“Boom!” At that moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted. A light more dazzling than ten suns burst forth, and destructive energy exploded, surging in all directions with overwhelming force. The terrifying waves of power ravaged outward.
The formation barrier around the stone platform glowed intensely.
Everyone watched as Duan Dongfeng’s mangled, broken body was flung from the barrier.
“How is this possible?” In that instant, everyone was dumbfounded, their eyes nearly popping out in shock.
Duan Dongfeng, who had killed Lu Qingyu and Yin Hao with one move, possessed the Cyan Scale Physique, and defeated Luo Zheng, was killed by Lin Xiao in a single strike?
“Good heavens, am I seeing this right? Duan Dongfeng was blasted to pieces?”
“What kind of monster is this Lin Xiao, to kill Duan Dongfeng? Isn’t he only at the sixth-stage Martial Venerable realm?”
“This is insane, the world’s gone mad!”
A chorus of incredulous voices rang out, some people rubbing their eyes instinctively.
“How can this kid be so powerful?”
At the Wanxiang Pavilion’s seating, Qu Shang, who had thought Lin Xiao was out of his mind, showed a look of utter astonishment.
Jia Yi and another youth were equally stunned, even the Pavilion Master’s eyes gleamed with surprise.
With Zilong’s strength, Ziling as a sixth-grade junior spirit controller, and now Lin Xiao defeating Duan Dongfeng, wasn’t the Zi family team they chose incredibly strong?
Shi Jindou let out a quiet sigh of relief, saying, “I knew I didn’t misjudge him. This kid wouldn’t lose so easily.”
“…” The Wanxiang Pavilion Master and other youths were speechless.
You didn’t misjudge him, so why didn’t you say so earlier?
At the Duan family’s seating, Duan Huang and the others were struck dumb.
They could never have imagined Duan Dongfeng would die on the conference battlefield, let alone at Lin Xiao’s hands.
Fury surged in Duan Huang’s heart.
They had expected Duan Dongfeng to shine and dominate, but their family’s greatest genius, with the Cyan Scale Physique and limitless potential, had fallen.
All their efforts to nurture this generation’s strongest direct descendant were for nothing.
Duan Tianya was eliminated by Lin Xiao, Duan Dongfeng was killed by him, and the Duan family’s youths were entirely wiped out at the Southeast Region Youth Conference, ruined by one person.
Duan Huang’s fists clenched tightly, a murderous intent rising within him.
“How can he be this strong?”
Duan Tianya was shaken, his face full of disbelief.
In the illusion, he had faced a similar attack, thinking it only succeeded because he was ambushed while injured. But this attack had killed even Duan Dongfeng.
Didn’t that mean, even if he hadn’t been injured or ambushed in the illusion, he would still have been blown to pieces?
Duan Tianya couldn’t accept the reality before him.
The president of the Baichuan Sea Chamber of Commerce’s expression froze. Moments ago, he had praised their chosen Duan family’s strength, noting Duan Dongfeng’s prowess.
Yet, in the next moment, Duan Dongfeng was killed by the Zi family team.
This was hard to accept. The Baichuan Sea had paid a steep price to ally with the Duan family for this wager.
Now, their chosen Duan family had no strength left.
The members of the Yunwu Tower, Jinxuan Hall, and other chambers were equally shocked. Someone capable of killing Duan Dongfeng was likely another competitor to watch.
“Duan Huang, my apologies. It was Lin Xiao’s first fight in the third round, and he got carried away,” Zi Huang said to Duan Huang.
This echoed what Duan Huang had said to Ling Xiao when Duan Dongfeng killed Lu Qingyu, and now Zi Huang threw the words back.
Firstly, to vent some frustration for Ling Xiao.
Secondly, to point out that Duan Dongfeng struck first and brought this upon himself.
Duan Huang’s expression darkened instantly.
“Indeed, swords have no eyes. If one’s strength is lacking, it’s better to surrender. What a pity Duan Dongfeng didn’t,” Ling Xiao sighed, his tone dripping with satisfaction, echoing Duan Huang’s words after Lu Qingyu’s death.
“Hmph!” Duan Huang, furious, slammed the table but said no more.
Other Martial Emperors also took notice of the first group’s battlefield, the explosive energy attack catching their attention.
“This kid’s getting more interesting!” The Martial Emperor elder from the Gunlong Sect said with admiration.
The Lingjian Sect’s Martial Emperor elder and Jian Wuque looked grim.
The other geniuses outside the stone platform also showed surprise, many frowning.
Some confident geniuses, however, secretly judged that this must be Lin Xiao’s strongest attack, not yet a threat to them.
The calmest were probably only Ling Hu and Ziling.
“As expected of that freak’s disciple!” Even Li Renchou couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Amid the crowd’s shock, as the energy dissipated, everyone at the edge of the first group’s stone platform battlefield saw Lin Xiao, bloodied and mangled, struggling to his feet, his injuries so severe his appearance was barely recognizable.
“…” Everyone was stunned.
Duan Dongfeng’s death had them so shocked they focused solely on him.
They hadn’t noticed Lin Xiao was also injured this badly. Wasn’t this his attack?
How did he nearly kill himself with it?
In truth, Lin Xiao was exasperated.
In a normal fight, he could attack from a distance, unleashing the Heaven-Swallowing Spirit Gathering Finger and then retreating or dodging outward.
But here, he was fighting within a five-hundred-zhang formation.
If he rushed out or was blasted off the platform, he’d lose. Even if Duan Dongfeng died, it would be ruled a draw at best.
That would cost him the chance to advance directly.
To secure victory, he had to rely on his physical strength to withstand the blast within the platform.
Fortunately, he held on.
He hadn’t used the full power of the Heaven-Swallowing Spirit Gathering Finger, but adjusted its strength based on Duan Dongfeng’s power.
Luckily, his judgment was correct. The explosion from the finger’s collision with Duan Dongfeng’s fist beam successfully killed him.
However, their distance was only a little over three hundred zhang. Though not at the blast’s epicentre, it was still too close. The force mangled his body, leaving him severely injured.
If not for his body tempered by heavenly thunder and twice refined by Martial Emperor blood, enduring this within the platform might have killed him.
Lin Xiao was thoroughly frustrated. To injure himself so badly with his own attack was probably a first.
He turned his gaze to Duan Dongfeng’s shattered corpse outside the platform and said, “You were right. Stepping onto the stage means being prepared to die.”
Then he looked at Duan Tianya and continued, “Duan Tianya, do you still think I ambushed you in the illusion? Even if you weren’t injured back then, do you think you could’ve withstood this attack? To be honest, if it wasn’t in the illusion, you’d have died even worse than Duan Dongfeng!”
