Chapter 250: Victory and Defeat Already Decided

In the outside world, the group of disciples beneath the arena wore varied expressions, their speculations rampant.

Due to the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon's domain, the arena was plunged into darkness; therefore, they were unaware of the situation inside, only vaguely glimpsing flashes of lightning and thunder, and they each had their own judgments regarding the specific battle circumstances.

Only elders such as Yu Zhangsheng, those with remarkable Divine Sense, could see through the darkness and clearly perceive the specific situation within.

"Divine Might Spirit Tiger, Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger……"

"Tian Qing Sub-Dragon, Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon……"

"These two, they truly have an endless stream of trump cards, but Senior Brother Zhang……"

Yu Zhangsheng smiled bitterly; regarding the methods the two had displayed, he felt a tsk-tsk of amazement, and he also had to admit that if he were to face the current Yang Chengxu, he would likely have not a shred of a chance.

"Indeed, not to mention anything else, this Yang Chengxu truly does possess the capital for arrogance; even though Senior Brother Zhang has already gone all out, judging by appearances, this Yang Chengxu still wears a completely relaxed look."

Li Minghan at the side nodded in approval, his expression quite moved.

Yu Zhangsheng turned his head and glanced at Li Minghan; obviously, the other party also had his own method, enabling him to see through this darkness and clearly observe the battle situation within.

"However, Yang Chengxu's Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon seems to have a bit of a problem; if Senior Brother Zhang can continue to persist, it is not without possibility."

After pondering for half a second, a faint light flickered in Li Minghan's eyes, and he spoke thus.

"Mm." Yu Zhangsheng nodded, counting it as approval.

He could also see that the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon's entire body's bloodline fluctuations were unstable; it seemed its promotion evolution had only been half-completed, and this was probably also the reason why Yang Chengxu only had the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon step forward until now.

"Summoning a tamed beast out to battle mid-promotion evolution — this Yang Chengxu appears determined to win this match at all costs; taking such a risk, if one is not careful and the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon is injured, suffering backlash, not only would its bloodline regress, but he himself would likely be severely injured as well?"

Li Minghan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, narrowed his eyes, and spoke.

Yu Zhangsheng said nothing, merely spreading his Divine Sense even more meticulously, observing every move on the arena, his brows slightly furrowed.

On the arena, the battle had already thoroughly reached a white-hot intensity.

The space around Zhang Tianwen had been sealed off; up, down, left, right, densely packed with the looming shadows of the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon's beast mouths; in the sky above, streak after streak of Green Edge fell from the heavens, and in this darkness, a touch of red and a touch of green were added.

An intense sense of crisis, almost forming a storm, erupted in Zhang Tianwen's mind; his complexion was gloomy and ugly; waving his sleeve, he glanced at the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger and the Divine Might Spirit Tiger.

"Thunder, Geng Metal, Tiger Roar Sword!"

The Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger and the Divine Might Spirit Tiger understood instantly; in a flash, atop both their foreheads, the simple yet domineering 'King' character blazed with light, and two projections emerged in the darkness before them.

One projection flickered with piercing white light; upon closer inspection, golden luster flowed within it; the simple 'King' character contained a tyrannical and supreme intent since ancient times.

The other projection was projected from atop the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger's forehead; likewise a 'King' character, yet composed of thunder, with electric arcs surrounding it, tearing apart the surrounding darkness in an instant, a soaring momentum continuously rising and erupting.

"Roar roar roar!!!"

The Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger and the Divine Might Spirit Tiger roared simultaneously; their front legs trembled at the same time; a streak of white-gold light and a streak of purple lightning light respectively erupted from their bodies, injecting into those two 'King' characters.

Instantly, an even more astonishing storm began to brew; the two 'King' characters began to fuse, and amidst constant transformation, they gradually condensed into an incomparably gigantic sword, its material white gold, its periphery surrounded by flashing purple-green lightning, its blade revealing a bronze hue, mysterious patterns engraved upon it.

"Hum hum hum!!!"

The sword body hummed softly, the Void trembled, heavenly thunder was drawn down, and accompanying the astonishingly rising momentum was an increasingly tyrannical intent.

"With this strike, everything ends!"

Zhang Tianwen let out a low roar; the twin tigers at his side roared once more; thunder fell from the vault of heaven again, transforming into thunder dragons rampaging through the Void, and drawn forward by this sword, they bombarded the black sky canopy.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle……"

Electric arcs jumped; wherever this Geng Metal Thunder Sword pointed, thunderbolts struck, turning into the Extreme Shadow; wherever it passed, those blood dragons collapsed, the Green Edges dissipated, and this Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon's killing move was torn open with a gap.

Light from the outside world seeped in once more, and the figures of the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon and the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon were also thoroughly revealed.

This sword was incomparably tyrannical; the twin dragons raged in fury, Dragon Might pouring down, yet they could not affect its speed in the slightest; at this moment, flashing with faint light, as the sword tip turned, it abruptly pierced the Void, stabbing toward the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon! Its speed was so fast that even afterimages were barely visible; only the specks of electric arcs in the air proved its trace.

