356: Chapter 356 The Killing Trap

However, not all eyes were focused on the brilliant battles.

In the Nangong Family area, Nangong Yang secretly signaled the two Red Hand Hall Guest Elders, his lips moving slightly as he clearly gave instructions via voice transmission.

The two Guest Elders' wooden faces remained expressionless, only nodding almost imperceptibly.

Their gazes would occasionally sweep over the Liuli Xuan Sect area, particularly lingering on Ye Tian.

Tang Yun sat among the Liuli Xuan Sect Disciples, appearing somewhat distracted.

The hand in his sleeve tightly gripped a cone-shaped object; it was the "thunderclap awl" promised by the Nangong Family.

Help the Nangong Family plot against Ye Tian?

Setting aside whether it would succeed, once the matter was exposed, he would no longer have a place in the Liuli Xuan Sect and might even be purged.

But if he didn't do it... that "thunderclap awl" was a genuine Earth Rank Magic Treasure, which would be of immense help to his lightning cultivation, and the support promised by the Nangong Family was also tempting.

He gnashed his teeth and ultimately gripped the "thunderclap awl" tighter, a ruthless look flashing in his eyes after his struggle: act as the opportunity arises!

If there was a chance to quietly cause some trouble for Ye Tian, such as interfering with his observation of the matches or passing on some false information, perhaps... he could have it both ways.

Bei Minghong remained cold, showing no interest in the slaughter before him.

Only when he occasionally looked up and his gaze swept over the core area of the Ancient Skyfall Battle Platform—a certain special location wrapped in even denser Formation runes that had yet to open—did a ripple of emotion flash deep within his eyes.

Time passed, and batches of participants entered the arena, fought, won, or were eliminated.

The atmosphere grew increasingly heated and more solemn.

When the ninth batch ended, leaving only the final tenth batch, the atmosphere of the viewing platform reached its climax.

Because on the list for this batch, there were several heavyweight names!

"Tenth batch, Arena Realms ninety-one to one hundred, participants enter!" the eunuch announced.

The light screen lit up with names:

Arena Realm No. 93: Nangong Xiao, Xiahou Ba, Han Xiao...

Arena Realm No. 95: Qin Pojun, Ghost Girl...

Arena Realm No. 97: Li Xuanxiao, Nangong Yan, Red Hand Hall Guest Elder A...

Arena Realm No. 99: Red Hand Hall Guest Elder B...

"Hiss! The group of death!"

"Xiahou Ba, Han Xiao, Nangong Xiao! Three top-tier True Martial experts! And that mysterious Han Xiao!"

"Qin Pojun versus Ghost Girl! Huahai Realm against True Martial Great Perfection, but with the Saintess of the Xuanming Way, it might not be a foregone conclusion!"

"Li Xuanxiao's group also has someone from the Nangong Family and that Red Hand Hall member..."

Gasps of surprise rose one after another.

This final batch had clearly been intentionally arranged, putting many top-tier or troublesome opponents together to make the competition more brutal and more worth watching.

Streaks of light flashed as the final batch of participants entered the arena.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the light and shadow images of those focal Arena Realms.

Ye Tian also sat up straight, his gaze sharp. These people were likely to be formidable rivals in his third round.

Arena Realm No. 93 was a molten purgatory burning with inextinguishable earth fire.

The battle entered a white-hot stage right from the start.

Xiahou Ba laughed wildly, his blood Qi surging like wolf smoke into the sky as he activated the "Tyrant Blood War Art." His entire body expanded, resembling a giant cast in gold; with a punch, the hot and fierce fist wind even sent the lava rolling back!

He directly went for Nangong Xiao, who had the strongest aura.

Nangong Xiao's face was grim as he held a Crimson Flame Long Spear and performed the "Heaven-Burning Spear Art." Flames surged, and he clashed with Xiahou Ba amidst continuous booms.

Meanwhile, Han Xiao, the young man in plain clothes with a sword box, stood quietly on a protruding black rock, not acting immediately but calmly observing the situation, as if waiting for something.

His presence instead caused several other participants in the Arena Realm to feel immense pressure, not daring to approach easily.

Arena Realm No. 95 was the Evernight Graveyard, filled with dense Yin Qi and ghostly shadows.

Qin Pojun was clad in black armor and held a pitch-black halberd, standing as steady as a mountain, his Sea Transformation Realm aura pushing away the surrounding Yin Qi.

Ghost Girl's figure completely merged into the ghostly mist of the graveyard, appearing and disappearing intermittently. Only an occasional eerie chuckle and several silent Nether Claw shadows struck at Qin Pojun, but they were all easily parried or shattered by his halberd.

Both seemed to be testing each other and had not yet used their full strength, but the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.

Arena Realm No. 97 was a blade storm, with countless illusory blades condensed from Golden Baleful Qi swirling in the air, cutting through everything.

After Li Xuanxiao entered, he didn't even draw his sword. He simply pointed and gestured with his fingers, and the Golden Baleful blades attacking him shattered one after another, unable to come within three feet of him.

