When Qi Huang reappeared, a disciple from the HuXiao Sect was already howling, clutching his right hand, his face filled with fear.
Zhou Ming could only worry anxiously. Just as Qi Huang had said, it was during the match, and even if he found a way to break it, he couldn’t intervene.
“Everyone, lock onto her with your Spiritual Sense. This woman’s cultivation is very low, and her speed will slow down considerably the moment she attacks. As long as you concentrate, you’ll have a chance to dodge.”
Cao You came back to his senses and reminded them loudly.
The scattered HuXiao Sect disciples, who were scared out of their wits, managed to calm down a bit. They then focused their Spiritual Sense on the “Demon Girl” not far away, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.
Below the stage, Zhou Ming gritted his teeth, his expression not relaxing at all, because he knew this wouldn’t solve anything.
“Good idea! But have you forgotten that Spiritual Sense can be used for more than just flying?”
Qi Huang slightly curved her lips and flew directly towards Cao Wei. Before she even arrived, her late-stage Huashen Spiritual Sense had already crushed him.
Cao Wei had been locking onto Qi Huang with his Spiritual Sense. Seeing her pounce forward, he wanted to dodge, but his body suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand catties, making it extremely difficult to even lift his feet. By the time a gust of fragrant wind blew past, one of his fingers had fallen to the ground.
“Ah!”
Cao Wei let out a shrill scream.
“Sorry about that, my hand slipped!” Qi Huang’s expression was unreadable as she explained. This person had mocked her and the HongHua Sect quite a bit just now, so he deserved it.
“You demoness, how can you be so ruthless!”
Zhou Ming, watching from below the stage, cursed in anger.
“Fellow Daoist, you jest. The Immortal Alliance only stipulates that killing is not allowed on the stage, but it doesn’t forbid injury. Otherwise, what’s the point of a match? We might as well just play rock-paper-scissors,” Xu Mei said, explaining for her disciple.
The cultivators around nodded in agreement. As the saying goes, swords and sabers have no eyes, and getting injured at the Evergreen Convention is a normal occurrence. This rude accusation was indeed making a mountain out of molehill.
Although Elder Zuo and Steward Cai also harbored hostility towards Qi Huang, as stewards of the Immortal Alliance, they couldn’t openly seek revenge in broad daylight. They could only remain silent.
Seeing this, the HuXiao Sect disciples were so terrified that their faces turned pale, and some were trembling so much that they couldn’t even hold their weapons steady.
…
“Another opponent in the mid Huashen realm instantly killed with one sword. This Qi Huang is too terrifying. Who would dare call Spiritual Sense useless after this?”
“There’s no help for it. Cao Wei is only at the fourth level of the Huashen Realm, while Qi Huang’s Spiritual Sense is at least at the eighth or ninth level. With such a huge gap, even if it were considered useless, it could still decide the outcome.”
“Since it can decide the outcome, it’s not useless; it’s like a chicken leg – delicious! I think I’ll focus on Spiritual Sense from now on.”
“Stop dreaming. There are no cultivation techniques in the Cultivation World that only focus on Spiritual Sense. That Qi Huang and Cheng Hong Ling must have relied on some kind of Magic Treasure, so this path is not viable for others. It’s still useless to us.”
…
The cultivators below the stage said with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
“Can’t dodge… hiss… absolutely can’t dodge! Her Spiritual Sense can suppress our speed.”
Cao Wei, enduring the pain, was sweating profusely as he muttered to himself.
“Then what should we do? Senior Brother Cao, how about we surrender!”
A disciple next to him suggested tremblingly.
“That’s right, Magic Treasures! Unleash all defensive Magic Treasures or Talismans. Although she’s fast, her attack power is too weak; she can’t break through our defenses!”
Cao Wei’s mind raced, and he suddenly thought of a plan.
“Yes, yes… Since we can’t dodge, let’s find a way to defend ourselves.”
The fellow disciples thought his idea made sense, so they each took out defensive Magic Treasures and Talismans. The arena was instantly filled with colorful shields.
Zhou Ming, below the stage, frowned deeply, wanting to speak but holding back, because he knew this still wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem.
“Too naive. To defeat you, it’s not necessary to draw blood,” Qi Huang said with a look of pity on her face. Her body suddenly rushed into the midst of the HuXiao Sect disciples, and her peak Huashen Spiritual Sense exploded from within her body, sweeping outwards like a gale.
Wherever the Spiritual Sense went, the Spiritual Sense shields around the HuXiao Sect disciples rapidly warped and shattered. They were blown out of the arena without any resistance, looking like falling leaves swept by an autumn wind.
