Chapter 849 - 846: Strength Against Strength

The crowd knew that Ye Fan had been defeated; if he hadn’t, how could he have been sent flying? That was simply not possible.

Ye Fan steadied himself.

In the eyes of the crowd, as long as Zhui Xuan launched another attack, Ye Fan would undoubtedly be defeated, but at this moment, Zhui Xuan was unable to advance even a step.

What exactly was going on? Those watching were utterly confused by the situation.

The Ji Hai Sword Ancestor laughed heartily, "See? Your Infinite Sword Sect disciple is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in front of my beloved disciple; overestimating his capabilities!"

"Is that so?"

The Infinite Sword Ancestor replied coldly.

Xu Zun and Zhou Zhimei both showed expressions of anger, neither expecting Ye Fan would be unable to withstand even one move from Zhui Xuan.

"Defeated on the first move, as expected of a traitor sect, they will never learn the true essence of our Heavenly Void Sword Sect!"

The Heavenly Void Sword Ancestor said coldly with a smile.

The defeat of the Infinite Sword Sect was a gratifying thing for them, something deeply satisfying.

The Spirit Peak Sword Ancestor said to the Jiuxiao Sword Ancestor, "I think that kid is quite clever, he shouldn’t be defeated so easily!

The Jiuxiao Sword Ancestor laughed and said, "How could he be defeated!"

They all looked to the center of the battlefield, only to see Ling Feng spitting blood, then half kneeling on the ground.

"Pfft!"

Zhui Xuan’s face turned pale, directly defeated.

The crowd was in an uproar; they originally thought Ye Fan would be defeated in one move, but the outcome was the opposite, with Zhui Xuan being the one defeated.

The Sword Immortal said, "Indeed, a Sword Dao genius; if it were me, I would choose to counter rigid with flexible, restraining the indestructible Xuanwu Armor!

"But he did the opposite, countering rigid with rigid. Although this suits my taste, if he had used flexibility to counter rigidity, he would have won even faster"!

"Also, in that instant, he launched two consecutive sword strikes, which was most fatal; the positions of the two strikes had to be the same, it seems he has quite a grasp of the Sword Dao!"

"I want this disciple, provided he can return alive from the Daoist Demon Battlefield!"

"Hahaha!"

The Sword Saint spoke with a laugh.

However, the Sword Immortal said:

"He doesn’t match your temperament, this disciple should be mine!

"Under my tutelage, he will inevitably surpass the top three closed-door disciples of the Sword Sect!"

The Sword Immortal saw Ye Fan’s potential, because Ye Fan, although not matching the top three disciple levels in terms of realm, has very strong talent.

Furthermore, his age; he was at least five hundred years younger than the top three disciples. Using five hundred years to break through the First Grade, in the Sword Immortal’s eyes, wouldn’t take nearly that long.

But the Sword Saint said, "Your Sword Dao is too gentle, don’t fight me for him."

"Let’s recruit disciples based on skill, and no one should say anything!"

The Sword Immortal said gently.

"Fine"!

The One-Armed Sword Saint had already made up his mind; why would Ye Fan attract two Sword Dao experts to vie for him? Because his Sword Dao resonated with them.

At their level of cultivation, recruiting disciples wasn’t about who had the strongest strength, but rather about the person’s talent and potential.

For example, a Fifth Grade Ancestor Realm with a potential of only fifty, versus a Half-step Ancestor Realm with potential of one hundred, they would without hesitation choose the Half-step Ancestor Realm.

Because potential is key.

In terms of realm, Ye Fan indeed couldn’t compare to Hua Canglan, Yang Jiuxiao, and Lu Nianzong, but they valued Ye Fan’s potential.

Additionally, his realm wasn’t much weaker than these three.

But the Sword Emperor disdainfully said, "Just a kid who knows tricks, I disdain accepting such a disciple!"

But the two said, "You don’t take him, we will!

They openly opposed the Sword Emperor, making him gnash his teeth in anger.

"Impossible, why did my beloved disciple get defeated?"

Originally so poised, the Ji Hai Sword Ancestor, upon witnessing Zhui Xuan’s defeat, was truly heartbroken, and his dream of overshadowing the Infinite Sword Sect was shattered.

Even the Heavenly Void Sword Ancestor shot a cold glance at the battlefield.

He said to Lu Nianzong, "Draw him in the next match, teach him a lesson!"

"Yes, Master!"

Lu Nianzong immediately replied.

Ye Fan’s victory brought a satisfied smile to the Infinite Sword Ancestor’s face, and Zhou Zhimei and Xu Zun also laughed heartily.

At least they suppressed the annoying Silent Sea Sect.

The second round was Qing Yi against Lu Nianzong.

The two battled for dozens of rounds, but due to Lu Nianzong’s strong ability, showcasing his proud Heavenly Void Sword Technique, thus defeating Qing Yi.

He said to Qing Yi coldly, "Just with you, you want to defeat me!"

Qing Yi was furious.

Yang Jiuxiao shouted from the audience, ’Lu Nianzong, don’t be arrogant, when you’re fighting me, I’ll kill you!"

"You lack the ability!

