The Art of Chaotic Divinity

After a long silence, the puppet referee finally returned to normal and loudly announced:

"Ao Jue wins!"

Ao Jue's face was full of frustration, looking nothing like that of a victor.

The truth was, once Tuoba Yan unleashed that move, she was left completely drained and at the mercy of anyone who attacked her.

But within the area covered by that meteor shower, Ao Jue knew very well that he had no way of surviving such power.

He would have died without question.

At best, that battle should have been considered a draw.

Unfortunately, the arena had its rules.

Tuoba Yan had left the arena boundaries before he did, so by the rules, Ao Jue was declared the winner.

After her defeat, a portion of Tuoba Yan's Fortune Dragon was taken away. The power of her Three-Phase Heavenly Dragon weakened considerably, though it still maintained its three-dragon form.

Ling Feng examined her condition and frowned slightly.

The attack's power had been frightening beyond measure, but its cost was equally terrifying.

"Yan'er, if there's nobody around to ensure your safety, don't use that move again."

His tone grew serious.

"Unless your life is truly on the line, never use it."

That single attack had not only exhausted all of her strength, but even her Profound Yin Origin showed signs of drying up.

Without at least ten days to half a month of recovery, she probably wouldn't be able to unleash the same technique a second time.

Tuoba Yan pursed her lips.

"I only wanted to test it. I didn't expect it to actually work."

A trace of helplessness entered her voice.

"Unfortunately, the Tiance Mirror ultimately belongs to you. If it were truly under my control, it wouldn't have been so difficult."

As she finished speaking, she shot Ling Feng a slightly reproachful look.

"So now it's somehow my fault?"

Ling Feng rubbed his nose and laughed bitterly.

Then his expression turned serious again.

"In the remaining matches, avoid using your Profound Yin Origin as much as possible."

After a brief pause, he added,

"If you run into Ye Ting or Shi Haoxuan, just concede immediately."

Given her current condition, that was the safest choice.

Even at full strength, defeating either of those two would have been exceedingly difficult.

"Mhm."

Tuoba Yan nodded.

A faint blush crept onto her face.

So this guy was capable of caring about other people once in a while.

Meanwhile, the audience had completely erupted.

Although Tuoba Yan lost the match, everyone could see that her strength had unquestionably reached the level of the Three Great Prodigies.

The disciples of Dongling Immortal Pool were simply terrifying.

Each one was more monstrous than the last.

What nobody noticed was that the ten Divine Generals of the Heaven-Sealing Clan were equally shaken.

"The treasure that girl just used..."

Divine General Cangwu narrowed his eyes.

"It looked like the sacred relic of the Tiance Clan."

"It was indeed the Tiance Mirror."

The Clan Chief of the Heaven-Sealing Clan nodded.

"Strictly speaking, the Heaven-Sealing Clan possesses a form of divine bloodline as well."

His expression grew solemn.

"Our Great Prophecy Art is powerful enough to defy heaven itself, even capable of bringing down immortals and gods."

A trace of regret flashed across his face.

"Unfortunately, because we glimpse heavenly secrets, heaven itself rejects us. No matter how powerful a clansman becomes, very few live beyond fifty years of age."

"What a pity."

Divine General Cangwu shook his head.

Such incredible talent, yet a lifespan that rarely exceeded fifty years.

...

An hour later, the arena had been fully restored once more.

Whatever else could be said, the Sunset Gate's ability to repair the arena was truly remarkable.

This time, the defensive barriers were strengthened yet again.

The ten Divine Generals could only sigh helplessly.

Who could have anticipated that this year's Sunset Heaven Selection would gather so many extraordinary geniuses together?

And each one seemed even more monstrous than the last.

The puppet referee's emotionless voice rang out once more.

"Next match. Li Yanluo versus Gongsun Long."

This was a clash between two veterans of the previous Sunset Heaven Selection.

Ten years ago, Li Yanluo had ranked second overall, while Gongsun Long had only been ninth.

Interestingly, their paths over the last decade had turned out remarkably similar.

Gongsun Long had been surpassed by Ye Ting and became the second-ranked disciple of his sect.

Li Yanluo had likewise been surpassed by Ao Jue and lost his position at the top.

