Chapter 487: Unsealing the Seal

Long Huo was given several life-saving pills and rescued by the referee.Meng Jingzhou won.

Long Huo felt a coolness in his throat, a sign that the pills were working. He slowly regained consciousness, his mind blank for a moment before he realized he had lost.

"Are you alright? You fought well," Meng Jingzhou said, reaching out to help Long Huo to his feet.

Long Huo shook his head with a bitter smile. "A loss is a loss. I'm not a sore loser."

Concerned that Long Huo might be disheartened by the loss, Meng Jingzhou kindly said, "I look forward to you beating me next time."

Long Huo was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

After a brief exchange, Long Huo stepped off the stage and saw the village chief waiting below. The chief was a stern middle-aged man.

"Village chief... I've let the village down."

A smile appeared at the corner of the village chief's mouth as he patted Long Huo's shoulder. "It's remarkable that you fought so well. Meng Jingzhou is no ordinary person. He is both the eldest young master of the Meng family and a disciple of the Wen Dao Sect. The Meng family is the foremost family in the world, and the Wen Dao Sect is the leading sect. With these two identities, he is capable of sweeping aside all his peers."

"And look who's here."

Long Huo looked up as the village chief stepped aside, revealing two beautiful figures: his childhood sweetheart and his adopted older sister, who treated him like a younger brother.

"Brother Long Huo, you were amazing!" exclaimed his childhood sweetheart, a lively young girl radiating energy.

"Long Huo, you fought very well; my daily teachings weren't in vain," said his adopted older sister, who had an impressive figure and a capable demeanor.

"Everyone..." Long Huo's eyes welled up with tears, and he choked back sobs. He vowed to continue training diligently after returning home, so as not to disappoint their expectations.

Meng Jingzhou, not far away, was speechless.

Could we have another match? I'd like to give that kid a taste of my 'Bachelor's Curse Fist'.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the second arena match was about to begin for Young Master Lu.

"From the Heavenly Court, Young Master Lu.""From the Flying Waterfall Sect, Kong Hao."

The Flying Waterfall Sect, a second-rank sect, had shallow foundations. Its sect master was only at the Void Refinement stage of cultivation. Even among second-rank sects, the Flying Waterfall Sect was an obscure and unremarkable entity.

Before the fight, Bai Ming had specifically researched several opponents. "This Kong Hao is not simple. He seems quiet, like a Confucian scholar, but in battle, he's more like an untamed beast. Even before fighting, his wild appearance chills his opponents to the bone."

The Sect Master of Flying Waterfall Sect stroked his beard, gazing at the prominent Kong Hao on the stage with satisfaction.

It was thanks to Kong Hao that he was even qualified to attend the celebration and meet so many important figures.

"This Kong Hao truly has been hiding his strength."

Kong Hao was taciturn, rarely spoke to others, and kept a low profile. Yet, in every sect competition, he would narrowly secure first place. It seemed as though the gap between him and second place was small, but no matter how hard the second-place contender tried, they could never beat Kong Hao.

He had suspected Kong Hao was hiding his strength, but he hadn't imagined he had hidden so much.

Young Master Lu drew his treasured sword, which he had temporarily borrowed from the sect's treasury.

The Azure Edge Sword and the Underworld Moon Sword had both appeared at the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony. He couldn't use them again in his identity as the Young Master, or his disguise would be exposed.

So, Lu Yang used his extensive connections to have Immortal Bu Xiu step forward and borrow a sword from the treasury.

Facing Kong Hao, Lu Yang's brows furrowed slightly. This person surprisingly gave him an extremely dangerous feeling, a sensation he hadn't even felt from grand cultivators who had dispersed their cultivation to restart.

"What hidden talents..."

Kong Hao knew the strength of his opponent. Only by fighting with all his might did he have a chance to win.

He placed two fingers to his lips and exhaled a chilling mist. The temperature on the stage gradually dropped, and Lu Yang's movements became slightly sluggish, as if he were stuck in a swamp.

"Ice-attribute cultivation methods are rare indeed..." Lu Yang then abruptly noticed something amiss. "No, it's not just cold qi; there's poison mixed in with the cold qi!"

If one simply mistook it for cold qi and tried to dispel it through cultivation, the poison would enter the body and be absorbed even faster, leading to a passive situation.

