Chapter 1259: Let Them Fight First
Ye Xianglan actively distanced herself from Long Yan and Xu Meijing, indicating that her Soul Armament was not designed for close combat. Maintaining distance allowed her to maximize her Soul Armament's power while also ensuring her own safety.
No sooner had she created that distance than Yang Haoran struck, before Ye Xianglan even had a chance to command her Soul Armament.
With a flick of his wrist, Yang Haoran summoned Black Lightning from within the violently churning Yin Qi. Black Lightning flashed into existence above his palm, then vanished, and the area where the four of them stood was instantly engulfed by a dark cloud.
Electric serpents writhed, and muffled thunder continually rumbled. Ye Xianglan and Long Yan felt the immense pressure descending from above and instinctively looked up. But precisely at that moment, two bolts of black lightning suddenly plunged from the dark cloud, smashing down towards their positions.
Boom!
Boom!
The black lightning was incredibly fast, but Ye Xianglan and Long Yan were no slouches either. Ye Xianglan's body flickered, disappearing from her spot. The black lightning missed, failing to strike Ye Xianglan, and instead split the arena floor, carving a large crater.
Long Yan's reaction was equally swift. Seeing the black lightning rapidly descending towards him, the black longsword in his hand suddenly erupted with a powerful Spirit Power, simultaneously pushing Xu Meijing back while he himself vanished from his original position. Just like with Ye Xianglan, the black lightning missed Long Yan, instead blasting another large crater into the arena.
"Heh heh, although Long Yan and I are severely wounded, both of you are also not lightly injured; your strength is far from your peak. Furthermore, you two are inherently a minor realm weaker than us. Do you really think you can defeat us?"
Ye Xianglan spoke with a smile, and as she did, she retrieved a Soul Armament from a swirling mass of Yin Qi at her side.
It was a black, round mirror, about the size of an adult's head. Its frame was adorned with mysterious runes and ghastly demon heads, and waves of mournful ghost wails emanated from within it.
"Heh heh, Guardian Ye is right. If we relied solely on our current condition, defeating the two Guardians would indeed be very troublesome. However, for you two to defeat us, I'm afraid it won't be easy either."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, and as his words fell, a deafening roar echoed from above once more. More black lightning bolts continuously struck down towards Ye Xianglan and Long Yan below.
Yang Haoran also unleashed his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, in an attack. However, Remnant Moon's target was different from Black Lightning's. Black Lightning targeted both Long Yan and Ye Xianglan, attacking them simultaneously, while Remnant Moon focused solely on Ye Xianglan.
Although both Remnant Moon and Black Lightning were offensive Soul Armaments, they differed significantly. Black Lightning was an area-of-effect Soul Armament, whereas Remnant Moon was a single-target offensive Soul Armament.
The reason he commanded Remnant Moon to attack Ye Xianglan instead of Long Yan was because Long Yan already had an opponent in Xu Meijing. When he sent Black Lightning to strike both Long Yan and Ye Xianglan, Xu Meijing, wielding Life Ender, had already charged towards Long Yan once more.
Long Yan not only had to contend with the fiercely advancing Xu Meijing but also deal with the incessant black lightning falling from the sky. Thus, he dared not be complacent and immediately retrieved a second Soul Armament from the swirling Yin Qi beside him.
This Soul Armament was a black shield, constantly radiating dense Yin Qi. Ghastly faces were embedded on its surface, their expressions perpetually shifting like living beings, as if they could burst forth from the shield at any moment to bite.
Facing an opponent like Long Yan, Xu Meijing similarly dared not be careless. Originally wielding her blade with one hand, she switched to two. This way, the destructive power unleashed with each downward cut far surpassed that of a single-handed swing. From this subtle change alone, one could discern Xu Meijing's regard for Long Yan as an opponent.
The two clashed fiercely, blades flashing, shadows dancing, and sparks flying. The crisp clangs of metal colliding reverberated ceaselessly, interspersed with the occasional thud of a blade striking a shield, or a sword cleaving through armor.
At the same time, Yang Haoran and Ye Xianglan also engaged in battle. However, their fighting styles were entirely different from Long Yan and Xu Meijing's. Long Yan and Xu Meijing were fighting at close quarters, while Yang Haoran and Ye Xianglan engaged in long-range combat.
The round mirror Ye Xianglan first produced was a long-range Soul Armament, capable of both offense and defense. Within a certain degree of attack, it could reflect damage and even unleash a torrent of 'evil spirits' to assault a target. However, these 'evil spirits' were not true Evil Spirits but constructs of condensed Spirit Power, possessing powerful offensive capabilities but no independent consciousness, obeying only Ye Xianglan, their Soul Armament's master.
In addition to the black round mirror, Ye Xianglan also drew forth her second Soul Armament: a white skull. This skull was also capable of both offense and defense; its only difference from the mirror was its inability to reflect damage.
