356: Ending

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! ..."

The sounds of metal clashing were incessant, dense like rain!

Li Bufan's figure remained unmoving; with only the unsheathed longsword in his hand, he precisely parried, deflected, and guided away every single attack from his opponent.

His movements seemed unhurried, yet he always struck first despite acting later, as if he had already foreseen the trajectory of every one of Qiao Zimo's attacks.

The sword sheath in his hand transformed into a seamless curtain of light, deflecting all of Qiao Zimo's furious assaults—this was precisely the Penglai Holy Land's ultimate technique, "Knowing Guard Sword Art," unparalleled in defense, letting not even a drop of water through!

Qiao Zimo's offense was like a raging tide, each strike powerful enough to severely injure an ordinary Early Stage Quasi-Immortal, yet he was consistently unable to shake Li Bufan's defense, which was as solid as an ancient reef.

The aftershocks of the pure strength collision made the arena tremble and hum, yet its surface remained completely undamaged.

"Such a strong defense! Saint Li is as steady as a mountain!"

"Qiao Zimo's strength is terrifying; he's practically a humanoid Vicious Beast!"

On the cloud platform, the Elders nodded one after another, and Saintly Venerable Hao Yun's eyes revealed a look of satisfaction.

The probing was over!

A fierce light burst forth in Qiao Zimo's eyes.

He knew that relying solely on the Law of Strength would not be enough to achieve success. His eight arms suddenly formed a seal, and a strange Dao Principle erupted!

"Don't look down on me!"

In an instant, three distinctly different Law lights burst forth from his body!

The Law of Metal was sharp and dazzling! The Law of Wind was elusive and unpredictable! The Law of Battle Intent was tragic and stirring!

Almost simultaneously, the Demonic shadow behind him merged with him with a roar, and his ten-zhang, eight-armed Demonic God true body reappeared!

With the Fusion of the three Laws, Qiao Zimo's Aura instantly surged!

His attacks were no longer just brute force; they now carried the sharpness to tear space, speed that surpassed limits, and a tragic Battle Intent powerful enough to suppress one's mind!

"Boom!"

He threw a punch!

A dazzling golden light shone from the fist, intertwined with destructive, tearing gales, and further accompanied by a battle cry will that made one's blood boil!

The speed was more than double what it had been before!

Li Bufan's unyielding Knowing Guard Sword Circle was forcibly torn apart for the first time!

"This Qiao Zimo actually hid three other Laws; he is truly extraordinary!" A Saint Land Elder exclaimed in surprise.

Li Bufan's gaze finally became solemn. The longsword, which had remained sheathed, let out a clear Dragon roar and burst out of its sheath with a clang!

"Sea Moon Bright!"

The sword light poured down like the bright moonlight, carrying a vast and profound Concept, attempting to encircle the raging tide once more.

However, Qiao Zimo, having fused the four Laws of Strength, Metal, Wind, and Battle Intent, swung all eight arms, his attacks becoming ferocious and tricky, and his speed astonishing.

He transformed into a blood-colored lightning bolt, his eight arms spinning like a wind-fire wheel, each fist covered by a top-grade Earth-Grade gauntlet!

Each collision caused Li Bufan's sword light to violently shake, and his feet were forced to slide backward for the first time!

"Good!" The Ancient Refining Sect Elder couldn't help but cheer.

The square below erupted in thunderous cheers; Qiao Zimo's earth-shattering counterattack was too stunning!

With the sudden increase in pressure, Li Bufan's sword technique abruptly changed, shifting from defense to offense!

His movement technique was so fast that several solid afterimages seemed to be left behind—this was a manifestation of comprehending the Law of Speed to Perfection!

The Law of Speed, this was the only Law Li Bufan had comprehended.

The sword light rolled back like a galaxy, incomparably sharp, each sword strike precisely aimed at the weak points of Qiao Zimo's fused Laws.

For a time, Sword Qi crisscrossed the arena, fist shadows flew, and the light from the clashing Laws was so dazzling it made people unable to open their eyes.

Relying on his exquisite sword art and absolute speed, Li Bufan, though slightly on the defensive, still firmly controlled the rhythm of the battle, maintaining the upper hand.

As the sword light flickered, it continuously left deep, bone-visible wounds on Qiao Zimo's massive Demonic God body.

"Not enough!" Qiao Zimo roared, disregarding his injuries, pushing his Dao Principle to its limit!

An invisible, giant swirling vortex formed around him, madly devouring the Spiritual Qi of the arena space, and even subtly attempting to draw in Li Bufan's own magical power!

His Dao Principle was Spirit Plunder, which not only plundered the spiritual essence of heaven and earth but also the spirit of others.

The terrifying power of the four fused Laws increased once more!

With a punch, the air seemed to collapse inward, actually smashing Li Bufan's exquisitely brilliant sword light into smithereens!

"Pfft!" Li Bufan was forced back head-on for the first time, a trace of crimson spilling from the corner of his mouth, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"To force me to this extent, Qiao Zimo, you are very good!" Li Bufan wiped away the blood, his eyes suddenly becoming incomparably sharp, as if he alone existed in heaven and earth.

