“Ah!!!”
In that instant, Xiahou Wanyu’s roar thundered through the arena.
His sister was dead—blown apart by Lin Xiao!
Torrential rage blazed within him, a colossal aura surging from his body.
Mo Jiutian’s heart jolted. He could never have imagined this outcome.
On the main platform, the Seventh Elder’s body trembled. Xiahou Jing was the Xiahou family’s greatest prodigy, their hope for a future rise, yet now, before she could fully mature, she had fallen here.
“Lin Xiao!” The Seventh Elder’s heart burned with fury, her fists clenched, the terrifying might of a Martial Lord radiating, her killing intent palpable.
Everyone was dumbfounded. They had expected Lin Xiao to die, but now Xiahou Jing, with her staggering strength, lay dead in gruesome ruin…
Hearing Xiahou Wanyu’s roar and sensing the Seventh Elder’s killing intent, the crowd trembled, as if something momentous was about to unfold. They could almost see the Xiahou family’s wrath igniting.
“Where’s Lin Xiao?”
At that moment, someone’s voice broke the silence.
The crowd snapped back, their eyes scanning the life-and-death stage, but Lin Xiao was nowhere to be found.
A collective pause hit them. Could Lin Xiao have blown himself up too?
If so, this ranking competition would be the greatest farce in history.
A dark horse prodigy emerged, a heaven-defying talent wielding a thunder-tempered body, sinister powers, third-grade advanced spirit control, and fused spiritual energies. In a battle of peerless prodigies, he killed a generation’s genius, only to die himself, both perishing, leaving nothing behind…
“Cough, cough!”
But as the crowd’s wild speculations ran rampant, a cough echoed from behind them. The figure was tattered, blood seeping from wounds, face pale, and utterly weakened.
It was unmistakably Lin Xiao. At the moment of the explosion, he had retreated from the stage at top speed, though still caught by some of the shockwaves, propelling him faster than lightning.
Amid the crowd’s awe at the explosion’s power, no one had noticed his hurtling body.
Now, he struggled to his feet, fortunately without serious injury.
Lin Xiao himself was shaken. The Devouring Heaven Spirit Finger was growing more terrifying. Unleashing it even endangered him.
In truth, this time, he had prepared the Devouring Heaven Spirit Finger meticulously, channeling all his third-grade advanced spiritual force into his finger, infusing it with vast Devouring Heaven Azure Fire Spiritual Energy and all his Martial King Yuan force.
And that wasn’t all—he had also daringly poured in a massive amount of his thunder power.
Back at the Feng family, he had used a Thunder Spirit Pill to successfully fuse thunder power into the Devouring Heaven Spirit Finger. With that experience, he risked infusing a large amount of thunder power this time.
It was incredibly dangerous, but it succeeded.
Four immense energies compressed into a single point—the resulting explosion’s power was unimaginable.
“Lin Xiao, you’ll die!” The moment Lin Xiao appeared, Xiahou Wanyu erupted, charging at him with torrential black energy.
But in the next instant, a Yuan force barrier materialized, blocking Xiahou Wanyu. A powerful fluctuation rippled from the barrier, hurling him back like a ball.
“Hmph, who dares touch Lin Xiao? They’ll face academy discipline!” A cold shout rang out, laced with sonic waves that boomed like thunder in the crowd’s ears, making their heads buzz.
Only then did the Seventh Elder and Xiahou Wanyu realize—the Vice Dean had acted.
With the Vice Dean present, they couldn’t lay a finger on Lin Xiao.
“I tried to stop this fight three times, yet you egged it on. Now that Xiahou Jing has fallen, you dare make a move?”
The Vice Dean’s majestic gaze swept over Xiahou Wanyu, making him tremble, forcibly suppressing his rage. “This disciple knows his error!”
“Xiahou Wanyu lost control due to his sister’s brutal death. It’s understandable. Please forgive him, Vice Dean,” the Seventh Elder spoke, her tone pleading. At her age, she knew how to control her emotions, retracting her fleeting killing intent and suppressing her anger.
“Hmph!” The Vice Dean snorted coldly. “If someone of equal cultivation challenges Lin Xiao on the life-and-death stage, I won’t interfere. But if anyone of higher cultivation targets him, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
With that, he turned to Lin Xiao, tossing out a token. “This token is specially crafted by me. If you’re threatened within the Holy City, I’ll arrive instantly!”
Xiahou Wanyu and the others’ faces twitched. With the Vice Dean’s token, even a covert assassination in the Holy City was impossible.
This token was a privilege not even Heavenly Star List disciples enjoyed, yet it was now in Lin Xiao’s hands.
“Thank you, Vice Dean!” Lin Xiao caught the token, bowing respectfully in gratitude.
Inwardly, he rejoiced. His gamble had paid off—his display of talents had won the Vice Dean’s favor.
Now, even the Xiahou family’s towering rage couldn’t touch him.
“Your talent impresses me greatly,” the Vice Dean nodded with satisfaction. “After the competition, come see me.”
He then glanced at Baili He, saying lightly, “Carry on.”
With a flourish of his robe, he strode out, covering a hundred meters per step.
“I’ll ensure order in the Holy City, Vice Dean!” Baili He nodded at his retreating figure. In a few steps, the Vice Dean vanished from sight.
The battle for supremacy was over; the remaining fights held no interest for him.
The ranking competition’s champion was decided.
Lin Xiao, with twenty-nine victories, was the undisputed champion.
“Holy crap, that’s insane! Beyond insane—historically unprecedented!” As the Vice Dean left, Ma Bi shouted, darkening the Xiahou family’s faces.
“Why’re you yelling at me all day?” Niu Bi, beside him, grumbled.
“…” Ma Bi, exasperated, was about to retort when Niu Bi added, “But yeah, that was damn impressive!”
“…” Ma Bi.
“Heh, I knew it’d end like this!” Hu Yue smirked nearby.
The crowd erupted in clamor, the plaza boiling with excitement.
