Chapter 226: Chapter 225: Defeating Zhou Yuling
Wen Tongyu struggled to his feet, his eyes vacant as he coughed up blood nonstop. "How could this be? How am I not Wen Qingye’s match?"
Wen Tongyu’s blood dripped onto the ground, which immediately gave off a red vapor, as if the blood were scorching hot.
Wen Tongyu had never imagined he would be defeated by this person he’d always looked down on. The thought had never even crossed his mind.
"I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!" Wen Tongyu stared at Wen Qingye, unable to believe he hadn’t even been able to withstand a single one of his moves.
Just how high is the sky, and how thick is the earth?
The words seemed to still be echoing in everyone’s ears, and Wen Tongyu’s face turned ashen.
The crowd from Celestial Martial Country behind him stood with their mouths slightly agape, exchanging glances in utter shock.
Within the crowd from the Yuqi Kingdom, a man with a perpetual smile nodded. "This person is truly impressive. I wasn’t wrong about him."
"Wenren Xiao, when did you get to know someone from the Celestial Martial Country?" Lin Zijun asked with curiosity.
This perpetually smiling man was Wenren Xiao of the Yuqi Kingdom. With his profound strength and deep cultivation, he was considered a top-tier genius among the Sixteen Countries, his power in no way inferior to Guann Xuan’s.
Wenren Xiao shrugged. "We’re not exactly acquainted. I just saw him once on the Ancient Dao."
"Hahaha!" Guann Xuan boomed with laughter. "I told you! This brother of mine’s Swordsmanship is absolutely incredible."
The Seventh Young Master and Luo Xue exchanged a look but said nothing, lapsing into silence.
Wen Qingye stopped looking at Wen Tongyu, his eyes drifting toward Zhou Yuling of the Lan Country. "The time for one incense stick to burn hasn’t passed yet. Let’s begin."
No one in the crowd dared to underestimate him now. All eyes were fixed on Wen Qingye. He had already proven himself with his strength, and now they were eager to see who was stronger: Wen Qingye or Zhou Yuling.
Zhou Yuling nodded, a flicker of gravity on her brow.
Wen Qingye’s sword strike just now had made even her feel a sense of danger.
’This Wen Qingye is definitely no simple character. He probably didn’t even use his true strength just now.’ At this thought, Zhou Yuling’s heart couldn’t help but sink.
"No matter what, the Celestial Martial Country’s Talisman Seal will be mine!"
Zhou Yuling took a light, graceful step, the Primordial Qi around her condensing without scattering. It formed lotus petals around her waist. As her fair hands turned, a nimble stream of energy flowed past her slender, jade-like fingers.
"Lotus Jade Finger!"
Zhou Yuling extended a finger. Solidified Primordial Qi spun continuously upon her forefinger, resembling a gracefully twirling lotus flower.
"That’s the Lan Country’s Ninth-Grade Martial Arts, the Lotus Finger Technique!"
"Such powerful suppressive force! It’s truly worthy of being a Ninth-Grade Martial Art."
"For Zhou Yuling to have learned this Ninth-Grade Martial Art, her status in the Lan Country must be quite high."
...
"A Ninth-Grade Martial Art?" Wen Qingye watched the technique manifest on Zhou Yuling’s finger and couldn’t help but smile.
The sword in Wen Qingye’s hand flew back into its sheath in an instant. He too extended a finger, upon which a black-and-white halo appeared. A vigorous aura radiated from his fingertip, spreading in all directions.
"Undying and Undying Yin Yang Break!"
Wen Qingye thrust his finger forward. It was as if a single point in the air had been pierced through. Wherever his fingertip passed, the very air seemed to twist and distort.
BANG!
Their fingertips collided. With the point of impact as the epicenter, Primordial Qi scattered wildly in all directions. The bodies of the onlookers trembled, and they each conjured a wall of Primordial Qi to block the incoming shockwave.
Wen Qingye took a small step back and moved his palm backward, directly dispelling the powerful aftershock of Primordial Qi.
Zhou Yuling, however, was not so skilled. After stumbling back several steps, her face went deathly pale as a drop of fresh blood slowly trickled from her index finger.
"Again!"
Gritting her teeth, Zhou Yuling leaped forward and charged directly at Wen Qingye. She extended her finger again. In an instant, a sky full of finger phantoms blotted out the heavens, seeming to seal off all of Wen Qingye’s paths of retreat.
"Lotus Sky!"
The finger phantoms in the sky carried a sharp aura, each one seeming as real as the next, without a hint of illusion.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Primordial Qi surged out with crushing force. The countless finger phantoms in the sky coalesced into lotus flowers the size of millstones, hurtling toward Wen Qingye like a meteor shower.
