Chapter 496: Unsealing

Stuffed with a few life-saving pills, Long Huo was rescued by the referee.

Meng Jingzhou emerged victorious.

A wave of coolness washed down Long Huo’s throat as the medicine took effect; he gradually drifted back to consciousness, his mind a complete blank, before finally realizing a moment later that he had lost.

"Are you alright? You fought well."

Meng Jingzhou reached out and pulled Long Huo up.

Long Huo shook his head with a bitter smile: "A loss is a loss. I'm not a sore loser."

Worried that Long Huo might fall into a slump after this defeat, Meng Jingzhou said out of the kindness of his heart: "I'll be waiting for you to beat me next time."

Long Huo fell silent for a moment, then nodded: "Alright."

After their brief exchange, Long Huo walked down from the arena and saw the village chief waiting for him below—a stern, middle-aged man.

"Chief... I failed to live up to the village's expectations."

A faint smile appeared on the chief’s face as he patted Long Huo on the shoulder: "To fight to such an extent is already quite commendable. Meng Jingzhou is no ordinary opponent; he is not only the eldest young master of the Meng family but also a disciple of the Daoist Sect. The Meng family is the greatest clan in the realm, and the Daoist Sect is its foremost sect. With these dual identities, he possesses enough strength to sweep away all his peers."

"Besides, look who’s here."

Long Huo looked up as the chief stepped aside, revealing two beautiful figures: one was his childhood sweetheart, and the other was an older sworn sister who treated him like her own blood brother.

"Brother Long Huo, you were already amazing!" His childhood sweetheart was a young girl radiating vitality from head to toe.

"Long Huo, well fought. It seems my daily guidance hasn't gone to waste." His sworn sister possessed a striking figure and a crisp, capable demeanor.

"Everyone..." Long Huo’s eyes welled with tears, and he broke into uncontrollable sobs, vowing to return and cultivate with even greater dedication so as not to disappoint their hopes.

Not far away, Meng Jingzhou stood in silence: "..."

Can we have another round? I really want to hit this kid with a Single Man’s Curse Punch.

Under the watchful eyes of the multitude, Young Cult Leader Lu's second arena match was about to begin.

"The Heavenly Court, Young Cult Leader."

"The Waterfall Sect, Kong Hao."

The Waterfall Sect was a second-grade sect with a shallow foundation; its sect master possessed a mere Void Refining cultivation. Even among second-grade sects, it was an obscure and utterly unremarkable existence.

Bai Ming had made a specific effort to learn about a few opponents before the battles: "This Kong Hao is no simple character. He looks quiet, resembling a scholarly cultivator, but in battle, he turns into an untamed beast. Before the fight even begins, his frenzied demeanor is enough to strike terror into his opponent’s heart."

The Master of the Waterfall Sect stroked his beard, looking with satisfaction at the prominent Kong Hao on the stage.

It was entirely thanks to Kong Hao that he was qualified to attend this grand celebration and meet so many prominent figures.

"That boy Kong Hao has indeed been hiding his true strength."

Kong Hao was a man of few words who rarely spoke to others and kept a low profile. Every time the sect held its grand competition, he would always seize the first place by a perilously narrow margin, appearing to be barely ahead of the runner-up; yet no matter how hard the second-place finisher chased, they could never defeat him.

The Sect Master had expected Kong Hao to be concealing his power, but he had never imagined it was hidden to such an extent.

Young Cult Leader Lu drew his treasured sword, which had been temporarily borrowed from the sect’s treasury.

The Qingfeng Sword and the Mingyue Sword had both made appearances at the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony; using them again under the guise of the Young Cult Leader would surely expose his identity.

Thus, Lu Yang had utilized his formidable network, asking the Immortal Fairy to personally go to the treasury to borrow a blade.

Facing Kong Hao, Lu Yang’s brow furrowed slightly; this man actually gave him a profoundly dangerous feeling, a sensation that not even grand cultivators who had dispersed their cultivation to retrain had ever stirred within him.

"A hidden dragon in a crouching tiger's den..."

Kong Hao knew the strength of the opponent before him; only by fighting with everything he had could he hope for a victory.

With two fingers raised vertically before his lips, he exhaled a blast of freezing air. The temperature upon the arena began to plunge rapidly, and as Lu Yang lifted his foot slightly, his movements felt sluggish, as though he were mired in a swamp.

"Ice-attribute techniques are rare indeed..." A moment later, Lu Yang abruptly sensed something amiss. "No, it isn't just freezing air—there is poison mingled within the frost!"

If one mistook it for pure frost and circulated their cultivation to dispel it, it would only drive the poison deeper into the body, accelerating its absorption; by then, one would fall into an entirely passive position.