"Myriad Solitude Realm · Heaven and Earth Silence!"

An indescribably terrifying Domain instantly unfolded!

Centered on Li Bufan, within a hundred zhang, the flow of time seemed to freeze, and space became viscous like a ten-thousand-year-old mire! (Note: Of course, a mere Mahayana Realm is far from being able to truly affect the time and space of the Immortal Realm; this is a manifestation of a Dao Principle phenomenon.)

This was the ultimate manifestation of the Myriad Solitude Dao Principle he had comprehended—within this Domain, his will was the supreme Law!

It repelled all external forces and suppressed all anomalies!

Qiao Zimo's raging Spirit Plunder vortex, his fused three Laws, and even his own blood Qi, which boiled like magma, were subjected to unprecedented strong suppression under this Myriad Solitude will, and their operation instantly became sluggish!

Just as Qiao Zimo's mind was violently shaken, and his movements inevitably showed a trace of stiffness—

Li Bufan's figure appeared before him, as if transcending the shackles of time and space.

The tip of that ancient longsword, gleaming with a chilling light capable of piercing through all things, quietly stopped before the vital throat of Qiao Zimo's Demonic God body.

The cold light at the sword tip condensed, as if a mere thrust could shatter his entire head.

The powerful Domain flashed and disappeared.

The entire Holy Land square fell into a dead silence.

Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed on the decisive scene in the arena—the green-robed swordsman, his longsword like a star, steadily pointing at the Demonic God's throat.

Qiao Zimo's massive figure suddenly froze, a hint of bewilderment flashing in his giant eyes, which then turned into deep despondency. A low voice rumbled from his throat: "I... lost!"

"Brother Qiao! This time, I was lucky to win by a single move!" Li Bufan's longsword transformed into a stream of light, flying into the sheath he had retrieved, disappearing. The sharp Aura of Myriad Solitude also receded, returning to his gentle and refined demeanor. "You are welcome to come to Penglai for sparring again in the future!"

Although Qiao Zimo lost, he did not suffer fatal injuries; his previous superficial wounds had already healed the moment the two stopped fighting.

He transformed back into human form, shook his head, his gaze burning: "A win is a win! I am not as good as you now! I will certainly come to seek guidance again in the future!"

Li Bufan's lips curved slightly, and he laughed heartily: "Then I await you at any time!"

With the victor decided, the Saint Land Elder then loudly announced Li Bufan as the champion of the Grand Competition.

The Peak battle between the two left all the spectators in the audience with surging emotions, cheering in excitement, and even the Immortal Realm bigwigs seated on the cloud platform frequently nodded.

Saintly Venerable Hao Yun also showed a smile, nodding slightly.

The battle for third place followed closely, won by the Buddhist disciple Hui Ming (Bright Wisdom), with the Kunlun female cultivator regrettably losing, placing fourth.

Next was the awarding of prizes.

Three tiers of steps rose in the center of the Dao Inquiring Platform, with the area of each tier progressively larger from top to bottom.

The uppermost platform was reserved for the top three of the Grand Competition, the middle tier for fourth to tenth place, and the lowest tier for eleventh to one hundredth place.

In addition to precious Penglai Immortal Pond slots, the top three could all use a token to select a Saint-Grade treasure from the Holy Land treasury.

And the top-ranked Li Bufan received an additional reward of an origin divine weapon, drawing countless envious gazes.

Fourth to tenth place, in addition to the Penglai Immortal Pond slots, could select a Heaven-Grade treasure from the treasury, be it a Medicinal Pill, Magic Treasure, or weapon.

Eleventh to one hundredth place received a considerable amount of Immortal Stones as a reward.

Penglai Holy Land was generous, totaling thirty million Immortal Stones, but compared to the Opportunities for the top ten, it still paled in comparison.

With the Grand Competition settled, the top ten prodigies all went to the Holy Land treasury to select their Opportunities.

Xiao Zhuo returned to his residence alone.

The opening of the Penglai Immortal Pond still required three days.

He was not in a hurry; such a major event as the Blood Demon Realm's advancement would surely require Blood Heaven to prepare for a long time.

There would be ample time to return after claiming the Holy Land's Opportunities.

Just as Xiao Zhuo was waiting for the Penglai Immortal Pond to open, an anomaly occurred in the Blood Demon Realm, light-years away.

At the bottom of the Endless Abyss, which spanned the entire Blood Demon Realm, dense, hideous figures were constantly piling up.

These were all insect-like Demonic Beasts with hideous carapaces.

Their numbers were so vast that one couldn't see the end of them, and their height was slowly increasing.

It seemed as if something beneath the Abyss was continuously producing these hideous Demonic Beasts.

Suddenly, a loud roar emanated from the bottom of the Abyss, and one-zhang-tall armored Demonic Beasts all raised their heads.

Their back carapaces unfolded, and pairs of insect wings spread, flying towards the top of the Abyss.