Chapter Sixty-Eight: A One-Sided Battle
"This woman is formidable!"
"Indeed, in the same realm, yet she won so effortlessly!"
"She’s fierce! If that guy didn’t possess the Stone Clan’s Petrification Martial Soul, I reckon he’d have died several times over by now."
"Yes, the contest between the five great clans truly lives up to expectations. My long journey here was worth it."
All around the martial arena, the din of voices rose and fell. The gathered martial artists watched, astonished by Mo Yanyu’s power.
Mo Yanyu stood at the center of the arena, her face cold as frost, proudly regarding the Stone Clan with a chilling gaze, like a snow lotus blooming on a lonely mountain.
Many of the onlookers, awed by her ruthless skill, stared wide-eyed at her alluring figure, marveling in hushed tones.
On the Stone Clan’s side, Shi Jian and the others looked grim as iron.
Shi Tie trembled with anger, glaring resentfully at Mo Tuo, helpless to vent his fury.
Such was the nature of the martial tournament: defeat, when suffered openly and fairly, left the loser with no recourse but to regain honor in the next bout. There was no other way.
“Patriarch, Young Master Tianluo is not in mortal danger, but he won’t be able to fight for at least three years,” a Stone Clan retainer reported, approaching Shi Jian and Shi Tie.
Their bodies stiffened, a trace of grief flickering in their eyes.
“Grandfather, something was off about that woman. Her strength surged unnaturally midway through the fight,” Shi Yan murmured.
“I noticed,” Shi Jian replied, taking a long breath as he turned his hesitant gaze toward Shi Tianke and Shi Tianyun.
He had seen it clearly himself.
In the middle of the match, Mo Yanyu’s face had turned deathly pale. At that very moment, the flow and density of her vital energy had increased drastically—an absolutely abnormal phenomenon.
“Yuer, stand down. Mo Qi, you’re up!” On the opposite side, Mo Tuo called out. “The stakes on the platform remain. The Mo Clan continues to challenge the Stone Clan!”
A young man, about six foot one, stepped forward to replace Mo Yanyu at the center of the arena, announcing proudly, “Mo Qi of the Mo Clan, Second Heaven of Innate Realm. Stone Clan, please instruct me!”
“Brother!” Shi Tie called anxiously, glancing worriedly at Shi Tianke behind him. “What should we do?”
“Fight!” Shi Jian gritted his teeth, hesitated a moment, then suddenly declared, “Tianyun, you’re up!”
This announcement left all the Stone Clan members stunned and perplexed.
Shi Tianyun was the strongest of the Stone Clan’s third generation, possessing the cultivation of the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm. Everyone had assumed he would be saved for the final match.
Now, with Shi Jian unexpectedly sending him out, would there even be any point in the subsequent matches?
On the opposing side, Mo Zhan was the Mo Clan’s top contender of the third generation, but he had yet to take the field. Regardless of whether Shi Tianyun won or lost this round, he would lose the chance to fight again.
When Mo Zhan stepped up later, who in the Stone Clan would face him?
If no suitable challenger could be found at that time, the entire audience would see the Stone Clan as lacking in talent—a humiliation far worse than a simple loss.
“Brother!” Shi Tie exclaimed in shock, “Mo Zhan hasn’t even fought yet!”
“Tianyun must go! There’s something strange on the other side. Only with Tianyun’s higher cultivation can we be sure of safety,” Shi Jian said coldly. “Enough talk! Tianyun, enter the arena!”
“Yes, sir!” Shi Tianyun replied, stepping into the arena. “Shi Tianyun of the Stone Clan, Third Heaven of Innate Realm—please instruct me!”
“Shi Tianyun! Isn’t he the strongest of the Stone Clan’s third generation?”
“Yes, but Mo Zhan hasn’t even fought yet. Why send him out so soon?”
“Perhaps the Stone Clan is afraid, forced to send out their best. This is getting interesting—a Third Heaven against a Second Heaven. The Mo Clan probably won’t accept; they’ll surely switch fighters.”
“Yes, the Mo Clan won’t take that loss.”
The spectators nearby whispered in amazement, exchanging puzzled glances.
Many from the Beiming and Ling clans also looked at the Stone Clan in bewilderment.
Even the members of the Zuo Clan wore expressions of surprise, unable to fathom Shi Jian’s intentions. Only Zuo Xu and Zuo Shi seemed to have an inkling, glancing quietly at Shi Yan.
“Bailuo City—a mine! Plus, the southern commercial street of Bailuo City!” Shi Jian took a deep breath, retrieved the relevant deeds from the brocade pouch before him, and handed them to the official in charge.
“Mo Qi of the Mo Clan, Second Heaven of the Innate Realm. Shi Tianyun of the Stone Clan, Third Heaven. Any objections?” The official cast a frown at both Shi Jian and Mo Tuo after placing the deeds on the platform.
Mo Tuo hesitated, eyeing Shi Tianyun, uncertain why he’d been sent up.
After a moment’s pause, he quietly consulted a disheveled, straw-haired old man at his side. At the old man’s slight nod, Mo Tuo relaxed and nodded to the official. “No problem. Any of my Mo Clan’s sons at the Second Heaven can defeat a Stone Clan brat at the Third Heaven. Let’s fight!”
