124: Against the Extreme Realm
As the light enveloped them, Han Li and Ye Yuan’s bodies instantly vanished from their original spots.
The two appeared out of thin air, and immediately, dedicated personnel carried away the unconscious Ye Yuan.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Han Li took a step and instantly returned to his seat.
Fast!
This battle could only be described with this one word.
Compared to the previous two battles, this one was a complete crushing victory.
Despite being in the same Realm, he was instantly killed.
A single punch knocked him out cold.
The group from Xuling Sect stared intently at Han Li.
As Xuling Sect's first battle, losing was one thing, but losing so quickly, so decisively, felt like a slap to the Face—painful, deeply painful!
Qingyuan Sect's two victories also drew more attention from the other Sects.
“Junior Brother is not bad…”
In a nearby seat, Wu Wuji looked at Han Li, a bright smile on his Face.
This battle had showcased Qingyuan Sect's prestige.
Among the Twelve Sects, it was the only major Sect without Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciples, yet it had won two consecutive matches.
“Junior Brother Han, well done,” Baili Changqing laughed aloud.
“Could it be that what Baili Changqing said earlier… wasn't empty talk?!”
The others looked at Han Li, a strange glint in their eyes.
From this, Han Li's strength seemed truly capable of contending with an Peak of the Acquired Realm expert.
The gap he had bridged was far from ordinary.
But no matter what, the stronger Han Li was, the better. In this kind of setting, defeat and victory were two different things… “Brother, this Han Li is really amazing.” From her seat, Bai Yu's large eyes looked at Han Li, then she turned her head to look at Bai Yi beside her.
“He is amazing, much stronger than before, by more than one or two times…” Bai Yi nodded.
The elite Disciples of the Twelve Sects present, any one of them could rival or even surpass the Blood Devil Taoist of the past.
Han Li's effortless victory, even though Bai Yi knew his strength was not weak, still surprised him.
“This guy’s strength has shot up too fast.”
He sighed inwardly, but Bai Yi remained outwardly composed.
—
The bell rang again, signaling the start of a new battle.
Tianxuan Sect versus Yuling Palace!
Stepping into the spatial Formation, the battle began instantly. Powerful martial arts erupted, and the two Disciples' figures intertwined and collided like lightning, moving extremely fast.
martial arts clashed, Magic Treasures were activated, each displaying their Divine Ability.
Han Li's gaze was fixed on the Void Realm mirror, not missing a single detail of the scene.
The fierce confrontation ended with the Yuling Palace Disciple narrowly winning. Tianxuan Sect suffered two losses.
The Faces of their group were ashen.
Two consecutive defeats dealt a huge blow to the morale of Tianxuan Sect's remaining eight Disciples.
Currently, Tianxuan Sect was in the most dire situation.
But this was only the beginning… The battles continued to rage.
After more than a dozen battles, almost all of the Disciples from the Twelve Sects had participated in at least one fight.
Among them, the strongest was undoubtedly Cangjian Palace.
Other Sects had one, or even two, eliminated, but Cangjian Peak had none.
They were all of Peak of the Acquired Realm Cultivation, and their equipment was also very refined.
Each person having a Spirit Treasure was basic.
It was an almost completecrush in all aspects.
Magic Treasures were also part of one's strength, but the strongest could only use High Grade Spirit Treasures, not Dao Artifacts.
This was one of the rules of the Nine Provinces Tournament.
If Peak of the Acquired Realm Cultivation combined with a Dao Artifact were allowed, there would basically be no fight.
Moreover, using a Dao Artifact might lead to fatalities.
The power of a Dao Artifact was incomparable to a Spirit Treasure, differing by more than a hundredfold.
Even if its full power couldn't be activated, being able to unleash a portion of a Dao Artifact's power would still be a pure crushing battle… Time flowed by, minute by minute.
The number of eliminated participants grew, and Qingyuan Sect was no exception, with Shang Tang and Yuan Hong both eliminated.
Their opponents were all Peak of the Acquired Realm experts, and even with Spirit Treasures, the two couldn't contend.
The gap between the Xiantian Second Realm and Xiantian Third Realm was also very large, which was a fact.
However, comparatively, Qingyuan Sect's situation was much better.
As fellow major Sects in Qingzhou, Tianxuan Sect and Golden Spirit Sect had both lost three people.
The battles continued, pushing the atmosphere to its Peak.
