He was using the impenetrable defense of Thousand Soldiers Guarding to hide his true killing intent.
He used one seemingly passive defense after another to lure Ba Yan, wanting him to focus all his attention on how to breach his guard.
Patiently, he waited for an opportunity.
An opportunity for Ba Yan to pour everything he had into an attack, revealing his greatest opening.
And now, that opportunity had arrived!
"Excellent!"
An equally brilliant battle intent erupted in Qin Feng’s eyes!
Just as the sun-like Heart’s Desire Slash was about to strike him!
He instantly dropped the defensive stance of his Thousand Army Spear - Thousand Soldiers Guarding!
In its place, a terrifying killing intent, hidden for over half an hour and seeming to possess the power to devour heaven and earth, erupted with explosive force!
Self-Created Killing Move—Dragon’s Repose!
The "dragon," hidden for over half an hour, finally bared its ferocious, deadly fangs!
ROAR—!
A dragon’s roar, seemingly from the time of the Ancient Honghuang, shook everyone to their very souls as it thundered in their hearts!
In an instant, the Long Spear in Qin Feng’s hand seemed to come alive!
It transformed into a black divine dragon roaring out from the abyss. The spear’s shaft was covered in pitch-black scales condensed from Spiritual Energy, each one shimmering with a ghostly light.
Its ice-cold tip was the divine dragon’s horn, sharp enough to pierce the stars!
The roaring black dragon made no attempt to block the descending Heart’s Desire Slash.
Instead, with the desperate resolve of mutual destruction, it ignored the attack from above and launched a suicidal charge toward Ba Yan’s physical body, which was still in a defensive stance!
"What!?"
Ba Yan’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.
The confidence and bravado on his face were instantly replaced by boundless horror!
’He never would have dreamed that Qin Feng’s impenetrable defense was just a facade!’
’A long-premeditated trap designed to lure him into this exact attack!’
He had poured everything he had, his Will and his power, into that one killing strike.
This was the moment his attack was at its strongest, but it was also the moment his defense was at its weakest!
And this was the very moment Qin Feng had been waiting for!
’Should I continue the attack, trading my life to heavily injure Qin Feng?’
’Or should I abandon the attack, recall all my power to defend, and save my own life?’
In that split second, countless thoughts raced through Ba Yan’s mind.
In the end, his battle-honed instincts, forged through countless fights, overrode all else.
Without hesitation, he relinquished control of his Heart’s Desire Slash, pulling all of his focus and power back into the defensive broadsword before him!
However... it was too late.
The terror of Dragon’s Repose lay in its perfect fusion of the "hiding" aspect of Thousand Soldiers Guarding and the "killing" aspect of the Dragon-Snake Joint Strike.
The longer it lay hidden, the more potent its killing intent became!
With unstoppable momentum, the roaring black dragon slammed into the defense Ba Yan had hastily thrown up!
CRACK—!
A sharp sound, like splintering bone, echoed through the arena!
Under the terrifying impact, the heavy broadsword before Ba Yan shattered, breaking clean in two!
The black dragon, its momentum unchecked, slammed viciously into his chest!
CRUNCH—!
The Heavy Armor on Ba Yan’s chest instantly caved in and shattered!
He sprayed a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a kite with its string cut. He traced a tragic arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena, a hundred meters away.
The entire Glory Colosseum fell into a dead silence.
Everyone was so utterly stunned by the shocking, heart-pounding reversal that they lost the ability to think.
After a long, long time.
The referee’s voice, trembling slightly with excitement, finally broke the silence.
"Semifinals, Match One..."
"Qin Feng... is victorious!"
On the main central stage, the cloud of dust kicked up by the immense collision slowly began to settle.
Qin Feng stood with his spear in hand, his chest rising and falling slightly. A thin sheen of sweat beaded on his forehead.
The killing move, Dragon’s Repose, was the one among all his current trump cards that required the longest charge-up time. It was also his most ferocious and domineering attack.
He slowly let out a long breath, calming the churning Spiritual Energy within him. Then, he began to walk toward the silver figure lying beside the shattered broadsword a hundred meters away.
Ba Yan had regained a sliver of consciousness and was struggling to sit up. But the gut-wrenching pain in his chest caused every attempt to end in failure.
A steady, powerful hand gently came to rest on his shoulder, slowly helping him up.
"Senior, are you alright?"
Qin Feng’s voice was calm and filled with concern.
Ba Yan looked up into Qin Feng’s clear, deep eyes. He couldn’t help but give a wry smile and shake his head.
"I’ll live... Just might have a few broken ribs."
With Qin Feng’s support, he managed to get to his feet.
He glanced down at his Silver Battle Armor, now completely caved in and covered with a spiderweb of cracks. A flicker of lingering fear crossed his eyes, but it was overshadowed by an unprecedented sense of relief and clarity.
He paid no mind to the shattered fragments of his weapon scattered on the ground, nor did he dwell on the outcome of this highly anticipated match.
Instead, he turned to face Qin Feng and gave him a deep, solemn bow with a cupped fist.
"Junior Qin Feng,"
His voice was weak from his injuries, but it carried a profound sincerity and gratitude. "This Battle... I have lost, fair and square."