Chapter 1189: Seven Swords

What others saw, however, was Meng Duanxi suddenly freezing in place after his second attempt to shatter Shui Meiyin's water barrier. His sword then slipped from his hand, falling onto the Conferred God Stage.

He then seemed enchanted, drifting and flying aimlessly through the air, flailing his arms wildly. His eyes, however, were dull and unfocused. Soon, he "danced" out of the Conferred God Stage area, only then coming to a halt.

Exiting the Conferred God Stage area signified defeat.

Meng Duanxi descended from the air and departed dejectedly, his body and soul both feeling adrift.

He had lost.

He had lost to Shui Meiyin, who was only at the first level of the Divine Spirit Realm.

Yet, he had no idea how he had been defeated.

Shui Meiyin possessed terrifying mental power capable of controlling one's mind and soul. He knew this, of course, and had taken ample precautions. But from beginning to end, he hadn't detected any mental intrusion and had no idea when he had fallen victim.

The third match of the Conferred God Group concluded with this result.

Meng Duanxi, a level nine Divine Spirit Realm practitioner, was defeated by Shui Meiyin, a level one Divine Spirit Realm practitioner.

In terms of profound energy alone, Shui Meiyin could certainly not have been Meng Duanxi's match.

However, her terrifying and unparalleled mental power completely overcame the enormous, seemingly unbridgeable gap.

"Do you understand now?" Mu Bingyun asked. "To reach the Divine Spirit Realm at fifteen is already unprecedented. And she was born with a unique soul, possessing mental power that defies all logic. Although she cannot perfectly cultivate wind, lightning, and earth like Luo Changsheng, if she were the same age as Luo Changsheng, her overall ability on this Conferred God Stage would likely be enough to overwhelm even him."

Yun Che nodded, remaining silent.

In the fourth match, Shui Yingyue faced Chao Feng. The outcome was without suspense, as Shui Yingyue easily emerged victorious.

The four matches of the Conferred God Group concluded today, but the immense shock they caused lingered for a long time. Jun Xilei's instant defeat of Huo Poyun with a single sword strike, Luo Changsheng's casual destruction of Lu Lengchuan's "Luminous Dragon Sacred Realm," and Shui Meiyin's overwhelming victory over Meng Duanxi across eight minor realms—all profoundly shook every profound practitioner in the Eastern Divine Region.

For young profound practitioners who had always been confident in their impressive cultivation, this was nothing short of a tidal wave of impact.

After a brief recess following the Conferred God Group matches, the more brutal loser's bracket battles were next.

Four battles in the loser's bracket would see four individuals eliminated from the top sixteen, ending their journey in the Conferred God Battle.

"The first match of the loser's bracket's third round: Yun Che of the Snow Song Realm versus Wu Guike of the Divine Martial Realm!"

This battle once again drew the unwavering attention of countless eyes across the Eastern Divine Region.

However, the focus was absolutely not on the already renowned Wu Guike, but on Yun Che!

Shui Meiyin's victory over Meng Duanxi across eight minor realms was undoubtedly a miracle. Yet, the most astonishing and unbelievable scene in this Conferred God Battle was undoubtedly Yun Che's complete victory over Luo Chang'an yesterday.

His fearless defiance of the Sacred Universe Realm, his remarkably cruel methods of retaliation, and his bizarre strength that crossed a major realm—defying all understanding.

Everyone was eager to see if it was merely a fleeting phenomenon for some reason, or if he could truly continue the miracle that seemed impossible yesterday.

On the Conferred God Stage, Wu Guike stood proudly, though his expression was slightly displeased.

No one knew the extent of his fury and hatred towards Yun Che; it was certainly a thousand times more intense than Jun Xilei's. Jun Xilei had suffered the humiliation of a single kneel, but for Wu Guike, he probably couldn't vent his hatred even if he personally hacked Yun Che into a thousand pieces.

And yet, his two biggest weaknesses in life were still firmly held by Yun Che. Every time he thought of it, he felt so humiliated he nearly burst.

"Go... and be extremely careful!" Mu Bingyun reminded him. "The profound arts of the Divine Martial Realm are incredibly fierce. Try to use Vanishing Moon God Shadow as much as possible and avoid direct confrontation."

"Understood!" Yun Che nodded, leaping onto the Conferred God Stage.

Looking at Yun Che, Wu Guike's eyebrow visibly twitched...

