706: Chapter 706 Lu Xueqi and Biyao (85)

A shrill scream came from the black smoke. The smoke dissipated, and Shadowless of the Netherworld's figure fell to the ground. His black robes were charred and tattered, his face as pale as paper, his aura extremely withered, and his eyes filled with terror and lingering fear. If he hadn't reacted quickly and used Netherworld Escape at the cost of his Origin, and if the sword light's primary targets hadn't been the Ghost Domain and Ten Thousand Ghosts, he would likely have had his Divine Soul extinguished by now!

The gray sword light slowly faded.

On the arena, the darkness vanished, and daylight returned.

Su Han stood with his sword, his face pale to the point of being nearly transparent, his body swaying, yet he remained standing. The tip of the starfire sword pointed diagonally at the ground, trembling slightly.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Everyone, including the Elders of various sects on the high platform, stared dumbfounded at the swaying figure on the arena and at the disheveled, terrified Shadowless of the Netherworld opposite him.

What happened?

What exactly was that gray, unremarkable sword light?

To think it forced the Young Lord of Youming Hall, Shadowless of the Netherworld—a Demonic Path Prodigy known for being eerie, ruthless, and powerful—to flee at the cost of his Origin and still suffer heavy injuries and defeat?

"Cough..." Su Han coughed up a mouthful of blood, leaning on his sword to keep from falling. He felt empty inside, his Primal Star Power almost completely exhausted, and his mind was weary to the point of death. The Demonic Seed at his chest seemed to have been intimidated when that "Finality" Sword Intent erupted, temporarily falling silent. But Su Han knew this was only temporary; the backlash of the Demonic Seed would soon arrive, and it would be even more violent.

But he had won.

The presiding Elder took a deep look at Su Han, flew onto the stage, checked Shadowless of the Netherworld's injuries, and after confirming there was no life-threatening danger, announced loudly:

"In this battle, Su Han of the Qingyun Sect wins!"

As his voice fell, after a brief silence, the square erupted into a clamor even more intense than yesterday!

If yesterday's victory over Zhao Jinglei was due to Su Han's exquisite sword techniques and a hint of the "Reincarnation" Concept, then today's victory over Shadowless of the Netherworld was a solid, head-on defeat! With a Star Sea Realm Middle Stage cultivation, he had consecutively defeated two peerless Prodigies at the Star Sea Realm Peak, or even half-step Spirit Abyss!

At this moment, no one dared to look down on this youth from the Qingyun Sect anymore.

Countless gazes focused on Su Han, filled with shock, awe, curiosity, and scrutiny...

Su Han ignored these gazes. He forced his body to remain upright, gave a slight nod to the presiding Elder, and then walked off the arena step by step, slowly but firmly.

Every step seemed to take all his strength.

But his back was straight, like a pine tree or a sword.

The people from the Qingyun Sect had already rushed forward. Elder Lin supported Su Han, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, his expression changed drastically: "Quick! Back for healing!"

He could feel that the situation inside Su Han's body was as bad as it could be. Star Power was depleted, Meridians were damaged, his Divine Soul was unstable, and the Demonic Seed was restless... Any one of these would be enough to keep an ordinary Cultivator bedridden for months. Yet Su Han had actually forced himself to walk off the arena.

Ye Qingxue and the others hurriedly stepped forward to support Su Han, quickly leaving the square.

Behind them were countless complex gazes and discussions that lingered for a long time.

After today, the name "Su Han" would surely resound throughout the younger generation of the Eastern Region.

And the undercurrents in the shadows would become even more turbulent.

Returning to his residence, Su Han immediately entered a quiet room to begin secluded healing.

This time, his injuries were far heavier than yesterday's. Especially forcibly triggering that strike containing the "Finality" Concept, it had almost damaged the very Foundation of his sword Dao. If not for the miraculous nature of the Primordial Star Arts and his solid Foundation, his cultivation might have regressed by now.

Even more troublesome was the Demonic Seed. Two consecutive fierce battles, especially the one with Shadowless of the Netherworld, the stimulation from the Netherworld Ghost Qi, and the massive mental exhaustion from the final "Finality" Sword Intent, made suppressing the Demonic Seed extremely difficult. That cold, evil aura was like a maggot on a bone, constantly eroding his Meridians and Divine Soul.

"I must find a way to resolve the Demonic Seed as soon as possible..." Su Han thought to himself. Otherwise, before the competition ended, he might die from the backlash of the Demonic Seed first.

He took out the "Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering Pill" gifted by Zhao Jinglei and swallowed one. As the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, it immediately turned into a hot, tingling warm current that flowed through his entire body. The power of heavenly thunder was extremely Yang and rigid, having an excellent suppressing effect on evil Qi. With the help of this power, the erosion of the Demonic Seed was temporarily halted.

Su Han dared not delay and immediately circulated the Primordial Star Arts, guiding the medicinal power and Primal Star Power to repair his injuries and consolidate his Foundation.

Time flew by during his healing.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

During these three days, all the matches for the round of sixteen to eight were completed. Besides Su Han advancing to the top eight, the Qingyun Sect's Senior Brother Ling Feng also successfully advanced. The Xuantian Sect had three people advance: Zhao Jinglei (who advanced through the losers' bracket), another Prodigy named Lu Ming, and a mysterious black-robed female Disciple. Youming Hall only had Shadowless of the Netherworld advance, but he was heavily injured in his fight with Su Han and reportedly withdrew from subsequent matches. The remaining three spots were taken by Disciples from the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Five Elements Sect, and the Loose Cultivator Alliance.

With the list of the top eight out, the atmosphere in Tianyuan City became even more heated. Everyone was looking forward to the upcoming quarter-finals.

As for Su Han, after three days of sleepless healing, his injuries finally stabilized, and he recovered fifty to sixty percent of his combat strength. The Demonic Seed was suppressed again, but it still felt like a thorn in his throat.

On this day, he had just finished a session of cultivation when there was a knock on the door of the quiet room.

Standing outside was Elder Lin, his expression quite grave.

"Su Han, I have something to tell you," Elder Lin said in a deep voice. "The draw for the top eight has finished. Your opponent is..."

"Who is it?" Su Han asked.

Elder Lin slowly uttered a name:

"Xuantian Sect, Lu Ming."

Su Han's pupils constricted slightly.

Lu Ming was the true leading figure of the Xuantian Sect in this competition, with a Star Sea Realm Peak cultivation and possessing the "Heavenly Fire Dao Body." His "Burning Heaven Sword Art" was superb, and his strength was even above Zhao Jinglei's. It was said that he had already touched the threshold of the Spirit Abyss Realm and could Breakthrough at any time.

More importantly, Lu Ming was overbearing and ruthless; in previous matches, his opponents were either dead or crippled, without exception.

"In three days, it will be the quarter-finals." Elder Lin looked at Su Han, worry in his eyes. "Your injuries... if it's impossible, then just forfeit. As long as the green mountains remain, one need not worry about firewood. You are still young, and the road ahead is long."

Su Han was silent for a moment, then looked up, a flash of determination in his eyes: "Elder, I want to try."

Elder Lin opened his mouth, but it finally turned into a long sigh: "Very well. During these three days, prepare well. If you need any Medicinal Pills or resources, just ask."

"Thank you, Elder."

After Elder Lin left, Su Han sat quietly in the room.

Lu Ming... Heavenly Fire Dao Body... Burning Heaven Sword Art...

This battle would be more difficult than any before it.

But he could not retreat. (End of Chapter)