Chapter 68: Oppressive Feeling

With the conclusion of the three rounds of elimination matches, the original competition team of thousands was instantly reduced to ninety-six people.

Every one of these ninety-six people was the elite of the elite in the Outer Sect. The weakest among them possessed cultivation at the Peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, and among them, there was no lack of peerless Prodigies who were half-step into Qi Refining, or even those who had truly stepped into the Qi Refining stage.

In the center of the square, the nine arenas were recombined, leaving only four larger main arenas.

The subsequent battles would no longer be encounter battles, but cruel one-on-one elimination matches by drawing lots, until the final top ten were decided.

Chu Chang stood in the resting area, his gaze sweeping through the crowd.

Not far away.

A figure like an iron tower stood quietly in the sunlight. His skin presented a strange black iron color, and the sunlight falling on him not only lacked luster but seemed to be swallowed up.

The number one of the Outer Sect, the "Immovable Wisdom King" Immovable Wisdom King.

Seemingly sensing Chu Chang's gaze, Immovable Wisdom King slowly turned his head.

That pair of black eyes, devoid of any emotional color, collided violently with Chu Chang's gaze in the air.

Boom!!!

An invisible gravitational field faintly generated in the air between the two. The passing Disciples only felt a tightness in their chests and were so frightened that they hurriedly took a detour.

Immovable Wisdom King's mouth corners moved slightly, revealing a smile that was not quite a smile, and then he withdrew his gaze.

"Strong."

Chu Chang thought to himself.

The oppressive feeling that this Immovable Wisdom King gave him was even greater than that of Zhao Meng, whom he had killed two months ago.

His Physical Body had clearly been Cultivated to an extremely high Realm, almost about to give birth to a "Physical Body Divine Ability."

Besides Immovable Wisdom King.

Chu Chang also saw the "Blazing Fire Mad Blade" Lieshan, who was dressed in red, carried a giant blade on his back, and within three zhang of whom no one dared to approach; as well as the "Phantom Sword" Feng Wuji, who leaned in the shadows of the bamboo forest, his figure looming as if he would melt into the wind at any moment.

These three were worthy of being the three giants of the Outer Sect; the aura emitted by each of them made ordinary Disciples feel trembling.

However.

What made Chu Chang most vigilant was not these three.

His gaze tilted slightly, landing on a thin, weak youth in the corner who was extremely inconspicuous, wearing an Outer Sect uniform that had been washed until it was somewhat faded.

Great Elder Zhao Wuji.

At this moment, Great Elder Zhao Wuji lowered his head, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his body slightly hunched, looking just like an ordinary Disciple trembling all over from nervousness.

But relying on his keen Divine Sense, Chu Chang faintly felt an extremely hidden, extremely vicious "Death Qi" from within his body.

That aura was exactly the same as the demonic poison he had felt on the "mind-calming detoxification essence."

Seemingly having noticed Chu Chang's gaze.

Great Elder Zhao Wuji slowly raised his head.

It was a face that could not be more ordinary, but in his eyes at this moment, a trace of extreme madness and cruelty flickered. He grinned at Chu Chang, revealing a mouthful of ghastly white teeth, and then used his right index finger to slowly make a slicing motion across his own neck.

"Great Elder Zhao Wuji…"

Chu Chang's eyes narrowed slightly, and the Golden Geng True Qi within his body let out a crisp sword chime at this instant.

He knew.

The upcoming competition for the top hundred would be a true battle between Dragons and tigers. And between him and Great Elder Zhao Wuji, it was destined that they would have a showdown on this arena.

Just at this moment, the Grand Elder's voice came from the sky again:

"The competition for the top hundred, begin drawing lots!"

"The first battle, Tianxuan Peak's Chu Chang, versus… Tianxing Peak, Duan Hong!"

Hearing this name, an exclamation erupted from under the stage.

Duan Hong, ranked eleventh on the Outer Sect Prodigy list, with his "Life-Taking Chain Spear" being extremely vicious, had once defeated countless famous experts.

Chu Chang withdrew his gaze and let out a long sigh.

"The warm-up is over."

He strode toward the number one main arena, walking step by step.

Chu Chang, dressed in black, walked onto the arena with steady steps.

And opposite him, Duan Hong had long been waiting.

He was dressed in his signature red-patterned martial attire, holding a "Liquan Spear" that was entirely silver-white, with the spear tip faintly emitting a cold glint.

Duan Hong was famous in the Outer Sect, not only because he was ranked eleventh, but also because he came from Tianxing Peak.

