365: Chapter 365 Ivy VS Sword Essence

Backstage. King Blood Axe and the other two watched this scene, completely unperturbed.

King Blood Axe sat on a chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand, and took a slow sip.

"Let Tianlang be smug for now. Once Lin Yun makes his move and defeats Ai Wei, I wonder if they'll still be able to laugh."

King Feiyun nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"I'm already looking forward to it."

Ziyi's gaze fell onto the arena.

"Looking at them, it's clear they are determined to have Ai Wei complete a ten-man sweep and crush all of our contestants."

Originally, the trio's plan was very straightforward.

At the start of the competition, they would arrange for Lin Yun to appear first, crush Ai Wei on the spot, and immediately promote the national prestige of the Lingyuan Empire.

But witnessing the current situation, the three temporarily changed their battle plan.

They decided to place Lin Yun last in the lineup as the final trump card.

First, they would let the other nine contestants take the stage one by one to create the illusion for Tianlang that victory was already in their grasp. Then, when the opponent reached the peak of their arrogance, they would personally tear all their hopes to shreds.

This arrangement had two layers of careful consideration:

The first layer was a safe fallback.

Ai Wei was a genuine Seventh Order expert, while Lin Yun was currently only at Sixth Order Completion; there was a natural gap in their Realm between the two.

By having nine Geniuses, including Jian Yuan and Zhi Rou, take turns on stage, they could exhaust Ai Wei as much as possible.

This would reduce the pressure on Lin Yun for his subsequent battle and avoid the risk of an accidental defeat.

The second layer was emotional hedging—using their own methods against them to double the shocking effect.

First, they would let Tianlang enjoy a winning streak. As it appeared that Lingyuan was about to suffer a ten-man sweep, the entire nation would be filled with grief and suppression, while the Tianlang audience would be in a frenzy of celebration.

At that moment, Lin Yun would take the stage as the final act.

He would start a winning streak and reverse the sweep.

He would single-handedly defeat all Tianlang contestants, including Ai Wei, completing a reverse ten-man sweep.

The contrast between the suppression and the rise would deliver an incomparable impact, and the effect in the arena would absolutely stun the entire audience.

Thinking of the scene where the smiles of the Tianlang crowd would freeze on their faces as they plummeted from ecstasy to the bottom of the valley, a sense of anticipation grew in the eyes of the three.

Fairy Suxin's expression was calm as she inspected them one by one.

The mirror shone over every Tianlang contestant.

Name, age, cultivation, special Physique.

Everything met the requirements. No cheating, no violations.

After the inspection, Fairy Suxin withdrew the mirror and retreated to the side of the Lingyuan Empire team.

She didn't speak, nor did she show any extra expression. It was as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her.

Verification complete. The identities of all contestants from both sides were compliant; there was no cheating, impersonation, or tampering with cultivation levels.

In the stands, the Lingyuan citizens could no longer bear to watch.

Some stood up, wanting to leave, but were pulled back by their companions and sat down again.

"Don't go... The match hasn't started yet."

"But... the opponent is Seventh Order... How can we win?"

"What if... what if there's a miracle..."

"A miracle? In ten thousand years, has a miracle ever appeared?"

No one could answer. The faces of the Lingyuan citizens were filled with despair.

This wasn't just at the venue. In the virtual network, hundreds of millions of viewers from both nations were also watching this match.

The people of the Tianlang Empire were mocking them frantically, while the people of the Lingyuan Empire were so suppressed they couldn't lift their heads.

Countless comments, messages, and bullet screens surged in like a tide.

"Is this all Lingyuan has?"

"Seventh Order against Sixth Order, how can they fight?"

"In ten thousand years, have you ever won once?"

"Stop wasting our time, just admit defeat!"

The people of the Lingyuan Empire, looking at these comments, clenched their fists one by one, their faces full of unwillingness.