In Wu Guike's eyes, Yun Che had always been a nobody—no, not even a nobody, just trash who cheated by coercing him. If Yun Che hadn't held a weakness over him, he wouldn't have even bothered to glance at him.

And now, he had actually become his opponent in the Conferred God Battle!

"Begin the battle!" Revered Quhui commanded coolly.

"Young Master Wu, what a coincidence," Yun Che said blandly.

"You... are not worthy of being my opponent!" Wu Guike gritted his teeth slightly.

"Heh!" Yun Che chuckled lowly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Boom!!!!

An incredibly violent surge of energy violently exploded from Yun Che's body as he directly activated the "Heaven Smiting" realm. His aura surged exponentially in an instant. With a sweep of his arm, he grasped the Heaven Smiting Sword, and his profound energy rapidly turned a pale crimson, as if stained with fresh blood.

Perhaps stimulated by the power of Jun Xilei, Lu Lengchuan, Luo Changsheng, and Shui Yingyue, he had an urge to unleash the fury in his chest, immediately entering his peak state.

In the spectator stands, everyone's expressions changed drastically. The earth-shattering shift in aura in that brief instant made them almost instinctively believe their spiritual senses were malfunctioning.

Wu Guike, standing directly in front of Yun Che, felt as if he had been struck by a hurricane. His body visibly swayed from the impact, and his heart was utterly dismayed. He actually felt a suffocating sensation—a considerably severe one at that.

"This... how is this possible!?"

As he was still startled, Yun Che's figure suddenly blurred in his vision, and a crimson sword glow violently struck.

Wu Guike, who originally had no intention of using a weapon, instantly conjured a heavy halberd in his hand. His gaze darkened, and profound energy erupted like a volcano, smashing directly at the crimson sword glow.

Boom!!!!!!

A colossal boom, as if a massive air bladder had burst, instantly emptied all the air within dozens of miles around.

Sword and halberd met, locked in a stalemate in mid-air. The entire audience was stunned, and Wu Guike's eyes widened abruptly.

The Divine Martial Realm had always disdained elemental power, instead specializing in the simplest, purest profound energy. Their defenses were impregnable, and their attacks were exceedingly overbearing. Every strike was incredibly fierce. Therefore, when fighting practitioners from the Divine Martial Realm, a direct head-on clash was most avoided.

Mu Bingyun had also reminded Yun Che of this.

Yet, Yun Che's very first move against Wu Guike was a true head-on clash, and it was Yun Che who initiated it.

Just when everyone thought Yun Che was seeking death, a result that left them dumbfounded appeared on the Conferred God Stage.

The two were briefly locked in a stalemate at the center of the Conferred God Stage, and surprisingly... neither gained an advantage!

In other words, Yun Che had actually withstood Wu Guike's fierce power head-on.

The horror in Wu Guike's heart far surpassed that of others. Under that "impossible" suffocating sensation just now, he had unleashed his full power, holding nothing back. He had expected to instantly crush Yun Che with a single strike, but he never imagined that Yun Che would completely block it, not even being forced back half a step.

Furthermore, the immense recoil had sent a violent shock through his internal organs.

But this was only the first sword strike. Yun Che's expression remained unchanged as the second sword strike suddenly arrived.

Boom!!!!

Wu Guike's entire body trembled violently, his arms instantly going numb.

This kind of extremely fierce power release should have been slow in rhythm. But Yun Che possessed the Buddha Heart Divine Veins bestowed by Mu Xuanyin herself, allowing his profound energy to circulate and flow incredibly fast. Before Wu Guike could even catch his breath, Yun Che's third sword strike had already cleaved down, its momentum showing no signs of weakening compared to the previous two strikes.

Wu Guike's pupils constricted sharply.

Rumble!!!

The heavy halberd in Wu Guike's hand, weighing tens of millions of catties, was smashed into a crescent shape by a single sword strike. Wu Guike's face paled, and his upper body recoiled. He then slid backward violently along the ground, covering hundreds of feet in an instant. As soon as he stabilized his body, his entire being trembled, and three streams of blood gushed from his mouth and nostrils.

"Wh-..." The Divine Martial Realm King, Revered Wu San, abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with shock.

In the spectator stands, countless mouths hung agape, unable to close for a long time.

And Yun Che's fourth sword strike arrived in an instant. Even through the energy barrier, they clearly felt the immense sword might, like an ocean overturning. Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that such power could come from a young profound practitioner with only level eight Divine Tribulation Realm cultivation!

Wu Guike looked up, gritted his teeth, and surging waves of energy erupted from his body, activating the strange Divine Martial Law.

