Lu Xiuzhong’s eyes widened, and almost on instinct, he slashed out.

But Ye Feng had been ready. Sword light flashed, and an arm went flying.

At once, a cluster of scorching flames incinerated that arm to nothing.

The flames visibly startled Lu Xiuzhong, confusion clouding his face. Before he could think further, the fire dragons were already upon him. He had no choice but to dodge.

The black flames had taken the shape of great fire dragons, dozens of them, each over ten zhang long. Ye Feng drove them forward step by step, flashing through the air in a frenzied effort to encircle Lu Xiuzhong.

Li Guanqi’s brow creased at the sight. He turned to look at Lu Wuhen, whose expression was perfectly calm, betraying nothing. Nearby, though, Lu Hengtian’s expression had slightly darkened.

Li Guanqi couldn’t tell whether it was because Ye Feng was driving Lu Xiuzhong back, or something else. Something simply felt off.

Before the duel began, no one had imagined that someone no one had ever heard of could suppress the Lu clan’s famed Graceful Tiger. From start to finish, Ye Feng had dominated the match. No matter how much strength Lu Xiuzhong displayed, Ye Feng met it head-on instead of retreating.

Even while speaking, his attacks never let up. His relentless assault made even the spectators feel suffocated. It was hard to imagine the pressure Lu Xiuzhong faced standing on the stage.

Lu Hengtian’s face was quite grim. Even the old woman from the Zhu Clan frowned and, for once, refrained from mocking him. The reason was simple. After giving it some thought, she realized that across the Zhu Clan’s entire younger generation, very few could match the strength Ye Feng was displaying.

What kind of monsters has the Daxia Sword Sect raised? The question was on everyone’s mind.

The strength Cao Yan and Xiao Chen had shown in the three prior duels had already left a deep impression. In the first, Cao Yan’s fist technique had carried the bearing of a sect master, broad and imposing; had demonic qi not erupted from within him, he would likely have won that round outright. In the second, Xiao Chen’s spear technique was masterful, and he fought until his strength gave out, losing by the slimmest of margins.

Watching Lu Xiuzhong scramble in desperation, Ye Feng quietly altered the flow of his vital force. It now circulated in a far cruder and more violent manner. Sharp pain lanced through his meridians, but he paid it no mind. Since he also cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra, he could fully withstand that level of strain.

Boom!

In that instant, Ye Feng’s aura broke past its limits, likewise reaching half a step into the Combined Body Realm.

The sight frightened more than a few onlookers.

“Judging by his aura... does that mean his previous cultivation was only at the peak of the late Illusory Refinement Realm?! He’s an absolute monster!”

Ye Feng’s figure flickered, appearing before Lu Xiuzhong and then striking like lightning.

Lu Xiuzhong hurriedly raised his blade to defend himself, but Ye Feng’s attacks came like a raging storm, relentless and impossible to keep up with. His swordsmanship was sharp, his techniques ever-changing, and his sword force like an endless river. Every strike posed a deadly threat. For a time, Lu Xiuzhong could do nothing but defend as Ye Feng’s ferocious assault drove him back step by step.

Just as everyone assumed the match was decided, the heavily wounded Lu Xiuzhong let out a great shout. His rampaging vital force drove Ye Feng back with a single strike, and as he shot backward, he seemed to make up his mind.

Boom!

An aura on par with the Combined Body Realm erupted. “Secret Technique, Soul Combustion!”

Boom!

An intangible flame enveloped him. Ye Feng halted, his eyes narrowing. That aura...

“You’re courting death.”

Driven to this point, Lu Xiuzhong could only combust his divine soul to amplify his strength. The battle had left him little time. Even if he won, he would die. Even if he broke through to the Combined Body Realm the moment he defeated Ye Feng, there would be no reversing the Soul Combustion. Once begun, it could not be stopped.

Now enveloped in an overwhelming aura, Lu Xiuzhong posed a real danger to Ye Feng. Facing him, Ye Feng felt a crushing pressure bearing down on him, and his heart hammered in his chest.

Ye Feng was faring much better, with most of his wounds being merely superficial. But the high-intensity battle had consumed tremendous amounts of his vital force. He pulled out a piece of radish and bit into it with a crunch. After swallowing, he took out a small piece of ginseng and ate that as well.

A warm current surged through his dantian, and his vital force rapidly replenished itself without needing any refinement. Compared to swallowing pills or absorbing spirit qi, this method of replenishing vital force was unheard of. But it could only replenish it temporarily.

Back when Li Guanqi first took Peng Luo away, Peng Luo had surely never imagined that one day he would serve as a substitute for medicinal pills...

Ye Feng let out a deep breath, his expression turning grave. He knew the battle ahead would be the real fight. A desperate struggle for victory.

On the Lu clan’s side, every cultivator had fallen silent. Regardless of the outcome, Lu Xiuzhong wouldn’t survive; he had chosen to exchange his life for a chance at victory.

Both he and Ye Feng carried immense burdens, each for their own reasons.

Boom!

The instant their gazes met, the two shot forward.

Li Guanqi watched the stage calmly. He turned to Lu Wuhen, who was just as composed, and a terrifying thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Lu Wuhen had first sent out two branch family heads as a smokescreen, leading everyone to believe the pair were behind the assassination attempt on Ye Feng and the others. In the end, no evidence was found because the two assassins were not members of the Lu clan at all.

By using the Sha organization’s assassins, Lu Wuhen had spent none of his own people, yet still wounded Cao Yan and Xiao Chen and planted hidden demonic qi in both, qi that erupted only once Cao Yan took the stage. There had been no time to purge Cao Yan’s demonic qi, and so they lost both the first and second rounds.

For the third round, despite having eight branch-family prodigies still in reserve, Lu Wuhen sent a direct-line descendant, Lu Xingyuan.

The Lu clan knew that Zhou Shiyu would enter the arena. Yet, even knowing Lu Xingyuan might not be a match for Zhou Shiyu, Lu Wuhen sent him out instead of the stronger Lu Xiuzhong, who had been in seclusion.