Chapter 1220 Seizing the Moment

Zhao Bolao was startled, and as he retreated swiftly, the long spear in his hand burst with white light, churning violently in the void before him.

Dense spear shadows flickered alternately before him, and in an instant, wind and snow raged in the void, the temperature plummeting. A frost vortex formed by snowflakes emerged, sweeping toward Han Li as if to engulf him entirely.

Han Li, however, showed no sign of stopping. He charged straight through, and his arm, enveloped in white light, plunged into the frost vortex, radiating dazzling brilliance.

With a strange bang!

The massive frost vortex shattered directly, and Han Li's figure shot through it.

The power of the stars on his fist had not diminished much as he punched Zhao Bolao's chest.

The expected dull thud and sound of breaking bones did not occur. Han Li felt as if he had struck a wad of cotton; his fist passed straight through Zhao Bolao's chest.

The next moment, Zhao Bolao's chest splashed with water, breaking open into a large hole from which copious amounts of liquid gushed out.

Han Li frowned and tried to withdraw his arm, but the liquid in the hole immediately wrapped around it, emitting a powerful pulling force that prevented him from pulling free.

Then, the Zhao Bolao with the broken chest suddenly liquefied entirely, turning into a transparent water figure. His body, soft and boneless, coiled around Han Li like a layer of glue, trapping him firmly in place.

At the same time, on the ice surface on the other side, a blue light flickered, and another figure of Zhao Bolao reappeared.

“So it was the domain spirit I’ve been fighting all along. That’s somewhat unexpected,” Han Li murmured.

“Hehe, Fellow Daoist Chang, sorry, but you’re out,” Zhao Bolao said, and with a wave of his hands,

The snowflake patterns on the surrounding domain flared up, shooting out countless dense snowflake blades that surged toward Han Li. The entire arena was suddenly swept by howling winds, completely obscured by snow and ice, blinding all sight.

On the circular stone platform, Zhou Xianyang watched in astonishment, while Zhao Yuanlai beside him looked smug. As for the others, aside from focusing on their own participants, most were watching Sikong Jian’s match.

“Sect Leader Zhou, alas, in a competition on the same stage, there must be a winner and loser. This time, I’m truly sorry for the offense,” Zhao Yuanlai said, overjoyed that the matter was settled, addressing Zhou Xianyang.

“That shouldn’t be… Could this person only have this much strength?” Zhou Xianyang muttered to himself in confusion.

Before his words faded, a dazzling white light suddenly blazed on the “Si” platform, transforming into a massive white vortex that exploded with a bang.

The icy domain covering the arena also shattered, and a great storm of wind and snow howled out, sweeping in all directions.

The surrounding crowd felt the wind and snow lash their faces, and the temperature in the air plummeted sharply. Those with weaker cultivation shivered uncontrollably, their teeth chattering, and they hurriedly activated their techniques to protect themselves.

When the wind and snow dispersed, everyone couldn’t help but look at the “Si” platform, only to see Zhao Bolao already unconscious on the ground, while Chang Qi of Xianshan Sect still stood beside him.

However, at this moment, he looked somewhat pale, his lips slightly purple, and the sleeves of both arms were torn, as if he had barely won.

Zhou Xianyang, seeing this, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Zhao Yuanlai and found the latter’s face ashen, no longer bearing the smug, self-satisfied look of a petty man who had gotten his way.

“In a competition on the same stage, it’s inevitable to decide a winner. This time, Junior Brother Chang was lucky. My apologies, my apologies…” Zhou Xianyang cupped his hands slightly and smiled.

Zhao Yuanlai’s mouth twitched a few times, but he ultimately said nothing, only nodding.

Just as everyone was marveling at how the “Si” platform had suddenly decided the outcome, the “Wu” platform on the other side had also concluded. The opponent fighting Sikong Jian had half his body smashed and was kicked off the arena.

Sikong Jian, from hundreds of yards away, locked eyes with Han Li, his gaze full of provocation.

At this moment, Han Li, though seemingly battered, was merely putting on an act. As his gaze met Sikong Jian’s, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, which surprised Sikong Jian and made him frown slightly.

Not long after, the other arenas also decided their winners, and new matches began anew.

Han Li’s matches for the day thus concluded. The second round would resume the next day, so he did not return to the circular stone platform but went straight back to the Xianshan Villa.

After returning to his residence, he immediately opened the Flower Branch Cave Heaven and went in to check.

Ti Hun was still helping Lan Yuanzi nurture his soul, while Qu Lin seemed to have been in seclusion all along, abiding by his agreement with Han Li and never leaving the bamboo building beside the spirit medicine garden.

One day later.

The second round of matches resumed. After drawing lots, Han Li drew Chu Zhong, the Discipline Elder of Wushang Sect.

Regarding this man, Xianshan Sect could gather little information, because as the Discipline Elder of Wushang Sect, he rarely had opportunities to go down the mountain and display his cultivation, spending most of his time cultivating within the sect.

Han Li only knew that this man cultivated the power of earth-attribute laws, was a notch above Zhao Bolao, and was an early Daluo stage cultivator.