"Forbidden Martial Heavenly Domain!!"

As Wu Guike's low roar echoed, the aura of the Conferred God Stage suddenly warped.

Yun Che's movements in the air stalled. He felt as if he had suddenly sunk into a viscous swamp, as an incredibly overbearing aura fiercely suppressed his body and profound energy, causing his aura to plummet as if he were trapped in a cage.

"Oh no!" Mu Bingyun gasped softly.

Wu Guike took a deep breath, a twisted, sinister grin appearing on his face. He gripped his heavy halberd horizontally and thrust it directly at Yun Che.

Yun Che's gaze was cold. Under the suppression of the Forbidden Martial Heavenly Domain, his movements had clearly slowed considerably. Yet, at that moment, a dazzling blue light suddenly erupted from the Heaven Smiting Sword.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang————

Amidst incredibly dense yet remarkably pleasant crystallizing sounds, the dazzling blue light rapidly spread, instantly filling every corner of the Forbidden Martial Heavenly Domain, directly transforming a colorless oppressive domain into a deep icy blue.

Shatter!!

The next instant, like exploding stars, fragments of light filled the sky, along with the complete shattering of the Forbidden Martial Heavenly Domain.

All domains are linked to one's own profound energy; the more completely they collapse, the greater the backlash. Wu Guike, who was gathering strength to charge at Yun Che, was struck as if by a heavy blow. His entire body trembled violently, his recently gathered profound energy instantly scattered. Just as a mouthful of blood was about to erupt, a storm ruthlessly slammed into him.

Thud!!

This sword strike landed squarely, collapsing Wu Guike's right ribs. He was violently sent flying, soaring for dozens of miles through the air. After crashing to the ground, he continued to skid for several more miles.

The spectator stands were silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

"Cough... cough cough..."

Wu Guike turned over, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. Above him, that nightmarish aura was already approaching again, giving him not even a moment to catch his breath.

Crackling...

Wu Guike's bones cracked throughout his body. He forcefully surged profound energy once more and met the attack with his heavy halberd.

Boom!!

Sword and halberd clashed again. Blood vessels burst in Wu Guike's eyes, and he barely managed to resist. However, the immense shockwave caused streams of blood to gush simultaneously from all seven of his orifices.

Boom!!

With the second sword strike, Wu Guike's arms instantly lost all sensation, his veins burst, and the heavy halberd flew from his grasp.

Thud!!

With the third sword strike, Wu Guike's last protective profound energy shattered like an eggshell. He was sent flying like a broken rag doll, crashing at the edge of the Conferred God Stage.

"Guike!!"

Wu Guike's entire body convulsed. His arms struggled, trying to lift, and his constantly shrinking pupils looked as if he were experiencing the most absurd nightmare in the world. But within a few breaths, his arms fell limp, and he was still.

Revered Quhui's spiritual sense swept over Wu Guike. His chest clearly heaved heavily before he announced, "Wu Guike is unconscious, ending his journey in the Conferred God Battle!"

"Yun Che wins! He advances to tomorrow's fourth round of the loser's bracket!"

Revered Quhui's voice fell, but what followed was not cheers or clamor, but a long, profound silence.

Everyone from the Snow Song Realm had bulging eyes. The Divine Martial Realm practitioners stared straight ahead for a long time, and all the realm kings' eyes glowed with astonishment.

Jun Xilei's brows were steeply angled like swords, Shui Yingyue was slightly dazed, and Shui Meiyin covered her delicate lips, her beautiful eyes flickering repeatedly. Even Luo Changsheng's gaze lingered on Yun Che for a long time.

Wu Guike, a Heaven's Chosen Son at level eight of the Divine Spirit Realm.

And Yun Che, only at level eight of the Divine Tribulation Realm.

A difference of an entire major realm!!

Yun Che's crushing victory over Luo Chang'an yesterday had filled everyone with unusual surprise and anticipation for him. In this match, they subconsciously hoped for a similar miracle, but deep down, very few truly believed he could defeat Wu Guike.

Because Wu Guike was not Luo Chang'an. Yun Che's ability to defeat Luo Chang'an had already shaken the Eastern Divine Region, but crossing an entire major realm... that would be an act defying all laws, something unprecedented and impossible in the entire history of the God Realm.

Not even Shui Meiyin could do that... especially since she relied on soul power, not profound energy.

But...

Not only did Yun Che win, but he did so... in just seven sword strikes!