"No matter."

As a frequent guest of the Pill Cauldron Peak, Lu Yang possessed an inherent resistance to ordinary poisons, meaning he would remain unaffected for a short duration. With a gentle swirl of his sharp blade beside him, he cleared a vacant space around himself, devoid of both frost and toxin.

Lu Yang’s various spells were far too distinct; anyone could recognize him at a single glance. While playing the role of the Young Cult Leader, he could only employ sword techniques.

Fortunately, he possessed a Sword Spirit Root, and his swordsmanship was peerless.

Taking advantage of the moment Lu Yang spent clearing the frost and poison, Kong Hao let out a low roar, his muscles bulging like a frenzied beast, yet his eyes remained cold and clear, showing he still maintained his reason.

He lunged forward abruptly, his fingernails extending like the talons of a demonic beast, clashing against the sword without snapping.

Lu Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly; the solid foundation Kong Hao displayed did not seem like something a second-grade sect could nurture. This could not be summarized merely as a case of extraordinary natural talent.

Watching the two clash with a continuous clangor upon the arena, the crowd below let out soft gasps of astonishment. Compared to the first match which had concluded so swiftly, this battle could be considered a fierce, locked struggle.

Only those Unity Stage cultivators could perceive that Young Cult Leader Lu held the upper hand; though the two appeared to exchange offense and defense in a balanced rhythm, Kong Hao had actually been led by the nose by the Young Cult Leader from the very beginning.

"Just this much is not enough to pose a threat to me," Lu Yang thought to himself, resolving to exert his full strength.

With a twist of Lu Yang’s wrist, the tip of his sword traced an arc through the air, and from every pore of his body erupted sword qi as fine as ox-hair, surging forth to converge upon the blade.

The sword qi crisscrossed, resembling a grand mist of rosy dawn or a vast, boundless ocean, sweeping across the six realms and swallowing heaven and earth.

*Chirp!*

Kong Hao took the brunt of this strike directly; even though he had crossed his arms in advance to block it, it was to no avail. His arms were left dripping with blood, his aura instantly withered, and he gasped heavily, grievously wounded.

"Boy, are you about to lose?" A voice echoed within his mind, deep and slow—one could well imagine what a colossal entity the speaker must be.

"What's it to you?" The sword strike just now had made Kong Hao realize the chasm between himself and Lu Yang; it was a gap in innate talent, one that could not be bridged by mere effort.

He stared at the colossal entity through the iron bars within his mind.

The colossal entity sneered, mocking Kong Hao’s arrogance: "Watch your tone, arrogant boy. Without this old man, where would you be today?"

"I have been in your body since the day you were born; I know exactly what an stubborn wretch you are. You appear low-profile, but in which battle have you ever conceded defeat? Your desire to win is more intense than anyone else's; if not for that, this old man wouldn't have taken a liking to you."

"What do you want to do?"

"Power. What you lack is power, and this old man will lend it to you."

Kong Hao looked at the colossal entity in silence; it was undeniable that even a mere trickle of power leaking from its fingertips would be enough to turn the tables and secure his victory.

Yet to use its power, he would need to undo a layer of the seal.

Should he undo it?

The colossal entity grinned, its massive, beastly eyes reflecting Kong Hao’s conflicted expression; once you use my power and truly realize this is a method that can make you strong rapidly, you will take the initiative to undo the seals step by step, and at that time, I will be able to emerge.

Kong Hao grit his teeth; the colossal entity was right, he did not want to lose, he wanted to be the champion.

Just one layer, he would only undo one layer; the remaining eight layers would be left untouched.

The colossal entity laughed silently as the first layer of the seal broke, and an ominous power drifted past the iron bars, enveloping Kong Hao’s body.

"Hmm?"

In the outside world, Lu Yang looked at Kong Hao in surprise; he sensed a sudden surge of power erupting from within Kong Hao’s body, continuous and unyielding, carrying a feral ferocity and bloodlust that was exceedingly ominous.

Kong Hao’s body underwent a transformation; his wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his once grievously injured frame was now completely restored. His pupils slit vertically like a wild lion or a fierce tiger, and a layer of beastly fur sprouted across his skin, making it impossible to discern for a moment whether it was actual growth or a manifestation of spiritual energy.

"Roar—"

Kong Hao let out a roar that shook the very heavens.

Lu Yang's hair stood on end; this was the very source of the danger he had sensed!

Yet, he quickly found Kong Hao's state somewhat familiar, as if he had borrowed a power that did not belong to him, temporarily possessed.

Lu Yang slowly raised his hand, staring warily at Kong Hao as he invoked his ultimate trump card.

"Referee, I want to report him, he's cheating."

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.

(End of this chapter)