Ten Battles, Ten Victories: The Iron Fist of the Eastern Wasteland Shatters the Central Land

Outside the Jieyin City of Kunlun, the black stone arena was surrounded by a sea of people.

Cultivators from various factions in the Central State, merchant chambers, rogue cultivators, and Holy Land disciples densely covered the hillside. A rough glance estimated no less than a hundred thousand people.

On the temporarily constructed viewing platform, the jade slip projections of the three major gambling houses were rolling the odds in real-time.

Central State prodigy wins: one to two.

Eastern Wasteland prodigy wins: one to three.

Draw: one to five.

"The odds for the Eastern Wasteland are still rising?" A disciple of the White Deer Academy stared at the jade slip in disbelief.

"Nonsense, who would bet on the Eastern Wasteland to win?" A disciple of the Chixiao Holy Land next to him sneered. "Senior Brother Chen Tianlan is at the peak of the Astral Qi Realm, Senior Brother Shen Hefeng's White Deer cultivation method has reached perfection, and Senior Sister Liu Qingyin's Seven Kills Zither Sound makes even those in the Void Walk Realm wary. Those Astral Qi Realm cultivators from the Eastern Wasteland, who rely on pills to stack their cultivation, would be lucky to last ten breaths."

"But I heard that there are three Astral Qi Realm ninth layer cultivators from the Eastern Wasteland..."

"What's the use of high cultivation? The Eastern Wasteland is a broken place with thin spiritual veins, and its martial arts inheritance is even more crude. The combat power they can exert at the ninth layer of the Astral Qi Realm might not even be as good as our fifth layer."

These words drew a chorus of agreement from the surroundings.

The sense of superiority of the Central State cultivators did not come from nowhere.

For ten thousand years, the Central State had always been the holy land of martial arts in the world.

Eighteen Holy Lands suppressed the four directions, Martial Gods slumbered, and Holy Sons and Holy Daughters suppressed a generation.

When prodigies from the four regions came to the Central State, they were always crushed.

Now, an emperor who had just ascended the throne in the Eastern Wasteland wanted to turn the sky upside down with ten people?

What a joke.

At the highest point of the viewing platform, Wang Hao sat on a temporarily constructed dragon throne, with a plate of spiritual fruits in front of him, looking as relaxed as if he were watching a play.

Wei Zhongxian stood to the side, gently shaking a fly whisk in his hand.

The New Emperor Sword hung by Wang Hao's side, its blade vibrating slightly, like a curious baby.

"Your Majesty, who will go first?" Wei Zhongxian asked in a low voice.

Wang Hao took a bite of a spiritual fruit and mumbled, "Let Xiao Chen go."

"Send the strongest for the first match?"

Wang Hao smiled.

"Don't the people of the Central State think we're no good?"

"Then let them see what our strongest can do."

On the arena, Chen Tianlan looked at the thirty-six prodigies behind him.

"Who will go first?"

A young man in a red robe stepped out from the crowd.

A true disciple of the Chixiao Holy Land, Qin Lie.

At the eighth layer of the Astral Qi Realm, cultivating the Chixiao Holy Land's "Heaven Burning Overlord Fist," a single punch could melt a hundred feet of metal.

"I'll go," Qin Lie said in a low voice. "Let them know how hard the fists of the Central State are."

Chen Tianlan nodded: "End the battle quickly."

Qin Lie took a step forward, his figure crashing onto the arena like a cannonball, causing the black stone array patterns under his feet to violently tremble.

His red robe fluttered, and the Astral Qi around him turned into red-hot flames, the temperature so high that even the cultivators watching from a hundred feet away felt a burning pain.

"Qin Lie of the Chixiao Holy Land, requesting a battle!"

His voice was like a bell, spreading across the wilderness.

The Central State direction immediately erupted in a tsunami of cheers.

"Senior Brother Qin!"

"Heaven Burning Overlord Fist! Open their eyes!"

"Blow up the Eastern Wasteland in ten breaths!"

Wang Hao turned to look at Xiao Chen: "Hear that? They want to blow you up in ten breaths."

Xiao Chen stood up expressionlessly, a faint dark red firelight showing under his black robe.

He was the head of the Great Zhou's top ten temporary workers, and also the first Child of Destiny Wang Hao had swindled.