At once, the breathing of the Celestial Martial Country crowd behind Wen Qingye grew rapid, and their bodies began to tremble.
A sacred light suddenly emanated from Zhou Yuling’s entire body. Her powerful aura surged to its absolute peak as her Primordial Qi washed out like a tidal wave. A look of ecstasy flashed in her eyes.
’A breakthrough!? Yuling broke through!’ the people of the Lan Country roared internally, their faces contorting with frenzied excitement.
"Refining Spirit Seventh Layer Heaven?" The crowd couldn’t help but gasp in shock, their eyes gleaming.
"Wen Qingye’s pressure actually helped Zhou Yuling break through. It looks like he’s done for now."
A slight smile touched the corners of Wen Qingye’s lips as he watched the sky full of finger phantoms. ’A little interesting!’
Wen Qingye’s hands began to move, forming seals so quickly that no one could see them clearly. They could only perceive streams of black and white energy flowing between his palms.
WHOOSH!
A black and white Eight Trigrams Disc slowly materialized behind Wen Qingye, emanating an aura of profound mysteries.
"Undying Seal Technique, Second Form! Separation and Death Shatter the Heart!"
A strange seal manifested between Wen Qingye’s palms. It shot forth, growing larger and larger until it completely enveloped all the finger phantoms.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky-filling lotuses crashed against the seal, creating a deafening roar that shook the very heavens.
Wen Qingye’s cultivation had long since stabilized after his breakthrough to the Refining Spirit Fifth Layer Heaven. Zhou Yuling, on the other hand, had only just broken through, and her aura was unstable. She couldn’t truly be considered at the Refining Spirit Seventh Layer Heaven; at best, she was somewhere between the Sixth and Seventh Heavens.
PFFT!
As the seal continued to surge toward Zhou Yuling, she could no longer hold back and sprayed a mouthful of blood.
"What Martial Art is that? It’s so powerful!"
"Such a powerful Martial Art... could it be a King-Grade Martial Art?"
"He’s too strong! This Wen Qingye from the Celestial Martial Country is just too strong!"
Everyone present stared at Wen Qingye, their eyes filled with deep apprehension.
Wen Qingye gasped for air. That Undying Seal Technique move had consumed a great deal of his energy. Moreover, having fought two grueling battles, his Primordial Qi was nearly depleted.
In the past, when Wen Qingye’s cultivation was lower, he could only scratch the surface of the Undying Seal Technique’s power. As his cultivation had increased, the technique’s might had become incomparably greater, but the Primordial Qi it consumed had also increased significantly.
Wen Qingye looked indifferently at Zhou Yuling. "Hand over your Talisman Seals."
Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, Zhou Yuling’s face turned even paler, losing all color. She had obtained these Talisman Seals through innumerable hardships. How could she be willing to hand them all over to Wen Qingye now?
But with everyone watching, Zhou Yuling could only grit her teeth, take out the Talisman Seals, and toss them to Wen Qingye.
Zhou Yuling shot Wen Qingye a look and said in a low voice, "My Talisman Seals aren’t so easily taken. Hold onto them for now. I will be back for them."
With that, Zhou Yuling turned and walked back into the crowd from the Lan Country.
Wen Qingye paid Zhou Yuling’s words no mind. He turned to face the people from the other fourteen countries, clasped his hands behind his back, and asked in a clear voice, "Does anyone else wish to fight?"
This was the contest for the Talisman Seals, and today’s battle was between the Celestial Martial Country and the Lan Country. Wen Qingye only needed to challenge those from the Lan Country. However, his words were clearly a challenge to everyone present. For a moment, no one could quite process it.
Someone from the Divine Wind Country looked at Tong Tian, who was standing to the side, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Tian, you’re not going up?"
"No." Tong Tian shook his head, his eyes slightly closed. "This Wen Qingye’s strength is profound. If I wanted to defeat him, I would have to reveal all my trump cards, and now is not the time for that."
The people from the Divine Wind Country all nodded and said no more.
Hearing this, Lin Zijun couldn’t help but sneer. "This Wen Qingye is certainly arrogant. Doesn’t he know to quit while he’s ahead?"
Wenren Xiao was still smiling his usual smile, but his eyes radiated a scorching battle lust. However, his gaze was not fixed on Wen Qingye, but on Guann Xuan.
The people in the crowd exchanged glances. ’Wen Qingye defeated Zhou Yuling even after her breakthrough. Doesn’t that mean his strength is above the Refining Spirit Seventh Layer Heaven? There are only a handful of masters at that level here. Who would dare to challenge him now?’
Seeing that no one else was stepping forward, Wen Qingye gave a faint smile and walked slowly back to the Celestial Martial Country’s group. Wen Tongyu was there, his face a miserable sight, meditating to regulate his breathing.
