Chu Xingchen's expression was indifferent, his brows faintly shimmering with a blue glow as the transformed flowing water in his hand slashed forward.
At the moment of impact, Chu Xingchen overwhelmed Li Moze with absolute dominance.
Li Moze reacted swiftly, but his hasty defense was no match for Chu Xingchen's premeditated strike.
In Chu Xingchen's vision, everything was drowned by the water unleashed by his sword.
Terrifying power surged from every droplet, mercilessly annihilating all in its path.
Just as the Water Heart Scripture proclaimed—water is the primal spiritual essence of heaven and earth.
Its primordial might was now on full display.
Yet, in the next instant, a pure white light pierced through the water constructed of sheer spiritual energy.
An immaculate Daoist aura emerged, and with a single flash of the sword's radiance, Chu Xingchen was sent flying backward with a thunderous impact.
Li Moze hovered mid-air, not pursuing, his spiritual energy churning around him as the Daoist aura of a Great Ascension cultivator was laid bare. His gaze was unreadable as he watched the flung Chu Xingchen.
Though he had been tricked into losing, defeat was still defeat—and the illusion technique had been exquisitely executed.
He had assumed it was the righteous aura of a demonic cultivator, but it turned out to be an illusion.
Still… he had held back at the end. How could the kid have been sent flying so far?
Yet, in the next moment, several stars in the sky abruptly brightened, followed by a figure streaking through the air.
Without a word, Lv Xuan threw a punch straight at Li Moze.
Li Moze reacted swiftly, his gaze flickering as multiple barriers instantly materialized, while his sword swung up to block.
Lv Xuan's face remained calm as he simply punched forward.
Boom!
Lv Xuan's fist radiated a dazzling brilliance, as if holding the stars themselves, shattering layer after layer of barriers.
Li Moze's expression grew slightly grave—the Daoist aura in that punch left no doubt that it had been thrown with full force.
In the next instant, just as Chu Xingchen had been sent flying, Li Moze was now hurled backward by Lv Xuan's strike.
Compared to Chu Xingchen's uncontrolled flight, Li Moze merely tilted mid-air before steadying himself.
But Lv Xuan didn’t hesitate, pressing forward relentlessly as several starlit glows flickered behind him. Another unrestrained punch hurtled toward Li Moze.
"What is the meaning of this, Sect Master Lv?"
Li Moze's spiritual energy surged violently as his sword transformed into a radiant streak, intercepting the attack.
Lv Xuan's fist seemed to embody a star, his violent spiritual energy churning as he spoke coldly:
"At your age, you can’t accept losing gracefully? If you can bully him with your cultivation, then I won’t stand by and do nothing—what kind of sect master would I be then? Take these two punches first!"
Li Moze retreated, sending several beams of light to encircle Lv Xuan, only for them to be shattered by two more punches as Lv Xuan closed in.
He quickly explained, "I held back—the force was just slightly stronger, but I didn’t infuse spiritual energy. He’s unharmed."
Lv Xuan sneered. "Then stand still and let me punch you flying—I’m sure you’ll be unharmed too!"
Li Moze frowned, blocking while continuing, "If you don’t believe me, let’s check on him first. If he’s injured, I’ll take your punches without complaint. As the leader of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect, I wouldn’t stoop to such behavior."
Lv Xuan didn’t respond, instead throwing another punch that sent the defensive Li Moze stumbling back several zhang before finally speaking:
"Fine. But if he’s so much as scratched, don’t explain to me—explain to Bai Xuanling and see if she’ll listen."
Li Moze’s expression turned helpless, but he could only nod in agreement.
Seeing this, Lv Xuan withdrew his fist and flashed toward where Chu Xingchen had landed.
For a Great Ascension cultivator, such a distance was crossed in a breath.
Lv Xuan’s divine sense quickly locked onto Chu Xingchen’s location—a small crater in a mountain forest.
Both Lv Xuan and Li Moze landed almost simultaneously, their gazes settling on Chu Xingchen, who seemed to be struggling to rise.
Chu Xingchen coughed lightly twice. Though Li Moze’s sword strike had been overwhelming, the force that struck him had been purely physical.
Still, the raw strength of a Great Ascension cultivator was no joke.
Exaggerated as it was, Chu Xingchen could have resisted being sent flying so far—he might have taken a few steps back at most.
But he suspected Li Moze had struck with some lingering frustration.
In that case, Chu Xingchen decided to play along.
After all, the one who struck first would be in the wrong. Lv Xuan might seem easygoing, but Bai Xuanling wouldn’t have sent him alone if he wouldn’t stand up for Chu Xingchen.
If there was a risk of him being wronged, Bai Xuanling would have come personally.
No harm in testing the waters.
Chu Xingchen gasped heavily, his gaze pitiful as he looked at Lv Xuan, his expression hesitant before he coughed twice more.
Lv Xuan’s icy stare turned toward Li Moze—what do you have to say for yourself?
"Where does it hurt?" Li Moze stepped forward. "Do you need me to check? If you’re injured, the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s healing pills are unmatched."
Lv Xuan scoffed. "The Tianyan Sect isn’t so poor we’d beg for your pills. Frankly, you’re the one who looks like you need them."
Li Moze was momentarily speechless at the barbed words, but before he could respond, Chu Xingchen staggered to his feet, clutching his chest.
"Thank you for your concern, Sect Master Li. I’m mostly unharmed—just a few minor injuries. It was my fault for overestimating myself. Your methods are peerless; I concede defeat wholeheartedly."
Li Moze’s expression stiffened. The words were polite, but they somehow sounded infuriating.
What did he mean by "conceding wholeheartedly"?
Lv Xuan snorted, placing a hand on Chu Xingchen’s wrist. Though he didn’t probe deeply with his divine sense, a simple scan confirmed the truth.
The kid was perfectly fine—the act was all for show.
Yet Lv Xuan’s frown deepened as he glared at Li Moze.
When Li Moze reached out to check, Lv Xuan swatted his hand away.
After a tense silence under Lv Xuan’s accusatory gaze, Li Moze sighed softly in resignation.
Meanwhile, Yanyun’s eyes remained fixed on the Water Mirror Realm.
Inside, Xu Jin and Daoist Yuyang were now unleashing their full array of divine abilities, bombarding the arena relentlessly.
The ground had been overturned countless times, and their figures were nearly invisible amidst the storm of techniques.
The arena’s protective formations blazed brightly, with several Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect disciples reinforcing the barriers to prevent total collapse before a victor emerged.
There was no denying it—the battle was a spectacle.
And it showcased just how monstrous the core disciples of the Eighteen Immortal Sects truly were.
Yanyun observed carefully when suddenly she turned her head and saw her master and Chu Xingchen strolling over leisurely.
Her master wore a faint expression of indignation, while Chu Xingchen clutched his chest, looking as though he had suffered internal injuries.
What was going on?
Just as Yanyun was about to ask, she noticed her master walking straight toward Bai Xuanling with clear purpose, as if there was an important matter to discuss.
Meanwhile, Chu Xingchen, still holding his chest, took his seat beside her.
Figuring it didn’t matter whom she asked, Yanyun spoke up:
"What happened to you?"
Chu Xingchen shook his head slightly and sighed:
"Humiliating. I lost a fight."