PFC Chapter 246 He was clearly full of openings...
Chapter 246 He was clearly full of openings...
In the desolate outskirts of the city, a brief silence fell over the area.
Then it was replaced by a commotion.
"...This core member of the Xuantian Sect suffered a rather embarrassing defeat."
An elder from a prominent family whispered to his colleague, his tone neither praising nor criticizing, but rather carrying a sense of scrutiny.
"Now, the Xuantian Sect is really going to lose face."
"Yes, the core disciple's defeat was so decisive. If word gets out, it will greatly damage the reputation of the Xuantian Sect."
The various factions watching, shocked, began whispering amongst themselves, their discussions gradually becoming more blatant.
"Hey, the Xuantian Sect has suffered defeat after defeat in the Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament over the years, and has even avoided fighting altogether. They have long lost all dignity, so what honor are they talking about?"
"If it weren't for the legacy of the 'Seven Great Orthodox Schools,' I'm afraid they would already be..."
The lingering, eerie laughter was full of profound meaning.
Not far away, several martial artists who looked like rogue cultivators spoke even more bluntly.
"Tsk, I thought I'd be seeing a fierce battle, but it turned out to be a one-sided crushing defeat."
"It seems the rumors are not unfounded. The Xuantian Sect has truly declined. The younger generation doesn't even have a decent expert. It's pathetic and lamentable."
"That's not entirely true. Shen Ming is, after all, a dual-attribute spiritual body, a treasure in any other sect. Unfortunately, his opponent is a prodigy from a sacred land..."
"Ultimately, the gap between first-rate sects and supreme holy lands is still too great, not to mention that the Xuan Tian Sect is already in decline..."
"In my humble opinion, the Xuantian Sect will sooner or later fall out of the ranks of first-class sects within a hundred years."
These discussions, no longer concealed, were like poisoned ice spikes, mercilessly piercing the Xuantian Sect's sore spots.
As everyone spoke, the Xuantian Sect seemed to have fallen into the shadows, a powerful but empty force, a fading lion in its twilight years. Even their eyes no longer held reverence, but instead held a hint of scrutiny and disdain.
The Li Huo Sect was beaming with joy at this moment.
"The prodigy of the Holy Land truly lives up to his reputation!"
Feihan almost burst out laughing. He deliberately straightened his back and said jokingly:
"Some sects have grand names, but are rotten to the core. If even their disciples are so incompetent, one can imagine how dire their lineage has become!"
"Senior Brother Fei is absolutely right." Luo Xinrou covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"On the other hand, some sects seem to be focusing all their energy on maintaining their pathetic facade. If they knew this would happen, why did they bother to embarrass themselves in the first place?"
The disciples of the Li Huo Sect behind him burst into unrestrained laughter.
Pointing and gesturing at Li Wudao and the others in the arena, the previous frustration vanished, and he felt a sense of triumph.
The atmosphere around the group from the Imperial Treasure Pavilion was somewhat heavy.
Xiang Leping and Du Peng both looked rather grim.
“These people… are going too far. No matter what the Xuantian Sect is like, they have no right to humiliate us like this.”
Murong Qinglan bit her red lips tightly, her slender hands clenched so tightly in her sleeves that her knuckles turned white.
She was not a member of the Xuantian Sect, but listening to those harsh comments and seeing Shen Ming's distraught state and Li Nanzhi's anxious and helpless appearance, a strong sense of indignation and resentment filled her heart.
Beside her, Old Cui sighed softly and said:
"When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; such is the way of the world. If the Xuantian Sect cannot stand up straight at this moment, these 'excessive' words will likely become the consensus in the Eastern Wilderness after today."
As he spoke, his slightly cloudy gaze fixed on Li Wudao, a strange light flickering in it.
Could this unusually calm boy be the backbone of the family?
Murong Qinglan was taken aback, and couldn't help but look at the tall figure, her eyes filled with worry: "Young Master Li..."
In the arena, Shen Ming's head was bowed low, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Those idle gossips were like whips lashing his soul, a hundred times more painful than any physical wound.
Li Nanzhi's eyes were red-rimmed, filled with indignation.
The green-haired turtle tilted its head, looking at the clamoring crowd around it, a smirk playing on its lips. "A bunch of idiots, they're good at sucking up to the powerful and belittling the weak... You'll be scared to death in a minute."
at the same time.
Li Wudao, who had been silent all along, slowly stepped forward.
His emotions remained stable and unaffected, like a stagnant pool, eerily calm.
But those deep eyes seemed to have lost all their glimmer, leaving only a deep and utter indifference.
"You've spoken too confidently."
He faced Shi Mao, his voice calm yet clear to everyone.
Shi Mao, who was basking in the spotlight, frowned upon hearing this and sneered:
"Full? Which of my statements isn't true? If your Xuantian Sect were truly capable, how could you be unable to defeat even an ordinary inner disciple like me?"
He deliberately emphasized the phrase "ordinary inner disciples" to support his claim.
"fact?"
Li Wudao tilted his head slightly, a faint, almost icy smile curving his lips:
"You dare to judge the strength of my sect after defeating just one of my junior brothers? Is this the kind of shallow, limited understanding that the Holy Land has taught you?"
He completely ignored Shi Mao's ashen face, and instead looked at Yang Qiong, who remained silent, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable air of authority:
“Brother Yang, before our battle, I need to wake up your narrow-minded servant.”
Yang Qiong paused with his folding fan, his smile undiminished: "Brother Li, you flatter me. Shi Mao is straightforward and impulsive. If there has been any offense, I will apologize to Brother Li and the Xuantian Sect after our exchange."