Although it was stipulated that battles should end within half an hour, in most cases, they usually didn't last that long.
Peak clashes also couldn't sustain continuous bursts of power.
martial arts, Cultivation Techniques, and Spirit Treasures were all factors determining success or failure.
There were a total of twenty-eight Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciples, and so far, not a single Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciple had been eliminated.
The most secure was, without a doubt, Cangjian Palace.
With ten Disciples, even if one was eliminated, it would have no impact.
The Nine Provinces Tournament lasted for two days.
On the first day, depending on the battle situation and time, at the minimum, eighteen people would remain, forming the top eighteen.
This meant that approximately one hundred and two people would be eliminated.
Of course, this was only the minimum scenario.
It was also possible that thirty-two people would remain.
It would be determined by the time at the venue.
It was not fixed… The bell rang again, signaling the end of a new round of battles.
Among the Twelve Sects, Cangjian Palace's ten members remained unchanged; not a single one had been eliminated.
This was the only one.
Qingyuan Sect also had half of its members eliminated.
This included one of his Senior Brothers, Yan Qingfeng, and two other Disciples.
The remaining were Yun Xi, Zhou Yuan, Han Li, Baili Changqing, and Bai Xiaoxiao.
The probability of encountering one of the twenty-eight Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciples would only increase from now on.
For Qingyuan Sect's situation, the pressure was immense.
However, Tianxuan Sect had stabilized, with four members eliminated and six remaining.
Golden Spirit Sect, like Qingyuan Sect, also had five members eliminated, leaving only half.
After dozens of battles, the Sects with the most members remaining were only Cangjian Palace and Tai Xuan Sect.
The strength of these two Sects was also beyond doubt.
Two names appeared in the Spirit Mirror again.
One of them was Han Li.
The other was a Disciple from Tai Xuan Sect, an Peak of the Acquired Realm expert!
“Junior Brother Han, do you have confidence?”
Bai Xiaoxiao looked at Han Li.
Yun Xi and the others also looked at Han Li.
Tai Xuan Sect's Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciple had appeared.
Han Li rose, his expression showing no change, and he stepped out directly.
“We'll know once I try!”
Han Li's figure disappeared from his seat, but his voice reached Yun Xi and the others' ears.
“Does this guy actually have confidence…?”
Watching Han Li step into the central Formation, the Grand Elder also clenched his fists.
This was Han Li's first confrontation with an Peak of the Acquired Realm expert. Although his previous battles were excellent, mostly instant kills, this time, against an Peak of the Acquired Realm expert, the situation was completely different.
The Disciples of the Twelve Sects were all outstanding, and those who broke through to the Peak of the Acquired Realm were even stronger than ordinary Peak of the Acquired Realm experts.
The Grand Elder had only tested Han Li once before, but had never truly fought him, so he wasn't sure how deep Han Li's strength truly was.
Not being nervous was a lie.
After all, among the ten, the Grand Elder was most optimistic about Han Li.
And Wu Wuji, like him, was also optimistic about Han Li.
Among the ten, only Han Li had the most hope of securing a ranking… In the central spatial Formation, a richly dressed young man walked forward.
Han Li's gaze fell on the richly dressed young man, and information instantly flooded his mind.
Tai Xuan Sect, Ye Qingshu!
Peak of the Acquired Realm Cultivation, skilled in saber techniques, and cultivated many martial arts, but his saber techniques were the most outstanding.
The moment Ye Qingshu stepped onto the Formation, light burst forth, and the figures of the two instantly entered the spatial Formation.
On a grassy plain, surrounded by mountains.
“Han Li, I heard you’re also Wu Wuji’s Junior Brother?”
Ye Qingshu looked at Han Li, his voice ringing out.
“For Wu Wuji’s Face, I can let you have one move!”
Ye Qingshu stood with one hand behind his back, looking at Han Li.
“Is that so?”
Han Li's gaze was calm, without the slightest ripple. The next instant, eight Azure Dragons manifested behind him, their Dragon roars shaking heaven and earth. Dazzling divine light instantly erupted, and a vast Aura swept out.
The Azure Dragons roared, and Han Li's Aura also rose to its Peak.
In an instant, Ye Qingshu's Face changed dramatically.
True Qi surged, forming a thick Qi armor.
“Roar—!”
The eight Azure Dragons roared again, divine light shining, and within it, purple light emerged.
A dazzling golden seal instantly materialized.
