Chapter 548 - 531: Predicament
Bu Qingyun’s victory in that battle looked easy, but the process was perilous. It was a test of his perception and his own formidable strength; the slightest mistake would have meant his end.
That kind of composure and calm was a powerful presence that most Cultivators likely lacked.
Things had seemed safe, but after a short while, the Holy Hall Disciples realized they were in danger.
The fourth match: Hu Jing of the Holy Hall versus... Mingren.
The Holy Light Demon Collapse Body...
This was a match that could be written off completely. The power Mingren currently displayed was simply heaven-defying.
Anyone who faced him would probably fall into despair.
Every match brought more pressure. The Holy Hall Disciples felt their hearts clench.
But you couldn’t see it on the faces of the Holy Hall members. While Wang Meng’s and Zhang Xiaojiang’s expressions were grave, they hadn’t lost their composure.
’Victory and defeat are born in the heart. It is not your opponent who defeats you, but yourself.’
’No one is invincible under the heavens. If you can’t see through this, you can never become truly strong.’
"You don’t think the Holy Hall will be completely wiped out, do you?"
"It’s very possible. This match is against Mingren, the next is against the Dragon Race, and Wang Meng has to face the strongest of the Demon Race!"
"Sigh, it’s so strange. They were so dominant before..."
"That’s because their opponents were too weak. Now that we’re in the quarterfinals, everyone is a one-in-ten-thousand expert."
"Looks like they’re being shown their true colors."
The defeat came so suddenly that the tide of opinion immediately turned. The Ten Great Sects enjoying the limelight was one thing, but the Holy Hall’s sudden rise had put a lot of pressure on many other Sects, who were now just waiting to watch the show.
This world is fair. To be strong means you must endure more.
And you must only become stronger.
Of course, their performance thus far had already shocked the entire Star Alliance. Many of the people trash-talking were just suffering from sour grapes.
In the future, Suo Ming and the others would all become experts that the Star Alliance could not ignore. They might be a ways off from the very top tier, but it wasn’t an insurmountable gap.
Ten years ago, what were they? Give them another ten years, and who’s to say they couldn’t create an even greater miracle!
But in this moment, the gap in power was impossible to ignore.
Hu Jing was defeated as well.
She had used the most powerful move of the Dawn Goddess Holy Statue, a trump card Hu Jing had been saving. It was the ultimate technique of the Holy Statue.
The Goddess’s Wrath!
It was the strongest of the ultra-blast Holy Statue skills and the fiercest move seen so far—a nearly destructive power combining the two extremes of ice and fire in an explosion.
But it was still ineffective.
With Holy Light Demon Flames soaring to the heavens, Mingren was like a god. He turned her power back on her.
Hu Jing was severely injured.
The Holy Hall had fought three matches and lost all three. Except for Zhou Qian, both Suo Ming and Hu Jing were heavily injured.
No reaction could be seen on Wang Meng’s face, but the battles could not be stopped. There were some fights Wang Meng could not take for them.
The fifth match. It was Zhang Xiaojiang’s turn.
"Don’t push yourself. Just leave the rest to me," Wang Meng said.
This wasn’t the preliminaries; this was the most brutal battlefield of the Other Shore tournament. It was already enough that his brothers had made it this far. Willpower could create miracles, but that required at least a one-percent chance.
And here, they didn’t even have that one percent.
Zhang Xiaopang smiled and made a reassuring gesture. "This Master has always followed the principle of retreating in the face of impossible odds."
The fifth match: Zhang Xiaojiang of the Holy Hall versus Purple Dragon of the Dragon Race.
Three members of the Holy Hall had already been brutally eliminated. This match probably held no hope either, because Purple Dragon was furious.
The Dragon Race could get used to anything except failure, especially such a devastating one.
Although Celestial Dragon was a bit arrogant, Illusion Dragons were of a higher rank than White Dragons, and Purple Dragon was stronger than Celestial Dragon!
The Dragon Race was prone to rampaging even without provocation, let alone after Celestial Dragon’s miserable defeat.
Zhang Xiaojiang had clearly become the target for Purple Dragon to vent his anger.
As soon as the battle began, Purple Dragon broke from convention and immediately attacked Zhang Xiaojiang, using the Dragon Race’s speed.
