Chapter 856: Opponent, Dragon and Tiger List 29

Chapter 856 -854: Opponent, Dragon and Tiger List 29

The thirty-six participants sized each other up. Nearly half of them appeared quite young, roughly in their twenties or thirties, while the rest were either middle-aged or elderly. The invisible auras radiating from them proved they were all top-tier experts. Being chosen to represent their respective Heaven’s Edge Towers meant they had undergone rigorous screening. They were the cream of the crop, and their diverse trump cards went without saying. Even if there were gaps in their strength, the differences wouldn’t be too vast.

Xu Yang remained as placid as an ancient well. He thought, “No matter how strong they are at the Celestial Immortal level, they pose absolutely no threat to me. Everyone fights nine matches, which means drawing lots nine times. If I win all nine, it won’t be a big deal even if we lose a match or two in the second stage.”

Many people nearby were observing him, but unfortunately, they couldn’t see through him at all.

“That mask he’s wearing can hide his cultivation. It must be a treasure if even I can’t pry into it. I wonder what realm he’s actually in?” one person whispered.

“He definitely hasn’t surpassed the Celestial Immortal Realm,” another reasoned. “Otherwise, the Pavilion Master would have surely stopped him. With the Pavilion Master’s strength, that mask couldn’t possibly block his gaze.”

Since the Pavilion Master hadn’t said a word, it meant there were no rule violations.

WHOOSH!

The first bead suddenly rose into the air, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. It shattered silently, revealing two lines of text: *Cangxuan City’s Heaven’s Edge Tower, Feixian City’s Heaven’s Edge Tower*. At once, numerous gazes landed on two specific individuals. Xu Yang followed their line of sight, spotting a young man and a middle-aged man.

SWISH! SWISH!

The two representatives from Cangxuan City’s and Feixian City’s Heaven’s Edge Towers instantly dashed forward, stepping into the restricted arena.

“After you,” the young man said, his expression exceedingly solemn and grave.

The middle-aged man remained expressionless. Summoning a black scimitar, he launched a lightning-fast assault.

BOOM!

A fierce and explosive blade light soared into the sky, tearing through the void. With the speed of a thunderbolt, it enveloped the young man.

WHOOSH!

A layer of armor materialized over the young man’s body, tightly wrapping around his fists. Facing the astonishing blade strike, he condensed his immortal patterns and threw an earth-shattering punch.

BOOM!

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Blade light scattered in all directions as fist radiance surged explosively. The young man actually gained the upper hand. Following up, he threw both fists out. Dense immortal patterns permeated his body and empowered his knuckles. The entire restricted arena was instantly submerged in a terrifying tide of fist shadows, forcing the middle-aged man into a miserable state.

“Impressive.”

“I didn’t expect the representative from Cangxuan City to be this formidable. Those immortal patterns covering his body must be a Secret Technique that vastly enhances the power of his punches. And his armor boasts remarkable defense while also amplifying his immortal essence.”

“Cangxuan City is going to win.”

The crowd buzzed with discussion. Only a moment later, the middle-aged man was defeated. The gap in their strength wasn’t large, but at this level, once a combatant was suppressed or caught off guard, their opponent would never give them a chance to recover. Without sufficient trump cards, defeat was the only outcome.

“Thank you for the match.” Smiling, the young man swiftly walked out of the restricted arena.

The middle-aged man walked away with a darkened expression. On the Scroll above, the win-loss records materialized next to the names of the two Heaven’s Edge Towers.

Immediately after, the second bead floated up. As the battles unfolded, the cultivators from the various Heaven’s Edge Towers grew extremely tense. Even the discussions in the crowd died down significantly. The moment blows were exchanged, the victor was practically decided. After all, everyone was crystal clear about the backgrounds of their own chosen representatives. With the keen eyesight of Golden Immortal experts, their judgments were rarely wrong.

Time flew by. There were very few drawn-out battles. Everyone went all out from the start, holding nothing back, and any stalemates were over in the blink of an eye.

When the sixth bead shattered, it was finally Xu Yang’s turn. His opponent was an elderly man from Guyuan City’s Heaven’s Edge Tower.

“Celestial Sword City.”