Feeling the again rising Aura, Ye Qingshu could no longer sit still. His True Qi surged, and as Han Li's Sky Dragon Suppressing Prison erupted, Ye Qingshu also launched an attack at the same time.
A giant phantom materialized, red light condensing into a large hand, attacking the golden seal.
“Boom—!!”
The martial arts of the two collided. Sky Dragon Suppressing Prison completely crushed the red hand with overwhelming force, instantly destroying it. It struck Ye Qingshu, shattering his Qi armor, and sending his body flying several hundred zhang away. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his Aura violently shaking.
However, the next second, Han Li instantly closed in. Ye Qingshu, without hesitation, revealed a High Grade Spirit Treasure, activated it, and instantly slashed towards Han Li.
The two figures instantly clashed, shockwaves swept out, cracks spread across the ground, vegetation was instantly destroyed, and rocks shattered… “Tsk tsk, you said you’d let him have one move. Is this the credibility of Tai Xuan Sect?”
From his seat, Wu Wuji suddenly shook his head and sighed.
Hearing this, the God Realm Elder from Tai Xuan Sect's Face instantly turned ugly.
The other Supreme experts looked at Tai Xuan Sect's Grand Elder, all showing expressions of watching a show.
To publicly declare letting an opponent have one move, and then be slapped in the Face like this.
He didn't even let half a move, attacking directly, and the key was, he was even injured.
That Face slap echoed loudly!
“Battles change in an instant, the situation was simply different,” Tai Xuan Sect’s Grand Elder said indifferently.
“If you don't have the strength, don't pretend, it's easy to make a fool of yourself…” Wu Wuji spoke.
“…”
—
“Boom—!”
With a collision, the two figures separated.
Han Li was bare-handed, not using any Magic Treasure, yet Ye Qingshu, even with a High Grade Magic Treasure, was still injured.
Not letting that move almost got him into trouble.
Ye Qingshu's Face also darkened.
“Overlord Saber Slash!”
Looking at Han Li, Ye Qingshu instantly unleashed his strongest attack, a Saber Qi several zhang long instantly slashing towards Han Li.
The space itself seemed to be torn apart.
Watching the incoming saber, Han Li instantly erupted with a soaring Sword Intent, as if a peerless divine sword had emerged from its sheath. Hundreds of sword shadows manifested, merging in an instant, transforming into a single sword shadow, and striking out with a single sword.
“Boom—!”
Sword Qi and Saber Qi spread, engulfing the two figures. A powerful surge of Qi impacted, and the surrounding ground instantly cracked.
“Roar—!”
A loud Dragon roar sounded, and golden light erupted from the dust and smoke.
With a bang, a figure flew backward, crashing into the mountain like a meteorite, shattering rocks.
"Pfft..."
Ye Qingshu spat out blood, his figure barely breaking free, and the next moment, Han Li appeared close to him and landed another punch.
With a crack, the sound of bones breaking echoed as a punch shattered his sternum, causing blood to gush out as he fell heavily to the ground, barely clinging to life.
"Brother Ye, you said you'd let me have one move, didn't you?" Han Li's voice drifted over.
Hearing this, Ye Qingshu, who was barely alive on the ground, spat out blood again, overcome with anger, and completely fainted.
The light faded, and the two figures instantly vanished within the spatial Formation.
Defeating an Peak of the Acquired Realm!
Han Li was the first to defeat an Peak of the Acquired Realm with a Xiantian Second Realm Cultivation.
Moreover, the battle was not a narrow victory; he completely dominated.
He defeated Ye Qingshu, an Peak of the Acquired Realm, with just his martial arts.
The gap in strength was truly immense.
Millions of eyes were focused on them, and the outcome of this battle was somewhat unexpected.
After a brief silence, thunderous applause instantly erupted.
In his seat, Wu Wuji looked at Han Li, a look of gratification on his Face.
It seemed Junior Brother was even more formidable than he had imagined.
His progress was also beyond imagination.
"With his strength, he can also take on the position of Yuhua Peak Master..."
A thought flashed through Wu Wuji's mind.
After returning, he would finalize it with the Sect Leader.
Strength reigns Supreme!
The other Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters would surely not object...
Han Li took a step and returned to his seat.
The Grand Elder looked at Han Li, his Face beaming with smiles, his mouth almost reaching his ears.
