Chapter 228: The Decisive Battle Brought Forward
“However, what’s going on with Mu Cheng? Why is he not going down even though he obtained a flag? Why did he jump back up?”
Most of the crowd in the spectator stand were not too sympathetic to Gao Yang’s plight. After all, the things he did were quite atrocious.
“Shua! Shua!”
Just as everyone was still discussing the earlier matters, Mu Heng did something very astonishing; he broke the flag in his hand.
“Xiu!”
Zhang Lie and Xiao Chen made a move at the same time, they each broke a flag. Out of the final five flags, only one remained for the three of them, drifting about slowly.
“What are they doing? The three of them clearly obtained the flags; they could end this stage already!”
“Why do I have a feeling they intend to start the final battle early?!”
“I really don’t understand the exam this time. It is just the second stage, and yet it is so intense. What is going on?”
“The three of them have forced themselves into a dead end. Only one of them will obtain the flag. The remaining two will be eliminated.”
Not only did the people who passed the stage and those on the ground not understand the current situation, but the other inner disciples and the various Peak Masters were also clueless as to why they brought forward the final battle.
The Second Elder, who stood next to First Elder Jiang Chi on the highest platform with the other elders, laughed lightly, “These three people seem to have understood your intentions. I wonder who the First Elder favors more?”
“The strength of these three easily obtains a top ten position of any of the past core disciple exams. They are very strong; it does not really matter who wins or loses,” Jiang Chi’s gaze was as deep as still water, resulting in no one being able to know what he was thinking.
The Third Elder beside them said, “First Brother Jiang Chi, if those Peak Masters are aware of what we are doing, would they have any problems?”
The First Elder spoke expressionlessly, “No one can interfere in what I have decided.”
When the other elders heard this, their chests tightened. They all kept their mouths shut and stopped discussing the question.
On the formation of countless spears, Xiao Chen, Mu Heng, and Zhang Lie each took a corner, raising their aura incessantly.
The Qi and blood of the three became incomparably vigorous. As their auras were continuously rising, the air in the drill ground seems to have turned vicious, making it difficult for people to breath.
The flag floated between the three of them. Suddenly, the force supporting it vanished and it slowly drifted to the ground. Their gazes never left the flag. There was a strange glow in all of their eyes.
“Sou!”
In the next instant, there were three intense winds blowing, scattering the viscous air and kicking up countless particles of sand into the air.
The three of them made their moves at the same time, each using their own movement techniques. They all tried to snatch the flag that descended downwards.
“Seven Stars Transposition!”
“Traceless Water Treading!”
“Azure Dragon Tail Whip!”
Mu Heng strangely vanished into thin air. Zhang Lie gently pushed off with his feet and left behind ripples like that of water’s surface, leaving behind multiple after-images in the air.
An azure dragon appeared around Xiao Chen and roared. An image of an azure whip appeared in the air.
The three of them executed their best skills as they flew toward the falling black flag. In the end, Xiao Chen’s Azure Dragon Cloud Soaring Art was a notch faster. The azure light quickly grabbed the flag.
The Azure Dragon Cloud Soaring Art was, after all, a Heaven Ranked Movement Technique. Even though he only practiced it to Small Perfection, there would be no cultivator in the same cultivation realm who could surpass Xiao Chen in regards to Movement Techniques.
It seemed like it was almost at the same time, when Xiao Chen had just grabbed onto the flag, that Zhang Lie and Mu Heng landed and stretched their hands for to flag.
Xiao Chen pulled gently, and the flag flew through the air and landed behind Xiao Chen; the two of them managed to grab nothing but air.
“Hundred Mountainous Winding Paths!”
“Myriad Mountains Perpetual Shadows Palm!”
Zhang Lie and Mu Heng did not hesitate at all; they made their moves at the same time. Zhang Lie executed the third move of the Lingyun Saber Technique; instantly, he materialized a mysterious phenomenon of hundreds of mountains superimposed over each other, turning the sky dark.
On the other hand, Mu Heng circulated the Purple Jade Body Tempering Art. Hundreds of purple figures flashed, surrounding him, making it difficult for one to distinguish the real from amongst the fake.
Xiao Chen revealed a grave expression. These people were no ordinary Superior Grade Martial Grand Masters. One had comprehended saber intent. Furthermore, his talent was great.
The other tempered his physical body, turning his body into a saber. His pure attacking force was superior to Xiao Chen’s. Regardless of where he was, he would be considered a monstrous genius.
“Hundred Mountainous Winding Paths… I know that as well!” Xiao Chen recollected his thoughts and smiled faintly. The illusion of hundreds of mountains appeared behind him as well. However, this illusion only lasted for an instant before merging into his body.
The snow-white blade of the Lunar Shadow Saber instantly lit with a resplendent glow. This was not saber light; it was the pure mysterious phenomenon of the Lingyun Saber Technique infused into the saber blade.
Xiao Chen’s Essence also poured into the saber blade at the same time. In a short while, the glow became even more resplendent. It was like a miniature sun, turning the dark sky incredibly bright.
“Break for me!” Xiao Chen shouted. He hacked furiously at the unending chain of mountains. A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering rumble sounded out endlessly.
The mountains trembled and the entire drill grounds started to shake relentlessly. The air started moving with an intense wind current. Some of the spear tips on the ground were unable to withstand the pressure and were plucked out of the ground and thrown into the air.
“Bang!” The mountains vanished, and Zhang Lie appeared in the air with a somewhat pale face. He moved downward slowly, and the sunlight shone on the ground once more., making the area feel hot.
“Hu Chi!”