Tianxing Peak Disciples were in charge of the Sect's punishments, and their strikes were always known for being vicious and decisive, with their spear techniques emphasizing a single killing blow.

"Chu Chang, I admit that your Physical Body strength is very strong." Duan Hong held the spear with one hand, pointing it obliquely at the ground, his whole person like a peerless divine spear ready to strike. "But in battlefield slaughter, relying solely on brute force will not get you far. Today, I will let you witness what true sharpness of weapons and the pinnacle of technique are!"

"Please advise." Chu Chang's expression was calm, his right hand slowly resting on the iron sword hilt at his waist.

Facing an opponent like Duan Hong, he no longer acted arrogant and prepared to use sword techniques.

"Arrogant!"

Seeing that Chu Chang was still so calm at this time, Duan Hong's eyes turned cold, and his figure instantly erupted.

"Swish!"

A flash of red light passed, Duan Hong and his spear became one, transforming into a silver lightning bolt that tore through the air, stabbing straight at Chu Chang's throat.

"Life-Taking Chain Spear, Gale Stab!"

This spear was extremely fast; due to the high-speed friction in mid-air, the spear tip actually produced a faint white vortex of airflow. Many Disciples under the stage only saw a blurred afterimage.

However, in Chu Chang's perception, which had undergone several bone-cleansing and marrow-washing sessions and was far sharper than ordinary people's, the trajectory of this spear was clearly visible.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound of metal colliding rang out.

The iron sword at Chu Chang's waist had already been unsheathed without anyone knowing when. He had no flashy Moves, just a simple horizontal block.

The sword edge accurately slashed at the side of the spear tip.

Two immense forces collided, sparking a brilliant shower of sparks. Duan Hong only felt a vast, irresistible force coming from the spear shaft, shaking his hands until the web between his thumb and index finger hurt, and his sure-kill spear immediately veered off course.

"What?!"

Duan Hong was shocked, but he was extremely experienced in combat and instantly used the rebound force, twisting his waist, his long spear tracing a perfect arc in the air as he swept out again.

"Sweeping the Army!"

The spear shaft, carrying a terrifying whistling sound, smashed fiercely toward Chu Chang's waist and ribs.

"Golden Geng Sword Art, Guard Like Mount Tai!"

Chu Chang did not change his expression, his iron sword lightly drawing a line at his side, and a faint layer of golden True Qi shield instantly formed, like a towering golden mountain, protecting him firmly within.

"Boom!"

The long spear smashed heavily onto the golden shield, emitting a dull roar.

The shield trembled violently but never shattered. On the contrary, that powerful rebound force shook Duan Hong back five steps.

"Defending for too long will inevitably lead to failure, you take a sword strike from me too."

Chu Chang's eyes narrowed, his figure advancing instead of retreating, stepping forward, the iron sword in his hand turning into a blazing golden sword light, slashing down diagonally.

"Golden Geng Sword Art, Breaking the Army!"

This sword strike, wrapped in overbearing and unparalleled Golden Geng attribute True Qi, and further blessed with Taixuan Sword Intent, had a sharpness that made the watching Disciples feel their skin faintly hurting.

Duan Hong's pupils suddenly contracted; he felt the threat of death. In his haste, he could only hold his long spear horizontally in front of his chest, attempting to take this blow head-on.

"Boom!"

The golden sword light slashed fiercely onto the spear shaft.

Duan Hong only felt as if a great mountain had crashed into his chest, and the blood and Qi in his body surged wildly. His Liquan Spear, forged from hundred-refined steel, was actually pressed and bent into a shocking arc under this sword strike.

"Pfft!"

Duan Hong ultimately could not withstand this terrifying force, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his whole person flying backward off the arena, slamming heavily onto the ground, his spear slipping from his hands.

"Number one arena, Chu Chang wins!"

The Referee Elder's voice rang out.

The whole audience was in an uproar again.

Duan Hong, ranked eleventh, hadn't even lasted three Moves in front of Chu Chang. The value of this dark horse was recognized by everyone at this moment.

As the competition progressed, the battles became increasingly cruel.

Zhou Linzi, relying on her endless toxic mist and ingenious Formation Plates, struggled to enter the top thirty-two, but ultimately, because her cultivation foundation was slightly weaker, she was defeated by a veteran Prodigy.

However, she was not dejected; instead, she excitedly ran to Chu Chang's side to cheer him on.

And Chu Chang was advancing triumphantly all the way.

In the round of sixteen to eight, he encountered the number two figure of Tianxing Peak, known for defense, and was defeated when Chu Chang used the "Eight Desolations Demon-Suppressing Fist" to smash his defensive shield with three direct punches, forcing him to concede.