"Burn to Exhaustion Eternal Night! Dark Nether Substitute Heaven!"

At the critical moment, in haste, the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon swung its tail, striking the Geng Metal Thunder Sword body, momentarily obstructing it while its four dragon horns lit up simultaneously.

Nearly half of the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon's entire body's dragon scales suddenly flew backward, continuously assembling in mid-air into another defense; on each scale piece, dense darkness like ink surged, connecting to one another, perfectly integrated; the defense they formed also gave a sense of being indestructible.

"Crack crack……"

The Geng Metal Thunder Sword fiercely slammed into this black dragon scale defense; with just this one strike, three-tenths of the dragon scales collapsed; the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon shrieked, seizing this opportunity, its six claws churning the Void, fiercely grabbing this thunder sword, exerting force in a single stroke — in an instant the sword body dissipated, and the massive bodies of the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger and the Divine Might Spirit Tiger both trembled in unison, pressed down to the ground.

And this was not yet over; the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon's near-suicidal strike, after blocking this one sword, its remaining dragon scales instantly turned into the sharpest weapons, one after another streaking through the Void, under the traction of the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon and the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon themselves, their dark breaths connecting, flying toward the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger!

"Myriad Thunder Heavenly Prison Draw!"

Zhang Tianwen's countenance changed, his expression carrying a trace of struggle; but at this moment the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger had just unleashed their ultimate moves, precisely at a time of exhaustion; facing this strike from the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon that spared no cost, discarding half its body's scales, they could only barely resist!

"Boom boom boom!!!"

The Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger's whole body shone; the 'King' character on its forehead flashed once more; in the vault of heaven, a violent aura brewed again; the rainwater, which had shown a slight tendency to stagnate, suddenly grew larger; streak after streak of lightning slashed down, piercing the cloud layers, a thread of their might directly bombarding the arena wildly.

In a moment, the area beside the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger had become an ocean of lightning; within it, thunder surged, like a tide, roaring toward the dark dragon scales.

"Ang!!!"

The half-bald Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon cried out clearly; the dark dragon scales, receiving empowerment, coiled and collided with the lightning ocean; darkness surged, and the lightning was also dissolved.

"Roar!!!"

Purple lightning rampaged; piece after piece of dark dragon scales turned to dust, yet quite a few also broke through the obstruction, like a violent storm of pear blossoms, fiercely piercing into the bodies of the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle……"

Flesh and blood flew; streak after streak of sharp dragon scales, flashing with black light, fiercely pierced into the body surfaces of the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger; specks of black light rapidly spread from the penetration points to every part of the two tigers' bodies.

"Divine Might Spirit Tiger and Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger!"

Zhang Tianwen cried out in grief, reached out to stroke them; streak after streak of green light passed into the two tigers, healing their injuries.

"Roar!!!"

The Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger roared, lifted their heads; the kingly domineering aura in their eyes had not weakened in the slightest, only their voices appeared to lack follow-through strength, weak and powerless.

Streak after streak of black dragon scales pierced into flesh and blood; drop by drop, blood flowed down; the two tigers were already covered in wounds, riddled with holes.

And the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon was faring no better either; it let out a high cry, and instantly its remaining dragon scales flew back to its body, black phantoms covering its dragon torso, temporarily completing it; its four dragon horns flashed, the aura on its body also dropping to the nadir; Yang Chengxu waved his hand, his complexion gloomy as he recalled the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon into his Inner Landscape. This strike could be described as killing one thousand enemies while losing eight hundred oneself; the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger were heavily injured, while the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon's condition had also deteriorated to the extreme.

"Still want to continue?"

Yang Chengxu spoke coldly, breathing slightly, cast a sidelong glance at the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder-Controlling Spirit Tiger; the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon at his side protectively encircled him, green light flashing.

"……"

Zhang Tianwen fell silent, a bitter smile in his heart; after a long while, he stroked the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder Spirit Tiger, his gaze gradually softening.

"Roar—Roar!!"

The two tigers shook their heads, as if sensing Zhang Tianwen's thoughts; their roars were filled with combat intent and unwillingness.

"You've worked hard; it was already very good."

Zhang Tianwen spoke gently, soothing the two tigers while waving his hand; the Divine Might Spirit Tiger and the Thunder Spirit Tiger turned into two streaks of light and were recalled into the Inner Landscape.

Having done all this, Zhang Tianwen sighed low once more, lifted his head to glance at Yang Chengxu, his eyes icy, containing a trace of regret, and walked off the arena without looking back.

"This match, Linglong Sect's Yang Chengxu wins!"

After a moment of silence, Mo Pengchen announced the result with his expression unchanged; a flicker of regret flashed through his eyes.

A good long while passed; the crowd of disciples below the arena looked at each other in blank dismay, and after a stretch of dead silence came a complete uproar.

