The piercing pain made Chen Meng unable to restrain herself from screaming.
Not only did her body feel intense pain, but her heart was also almost plunged into despair.
If Chen Meng had any weakness, it was Jian Wuji!
Ling Xiao had merely exploited a loophole. By combining a powerful killing intent, he conjured an illusory image of Jian Wuji, throwing Chen Meng into chaos.
Moreover, this time, Ling Xiao infused the phenomenon of lightning into his killing intent, making it not only invade faster but also carry a paralysing effect, amplifying the terrifying power of his soul force.
Chen Meng had never encountered an opponent like Ling Xiao. Coupled with her admiration and fondness for Jian Wuji, she was caught off guard and fell for it without resistance.
Then, Ling Xiao slowly approached Chen Meng and, with a light kick, sent her flying out of the battle arena.
Wow!
The entire crowd was in an uproar.
After being kicked out, Chen Meng came to her senses, staring blankly at herself lying outside the arena, so furious she wanted to cry.
“You’re shameless, using such underhanded tactics!”
Chen Meng shouted angrily.
“Exactly. Since it’s a spar, it should be fair and square. Using such despicable methods is an unworthy victory!”
Cao Yun also shouted loudly.
“Be quiet. Haven’t you embarrassed yourselves enough?”
Chen Nanxing, as expected of the Sword King Sect’s leader, sternly silenced Cao Yun and Chen Meng.
Although soul techniques were uncommon in the Tianlong Continent, no one dared to call them underhanded. After all, among the twelve immortals under the Human King in ancient times, there was one who excelled in soul techniques.
He knew no martial arts; his only method of combat was soul force!
Yet, he was so powerful that countless people felt inferior.
Even in the Tianlong Continent, there were still a few experts skilled in soul techniques. Mo Wushang, ranked second among the six princes of the Holy Dynasty, was one such master.
When the Holy Son defeated him, it took considerable effort.
Both the Holy Son and Mo Wushang were disciples of the Heavenly King Sect, proving that the sect, ranked first among the twelve, was not famous for nothing.
“I concede, Miss Chen Meng.”
Ling Xiao smiled at Chen Meng, then turned to the senior member of the Sword King Sect. “Does the senior’s wager still stand?”
“Of course it stands!”
The muscles at the corner of the Sword King Sect senior’s mouth twitched violently, clearly displeased, but there was no way around it. Regardless of how Ling Xiao defeated Chen Meng, he had won, and that was undeniable.
“However, you used a soul technique to defeat Chen Meng, which is opportunistic. If you have the guts, dare to make another bet with me?”
“Oh? What kind of bet?” Ling Xiao asked with a smile.
“If you can defeat Ba Tianhu without using soul techniques, I’ll give you ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones directly, no haggling, and I’ll hand them over immediately.”
The senior said coldly.
“Twenty thousand!”
Ling Xiao said calmly.
“What? Your appetite is quite large!”
“What? Afraid to bet?” Ling Xiao asked with a smile.
“Bet! What’s there to fear? Twenty thousand it is! But you absolutely cannot use soul techniques, or you lose!”
The Sword King Sect senior emphasised.
“Heh, rest assured, senior.”
Ling Xiao smiled, then turned to the surrounding crowd. “Everyone here, bear witness today. If I can defeat Ba Tianhu without using soul force, he will give me twenty thousand mid-grade spirit stones!”
The senior members of the three sects nodded, tacitly agreeing to the bet.
Jian Wuji, at this moment, no longer kept his eyes closed.
Ling Xiao’s defeat of Ying Wuya had already surprised him enough.
Now, this Ling Xiao was also skilled in soul techniques, following the same path as Mo Wushang, whom he feared.
This made his intent to kill Ling Xiao even stronger.
Although Ling Xiao posed no threat to him now, such a person must be eliminated in the cradle. Otherwise, a fledgling dragon today could soar to the heavens tomorrow, becoming unstoppable!
“So, Brother Ba, are you still willing to spar with me?”
Ling Xiao looked at Ba Tianhu.
Ba Tianhu’s cultivation was comparable to Chen Meng’s, and their combat abilities were similar. They had sparred privately multiple times, always evenly matched.
To be honest, Ling Xiao’s eerie method of defeating Chen Meng made Ba Tianhu hesitant to act.
He feared losing as embarrassingly as she did.
Fortunately, Ling Xiao couldn’t use soul techniques now, so what was there to fear?
Could he, the top core disciple of the Beast King Palace, really be afraid to step up?
“Of course, I’ll spar. Am I, Ba, afraid of you?”
Ba Tianhu leapt into the arena.
His only concern was Ling Xiao’s soul technique. Since that was off-limits, he had nothing to fear.
Boom!
Suddenly, Ba Tianhu’s aura erupted fully, a massive black tiger phantom appearing behind him, looking extremely ferocious and fierce.
His energy was so intense that it shattered a fruit tray on a tea table more than ten metres away.
“Since Brother Ba is so confident, please make your move. My battle with Chen Meng barely drained me, so you need not hold back. Attack freely.”
Ling Xiao stood calmly opposite Ba Tianhu, his black cloak draped over his shoulders, a faint smile on his face, unmoving as a mountain, standing steady and unshaken, no matter how powerful Ba Tianhu’s aura was.
“But I must warn Brother Ba: the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. You may face an outcome you cannot accept, so be prepared.”
Tantai Lingzi glanced at Chang Yueying beside her, lowering her voice to ask, “Master, does Ling Xiao still have something hidden?”
Chang Yueying nodded slowly. “You’re right. This Ling Xiao has too many trump cards. In all my years, I’ve never seen someone with so many unpredictable methods. It’s truly terrifying.”
“What about Ba Tianhu?”
Tantai Lingzi asked again.
Chang Yueying took a deep breath. “Very strong! Though he’s a disciple of the Beast King Palace, I must admit he’s much stronger than you. This will undoubtedly be a tough battle unless Ling Xiao uses that soul technique from earlier!”
Lan Yuer, nearby, though reluctant to admit Chang Yueying’s analysis, had to agree.
She had also assessed Ba Tianhu earlier. If she fought him, within three hundred moves, they’d still be evenly matched.
Though she believed Ling Xiao would win, she had to admit this would be a tough fight.
Ba Tianhu was like an erupting volcano, volatile and furious, terrifying and majestic, as if ready to destroy everything.
Yet, Ling Xiao, at this moment, was more like a mysterious iceberg, quiet yet extremely dangerous.
Their demeanours were entirely different, but both exuded the aura of a master.
Their clash was truly something to look forward to.