Ninth layer of the Astral Qi Realm.

But his true trump card was never his cultivation level.

"Your Majesty, how should I fight?"

Wang Hao thought for a moment: "Just don't beat him to death."

Xiao Chen nodded and took a step forward.

His figure was like a black lightning bolt. The moment he landed on the arena, a scorching wave of air exploded outward with him at the center.

The red strange fire surged within the Astral Qi, burning the black stone arena to a sizzle.

Qin Lie's pupils shrank slightly.

Strange fire?

And this intensity...

No.

This was not an ordinary strange fire.

It was a strange fire that had devoured the dragon breath of the earth's core lava.

"Interesting." Qin Lie grinned, his fists violently clashing together.

Boom!

Red Astral Qi surged, flames wrapping around his arms, turning into two giant flaming fists.

"Heaven Burning Overlord Fist First Stance - Melting Mountain!"

He stepped on and shattered the arena's array patterns, his right punch bringing up a hundred-foot flaming dragon, smashing towards Xiao Chen's face.

When this punch was thrown, tens of thousands of cultivators on the viewing platform held their breath at the same time.

The Heaven Burning Overlord Fist of the Chixiao Holy Land was famous for its fierce and overbearing nature.

The power of Qin Lie's punch was infinitely close to the Void Walk Realm.

Below the arena, countless cultivators who had bet on the Central State had already revealed smiles.

But in the next second, everyone froze.

Xiao Chen didn't dodge.

He raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and a dark red fire lotus spun in his palm.

The fire lotus was only the size of a fist.

But the moment Qin Lie's hundred-foot flaming dragon hit the fire lotus, it was like ice and snow crashing into a furnace.

Sizzle -

A soft sound.

The hundred-foot flame disappeared.

That dark red fire lotus was like a greedy mouth, devouring all of Qin Lie's fist aura.

Then -

Boom!

The fire lotus exploded.

Qin Lie was blown a hundred feet away, smashing heavily onto the edge of the arena.

His red robe shattered, his chest a charred mess.

He struggled to stand up, but found that his Astral Qi had been invaded by a bizarre fire poison, burning madly in his meridians.

Qin Lie's face was deathly pale, staring fixedly at Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen withdrew his palm, his tone flat.

"Your fire is not hot enough."

The entire arena was dead silent.

The smiles of the Central State cultivators all froze on their faces.

One punch.

No, it couldn't even be considered a punch.

Xiao Chen merely raised his hand and broke Qin Lie's Heaven Burning Overlord Fist, crippling him in passing.

"This... how is this possible?" The disciples of the Chixiao Holy Land lost their voices.

The disciples of the White Deer Academy looked awful.

The disciples of the Qingxu Holy Land looked at each other in dismay.

On the viewing platform, Shen Hefeng frowned deeply: "A devouring-type strange fire, and it has devoured at least three types of earth fire. This person's mastery of fire is not below mine."

Liu Qingyin held the Seven Kills Zither, her phoenix eyes narrowing: "More than that. Look at the residual patterns in his palm, those are the traces of a formation. He refined the strange fire into his natal fire seed, then used a formation to compress and amplify it."

"This person is battle-hardened. Qin Lie's loss is not unjust."

Chen Tianlan's face darkened.

He originally thought that the strongest prodigies of the Eastern Wasteland were only at the level of ordinary Central State geniuses in the Astral Qi Realm.

But Xiao Chen's move directly shattered his cognition.

On the arena, Xiao Chen turned to look in the direction of the Central State.

"Next."

His voice was not loud.

But it was like a slap, striking the faces of all the Central State prodigies.

The Central State direction was in commotion for a moment.

A white figure gracefully landed on the arena.

A true disciple of the White Deer Academy, Shen Hefeng.

Peak of the Astral Qi Realm.

The White Deer Academy was one of the five great academies of the Central State, and Shen Hefeng was ranked fourth on the White Deer True Disciple list.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his white shirt fluttering without wind, a layer of faint cyan aura lingering around him.

That was the anomaly that only appeared when the White Deer Academy's supreme cultivation method, the "White Deer Asking Heaven Art," was cultivated to the eighth layer.

"White Deer Academy Shen Hefeng, requesting a battle."

