Chapter 249 | You Said You Only Wanted to Die

The moment the words fell, Mu Zeting took the lead!

A green wind blade howled out. As a wind spiritual root cultivator, his spells were several times faster than those of ordinary spiritual roots, and in the blink of an eye, it had reached Duan Xianxing's face.

Unfazed, Duan Xianxing unsheathed the long sword at his waist, thunder flashing along the blade: "Thunder Flash!"

Boom!

The thunderous sword qi collided with the wind blade, creating a deafening roar. Amidst the surging waves of energy, Duan Xianxing had already closed the distance, his sword aiming straight for Mu Zeting!

Mu Zeting's expression shifted slightly as his figure suddenly became ethereal and elusive: "Wind Shadow Steps!"

Duan Xianxing's strike missed, and he immediately changed his move. He twisted his blade, and the thunderous light transformed into a web of electricity that spread outward: "Thunder Net!"

"Tricks!" Mu Zeting's figure was like the wind as he wove through the gaps in the electrical web. He quickly formed hand seals, and dozens of wind blades struck toward Duan Xianxing from different angles.

Duan Xianxing's sword momentum shifted abruptly. Instead of pursuing, he stood his ground and drew a circle with his long sword in front of him: "Thunder Shield!"

Lightning condensed into a shield, blocking all the incoming wind blades. However, Mu Zeting's attack did not stop. He continued to form seals, chanting under his breath: "Strangle!"

A wild wind suddenly rose around the martial arts arena, forming a massive cage of wind. Sharp wind blades were mixed within, surrounding Duan Xianxing on all sides.

"Is this Mu Zeting really the same person we encountered last time?" Li Nanzhu frowned slightly.

"Someone capable of becoming a direct disciple wouldn't truly be that foolish," Jiang Yifan said, arms crossed as he watched the match. "Don't forget, he is the direct grandson of a Wuji Sect elder. They wouldn't let him slack off."

Li Nanzhu's gaze darkened. She felt a strange sense of incongruity, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Don't worry, these won't trouble Seventh Junior Brother," Mu Wenyan said with a gentle smile.

Sure enough, Duan Xianxing suddenly swung his long sword inside the wind prison, the thunderous light on the blade surging: "Thunder Dragon Break!"

Roar!

A bolt of lightning erupted from the tip of the sword, transforming into the shape of a dragon that roared as it charged at the wind prison. Everywhere the thunder dragon passed, the wind blades scattered, and the wind cage was forcibly torn open with a massive gap.

Seizing the opportunity, Duan Xianxing's figure moved like a bolt of lightning as he burst through the opening. His sword pointed directly at Mu Zeting, his speed so fast he almost left afterimages.

Mu Zeting turned pale with shock. In his haste, he could only hold his folding fan across his chest: "Wind Wall!"

A green wall of wind formed before him. Duan Xianxing's sword struck the wind wall, emitting a harsh grinding sound.

"Break!" Duan Xianxing shouted, the lightning on his sword intensifying.

Crack!

Cracks appeared on the wind wall, and it looked like it was about to shatter. Mu Zeting gritted his teeth and suddenly pulled a handful of green talismans from his sleeve, throwing them into the air: "Wind Spirit Talisman Array!"

The talismans arranged themselves into a specific formation in mid-air, emitting strong spiritual energy fluctuations.

Although Mu Zeting was restricted by the new rules from using talismans made by others, his own talent in the dao of talismans was not to be underestimated. However, it was clear that using these talismans he had made himself pained him significantly.

The talisman array emitted a blinding green light, and countless wind blades shot toward Duan Xianxing like raindrops. These wind blades were more solid than the previous ones, each carrying a piercing whistle that tore through the air.

Duan Xianxing didn't dare to be careless. He swung his long sword rapidly: "Thunder!"

Wherever the blade passed, lightning condensed into a curtain of light, blocking the incoming wind blades one by one. But the attacks from the talisman array were continuous, and Duan Xianxing was gradually pushed toward the edge of the martial arts arena.

"Give up!" Mu Zeting laughed triumphantly. "My Wind Spirit Talisman Array can last for the duration of an incense stick!"

A cold smirk played on the corner of Duan Xianxing's mouth. "Is that so?"

