286: You better pray you don't fall into my hands

“Crack…”

The Xuan Yin Holy Son reached out his hands again, grabbing Zhao Ling'er’s legs and crushing them.

Zhao Ling'er’s tragic state enraged everyone present, who, with red eyes, accused the Xuan Yin Holy Son:

“You scoundrel, didn’t we agree to stop before causing serious harm? Why are you so cruel...?”

“How can such a notorious force participate in the competition? This is an insult to the Ten Thousand Dragons Competition…”

“Beast! You’re shaming our Human Race…”

On the battle stage, Zhao Ling'er lay on the ground, barely alive, her Qi extremely weak.

Cultivators who reached the Void Tempering Realm could regrow severed limbs, but the prerequisite was to survive first.

“Hmph… Cruel…? This Saint is indeed cruel today… What can you do to me…?”

A cruel, wild laugh appeared on the Xuan Yin Holy Son’s twisted face. He reached out a large hand and tightly gripped Zhao Ling'er’s slender waist.

His eyes, filled with violence, suddenly turned to Lin Ruiyang, and he said in a low voice, “This Saint doesn’t care about these Zhao Family remnants at all!”

“Don’t blame this Saint for being ruthless. If you must blame someone, blame your Saint for offending Young Master Yang!”

“Today, this Saint declares that every Disciple of Taichu Holy Land, if encountered on the battle stage, will be killed without mercy!”

With that, the Xuan Yin Holy Son extended both hands, one gripping Zhao Ling'er’s head, the other tightly holding her lower body, and lifted her high.

From this posture, he intended to tear Zhao Ling'er in half at the waist.

This scene astonished everyone present; some female Disciples even covered their faces, unable to watch.

“Peak Master, quickly find a way to stop the Xuan Yin Holy Son!”

Some Disciples of Jade Maiden Peak grew anxious and quickly looked at Ling Yun, pleading.

Ling Yun’s eyes were red, and her voice was hoarse: “It’s useless. The new battle stage was temporarily borrowed from the Dao Alliance! There’s an Immortal-tier Formation isolating it outside; outsiders cannot enter during a battle!”

Zhao Ling'er was brought back by the External Affairs Hall and had lived on Jade Maiden Peak since she was young. Ling Yun had watched her grow up.

If there was even a sliver of a chance, she would have gone all out, even if it meant breaking the rules.

At the back of the group, Lin Ruiyang stared intently at the Xuan Yin Holy Son, having already placed him on his death list. He said sharply, “Junior Sister Zhao is no longer able to resist. You have already won! Let her go. My grudge with Yang Yulong has nothing to do with her!”

The mention of Yang Yulong made it clear that there was some kind of transaction between them. For the Xuan Yin Holy Son to risk his own safety to deal with Lin Ruiyang, the benefits given must have been substantial.

If Zhao Ling'er had died merely for revenge, Lin Ruiyang might not have been so enraged, but now, it was clear the other party was targeting him.

The Xuan Yin Holy Son glanced at Lin Ruiyang disdainfully and sneered, “What right does an orphaned commoner like you have to negotiate with this Saint?!”

“Do you really think that just because you are the Taichu Holy Son, you are qualified to be on equal footing with us? Can that cover up the fact of your humble Origins?”

“Come, open your dog eyes and see clearly. This Saint will perform a live tearing act for you!”

With that, the Xuan Yin Holy Son exerted force with both hands, and with a “rip,” Zhao Ling'er’s body was forcefully torn in half at the waist.

Lin Ruiyang’s gaze was blank as he looked at the severed limbs on the battle stage. His blood surged, and his tightly clenched fists made a “crack” sound.

“Husband…”

Ling Yun gently called out, softly taking Lin Ruiyang’s hands and gently stroking them, trying to soothe his emotions.

After all, from the Xuan Yin Holy Son’s words, it was clear that the reason for his cruelty towards Zhao Ling'er was because of Lin Ruiyang.

On the other side, in the Ye Family’s gathering area, Ye Yun looked deeply at Lin Ruiyang.

“Yang Yulong made his move so quickly. How interesting! I wonder if Lin Ruiyang can survive to qualify for the top ten!”

A hint of gloom appeared in Ye Yun’s eyes as he spoke to himself.

He coveted Lin Ruiyang’s Immortal Body Origin greatly; even in their era, no Immortal Body had appeared.

On the high platform, Xiao Yuanqing and the distinguished guests all had extremely grim expressions upon seeing the scene on the battle stage.

Although it was not uncommon for Disciples to bring personal grudges into the tournament, such cruelty was rarely seen in their lifetime.

“City Lord…”

The gray-robed Elder opened his mouth as if to say something, but Xiao Yuanqing waved him off, saying in a low voice, “Don’t speak. Let’s watch first…”

“I never thought that the Yang Family of the Four Direction Realms, a proper Righteous Path force, would collude with the Xuan Yin Sect…”

The Xuan Yin Sect was notorious in the Tiannan Region. The Yang Family’s actions would surely backfire in the future.

Moreover, Lin Ruiyang’s potential was limitless; becoming his enemy would not end well.

On the other side, feeling Ling Yun’s tender hand, Lin Ruiyang’s anger gradually subsided, but the killing intent in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Lin Ruiyang slowly raised his head, not looking at the battle stage, but at the area where the Yang Family Disciples were located.

The moment he saw Yang Yulong, the surging power of his Immortal Body erupted, engulfing the space for dozens of feet around him.

His voice was cold and somewhat hoarse, like a devil crawling out of Hell: “Yang Yulong, you’d better pray you don’t fall into my hands, otherwise, you’ll find it hard to even die!”

At this moment, the gray-robed Elder on the high platform stood up and announced loudly, “This Elder declares the Xuan Yin Holy Son victorious, successfully advancing to the next round of competition!”

“Zhao Ling'er of Taichu Holy Land is eliminated!”

Looking at the silent crowd below with grim faces, the gray-robed Elder spoke again: “This is the rule. Even if you have grievances in your hearts, you can only suppress them! Rules are not made for one person, nor will they be lenient towards someone out of pity!”

...

The third round of drawing lots was the next morning.

Just as everyone was preparing to line up for the draw, a cold voice came.

“Lin Ruiyang, I am Zhu Wuneng of Wuji Immortal Sect, and I challenge you to a death match!”

“If you are a man, get on the battle stage!”

Lin Ruiyang’s brow furrowed slightly. He turned and looked towards the Wuji Immortal Sect’s area, only to see a slightly plump man with an heroic air between his brows standing in the middle of the crowd.

Immediately, the entire audience was in an uproar, turning their heads to look at Zhu Wuneng as if he were an idiot.

From Lin Ruiyang’s battle with Lin Shuwang, everyone had seen the former’s terrifying strength, yet there was still someone foolish enough to challenge him.

Moreover, it wasn’t a normal tournament match, but a death match.

Seeing Lin Ruiyang remain silent, Zhu Wuneng thought he intended to refuse. He immediately turned to Xiao Yuanqing and announced loudly, “According to previous rules, if someone initiates a death match before the draw, it should be prioritized!”

“May I ask the City Lord if this rule is still valid today?!”