Chapter 1222: The Third Day

Chu Zhong's heart jolted as he saw the white light enveloping Han Li's entire body seem to burn, radiating a powerful aura that almost made him lose the will to resist.

In a daze, he even felt that what was charging at him was not a human cultivator, but an ancient ferocious beast with heaven-defying combat power.

Chu Zhong took a deep breath, steadied himself slightly, then formed hand seals with both hands, his ten fingers bending as he pulled left and right in the void.

Sharp sounds rang out around the 'Chou' platform. Black light condensed in the void on both sides, forming ripples and folds that caused the space to collapse toward the center.

Under the influence of the law of gravity, the space on the martial stage was completely distorted. As Han Li descended, he felt a powerful void barrier appear before him, while an immense force squeezed him from outside.

He narrowed his eyes, silently activated the 'Heavenly Fiend Soul Suppressing Art' within his body, and the light of his acupoints surged again. The starlight around him suddenly contracted, condensing into a sharp sword that pierced downward through the void.

With a crisp crack!

A rift opened in the black-light-condensed void, and Han Li's figure vanished into it.

A thunderous boom exploded!

Silence returned between heaven and earth. The light of Chu Zhong's domain space dissipated, and the ink-wash mountain peaks vanished like smoke.

Looking from afar, the crowd saw Chu Zhong frozen in place amid the ruins, still maintaining his posture of looking up and pulling with both hands, while Han Li hung upside down directly above his head.

Han Li's fingers were pressed against Chu Zhong's brow, motionless.

"I lost..." Chu Zhong sighed and conceded.

"Brother Chu, you yield," Han Li said, flipping down and clasping his fists.

The onlookers in the square, still unsatisfied, cheered briefly before turning their attention to other martial stages.

"How about that, Peak Lord Zhao? My junior brother Chang always surprises, doesn't he?" Zhou Xianyang glanced at the gloomy Zhao Yuanlai beside him and said with a smile.

"If he wins another round, your sect will obtain a Bodhi Token. That is an unprecedented honor. We'll see if Brother Chang can hold on," Zhao Yuanlai said sourly.

As they spoke, the presiding elder had already verified the result and announced the winner as 'Chang Qi' of Xianshan Sect. After Han Li and Chu Zhong exchanged salutes, they left the martial stage.

This time, Han Li did not immediately return to the Xianshan Courtyard. Instead, he went to the edge of the circular stone platform and watched the fights on the other stages.

The battle against Chu Zhong made him understand that when he could only fight using his mystical cultivation identity, the clearer he was about his opponent's laws and methods, the more confident he could be in winning.

After this round, those who could emerge victorious would all be formidable opponents, and he had to be even more cautious.

After a look, Han Li found that the platform for the "Hai" character was already empty, leaving only a mess, having finished the battle before them. The one who had been fighting there was none other than Sikong Jian, the peak master of Guyang Peak.

Meanwhile, the battles on the other martial arts platforms were also nearing their end, with rainbows flashing and roars resounding everywhere, extremely intense.

Among those people, not many left a deep impression on Han Li, but he was quite concerned about Luo Yuanshan of Qinghui Forest, Wen Changtian of Songtian Gate, and the Purple Luo Immortal of Tianyou Lake.

Among them, Wen Changtian had the highest cultivation, clearly at the bottleneck of the mid-Daluo stage; once he severed one corpse, he could leap to become a mid-Daluo cultivator. The Purple Luo Immortal's law power was the most special, being the rare purple crystal law, derived from the original earth attribute law, but also possessing the effect of crystal light illusion.

As for Luo Yuanshan, the third of the three, he was a human cultivator with a green birthmark on his face. What caught Han Li's attention was not his cultivation or laws, but his ruthlessness in battle.

It was said that the cultivator he fought against had no past grudge with him, yet he almost severed his path of cultivation. If not for the presiding elder's intervention, he would likely have beaten him to death before stopping.

By the time the last battle ended, it was already evening. Han Li then left and returned to Xianshan Bieyuan.

The night passed without incident.

On the third day, Han Li followed the Xianshan Sect members to the arena.

Today was the final day of the competition, and there were many more spectators near the arena than in the previous two days. On the high circular stone platform, besides Pure Truth True Man and the other four, there was one more person—Chi Meng.

Han Li's heart skipped a beat when he saw this woman.

He had just fought a fierce battle with her not long ago. She was powerful and even more meticulous in her thinking. Today, he would have to fight in front of her, so he must be fully alert and not let her notice anything amiss.

With this thought, Han Li closed his eyes and slowly regulated his breath to calm his mind.

Before long, the presiding elder's voice rang out: "Please come forward, cultivators of the various sects, for the third round of drawing lots."

Hearing this, Han Li opened his eyes and stood up.

Junior Brother Chang, I entrust everything to you for this final match." Zhou Xianyang also stood up and said solemnly to Han Li.

With just one more victory, he could obtain a Bodhi Token.

Rest assured, Senior Brother." Han Li smiled slightly, as if he had absolute confidence in himself.

Seeing Han Li's expression, Zhou Xianyang's heart also settled.

Han Li stood up and cast a subtle glance around.

Two rounds of the competition had already passed, and the results would soon be out. He wondered what Wu Yang, Jiao San, and the others were doing now, and what the Reincarnation Palace's next move would be.

Han Li sent a voice transmission to Ti Hun and Xiao Bai, warning them to stay alert and not let their guard down, then ascended the platform again with the other twenty-three.

