The fierce battle continued. However, the tides of the battle had clearly shifted.
Lin Xun resembled a ferocious tiger as he beat down the two supreme heaven prides, Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun, to the point where they could not even lift their heads.
The crowd was in shock because it was a scene they never anticipated. None of them could have imagined that they would bear witness to a sight that left such a strong visual impact on them.
An expert sighed and said, "Does anyone remember that Demon God Lin did the same against Sha Liuchan and Qing Lian’er in front of the Four Seasons Pavilion?"
"Qing Lian'er ended up seriously injured while Sha Liuchan was defeated. If Zhongli Wuji hadn’t interfered, I don’t think anyone will be surprised by the fate that would have awaited them."
The crowd recalled the event and found that there were indeed some similarities to the duel they were currently witnessing.
However, although Sha Liuchan and Qing Lian'er were also supreme heaven prides, they were clearly inferior in terms of battle power to Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun.
Despite this, they were receiving a one-sided thrashing from Lin Xun!
"Back then, Demon God Lin had already displayed the power of a top supreme heaven pride. However, his present self is clearly different from that time.
"In the first trial, he obtained a nine-petal fire lotus, which is equivalent to mastering a new dao essence and a supreme-grade dao art.
"In the second trial, he is suspected to have received a special reward for placing first in the Realm of Limits. Moreover, his combat power is bound to have undergone a radical transformation in the trial!
"In the Sinking Sea, he chose to perform a cultivation breakthrough while in a dangerous situation. Despite being hindered, he ultimately succeeded in advancing to the mid Cyclic Derivation stage!
"Everyone should know that for a supreme heaven pride like Demon God Lin, his combat power will undergo a significant transformation with each increase in cultivation level. Otherwise, Sha Liuchan would not have been defeated in a single strike and become so scared that he fled to avoid Lin Xun.
An expert delivered a detailed analysis where he calmly dissected Lin Xun's combat ability like an unraveling cocoon, attracting many listeners.
"Similarly, although it might look like Demon God Lin had gained nothing from the Spirit Lantern Illumination test, the spirit power he showed was unrivaled among his peers. It is known to most of us that the spirit is the key to deciphering life and death and forging the King dao. The fact that Demon God Lin’s spirit is so strong must mean that his potential to become a King expert far surpasses our imagination!
"In the fifth trial, the dao power Demon God Lin comprehended can’t possibly be a mere 'vortex dao.' Otherwise, why would that ancient stone tablet self-destruct? That’s something that has never happened before.
"This undoubtedly means that even if the dao power he has mastered is not as great as that of Fairy Ji and the others, it is definitely special and incomparable to ordinary dao powers!"
At this point, the experts felt as if the clouds had suddenly been dispelled, making everything clear.
"All of you should now understand that the current Demon God Lin is completely different from how he was before he participated in the Dao Lantern Festival. His battle power, cultivation, spirit power, and the dao power he wields have all undergone a tremendous transformation."
The expert's eyes burned brightly as he continued, "Under these circumstances, I doubt that even leader-level supreme heaven prides such as Fairy Ji and Yu Lingkong will be capable of suppressing Demon God Lin!"
Gasp!
His conclusion was met by a series of gasps as many experts felt a chill in their hearts. Had Demon God Lin...already grown so powerful?
They shifted their focus back to the battlefield and saw Lin Xun's upright figure clothed in brilliant pure light like a dazzling divine sun filled with almighty power disdainfully looking down from above.
Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun appeared dim in contrast, unable to fight back as they were forced to keep dodging and retreating.
He’s right!
The crowd felt rather complicated and unexplainably shocked. The battle was akin to the sun and mind competing to shine brighter in which Lin Xun was the unique and glorious sun!
……
Plop!
After being knocked back yet again, Mu Jianting was ultimately unable to hold back from coughing blood.
His expression was dark and stormy while an indescribable sensation of sullenness, frustration, and anger welled up within him. Lin Xun's strength repeatedly surpassing his expectations had dealt a strong mental blow.
On the other side, Lei Qianjun was still bitterly resisting.
Although Lin Xun had not used a single treasure from start to end, his fists were far more terrifying than a supreme treasure. They were like the heralds of unstoppable natural disasters; majestic, indestructible, and dreadful forces that could sweep away everything in their path with oppressive power.
It made Lei Qianjun wonder how terrifying it would be if Lin Xun had used treasures to fight.
Dong!
Another shining fist swiftly approached with a simple yet ethereal aura and smashed into the Thunder Staff.
Lei Qianjun trembled uncontrollably, and his wrist almost broke. His entire body shifted downward and was nearly crushed into the ground.
"Go!"
In the distance, Mu Jianting shouted as he turned around and ran off.
The crowd was stunned. They never imagined that Mu Jianting, the mighty successor of the Jade Emptiness Temple and a supreme heaven pride who was famous in the West Infinity World, would end up retreating.
It undoubtedly showed that he knew it was no longer possible to turn the tides and thus chose to withdraw.
Swish!