“Magic Treasures and Talismans can only resist physical attacks, but they can’t defend against Spiritual Sense. As for the Body Protection Talismans on you, they are simply too weak, utterly不堪一击 (unable to withstand a single blow)!”
Qi Huang tsk-tsked mockingly. Her clear black and white eyes also glanced at Zhou Ming intentionally or unintentionally. She knew those Body Protection Talismans were definitely the “masterpiece” of that old fellow.
Zhou Ming was so shocked that he was speechless. Those Body Protection Talismans could at least withstand the Spiritual Sense of a seventh-level Huashen cultivator, but in the hands of this young girl, they only lasted for two or three breaths. This indicated that the opponent’s Spiritual Sense had definitely reached the peak of the Huashen Realm.
“Elder Zhou, what do you say?” Qi Huang directly confronted him.
Zhou Ming came back to his senses and looked at the smug young girl on the stage. His heart ached with anger, and he stubbornly said, “Don’t get too carried away. This is only the third round of the competition. Just as I said before, dealing with you only requires one Body Protection Talisman. You’ll have a tough time later.”
“But the HuXiao Sect has already been eliminated by me alone!” Qi Huang didn’t argue, but rather rubbed salt into the wound.
“So what? I told you, there are still many sects to come, and you’ll soon suffer the same fate as us!” Zhou Ming desperately tried to change the subject.
“But the HuXiao Sect was still eliminated by me alone. By myself.” Qi Huang said as if presenting a treasure.
“What exactly do you want to say?” Zhou Ming was becoming a little frantic.
“What do I want to say? Shouldn’t you be the one saying something? Your HuXiao Sect has been eliminated by me alone, just like the Jinliu Sect, destined to be remembered in history. From now on, every time the Evergreen Convention is held, you’ll be brought out and flogged. Shouldn’t you be sad?
“What is there to be sad about? There’s plenty of time. In the next Evergreen Convention, our Immortal Seeds will surely avenge us.” Zhou Ming pretended to be calm, but due to his haste and anger, his eyes were red-rimmed.
“Is that so? Then why are you tearing up?” Qi Huang teased.
Zhou Ming was greatly alarmed. He quickly wiped his eyes with his hand but found no tears.
“Just kidding!” Qi Huang winked with a smile and then turned to walk back to the center of the arena.
“You…” Zhou Ming trembled with anger, and tears were now shimmering in the corners of his eyes.
…
“Everyone, look quickly! Elder Zhou is being angered to tears by our Junior Sister.” Ruan Lingyu on the stage said, feigning surprise.
“Is that so? Let me see… Tsk tsk, he’s actually crying!” Yun Fei exclaimed with wonder.
“Impossible, he’s so old, and he’s crying like a baby. That’s too embarrassing,” Miao Xiang asked innocently.
“He’s not that old; he just looks a bit immature,” Su Qing Ying continued her sharp tongue.
Seeing that even these little weaklings from the HongHua Sect dared to mock him, Zhou Ming’s tears finally flowed.
…
“How dare these HongHua Sect disciples mock the Great Elder of the HuXiao Sect!”
“Indeed, the Evergreen Convention only represents the talent of the Immortal Seeds, but not the strength of the Sect. If the HuXiao Sect retaliates in secret, can they withstand it?”
“Why do you care? You’re just worrying unnecessarily.”
“I’m worried about Fairy Hong Ling! Such a great beauty is about to be bullied by the HuXiao Sect. Aren’t you concerned?”
“Concerned about what? The thought of her being bullied by that old geezer Zhou Ming makes me incredibly excited!”
“Why?”
“Haven’t you forgotten? I’m a Minotaur!”
“…”
…
The cultivators below the stage resumed their “civilized” debate.
Qi Huang was satisfied. Just as she was about to step off the stage, an annoying voice rang out again.
“Peak Huashen Spiritual Sense strength, not bad! In this small Xihui Dynasty, you indeed have the capital to be arrogant.”
Although Lü Er’s words seemed like praise, his flippant tone remained unchanged.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the capital you speak of yet,” Qi Huang retorted.
“Don’t worry. Since you want to see, I’ll fulfill your wish. My next opponent will be the number one Immortal Sect of your Xihui Dynasty, the Donglai Sect.” Lü Er said, then looked towards the Donglai Sect’s team and provocatively said, “Cheng Kang, as the number one Immortal Seed of the Xihui Dynasty, you wouldn’t be afraid to fight, would you?”