Due to their severe injuries, Long Yan and Ye Xianglan were forced to use their full power. Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, on the other hand, did not exert themselves completely, maintaining their strength at a balanced point—never falling into a disadvantage, but also not fully suppressing their opponents.
Their decision to do so was, on one hand, to conserve more power, and on the other, to avoid revealing their full strength.
If they could secure the Guardian position without fully exposing their strength, that would naturally be ideal. What they had already displayed was astonishing enough, considering they had only been Emissaries of Death for a few short years. Unleashing their full power would only double the shock for onlookers, which might be a good thing for some, but for Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, it would be nothing but trouble.
Moreover, not fully revealing their strength could lead some schemers to misunderstand their true capabilities. If their opponents were unaware of their real power, any conspiracies or tricks they tried to employ against them would have a pitifully low chance of success.
Of course, if it came to a point where they had no choice but to use their full strength, they would unleash all their power without hesitation. They had long since considered this possibility and prepared countermeasures in advance, so even if others questioned their abilities, they would have a reasonable explanation for their sudden display of power.
However, they had not yet been pushed to a point where they *had* to use their full strength. Naturally, they wouldn't willingly expose all their capabilities, as there was no benefit in doing so.
There was another crucial reason for not revealing their full strength: if they unleashed all their power now and eliminated Long Yan and Ye Xianglan from the competition, what would they do next?
Should they team up with the other three to eliminate Wen Hexuan and his two subordinate Emissaries of Death, and then the five of them proceed to the next round? Or should they take the risk of directly attacking all remaining participants?
Neither of these approaches seemed wise to Yang Haoran. The most astute strategy was naturally to conserve as much of his and Xu Meijing's strength as possible, letting the others fight it out first. When the remaining participants were truly exhausted, the final victory would naturally fall to him and Xu Meijing.
While their side of the competitors might have been temporary allies, that was all it was—a temporary arrangement. Yang Haoran was not so naive as to genuinely consider these people his true companions. Once he and Xu Meijing eliminated Long Yan and Ye Xianglan at top speed, the other three 'allies' might very well attack them instantly, or even conspire with Wen Hexuan to take them down first. After all, their ultimate goal was the Guardian position; who would speak of camaraderie?
Though only ten individuals remained on the arena now, a mere handful compared to the original two hundred-plus participants, the intensity of the battle was by no means diminished. Without exception, those who had made it this far were all true masters, and how could the ferocity of their all-out struggle be anything but immense?
On Yang Haoran's side, the two Earth Soul-mid stage competitors were the first to be eliminated. Their eliminators were none other than the two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and his associates.
Also in the Earth Soul-mid stage, the two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan's group were not significantly different in cultivation from the two competitors, standing neck and neck. If both sides had been at their peak, determining a winner quickly would have been anything but easy.
But the current situation was completely different. Compared to the two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan's faction, the two competitors were in much worse condition, and their injuries were far more severe. It was precisely for this reason that the two competitors were no match and were eliminated first.
Successfully eliminating the two competitors did not leave the two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan's command unscathed. They paid a considerable price for their victory, and though they still stood on the arena, they were "an arrow at the end of its flight," with little fighting strength left.
However, the two dared not decide to rest because of this. They wouldn't dare, nor did they wish to. Today's battle was a golden opportunity to "leap through the dragon gate. " Until all opponents were cleared out, no matter how severe their injuries or how weak their bodies, they would never choose to rest.
Therefore, after eliminating the two competitors, both quickly consumed a Soul Pill to replenish their depleted Spirit Power and also took a Dānyào to recover from their injuries. Then, they immediately joined a new battlefield. Their chosen new opponent was neither Yang Haoran nor Xu Meijing, but Yongle, who was fiercely battling Wen Hexuan.
The reason they targeted Yongle as their new opponent, rather than Yang Haoran or Xu Meijing, was because Wen Hexuan was clearly at a disadvantage at this moment.
While Wen Hexuan was indeed stronger than Yongle in terms of cultivation realm, in the preceding battles, Wen Hexuan had "drawn the wind to the tallest tree," enduring the most attacks. Because of his immense strength, his injuries weren't as severe as Long Yan's or Ye Xianglan's, but this was only relatively speaking; it didn't mean his injuries were light.
On the contrary, Wen Hexuan's injuries were also very serious, while his opponent, Yongle, had sustained much lighter wounds. After all, in the previous battles, Yongle hadn't faced as many opponents as Wen Hexuan, and thus, he hadn't taken as much damage or expended as much energy.
Therefore, the disparity in their conditions led to Wen Hexuan, despite his higher cultivation realm, being no match for Yongle. In their one-on-one battle, with both Soul Armaments and Ghost Arts fully deployed, Wen Hexuan not only failed to gain the slightest advantage against Yongle but was instead forced to retreat step by step.