It was essentially a battle between two former number twos.

Neither was willing to surrender.

After more than half an hour of fierce combat, Li Yanluo ultimately emerged victorious.

The former runner-up of the Sunset Heaven Selection still possessed deeper foundations and narrowly outmatched Gongsun Long.

Even so, it had not been an easy victory.

Thinking back on his former glory, Li Yanluo could not help feeling emotional.

He had once been satisfied with holding second place.

Only now did he realize how dangerous that complacency had been.

Even Gongsun Long, who had ranked sixth among the younger generation in the past, had nearly surpassed him.

The martial path allowed no stagnation.

If one failed to advance, one inevitably fell behind.

After that match ended and another half hour passed, the puppet referee announced the next battle.

"Tuoba Yan versus Ye Ting."

"Ye Ting again..."

Tuoba Yan sighed helplessly before flying onto the arena.

Across from her, Ye Ting was already standing there.

Cold light flashed in his eyes.

"Make your move."

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Yan immediately replied,

"I con..."

Before she could finish the word "concede," a bolt of lightning was already hurtling toward her.

"Hmph! You think you can surrender that easily?"

Ye Ting sneered.

"Take one attack first!"

He was still furious over the trouble Yu Linglong had caused him earlier.

Now that he had encountered another disciple from Dongling Immortal Pool, he naturally wanted an outlet for that frustration.

He had already guessed that Tuoba Yan's weakened state would lead her to surrender.

And because she wanted to surrender, he deliberately refused to let her.

Since she had not yet completed the declaration of surrender, the puppet referee remained motionless.

By the rules, the match had not ended.

That was both the strength and weakness of the puppet referee.

Absolute fairness.

Absolute rigidity.

"No!"

Yu Linglong cried out in alarm.

Ling Feng's expression darkened.

This Ye Ting truly possessed a petty temperament.

His strength might be impressive, but in Ling Feng's eyes, he was nowhere near a man like Ao Jue, whose straightforward and honorable nature commanded genuine respect.

Even Gu Changfeng snorted coldly.

"And they call him one of the Three Great Prodigies alongside Senior Brother Shi?"

"He doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath."

Shi Haoxuan's expression remained unchanged.

He simply continued resting with his eyes closed.

In truth, he had never considered Ye Ting or anyone else to be on the same level as himself.

Below the arena, curses and insults erupted from every direction.

Powerful or not, Ye Ting's character was becoming increasingly difficult for anyone to respect.

Even the elders of Wulei Sacred Land looked embarrassed.

His actions had brought shame to the entire sect.

"That little bastard!"

Elder Haoling cursed under his breath.

Ye Ting had always been arrogant and looked down on everyone around him.

Usually he was able to conceal it.

But after suffering repeated setbacks at Yu Linglong's hands, his true nature had finally been exposed.

On the arena, Ye Ting's lightning attack crashed toward Tuoba Yan.

She hurriedly retreated and hastily condensed an ice shield around herself.

Crack!

The lightning shattered the shield instantly.

Tuoba Yan spat out a mouthful of blood.

Her delicate body was sent flying straight off the arena.

Having already suffered serious internal injuries in her previous battle, she now faced another sneak attack from Ye Ting.

At this point, she would likely have to forfeit all remaining matches.

"Hmph."

Ye Ting stood proudly on the arena.

"Do people from Dongling Immortal Pool know how to do anything besides surrender?"

Not only did he feel no shame, he actually mocked Tuoba Yan for choosing to concede.

Last time, when Saint Lady Bi Luo had personally rescued Yu Linglong, he could not vent his frustration.

Now all that pent-up anger finally exploded.

Instantly, the crowd erupted in furious outrage.

"Ye Ting, have you no shame at all? She was already surrendering!"

"Exactly! Everyone could see she was injured, and you still attacked her!"

"You're cruel and completely heartless!"

The insults flooded the arena from every direction.

Ye Ting swept his cold gaze across the crowd.

His face was filled with disdain.

"If any of you disagree..."

He pointed toward the arena.

"Come up here and fight in her place."

The words left countless spectators furious.

Yet despite their anger, not one of them dared step forward.