137. The Swordsman of the East Gate Faces the Azure Smoke; Wuji Unexpectedly Battles the Serpent Immortal

At this moment, everyone—men and women alike—rose to their feet. The men were awestruck by the beauty of that face, while the women were filled with envy at its ethereal perfection. Baili Qingyan remained expressionless, his gaze fixed intently on the man who had been locking him down. Catching the man off guard, Baili Qingyan swung the vine in his hand, bound him tightly, and tossed him right out of the ring.

"I’ve fallen in love with her... she is too beautiful. Is she a celestial being descended to earth?"

"I have never seen such a beautiful person... Could she really be a fairy?"

"I can't take it anymore! My hand, what are you doing? Why are you undoing my belt? Why are you pulling it up? Stop it! Stop it! Get a hold of yourself!"

The entire arena stood, staring in astonishment at Baili Qingyan. Not wishing to remain the center of such intense attention, Baili Qingyan immediately turned, caught his veil as it fluttered down from the air, and draped it back over his face.

The man who had been thrown to the ground looked up at the sky, a smile spreading across his face. "Mother, I’m in love..."

Meanwhile, Dongmen Jianhao and Hao Bang were locked in a fierce exchange, trading blows three times over. Neither would yield; it was a breathtaking display of combat—a battle between true tough guys, as the crowd put it. Every strike was imbued with raw, masculine vigor.

While parrying, Hao Bang shouted, "Hey, who is that girl?"

"What?" Dongmen Jianhao swung his sword, deflecting the water-fire staff.

Hao Bang lunged again with his staff, relentless and untiring. "I said, the girl who uses vines..."

"He is not a girl. He is a man—a real man, just like you, with everything a man should have!" Dongmen Jianhao replied.

Hao Bang was stunned. Taking advantage of his momentary shock, Dongmen Jianhao pressed his attack with his sword. Stupefied, Hao Bang retreated repeatedly. "This... this is impossible... how could it be..."

"It is as you see," said Dongmen Jianhao. "Though he possesses a face that would drive any woman mad, that is not necessarily a blessing."

"Argh, I don't believe it!" Hao Bang seemed to lose his composure, launching a frantic, magnificent assault on Dongmen Jianhao.

Their intense duel drew cheers from the audience; after all, the previous bouts had been too bizarre, with few showing real skill. In one corner of the arena, Xiao Zhuge and Ji Liancheng were still playing chess, so absorbed in their game that they were oblivious to everything else, a sight that left many both laughing and shaking their heads.

Hao Bang was a dual-spirit user; his water-fire staff contained the spirits of a fire lizard and an ice lizard. The staff crackled with conflicting forces of frost and flame, which he swung toward Dongmen Jianhao.

Recognizing the danger, Dongmen Jianhao sidestepped and hurled all his flying swords into the air. "Sword Wolves!" he roared. Ten massive, icy-blue wolves materialized around him, leapt into the air, caught the hilts of his swords, and charged at Hao Bang.

Hao Bang laughed aloud. "You’ve finally been forced to use your spirit ability, but that’s not all I have!"

As he spoke, the ice and fire lizards materialized into physical forms. The ice lizard spread webbing from beneath its ribs, blocking the incoming sword wolves, while the fire lizard lunged toward Dongmen Jianhao.

"I’ve seen through your tricks!" Hao Bang boasted.

Dongmen Jianhao smiled. "I only used one spirit ability, but you have used two."

"What?" Hao Bang was shocked. Just as he was about to pull back, a piercing eagle cry rang out from behind him. A pitch-black eagle dived down, its talons sharp as blades, shattering the ice lizard’s defense and grabbing it to cast it into the sky.

Without the ice lizard’s protection, the attacks of the sword wolves landed squarely on Hao Bang. Battered and bruised, he tumbled off the ring and fell unconscious.

The crowd erupted in cheers, fists raised to salute Dongmen Jianhao.

"I hereby announce that this round has concluded. Xiao Zhuge and Ji Liancheng are both disqualified for playing chess for over five hours!" the Chief Eunuch declared.

Yet, the two men in the arena did not even turn their heads, their minds still entirely lost in the chessboard.

The draw for the next round began immediately. With Xiao Zhuge and Ji Liancheng disqualified, there would be five matches. The top five disciples were about to be determined. Xie Wuji approached the ring with a heavy heart. The Chief Eunuch glanced at the two chess players, but rather than forcing them off, he had the ring moved to the edge of the venue so they could continue their game.

"First match: Baili Qingyan of the Danxia Sect versus Dongmen Jianhao of the Danxia Sect," the eunuch announced at the top of his lungs.

Xie Wuji was startled. "This isn't right! Why are you making members of the same sect fight each other?"

"Young Master Xie, the draws are all live. It is simply luck, and there is nothing I can do," the Chief Eunuch replied.

"Second match: Li Wuqiong of the Jixian Sect versus Ling Yunqi of the Beast King Mountain."

"Third match: Hao Lang of the General's Mansion versus Xu Lang of the Myriad Demon Palace."

"Fourth match: Qie Ge of the Magic Sound Pavilion versus Yue Xianchen of the Crescent God Sect."

"Fifth match: Xie Wuji of the Danxia Sect versus Snake Fairy of Snake Island."

"Snake Fairy?" Xie Wuji was stunned. "Is there a mistake? She is the Island Master of Snake Island. You are asking me, a disciple, to fight a sect leader?"

The Chief Eunuch smiled faintly. "Though she is the Island Master, she is still a second-generation disciple. Furthermore, she has not yet officially inherited the Abyssal Flood Dragon, so she is not the formal Master, but at most an acting one. Her strength remains on the level of a second-generation disciple."

Xie Wuji felt his mind in turmoil. He knew the Snake Fairy’s abilities were formidable; facing her right away was a daunting challenge.

The second round was to be held in the evening, so everyone went off to eat first. Xie Wuji was eating instant noodles topped with a meat bun.

"Brother Xie, here. This flatbread was just baked, and it has your favorite meat filling inside," Dongmen Xianyun said.

Xie Wuji thanked her, noticing Dongmen Jianhao and Baili Qingyan standing nearby.

"I didn't expect us to meet so soon," Dongmen Jianhao said. "This will be the chance to finally decide who the top disciple of the Danxia Sect is."

"Born of the same root, why must we be so eager to destroy each other?" Xie Wuji sighed.

Dongmen Jianhao heard the words and trembled, looking at Baili Qingyan with a complex expression. Baili Qingyan also paused, saying nothing. It wasn't just them; Dongmen Yong was also struck by the cleverness of the phrase. He glanced at the Grand Elder, Ding Desheng. Though Ding Desheng was not looking at him, a memory suddenly flashed through his mind.

It was on a cliffside, many years ago. A young Ding Desheng had shouted to Dongmen Yong, "Junior Brother, go! Hurry! I will handle this opponent. Tell my father I cannot return, and that I will be his son again in the next life!"

"Brother Ding, we grew up together! The Master is my mentor and your father; if you want to say something, tell him yourself! I won't carry your message!" The young Dongmen Yong had been stubborn, but his words had filled Ding Desheng’s eyes with tears.

Just then, a cry came from afar—it was Ding Xuanming. Even in his youth, he was a handsome lad, sword in hand, blood dripping from his arm. "Big Brother! Brother Dongmen! Let the three of us finish this guy off! He killed so many of our juniors; I want him to pay with his life! Aaaah!"

"Hahaha! The three of you little brats want to take me on?" The giant they had cornered laughed, his skin a bruised purple, drenched in blood, looking for all the world like a demon.

The three brothers stood side by side, putting every ounce of their strength into their attack against the giant...