A Bow Cultivator’s agility was quite high, and speed was one of their advantages. Zhang Xiaojiang’s first reaction was to use Earth Escape. But Purple Dragon had obviously anticipated this. Both of them hailed from Starlight City, so Purple Dragon knew exactly what Zhang Xiaojiang was capable of.
An unfamiliar language was chanted, and Zhang Xiaojiang slammed headfirst into the ground.
A Dragon Curse!
Illusion Dragons were undoubtedly adept at Spell Techniques among the Dragon Race. In fact, even human Spell Techniques originally stemmed from Dragon Curses. The difference was that Dragon Curses relied more on the Dragon Race’s instincts, while Human Cultivators had evolved it into a distinct path of cultivation.
Zhang Xiaojiang’s Earth Escape Skill was disrupted. Facing Purple Dragon’s close-quarters assault, the fatty showed no fear, dodging with considerable agility.
Zhang Xiaojiang couldn’t be considered fast, but no one could underestimate the fatty’s flexibility. The two were tangled together, but after a short while, Purple Dragon found an opening and sent him flying with a single punch.
Zhang Xiaojiang didn’t have Suo Ming’s endurance. The Dragon Power penetrated him without mercy, incredibly fierce.
But in the instant he was sent flying, Zhang Xiaojiang fired his Blast Bow.
A Bow Cultivator’s attack, especially when enhanced with magic, was terrifying. The Dragon Race, however, was an exception. Clearly, due to what happened to Celestial Dragon, Purple Dragon was being extremely aggressive. Zhang Xiaojiang’s swift arrow was directly deflected.
BOOM...
In mid-air, Zhang Xiaojiang took another hit.
For a Bow Cultivator, there was nothing more painful than encountering an opponent like a member of the Dragon Race, especially an Illusion Dragon. It left Zhang Xiaojiang almost no room to display his skills.
The Holy Hall Disciples watched with their hearts in their throats.
Taking a heavy blow, Zhang Xiaojiang scrambled and rolled away. His movements weren’t slow at all. Zhang Xiaojiang’s philosophy was that it didn’t matter if it looked good or not; any move that could dodge an opponent’s attack was a good move. Thus, Master Zhang was in his element using these kinds of low-to-the-ground dodges that most Cultivators would scorn.
Purple Dragon’s suppression was perfectly calculated, leaving Zhang Xiaojiang just a little breathing room. Defeating Zhang Xiaojiang in one fell swoop clearly wouldn’t be enough to vent his anger. Purple Dragon wanted to prove the heaven-defying power of the Dragon Race before the eyes of the world.
Zhang Xiaojiang broke free of Purple Dragon’s attack range. A silver light flashed in his eyes, filling them completely. The Eye of Truth.
He loosed an arrow at Purple Dragon. At this level, the attack actually seemed rather conventional.
A sharp glint flashed in Purple Dragon’s eyes. The ability of the Eye of Truth was definitely one of the pinnacles among Human Cultivators.
Insight.
BANG...
A punch shot out, Elemental Power exploding. Zhang Xiaojiang’s arrow was directly shattered.
Under the Eye of Truth, Purple Dragon was still perfect, without a single flaw.
Even as he attacked, his movements were as smooth as flowing water, completely natural.
Due to habits and their own issues, humans often leave unintentional openings. But the Dragon Race did not. Their instincts were powerful, and they constantly honed themselves as they grew. One thing to note was that the Dragon Race was proud. This pride meant they would not permit any flaws in their very bones. For humans, pride usually leads to bad outcomes, but for the Dragon Race, it was the opposite. Their pride made them demand even more of themselves.
Just like that, the power of Zhang Xiaojiang’s Eye of Truth was halved.
Having gained an opportunity to attack, Zhang Xiaojiang was anything but polite, firing arrow after arrow. ’If you have no weakness, I’ll beat one into you!’
No one dared to underestimate Zhang Xiaojiang’s attacks. This little fatty had taken down the Ghost Crown Prince, Wu Wang, with a single arrow.
Facing Zhang Xiaojiang’s assault, Purple Dragon didn’t dodge. He met the attacks with punch after punch, shattering every one of Zhang Xiaojiang’s arrows.