"No matter."

As a frequent visitor to Pill Cauldron Peak, Lu Yang had resistance to common poisons and would be fine for a short while. With a slight flick of his sword, he cleared an empty space around him, free of both cold qi and poison.

Lu Yang's various spells were too distinctive; anyone could recognize him at a glance. When he was acting as Young Master Lu, he could only use sword techniques.

Fortunately, he possessed a sword spirit root, and his swordsmanship was exceptional.

While Lu Yang was clearing the cold qi and poison, Kong Hao let out a low growl. His muscles bulged like a rampaging beast, yet his eyes remained cold and clear, indicating he maintained his rationality.

He lunged forward abruptly, his fingernails elongating like a demon beast's claws. They clashed with the sword and, surprisingly, did not break.

Lu Yang's eyes narrowed slightly. The solid foundation Kong Hao displayed didn't seem like something a second-rank sect could cultivate; it couldn't simply be attributed to extraordinary talent.

As the two clanged and fought on the stage, the audience below gasped slightly. Compared to the first match, which ended swiftly, this battle seemed to be an evenly matched struggle.

Only those cultivators at the Integration stage could discern that Young Master Lu held the advantage in this fight. While both sides appeared to be exchanging blows and countering each other, Kong Hao had actually been led by the nose by Young Master Lu from beginning to end.

"This alone isn't enough to threaten me," Lu Yang thought to himself, deciding to unleash his full power.

Lu Yang twisted his wrist, and the sword tip traced an arc in the air. Sword qi, fine as ox hairs, erupted from every pore, surging and converging on the blade.

The sword qi crisscrossed, like mist, like a vast ocean, sweeping across the land and engulfing the heavens.

*Whoosh—*

Kong Hao took the sword strike head-on. Even though he had blocked with both arms beforehand, it was useless. His arms were drenched in blood, his aura instantly withered, and he gasped for breath, clearly badly wounded.

"Kid, are you going to lose?" A voice echoed in his mind, deep and slow, suggesting an immensely colossal being.

"Mind your own business?" That previous sword strike made Kong Hao realize the gap between himself and Lu Yang; it was a disparity in talent that couldn't be bridged by effort alone.

He stared at the colossal entity through the mental iron bars in his mind.

The colossal entity scoffed, mocking Kong Hao's arrogance. "Speak politely, arrogant brat. Without me, would you be where you are today?"

"I've been inside your body since you were born. I know how stubborn you are. You appear low-key, but when have you ever admitted defeat in a fight? Your desire to win is stronger than anyone else's. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't bother with you."

"What do you want to do?"

"Power. What you lack is power. I'll lend it to you."

Kong Hao silently looked at the colossal entity. Indeed, even a tiny bit of power leaked from its fingers would be enough for him to turn the tide and win.

However, to use its power, he would need to unlock a layer of the seal.

Should he unlock it?

The colossal entity grinned silently, its massive beast eyes reflecting Kong Hao's conflicted expression. *Once you've used my power and truly realize this is how you can quickly become stronger, you'll actively unlock the seals one by one. By then, I'll be able to come out.*

Kong Hao gritted his teeth. The colossal entity was right; he didn't want to lose; he wanted to be the champion.

*One layer. Just one layer, and the other eight won't be unlocked.*

The colossal entity smiled silently as one layer of the seal was undone. Ominous power drifted through the iron bars and attached itself to Kong Hao.

"Hmm?"

Outside, Lu Yang looked at Kong Hao in surprise. He felt a continuous surge of power emanating from Kong Hao's body, filled with ferocity and bloodlust, extremely ominous.

Kong Hao's body transformed. His injuries healed at a visible rate; his severely wounded body was now completely recovered. His pupils became vertical slits, like a raging lion or a fierce tiger. A layer of beast fur appeared on his skin, making it impossible to tell whether it had grown or was formed from spiritual energy.

"Roar—"

Kong Hao let out a roar that shook the heavens.

Lu Yang's hairs stood on end. This was the source of the danger he had foreseen!

However, he soon found Kong Hao's state somewhat familiar, as if he had borrowed power that wasn't his own, temporarily possessed.

Lu Yang slowly raised his hand, watching Kong Hao warily, preparing to use his ultimate move.

"Referee, I'd like to report cheating."