Chapter 1643: Are you a Demonic Cult?

The many disciples watching from the sidelines were stunned. Just a moment ago, Lou Wucheng clearly had the upper hand; how did he suddenly vomit blood and collapse the next moment?

However, the young man named Shi on the other side was truly infuriating with his words.

"This match..." The grandmasters on the stage exchanged bewildered glances. While ordinary disciples couldn't discern it, they naturally understood the complexities of the situation.

If Shi Dingtian had been holding a good saber, the outcome would have been decided long ago. But his saber was now shattered. Lou Wucheng had indeed had an opportunity to turn the tables and had even held back, yet he was angered into unconsciousness by Shi Dingtian's words. It was truly difficult to decide how to rule.

If Shi Dingtian were declared the victor, it might cause Li Changsheng of White Jade Capital to lose face. If Lou Wucheng were declared the victor, he was clearly unconscious.

As they deliberated, Li Changsheng calmly stated, "Wucheng's mental fortitude is lacking, causing him to become agitated and impatient when facing an opponent, thus being taken advantage of. This loss is not unjust."

With his clear stance, the others instantly breathed a sigh of relief and naturally declared Shi Dingtian's victory.

The crowd erupted in an uproar, never having expected another major upset in the arena. Lou Wucheng, a favorite to win the championship, had actually lost to an unknown simpleton.

Li Changsheng floated onto the stage and channeled a wisp of vital energy to Lou Wucheng, who slowly regained consciousness. Seeing his master's cold expression and hearing the intermittent sounds of disdain from the crowd towards him, a former favorite for the championship, he was filled with unbearable shame and wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground.

At this moment, Zu An on the high platform suddenly spoke, "I, on the other hand, think his character is quite good. From the very beginning, he was unwilling to bully an unarmed opponent. Even when he had the chance to turn the tables at the end, he didn't take advantage of the situation. This aligns well with a swordsman's pride. I believe that with diligent practice in the future, his achievements in swordsmanship will be immeasurable."

Lou Wucheng, who had been completely disheartened, was startled. At this moment, even his junior disciples, who usually respected and feared him, looked at him with a hint of disdain. He never expected the person he considered his most hated love rival to speak up for him. He was filled with mixed emotions, and for a moment, he even felt tears welling up in his eyes.

He quickly turned his face away, afraid that others would see his tears fall.

As Zu An had started it, Wang Wuxie and the others naturally followed suit and praised Lou Wucheng a few times. After all, White Jade Capital held great prestige, and doing them a favor was merely a small gesture.

Yan Xuehen cast a surprised glance at Zu An, thinking, "Isn't their relationship not good? Yet he actually spoke up for Lou Wucheng. Could it be because he hails from White Jade Capital, and he has a fondness for everything associated with it?" Thinking of this, her fair cheeks felt a little warm.

Pei Mianman's charming peach blossom eyes also sparkled at this moment as she thought, "Ah Zu is becoming more and more like a distinguished figure. Oh, this makes him seem like my elder..."

On the other side, Qiu Honglei also couldn't help but have stars in her eyes. "Ah Zu is truly so kind and generous," she murmured.

Yun Jianyue snorted, "In our Sacred Cult, 'kind' and 'generous' have never been good words."

"Ah Zu isn't from the Sacred Cult," Qiu Honglei retorted, ignoring her and propping her chin on her hand as she gazed at her distant lover.

"Stop being a lovesick fool. It's almost your turn to go on stage. Don't suffer an unexpected setback," Yun Jianyue said. Seeing her like that, Yun Jianyue felt an inexplicable irritation in her heart for some reason.

At this point, Wang Wuxie had already announced the end of the third match. The fourth match would feature Liang Ling of Kunlun Void against Peng Wuyan of Kongming Island.

As the two ascended the stage, the curious disciples around them were already discussing who the winner of this match would be. Relatively speaking, most people favored Liang Ling. After all, Kunlun Void used to be one of the three top Daoist sects, alongside Bixiao Palace and Lihentian. Although it had fallen somewhat into decline now, Kongming Island was even more so.

Furthermore, this Peng Wuyan was truly indescribably ugly, and her methods in the group stage were so ruthless that everyone instinctively leaned towards the relatively handsome Liang Ling.

Zu An, on the other hand, secretly observed the ugly woman on the stage, wondering, "Why does she always feel a bit familiar? Is it because I helped her last time?" Yan Xuehen, who was secretly observing him, frowned slightly, thinking, "Has this guy become so promiscuous that he won't let any woman go?"

"Liang Ling of Kunlun Void!" the young man on the stage announced, cupping his hands.

Qiu Honglei said with a smile, "Enough with the pleasantries, let's just start fighting, so it doesn't end up like the last match."

Liang Ling's breath caught as he thought of Lou Wucheng's miserable state in the previous match, realizing that sometimes, talking too much isn't necessarily a good thing. However, he suddenly felt a bit puzzled. The woman opposite him was clearly very ugly, yet why did that smile just now carry a hint of allure?

"Oh, what the hell," he thought. He began to doubt his own taste. With a grim expression, he drew his long spear. He had originally wanted to say "ladies first," but remembering her ruthless style in the group stage, she didn't seem like someone who needed him to concede. So he shouted, "Watch out, young lady!"

No sooner had he spoken than raging flames suddenly erupted from his spear. The entire spear then spun rapidly, forming a swirling fire tornado that destroyed all obstacles in its path as it lunged directly towards Qiu Honglei.

Even with the protective array around the stage, the surrounding disciples still felt the astonishingly high temperature. They thought, "This Liang Ling's reputation wasn't as great as Wu Xiaofan's or Lou Wucheng's before, but who knew his control over fire had reached such a level?"

