199: Round-robin tournament ends

"Great Five Elements Sword Formation! Defend!"

Yao Delong's expression remained unchanged as his hands formed seals.

Five sharp sword lights of different colors instantly flew out, weaving and rotating in front of him,

transforming into a massive sword shield flowing with the power of the Five Elements' creation and destruction!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The hideous fire dragon slammed violently into the Five Elements sword shield! A deafening roar erupted!

Flames splattered and Sword Qi crisscrossed! The Five Elements sword shield trembled violently, its spiritual light flickering,

yet it remained firmly in front of Yao Delong, blocking all of the fire dragon's frenzied attacks!

In just a few short breaths, the fire dragon and the sword shield had collided dozens of times!

Each collision erupted with terrifying energy fluctuations, making the hearts of the crowd below jump in fear!

The more Yan Wu fought, the more shocked and frustrated she became!

She had already used her strongest fire domain and her most powerful whip technique, yet she couldn't even touch the corner of Yao Delong's clothes!

The opponent hadn't even used that fearsome golden crow setting sun,

nor had he performed that world-shaking Earth Rank sword technique, the Pure Yang Limitless Sword Canon!

Relying solely on his Sword Domain and sword formation, he fought her to a standstill, or rather... with ease!

"Yao Delong! Is defense all you know?!"

Yan Wu was exasperated and couldn't help but shout, trying to provoke Yao Delong into attacking.

While controlling the sword formation to withstand the fire dragon, Yao Delong looked calmly at Yan Wu, his eyes deep:

"Senior Sister Yan, I have already experienced your fire domain and whip technique.

If your skills end here, then... let it end now."

As his voice fell, Yao Delong's gaze suddenly sharpened!

The Blazing Sun Yuan Power within him, vast as the sea, erupted with a bang!

"Break!"

With his low shout, the Great Five Elements Sword Formation, which had been passively defending, suddenly burst with brilliant light!

The five spiritual swords emitted a clear hum as their Sword Qi surged!

The power of the Five Elements instantly reversed, shifting from defense to the most violent attack!

Chi chi chi—!

Countless streaks of highly condensed Five Elements Sword Qi, like a flood breaking through a dam,

instantly tore through the roaring fire dragon and swept toward Yan Wu with an unstoppable force!

Yan Wu's expression changed drastically! She felt an overwhelming and terrifying force instantly crush her whip momentum!

The power contained in that torrent of Five Elements Sword Qi far exceeded what had come before!

In her haste, she mobilized the Burning Heaven Fire Domain for full defense, red flames forming layer upon layer of fire walls!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The torrent of Five Elements Sword Qi slammed hard into the fire walls!

The fire walls shook violently and shattered after holding for less than a breath!

The remaining Sword Qi struck Yan Wu's protective spiritual light heavily!

Pfft!

Yan Wu felt as if she had been hit by a heavy blow. She groaned, a trail of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth,

and her entire body was sent flying back by the violent force. Her crimson whip flew out of her hand, drawing an arc in the air.

She landed stumblingly and barely managed to stand firm, her face pale,

her internal blood and Qi churning, her spiritual power in disarray.

She looked at Yao Delong, who was still dressed in snow-white clothes with a profound aura,

her eyes filled with unwillingness and shock, which finally turned into a deep sense of powerlessness.

The gap... was too large! The opponent hadn't even used his true killing move!

Yao Delong did not pursue her. The five spiritual swords turned into streaks of light and flew back into his sleeve.

He looked at Yan Wu calmly, waiting for her admission of defeat.

Yan Wu took a deep breath, suppressed her churning blood and Qi, and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

She looked at Yao Delong with a complex gaze, containing both unwillingness and admiration,

which finally turned into a bitter sigh: "I... lose."

"Yao Delong wins!" The Referee Elder's voice rang throughout the arena.

The entire venue was silent at first, then erupted into earth-shattering cheers and exclamations!

"He won! Senior Brother Yao is undefeated!"