A trace of seriousness finally flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes.

Shen Hefeng was different from Qin Lie.

The aura on this person was condensed and not scattered, like a volcano about to erupt.

"Make your move," Shen Hefeng said.

Xiao Chen didn't waste words, forming hand seals, and the strange fire around him exploded.

This time he didn't probe.

Boom!

The dark red strange fire turned into nine fire pythons, pouncing towards Shen Hefeng from nine directions at the same time.

Each fire python was a hundred feet long, the temperature so high that even the reinforcing array patterns on the edge of the arena began to melt.

The watching cultivators retreated one after another.

This power had already exceeded the limits of the Gangqi Realm.

But Shen Hefeng merely raised his hand lightly.

A faint cyan light barrier appeared out of thin air.

The nine fire pythons crashed into the light barrier like clay oxen entering the sea, failing to stir up even a single ripple.

Xiao Chen's eyes slightly narrowed.

The White Deer Heavenly Inquiry Art excels most at defense. Your fire attacks are useless against me, Shen Hefeng said indifferently.

After speaking, he struck out with a backhand palm.

The cyan light transformed into the phantom of a white deer, its antlers like swords, crashing straight toward Xiao Chen's chest.

The speed was suffocatingly fast.

Xiao Chen guarded his chest with both hands, his exotic fire transforming into a shield wall.

Boom!

The white deer phantom shattered the fire shield, and Xiao Chen let out a muffled groan, taking three steps back.

Every step left a half-foot-deep footprint on the black stone arena.

Such strong palm force, Lin Tiechuan whispered below the stage.

Ye Guyun stood holding his sword, his gaze as sharp as a blade. Shen Hefeng hasn't used his full strength yet. He is testing him.

Wanyan Gu said excitedly, Xiao Chen won't lose, right?

Ye Guyun did not answer.

Because on the arena, Xiao Chen suddenly smiled.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Shen Hefeng.

Your defense is indeed not bad.

However—

He clenched his right hand in the air, and the exotic fire condensed into a long saber.

What I excel at most is breaking defenses.

As his voice fell, Xiao Chen's figure shot out explosively.

The exotic fire saber drew a dark red arc in the air.

Shen Hefeng once again propped up the cyan-white light barrier.

But this time, Xiao Chen's saber seemed to have eyes, accurately slashing at an inconspicuous pattern node on the light barrier.

Crack.

A fine crack appeared on the light barrier.

Shen Hefeng's expression changed, and he rapidly retreated.

But Xiao Chen was faster.

The second strike.

The third strike.

The fourth strike.

Three consecutive slashes, all hitting the exact same spot.

Boom!

The cyan-white light barrier exploded, and Shen Hefeng let out a muffled groan, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He struck out with a backhand palm, and the white deer phantom rose again.

But this time, Xiao Chen did not retreat; instead, he advanced. His left hand's exotic fire turned into chains that entangled the white deer phantom, while the long saber in his right hand thrust straight at Shen Hefeng's throat.

Shen Hefeng's pupils violently shrank.

If this strike landed solidly, he would be severely injured if not dead.

In the nick of time, Shen Hefeng clasped his hands together, and the cyan light around his body surged.

White Deer Body Protection!

A white deer phantom wrapped his entire body.

Ding!

The exotic fire saber struck the white deer phantom, emitting the sound of clashing metal.

Xiao Chen frowned.

This body protection technique was even harder than the light barrier from before.

Shen Hefeng took the opportunity to retreat ten poles away, panting heavily.

To be able to force me to use the White Deer Body Protection, you are very strong.

Xiao Chen ignored him and turned to look at Wang Hao. Showing off was truly too cool; no wonder the Little Tyrant showed off every day. If it were him, he would want to show off every day too.

Xiao Chen found that the Little Tyrant was actually not that repulsive and annoying anymore.

Wang Hao ate a spirit fruit and said with a smile, Don't dawdle.

Xiao Chen nodded.

He took a deep breath, his hands forming a bizarre seal.

The exotic fire surrounding him suddenly all retracted into his body.

Then—

Boom!

A terrifying high temperature, far exceeding before, erupted from his body.

Within the dark red exotic fire, a trace of pale gold was mixed in.