There are countless fire-element cultivators in the world, but there are also distinctions within fire elemental arts. Not only can it be judged by the color of the flames—the purer the flame, the lighter and more transparent its color, and the higher its temperature—but also by the proficiency of fire manipulation. There were many fire-element cultivators in the arena, and they naturally saw that Liang Ling was the most skilled fire-element cultivator among them that day. Of course, Pei Mianman's previous black flames seemed somewhat unconventional. Most people had never seen black flames before, and their immense power clearly indicated some miraculous unusual flame.

At this moment, Qiu Honglei saw the huge fire dragon attacking. Her expression was calm, her arms crossed in front of her, and two short blades had already appeared in her palms. At the same time, a wall of light suddenly formed in front of her.

The roaring fire dragon crashed into the wall of light, blooming into a small mushroom cloud. Immediately, a deafening explosion followed. As the firelight flickered, the entire space seemed to distort. A moment later, everyone saw that the fire dragon had dissipated. Liang Ling's long spear was thrust against the wall of light, but it remained unable to advance even an inch.

"The Wall of Sighs!"

There were many experts among the spectators, and they immediately recognized the name of this move.

"She's a light-element cultivator!" Even the various sect leaders on the referee stand were moved. Among all elemental cultivators, light element is one of the rarest. The Wall of Sighs is a very famous defensive technique of the light element. It is almost impossible for those of the same cultivation level to break through, making countless attackers sigh and retreat, hence its name.

They couldn't help but look enviously at Elder Peng of Kongming Island, having never expected that Kongming Island, which had always been the weakest, would produce such a talented individual. At this moment, Yun Jianyue's eyebrows subtly arched. She was so excited that she almost couldn't resist jumping up and telling them the truth, knowing the expressions of those righteous leaders would surely be priceless.

Zu An, on the other hand, was in a trance. He couldn't help but think of Qiu Honglei, who was also a light-elementalist, and wondered how she was doing recently. "Hmph, it's all Sister Yun, that great villain, insisting on separating us and making her go into seclusion."

At this point, several sect leaders also began discussing Peng Wuyan. However, they soon reached a consensus: although the light element is rare, it is not known for its offensive capabilities, and facing the fire element, known for its offensive power, it would not be an advantage. Although the Wall of Sighs offers extremely strong defense, it cannot be maintained indefinitely. In a match where both sides are evenly matched, a single moment of laxity could easily allow the opponent to seize an opportunity and deliver a decisive blow.

Yun Jianyue secretly sneered, "You don't know a thing."

Only Master Jianhuang was quite excited, mumbling to himself, "This person is very suitable to inherit the mantle of my Wuyou Temple. If she cultivates the Buddha's Radiance, wouldn't she attract countless followers?"

The chubby young novice monk Jie Se couldn't help but grumble, "Master, our Buddhist sect is a pure land; how can we allow women to enter?"

"Why not?" Master Jianhuang snorted. "So many infertile women come to temples to pray for children, and don't they all get what they wish for in the end? Besides, there are also nunneries in Buddhism, aren't there?"

The young monk Jie Se pouted, thinking, "Master wants to convert everyone he sees into Buddhism. May this Benefactor Peng find her own fortune."

At this point, Liang Ling on the stage clearly reacted. He retracted his long spear and began circling around, skirmishing. The vital energy required for his opponent to maintain the Wall of Sighs must be immense. If he continued to wear her down like this, he would have a greater advantage.

As expected, the Wall of Sighs quickly disappeared. Qiu Honglei fired a light bullet, and its speed was so astonishing that it instantly reached Liang Ling. Liang Ling was greatly alarmed. He hastily swung his spear to block, and his entire body immediately shook.

At this moment, several more light orbs shot towards him. After a frantic attempt to dodge them, he suddenly had a realization: although the opponent's light bullets were fast, their power was somewhat lacking. So he applied his fire power to his long spear. Wielding his spear like a dragon, he shattered the incoming light orbs one by one.

Then, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a light orb several times larger than the previous ones, shooting towards him. The terrifying pressure emanating from it made the hairs on his entire body stand on end. However, he immediately realized that although this light orb was powerful, it was too slow and could not possibly hit him.

So, as the light orb approached, he feigned a thrust with his spear. In reality, he leaped into the air to dodge it, and seizing the opportunity, he thrust his spear towards his opponent. Once he got close, this woman would be finished; she wouldn't have time to cast the Wall of Sighs again.

Yun Jianyue, watching from the high platform, scoffed with a disdainful smile, "Idiot!"

No sooner had she spoken than Liang Ling suddenly discovered, to his horror, that his opponent, wielding twin blades, had already closed in on him. The twin blades moved like phantoms, each strike aimed at his vital points. Liang Ling finally realized. His own move just now had been a feint, and wasn't the opponent's giant light orb the same?

She knew he would dodge from above, so she attacked the moment he leaped to dodge and before he landed. In such close quarters, a long spear was difficult to wield. What's more, his old strength was depleted and new strength had not yet emerged, making the timing his opponent chose truly vicious.

The short blades in Qiu Honglei's hands seemed to transform into two streaks of light. They moved through his body in various ways, and soon, streaks of blood mist bloomed from him. In just a few breaths of time, she had already left 108 wounds on his body, and Liang Ling himself collapsed to the ground like a torn rag doll.

The entire Golden Summit instantly fell silent. They had expected an evenly matched contest, but how could a victor be decided so quickly? And weren't this woman's methods a bit too ruthless?

Elder Xuandu of Kunlun Void immediately burst into a rage. "So young, yet so vicious in your strikes! Are you from a demonic cult?!"