo believed his earth-grade supreme cultivation art would grant him overwhelming true qi to secure victory—but he never expected Han Li's true qi to seem endless; in the end, he collapsed from exhaustion.

Seeing this, the audience erupted again.

After all, Yan Chihuo had ranked second in the previous Dragon Ascension Rankings, and his strength displayed against Han Li was terrifying—few prodigies could match him.

Yet even this terrifying Yan Chihuo had been defeated by Han Li!

Though Han Li's methods weren't particularly honorable, who else among the prodigies could have withstood Yan Chihuo's endless killing techniques?

On the other side, the sect leaders of the seven Liupin Sects gathered to converse.

"This Han Li's true qi is even more abundant than Yan Chihuo's—his cultivation art must be extraordinary!" said Sikong Ba, sect leader of Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain.

The Fire Spirit Palace sect leader quickly added: "Yan Chihuo cultivates my Fire Spirit Palace's earth-grade supreme art—he's reached its eleventh layer. Logically, no one at the same realm should outmatch him in true qi volume!"

"Could it be that this Han Li cultivates a heaven-grade art?" asked the Tianyin Sect leader, equally astonished.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be heaven-grade."

The Bingjue Sect leader quickly said: "Some earth-grade supreme arts specializing in true qi accumulation can achieve this! I noticed Han Li always defended during his fight with Yan Chihuo—he's not skilled in offense. He likely cultivates such an art."

"Even so, it's extremely rare!"

Sikong Ba of Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain continued: "How many earth-grade supreme arts do we even have in our Liupin Sects?"

"I heard the people with Han Li are all disciples of the ninth-rank Liuyun Sect—how could they have such strength? It's because they accidentally entered an ancient inheritance site and obtained many top-tier cultivation arts!"

"I've heard that too!"

The Feitian Mo Sect leader quickly said: "At first I didn't believe it, but their current strength clearly suggests they cultivate earth-grade supreme arts—otherwise, they couldn't possibly possess such astonishing power!"

"So many earth-grade supreme arts, plus a precious ancient inheritance site—aren't any of you tempted?"

Hearing this, the other sect leaders quickly harbored various thoughts.

……

On the other side, after Han Li defeated Yan Chihuo, the battles among the top ten seeded contestants continued.

The thirty-second match: Sikong Sheng easily defeated Li Daoxuan, the chief disciple of the Heartless Sect, who had grasped sixty percent of sword intent;

The thirty-third match: Xiao Yan defeated Murong Qingcheng, the second disciple of the Flying Demon Sect;

The thirty-fourth match: Ye Chen pulled off another upset, defeating the extremely powerful Lin Yun;

The thirty-fifth match: Tuoba Ku defeated Qian Yun, who was outside the top ten seeded contestants.

The thirty-sixth match: Pang Bo and Meng Huan from the chat group ran into each other.

Pang Bo, whether in himself or in the Shrouding Heaven Art he cultivated, was very powerful, and was extremely skilled in combat, but Meng Huan's realm was simply too high; even when he suppressed his cultivation to the same realm, Pang Bo was far from being able to defeat him.

Fortunately, long before the competition began, Meng Huan had already said that the two of them would treat it mainly as a sparring match.

So after giving Pang Bo some pointers, Meng Huan, just like when he had previously fought Yue Buqun, took the initiative to concede defeat.

After all, the dragon vein energy was already of negligible help to him, and he had indeed cultivated for several hundred years longer than Pang Bo and the others, so there was naturally no need for him to win!

(End of chapter)