Chapter 1644: Proud Cloud Moon Bee

"What are you shouting about? He's not dead yet, is he?" Yun Jianyue also slammed the table and stood up.She secretly sneered. *You haven't seen true ruthlessness. If this weren't a Daoist sect arena, that guy would have been torn limb from limb; there's no way he'd only have such minor injuries.*

Zu'an was momentarily dazed. He wondered why Elder Peng's temper reminded him a bit of Sister Yun.But he quickly chuckled to himself. He must be dreaming because he was thinking about her. Sister Yun was clearly much prettier than she was.

The main reason was that this was clearly a grand gathering organized by orthodox masters; wouldn't two demon sect members just be walking into a death trap?No one would ever suspect such a thing.

Wang Wuxie felt a headache coming on. What was going on this year? The judges' stands were more raucous than the arena. Were both sides about to clash again?Just as he was about to speak, a low voice suddenly came from the arena: "Elder, I have not yet lost."

Everyone turned around sharply, only to see Liang Ling, who had been lying prostrate on the arena floor, slowly stand up, his body faintly shrouded in a layer of flames.

Elder Xuandu's face instantly changed when he saw this. "Absolutely not!"But no sooner had he spoken than with a loud boom, Liang Ling's entire body ignited. His previously extremely weak aura surged dramatically, and the wounds on his body healed at a visible rate.

On the high platform, several sect leaders sighed. With their expertise, they naturally recognized this as Kunlunxu's ultimate technique — Fiery Rebirth. By burning one's essence and blood, it allows for rapid recovery from injuries. Although powerful, its negative consequences are severe; afterwards, one can be severely injured, crippled, or even die. Even if one recovers, it can affect their cultivation potential.Therefore, this move is rarely used unless one is facing certain death.Yet, Liang Ling used it in this situation. Even if he wins this match, he won't be able to participate in the next one.

Elder Xuandu anxiously slapped his thigh. "Oh, why bother with this? How foolish!"

Liang Ling's expression was resolute. "I can lose, but I won't lose this easily."His gaze towards Qiu Honglei was filled with surging fighting spirit.

Watching this scene, Zu'an couldn't help but feel a little admiration. Having observed the matches over the past few days, he saw that while there were indeed some scoundrels among the Daoist sects, there were also many impressive young people.Take Liang Ling, for example: though a bit impulsive, his inherent indomitable spirit proved him to be a man of steel.As expected, the Nine Daoist Sects, being orthodox martial arts factions, truly excelled at nurturing their successors.

"As you wish!" Qiu Honglei also put away her relaxed smile. Holding short blades in both hands, she transformed into a blur and charged towards him.

Instead of counter-attacking with his spear, Liang Ling suddenly transformed into a massive fire tornado, enveloped entirely in vermilion flames. The entire arena floor glowed dark red from the heat, with crimson lines making the ground appear like molten lava.Qiu Honglei seemed to be scalded. She quickly tapped her foot, canceled her charge, and leapt backward.

However, the large fire tornado in the center simultaneously fragmented into several smaller fire pillar tornadoes, attacking in all directions.Even with the array's protection, the arena floor became a sea of fire. No matter how agile Qiu Honglei's movement technique was, she had nowhere to evade.Left with no choice, she ascended into the air.

Liang Ling seized this opportunity, rushing forward with the fire tornado. Since his opponent hadn't reached the Grandmaster level, her agility in the air would be greatly reduced.The flames around him were now extremely vibrant and bright, clearly a level more powerful than before.

At this point, the entire arena was engulfed in flames. The protective arrays surrounding the stage flickered wildly, clearly sensing the immense power within and working desperately to prevent their collapse and harm to the surrounding spectators.The entire arena now resembled a volcanic eruption, with crimson lava everywhere. The air within was rapidly depleted, leaving no escape on the stage.Qiu Honglei's figure appeared tiny amidst the sea of fire, as if she could be swallowed at any moment.

Cai Yu of Li Hentian sighed, "As expected of Kunlunxu's chief disciple, their foundation is truly different. That ugly woman from Kongming Island is probably going to lose."

Zhi Yin's expression was grim. Although Liang Ling was formidable, his power was merely a temporary surge of potential activated by Fiery Rebirth. If Zhi Yin himself were in the arena, he would simply avoid the initial onslaught and wait for Liang Ling's momentum to wane; defeating him would then be easy.He could even have attacked from the start with Iron Mountain Lean and Shadowless Ball, giving Liang Ling no chance to unleash his ultimate move.Unfortunately, his defeat in the group stage meant he had lost his opportunity.

