684: Chapter 684 The Talisman Explodes! Explodes! Explodes! (Part 1)

The eighth ring.

Yan Qingwu carried the ink dragon sword and stepped onto the stage.

Opposite her on the ring stood a thin, pale, middle-aged man.

He wore a black martial arts uniform with his hands tucked into his sleeves, exuding a cold, sinister aura that made him seem like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows.

It was Ghost Hand Seven from the Kongtong Sect.

But the moment Yan Qingwu saw him, her brows furrowed slightly.

The aura on this person...

Something was wrong.

She had seen people from the Kongtong Sect before; their cultivation techniques were typically forceful and aggressive, with outward-bursting momentum and wide, sweeping movements.

But this Ghost Hand Seven had a restrained aura that was as cold and sinister as a snake. There wasn't a trace of outward momentum on him; he was like a bottomless, dry well.

This was definitely not a Kongtong Sect technique.

Yan Qingwu recalled what Ye Chen had said earlier...

"These opponents of yours are not in the top sixty; they must have been swapped in at the last minute."

Her heart sank slightly.

As expected.

Below the stage, Ye Chen's gaze landed on Ghost Hand Seven, and he narrowed his eyes.

He could see it.

The true cultivation of this so-called "Ghost Hand Seven" was far beyond what a Kongtong Sect disciple should possess.

Late Heavenly Master Realm.

He had even faintly touched the threshold of the Tianyi Realm.

And the eldest disciple of the Kongtong Sect would be a Mid-Heaven Realm at best.

A Heavenly Master against a Mid-Heaven Realm Yan Qingwu?

The hell kind of swap was this?

This was replacing them with an expert to act as an assassin.

Ye Chen took a sip of his cola, not speaking, but patiently watching.

Before killing a fox, one must wait for the fox to show its tail.

On the stage.

Ghost Hand Seven's gaze fell upon the ink dragon sword in Yan Qingwu's hand, and his eyes lit up.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

"I want this sword."

Yan Qingwu looked at him and said coldly: "That depends on whether you have the ability to take it."

"Heh heh heh..."

Ghost Hand Seven laughed, but his laughter sounded like the cry of a Night Owl.

"Shall we test that and see?"

Before the words had even faded.

His figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.

Yan Qingwu's pupils contracted sharply.

She had only caught a glimpse of an afterimage!

That afterimage was elusive, like a wisp of smoke, drifting left and right in the air, impossible to track.

So fast!

Yan Qingwu's heart sank even further.

This opponent was definitely not of the Heaven Realm.

She didn't even have time to think before her body reacted ahead of her consciousness.

The ink dragon sword left its sheath!

The sword light, like ink, slashed toward that afterimage!

"Clang—"

Metal clashed against metal.

Yan Qingwu's arm jolted, and the ink dragon sword nearly flew out of her hand.

Her strike had been caught between two of Ghost Hand Seven's fingers.

Two fingers.

He had caught her full-force strike.

Yan Qingwu's expression changed completely.

Ghost Hand Seven looked at her, a playful smirk curling the corners of his lips.

"Little girl, the sword is nice, but the person using it..."

"Aside from having a pretty face, your strength is lacking."

"How about..."

"You kneel down and sing 'Conquer' for your brother, and I'll spare you this time?"

Yan Qingwu retorted sharply: "Go eat shit!"

"Hmph!"

"Stubborn!"

Ghost Hand Seven's expression turned cold, and he flicked his finger.

A massive force surged from the sword, shaking Yan Qingwu so hard she stumbled back several steps. Her hand went numb, and blood churned in her chest.

She gritted her teeth and steadied herself, looking up at Ghost Hand Seven with eyes full of unwillingness.

The gap was too large.

The difference between the Heaven Realm and the Late Heavenly Master Realm could not be bridged by a spirit sword alone.

Ghost Hand Seven stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at her.

"Little girl, just admit defeat."

"Resistance is useless. With a delicate appearance like yours, you should be acting spoiled in my arms."

Yan Qingwu did not answer.

She gripped the ink dragon sword tightly.

Admit defeat?

Impossible!

Those two words had never existed in her, Yan Qingwu's, dictionary.

But she knew clearly that in a head-on clash, she was no match for this person.

Unless...

She thought of the talisman Ye Chen had given her earlier.

Her hand reached quietly into her sleeve, her fingertips touching the thin yellow paper.

The patterns on the talisman felt slightly warm against her fingertips, as if responding to her touch.

But she hesitated.

This was a life-saving item given by Ye Chen; was it too wasteful to use it in this situation?

Just as she hesitated, Ghost Hand Seven moved again.

His figure turned into an afterimage once more, rushing toward Yan Qingwu.

This time, his speed was even faster, so fast that Yan Qingwu could barely see the afterimage.

A chill of death rose from the bottom of her heart, instantly spreading through her entire body.

Yan Qingwu hesitated no longer.

She pulled out the talisman, bit the tip of her tongue, and sprayed a mouthful of vital blood onto it.

Then.