"Good, very good, hahahahaha!!!" The Grand Elder laughed heartily.
The victory in this battle was extraordinary.
Han Li's chances of securing a ranking were at least ninety percent.
This time, Qingyuan Sect could completely wash away its previous decline!
"Even an Peak of the Acquired Realm was beaten so badly..."
"Is Han Li's strength even more monstrous than Wu Wuji's back then?!"
Yun Xi and the others looked at Han Li.
Having witnessed this battle firsthand, what level was Han Li's strength truly at?
At this moment, a question mark appeared in their hearts.
A groundbreaking battle!
Han Li's strength also forced the Disciples of other Sects to be cautious, even those in the Peak of the Acquired Realm were no exception.
"If this person breaks through to the Peak of the Acquired Realm, then the champion of this battle will probably be none other than him.
His potential is even more monstrous than Wu Wuji's back then!"
Looking at Han Li, the same thought arose in the minds of dozens of Disciples.
They had initially thought that Qingyuan Sect would once again be at the bottom this time, but the current situation was different.
To be able to heavily injure and knock out Ye Qingshu, an Peak of the Acquired Realm, this was not just comparable to an Peak of the Acquired Realm; it had already surpassed it.
This time, Qingyuan Sect had directly produced a super dark horse!
...
Outside the venue, on the top floor of a pagoda less than six li away, two figures appeared within the pagoda.
A woman in red and a middle-aged man in brocade clothes.
The woman in red stood before the pagoda window, holding a monocular telescope, observing the situation at the venue.
The middle-aged man in brocade clothes also held an identical monocular telescope.
After watching for a while, the woman in red put down the monocular telescope, her expression grave.
"Holy Mother, I didn't expect such a Genius to appear in Qingyuan Sect this time.
It's truly unexpected," the middle-aged man in brocade clothes said with surprise.
The woman in red's Face was grim.
The middle-aged man in brocade clothes noticed the unusual expression on her Face and his heart skipped a beat: "Holy Mother, what's wrong?"
"This person escaped from my hands a few months ago," the woman in red said with a displeased expression.
"Holy Mother has crossed paths with this person?!" the middle-aged man in brocade clothes said in disbelief.
The woman in red nodded: "Hmm, a few months ago, he was only at the Innate First Realm Cultivation."
"Hiss!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man in brocade clothes couldn't help but gasp.
Could he fight with the Holy Mother at the Innate First Realm Cultivation?!
He was well aware of the Holy Mother's strength!
Even ordinary Peak of the Acquired Realm were no match for the Holy Mother.
For this person to be able to contend with the Holy Mother at the Innate First Realm Cultivation, wasn't that a bit too monstrous?!
"Was the disturbance in Dark City caused by this guy?" A question mark appeared in the middle-aged man's mind.
A special disturbance had occurred in Dark City, but he did not know the specific details.
He only knew the general outline: a master had killed two Second Realm Elders, severely wounded one, and slaughtered more than a dozen core members of the Innate First Realm, with an even greater number of other casualties.
"It's a pity, if it weren't for that smelly monk back then, this person would have died long ago," the Holy Mother clenched her fists, her Face grim.
"Monk... it seems there was also a master, so no wonder," hearing the Holy Mother's voice, the middle-aged man felt relieved.
"Holy Mother, at present, it's probably impossible to act.
This person's Aura is already established, and with so many Supreme present, there's no way to start!" the middle-aged man in brocade clothes said.
"Are you teaching me?" the Holy Mother said coldly.
..."This subordinate is merely reminding the Holy Mother," the middle-aged man lowered his head.
"You leave first.
I'll observe a bit longer and send a message to the Sect, adding this person to our Sect's list," the Holy Mother said.
"Yes!" The middle-aged man nodded, then turned and left the top floor of the pagoda.
"Han Li..."
Standing by the window, the Holy Mother's gaze looked out at the venue.
"It seems I need to discuss this with them.
This person has great potential, no less than Wu Wuji or Nie Cangqiong.
If he's not eliminated, he will surely become a future calamity..."
---
"Other Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciples will definitely be more cautious of you.
Still, don't be careless; maintain Peak performance."
The Grand Elder looked at Han Li and reminded him.
Han Li also nodded.
This time was also his first battle against an Peak of the Acquired Realm since Cultivating to the Innate Qi Realm.
Back in the Thunderous Ruins of Dark City, that Peak Demon King gave Han Li a very strong understanding of the Peak of the Acquired Realm.
