Chapter 1649: Proud Cloud Moon

"What are you shouting about? He's not dead yet, is he?" Yun Jianyue also slammed the table and stood up.She secretly sneered to herself, thinking, 'You haven't seen true ruthlessness. If this weren't a Daoist sect arena, that guy would have been torn limb from limb; how could he only have such minor injuries?'

Zu An was momentarily dazed. 'Why does Elder Peng's temper resemble Sister Yun's?' he thought.But he quickly chuckled to himself. He was truly seeing what he wanted to see; Sister Yun was clearly much prettier than her.

The main point was that this was clearly a grand assembly organized by upright masters, so why would two demon sect members come here, effectively seeking death?No one would ever suspect that.

Wang Wuxie felt a headache coming on. What was going on this year? The judges' stands were louder than the arena itself. Were the two sides about to clash again?Just as he was about to speak, a low voice suddenly came from the arena: "Elder, I have not lost yet."

Everyone turned abruptly to see Liang Ling, who had been lying prostrate in the arena, slowly standing up, a faint layer of flames flickering around his body.

Elder Xuandu's expression changed instantly upon seeing this. "Absolutely not!" he exclaimed.However, no sooner had he spoken than with a bang, Liang Ling's entire body burst into flames. His previously extremely weak aura surged dramatically, and the wounds on his body healed at a visible pace.

On the high platform, several sect leaders sighed. With their knowledge, they naturally recognized this as Kunlun Xu's ultimate technique – Phoenix Rebirth. By burning one's essence blood, it could quickly heal injuries. While powerful, the side effects were also exaggerated: afterward, one would at least be severely injured, possibly crippled or even dead. Even if they recovered, it could limit their future cultivation.Therefore, unless facing certain death, almost no one would use this move.Yet Liang Ling had used it in this situation. Even if he won this match, he wouldn't be able to participate in the next.

Elder Xuandu slapped his thigh in distress. "Oh, why bother? How foolish!"Liang Ling's expression was resolute. "I can lose, but I cannot lose so easily."His gaze, fixed on Qiu Honglei, was filled with surging fighting spirit.

Watching this scene, Zu An couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration. After observing the matches these past few days, he realized that while there were scoundrels and villains among the Daoist sects, there were also many admirable young people.Take Liang Ling, for example. Though a bit impulsive, his inherent indomitable spirit proved he was a man of steel.As martial arts' righteous path, the Nine Daoist Sects certainly had a knack for cultivating successors.

"As you wish!" Qiu Honglei also dropped her easy smile. Holding a short blade in each hand, her body blurred into an afterimage as she dashed towards him.

Instead of counterattacking with his spear, Liang Ling suddenly transformed into a massive fire tornado, his body enveloped in vermilion flames. The entire arena floor glowed a dark red, and crimson lines made the ground appear like molten lava.Qiu Honglei seemed to be scorched, immediately tapping her foot to cancel her charge and leaping backward.However, the giant fire tornado in the center simultaneously fragmented into several smaller fiery columns, attacking in all directions.Even with the array's protection, the arena floor became a sea of fire. No matter how agile Qiu Honglei's movement technique was, she had nowhere to dodge.Helplessly, she had to leap into the air.

Seizing this opportunity, Liang Ling, enveloped in the fire tornado, charged forward. His opponent had not yet reached the Grandmaster realm, and her agility in the air would be greatly diminished.The flames around him were exceptionally vibrant and bright, clearly a level stronger than before.At this moment, raging flames filled the entire arena. The protective arrays around the ring flickered wildly, evidently sensing the immense power within and desperately working to prevent collapse and harm to the surrounding spectators.The entire arena had completely erupted like a volcano, with crimson lava everywhere. The air inside was rapidly depleted, leaving no escape within the ring.Qiu Honglei's figure appeared minuscule amidst the sea of fire, as if she could be swallowed at any moment.

Cai Yu from Li Hentian sighed, "As expected of Kunlun Xu's chief disciple, his foundation is truly different. That ugly girl from Empty Island is probably going to lose."His own expression was grim because, despite Liang Ling's power, it was only a temporary burst of potential activated by Phoenix Rebirth. If Cai Yu himself were in the arena, he would simply avoid the initial surge and wait for the momentum to wane; defeating him wouldn't be difficult.He could even have used his Iron Mountain Lean and Shadowless Orbs from the start, giving Liang Ling no chance to unleash his ultimate move.Unfortunately, his defeat in the group stage meant he had no further opportunities.Thinking of the one responsible for all this, he glared intensely at Pei Mianman of Biluo Palace in the distance, thinking, 'It's all thanks to that woman!'However, seeing her ample bosom and her smiling peach blossom eyes, he found he couldn't feel any anger at all.'Ah, who would have thought there was someone in the Daoist sects whose beauty and cultivation were no less than Fairy Chu's? If only I hadn't underestimated her back then,' he lamented.Reflecting on the match, he felt that if he had another chance, he would definitely not lose, but the more he thought this, the more frustrated he became.