She threw it fiercely toward Ghost Hand Seven.

"Boom!!!"

The talisman exploded, and golden light flared brilliantly.

A golden radiance surged from the talisman, transforming into a light shield that blocked in front of Yan Qingwu.

Ghost Hand Seven's palm strike hit the light shield, producing a dull, thunderous sound.

The light shield trembled violently but did not shatter.

Ghost Hand Seven's expression shifted slightly: "A talisman?"

He withdrew his palm, stepped back twice, and stared fixedly at the light shield, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes.

"Good stuff..."

"Little girl, just how many treasures do you have on you?"

Yan Qingwu panted heavily, her chest heaving.

Spraying vital blood onto the talisman had drained her significantly.

But she gritted her teeth, holding on, refusing to collapse.

Because she knew that once she collapsed, she would truly be defeated.

Ghost Hand Seven watched her appearance and sneered.

"Interesting."

"I want to see how long you can hold on."

He attacked again.

This time, he did not hold back.

The terrifying aura of the Late Heavenly Master Realm erupted without reservation, and his palm strikes crashed against the light shield like a storm.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

With every palm strike that landed, the light shield dimmed a fraction.

Yan Qingwu gritted her teeth, desperately pouring her true energy into the talisman to keep the light shield from dissipating.

But she didn't have much true energy left in her body, and she was already at the end of her rope.

She couldn't hold on for much longer.

...

On the other side.

Whether it was Shen Qingyi, Shu Yuan, or Jiang Daoxuan, all had encountered problems.

Shen Qingyi's opponent was from the Buddhist Sect, but their strength had reached the Grandmaster Realm.

Moreover, their style was the same as the one Yan Qingwu encountered; it wasn't the Buddhist Sect's style at all, but rather resembled that of an Asura.

The most outrageous one was Jiang Daoxuan's opponent.

It was actually an expert at the peak of the Tianyi Realm, just one step away...

Perhaps they could have stepped into the Golden Core Stage!

Battles like these were simply not on the same level!

...

The eighth ring.

Yan Qingwu gritted her teeth and persisted.

Her internal true energy was gradually being consumed, while conversely, Ghost Hand Seven's palm strikes were becoming heavier with each blow!

So much so that...

There were more and more cracks on the light shield.

"Little girl, can't hold on anymore, can you?"

"Then I'll give you a quick end!"

Ghost Hand Seven sneered, his right hand forming a claw, and he lunged violently at the light shield.

"Crack!"

The light shield shattered upon impact, turning into golden specks of light that filled the sky.

Yan Qingwu's body jolted violently, and she spat out a mouthful of blood as she was sent flying back, crashing heavily onto the ring.

The ink dragon sword flew out of her hand, landing in the distance with a clatter.

She struggled to crawl up, only to find that every bone in her body felt like it had fallen apart, and she couldn't even lift her arm.

Ghost Hand Seven walked toward her step by step, his eyes full of mockery.

"Little girl, I told you, just admit defeat."

"You're so pretty, why suffer like this?"

He squatted down, reaching out to grab Yan Qingwu's chin.

Yan Qingwu turned her head, avoiding his hand, her eyes full of disgust and anger.

"Don't touch me!"

"Yo, quite a temper."

Ghost Hand Seven laughed, a lewd grin on his face, "I like this kind of feisty one; it's more fun to tame them."

He reached his hand toward Yan Qingwu again.

Yan Qingwu stared fixedly at Ghost Hand Seven.

She really couldn't hold on anymore.

If that bastard dared to touch her, she would self-destruct; at worst, they would go down together!!!

However.

Just as Ghost Hand Seven's fingers were about to touch Yan Qingwu's cheek...

The talisman in her sleeve, which had already dimmed, suddenly erupted with blinding golden light.

That golden light was brighter, more intense, and more terrifying than before.

An invisible force surged from the talisman, spreading in all directions like a volcanic eruption.

Ghost Hand Seven's pupils contracted sharply, and he tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

"Boom!!!"

The golden light exploded, and Ghost Hand Seven was struck as if by a high-speed train.

The next moment.

He spat out blood!

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

He flew across the entire ring, over the iron chain railing, and crashed heavily onto the ground three zhang away from the ring.

"Pfft!!!"

Another mouthful of blood sprayed out.

Ghost Hand Seven's eyes were wide open, his face filled with disbelief.

He tried to crawl up but found a sharp pain radiating from his energy center.

Looking down, he saw that his clothes had been blasted open at his energy center, and his skin was covered in charred marks.

His energy center was shattered.

His cultivation was ruined.

Those who hadn't noticed this side before but were drawn by the commotion stared with wide eyes, as if they had seen a ghost.

"This... what is going on? What was that power just now?"

"A talisman! That was the power of a talisman!"

"A talisman? Impossible! Talismans were lost long ago! There is no one left in this world who knows how to draw a talisman!"

"Didn't you see? That golden light just now, that power, it was clearly the manifestation of talisman power recorded in ancient books!"

"Heavens... how could that little girl have a talisman in her hand?"