"So strong! Even Senior Sister Yan Wu was defeated so decisively!"

"That Sword Domain... that sword formation... simply invincible!"

Yao Delong cupped his fists slightly toward Yan Wu: "Good match, Senior Sister Yan."

Then he turned and floated off the stage under countless fanatical, reverent, and complex gazes.

The seventh group's round-robin tournament had reached its conclusion.

Yao Delong, with four wins and zero losses, secured first place in the group with an indisputable and absolute advantage!

Upon the high platform, Ji Yanshuang looked at her defeated beloved Disciple,

then at the radiant Yao Delong, her feelings finally manifesting as a complex sigh.

Dan Chenzi clapped and laughed, feeling extremely refreshed. In Sect Head White Cloud Master's eyes, a look of satisfaction also appeared.

The satisfaction in Sect Head White Cloud Master's eyes grew stronger as he nodded slightly,

yet his gaze seemingly inadvertently swept over a patch of shadow on the outskirts of the martial arts arena.

In that shadow, Scarface was like a venomous snake blended into the darkness, his icy gaze fixed firmly on Yao Delong,

only slowly withdrawing it until Yao Delong's figure disappeared into the area where the Luoxia Peak Disciples gathered.

His body moved slightly, passing through the noisy crowd like a phantom,

silently appearing in the corner of the third group's preparation area.

"Uncle Dao!"

Meng Bi's face was livid because of Yao Delong's total victory, but when he suddenly saw Scarface appear,

his eyes instantly erupted with wild joy, as if he had caught a life-saving straw, and he hurriedly went to meet him.

A stiff but doting smile for a junior squeezed onto Scarface's face, which was pierced by a hideous scar.

He patted Meng Bi's shoulder, his mouth curling into a cold arc, carrying absolute confidence and a hint of cruelty:

"His aura is indeed majestic, his Foundation is solid, and that Five Elements sword formation is used with perfection,

integrating offense and defense, making him top-tier among those of the same rank. However..."

He paused, his tone carrying the natural disdain a Nascent Soul Cultivator had for the Golden Core Realm,

"He is ultimately just in the Golden Core Realm. No matter how much of a Prodigy he is, he cannot make waves in the face of absolute strength."

"Is that true?!"

Hearing this, the heavy stone hanging in Meng Bi's heart crashed to the ground, and his face was instantly replaced by wild joy and malice,

as if he could already see Yao Delong wailing and begging for mercy at Scarface's hands.

"With Uncle Dao here, I am relieved! We must make that kid wish he were dead!"

To the side, Meng Lang heard the conversation between the two clearly, and his thoughts turned rapidly:

'If Scarface takes action... Yao Delong is likely doomed. However, if I can profit from this...'

His face remained impassive, but a hint of shrewd calculation flickered in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the fierce battles on the various arenas also gradually came to an end.

As the bell rang for the end of the last match, the atmosphere of the martial arts arena was pushed to a climax once again.

On the high platform, Grand Elder Venerable Ziyang's majestic voice rang throughout the arena, suppressing all the noise:

"Silence!"

"The first stage of the Core Competition, the group round-robin tournament, is now completely over!"

"We will now announce the top ten from each group who will advance to the second round, the Secret Realm elimination match!"

A huge light screen lit up above the martial arts arena, with a hundred shining names listed on it.

Countless gazes focused; some cheered with joy, while others were dejected.

Among them, six names were as bright as stars,

all of whom were people who had won all their matches over the four days, instantly attracting everyone's attention:

Lei Qianjun (Thunder Marsh Peak, last year's first place)

Liu Ruyan (Pill Cloud Peak, last year's second place)

Zhao Chen (Heavenly Sword Peak, last year's third place)

Shi Potian (Tuyao Peak, last year's fourth place)

Yao Delong (Luoxia Peak, this year's biggest dark horse)

Xiao Chen (Spirit Plant Peak, last year's sixth place)

Mu Yuqing (Jinxin Peak, last year's tenth place)