Chapter 42 (1/2)
On Standstill Peak, Ye Yuanxue loudly ground her teeth. After getting wind of the life-or-death duel between Jiang Xiaofan and Ying Tianyang, she turned extremely very worried about Jiang Xiaofan and immediately headed to Standstill Peak. To her dismay, the naughty Perverted Wolf decided to tease her instead.
In the end, she could only hopelessly look at Jiang Xiaofan. “Can’t you take a break?”
Jiang Xiaofan felt aggrieved. This is no fault of mine! It’s that shameless Ying Tianyang who wanted to battle me! Out of my benevolence, I could only agree! I’m a very, very good person!
He reassured Ye Yuanxue to not worry because Ying Tianyang would suppress his cultivation to the Micro Realm. He feared no one in a fair match, even if his opponent was someone who had reached Phantom Saint first.
Very soon, news came out that the leader of the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation had agreed to their life-or-death duel. It was to be held at the martial arena on the following day. Once again, news of this caused a commotion within the sect and perturbed countless disciples.
After all, this was not just any duel but a life-or-death one. In addition, the two participants were unordinary as well. One was the renowned Emperor’s Heaven Sect’s number two core disciple and son of the Heavenly Sun Peak’s leader, an extremely powerful cultivator with a prominent background. The other was much weaker in might but was the most discussed figure in the sect. He had arrived at the Emperor’s Heaven Sect not long ago but performed acts that had shaken people to the core. He was nicknamed “The Vicious One.” It was impossible for anyone to not pay heed to their fight.
There were some who even opened bets. Those who lost had to pay a hundred yuan. However, bets were soon called off. This was because even if Jiang Xiaofan had a one-hundred percent chance of winning, no one was willing to bet on him. Rather, all bets were placed on Ying Tianyang as the victor. Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaofan grew so furious that he wanted to vomit blood.
Not long after, a middle-aged man emerged in midair on Standstill Peak and peered down. Without even glancing at Jiang Xiaofan, he looked at Liu Cheng’an who was outside of the building complex and coolly said, “Elder Liu, today is the day in which my son and your disciple has agreed to duel. Since the Supreme Elder has given Standstill Peak to you, then you should come along with us to be a witness.”
“Indeed.” Liu Cheng’an nodded in agreement.
The date of their showdown was quickly approaching. The weather wasn’t very pleasant, and the sky was overcast. It seemed as if Heaven knew that blood would be shed on that particular day.
Crowding around the main platform of the martial arena were numerous people; however, most of the important ones had yet to arrive. Only the leaders of the Heavenly Sun Peak and Hall of Spiritual Cultivation were present. As for Liu Cheng’an, he was once an important person of the sect, but times have changed, and he now no longer had any ounce of status left.
Upon the main platform, the two figures stood face to face. Ying Tianyang crossed his arms behind his back. He donned a black robe, and his eyes were sharp as usual like a godly weapon that had been unsheathed. His body exuded an immensely strong aura.
On the other side, Jiang Xiaofan was much more relaxed. The corners of his lip were slightly curled upward. He naturally felt tense about the upcoming duel with Ying Tianyang; however, the pressure wasn’t too overwhelming. In a battle against someone of the same realm, Jiang Xiaofan was quite confident in himself.
“If you have any wishes left, say it now. I’m giving you time,” Ying Tianyang spoke.
Jiang Xiaofan disdainfully smirked and replied in a lackadaisical manner, “Same to you. State your wish.”
Ying Tianyang’s expression instantly turned icy. He turned his head and told the leader of the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation, “To ensure fairness, I ask of you to please suppress my cultivation down to the Micro Realm.”
Many of the spectators were startled. Even though they had heard that Ying Tianyang would suppress his cultivation in the battle against Jiang Xiaofan, they couldn’t confirm this piece of news. Now, they were certain that it was factual.
At the same time, they were also certain that even if Ying Tianyang did suppress his cultivation to the Micro Realm, Jiang Xiaofan would stand little chance of defeating him. To be more exact, they didn’t believe that Jiang Xiaofan would win because death would be his only outcome.
This battle was never fair from the start. Jiang Xiaofan was already at a disadvantage against a Phantom Saint cultivator even if their level had been suppressed to match that of Jiang Xiaofan’s. Ying Tianyang wasn’t someone who an average Micro Realm cultivator could compete against.
The leader nodded and raised his finger. A ray of divine line shot into Ying Tianyang’s body, and his qi immediately began to diminish. With his acute awareness, Jiang Xiaofan could definitely sense Ying Tianyang’s suppression to the Micro Realm.
Ying Tianyang was somewhat surprised that his cultivation had been successfully suppressed to the Micro Realm. That zombie-faced old man’s cultivation was indeed terrifying. With just a lift of his finger, a Phantom Saint cultivator’s power was lowered to that of the Micro Realm. Even though Ying Tianyang made no resistance in the process, the fact that the leader could do this with such ease proved that the leader’s might was beyond fearsome.
Among the crowd was Chen Yifeng whom Jiang Xiaofan hadn’t seen for a while. In a calm voice, he relayed his message to Jiang Xiaofan with his spiritual awareness. “Brother Jiang, be careful. Even though his cultivation has been suppressed, he’s still a full-fledged Phantom Saint cultivator. Although he is now at the Micro Realm, it is unwise to judge his combat power by ordinary standards.”
Jiang Xiaofan nodded at Chen Yifeng to express his gratitude for his warning. He was very fond of this man.
Then there were those among the crowd who wore wicked, sly smiles on their faces. They included Zhu Youwei and Zhu Yunlin. Even though Zhu Yunlin was still young, the look in his eyes was malicious and venomous.
“Let’s get this going!”
Ying Tianyang remained standing still with his arms behind his back on the platform. In a high and mighty pose, every cell in his body screamed contempt for Jiang Xiaofan.
You arrogant little shit!
Jiang Xiaofan coldly smiled. In an instant, he vanished and transformed into a ray of light, leaving only a blurry shadow from where he stood. In the next second, he appeared in front of Ying Tianyang, tightened his right fist, and ruthlessly smashed down.
“So fast!”
Someone from the crowd gasped loudly. Many others widened their eyes in disbelief at Jiang Xiaofan’s agility. Even the leader of the Heavenly Sun Peak was surprised. Only the leader of the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation maintained his stony expression.
The color on Ying Tianyang’s complexion changed slightly. Thanks to his Phantom Saint cultivation, even if it had been suppressed to the Micro Realm, his reaction time was nonetheless faster than average. At the very last moment, he blocked the punch by placing his two hands in front.