Xiao Chen’s movements did not stop at all. After he knocked back Zhang Lie, he quickly spun and swapped the Lunar Shadow Saber to his left hand. He circulated the Dragon and Tiger Body Sculpting Art and the bones in his body repeatedly crackled with a ‘pi li pa la’ sound.
The muscles of Xiao Chen’s body visibly increased in size. A mammoth image of a tiger appeared before him, roaring loudly and unceasingly. This raised Xiao Chen’s aura by another level.
“Fierce Tiger Leaving the Mountains!”
The several hundred figures around Mu Heng merged back together when they were near Xiao Chen. His aura also raised to its peak. When facing against the aura of the king of a hundred beasts, it was not inferior at all.
“Explode for me!” Mu Heng shouted furiously. The purple-jade-like right palm carried the several hundred images’ combined force and met Xiao Chen’s fist without hesitation.
“Boom!”
When the fist and palm met, it seemed like a heaven-shattering clap of thunder rang out in the quiet drill ground, reverberating in the ears of the crowd. It caused their eardrums to tremble. Some of the weaker cultivators even went deaf temporarily.
A shockwave surged out violently in waves, moving in all directions. The spears that were sent flying turned to dust and scattered into the wind.
“Hu!”
The two of them retreated; they instantly moved back by several hundred meters. Xiao Chen completed a somersault in mid-air and landed gently on a spear tip. Then, he slowly grabbed onto the black flag he had been protecting behind his back.
On the other hand, Mu Heng was not as at ease as Xiao Chen. Every step he took, a spear tip would explode. He only managed to stop after he ruined a hundred spear tips.
One palm and one fist… the two of them completely relied on the power of their physical bodies. They had struck a draw.
Although all this took a long time to describe, this was just one move exchanged between Xiao Chen and the two of them; it only took a few breaths.
The three of them stood in their corners, regulating their energies. They were not in a rush to make a move. The turbulent situation on the spear formation calmed down immediately. However, everyone knew that this was simply the calm before the storm.
“Ha!”
Indeed, after a moment, Zhang Lie and Mu Heng both shouted and rushed at Xiao Chen. Now, the two of them knew that they were not a match for Xiao Chen with their strengths; they could only work together to take him down.
The corner of Xiao Chen’s mouth curled up gently. He immediately roared as he felt a rising emotion. Ever since he left the Xiao Clan, he had never truly fought to his heart’s content.
Every opponent he met was either too weak or too strong. Now that he had met two opponents of similar strength, he would enjoy it and fight until he was satisfied.
Xiao Chen used his saber to block Zhang Lie’s attack and Xiao Chen’s left fist dealt with the palm wind sent by Mu Heng.
The figures of the three of them were constantly moving on the spear formation. There were non-stop sounds of saber wind, palm wind, tiger roars, and more.
After a while, the three of them had exchanged hundreds of moves. Everywhere they passed, the spear tips would shatter and a vicious wind blew, filling the air with sand.
Soon, under the torrential attacks of the two of them, Xiao Chen had already held on for more than five hundred moves. However, he was not at a disadvantage. Instead, the more he fought, the more ferocious his aura became.
The crowd in the spectator stand could only see a vague figure of the three of them through the yellow that filled the air and hear the sound of the weapons, fist, or legs clashing. It was such a fantastic fight, yet they were separated by a veil of sand. They could only feel an itch in their hearts and lament at how unfortunate it was.
“This Xiao Chen is really strong. Despite being attacked by two of them, he is not at a disadvantage. The fame of Qingyun Peak’s Xiao Chen is truly well deserved.”
“Zhang Lie and Mu Heng are not bad either. Any regular Inferior Grade Martial Saint would not be a match for them.”
“How could they be bad? There is no need to speak for Zhang Lie; Tianyue Peak has already recognized him and his strength lies within the top ten Tianyue Peak core disciples.
“As for Mu Heng, I heard from the Beichen Peak’s people that he is actually the Peak Master’s son. He had been in secluded training in the back mountains, turning his body into a saber and using his physical strength to prove his Dao. Every time his cultivation increased, his strength would increase exponentially.”
“I wonder how much longer Xiao Chen can endure. I do not believe he should be able to do so for much longer, after five hundred moves.”
“Indeed, after all, he is one against two. The exhaustion of his Essence is twice that of the other two. The more they fight, the more apparent it will become. However, for him to endure so long, his strength is horrifying.”
While the people in the spear formations were fighting, the spectators kept themselves busy discussing their opinions. After this fight, even if Xiao Chen lost, the rumors about him would collapse.
As the saying went, ‘the layman watches the excitement; the experts watch the techniques.’ The few Peak Masters on the high platform were completely shocked by Xiao Chen; they were in awe of his strength.
“His aura lasts in a drawn-out battle and can multitask between Saber Techniques and Fist Techniques, harmonizing them in perfect balance. This fellow is terrifying,” The Gangyu Peak’s Peak Master sighed.
Chu Xiangyun, the Jade Maiden Peak’s Peak Master, was also filled with admiration, “His physical body is comparable to Mu Chen’s and his Saber Technique can suppress Zhang Lie. His Essence seems inexhaustible. I wonder how strong he will be when he becomes a Martial Saint.”
Ever since the Biyun Peak’s Peak Master, Song Que, was humiliated earlier, he had been silent. When he saw Xiao Chen’s true strength, he thought to himself anxiously, Xiao Chen’s potential is too terrifying. If I gave him time to grow, how terrifying would he become?
By then, the consequence would be unimaginable. I must find an opportunity to kill this person.