“Very well. Begin!” As soon as the official’s words fell, Shi Tianyun’s body turned ashen grey, petrifying at once. Mo Qi wasted no time, lightning already crackling around his arm as he let out a short cry.
“Mo Qi, show your true strength early—don’t let anyone underestimate you,” Mo Tuo instructed lightly.
Hearing this, Mo Qi immediately understood what to do.
In the blink of an eye, just as Mo Yanyu had, Mo Qi’s face turned ghostly pale, devoid of all color, giving him an uncanny, terrifying appearance.
At the same time, the vital energy within Mo Qi’s body surged, its flow increasing dramatically—as though a force not his own was being forcibly drawn out, flooding his entire body. In that instant, his aura actually suppressed Shi Tianyun, who held the cultivation of the Third Heaven!
“It’s happening again!” Shi Tie growled. “The Mo Clan is using some trickery. This is definitely not the power of a mere Second Heaven martial artist!”
Shi Jian’s face darkened as he nodded. “Did you notice? Before accepting the match, Mo Tuo whispered to that old man behind him. The strangeness in Mo Yanyu and Mo Qi must be connected to him!”
“I won’t let them get away with this!” Shi Tie hissed through clenched teeth.
With a thunderous roar, Shi Tianyun launched himself forward, the hard blue-iron stone of the arena resounding as if shattered.
He shot at Mo Qi like a sword, intent on quickly closing the gap and crippling him in close combat.
Mo Qi sneered, undaunted, and faced Shi Tianyun head-on. Lightning snaked from his arms, lashing out at Shi Tianyun.
At the same time, blue radiance burst from Mo Qi’s palm, condensing into tangible blue spheres that hurtled at Shi Tianyun.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The blue spheres struck Shi Tianyun, halting his fierce charge.
Seizing the moment, Mo Qi’s vital energy surged again. After the blue spheres, he appeared directly in front of Shi Tianyun.
The lightning wove itself into a net, ensnaring Shi Tianyun in an instant.
“How can this be? The power within that kid rivals a Human Rank martial artist!” Shi Tie cried in alarm.
Shi Tianyun struggled against the electric net, but was unable to break free quickly.
Meanwhile, Mo Qi’s blue spheres continued to pummel him, forcing him back step by step.
Mo Qi pressed the advantage, closing in, pummeling Shi Tianyun relentlessly with fists and kicks.
Blood streamed from the corners of Shi Tianyun’s mouth, the lightning net pinning him completely, leaving him unable to fight back.
It was a one-sided massacre.
All were stunned, watching as Mo Qi, merely at the Second Heaven, savaged Shi Tianyun, who could do nothing in return.
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. How could that kid be so strong? Something’s not right, not right at all!”
“Is he really a Second Heaven martial artist? Or are the five great clans’ Innate Realm fighters on a whole different level?”
“I can’t make sense of it!”
The surrounding martial artists were dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was unfolding before them.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Shi Tianyun, still trapped in the electric net, could only passively endure Mo Qi’s onslaught. Blood ran from his seven orifices, his gaze growing vacant.
Shi Jian shot to his feet and shouted, “We concede this round!”
The official from the Beiming Clan glanced across the arena at Beiming Shang.
At that moment, Beiming Shang seemed oblivious to the fight, sipping tea as though nothing was happening.
Seeing Beiming Shang’s attitude, the official understood and busied himself inspecting the deeds on the platform, as if he hadn’t heard Shi Jian’s call of surrender.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Mo Qi continued his savage assault, Shi Tianyun already collapsed, receiving kick after brutal kick.
“We concede!” Shi Jian roared at Beiming Shang.
Only then did Beiming Shang seem to notice, glancing at Shi Jian before lazily signaling to the official.
“Match over! The Mo Clan wins!” the official finally declared.
Mo Qi ceased his attack, stepped back a few paces, and scoffed, “The Stone Clan are all cowards. A guy at the Third Heaven, and this is all he can do? What a waste of my time. Hmph!”
With that, Mo Qi strode proudly back to the Mo Clan, basking in their praise.
Like a ghost, Han Feng flitted onto the arena, scooping up the battered, bloodied Shi Tianyun and rushing him to the Stone Clan’s healers.
They hurriedly stuffed pills into Shi Tianyun’s mouth, their faces grave.
Shi Tie, no longer caring to glare at Mo Tuo, pressed his hand to Shi Tianyun, pouring his own vital energy into him for healing.
The arena fell suddenly silent.
Everyone sensed the strange turn of events; for a moment, no one dared to speak, only casting odd glances between the Mo and Stone Clans.
“The stakes remain. Zhan’er, it’s your turn!” Mo Tuo called coldly, a sinister smile on his lips.
“Mo Zhan of the Mo Clan, Third Heaven of Innate Realm—Stone Clan, please instruct me!”
Mo Zhan, his tall figure imposing, stood proudly in the arena, sneering, “I’m curious, does the Stone Clan have anyone left with the courage to fight? Do you dare?”