Chapter 1788: The Empire That Cannot Afford to Lose

Seeing the tragic demise of their side's strongest fighter—the sect leader's first disciple, who had reached the Spirit Void Realm—the two less powerful individuals beside him were utterly bewildered. Instinctively, they began to retreat, desperate to avoid facing Xu Yang, who seemed like a demon.

"Referee, I forfeit! I surrender!" they cried out.

Such desperate pleas continuously erupted from their mouths. Unfortunately, even if they screamed until their throats were hoarse, no one could possibly hear them.

This was because Xu Yang had silently created a personal sealed space around them. The area was completely blocked by Xu Yang's mastery of the laws; no matter how powerful the opponents were, they could not break through the sealing law Xu Yang had imposed.

"Hahaha," Xu Yang chuckled, "if you enjoy screaming in despair, then scream louder. But the outcome is already sealed. I told you that ten seconds was your final countdown. It's a pity you didn't seize the opportunity; if all three of you had unleashed your most powerful ultimate techniques simultaneously, you might have given me a little surprise."

Xu Yang gently shook his head. Within his personal sealed space, he slowly raised his right hand. A powerful Kunlun martial art once again simultaneously drew the two individuals' bodies into a single point in the void, then instantly detonated the cultivation energy within them.

Another dazzling spectacle erupted, like fireworks. This time, Xu Yang had ignited the momentary display with the lives of these two overconfident warriors. As the commotion in this localized battle subsided, on the other side, Long Kun found himself completely encircled by four powerful martial artists.

Before the fight, Xu Yang had already instructed Long Kun not to easily employ the Way of the Stars or the inherited Phoenix lineage power within him. These two restrictions effectively suppressed over seventy percent of Long Kun's combat capability.

He was forced to engage these four using only his pure martial arts. However, two of his opponents hailed from the same imperial sect, practicing an incredibly formidable hard Qigong that rendered their bodies as unyielding as stone.

Long Kun made several attempts, but at this point, he couldn't inflict significant damage on any of the four. Crucially, Long Kun had never trained in swordsmanship, so he couldn't use external, powerful weapons to augment his fighting strength.

Consequently, he was struggling. With his true cultivation significantly restricted, Long Kun could only watch as the four flaunted their strength before him, unable to deliver any real retribution.

Seemingly sensing Long Kun's mounting frustration, Xu Yang shook his head with a resigned expression and intervened, helping Long Kun establish a sealing law within the surrounding battlefield space.

The instant the light of the law descended, the situation in the center of the battlefield diverged entirely from what everyone else witnessed. It was as if a temporary, exclusive dream had been woven for Long Kun.

Within this dream, he could freely brutalize these four arrogant martial artists.

"Haha, only Boss truly understands me!" Long Kun exclaimed. "Now I can finally unleash my full power and really let loose!"

Xu Yang truly couldn't bear to witness the state Long Kun would enter when he went berserk.

The four died an incredibly gruesome death; almost every one of them was subjected to Long Kun's most potent techniques, ultimately turning into dust.

Yet, to those outside the sealed space woven by Xu Yang, these martial artists merely appeared to have been defeated by Long Kun's most basic techniques.

In summary, this ultimate showdown concluded completely differently from what anyone had envisioned. It ended too swiftly because the combined strength of Xu Yang and Long Kun far surpassed everyone's expectations. Even the 'living fossil' elder presiding over this peak duel never anticipated such a dismal and rapid conclusion.

Upon witnessing seven young prodigies from his faction fall inexplicably, the 'living fossil' elder representing the opposing dynasty strode to the center of the battlefield, seething with rage.

"I now suspect that you three deliberately intended to kill our imperial warriors," he roared. "This violates the original purpose of the martial arts tournament. I will seek justice for those tragically fallen imperial cultivators. Today, there is no way either of you will leave this battlefield alive."

This 'living fossil' elder's power had undoubtedly grazed the edge of the Dao Integration Realm; while he had one foot in that realm, he was ultimately not a true Dao Integration master.

Moreover, even if he were a Mahayana-ascended being, he would be utterly insignificant before Xu Yang, the Ninth Human Emperor.

"Hahaha," Xu Yang scoffed, "it seems you truly cannot accept defeat. The rules clearly state that there are no restrictions on life or death. Since you dared to participate in the final stage of the competition, you should have been prepared to face death.

"It is your warriors who were unskilled and fell in battle, and yet you, an old man, presume to defend them? That is truly absurd.

"But old man, think carefully: if you dare to attack us today, it will no longer be a simple sparring match between warriors. Your actions alone could ignite a conflict between our two great empires."

Xu Yang remained remarkably calm, addressing the 'living fossil' elder from the opposing imperial family with the dignified tone of an emperor. Yet, the old man appeared to have grown exceptionally furious.

More importantly, one of the seven fallen warriors was a descendant of his own lineage. Witnessing the most prized scion of his family perish on the martial arena, how could the elder possibly suppress the fury raging within him?

"Today, I will personally ascertain just how powerful these young prodigies of your imperial family truly are!"

Seeing the enemy's 'living fossil' elder personally make a move, the elder from Xu Yang's side was also about to step in to maintain fairness and protect Xu Yang and the two victors.

However, this time, Xu Yang simply directed a surge of spiritual energy towards the 'living fossil' elder.

"Senior, there's no need for you to trouble yourself," Xu Yang stated. "Doesn't he wish to witness the might of our younger generation of warriors? Then let us give him a proper lesson, so he understands that this era is no longer dictated by stubborn old relics like him."

Xu Yang's words were so commanding that they instantly silenced the 'living fossil' elder on his own side. This elder, who had initially intended to personally assist Xu Yang and Long Kun, now paused. Seeing the sheer audaciousness of these two young men, he lost the desire to intervene. Instead, he instinctively moved to Qing Ya's side, offering protection to the only young woman present on the battlefield.