Eternal Qiankun Great Emperor: Eternal Qiankun Great Emperor, #4

By Chen Xin Huan

Qin Yuxuan, a mediocre young man, is suddenly favored by the eldest daughter of the Yun family to become her stand-in fiancé. What secrets does this hold?

The arrival of Miss Yun Zhongxi of the Yun family, and her plan, involve him in a family feud beyond imagination.

However, what truly transforms Qin Yuxuan is a magical object he carries with him named the Qiankun Ring.

The Qiankun Ring conceals a mysterious space, not just a simple refuge. It contains ancient knowledge of cultivation, as well as various magical treasures that enhance physical strength and insight. More importantly, it hides Qin Yuxuan's innate foundation for cultivation, key to his journey from mediocrity to greatness.

Watch as an ordinary cultivation youth rises from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from obscurity to supreme being of the three realms, defeating all masters and dominating gods and demons in his ascension.
 

 

 

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However, unlike the life-and-death battles in the Cultivation World, a life-and-death duel could be proposed by both parties simultaneously, or by one party to the sect's Peak Master or elders.

At this time, the other party could agree or refuse.

It's just that, according to the customs of the Cultivation World, if the strength of both sides was comparable, the party who refused would often be considered a cowardly weakling and would be looked down upon by others.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zhou Yan
• Release date: Jun 3, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224299393

Book preview

Chapter 383: The Ice-cold Jade Sword

To be honest, Qin Yuxuan didn’t have the intention to kill Ye Yongqiang before, even though he knew Ye Yongqiang was Fan Songbai’s man. After all, they each served their own masters.

However, Ye Yongqiang’s words just now were indeed too malicious, and he obviously wanted to put Qin Yuxuan to death.

Naturally, Qin Yuxuan would not let a person who harbored such hostility towards him remain in this world.

Ah! Junior Brother Qin, are you confident in defeating him? Ye Yongqiang’s strength is not weak. If you don’t have complete confidence, refusing the life-and-death duel is also an option! After all, as long as you’re alive, there’s still hope. In the future, when your strength has grown, you can seek revenge on him! Qing Luo was very worried and hurriedly sent a telepathic message to Qin Yuxuan.

In her view, although Qin Yuxuan was strong, it was too difficult for him to defeat a top expert like Ye Yongqiang.

Don’t worry, Senior Sister Qing! I have a plan! After hearing Qing Luo’s telepathic message, Qin Yuxuan cast a grateful glance at her, then replied via telepathy.

Seeing this, Yang Yang could only sigh lightly. Although he was somewhat biased towards Qin Yuxuan, he had no way to stop a life-and-death duel that both parties had agreed to.

So, after discussing with the other three elders, he had no choice but to nod and say, Since both of you, Qin Yuxuan and Ye Yongqiang, are willing to engage in a life-and-death duel, it’s not good for us to stop it! This arena competition will be a matter of life and death. You may begin now!

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yuxuan and Ye Yongqiang both stepped forward at the same time, and the life-and-death duel officially began!

Qin Yuxuan, I didn’t expect a little brat like you to actually make it into the top five! It’s really beyond my expectations! But it’s also fortunate that this allows me to personally get rid of you and avenge my younger brother! Ye Yongqiang, with a face full of bulging muscles, shook his fat body and said to Qin Yuxuan in a pretentious tone.

Although he also knew that Qin Yuxuan had made a stunning debut in the previous sect’s minor examination and became one of the top new disciples, Ye Yongqiang didn’t take it to heart. After all, a disciple who had only joined for a year and was at the early Condensation Phase could not yet pose a threat to his position.

But after the promotion tournament began, it surprised him greatly. Qin Yuxuan’s magical divine abilities had progressed at an astonishing speed. He broke through checkpoints and defeated opponents one after another. Even Liu Fan, who ranked fourth last time, was defeated by him.

Moreover, judging from the battle process, this kid’s techniques were endless, and he also had spirit beasts to assist him. Ye Yongqiang was afraid that he would have to put in a lot of effort to defeat him.

Ye Yongqiang, there are many more things that will surprise you, Qin Yuxuan replied indifferently.

Kid, don’t try to gain the upper hand in front of me with your words! Although I admit that you’re much stronger than ordinary cultivators at the Early Condensation Phase, and can even rival disciples at the Mid Condensation Phase, you’re still no match for me! At this moment, Ye Yongqiang also drew out a long sword that was completely translucent and had an azure-blue blade.