Lei Qianjun didn’t hesitate either. He immediately turned into a thunderbolt and crossed over three thousand feet in a flash.
"You guys were the ones who kept yammering for a spar earlier, so why are you guys leaving before the spar is over?"
Lin Xun coldly snorted as he gave chase with the Hornless Ice Dragon Step.
He had not used any killing moves previously not because he was showing mercy but because he was being cautious.
After all, he was certain that Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun still had powerful trump cards in their arsenal that could threaten his life.
Hence, he had been waiting for them to reveal their hidden daggers.
However, he had not expected the two of them to completely ignore their dignity and flee under the watching eyes of the onlookers.
They were obviously unwilling to use their trump card at this juncture.
It was easy to guess why. Since the battle for the blessings on the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree wasn’t over yet, neither of them wanted to expose their cards too early!
However, they had yet to ask whether Lin Xun agreed!
He was attacked for no reason and almost killed while the other party casually insisted it was merely a spar. How could he not feel angry about this situation?
Did they think he didn’t dare to kill?
Swish!
Lin Xun moved like lightning as he chased with all his might.
"After them!"
The crowd of experts could see that Lin Xun had zero intention of relenting and immediately followed such as not to miss out on the action.
It wasn’t that these experts were busybodies but because none of the remaining flower buds showed any signs of blooming. Otherwise, they would never abandon the possibility of contesting over blessings just to watch a fight.
……
The Ancient Dao Lantern Tree’s trunk was thicker the higher you went, making it resemble a maze with its branches reaching deep into the clouds.
The purple mist covering the tree also made it seem as if they were traveling to a higher world.
Although Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun were extremely fast, they could not escape Lin Xun’s spirit sense. Moreover, Lin Xun was faster when using the maximum speed of the Hornless Ice Dragon Step!
Behind the two supreme heaven prides, Lin Xun wore an indifferent look as he spoke in a voice filled with iciness and ridicule, "Why are you two running? Come on, let’s continue our spar!"
Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun gnashed their teeth in anger. Being suppressed by Lin Xun earlier had already left them extremely frustrated and ashamed, as such, Lin Xun’s mocking words made them feel even more humiliated.
"Can’t believe that you guys are also supreme heaven prides. I’m certain I had no grudge against either of you and have never competed with you guys for any blessings. How dare you guys launch such a despicable sneak attack on me? Don’t you guys have any shame?
"Since you wish to be my enemy, leave your heads to atone for your sins! "
Lin Xun's voice rang out in the area. His words weren’t only directed at Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun but also for the other experts to hear.
"You're asking for death!" Lei Qianjun was furious, while Mu Jianting's expression had also turned exceedingly ugly.
"I'm asking for death? Hehe, if so, why are you guys running?" Lin Xun displayed a wide smile as his expression turned increasingly icy.
He was gradually catching up to the two of them.
Meanwhile, he made sure to keep vigilant so he would be prepared for any desperate attempts they might make. After all, even a cornered dog might jump over a wall. If they suddenly turned on him and threw out all of their trump cards, he would be ready to respond with his full power.
Boom!
However, an unexpected event suddenly occurred before he could catch up.
Numerous flags suddenly appeared from every direction, numbering 108 in total as they rapidly positioned themselves around him.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Xun found that he was trapped.
His pupils abruptly shrank. A rune array!
Gurgle~
Tidal waves of densely packed runes were released from the flags and swiftly engulfed the area.
The scenery before Lin Xun instantly changed. It became foggy everywhere he looked, making it impossible to find any path. Moreover, his spirit sense had been blocked, and he could no longer sense the outside world.
"This is a King-level forbidden array!"
Lin Xun immediately identified the situation he was in. After all, he was a rune master who had spent many years studying rune arrays. In fact, he was even able to determine that the 108 flags were a rare ancient array artifact set!
It was a treasure from the ancient era that had been imprinted with wondrous and cryptic rune arrays. When activated, the flags would resonate with each other to instantly create a mighty rune array possessing unfathomable power.
A King-level forbidden array was even more terrifying. At the minimum, it required an ancient array artifact set with the might of a Supreme King Weapon to set up.
Such a powerful formation was capable of trapping and killing even a King stage expert and destroying an entire territory!
"What a big investment. To think that they would go so far as to employ a King-level forbidden array to deal with me..."
Lin Xun's black eyes were as deep as the night while his expression was frighteningly frosty.
He had realized that this was a meticulously prepared trap!
At the same time, Lin Xun finally understood why Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun had not used any trump cards while trying to escape. They were using themselves as bait to draw him into the trap.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that this array was their trump card!
"How devious!"
After figuring everything out, Lin Xun felt a chill in his heart. These supreme heaven prides had certainly employed very crafty and ruthless methods in order to deal with him.
The realization also filled him with hatred and uncontrollable killing intent.
However, Lin Xun soon calmed himself. His spirit sense spread out, and he began to study the array.
Any other expert would have despaired in this situation. Unfortunately, Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun would never have imagined that their target, Lin Xun, was also a true-blue rune founder...
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