Chapter 78: The Slaying of Xu Mao!

"This..."
"What's going on?"
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, confusion and surprise flickering in their eyes.
The fight was progressing well; how had Friend Xun suddenly admitted defeat?
Could he be a plant? No one understood.
Only the cultivators practicing Qi Refinement seemed to ponder over it, brows tightly furrowed.
Mysterious Child was also among them, yet he quickly relaxed his brow, turned to Shen Yan with a soft chuckle, and said,
"Your swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary, my friend!"
With that, he announced to the crowd,
"The first round goes to Friend Zhou. Two rounds remain—who among you wishes to take the stage?"
At his words, the crowd fell silent. Xu Mao’s eyes narrowed, unsettled, but with no other choice at this stage, he grit his teeth and stepped forward.
"I shall go!"
With that, he entered the arena.
Fixing Shen Yan with a cold stare, he assumed his stance and declared,
"Even if it costs me my life today, I will demand justice for the Xu family!"
He wasted no time on Shen Yan’s response, immediately summoning his magical implements—a set of Flowing Light Shields!
The shields rotated around him, forming a protective barrier, and then he summoned a Weak Water Pearl.
The Weak Water Pearl could stir the power of rivers, unleashing raging waves—a supreme magical implement!
Xu Mao was not a sword cultivator, but possessed late-stage Qi Refinement and served as the Xu clan patriarch.
The Xu family specialized in the art of refining implements. Though low in rank and humble, their expertise was unmatched, and Xu Mao himself excelled at it.
Thus, he wielded numerous magical implements, and his combat prowess was not necessarily inferior to Xun Zheng.
"Go!"
Xu Mao unleashed the Weak Water Pearl; waves surged forth, crashing toward Shen Yan like mountains collapsing.
Shen Yan said nothing, his sword moving fluidly with him, unsheathing in a flash. The Cloud Drift Sword’s light plunged into the raging surf, clashing fiercely with the waves.
"Hmph!"
Xu Mao snorted and produced another supreme magical implement: an ancient-looking small bell.
He threw the bell, which immediately emitted a stabilizing glow, fortifying his defense.
Flowing Light Shields, Weak Water Pearl, and the magical bell—three supreme implements, both offensive and defensive, showing the depth of his resources.
Yet he was not done; he retrieved a jade vial, poured out a spirit pill, swallowed it, and began refining its energy.
The crowd watched in silence; such wealth, truly astonishing.
But the rules did not prohibit the use of spirit pills, so even Mysterious Child could not object.
"Buzz!"
From the maelstrom, a sudden dragon’s roar erupted. Xu Mao, having refined the pill and poured in his spiritual power, pushed the Weak Water Pearl to its limits. Water dragons surged forth one after another, seeking to tear his opponent apart in the furious waves.

Yet Shen Yan, wielding his sword, churned the waters; though he showed no sign of defeat, he could not break through Xu Mao’s formation.
"Hmph! So much for sword cultivators!"
Seeing this, Xu Mao sneered, but his vigilance did not falter.
He drew yet another supreme implement—a jade cauldron exuding chilling cold, with a phantom ice dragon coiled within.
"Go!"
Xu Mao flung the cauldron into the waves. Instantly, the water froze to ice, sealing heaven and earth.
In the blink of an eye, Lotus Lake transformed into a crystalline world, trapping Shen Yan within a prison of ice.
"Xu Mao’s wealth is truly vast!"
"Four supreme magical implements!"
The crowd’s lips twitched; even Mysterious Child sighed.
Outside the arena, many discussed, but none could influence the battle.
Xu Mao stood atop the bell, pouring his energy into the Weak Water Pearl and jade cauldron. The water dragons became ice dragons, roaring cold winds, relentlessly killing his opponent, determined to end Shen Yan within the frozen prison.
He had once used these techniques to slay a formidable enemy at the peak of Qi Refinement; the power of four supreme implements needed no further explanation.
The only drawback was the immense consumption of spiritual power.
Fortunately, these four implements complemented each other, forming a cohesive system, greatly reducing energy expenditure.
Otherwise, even with mid-stage Qi Refinement, he could not wield four supreme implements at once.
"Xu Mao, be careful!"
Just as Xu Mao poured in more power, intent on killing his foe, Luo Ruoqin outside the arena suddenly cried out.
"What?"
Xu Mao’s expression changed, but before he could react, a sword’s cry rang out from the ice prison, resonant as a dragon’s roar!
"Roar!"
The sword’s cry clanged, the sword’s light surged like a dragon. Shen Yan leapt forth, transformed into a dazzling beam, boldly breaking free.
"This is... the realm of breaking magic with a single sword!"
Xun Zheng, also a sword cultivator, was aghast and could not help but exclaim.
"Boom!"
Amidst the shock, a thunderous crash erupted, ice shards flying, sword light roaring out like a dragon.
Xu Mao’s face changed as he hurriedly activated the Flowing Light Shields for protection.
The Flowing Light Shields were famed for defense, their protective power rivaling even low-grade spiritual implements.
Yet the sword light, roaring like a dragon, though but a single strike, was far more powerful than Xun Zheng’s earlier sword technique.
Under this sword, what could even the finest defensive implements do?
"Boom!"
A sharp, metallic crash and blinding sparks—Flowing Light Shields shattered.
"Xu Mao!"

Witnessing this, Luo Ruoqin outside the arena was utterly aghast, disregarding the tournament’s rules as he rushed into the arena.
But it was too late! The sword light, like a dragon, descended in fury.
Breaking through the Flowing Light Shield, it revealed the terrified Xu Mao within.
"No, I admit—"
Xu Mao tried to surrender to save his life, but the sword light did not pause—a single fatal blow, swallowing his cry in an instant.
"Xu Mao!"
A streak of white light flashed into the arena like lightning, but again, a moment too late.
The sword light struck, colliding with him.
"Boom!"
At the collision, the sword light rebounded, landing dozens of feet away.
Shen Yan staggered backward, only regaining his footing after some effort.
On the other side, Luo Ruoqin’s hair and beard bristled like an enraged lion.
He ignored Shen Yan, rushing straight to Xu Mao’s side.
Xu Mao sat upright on the ground, Flowing Light Shields still spinning around him.
The bell’s glow had not faded, still protecting him—it seemed he was unharmed.
Yet as Luo Ruoqin drew closer, he saw a crimson line slowly appear at Xu Mao’s neck.
"Plop!"
A dull sound, blood erupted, the head torn open on the spot.
Then, a flash of sword light swept away the four magical implements, and even Xu Mao’s headless corpse vanished.
"You..."
Forced back by the sword light, Luo Ruoqin’s eyes flared in rage at Shen Yan’s actions.
He was about to attack when Mysterious Child’s voice rang out overhead:
"Luo Ruoqin, do you dare break the rules of the Vast Sea Sect?"
A furious shout crashed down, instantly freezing Luo Ruoqin in place, unable to move.
Everyone turned to look.
Mysterious Child stood atop the Vast Sea Sect’s platform, his hair bristling in anger.
How could he not be enraged?
The battle for the spiritual land was governed by the rules set by the Vast Sea Sect.
Now, someone had brazenly stormed the arena, openly disgracing the sect.
As the steward of the Vast Sea Sect, he could not let it slide without response.