In the round of eight to four, Chu Chang finally encountered a true opponent.

The number two on the Outer Sect Prodigy list, "Phantom Sword" Feng Wuji.

On the main arena, the gale howled.

Feng Wuji held his long sword, looking at Chu Chang with an indifferent expression: "Your strength is very strong, even surpassing Immovable Wisdom King. But in my Wind Domain, you can't even touch the corner of my clothes. No matter how strong your power is, if you can't hit anyone, it's just useless effort."

Chu Chang stood holding his sword, saying indifferently: "Is that so? You can try."

"Hmph!"

Feng Wuji snorted coldly, and his figure disappeared from the spot in an instant.

The next moment, nine "afterimages" of Feng Wuji appeared out of thin air on the entire arena. Each afterimage was extremely solid, the long sword in their hands emitting sharp wind blades, stabbing at Chu Chang from nine different directions.

"Nine Shadows Wind Killing Formation!"

The Disciples under the stage exclaimed. This was Feng Wuji's famous ultimate skill; only one of the nine afterimages was real, but all nine afterimages could launch fatal attacks. With the false and the real mixed, it was extremely difficult to distinguish.

Chu Chang closed his eyes.

"Eyes will deceive you, but the wind will not."

He stood quietly in the center of the gale, his Divine Sense spreading out like a tide, keenly capturing that slightest bit of airflow in the Void Realm.

"Left rear!"

Chu Chang suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of brilliant golden light flashing in his eyes.

He did not use his sword; instead, he clenched his right hand's five fingers into a fist and punched out toward a spot in the Void Realm to his left rear.

"Eight Desolations Demon-Suppressing Fist, Mountains and Rivers Shatter!"

The violent fist wind turned into a dark golden shockwave, instantly sweeping across half the arena.

"What?!"

An exclamation came from the Void Realm. Seeing that in the place that had originally been empty, Feng Wuji's figure appeared somewhat disheveled. His long sword was still three chi away from Chu Chang, but that terrifying fist momentum had already locked him firmly.

"Great Trend, suppress!"

Chu Chang's Fist Intent soared into the sky, and that overbearing and peerless "Trend" actually forcibly suppressed the gale on the arena.

Feng Wuji only felt that the space around his body seemed to have turned into a quagmire, and his speed plummeted several times in this instant.

"Boom!"

With no way to avoid it, Feng Wuji could only take it head-on.

However, in front of absolute power suppression, his fast sword simply could not be deployed.

After a loud noise, Feng Wuji, along with his sword, was shaken back dozens of steps by this punch, sticking directly to the barrier wall at the edge of the arena.

A trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of bitterness and shock.

"I lost…"

Feng Wuji held his long sword in reverse, bowing slightly. He knew that Chu Chang had held back with that punch just now, otherwise his Meridians would have been completely shattered by now.

"You let me win." Chu Chang withdrew his fist.

In this battle, Chu Chang forcefully advanced to the top four.

And the other three who advanced to the top four, without any suspense, were "Immovable Wisdom King" Immovable Wisdom King, "Blazing Fire Mad Blade" Lieshan, and… that Great Elder Zhao Wuji full of Death Qi.

The drawing results for the semi-finals came out quickly.

Immovable Wisdom King versus Lieshan.

And Chu Chang's opponent was Great Elder Zhao Wuji.

The moment Chu Chang and Great Elder Zhao Wuji stood on the main arena at the same time, the temperature in the air seemed to drop to freezing point instantly.

"Chu Chang, you killed my brother and took that thing, right?" Great Elder Zhao Wuji's voice was somewhat hoarse, like two rusty iron sheets rubbing against each other. In his eyes, an abnormal pale green light flickered.

Chu Chang was expressionless: "Zhao Meng committed many unrighteous deeds and deserved to die. As for you… if you want revenge, just make your Move."

"Hehehe, revenge? That's just incidental." Great Elder Zhao Wuji laughed strangely, his hands slowly extending from his sleeves.

His hands actually presented a strange dark green color, the blood vessels on them wriggling wildly under the skin like little snakes, emitting bursts of nauseating fishy stench.

"Today, not only will you die, but I will also take back that thing!"

Seeing this, the Referee Elder frowned slightly, faintly sensing the anomaly in Great Elder Zhao Wuji, but due to the rules of the grand competition, he still announced loudly:

"The match begins!"

"Die!"

Great Elder Zhao Wuji screamed, his figure turning into a green poisonous mist, instantly pouncing toward Chu Chang.