Chapter 240 - 142: The Semi-finals Begin

Zhou Yuan took a single step forward, and a sea of True Yuan instantly erupted from him. A wave of immense pressure was released in that same moment.

The surrounding space seemed to be completely crushed by the terrifying pressure, and the entire arena trembled.

Then, with a wave of his hand, a fist-sized, metallic blood sphere appeared in his palm. He flicked his finger, and the sphere shot forth.

It unleashed an overwhelming torrent of True Yuan that seemed to crush the very air. At the same time, the sphere’s size ballooned, expanding in an instant to the size of a small mountain, obscuring the entire sky above the arena.

Like a great mountain, it crushed through layers of space as it plummeted toward Qi Yu!

Qi Yu, standing on one side of the arena, remained perfectly composed. A corner of his robe fluttered without a breeze, and his expression was as calm as still water. He showed not a hint of panic at the sight of the massive metallic sphere descending upon him with the pressure of a mountain.

But this was just the beginning.

Zhou Yuan’s slender fingers danced through the air, becoming a blur as he formed numerous profound Seals. They finally coalesced into a Palm Seal so pitch-black it seemed to devour all light!

Immediately after, the abyssal, all-devouring Palm Seal passed directly through space...

...and merged with the sky-obscuring metallic sphere.

At that moment, the space around the crimson-glowing sphere instantly collapsed. Light seemed to be utterly consumed, plunging the entire massive arena into darkness!

Then, the sphere, now radiating an abyssal darkness, descended with terrifying Momentum, crushing space as it hurtled toward Qi Yu in a killing blow!

"Not a bad move!"

At this, a subtle change finally appeared on Qi Yu’s face, which had been as calm as still water.

His aloof eyes now held a trace of gravity!

"But it’s still not enough!"

Suddenly, a flash of sword light glinted in Qi Yu’s eyes, like a sharp blade piercing the heavens!

Then, a Heaven-Reaching Sword Intent erupted from his body, flooding the area.

The very space around him seemed to be sliced to shreds by the piercing Sword Intent!

The next moment,

with a wave of his hand, a silver-glowing Spiritual Weapon Longsword appeared in his grasp.

TWANG!

A clear sword hum rang out.

Qi Yu slashed upward, unleashing a beam of sword light.

A massive beam of Sword Qi, thousands of feet long, tore through the sky.

It was like a River of Sword Qi flowing upstream,

piercing through layer after layer of space to collide with the descending, abyssal red sphere!

RUMBLE!

The two incredibly powerful attacks collided violently in midair.

An utterly terrifying explosion erupted instantly.

The surrounding space vibrated violently, like the boundless, churning waves of an ocean.

The entire arena seemed to shake nonstop.

A terrifying shockwave swept out in all directions.

Under the impact of the aftershock, the arena floor instantly began to collapse, crisscrossed by a web of jagged cracks!

A profound defensive barrier of light rose around the edge of the arena, blocking the full force of the sweeping shockwave!

"This... This is a semi-final match?"

"They’re this strong right from the start?

How can they be this ridiculously powerful?"

The spectators outside the arena stared with wide eyes, watching the two experts—far beyond their own level—clash in the sky above.

Even Gu Yun was focused on the scene.

’Was that metallic blood sphere also a type of Spiritual Artifact?’

Gu Yun wondered to himself.

’Sure enough, participating in a major competition lets you encounter all sorts of bizarre opponents. It’s a real eye-opener.’

...

Above the arena, Zhou Yuan and Qi Yu were, of course, unaware of what others were thinking.

The prelude to their battle had just begun.

WHOOSH!

As the abyssal, crimson sphere and the incomparably sharp River of Sword Qi clashed and intertwined in the sky,

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath.

He bent his body slightly, lowering his center of gravity.

Every ounce of power in his body began to condense.

He was like a fierce beast gathering its strength, still as stone before striking like a bolt of Thunder.

BANG!

The next instant,

Zhou Yuan stomped hard, and an incomparably tyrannical force erupted from his feet in an instant.

The entire arena floor cracked, a spiderweb of visible fissures spreading out from the impact!

He then launched himself forward like a cannonball, transforming into a blur that tore through space in a mere instant.