Thinking of the person responsible for all this, he glared intensely at Pei Mianman of the Azure Palace in the distance. He thought, *This is all thanks to that woman!*However, seeing her ample bosom and her smiling "peach blossom" eyes, he found himself unable to feel any anger.He sighed, *I never expected there to be someone in the Daoist sects whose beauty and cultivation were no less than Immortal Chu's. If only I hadn't underestimated her then.*Upon reviewing the match afterwards, he believed he would definitely not lose if he had another chance, but the more he thought this, the more frustrated he became.

Just then, a blinding flash of light suddenly erupted, causing many people to cover their eyes, cries of "Ouch!" ringing out. "What was that? It blinded my eyes!"It turned out that Qiu Honglei, suspended in mid-air, was suddenly enveloped in an intense light, making her appear like a small sun.

The sect leaders from various factions straightened up. This seemed to be a light-element blinding skill. As light-element techniques were rare, many of them had only read about them in ancient texts. Now, witnessing it firsthand, how could they not watch intently?Although the dazzling light made the surrounding disciples tear up and cover their eyes, it had little effect on the sect leaders given their cultivation levels.

Liang Ling in the arena, however, was different. Although he was in the fire tornado, he had been intently focused on Qiu Honglei in the air.That momentary flash of intense light harmed him even more than it did the disciples around the arena.Almost instantly, he felt a sharp sting, his vision turned completely white, and he was temporarily blinded.

This shock was immense. He could only desperately channel his flame power and attack in the direction he remembered.But Qiu Honglei was not foolish enough to remain stationary. She quickly appeared behind Liang Ling's side, her twin blades crossed, and an 'X'-shaped light blade shot towards him.

"Holy Light Cross Slash?" Someone recognized the origin of the move. It was sword energy formed from light, sharp enough to cut through metal and jade.

Liang Ling finally detected the anomaly and hastily summoned flames behind him, but in his hurried state, he was still half a beat too slow.Boom!The light slash struck the fire tornado. The terrifying flames, which had been raging moments before, were directly torn apart, as if suppressed by something. Their size noticeably diminished.Liang Ling's true form became visible within the flames. In his haste, he used his spear to block in front of him.A dazzling flash of light erupted, and he was struck down from the air.Obvious slash marks were left on his spear, his hands were covered in blood, and his chest clothing was ripped open, revealing a deep wound.

"Do you want to continue fighting?" Qiu Honglei asked with a smiling face.

Many in the crowd had strange expressions. This woman was clearly extraordinarily ugly, yet her every gesture and movement made her seem like a peerless beauty.At first, people felt a little nauseous looking at her, but after watching for a while, she somehow began to appear pleasing and charming.*Could this be the power of a strong individual?*

Liang Ling, on the ground, remained silent for a moment before finally speaking with extreme difficulty, "No need. Thank you for holding back. I lost."He had previously believed that his carelessness led to the surprise attack. He still had many ultimate moves unused, and losing the once-a-decade competition like this was incredibly frustrating, which was why he had unleashed Fiery Rebirth regardless of the cost.But fighting until now, he had discovered that the woman opposite him was unfathomable.No chief disciple was foolish. He knew that if he continued, the price of Fiery Rebirth would become increasingly steep, and his chances of winning were slim. There was no longer any need to persist.

Wu Xiaofan, Wan Guiyi, and other chief disciples aiming for the championship carefully observed Qiu Honglei in the air. *This woman is stronger than we imagined.*

Since Liang Ling had conceded, Elder Xuandu found it hard to object. He hastily took out Kunlunxu's miraculous elixirs and gave them to Liang Ling to consume.

Meanwhile, Wang Wuxie and the other sect leaders looked at Yun Jianyue with complex expressions. "Kongming Island truly keeps a low profile until it makes an astonishing debut."It was well known that Kongming Island had always been mere participants in previous competitions. Yet, this time, their disciple was unbelievably strong; Liang Ling hadn't even seemed to test her limits.

"You flatter me, you flatter me~" Seeing these orthodox leaders, who usually called for her death, Yun Jianyue felt as refreshed as if she had eaten several large slices of iced watermelon in the desert during the dog days of summer.She thought to herself, *What expressions will you all have when I reveal my true identity after winning the championship?*The thought of making the entire Daoist sect a laughingstock with just a small trick almost made her burst out laughing.

"The top four have been decided. There will be one day of rest, and the semifinals will be held the day after tomorrow." With Wang Wuxie's announcement, today's matches concluded.

Disciples from various sects excitedly discussed the day's spectacular matches. Many also came to Kongming Island to curry favor. With such a powerful disciple, Kongming Island would no longer be an obscure presence among the Daoist sects; it was worth their effort to show goodwill.

Yun Jianyue usually detested such social interactions, but at this moment, she was thoroughly enjoying it. After all, the more eager these people were, the more spectacular their expressions would be when the truth was revealed.Just as she was about to preen with satisfaction, Yan Xuehen suddenly appeared before her. "You resemble an old acquaintance of mine."