Li Wudao said no more, looked at Shi Mao again, and casually asked, "Are you a body cultivator?"
"Not bad, what's wrong... are you scared?"
Shi Mao snorted coldly, his eyes blazing with anger. The other party's arrogant words had enraged him, and he wished he could teach him a lesson right now.
Li Wudao's lips curled slightly, and he raised an eyebrow, saying, "What a coincidence, I also know a little about martial arts. How about we test whose fist is harder?"
After saying that, he opened his palm, slightly bent his five fingers, and beckoned to Shi Mao.
In the oppressive and sensitive atmosphere at that moment, this action was like a thunderclap!
"He...he still dares to provoke us?"
"Are you crazy? Didn't you see even Shen Ming just now..."
"What a fool! This Shi Mao is clearly a body cultivator, and he has already achieved some success. This young man looks fair-skinned and has small arms and legs. How could he be a match for him?"
"Exactly, using one's own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths is something only a fool would do."
At the Li Huo Sect, Fei Han almost burst out laughing. "Has this kid lost his mind? Knowing that the other party is a body cultivator, he still dares to try to fight him with brute force? He's utterly foolish!"
Shi Mao was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter in anger, the sound of which made the air buzz: "Haha! You are one of the few young people who dare to compete with me in terms of physical strength, you have guts!"
"Since you're determined to be tortured, I'll grant your wish and show you what an absolute gap truly means!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his aura exploded instantly.
The earth-yellow aura flowed across his body like boiling magma, showing signs of breaking through to the mid-stage and approaching the threshold of the late-stage Martial King realm.
His already imposing body seemed to have swelled even more, his exposed skin gleaming with a metallic bronze luster, his veins throbbing like dragons and snakes, and the ground beneath his feet silently sinking.
Clearly, he held back during his fight with Shen Ming.
"I want to see just how much real skill you really have, this guy who's been praised so highly by Brother Yang! I hope you're not just a pretty face who can only talk big!"
Shi Mao swung his fist, which was as big as a bowl, and cracked his neck, as if a ferocious humanoid beast had awakened. His words were still sharp and unforgiving:
"I hope you're not too weak, otherwise... your match with Brother Yang later will really become a huge joke!"
Despite his seemingly arrogant demeanor, his muscles were taut as iron, and his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, fixed on Li Wudao without the slightest sign of relaxation.
He had witnessed the other party's attack that day above the Imperial Treasure Pavilion, so he naturally wouldn't underestimate them.
"You're talking too much nonsense."
Li Wudao frowned slightly and couldn't help but urge, "Make your move. You only have one chance."
Wow——!
Before Shi Mao could react, the crowd erupted in uproar upon hearing this!
"Too arrogant!"
"Even Shen Ming was defeated, how dare he be so arrogant?!"
"How dare you say you only have one chance when facing the geniuses of the Holy Land? You are truly ignorant of your own limitations!"
"It's fine for young people to be hot-blooded, but such arrogance will only lead to a painful fall!"
A wave of ridicule, doubt, and disdain surged in from all directions.
Most of them came from ordinary martial artists and scions of noble families who were excited but didn't understand the intricacies of the story.
Undisguised sneers echoed from the direction of the Li Huo Sect.
However, Shi Mao, who was in the eye of the storm, was unusually silent at this moment.
His thick eyebrows were furrowed, and his large, bell-like eyes were cautiously fixed on Li Wudao.
The other person's lazy and casual attitude did not make him feel relaxed at all; on the contrary, it was like a bottomless abyss that made alarm bells ring in his heart.
Something's wrong——
Shi Mao's Adam's apple bobbed.
He knows my strength, yet he still dares to do this... Is it just bluffing, or does he really have something to rely on?
"What...are you scared?"
Li Wudao returned these words verbatim, instantly igniting Shi Mao's anger and suppressing the slight hesitation in his heart.
"Insanity!"
Shi Mao roared, abandoning all distractions, and pushed his spiritual power to its limit, quickly circling around to Li Wudao's side and rear.
Immediately, he burst forth like a small mountain, unleashing a powerful punch!
The force of the punch solidified into a massive, earthen-yellow hammer, crushing the air and striking directly at Li Wudao's vital point on the back.
He had used 80% of his strength in this punch, intending to force his opponent to make a move and test their strength.
Li Wudao showed no reaction.
Even his gaze remained unchanged, as if he hadn't sensed Shi Mao's approaching attack.
Just as the fist was about to touch the boy's hair, Shi Mao's heart skipped a beat!
An indescribable sense of crisis exploded out of nowhere!
In a daze, he seemed to see the boy who had been standing still suddenly turn his head slightly.
A strange purple light flashed briefly in his deep eyes.
Those pupils were cold and indifferent, like a god from the depths of hell gazing upon all living beings, already knowing all his movements and intentions.
"wrong!"
Shi Mao was horrified and abruptly stopped his punch.
Using the force of the recoil, his body slid rapidly to the side, narrowly managing to create a distance of several meters.
When he landed, he was a little out of breath, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He looked again with surprise and doubt, only to see Li Wudao still standing in the same place, his hands behind his back, not even the hem of his clothes was messed up.
It was as if that chilling gaze he had just witnessed was merely his imagination.
"Wrong...is it an illusion?"
"But that scene just now was too real...it felt like being watched by the abyss..."
Shi Mao's pupils contracted sharply, and a chill ran through him.
The opponent is clearly full of weaknesses.
But he had a strong premonition that no matter which angle he attacked from, he would be instantly killed.
This kid is too weird!