It should be noted that when he fought against another disciple in the top ten before, he didn’t even draw his sword and only used his bare hands to face the enemy.

Ah! The Ice-cold Jade Sword! I didn’t expect Ye Yongqiang to take Qin Yuxuan so seriously that he would use his strongest weapon from the start! Seeing this, Zhao Ying’er couldn’t help but breathe rapidly, her ample bosom heaving non-stop, and a look of worry appeared in her beautiful eyes.

This Ice-cold Jade Sword was not only a top-grade magic weapon, but also one of very high quality among top-grade magic weapons.

When Fan Songbai caught a glimpse of Zhao Ying’er looking at Qin Yuxuan with concern, a trace of delight flashed through his heart. He inwardly thought, It seems that Zhao Ying’er cares quite a bit about this guy. Later, when Ye Yongqiang defeats Qin Yuxuan, I must tell him via telepathy to thoroughly humiliate Qin Yuxuan in front of Zhao Ying’er and then shatter his corpse into ten thousand pieces. At that time, the expression on Zhao Ying’er’s face will be extremely amusing to see...

Just at this moment, Ye Yongqiang launched an attack...

Myriad Zhang of Frost!

Ye Yongqiang let out a shout, and suddenly, that completely blue Ice-cold Jade Sword shot out a blue light more than ten zhang long and half a zhang in diameter from its blade, carrying a severe cold aura as it swiftly flew towards Qin Yuxuan.

The disciples who were relatively close felt the surrounding temperature plummet, and some even felt a sensation of their bodies freezing stiff, frightening them into hurriedly retreating seven or eight zhang.

However, quite a few of them felt it wasn’t safe enough and retreated more than ten zhang further before feeling that the cold aura was no longer so oppressive.

As a result, this allowed Qin Yuxuan and Ye Yongqiang to unleash various magic techniques without reservation and no longer have any scruples.

Swift!

At this instant, Qin Yuxuan also raised the Blood Battle Saber, then fiercely swung it!

Two streaks of red sword energy shot out from the blade, becoming two crimson arcs that struck towards the frigid sword light from both sides.

He could naturally tell that this strike from Ye Yongqiang could not be blocked simply by activating his defensive shield or summoning the Mysterious Iron Shield. He had to use his saber energy to offset part of the attack’s power before being able to resolve it.

With a thunderous boom, the two saber energies merged into one in midair and heavily collided with the powerful frigid sword energy. The explosive shockwave blasted a large crater in the arena ground between the two, as if a meteorite had fallen.

Qin Yuxuan’s body was like a kite with its string cut, retreating more than ten steps in succession before stabilizing.

Opposite him, Ye Yongqiang also retreated five or six steps before halting his backward momentum.

The spectating disciples couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. They didn’t expect that Qin Yuxuan, with his lower cultivation, would dare to directly clash head-on with Ye Yongqiang and actually withstand it.

Although from the scene it appeared he was at a disadvantage, everyone knew that Qin Yuxuan was only an Early Condensation Phase cultivator, while Ye Yongqiang was at the Mid Condensation Phase, about to reach the Late Condensation Phase.

It seems Qin Yuxuan’s strength has grown quite a bit compared to when he hunted the Flamingo in the Volcano cave! Seeing this, Qing Luo couldn’t help but sigh lightly, I feel my progress is far inferior compared to his...

Not only her, but the disciples present all let out cries of astonishment.

In the previous match, the disciple who fought against Ye Yongqiang was also at the Mid Condensation Phase and was a sword cultivator, but his cultivation was slightly lower than Ye Yongqiang’s.

He exchanged a move with Ye Yongqiang head-on. As a result, when the two swords collided, that disciple was instantly sent flying, retreating over a dozen steps, while Ye Yongqiang didn’t budge an inch.

But now, although Qin Yuxuan also retreated over ten steps, he made Ye Yongqiang retreat a few steps as well. The difference in their strength could be seen at a glance.

Ye Yongqiang only felt his blood and qi surging, and his heart couldn’t help but be startled. He inwardly thought that he really couldn’t underestimate this Qin Yuxuan. Not only was this person proficient in various five element magic techniques, even the battle skills that body cultivators focused on training were so formidable. Those two saber energies were actually able to forcibly withstand his own sword energy attack.

