"Heh... heh..."
A raspy breath squeezed out of Mo Lin's throat, and the green patterns on his chest were receding like a tide.
Just when everyone thought the match was decided—
"Pfft!"
He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of heart blood onto his chest, his hands forming a strange and eerie hand seal that no one had ever seen before.
"Don't... even think... about leaving!"
With that roar, the veins all over his body suddenly bulged. Densely packed blood-colored patterns emerged under his skin, writhing frantically until they converged into a hideous ghost face pattern on his chest!
"He's mad!" An elder of the Beast Taming Sect stood up abruptly. "He's burning his longevity!"
A commotion broke out among the spectators.
On the high platform, several Soul Transformation sect leaders changed countenance simultaneously. Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao's fingertips glowed with gold light once more, ready to intervene at any moment.
"Does he have a death wish?" Duan Xianxing's eyes widened. "He already clearly..."
Before he could finish, a terrifying change occurred to Mo Lin in the arena.
His body grew half a foot taller out of thin air, his nails turned pitch-black as ink, and his eyes were completely taken over by a green glow. Most terrifyingly, the spiritual pressure he emitted instantly surged to the mid-Nascent Soul stage!
"Die!"
Mo Lin roared and pounced, his speed so fast he left afterimages in the air. His black claws carried a force that seemed to tear through space, aimed straight for Mu Wenyan's heart!
Mu Wenyan's pupils shrank as he blocked with his long sword.
Clang—!
The sound of clashing metal rang through the entire venue. The massive impact forced Mu Wenyan back seven steps, the web of his thumb split open, and a trickle of blood dripped down the hilt of his sword.
"Eldest Senior Brother!" Seeing this, everyone's expressions changed in unison.
This was the first time he had been injured since the start of the competition!
Or rather, it was the first time any of them had seen Mu Wenyan injured since joining the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Even Zhu Yinxi, who had joined after Mu Wenyan, had never seen it before. One could imagine how much of a shock this sight was.
In the arena, Mu Wenyan's gaze finally changed.
He no longer held back, and the green light on his blade surged instantly. Curiously, however, his swordplay suddenly became treacherous and unpredictable; even Duan Xianxing could not recognize the technique.
Swish!
He performed a sword pick at a slant, the angle extremely cunning.
Mo Lin's black claws barely brushed past the sword's edge, but just as they were about to touch Mu Wenyan's heart, they were forced back by a sudden burst of sword qi.
"This is..." Zhu Yinxi narrowed his eyes. "Eldest Senior Brother is changing his moves."
Over the next dozen exchanges, Mu Wenyan's swordplay grew increasingly fierce. Every strike carried a suffocating sense of pressure, his figure flickered, and wherever his blade pointed, even the space slightly distorted.
But Mo Lin was even more terrifying.
After burning his longevity, he could hardly be called a normal cultivator.
Every swing of his black claws produced a piercing sound as they broke the air, leaving deep gouges in the arena floor wherever they passed. Several times, his claws almost grazed Mu Wenyan's throat, the resulting wind leaving small bloody streaks on the side of his neck.
Bang!
After another head-on collision, Mu Wenyan was forced back three steps, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.
Mo Lin was in no better shape; a wound deep enough to see bone had been carved into his chest by sword qi, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out—the flesh at the wound was a strange greenish-black!
"What's going on?" Li Nanzhu gripped the railing tightly. "Eldest Senior Brother's sword clearly wounded him, so why..."
Feng Qingping's face was grim. "He's using some kind of secret method to forcibly seal his injuries."
On the arena, Mu Wenyan also sensed something was wrong.
He keenly noticed that every time his sword qi wounded Mo Lin, a nearly imperceptible black glow would flash within the opponent's wound.
Even stranger, he felt as if something was traveling back into his own body through the edge of his sword...
Swish!
Mo Lin changed his moves again, his black claws reaching for Mu Wenyan's right ribs at an extremely tricky angle—targeting a critical node in his spiritual energy circulation!
Mu Wenyan's heart jolted.
This attack angle was too precise. He hurriedly turned his body, yet he was still grazed by the wind from the claws, leaving his side drenched in blood.
Ssss—
A strange chill drilled into his body through the wound. Mu Wenyan clearly felt something invading his Nascent Soul through his blood!
"Begone!"
With a cold shout, Mu Wenyan finally stopped holding back entirely.
He swung his long sword, his spiritual energy surging frantically. In this moment, he no longer concealed it, and a faint black glow appeared within the green light of his blade—the power of the dark spiritual root!
"Break!"
The power of this sword strike exceeded everyone's expectations. Mo Lin hurriedly tried to form a seal, the ghost face pattern on his chest flickering wildly, but the moment the sword's edge touched it—
Boom!
With a massive explosion, the ghost face pattern shattered!
"Agh!!"
Mo Lin let out a shrill scream and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily at the edge of the arena. The blood-red patterns on his chest rapidly faded, revealing his original pale skin as black blood seeped from his seven orifices.
"Mu Wenyan of the Five Elements Dao Sect wins!"
The moment the referee's announcement fell, the spectator stands erupted instantly.
Even the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect stood up and cheered excitedly—after all, their eldest senior brother, Qin Lie, had lost to this strange technique. Mu Wenyan's victory felt like he had avenged them.
Li Nanzhu also let out a long sigh of relief, only then realizing her palms were covered in cold sweat.
"Eldest Senior Brother is incredible!" Duan Xianxing gestured excitedly. "He even broke such an evil technique!"
Feng Qingping was thoughtful. "That last strike... it didn't seem like Eldest Senior Brother's usual style."
Li Nanzhu's heart stirred. Indeed, that sword strike, which felt like the rising sun, was vastly different from Mu Wenyan's usual swordplay.
It seemed more like... he was deliberately imitating someone's sword intent?
She instinctively looked toward the Sword Heart Sect's seats and saw Qi Yunze gazing intently at the arena, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.
On the high platform, the sect leaders looked at each other.
"That Mo Lin's technique..." Ling Xiao said deeply, "seemed to change colors at the end?"
The Sect Leader of the Tianyan Sect nodded. "It changed from greenish-black to dark red. This..."
"Though it isn't a demonic art, it certainly possesses an evil aura," Liu Changhe sighed. "Fortunately, Mu Wenyan defeated him."
On the arena, Mo Lin was supported by several Qingming Pavilion disciples as he was taken away.
His gray robes were tattered, revealing a patch of dark red patterns on his back—patterns that faintly formed a design.
"That's..." Just as Li Nanzhu tried to see more clearly, Mo Lin's figure disappeared into the crowd.
"Stop looking." Feng Qingping patted her shoulder. "Eldest Senior Brother is coming over."
Mu Wenyan walked toward them amidst the cheers, his white clothes still untainted by dust, though his face was slightly pale.
"Eldest Senior Brother!" Duan Xianxing was the first to rush up, looking at the wound on his ribs. "Are you all right!"
Mu Wenyan shook his head. "It's nothing. Let's return to the residence first."
The group hurriedly left the venue, not even staying to watch the upcoming match between Qi Yunze and Yun Wuya.
After returning to their residence, Feng Qingping immediately set up a triple isolation array.
"Eldest Senior Brother, your injury..."
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