Chapter 1626: Sword Destroys Han

Pei Mianman let out a sharp cry, and a black flaming dragon rose around her longsword as she attacked her opponent once more.

The intense heat of the black flames spread out, and even the air across the entire arena seemed to ripple with waves of smoke. The powerful heat diffused throughout the platform, reaching even those on the other eight arenas, who felt a destructive force.

The disciples were all astonished, realizing that Pei Mianman’s black flames had not been used at full power before.

Initially, many disciples were more focused on admiring Pei Mianman's captivating movements during battle. However, as they were all elites from various sects participating in this tournament, it was impossible for them to only think of romantic interests. So now, while studying the essence of the two combatants’ fight, they continued to appreciate her alluring form.

Having learned from the previous lesson, Zhiyian dared not be careless in the slightest. A layer of earthy yellow light, the power of earth elements, enveloped his entire body. The earth element power enveloped his palms; his hands were like weapons, and he quickly blocked the surrounding black flames one by one.

"Rose Karmic Fire!"

After the earlier probing, Pei Mianman no longer held back. She unleashed her ultimate skill directly. Countless black-flame roses blossomed across the arena like petals scattered by celestial maidens. Each one was as beautiful and dangerous as she herself was.

"This move is truly beautiful," Xie Daoyun murmured to herself, her eyes filled with awe.

Zu An recalled having seen Pei Mianman use this move before at Brightmoon Academy, but the Rose Karmic Fire now was many times more powerful than before. Hearing the exclamations from the surrounding crowd, Abbess Huoling proudly puffed out her chest. The disciple she had found truly possessed outstanding talent. Given time, she might even become the foremost talent among the Daoist sect's younger generation.

Wang Wuxie secretly transmitted a message of vital energy to Yan Xuehen: "These black flames are somewhat strange. Does Grandmaster Yan recognize them?" He naturally wanted to address her as Xuehen, but he had been sternly corrected by her for doing so years ago. He didn't want to further displease her, so he opted for a more formal address. As expected, Yan Xuehen still replied to him: "I do not know." Though it was only two words, Wang Wuxie was already content. He had feared she would avoid him due to past events, but since she still responded, there would naturally be more opportunities later.

He then sought out the leaders of the other sects to discuss it. The others also expressed their astonishment, but none could discern the origin of these black flames. They merely considered it a powerful fire elemental ability.

Only Master Jianhuang seemed thoughtful: "Could it be...?"

At this point, a change occurred in the arena. Zhiyian was seen enveloped in an earthy yellow glow. He used his earth elemental power against the black roses. Earth elementals were renowned for their defense, possessing great resilience. However, as the black roses exploded one by one, the yellow protective barrier around him gradually began to tremble. Eventually, it could no longer hold and shattered, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Has Zhiyian been defeated?" Many people stood up anxiously, trying to see what was happening inside. However, the shrewd observers knew from Pei Mianman's solemn expression that things were not so simple.

Just then, a sphere suddenly shot out from the dust, moving with the speed of a cannonball. The surrounding black roses were completely scattered and annihilated upon impact with the sphere. The sphere, without pausing, hurtled straight towards Pei Mianman. In a hurry, she quickly raised her longsword to block in front of her. With a tremendous clang, she was knocked back several feet before she could regain her balance. She looked at a small chip on her sword blade, her expression exceptionally grave.

Thump, thump, thump! A series of heavy sounds echoed through the arena, each one seeming to pound directly on your heart. Even the contestants on the other eight platforms couldn't help but stop. They all felt their blood churning, unable to continue fighting. Not to mention the other spectators and disciples around; those with lower cultivation levels directly coughed up blood. The elders from various sects quickly channeled their energy to protect their disciples. Only then did everyone return to normal.

At that moment, a figure slowly emerged from the arena's dust. He was tall and slender, with flowing hair. In his hand, he was bouncing a ball. And that terrifying sound was precisely what the ball produced each time it hit the ground.

Everyone's expressions changed. If the sound of it hitting the ground was so powerful, how terrifying must the ball itself be? Even Wu Xiaofan and Wan Guiyi, who had originally been watching casually, couldn't help but straighten up. They watched the ball in his hand with solemn expressions. Was this his trump card?

"This was originally meant for others, but I didn't expect you to force it out of me prematurely. To make me use the Shadowless Sphere, even if you lose, it will have been worth it." Zhiyian was also somewhat annoyed at this moment, but it was hard for him to truly be angry when looking at the enchanting woman across from him. However, at this point, he dared not hold back further. No sooner had his words fallen than the ball in his hand vanished.