He suddenly changed his strategy. Instead of directly resisting the array's attacks, he began to move across the arena with incredible speed. His thunder spiritual root granted him astonishing quickness, allowing him to dodge the wind blades at the last possible second every time.

"Hiding? Let's see how long you can hide!" Mu Zeting sneered and formed a seal. The talisman array shifted, and the wind blades suddenly split, their numbers exploding.

Duan Xianxing suddenly stopped in his tracks, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. "Found the flaw!"

He raised his long sword high, the lightning on the blade condensing to its limit: "Thunder Light Flash!"

Boom!

A blinding bolt of lightning struck the northwest corner of the talisman array like a thunderclap. The spiritual energy fluctuation of one talisman there was different from the others, clearly marking the weak point of the formation.

The lightning hit the mark precisely. The entire talisman array shook violently, the talismans burst into flames, and the formation collapsed instantly.

"Impossible!" Mu Zeting stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. "How could you see through the weak point of my talisman array?"

Duan Xianxing chuckled, pointing his sword diagonally at the ground. "Because you're just too weak!"

Of course, he wouldn't tell Mu Zeting that back at the Five Elements Dao Sect, before Li Nanzhu had even joined, he, as the youngest disciple, had received plenty of 'special attention' from his seniors.

Especially Fifth Senior Sister Feng Qingping, who pushed him to his limits in every training session.

A memory flashed back to three years ago—

"Seventh Junior Brother, again!" Feng Qingping held her sword, the tip pointing directly at Duan Xianxing's nose. "If you can't break my Thousand-Leaf Sword Array this time, don't even think about eating dinner tonight!"

Duan Xianxing was drenched in sweat, with seven or eight minor wounds on his body.

He gritted his teeth and raised his sword. "Fifth Senior Sister, this array of yours is way too insane..."

"Less talk!" Feng Qingping twisted her blade, and dozens of green sword qi drifted down like falling leaves. "In the cultivation world, your enemies won't show you any mercy!"

Duan Xianxing was forced to weave through the rain of swords, adding a few more scars to his body. Just as he was about to give in, he suddenly noticed that the trajectory of a 'leaf' in the southeast corner was slightly off—

"Now!" He lunged forward with his sword, striking that specific 'leaf'!

The entire sword array collapsed instantly.

Feng Qingping finally revealed a satisfied smile. "Not bad. You've finally gotten the hang of it."

...

Mu Zeting had no way of knowing all this. At this moment, his face was pale as he staggered back three steps.

He scrambled to reach for his storage bag, only to find it empty—the previous talisman array had exhausted his entire reserve of talismans.

"What? Out of stock?" Duan Xianxing flicked his sword, a mischievous smirk on his lips. "Then it's my turn!"

His figure moved like electricity, closing in on Mu Zeting in an instant. Mu Zeting only had time to throw up a spiritual energy barrier in haste, but Duan Xianxing shattered it with a single strike.

"Wait—" Mu Zeting started to speak, but Duan Xianxing's left hand suddenly formed a seal: "Silence Spell!"

A flash of spiritual light followed, and Mu Zeting's mouth seemed to be sewn shut, unable to make a sound. He stared in horror, desperately trying to dispel the spell, but Duan Xianxing gave him no chance.

Bang!

A heavy punch slammed into Mu Zeting's face, spinning him around three times on the spot. A gasp erupted from the stands, which quickly turned into uproarious laughter.

"That punch was for looking down on our Five Elements Dao Sect!" Duan Xianxing said, throwing another punch into his opponent's stomach.

Mu Zeting doubled over in pain, but because of the silence spell, he couldn't even let out a scream. He wanted to fight back, but the talisman array from before had already drained most of his spiritual energy; he couldn't even muster a decent spell now.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Duan Xianxing's fists fell like raindrops, specifically targeting the face. Before long, Mu Zeting's originally handsome face had been beaten into a pig's head, his eyes swollen into slits, his nose crooked to one side, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The referee stood to the side, brow furrowed.

According to the rules, as long as a contestant did not surrender and there was no life-threatening danger, the match had to continue. And now, Mu Zeting had been hit with a silence spell; he couldn't even say the words to surrender.