"Alright, please begin selecting your numbers," the presiding elder said, nodding slightly to Han Li and the others before tossing something casually.

Twenty-four gleaming beads shot into the air and hovered above Han Li and the others.

Everyone raised a hand and each grabbed a bead.

Han Li also caught a bead; on it was written the character 'eight'.

A light laugh came from beside him. It was Sikong Jian, whose bead bore the number seventeen. He was looking over with a smile.

Han Li frowned slightly, but immediately relaxed his brow.

"Damn, it's Sikong Jian!" Zhou Xianyang's heart sank below the platform.

Although he knew Han Li's true cultivation had reached the Da Luo stage, Han Li had to imitate Chang Qi's fighting style and conceal his real identity, so he likely couldn't unleash his full strength.

Sikong Jian, on the other hand, was a veteran Da Luo cultivator of long-standing fame. He had won his previous two matches with ease, and his strength seemed even greater than before.

With so many constraints, could Han Li win against him?

The others from Xianshan Sect, unaware of Han Li's true strength, looked even more grim at the sight.

"Heh, it seems Fellow Daoist Chang's luck has run out, running into Sikong Jian in this final round. But with Fellow Daoist Chang's formidable strength, a mere Sikong Jian should be no problem, right?" Zhao Yuanlai teased with a smile.

Zhou Xianyang snorted coldly and said nothing.

With only twenty-four people left, the arena was large enough for twelve matches to proceed simultaneously.

Han Li and Sikong Jian's match was held on the 'Wei' arena.

"Hey, this Sikong Jian, as the peak master of Guyang Peak, actually participates in the competition himself. His thick skin is quite something," Tianxing Zunzhe said with a snort from the high platform.

"This competition has no rule forbidding sect leaders from participating. As cultivators, we should act pragmatically. Only the shortsighted would give up immediate gains for the sake of face," Huo Yuan snorted in reply.

Although sects like Xianshan Sect and Guyang Peak maintained nominal independence, they had long been entangled to varying degrees with major powers like the Sun-Moon Alliance and the Hundred Creations Mountain.

Now, the Great Jinyuan Immortal Domain was also growing turbulent; without a backer, survival was extremely difficult.

Xianshan Sect had good relations with the Sun-Moon Alliance, which was plotting to absorb them, while Guyang Peak was close to the Hundred Creations Mountain. Naturally, Tianxing Zunzhe and Huo Yuan found little common ground.

"Both of you, calm down. By the rules, there is indeed no prohibition against sect leaders participating. But I observe that Chang Qi of Xianshan Sect is quite formidable and may not necessarily lose to Sikong Jian," Chunjun Daoist said, trying to mediate.

"Oh? In your view, Chunjun Temple Master, who will win between Chang Qi and Sikong Jian?" Lu Chuanfeng, the Palace Master of the Jinyuan Immortal Palace, also looked over and asked with a smile.

Chunjun Daoist glanced at Lu Chuanfeng and inwardly cursed him for hiding a knife behind a smile. This match appeared to be between Chang Qi and Sikong Jian, but in reality, it involved the rivalry between the Sun-Moon Alliance and the Hundred Creations Mountain. Mishandling it could offend one or even both.

"Both are extremely powerful and hard to separate. Besides, Palace Master Lu, your 'Jade Void Divine Eye' is a great divine ability that can perceive the subtlest details. In terms of insight, only Fairy Fengtian and Fellow Daoist Chimeng here can compare to you. This question should be for you to answer, not me," Chunjun Daoist said with a hearty laugh.

Hearing this flattery, Fairy Fengtian immediately showed a hint of pride.

"A mere 'Jade Void Eye' is not worth mentioning. Chunjun Temple Master's 'Three Talents Qi Observation Art' is exquisite and in no way inferior to my 'Jade Void Eye'. We all wish to hear your esteemed opinion, so why decline?" Lu Chuanfeng chuckled.

"It's not that I'm declining, but before Palace Master Lu and Fairy Fengtian, I dare not show off my meager skills. Fairy Fengtian and Fellow Daoist Chimeng, what do you two think?" Chunjun Daoist shook his head with a smile, then turned to Fairy Fengtian.

"These two are quite formidable, and the others are also not lacking in combat power, not much inferior to some cultivators trained by the Heavenly Court," Fairy Fengtian said, sweeping her gaze over the twenty-four on the platform, evading the issue.

"Fairy Fengtian flatters us. The Heavenly Court rules over myriad domains; how can we in the Jinyuan Immortal Domain compare to the elite troops under the Heavenly Court?" Chunjun Daoist laughed.

"The cultivators under the Heavenly Court are naturally extraordinary, but the Jinyuan Immortal Domain is rich in resources, not far behind the Heavenly Court. It's only fitting that it can nurture such elites on the platform. However, it would be best if these combat forces truly served the Heavenly Court," Chimeng said leisurely.

Hearing this, the others' expressions shifted slightly, and the platform fell into silence.

Fairy Fengtian also frowned, her gaze toward Chunjun Daoist and the others taking on a hint of strangeness.

"Fellow Daoist Chimeng, what are you saying? Although we are not directly under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction, we have always followed the lead of the Heavenly Court and Fairy Fengtian. Should you have any instructions, we would certainly carry them out even at the cost of our lives," Chunjun Daoist quickly said seriously.

The others also expressed their allegiance, vowing to obey the Heavenly Court's commands.

"Giggle, I was just joking. Fellow Daoists need not take it so seriously," Chimeng covered her mouth and giggled.

Seeing this, the others also laughed, and the atmosphere on the platform recovered.