He calmly looked at Nangong Yan and the Red Hand Hall Guest Elder (A) opposite him.

Nangong Yan's face turned pale, clearly intimidated by Li Xuanxiao's Sword Intent.

Meanwhile, the Red Hand Hall Guest Elder's eyes were cold, and his figure quietly merged with the swirling blade storm, seemingly brewing something.

Arena Realm No. 99 was a poisonous swamp with extremely poor visibility and permeating toxic mist.

After the Red Hand Hall Guest Elder (B) entered, he immediately vanished like a drop of water into the ocean, his aura disappearing completely, making it difficult to capture his specific location even in the light and shadow images.

The other participants in the Arena Realm were instantly filled with tension, defending back-to-back, yet they were still struck one after another by eerie attacks from the miasma. They fell to the ground screaming, quickly corroded by the poison, and had to crush their spirit pendants to escape.

The battles proceeded at different paces in the focal Arena Realms. Gasps and discussions broke out continuously on the viewing platform.

"Xiahou Ba's Physical Body is so strong! Nangong Xiao's Heaven-Burning Spear can't even gain an advantage!"

"Han Xiao hasn't moved yet. What is he waiting for?"

"Qin Pojun is indeed powerful; Ghost Girl's sneak attacks are completely ineffective!"

"Li Xuanxiao's sword path... is too terrifying. Those golden baleful blades can't even get close to him!"

"That Red Hand Hall guy is so insidious; you can't see where he is at all!"

Ye Tian watched the battles intently, paying special attention to Li Xuanxiao, Qin Pojun, Han Xiao, and Xiahou Ba. Their fighting styles, Cultivation Technique characteristics, and on-the-spot reactions each had their unique points.

Just then, in Arena Realm No. 93, Han Xiao, who had been standing still, suddenly moved.

He didn't look at the fiercely fighting Xiahou Ba and Nangong Xiao but instead turned and pointed a finger at a seemingly empty patch of distorted air in the molten purgatory.

"Clang!"

The distorted air exploded, and a lava spear formed entirely of molten rock was struck at its tip by an invisible Sword Qi, collapsing with a boom!

Behind the collapsing lava, the terrified face of a True Martial Tenth Level Cultivator was revealed, who had hidden his figure to launch a sneak attack on Han Xiao.

Han Xiao looked at him calmly and spoke slowly, his voice faintly carrying through the blurred light and shadow: "Lava Incarnation? A mere parlor trick." The ancient sword box on his back vibrated slightly.

The Cultivator was struck with horror and turned to flee. Han Xiao didn't look at him again, turning his gaze toward the battle between Xiahou Ba and Nangong Xiao, seemingly evaluating them.

"Such sharp spiritual perception! Such strong Sword Qi!" someone on the viewing platform exclaimed.

A flash of surprise also appeared in Ye Tian's eyes.

This Han Xiao was indeed not simple.

That point of the finger just now seemed casual, but it contained a unique Sword Intent that was indestructible, completely different from Li Xuanxiao's sharpness or Ye Tian's Chaos Lightning.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the focal battles, no one noticed that behind and to the side of the Liuli Xuan Sect area, the "figures" of the two Red Hand Hall Guest Elders, who were supposed to be fighting in Arena Realms No. 97 and No. 99, blurred slightly for a moment.

Two faint shadows, almost impossible to detect, noiselessly detached from the light and shadow images of those two Arena Realms. They clung to the edge of the viewing platform's complex Formation and "flowed" toward the Liuli Xuan Sect area.

Their target was none other than Ye Tian, who was fully focused on watching the battles!

The true killing trap was not just within the Arena Realms. Nangong Yang's scheme was far more insidious than imagined.

He had actually used a Red Hand Hall Secret Art combined with the gaps in the Formation transitions of the Ancient Skyfall Battle Platform to create brief "phantom bodies" to remain in the arena images and deceive everyone.

Meanwhile, their true bodies took the opportunity to break away and lurk toward the viewing platform, intending to carry out a real execution of Ye Tian, who was "sitting out and watching," right in front of everyone's eyes!

At this moment, almost everyone's attention was drawn to the intense arena battles—it was the perfect opportunity!

Two void-like ripples had already approached within thirty feet behind Ye Tian.

The leading Sea Transformation First Layer Guest Elder condensed pitch-black Death Light on his fingertips, while the other held his hands as if gripping something, a Soul-Splitting Ripple already undulating and locking onto the back of Ye Tian's head.

A flash of cruel gratification appeared in Nangong Lie's eyes. A cold smile curled at the corner of Nangong Yang's mouth.

Tang Yun seemed to sense an abnormal fluctuation and subconsciously looked at Ye Tian, his hand pressing on the "thunderclap awl" in his sleeve. His heart raced, and for a moment, he didn't know how to react.

Yet Ye Tian appeared completely unaware of the lethal danger behind him, still focused on the battles in the light and shadow images...