“This guy’s luck isn’t bad. Guyuan City historically ranks in the twenties, far inferior to Celestial Sword City.”

Xu Yang was simply too conspicuous. Chen Yingchuan planned to have him take off his mask only when participating in the Golden Immortal Realm battles.

“Celestial Sword City…” the old man sneered. “Let me see exactly what kind of face is hiding beneath that mask of yours.”

Grinning broadly, the old man instantly transformed into a wisp of green smoke and floated upwards. His speed suddenly reached an inconceivable level as he appeared behind Xu Yang like a phantom. This scene triggered an uproar, and the experts who originally hadn’t thought highly of the old man narrowed their eyes.

Xu Yang stood completely still as the old man threw a punch squarely at his back.

THUD!

A loud bang echoed, and Xu Yang shattered into pieces.

“An afterimage?”

As the old man cried out in alarm, a series of shocked gasps erupted from outside the arena. Even many Golden Immortal cultivators hadn’t seen his movements clearly.

Horrified, the old man thought, “This is bad!” He twisted his body and retreated without hesitation.

BOOM!

A terrifying pressure suddenly descended from above. The old man looked up, his expression changing drastically as a massive fist bore down on him with the crushing weight of Mount Tai.

BAM!

The old man was sent plummeting straight to the ground.

“I yield.”

“Thank you for the match,” Xu Yang replied, turning around and walking out of the restricted arena.

The other participants stared at Xu Yang, their eyes filled with profound wariness and gravity. Just one move. Yet, none of them were able to gauge his limits. The sheer speed and power of that punch alone were enough to make the vast majority of them palpitate with fear.

For a moment, many experts looked at the unperturbed Chen Yingchuan, then at the neat row of thirty-four people standing behind him. Indescribable waves of shock rippled through their hearts. Thirty-five people in total—exactly matching the quota awarded to the first-place faction.

Could it be that Chen Yingchuan truly had the confidence to fight for first place? The crowd dared not think any further.

The duels continued. When it was time for Xu Yang’s second match, another commotion stirred through the venue.

“Luoshui City’s Li Qianhua! She’s ranked twenty-ninth on the Dragon and Tiger List. Although she can’t compare to those top-tier prodigies, within the Heaven’s Edge Pavilion, she’s second only to Sun Shaolong, who ranks seventeenth.”

“Among all the Celestial Immortal Realm participants this time, her strength is definitely in the top five.”

Luoshui City also housed one of the powerful higher-tier Heaven’s Edge Towers, ranking in the top five.

“That guy showed astonishing strength just now, but Li Qianhua’s techniques and trump cards are equally incredible. Being twenty-ninth on the Dragon and Tiger List, her true strength is almost at the Golden Immortal Realm.”

“That masked guy probably won’t be a match for her.”

The crowd eagerly debated the matchup as Xu Yang and Li Qianhua stepped into the restricted arena.

Li Qianhua studied Xu Yang curiously and suddenly said, “Judging by your voice, you shouldn’t be very old. If you lose, would you take off your mask?”

“Sure,” Xu Yang replied nonchalantly.

SWISH!

Li Qianhua had already vanished from her spot. Naturally, this didn’t count as a sneak attack; from the moment they entered the restricted arena, the battle had already begun.

RUMBLE!

The winds and clouds shifted above as immortal essence billowed like a vast ocean. Li Qianhua emerged from the surging tide, wielding a long spear. Her pretty face was exceedingly grave.

As she thrust her spear forward, the terrifying immortal essence surrounding her instantly converged. Profound and astonishing immortal patterns materialized out of thin air along the spear’s shaft. The strike pierced through the void. A dreadful tearing force distorted the surrounding space, causing the area targeted by the spear tip to spasm and contract like a vortex. It generated an appalling pressure, frantically boosting the spear’s tearing might.

BOOM!

“Golden Immortal power!”

“This spear strike holds the genuine might of a Golden Immortal!”

“What a formidable little girl. Luoshui City has really found a treasure.”

“This time, Luoshui City might just make it into the top three.”

The spectators were left in absolute shock. The many cultivators from Celestial Sword City invariably grew tense. This was only Xu Yang’s second match. He absolutely could not lose.