He appeared instantly before Qi Yu.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He raised his hand and clenched his fingers into a fist, gathering immense True Yuan. With the force of a falling mountain, his punch crushed the air as it flew straight toward Qi Yu!

"Hmph?!"

Qi Yu’s pupils constricted.

But his reaction was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, his Longsword swept through the air.

Sword Qi swept out like an autumn wind, its edge as brilliant as starlight. It tore through space, instantly meeting the incoming Fist Seal!

"BANG!"

Another earth-shattering bang erupted.

The surrounding space seemed to collapse.

Vaguely, one could see terrifying, endless gales of astral wind escaping from the pitch-black, abyssal void that had formed.

"SWOOSH!"

After his attack failed,

Zhou Yuan shot backward.

With a wave of his hand, a 1.6-meter-long

Battle Spear, etched with profound runes, appeared in his hand.

A sky-high battle intent flashed in his eyes!

He exuded an extremely tyrannical Momentum, so powerful it faintly distorted the very space around him!

"Come and fight!"

With a deafening roar, Zhou Yuan stomped on the air, sending out layers of ripples like waves on water.

His figure moved like lightning, tearing through the sky as he brandished his Battle Spear and charged straight at Qi Yu!

"Petty tricks!"

A flash of sword light crossed Qi Yu’s eyes.

His figure transformed into a streak of light, tearing through the sky.

A Heaven-Reaching Sword Intent erupted from his body.

He swung his Longsword, tearing through space as he charged, colliding violently with Zhou Yuan!

"CLANG!"

The collision of spear and sword produced the crisp clang of metal on metal.

Ripples of force, like waves on water, vibrated out from the point of impact.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

The next instant,

the two of them became streaks of light,

flickering violently in the air above the arena.

The continuous sound of clashing metal rang out.

The powerful shockwaves from their blows rolled on endlessly, like the surging waves of the ocean.

The terrifying Momentum of the battle was like a giant meteorite crashing into a calm sea, instantly stirring up boundless waves!

"Holy shit, this... they’re too damn strong!"

"As expected of people who can rank on the Profound Celestial List.

Not a single one of them is weak!"

"I wonder if Zhou Yuan can defeat Qi Yu!"

"Probably not. After all, Qi Yu seems to have the upper hand!"

Outside the vast arena, the crowd of disciples was abuzz with discussion. Some wore looks of shock, marveling at the strength of the two fighters, while others’ eyes shone with reverence and admiration.

’This Zhou Yuan... he’s no simple character.’

Far from the arena, Gu Yun watched the two fighters clashing like flashing meteors and thought to himself.

’On the surface, it looks like Qi Yu has the upper hand, but this Zhou Yuan... it seems like he’s hiding something.’

...

The two on the stage were fighting with fiery intensity, oblivious to the discussions outside the arena. All their concentration was focused on their opponent; they didn’t dare let their attention waver for even a second. The difference in their strength was not that great.

A single moment of distraction could mean the end of the fight.

The powerful Momentum of their battle

seemed to affect the entire massive arena, which spanned for miles.

Qi Yu brandished his sword, beams of light tearing through the sky. Every single move was accompanied by terrifying Sword Intent.

Remnants of Sword Intent littered the air, writhing in the void as if trying to slice space itself to pieces.

Zhou Yuan thrust and swung his Battle Spear like a man possessed, growing stronger the longer he fought. Even though his body was covered in bloody gashes and his robes were soaked red, nothing could quell his heaven-piercing battle intent!

"CLANG!"

Another clash of spear and sword.

The resulting sound was like the mighty clash of armies, a sharp ring that echoed through the heavens!

The surrounding space shook violently, like a raging tsunami.

’This guy...’

’How is he so ferocious?’

’Looks like I need to end this quickly.’

Qi Yu frowned. He looked at Zhou Yuan—clothes tattered, blood streaming from his wounds, looking like a man made of blood—yet whose Momentum only grew stronger with every clash. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of alarm.

In a flash, he had already devised a countermeasure.

His figure flickered, crossing hundreds of feet in an instant.

At the same time, his Longsword drew a great arc through the air, gathering countless sword afterimages before he thrust it forward!

SHIIING!!

High in the air, countless silver sword-shadows gathered densely, forming a River of Sword Qi thousands of feet long that filled the entire sky before pouring down toward Zhou Yuan!