Every explosion sent Purple Dragon’s long hair flying, making him look strangely dashing and handsome. To be honest, from start to finish, Master Zhang was just a supporting character in his match against Purple Dragon.
However, the continuous Blast Arrows still bought Zhang Xiaojiang a little breathing room. Zhang Xiaojiang knew exactly what was on Purple Dragon’s mind. Having risen from the bottom, he understood this kind of situation all too well. Only those born with a silver spoon in their mouths cared so much about "face." Ordinary people had to be good at seizing opportunities.
’I refuse to believe I can’t break through a Dragon’s fist!’ Condensing all the Elemental Power in his body, Zhang Xiaojiang was determined.
Elemental Power gathered, and the Blast Bow radiated with brilliant light. This arrow would decide the match!
At that moment, all the Holy Hall Disciples clenched their fists. The situation was truly too disadvantageous for the Holy Hall. If Zhang Xiaojiang lost as well, it would mean a total wipeout for the Holy Hall Disciples. This outcome was a far cry from having five members make it to the top sixteen. Although the quarterfinals were cruel, being swept out just like this was too hard to accept.
But reality was often like this. It wasn’t that they couldn’t accept a gap in strength or a loss. But a crushing defeat, especially one that made it seem like they were being put back in their place, was truly damaging to morale.
Wang Meng naturally knew this but was powerless to do anything. If the Holy Hall had another three years, the result would be entirely different. But clearly, time was something only a god could grant.
In truth, Wang Meng was already very grateful that everyone had made it this far. To persevere to this point wasn’t for themselves; it was for the Holy Hall, for the brothers who had been through life and death together.
Zhang Xiaojiang defeating Wu Wang was a miracle in itself.
As for Purple Dragon, there was nothing to be done. He was a perfect counter to a Bow Cultivator. For this match, Wang Meng only hoped that Zhang Xiaojiang wouldn’t be seriously injured.
BOOM...
The arrow that had instantly killed the Ghost Crown Prince, Wu Wang, was loosed. How would it fare against the Dragon Race?
Everyone’s heart was in their throat. This arrow was truly tyrannical. Ignoring the fatty’s appearance, he was definitely the number one Bow Cultivator of this tournament.
VMMMM...
Facing the oncoming arrow, Purple Dragon’s expression also grew serious. He took a deep breath and clasped his hands together.
POP...
The arrow, which was as fast as Lightning, was caught between Purple Dragon’s clasped hands with no room to spare.
’Insight?’
Zhang Xiaojiang was still confident. ’Trying to act tough? You’re just asking to die!’
But strange Dragon Language spilled from Purple Dragon’s lips, and a string of Talismans erupted from between his hands. Zhang Xiaojiang’s ferocious, explosive arrow was actually nullified by the Dragon Curse, dissipating into thin air.
The tyranny of the Dragon Race!
The Eye of Truth was useless. His Arrow Technique, forged through a thousand trials, was also ineffective. What now?
At this point, Zhang Xiaojiang could only admit defeat.
But after his attack failed, Master Zhang was only stunned for a moment before immediately attacking again, unleashing a sky full of Blast Arrows.
Purple Dragon frowned. This was simply roguish behavior. And the Dragon Race clearly had only one way of dealing with rogues: annihilation!
With a flicker of his body, he left behind a series of afterimages. The Blast Arrows missed completely. Purple Dragon had already appeared in front of Zhang Xiaojiang, and he threw a merciless punch.
Zhang Xiaojiang dodged with all his might, his body shaking violently to disperse most of the force, but he was still sent flying. Purple Dragon chanted in the Dragon Language and struck out with his palm.
VMMMM...
A giant palm print swatted Zhang Xiaojiang out of mid-air.
BOOM...
This time, the hit was solid. It was completely unavoidable.
This was the true power of the Dragon Race. Purple Dragon was clearly a level above Celestial Dragon. Not only was his physical body powerful, but he was also skilled in the exclusive magic of the Dragon Race. Among the ancient Cultivators, this was an existence to be looked up to in awe.
Zhang Xiaojiang scrambled and rolled, trying to dodge the next attack, but an explosion of Dragon Power sent him flying.