After the presiding elder announced the matchups, Han Li was the first to step onto the "Chou" character arena, while Elder Chu Zhong landed on the opposite side a moment later.

Han Li swept his gaze over and saw that this man had snow-white hair, a dark complexion, and an ordinary build, even slightly shorter than average. He wore a short-sleeved outfit with his sleeves rolled up, revealing a pair of dark arms, looking no different from a martial artist in the mountains.

His stance was very peculiar, with his back slightly hunched and his arms hanging in front of him, giving the impression of an old mountain ape, exuding a somewhat aged air.

However, Han Li noticed a faint golden luster in his eyes. Outwardly he resembled withered wood, but inwardly his spirit was fully complete. Han Li gained some respect for him.

On the circular stone platform, Zhou Xianyang still sat in his original seat. Zhao Yuanlai, the master of Wuji Mountain who had lost the chance to compete for the Bodhi Token, also sat beside him. Both wore calm expressions, as if neither minded the events of the previous day.

"Sect Leader Zhou, do you know this Elder Chu Zhong?" Zhao Yuanlai asked, looking at the old man on the arena.

"Wushang Sect has never had dealings with our Xianshan Sect, and Elder Chu Zhong rarely travels outside. I have only heard of his name, not had the chance to make his acquaintance. Do you mean to say you know him, Mountain Lord Zhao?" Zhou Xianyang asked.

"We crossed paths once in the early years, but it didn't end pleasantly. Heh... he's no easy character. In my opinion, among all the candidates in this selection competition, aside from Sikong Jian, he is the hardest to deal with," Zhao Yuanlai said.

Zhou Xianyang chuckled inwardly upon hearing this, realizing that Zhao Yuanlai had come today to watch the excitement of their Xianshan Sect.

"Then Junior Apprentice Brother Chang is truly unlucky. He only narrowly won against your sect's Daoist friend Zhao Bolao yesterday, and today he runs into such a tough opponent. It seems he'll have to be more serious," Zhou Xianyang said, his expression unchanged.

His implication was that Han Li had not been serious in yesterday's battle and had won against Zhao Bolao casually.

Zhao Yuanlai's heart burned with anger, but he could not show it. His face flushed red, and after a long while he said, "Then let us quietly await Fellow Daoist Chang's splendid performance."

In fact, after returning yesterday, he had asked Zhao Bolao why he lost to Chang Qi. He originally thought Chang Qi had hidden some trump card or used some dishonorable means.

But after questioning, Zhao Bolao himself could not explain why he lost. He only said that "Chang Qi" suddenly erupted with a powerful force far exceeding what he could withstand, and then he was knocked unconscious with a single punch.

While the two were speaking, the fight had already begun on the stage.

After saluting Chu Zhong, Han Li did not wait to counterattack as he had yesterday. Instead, he struck first. With a shake of his arms, his body made a booming sound, and he instantly flashed behind the white-haired old man.

He threw a punch, and white light exploded at his fist, sounding like a thunderclap.

Zhao Yuanlai, who had been thinking of watching the excitement, was startled by the sight.

Such speed and power had not been shown at all yesterday.

Chu Zhong seemed stunned by Han Li's sudden attack, frozen in place without any movement.

However, just as Han Li's fist was about to strike his back, a black light suddenly rose from the ground. A black stone wall abruptly emerged, separating Han Li and also crashing into his arm.

The timing was very clever: it neither forcefully opposed Han Li with the stone wall nor failed to strike at Han Li's armpit, achieving two goals at once.

Han Li's punch missed, and he was knocked into the air by the stone wall. Before he could steady himself, Chu Zhong's figure had already pursued him, throwing a straightforward punch at his back.

A ring of black light enveloped his fist, and the moment it landed on Han Li's back, it suddenly exploded.

Han Li felt the void behind him suddenly condense, and an immensely heavy force pressed down, sending him plummeting straight down, crashing heavily onto the arena.

The arena, reinforced by special formations, shook violently. Han Li's feet plunged into the ground like steel blades, and the stone platform cracked with alarming fissures.

Then, the ape-like Chu Zhong leaped high and came crashing down on Han Li with the force of Mount Tai.

His legs were slightly bent, and his entire body was shrouded in that eerie black light.

Han Li's heart tightened. He felt as if the sky above had solidified into a single mass, descending with an indescribable oppressive force. The void around him seemed to freeze, making movement extremely difficult, and he could not evade this strike.

"Ha!"

Han Li let out a fierce shout. Over nine hundred acupoints on his body lit up simultaneously. He raised his arms forcefully, circulating the star power within his body using the Vajra Divine Art. His palms faced upward in a sky-supporting gesture.

White light surged from his palms, as if he were holding up a starry canopy, colliding violently with the descending Chu Zhong.

Black and white light converged at a single line and then exploded abruptly.

The surrounding heaven and earth shook violently, and rolling waves of air surged out, sweeping in all directions.

The onlookers were shocked by this sudden burst of power and turned to look, but they saw only black and white light on the "Chou" character stage. The figures of the two combatants were submerged within, making them impossible to see clearly.