The match was conducted within an illusion. The rules were simple and straightforward:

Each contestant had only one opportunity to enter the arena with a Divine Thought projection. Once victorious, they could remain on the illusion arena to defend it until their own projection was defeated and eliminated by an opposing contestant.

It was precisely because of this rule of single-game elimination with no second chance to enter that King Blood Axe and the other two had changed their tactics.

They would first send nine people to take turns consuming and probing, figuring out all of Ai Wei's trump cards, so that Lin Yun could ensure success when he entered last.

In the center of the arena, a massive Illusion Stone slowly rose.

This Illusion Stone was larger than any one Lin Yun had seen before.

The oval, jet-black giant stone floated on the platform in the center of the arena.

The host stood in the air in front of it, voice booming, resounding throughout the entire arena.

"Please, contestants from both sides, take your positions!"

On the Tianlang Empire side, Ai Wei stepped out.

Her steps were light, her cat tail swaying gently, and her tight-fitting outfit accentuated her figure, making her look both charming and sharp.

On the Lingyuan Empire side, Jian Yuan took a deep breath and walked out.

His steps were steady, and his eyes carried a solemn expression.

The opponent was Seventh Order. He was only Sixth Order. The gap was too large.

However, he did not retreat.

He was a possessor of the Sword Origin Body and one of the top Geniuses of the Lingyuan Empire.

Even if he lost, he had to lose with dignity.

Jian Yuan walked to the other end of the Illusion Stone. The two sat facing each other, ten meters apart.

The Illusion Stone emitted a faint, eerie glow.

On the Tianlang citizens' stands, deafening cheers erupted.

"Ten-man sweep! Ten-man sweep!"

"Ai Wei! Crush them!"

"Show them what Seventh Order means!"

The sound waves were sky-high, and the momentum was like a rainbow.

On the Lingyuan citizens' stands, they were also shouting.

"Jian Yuan! Come on!"

"Jian Yuan! You must win!"

But the voices were clearly lacking confidence.

There were many people shouting, but the sound was not as loud as that from the Tianlang side.

Because they knew the gap was too large.

Seventh Order against Sixth Order, World Projection against Domain.

That was a crushing difference.

No matter how strong Jian Yuan was, he was only at Sixth Order Completion.

In front of the Seventh Order, it simply wasn't enough.

The faces of the Lingyuan citizens were filled with nervousness and unease.

Some clenched their fists, some bit their lips, and some closed their eyes. They dared not look, but they had to look.

"Please, both contestants, focus and close your eyes, inject your Divine Thought into the Illusion Stone, and project yourselves into the battle space!"

The two closed their eyes as instructed. Their Divine Thought extended and submerged into the Illusion Stone.

Boom! Above the arena, a boundless, giant illusion battlefield unfolded out of thin air.

Mountains, wilderness, and vast skies were all present, with a sense of realism comparable to the real world.

In Jian Yuan's hand, he held a sword.

The sword was slender, entirely silver-white, with a blue gemstone embedded in the hilt. It was a Seventh Order Origin weapon.

In Ai Wei's hand, she held a short blade. The short blade was entirely pitch-black, its edge sharp, gleaming with a cold light under the dark red sky. It was also a Seventh Order Origin weapon.

Before it had even begun, the two's Auras were already colliding. One was as sharp as a sword, the other as deep as an abyss.

The host stood outside the illusion, their voice resounding throughout the entire arena. "The match, begin!"

As soon as the words fell, Jian Yuan moved. His body transformed into a heaven-shocking sword light, rushing straight at Ai Wei.

His speed was so fast that his figure could hardly be seen; only a silver-white light streaked across the dark red sky.

That was a full-force strike of the Sword Origin Body.

Wherever the sword light passed, the earth was torn apart, mountains were blasted open, and a deep trench appeared on the surface of the wilderness.

Ai Wei stood in place, not even releasing her World Projection.

She simply tilted her body slightly, dodging Jian Yuan's attack.

The sword light brushed past her, kicking up a gust of wind that blew her long hair and tail.