Especially after meeting Tang Sanzang later.
The impression was extremely deep.
However, the current battle didn't seem as difficult to deal with as he had imagined.
Of course, Han Li also understood the reasons for this: his Cultivation Technique had changed, and he had broken through another Realm, and his Divine Ability had all received a phased improvement, a comprehensive improvement, which was only natural.
However, if he were to encounter an Peak of the Acquired Realm of Tang Sanzang's caliber, he still wouldn't have any confidence.
And according to the information he knew, one of Cangjian Palace's Disciples was roughly of this strength.
Nie Cangqiong!
This was one of the ten Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciples of Cangjian Palace.
His talent was extremely high, and he also possessed a special Physique, the Cangqiong Saint Body!
Similar to Senior Brother's Dou Zhan Sheng Ti (Battle Saint Body), it was a Physique of unparalleled combat power.
The martial arts he unleashed far surpassed Martial Artist of the same level.
These combat-type Saint Body basically all had the strength to challenge those of higher Realms.
According to the information, Nie Cangqiong's strength had almost reached the point where he had the possibility of impacting the God Realm.
His strength was the strongest.
He could basically be said to be the primary candidate for the champion.
His strength surpassed others by no small margin.
Although he had also made a move once, his opponent was only a Xiantian Second Realm, not even qualified to force out Nie Cangqiong's true strength.
Nie Cangqiong was also a Disciple of the Cangjian Palace Sect Leader, and he had Cultivated many martial arts and Divine Ability.
And the information did not fully outline all of Nie Cangqiong's strength.
This person still had unknown trump cards.
The other Peak of the Acquired Realm, although formidable, did not reach Nie Cangqiong's monstrous level.
If Senior Brother hadn't broken through to the God Realm, then he might have been Nie Cangqiong's only formidable opponent.
"If I can't win, I'll concede.
There's nothing shameful about that..." Calming his mind, Han Li continued to look at the mirror.
Although the first-place reward was very tempting, he also needed the strength to claim it.
He only needed to ensure he could secure a ranking for Qingyuan Sect; as for the rest, he could only do his best...
Time flowed by.
Night fell.
Above the venue, however, the lights were still brilliant.
One hundred and twenty people had dwindled to just twenty-four.
In Qingyuan Sect, only Han Li remained.
As for Golden Spirit Sect and Tianxuan Sect, there was only one Peak of the Acquired Realm Disciple each; all the others had been eliminated.
Cangjian Palace also had three people eliminated.
However, it was still in first place.
Closely following was Tai Xuan Sect.
With twenty-four people remaining, the battles also drew to a close.
Han Li and the Grand Elder quickly left the venue.
Returning to the mansion, the group arrived in the main hall.
All twelve were present.
The Grand Elder and Wu Wuji looked at Han Li and said, "Han Li, tomorrow's battle will be even tougher.
You need to be well-prepared."
"Grand Elder, don't worry.
I think securing a ranking shouldn't be a problem," Han Li nodded.
"It's good to have confidence.
Invincible in heart, then invincible in the world," Wu Wuji nodded.
"Junior Brother, this time, we're really counting on you," Baili Changqing said.
"I have some Diyuan Pills here.
Take them in case of need," the Grand Elder handed Han Li a small porcelain bottle.
Han Li did not refuse the kind offer and put the small porcelain bottle into his pocket.
"Grand Elder, someone outside is looking for Han Li."
Outside the hall, a middle-aged man quickly entered the hall and spoke.
"Looking for Han Li?!"
Hearing this, the eyes of several people instantly turned to the middle-aged man.
Han Li also felt a bit surprised.
He looked at the steward.
"Who is it?"
The Grand Elder asked.
"This subordinate doesn't recognize him.
He's a monk who calls himself 'Sanzang,' the 'zang' from 'zangsheng' (buried life)!"
The steward replied.
"Sanzang?"
Several people looked at Han Li, but hearing the steward speak, Han Li knew who it was.
Sanzang!
That must be Tang Sanzang!
"Grand Elder, Senior Brother, this person is a friend of mine who once helped me.
Since he's visiting today, I'll go see him," Han Li said, standing up.
"Alright then, if that's the case," hearing Han Li say this, the Grand Elder didn't ask further.
Han Li greeted them, then followed the steward towards the mansion's entrance.
12,000 words, seeking support!