The cultivators watching below the ring seemed to hold their breath for a moment.
After that brief silence, the atmosphere quickly boiled over.
Such intense hostility!
Originally, hearing Ye Xiu's form of address for Chen Yan, one might have thought the two were old acquaintances with a rather good relationship.
But who could have imagined the reality was completely opposite.
In fact, these two seemed utterly incompatible, like fire and water!
Ye Xiu wanted to take this opportunity to properly teach Chen Yan a lesson, to vent the shame and fury he felt from being played like a fool by Chen Yan some time ago.
There was another reason: he wanted to tear off the fig leaf covering the Five Great Sects.
In front of all the reputable sects across the entire Chenping Continent, he wanted to humiliate Chen Yan, to humiliate the Kongshan Sect!
He simply felt that, whether for public or private reasons, he had compelling reasons he absolutely had to win.
Whether the cultivators below the ring or those on the viewing stand, all were paying considerable attention to Chen Yan and Ye Xiu on Ring Seven at this very moment.
Because this wasn't merely a simple Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry trial between disciples of the Five Great Sects.
This was a grudge match!
A flash of disdain passed through Ye Xiu's eyes before he spoke.
"Fellow Daoist Chen's realm is still only at the early stage of the Martial Spring Realm. My own cultivation realm far surpasses yours, so..."
Ye Xiu still kept his hands clasped behind his back, maintaining an air of arrogant superiority.
Seeing this, Chen Yan's eyebrows rose slightly.
"This posture of yours, Fellow Daoist Ye... are you planning to let me have the first move?"
"Precisely."
Ye Xiu nodded.
Since that was the case, Chen Yan wouldn't stand on ceremony.
Chen Yan began to circulate the Purple Mansion Kongshan Art. A vast, torrential amount of true qi erupted from his Martial Spring, surging through every inch of his body's meridians.
Then, the true qi began to gather towards the tips of Chen Yan's fingers.
It was still that same technique—
Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger!
True qi compressed to its extreme burst forth from Chen Yan's fingertip, even producing a sharp tearing sound through the air over the ring.
Ye Xiu's pupils contracted slightly. He had already realized the situation was not good.
Maintaining his hands-behind-back posture, he secretly expanded his protective true qi to its fullest extent.
*Thud!*
A sound like a hammer striking a giant rock rang out. Ye Xiu remained standing in place, not moving an inch.
However, if one observed carefully, one could see Ye Xiu's calves trembling slightly, and his complexion had paled somewhat.
"Hmm?"
Within Ye Xiu's divine sense, Elder Mo was momentarily startled.
"In this world, there is actually someone at the Martial Spring Realm who can unleash the power of Kongshan Finger so flawlessly?"
In reality, however, it wasn't that Chen Yan was unleashing Kongshan Finger flawlessly.
The reason his executed Kongshan Finger possessed such great power was simply because Chen Yan's true qi reserves were exceptionally profound, even comparable to those of the Qi Sea Realm.
Chen Yan hadn't even used his full strength.
For that previous Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger, Chen Yan had exerted about seventy percent of the power he could unleash while circulating the Purple Mansion Kongshan Art.
He didn't want to take a life, so he held back.
But the actual damage caused made Chen Yan's heart sink slightly.
Indeed, just as Chu Xiyao had said, Ye Xiu was truly strong.
Even stronger than Chen Yan had imagined.
He clearly understood that an ordinary Martial Spring Realm cultivator would absolutely be incapable of withstanding his seventy-percent-power Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger using just protective true qi and physical body.
It seemed this battle wouldn't be easy.
Ye Xiu circulated his true qi. The true qi flowing in his meridians, having been struck by Chen Yan's Kongshan Finger technique, actually showed signs of disturbance.
Was this really the early stage of the Martial Spring Realm?
With his slightly pale face, Ye Xiu couldn't help but ask himself this question.
Chen Yan once again aimed his finger in Ye Xiu's direction.
Ye Xiu instantly felt a chill on the back of his neck. He clearly understood he could no longer afford to take Chen Yan's Kongshan Finger head-on.
In the next instant, Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger erupted once more from Chen Yan's fingertip.
And at the moment the true qi burst forth, Ye Xiu also fiercely thrust out a palm—
Great Sorrow Origin Palm!
A steady yet fierce palm force shot out, carrying with it a sharp, fierce wind, directly meeting Chen Yan's Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger!
Watching the true qi erupting from Chen Yan's fingertip collide with Ye Xiu's palm force, a series of explosive sounds immediately erupted from the point where the two energies met.
"Hmm?"
Chen Yan narrowed his eyes, then unleashed another Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger.
Ye Xiu's mind went blank for an instant before he hurriedly struck out with another Great Sorrow Origin Palm to counter.
But before Ye Xiu could even catch his breath, Chen Yan's next Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger arrived right on its heels.
"Bastard!"
Ye Xiu cursed inwardly, hastily dodging aside.
"Elder Mo, the sheer profundity of Chen Yan's true qi... is this really the early stage of the Martial Spring Realm?"
Along with his anger, Ye Xiu also felt a tremor of fear.
The remnant soul of Elder Mo residing within Ye Xiu's divine sense fell silent for a brief moment before replying in a heavy tone.
"It is indeed cultivation at the early stage of the Martial Spring Realm."
Cultivators at the Passable God Realm and above can probe the cultivation realm of those below them.
Not just Ye Xiu, even Elder Mo was beginning to suspect something was amiss.
Elder Mo, who had once been a mighty figure of the Eighth Realm, also couldn't understand why a disciple at the early stage of the Martial Spring Realm could possess such profoundly deep true qi reserves.
Ye Xiu was currently extremely furious.
He could not tolerate the fact that he was being forced into a difficult, humiliating battle against a mere early-stage Martial Spring Realm cultivator.
"Chen Yan!"
Ye Xiu gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with hatred.
"Stop competing in long-range techniques with him! Close in for close-quarters combat!"
Elder Mo shouted within Ye Xiu's divine sense.
Ye Xiu quickly responded to Elder Mo's voice.
The best way to restrict Chen Yan's Kongshan Finger was to engage him in close-quarters combat.
Pu Yuanzhou had tried this before, but he failed.
But Ye Xiu was different.
Although close-quarters combat wasn't Ye Xiu's greatest specialty.
Even ten Pu Yuanzhous would absolutely not be a match for Ye Xiu when it came to movement techniques and close-quarters offensive skills!
Chen Yan's right index and middle fingers pressed together, aimed in Ye Xiu's direction.
True qi erupted.
In the next instant, Chen Yan's Purple Mansion Kongshan Finger pierced through Ye Xiu's body... or rather, through his afterimage.
Chen Yan's pupils contracted slightly.
Then an acute sense of crisis assaulted him from behind his head.
He hastily dodged to the side, but his protective true qi and cheek were still grazed by the sharp true qi carried on the tip of Ye Xiu's high-sweeping shoe.
A bloody mark appeared on Chen Yan's face.
This sudden turn of events also took Chen Yan somewhat by surprise.
Were the disciples of these ordinary sects also this strong?
Immediately after, another sense of crisis, far surpassing the previous one, sounded an alarm in Chen Yan's mind.
Chen Yan had experienced this sense of crisis many times before.
It was the threat of death.
"No! You must not strike to kill!"
Elder Mo's urgent, restraining shout echoed in Ye Xiu's mind.
But it was already too late.
The veins on Ye Xiu's arm bulged, then suddenly split open.
Mysterious cyan true qi tinged with crimson red erupted, accompanied by a mournful sound like weeping—
"Mysterious Yin Weeps Blood, All Phenomena Share the Sorrow!"