Just then, a blinding flash of light suddenly erupted, causing many people to cover their eyes, cries of "What was that? It's blinding my eyes!" ringing out.It was Qiu Honglei, who had suddenly flared with intense light while in mid-air, appearing like a small sun.Sect leaders from various factions straightened up. This seemed to be a light-element blinding skill. Because light-element techniques were rare, many of them had only read about them in ancient texts. Now that they could witness it firsthand, how could they not watch intently?Although the dazzling glare caused disciples around them to cover their eyes with tears streaming down their faces, it naturally had little effect on the sect leaders given their cultivation levels.

However, it was different for Liang Ling in the arena. Although he was within the fire tornado, he had been intently focused on Qiu Honglei in the air.That instant flash of light caused him more harm than it did to the disciples around the arena.Almost immediately, he felt a sharp sting, and his vision turned completely white; he was temporarily blinded.This shock was no small matter. He could only frantically channel his flame power and attack in the direction he remembered.But Qiu Honglei was not foolish enough to stay in one place. She quickly appeared behind and to the side of Liang Ling, her two blades crossed, firing an "X"-shaped light blade towards him.

"Holy Light Cross Slash?" Someone recognized the origin of the move. A sword qi formed of light, it could cut through gold and jade, incredibly sharp.Liang Ling finally detected the anomaly and hastily summoned flames to his back. Unfortunately, in his haste, he was still half a beat too slow.The light slash struck the fire tornado. The previously terrifying flames were directly torn apart, the raging inferno seemingly suppressed, its scale visibly diminishing.Liang Ling's true body became visible within the flames. In a desperate move, he used his spear to block in front of him.

A dazzling light flashed, and he was struck down from the air.Obvious slash marks were left on his spear, his hands were covered in blood, and his chest clothes were torn open, revealing a deep wound."Are you still fighting?" Qiu Honglei asked with a smiling face.Many in the arena had strange expressions. This woman was clearly extraordinarily ugly, yet her every gesture and movement made it seem as if she were a peerless beauty.At first, everyone felt a bit nauseated watching her, but after a while, she somehow seemed more pleasing and even alluring.Was this the power of a true expert?

Liang Ling, on the ground, was silent for a moment before his voice came out with great difficulty: "No need. Thank you for showing mercy; I concede."He had initially believed that his earlier defeat was due to momentary carelessness and a sneak attack, and he was unwilling to lose the once-in-a-decade grand competition when he still had many ultimate moves unused. That's why he had recklessly activated Phoenix Rebirth.But now, fighting her, he realized that this woman was unfathomable.No chief disciple was a fool. He knew that if he continued, the cost of Phoenix Rebirth would become increasingly steep, while his chances of winning were slim. What was the point of persisting?

Wu Xiaofan, Wan Guiyi, and other chief disciples aiming for the championship carefully scrutinized Qiu Honglei in the air. This woman was stronger than they had imagined.Since Liang Ling had conceded, Elder Xuandu couldn't act out. He hastily took out Kunlun Xu's miraculous spiritual elixirs and gave them to Liang Ling.Meanwhile, Wang Wuxie and the other sect leaders looked at Yun Jianyue with complex expressions. "Empty Island truly has kept a low profile only to stun everyone now," they remarked.It was well-known that Empty Island had usually been a mere participant in previous competitions. Yet, this time, their disciple was incredibly powerful; Liang Ling hadn't even seemed to reach her limits.

"I accept your compliments," Yun Jianyue said, feeling as refreshed as if she had eaten several large chunks of ice-cold watermelon in a desert on a scorching summer day, seeing these righteous leaders who usually called for her death.She thought, 'What expressions will you all have when I reveal my identity after winning the championship?'The idea of her small scheme making the entire Daoist sect a laughingstock of the world almost made her burst out laughing.

"The top four have been decided. We will rest for one day, and the semifinals will be held the day after tomorrow," Wang Wuxie announced, bringing today's matches to an end.Disciples from various sects excitedly discussed the thrilling events in the arena. Many even approached Empty Island to strike up conversations. With such a formidable disciple, Empty Island would no longer be obscure within the Daoist sects, making it worth their while to curry favor.Yun Jianyue usually found such socializing bothersome, but at this moment, she reveled in it. After all, the more eager these people were now, the more entertaining their expressions would be when the truth was revealed.Just as she was about to swell with pride, Yan Xuehen suddenly appeared before her. "You remind me of an old acquaintance," she said.