Regarding this result, the Wanxiang Sect people were surprised, the Linglong Sect people delighted.

Yang Chengxu's face remained calm; watching Zhang Tianwen's departing back, his clenched fist trembled imperceptibly, a trace of crimson seeped silently from the corner of his mouth, and he licked it away.

"If you were at your peak, I truly might not be your opponent……"

A thought flashed through his heart; Yang Chengxu gently exhaled a breath, smiled faintly, then recalled the Tian Qing Sub-Dragon into the Inner Landscape and likewise left the stage.

"What comes next will be much simpler; having reached this step, it's basically a sure thing."

………

"Senior Brother Zhang, are you alright?"

Yu Changsheng and Li Minghan stepped forward proactively, steadying the staggering Zhang Tianwen, voicing their concern.

"It's nothing; just pay a little attention."

Zhang Tianwen waved his hand, suppressing his surging qi and blood, then took out a pill and swallowed it down, his expression slightly bitter.

"I lost; this Yang Chengxu truly lives up to his reputation; I am no match for him."

Zhang Tianwen sighed lightly, his countenance regretful.

"It's merely that his luck was good; it doesn't matter; achieving this much is already very good."

Li Minghan spoke indignantly, wanting to say more but stopping.

"The remaining match depends on you, Changsheng; although we lost, you must have also seen through Yang Chengxu's trump card."

Zhang Tianwen pondered for a moment, then said with a bitter smile after some contemplation:

"Moreover, his Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon is likewise not lightly injured, and is at a critical moment of evolution; barring accident, in the following battles, out of various considerations, he cannot possibly continue to send the Tian Xiao Shadow Dragon out; if an accident occurs and the bloodline promotion fails, the risk is too great, the loss would outweigh the gain."

"This counts as severing one of his arms; Changsheng, you still have a chance."

Yu Changsheng fell slightly silent upon hearing this; a moment later he nodded and said softly:

"Alright, I understand; Senior Brother Zhang just rest well; as for the rest, I will do my utmost."

"Mm, doing your utmost is fine; if……" Zhang Tianwen exhaled a breath, patted Yu Changsheng's shoulder, a look of reminiscence surfacing on his face, his gaze flickering.

"If…… it were still here, everything would be much simpler."

Zhang Tianwen said in a low voice; finishing, he gave a barely perceptible sigh; this sentence he spoke very lightly, yet the emotions contained within were a mixed bag.

Li Minghan and Yu Changsheng exchanged a glance, both hesitating, not knowing what to say.

"Indeed; if it were the former Senior Brother Zhang, this Yang Chengxu wouldn't dare be so arrogant."

After a long while, Li Minghan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, exhaled a breath.

Regarding Zhang Tianwen's matter, these days they were also clear about it seven or eight parts out of ten; if not for that ambush years ago, Zhang Tianwen would likely already be Golden Core by now.

The Eight-Layer Spirit Platform would not have collapsed into a Seven-Layer Spirit Platform, and his strongest spirit beast would not have died……

If none of this had happened, facing today's Yang Chengxu, Zhang Tianwen would truly have the strength to suppress him single-handedly.

"Enough; past events are like smoke; who can speak clearly of them?"

Seeing the atmosphere grow slightly oppressive, Zhang Tianwen smiled faintly, waved his hand to break the mood first, his expression turning serious.

"In any case, since we've all come this far, Changsheng you must work hard; I've observed your next opponent Wang Junjie, and with your strength, dealing with him is no problem; then you'll face Yang Chengxu directly."

"This Yang Chengxu is proud to the extreme; as a Heaven's Chosen, and if he's interested in you, he will certainly make a move personally to defeat you, only then can he completely suppress our Wanxiang Sect's morale; that is also the result he wants."

Zhang Tianwen reminded him; not long after, the repaired arena was good as new, and the sky-filling gloomy rain, at some unknown time, also gradually ceased, and daylight reappeared.

Yu Changsheng was dumbfounded; he turned his head, looking past the crowd toward Linglong Sect's Yang Chengxu's side, only to see Yang Chengxu speaking in a low voice with the person beside him, and that person was precisely Yu Changsheng's next opponent Wang Junjie.

And Yang Chengxu seemed to have also sensed Yu Changsheng's gaze; lifting his head, he looked through the crowd and smiled at Yu Changsheng; this smile was radiant, yet contained an indescribable mockery and coldness.

Yu Changsheng's expression was indifferent, unmoved; he continued watching for another glance before withdrawing his gaze.

"Semi-finals second match, Wanxiang Sect's Yu Changsheng versus Linglong Sect's Wang Junjie!"

Regardless of what the group of disciples thought, the competition still had to continue; not long after, today's second match began.

And the final result, however, made Yu Changsheng feel surprised; he even won successfully without an overly bitter struggle.

"Wanxiang Sect Disciple Yu Changsheng wins; rest for one day; tomorrow, the finals begin!"

(Chapter End)