Pei Mianman's face paled in shock, and she instantly flickered away from her spot. *Bang!* Where she had just stood, a large hole collapsed directly. The black sphere, which had been in Zhiyian's hand moments before, was now rapidly spinning inside it.

"This power seems to be from a Celestial-grade weapon!" The grandmasters of various sects were naturally discerning. They immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the Shadowless Sphere in Zhiyian's hand, and they all cast admiring and envious glances towards Guan Chouhai. One must know that even with the Daoist sect's deep heritage, Celestial-grade weapons were extremely difficult to obtain. They had not expected him to acquire one for his disciple.

Guan Chouhai's expression was complex at this moment; he couldn't be happy at all. He had originally intended for Zhiyian to use this item to catch Wu Xiaofan off guard in the subsequent championship battle. He had never expected it to be revealed prematurely like this. If Wu Xiaofan or Wan Guiyi were prepared later, it probably wouldn't have such a good effect.

At this moment on the arena, Pei Mianman seized the opportunity. She directly swung her sword and thrust it towards Zhiyian, hoping to defeat him while he was weaponless. However, just as she lunged, a sudden warning flashed in her mind, and Zu An's urgent warning echoed in her ears: "Watch out!" Without thinking twice, she quickly twisted her body to the side. Immediately after, a terrifying gust of wind brushed past her side.

Fortunately, her body was extremely flexible. She managed to perform a difficult maneuver to dodge in such circumstances. The graceful sight of her movement in that instant made many spectators' eyes almost pop out. Pei Mianman, however, was in no mood to care about such things. Instead, she clutched her arm, her face contorted in pain. She hadn't completely dodged the attack; her arm had been lightly grazed by the Shadowless Sphere. Even so, she felt half of her body go numb. She couldn't help but be horrified by the power of the Shadowless Sphere. Furthermore, the sound of the ball hitting the ground made one's blood churn, vital energy flow sluggishly, and reactions seem to lag by half a beat.

Watching the tall, handsome man on the arena continuously bounce the Shadowless Sphere, occasionally performing a movement similar to dribbling between his legs, Zu An's expression grew increasingly strange. "Could this guy also be a transmigrator?" However, his attention was quickly drawn back. Because he noticed that Zhiyian was not merely bouncing the ball; he was adjusting for the optimal moment to strike.

Soon, the black sphere shot out like a phantom. It continuously hurled itself towards Pei Mianman. Pei Mianman initially tried to use her black flames to block the Shadowless Sphere, but the sphere's momentum was too fierce. The black flames she had painstakingly gathered disintegrated upon contact. She dared not confront it head-on and could only desperately dodge. Although her opponent was clearly still bouncing the ball in his hand, the sphere seemed to have countless reflections, darting towards her. Furthermore, the ball could curve and return in various ways, making it impossible for her to guard against every angle.

For a moment, the entire arena was filled with sphere shadows. Pei Mianman seemed to possess an instinct honed in battle. Each time, she narrowly avoided the attack at the last possible second. *Boom!* Several times, the ball struck the protective barrier around the arena, causing the barrier to flicker and shrink. Cracks gradually appeared, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Wang Wuxie's expression slightly changed. He then extended his hand and infused a wisp of purple energy around the arena, which gradually stabilized the entire platform. The leaders of the various sects thought to themselves that Wang Wuxie's cultivation level was becoming increasingly unfathomable. However, they were even more shocked that the attack from the Shadowless Sphere in Zhiyian's hand was so terrifying that even the protective barrier set up by numerous elder-level masters couldn't withstand it. The always arrogant Wan Guiyi's expression subtly changed. He had to admit that he had previously underestimated this effeminate man. If he truly faced him, he might not be guaranteed a victory.

"Manman, concede!" Abbess Huoling stood up anxiously. The armrest of her specially made chair was inadvertently crushed to powder in her grip. As her master, she naturally knew her disciple's situation. Although Pei Mianman seemed to be dodging all attacks for now, she would eventually be hit if this continued. And the power of a Celestial-grade weapon was not so easily withstood. She knew that with Pei Mianman's talent, all she lacked was time. Losing temporarily to the chief disciple of the Lihentian sect was not a shameful matter. The others, hearing the usually unyielding Abbess Huoling say this, concluded that Pei Mianman could no longer turn the tide.

Who would have thought that Pei Mianman, biting her red lips, stubbornly shook her head. Just then, the Shadowless Sphere whizzed towards her. She could no longer dodge and could only raise her longsword to meet it head-on. With a crisp *crack*, the longsword, which already had cracks, shattered into several pieces. And the Shadowless Sphere, without pausing, continued to shoot towards her chest.