"Nonsense! If you truly possessed the Nine Nether Divine Body, you would never have lain dormant here! A true dragon cannot be trapped in shallow waters!" Wan Zhongshan flatly denied, his murderous gaze locked onto Ning Xuan.
I should have killed him back then, he thought, filled with regret. None of this would be happening otherwise! But there's still a chance to fix this! This Ning Xuan must have had a fortuitous encounter. If I capture him alive and pry his secrets from him, the Wan Family can also enter The Capital and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ning Family!
With Wan Zhongshan's words, the tide seemed to turn. Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement as if waking from a dream. Some turned to glare at Ning Xuan with malicious intent.
"A Bloodline Awakening can't happen after the age of twelve," Ning Xuan said simply, delivering a devastating blow. "She's sixteen this year, isn't she?"
Many eyes blazed as they recalled certain facts. For instance, Ning Yang—who was now dazzlingly brilliant and showered with endless honor—had seemingly awakened his Nine Nether Divine Body at the age of thirteen.
"Shut your mouth!" Wan Zhongshan bellowed like thunder as he struck with overwhelming force. "No matter how eloquent you are, you can't cover up the fact that you repaid kindness with ingratitude! My Wan Family nourished you for six years, spending countless Spiritual Medicines on you, yet you crippled my son! Since you are so ungrateful and unjust, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
A palm as large as a cattail fan swept through the air, creating sonic booms and revealing the full might of the Eleventh Layer Heavens of the Dark Realm.
"Bring it on!"
Ning Xuan's fighting spirit surged, his blood-qi roaring like the sea and his Element Force swelling like the tide. He bellowed as he charged forward to meet the attack.
Just as Wan Zhongshan worried his strike might kill Ning Xuan and began to pull back his power, a majestic and vigorous wave of Element Force rushed to meet him.
BOOM!
Amid the thunderous explosion, both men were forced back. They were evenly matched!
The onlookers were stunned. How could this be?!
"Hahaha, is this all the Eleventh Layer of the Dark Realm amounts to? You old fool, you've wasted your entire life! Again!" Amid his wild laughter, Ning Xuan took the initiative to attack.
"You little beast, you're seeking death!" Wan Zhongshan was seething.
Five days ago, Ning Xuan's True Blood had been stripped and his meridians destroyed, leaving him an utter cripple. Now, a mere five days later, he was contending fiercely with him. For Wan Zhongshan, this was the ultimate humiliation!
Enraged, Wan Zhongshan unleashed his strongest attack.
BOOM!
In the powerful collision, Wan Zhongshan was sent flying backward! He was soundly defeated in just two punches!
With the upper hand, Ning Xuan showed no mercy. With a flicker of his body, he gave chase.
"You dare!"
With a sharp cry, a cold light flashed and a sword sang through the air. Wan Yue'er had made her move. She absolutely would not allow the tragedy that befell her father to befall her grandfather!
"I've been waiting for you!" Ning Xuan shouted, his eyes blazing.
"Your Cultivation is at least at the Eleventh Layer of the Dark Realm, while I'm at the Tenth Layer Heavens of the Dark Realm. It's not bullying for me to use a sword against you!" Wan Yue'er declared, sword in hand. Though she already wanted to tear him to pieces, she didn't forget to justify herself.
"Today, I'll seek justice with my bare hands!" Ning Xuan retorted, raising his palms.
WHOOSH!
Without another word, murderous intent flashed in Wan Yue'er's eyes as her longsword shot through the air, aimed straight for Ning Xuan's throat!
Ning Xuan's blood-qi roared like a dragon and his Element Force surged, all of it channeled into his right arm as he reached out to snatch the blade tearing through the air!
In the next moment, the swiftly approaching sword was caught fast in Ning Xuan's grip, unable to move another inch! With a dragon-like twist of his arm, the sharp sword was twisted into a corkscrew shape!
"What?!"
Gasps of shock echoed from the crowd. The sight of Ning Xuan catching a blade barehanded and twisting it as if it were soft clay was utterly staggering!
Though shocked, Wan Yue'er did not panic. She instantly abandoned the sword and, with a sharp cry, threw a punch. Her once-fair arm was now covered in a purple glow, and a terrifying aura, at once divine and demonic, radiated from her body.
"Ning Xuan, have a taste of the Nine Nether Divine Body's power!" In just five days, Wan Yue'er had perfectly fused with the True Blood. Activating the power of her Divine Body, her confidence was now supreme!