The two geniuses argued with each other, and the One-Armed Sword Saint scolded:

"What kind of conduct is this? Get down, both of you! If anyone dares to curse again, your qualification will be revoked immediately!"

Then, the two geniuses quieted down.

At this moment, Ye Fan handed a box of ointment to Zhou Zhimei, who took it and applied it to Qing Yi’s body, immediately alleviating Qing Yi’s injuries.

"Thank you!

Qing Yi expressed gratitude to Zhou Zhimei.

"You’re welcome!"

Zhou Zhimei replied with a smile.

Yang Jiuxiao glanced at Ye Fan standing behind Zhou Zhimei, giving him a grateful look, which Ye Fan returned.

Afterward, several more battles took place, in which Ye Fan had no interest.

However, it was awkward for the Infinite Sword Sect when Zhou Zhimei was drawn to fight in the same group as Xu Zun, meaning she had to face Xu Zun in a match.

It was indeed quite awkward.

As a result, under Ye Fan’s persuasion, Zhou Zhimei eventually forfeited, allowing Xu Zun to advance smoothly into the second round.

One must admit, it was truly an awkward duel.

The disciples from the thirty-six sects dueled each other, employing a variety of sword techniques, each displaying their unique talents.

Ye Fan watched in awe as the different sects clashed; for the lesser sects trailing behind, they lacked geniuses of the Second Grade Ancestor Realm, having only First Grade Ancestor Realm talents.

Finally, it came to a close, setting Ye Fan’s mind at ease, for this next duel was Yang Jiuxiao facing Hua Canglan.

The two had a good relationship, neither had expected to face each other, truly a twist of fate.

Hua Canglan said, "I concede"!

"Brother Hua, there’s no need for this, we can fight!"

Yang Jiuxiao obviously knew Hua Canglan’s capabilities; their duel would be evenly matched, but unexpectedly, Hua Canglan chose not to fight this time.

Only to hear Hua Canglan say, "Between us, who is who! Save your energy to deal with Lu Nianzong, after all, he injured your girl just now!"

"But then you won’t have a ranking!"

Yang Jiuxiao said, troubled, for the Spirit Peak Sword Sect was ranked among the top three sects!

If things go on like this, they would surely miss their chance.

Hua Canglan replied, "Don’t worry about that, there’s still the Daoist Demon Battlefield; during that, I will surely restore our Spirit Peak Sword Sect’s ranking!"

"Alright!"

Yang Jiuxiao could only nod.

Lu Nianzong scornfully looked at the two, but with Hua Canglan not advancing, it relieved a considerable amount of pressure for him.

At this point, the Jiuxiao Sword Ancestor spoke to the Spirit Peak Sword Ancestor: "Sorry, truly sorry! I never expected your beloved disciple would be so magnanimous, his future achievements will surely surpass yours!"

"Pah"!

"As if Laozi isn’t magnanimous!"

The Spirit Peak Sword Ancestor immediately cursed.

The Jiuxiao Sword Ancestor laughed. The two families were indeed on good terms, hence such a situation occurred.

Even though Hua Canglan conceded, both the Jiuxiao Sword Ancestor and the Spirit Peak Sword Ancestor knew it wouldn’t affect the relationship between the two families in the slightest.

This infuriated the Heavenly Void Sword Ancestor greatly, for Lu Nianzong, Yang Jiuxiao, and Hua Canglan were all experts of the same caliber, if those two fought, it would surely conclude in mutual exhaustion.

Then for Lu Nianzong, there would be no pressure at all, because both were wounded, but unexpectedly they dissolved his setup in such a manner.

It made him very angry, but anger was of no use.

The first round concluded just like that.

At this moment, the Sword Emperor above said coldly: "Conceding in such a manner, it seems this rule needs to be adjusted."

"There are open and secret battles among the thirty-six sects, no matter how you refine it, they’ll find a way to cope, as long as they don’t go too far, you can just turn a blind eye and deaf ear!"

The One-Armed Sword Saint immediately said.

But the Sword Emperor said coldly: "If this continues, can the deterrent power of our Sword God Temple remain? If even controlling the thirty-six sects is impossible, how can we rival the Demon Path."

The Sword Emperor’s demeanor indeed lived up to his name, exuding an overwhelming imperial strength that instilled fear.

At this moment, the always-silent Sword Ancestor spoke up.

Only to hear the Sword Ancestor say, "We manage the thirty-six sects of the Sword Dao, and our aim is not merely to intimidate them but to lead them to stand against the Demon Path!"

"This is the master’s aim! It is also our aim!"

As these words fell, without favoring anyone, it also criticized the Sword Emperor’s intent to intimidate the thirty-six sects.

The Sword Emperor did not speak again; he might argue with the Sword Saint or Sword Immortal, but he could not argue with the Sword Ancestor.

Similarly, neither the Sword Saint nor Sword Immortal could argue with the Sword Ancestor because the Sword Ancestor’s status was too sacred.

At the same time, the Sword Ancestor is the only one capable of challenging the Demon Ancestor.

Every action the Sword Ancestor undertakes is for the existence of the Sword Dao.

Such a powerful figure indeed could earn everyone’s respect.