In the arena.
The Nascent Soul Dharma Idol displayed boundless might with every movement, let alone when it wielded the weapon "Myriad Forms" in a frenzied pursuit.
Ye Antao retreated, watching as the Nascent Soul Dharma Idol unleashed sweeping attacks, driving the cultivators of the Xiaoyun Hall into scattered flight—none daring to test the might of Myriad Forms.
But aside from the weapon's destructive power, someone's mouth was equally lethal.
"Ten against one, and you still lost one? Do you even know how to fight?"
"Is this the famed Xiaoyun Hall? Nine against one, and all you do is run?!"
The Nascent Soul Dharma Idol gripped Myriad Forms, reducing the surroundings to ruins as it chased down the fleeing Xiaoyun Hall disciples. Fortunately, their numbers allowed them to delay the inevitable.
Streaks of fire lashed toward Chu Xingchen's Nascent Soul Dharma Idol. Unaware of the disqualification conditions, he dared not recklessly tank the damage and instead opted for a steady, cautious approach.
His goal? A flawless victory over Xiaoyun Hall.
Even so, the Xiaoyun Hall cultivators were mostly in full retreat, with Chu Xingchen denying them any chance to regroup.
Ye Antao, gripping her sword, was also in frantic escape. She glanced sideways at the Nascent Soul Dharma Idol, which recklessly expended spiritual energy.
Only now did she truly grasp the terror of a top-tier prodigy. During the battle at Mist Mystic Temple, she had mostly stayed on the sidelines.
Though she had observed the entire fight from a distance, she had assumed the intimidation stemmed from the gap between Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation realms—that once she reached Deity Transformation, she could at least hold her own.
But now, watching Chu Xingchen's Nascent Soul Dharma Idol charge in, swinging a sword and hunting them down like prey, Ye Antao finally understood.
Hold her own? Who could withstand even two strikes of that power?
Yet she quickly dismissed her shock—Chu Xingchen had clearly recognized her and greeted her in his own way.
Behind her, the colossal Nascent Soul sword lunged straight for her. Ye Antao's instincts screamed, but she didn't turn—her teammates would intercept the blow.
BOOM!
A violent surge of spiritual energy erupted behind her, the shockwave slamming into her back, its sharpness piercing through.
The Xiaoyun Hall's joint combat technique included a divine sense secret art, linking the minds of those fighting together.
In Ye Antao's ears, her teammates' strategizing echoed.
"Hold out a little longer. This Nascent Soul Dharma Idol is recklessly expending spiritual energy—it can't last. Its movements are sluggish, and it hesitates against our attacks. Once its energy wanes, we strike back."
"But he’s using a Karmic Nascent Soul—it's not just Nascent Soul realm. Draining his energy? And Yanyun is watching like a tiger eyeing its prey. Lose one more, and our chances plummet."
Ye Antao flipped midair, her gaze locking onto Chu Xingchen's relaxed expression within the Nascent Soul Dharma Idol.
Like a fisherman herding his catch, Chu Xingchen swung casually, yet each motion carried world-shattering force.
But what infuriated her most was that his mouth never stopped moving, matching his relentless attacks.
Chu Xingchen's voice dripped with mockery. "Honored disciples of Xiaoyun Hall, with so many fellow sect members watching, do you really want to be known as the 'Fleeing Sect' from now on?"
"Or do you all have some... peculiar preferences?"
Ye Antao finally snapped. Ten against two, and they were being mocked for incompetence? The humiliation was unbearable.
She halted midair, scanning her surroundings before transmitting a sharp mental message:
"Forget winning or losing—if we let him keep talking, even victory would be shameful. Reform the grand formation! So what if it's a Karmic Nascent Soul? In raw power, we won’t lose to him!"
Moments later, voices answered in agreement.
"Exactly! Win or lose, let’s fight with pride! At least go down swinging!"
"Damn it, I’ve had enough of him. A spar is one thing, but must he be so insulting?"
"If our senior brother were here, he’d never let Xiaoyun Hall be slandered like this!"
In the next instant, the Xiaoyun Hall disciples rallied swiftly.
Seeing this, Chu Xingchen deliberately slowed his attacks, allowing them to regroup while signaling Yanyun, who had been playing support all this time.
Truly, one of the Eighteen Immortal Sects—their endurance was exceptional.
Few could withstand his level of taunting.
Outside the arena, the atmosphere had grown peculiar.
Many wore expressions of strange amusement, Lv Xuan included.
Chu Xingchen hadn’t cursed once, his tone mostly playful, yet for some reason, his words made people want to... laugh.
And some did.
No one bothered to identify the laughers—what would they do, scold them for finding it funny?
The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect, however, had some decency. Seeing Chu Xingchen’s verbal assault spill beyond the arena, they promptly muted the water mirror’s audio.
A small mercy—maybe Xiaoyun Hall would owe them one.
Now, the water mirror only showed the Nascent Soul Dharma Idol chasing cultivators with a sword, Yanyun providing light support.
Key details: Chu Xingchen’s calm smile within the Dharma Idol, and his ceaselessly moving lips.
Then, in an instant, the Xiaoyun Hall disciples—previously focused on attrition—suddenly turned furious, swiftly uniting.
What had he said this time?
The Xiaoyun Hall elder’s face darkened as he glared at Lv Xuan.
Lv Xuan hastily shifted his gaze to Bai Xuanling, as if reminding everyone—this guy was Bai Xuanling’s recruit!
The Taidao Sect leader frowned, baffled by Chu Xingchen’s ability to rattle even these disciplined cultivators.
He glanced at Daoist Yuyang, wondering if Chu Xingchen had been this talkative during their duel.
But his disciple remained composed, even wearing an "I told you so" look.
Daoist Yuyang even smirked, as if this was classic Chu Xingchen. Sensing his master’s gaze, he answered the unspoken question:
"Last time, he was the same—infuriating. But he’s not just running his mouth. He’s calculated. This match is about to end."
His eyes returned to the water mirror, where the Xiaoyun Hall disciples were reforming their grand formation.
"The killing move is coming."
On-screen, Yanyun’s spiritual energy surged as she charged toward the nearly completed formation, her spiritual treasure in hand.
Behind her, a star descended, crashing into the coalescing fiery phoenix.
The phoenix raised its left wing, abandoning finesse for sheer, brutal force aimed at Yanyun.
In raw power, the phoenix formation could overpower even Chu Xingchen’s Nascent Soul Dharma Idol—Yanyun’s reckless charge was nothing but a feint.
A mere scare would send her retreating.
However...
Yanyun did not retreat. Blue light erupted from her hands as she faced the sky-obscuring wings. Without hesitation, she staked everything, slashing fiercely toward those wings while her celestial-star manifestation smashed violently into the still-forming phoenix.
Chu Xingchen's command was simple, yet infuriating to hear.
He said—"Yanyun, go die quickly!"