Her challenge was met by Ning Xuan's hand, which shot out like the claw of a golden dragon. The veins on his right arm bulged like coiling dragons as his Element Force raged like a river. He thrust out his hand, enveloping Wan Yue'er's fist and halting its advance completely.
With a sudden pull, Ning Xuan's left hand shot toward Wan Yue'er's lower abdomen. She is unworthy of the Nine Nether Divine Body! I will take back what was stolen from me, in the very same way!
"You dare!"
Two furious roars sounded at once. It wasn't just Wan Zhongshan behind her; even Mo Feng on the high platform was spurred into action.
It went without saying for Wan Zhongshan. He had toiled for six years and would never allow Ning Xuan to strip the True Blood from Wan Yue'er. As for Mo Feng, he understood full well what the Nine Nether Divine Body represented. Wan Yue'er was the key to his and the Fiery Sun Sect's rise, and he would not allow anyone to interfere!
Wan Zhongshan arrived first. Ning Xuan lashed out with a kick, and its ferocious power sent him flying once more.
Before Mo Feng's punch could land, a massive phantasmal fist shot forth from it, heading straight for Ning Xuan's lower abdomen! Externalizing Element Force! This was a technique only a Spiritual Realm Martial Artist could possess!
Left with no choice, Ning Xuan was forced to retreat.
Freed from his grasp, Wan Yue'er's face was pale with lingering fear. After thanking Mo Feng beside her, she glared at Ning Xuan, her expression filled with murderous intent. She had been a hair's breadth away from being crippled by him. What a ruthless heart!
Ning Xuan ignored Wan Yue'er entirely. His gaze locked onto Mo Feng as he spoke forcefully, "Move aside! Today, Wan Yue'er must die! Whoever stands in my way, I will kill!"
"I am protecting her today!" Mo Feng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his face a mask of derision. "Come. Show me how you plan to kill me."
The Spiritual Realm and the Dark Realm were separated by an entire major Realm. The gap between them was simply insurmountable!
Ning Xuan didn't respond. He silently recited the Chaos Ancestral Dragon Scripture, frantically circulating it.
The Element Qi of heaven and earth rapidly converged around him. His blood-qi surged like a dragon, and pure Element Qi rushed madly through his twelve Divine Veins, emitting the faint clang of Divine Metal!
Against a Spiritual Realm expert, giving it his all was the only thing Ning Xuan could do.
Mo Feng's expression shifted, a strange light glinting in his eyes. This boy has gotten his hands on something incredible!
"Take this!" Ning Xuan roared, unleashing his strongest punch. The void seemed to twist and wail as his fist shot through, creating a sonic boom!
Mo Feng snorted coldly and met the blow head-on.
BANG!
In the thunderous clash, Ning Xuan retreated several steps, while Mo Feng was also forced back three steps.
The entire arena fell silent. An Eleventh Layer Dark Realm expert was holding his own against a Spiritual Realm powerhouse without a major disadvantage! It was a mind-boggling sight.
Of course, they had no idea what Ning Xuan's true Realm was. If they did, their jaws would have hit the floor.
"Hahahaha, you're merely at the First Layer Heavens of the Spiritual Realm, and it's all for show! You must have been propped up by Elixirs! Get out of my way, or I will kill you!" After one punch, Ning Xuan was ecstatic, his fighting spirit swelling like an ocean.
Mo Feng's face turned hideous. "You dare look down on me? You're courting death!"
Taking the initiative, Mo Feng threw punch after punch, each one carrying the power to shatter mountains and split stone.
Ning Xuan met him head-on, his body faintly echoing with the roars of dragons and tigers. Within his twelve Divine Veins, his blood-qi and Element Force raged like a mad dragon against a wall, like a tsunami crashing upon the shore—turbulent, furious, and incomparably tyrannical!
In a short time, the two had exchanged more than a dozen blows.
"How did he get so strong?!" Wan Yue'er stood within the raging torrent of power, muttering to herself in utter disbelief. She had stripped away his True Blood and destroyed his meridians, yet in just five short days, he had grown this powerful. Why were the heavens so blind?!
BOOM!
With a wild roar, Mo Feng was suddenly thrown backward. He could no longer suppress the churning in his blood and spat out a mouthful.
Seizing the advantage, Ning Xuan pressed his attack, pinning Mo Feng firmly against the edge of the high platform, his eyes filled with nothing but killing intent.