That was the color of the Earth Core Molten Dragon Breath.

Shen Hefeng's expression changed drastically. Your exotic fire actually has a variant?

Xiao Chen did not answer.

He took a step forward, his figure transforming into a dark gold fire line, crashing straight into Shen Hefeng.

His speed was more than double what it was before.

Shen Hefeng didn't have time to react and could only fully push his White Deer Body Protection.

But this time, the moment the dark gold exotic fire collided with the white deer phantom, it was not a crash.

It was corrosion.

The exotic fire acted like maggots on a corpse, penetrating inward along the patterns of the white deer phantom.

Shen Hefeng was horrified to discover that his protective Gangqi was being decomposed.

What kind of fire is this?

Xiao Chen looked at Shen Hefeng, who was close at hand, his voice flat.

A fire that can burn the rules.

The words fell.

The white deer phantom shattered with a loud bang.

Shen Hefeng took a solid palm strike to the chest, spat blood, flew backward, and crashed heavily outside the arena.

Xiao Chen stood with his hands behind his back, the dark gold exotic fire around him slowly retracting.

Next.

In the direction of the Central State, there was a deathly silence.

Qin Lie had lost.

Shen Hefeng had also lost.

Two peak Gangqi Realm experts had both lost at the hands of Xiao Chen alone.

And Xiao Chen's breathing hadn't even become disordered.

This was not a battle between equals.

This was a crushing defeat.

On the viewing platform, the expressions of the cultivators who had bet on the Central State were uglier than if their parents had died.

On the jade slip projections of the gambling houses below the stage, the odds for the Eastern Wasteland's victory began to jump crazily.

Some wanted to secretly change their bets, but it was already too late.

Wang Hao turned to look at Wei Zhongxian. How much did we make?

Wei Zhongxian whispered, The bets from the Central State side have already exceeded ten million spirit stones. With our house cut and the odds difference, we made at least three million.

Wang Hao nodded in satisfaction.

Only three million, that's too little.

He stood up, walked to the edge of the viewing platform, and spoke loudly toward the Central State.

Friends from the Central State, we've only fought two matches. Don't be in a rush to feel discouraged.

You still have thirty-four geniuses.

I will give you all a bottom line here—although my Commander Xiao is formidable, he is only at the ninth layer of the Gangqi Realm. How many can he fight alone? Three or four at most, right? As long as you wear him down with a wheel battle, there are still nine matches left. Your chances of winning are still very high.

As his voice fell, the eyes of the Central State cultivators lit up.

That made sense!

No matter how strong Xiao Chen was, he was still human; his Gangqi would eventually be exhausted.

Wear him out with a wheel battle, and the Central State would have the advantage in the remaining nine matches!

Thus, a new wave of bets flooded toward the Central State side like a tide.

Wang Hao turned and sat back on the dragon throne, his smile like a spring breeze.

Wei Zhongxian's mouth twitched. Imperial Master, you are deceiving people.

Wang Hao said righteously, Did I say anything wrong? Xiao Chen is indeed at the ninth layer of the Gangqi Realm, and he indeed can be worn out.

But we still have nine other people.

I never said the others were also very strong.

They imagined it themselves, what does that have to do with me?

New Emperor Sword said faintly, Tyrant, where is your face?

Wang Hao touched his face and said seriously, This thing called a face, you can't eat it even if you keep it.

On the arena, the Central State's third genius appeared.

Pure Void Holy Land's true disciple, Liu Qingyin.

She held the Seven Kills Zither in her arms, her phoenix eyes as cold as frost.

Xiao Chen, you are indeed very strong. But can your fire block my Seven Kills Zither music?

Xiao Chen was about to answer.

An excited voice suddenly came from below the stage.

Xiao Chen, you rest! I'll do it!

Wanyan Gu rushed onto the arena like a wild dog off its leash, carrying a half-person-tall wolf-fang club in his hand.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

I've been holding it in for a long time! His Majesty said we can cripple them but not kill them!

Liu Qingyin's expression turned cold. You...

Wanyan Gu had already charged forward.

The wolf-fang club, carrying the force of ten thousand jun, cleaved out a hundred-zhang saber aura.

Cut the crap! Let's fight!

Boom!

The arena shook.