As for Long Yan and Ye Xianglan, although they hadn't yet defeated Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, their situation was far better than Wen Hexuan's. This was why the two Emissaries of Death decided to support Wen Hexuan, rather than Long Yan and Ye Xianglan.
The two Emissaries of Death understood clearly that their progress in today's competition was inseparable from the three Guardians of Wen Hexuan's faction. Without the three of them, it wouldn't be impossible for them to reach this point, but the chances would certainly be minuscule.
Thus, the two Emissaries of Death were deeply grateful to Wen Hexuan and his two associates. But beyond gratitude, other considerations were at play.
Given their current condition, if Wen Hexuan and his two subordinates were eliminated, it would be impossible for them to secure the Guardian position themselves. To claim that position, they absolutely needed the help of Wen Hexuan's faction.
If the one losing to an opponent now were Long Yan or Ye Xianglan instead of Wen Hexuan, then their aid would not go to Wen Hexuan, but to Long Yan and Ye Xianglan. Since Long Yan and Ye Xianglan could still hold on, showing no immediate signs of defeat, while Wen Hexuan was on the verge of collapsing, choosing to support Wen Hexuan was simply normal operation.
With the addition of the two, Yongle, who had clearly held the upper hand, gradually found himself suppressed. Although the two were in terrible condition, having consumed Soul Pills and healing Dānyào, they could still exert some fighting strength. Even if this strength was minimal, it still put immense pressure on Yongle, whose condition was also severely deteriorated. In his current state, every bit of added pressure had a significant impact on him.
The battle had reached a fever pitch. Not only did those in the arena dare not show the slightest carelessness, but even the spectators outside the ring had grown tense.
"Yongle, with the three of us working together, you cannot possibly be our match. Knowing it's impossible, why do you insist on continuing?"
Wen Hexuan launched a fierce assault on Yongle while speaking. He knew that at this point, Yongle would never give up, but he still wanted to use this method to exert even greater psychological pressure on Yongle.
At this moment, Wen Hexuan's condition was quite dire. His aura was weak, his old face deathly pale, and his body covered in dense wounds. It seemed he wouldn't last much longer.
Compared to him, Yongle was no better off. Whether it was his injuries or his aura, he was just as, if not more, severely affected than Wen Hexuan.
However, despite his terrible condition, Yongle's face still held that brilliant smile. It seemed his current predicament had not affected his state of mind in the slightest.
"Heh heh, you're right. I truly can't hold on for much longer. But you're no better off. And the two you're trying to protect likely won't last much longer either."
Yongle smiled and responded while struggling to withstand the trio's assault, though his voice now lacked strength, sounding quite weak.
Yongle wasn't trying to make excuses for himself; what he said was indeed the truth. At this moment, both Wen Hexuan and the two Emissaries of Death were in terrible shape. If not for the immense importance of this competition and the tens of thousands of eyes watching, they would likely have collapsed long ago. That they could still persist was entirely due to their formidable willpower!
As Yongle's words fell, neither of the two Emissaries of Death spoke, for they simply lacked the strength to do so. However, their attacks on Yongle did not cease.
The duo's assault caused Yongle to reveal another opening. Wen Hexuan, who had originally intended to further provoke Yongle with words, immediately swallowed them back and seized this opportunity to launch a decisive strike at Yongle.
Yongle, airborne, was struck by Wen Hexuan's blow. His Soul Armament folding fan was forcibly shattered by the impact, and Yongle spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His body plummeted from the air like a meteorite, hurtling towards the ground outside the arena.
According to the rules of this competition, once a body touched the ground outside the arena, it meant elimination. Yongle, of course, remembered this rule clearly, so he desperately tried to stabilize his rapidly falling body, determined not to let himself touch the ground outside the ring.
Just as he attempted to force his body to stabilize in mid-air, Wen Hexuan landed another blow on him. This strike was delivered almost simultaneously with the previous one, so he had barely absorbed the first impact before the second arrived, leaving him no chance to catch his breath.
With a deafening crash, Yongle's body slammed into the ground, creating a large crater. Dust and smoke billowed, and faintly, Yongle could be seen struggling to climb out of the pit.
As the dust settled, Yongle spat out a mouthful of blood. A smile still graced his pale face—not a brilliant one, but one that conveyed a sense of ease and detachment.
He made no further moves, for he knew that he had lost the right to act. The ground beneath his feet was no longer the arena, but outside it.
"Heh heh, I've lost. It seems I am fated to miss out on this Guardian position!"
Yongle looked up at Wen Hexuan in the arena, laughing with an air of carefree detachment. There was no trace of gloom from his defeat, no hint of unwillingness or thunderous rage. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, then lightly waved towards the sky above the arena.
The sound of swords ringing out filled the air, as several black flying swords shot down from above the arena, soaring towards Yongle's position. En route, the multiple longswords merged, transforming into a single small sword, only ten centimeters long, which floated suspended beside Yongle.
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