At this time, a fierce light flashed in his eyes. He snorted coldly and said, Alright! Ye Mou admits to underestimating you! But your day of death has arrived, kid! Take a look at Ye Yongqiang’s true might...

Chapter 384 - Shattering the Ice Dragon

Qin Yuxuan was actually in a worse state than Ye Yongqiang. Not only was his blood and qi surging, but his chest also felt a burst of intense pain. It took him a moment of adjusting his breathing before he recovered.

Hearing Ye Yongqiang’s taunts at this moment, a mocking smile couldn’t help but flash across the corner of his mouth. He sarcastically said, Unfortunately, I overestimated your strength. I didn’t expect that a senior disciple who ranked at the top in the last promotion tournament and is at the peak of the Mid Condensation Phase could only fight evenly with me, a new disciple who has only been practicing for a year and is only at the Early Condensation Phase! It seems the title of ‘good-for-nothing’ can only be returned to you!

You arrogant brat! I give you a bit of face and you want to open a dyeing shop! Ye Yongqiang was so furious that he laughed upon hearing this. I originally wanted to leave your corpse intact, but now it seems I can only shatter you into ten thousand pieces!

With that said, he made a sword seal with his hand, chanted some incantations, then fiercely tossed the Ice-cold Jade Sword into the sky and shouted, Transform for me!

With a thunderous boom, the Ice-cold Jade Sword erupted with dazzling blue light in the air. A cold, frigid aura instantly enveloped the arena and even spread to the spectators. If the disciples around hadn’t fled far away early on, quite a few people would have likely been frostbitten.

As the bright light began to dim, a clear dragon’s roar sounded from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw that the Ice-cold Jade Sword had actually transformed into a blue ice dragon over ten zhang long and more than a zhang in diameter.

Qin Yuxuan, no matter how sharp-tongued you are, today next year will be the anniversary of your death! Die! Ye Yongqiang roared. Then he pointed forward with his right hand.

The blue ice dragon immediately let out a resounding dragon’s cry, then charged towards Qin Yuxuan with lightning speed.

Fan Songbai was overjoyed. Although they were far away, they could still clearly feel the powerful spiritual power fluctuations and cold aura from the ice dragon’s body. A single strike from this ice dragon transformed from the Ice-cold Jade Sword could likely not be withstood even by a Late Condensation Phase cultivator.

Zhao Ying’er and Qing Luo’s hearts were in their throats. The immense might of this ice dragon made even them tremble in fear.

Seeing this, Qin Yuxuan’s expression also changed slightly. He waved his left hand, first summoning the Mysterious Iron Shield and placing it in front of him, then activated the Earth Shield Technique.

Immediately after, he tightly gripped the Blood Battle Saber with both hands and fiercely slashed again.

Four streaks of crimson saber energy shot out from the red blade with a series of whooshes. After flying for a moment in the air, they merged into one, forming a giant blade about six zhang long and a zhang wide. Then, with a hissing sound of air being sliced, it violently slashed towards the ice dragon’s head.

Ye Yongqiang coldly smiled upon seeing this. With a light flick of his right hand, a blue spell decree flew into the sky and into the body of the ferociously posturing ice dragon.

In an instant, the ice dragon roared and opened its maw wide, then suddenly spat out a barrage of ice arrows towards the blade that had already flown close to its head.

Hehe! The ice arrows spat out by my Ice Dragon transformed from the Ice-cold Jade Sword can instantly freeze even flames, let alone this mere blade condensed from saber energy? Ye Yongqiang was clearly very confident in his attack.

However, what happened next was obviously beyond his expectations. After letting out an earth-shattering boom, the red blade actually pierced through the encirclement of ice arrows and violently struck the ice dragon’s head.

The ice dragon swayed and its body trembled a bit, but it finally withstood the blow. Immediately after, its tail viciously swung and heavily smashed the blade. With a bang, the blade instantly fell from the sky like a kite with its string cut, then crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Although he had shattered Qin Yuxuan’s blade, Ye Yongqiang’s expression was somewhat solemn, because he had already seen that the four streaks of saber energy were formed after Qin Yuxuan used the second layer of the Gale Knife Technique.

This was only the second layer of the technique, yet its power was already immense. Even the ice arrows spat out by his ice dragon were unable to do anything to it. This made him feel quite a bit of pressure as well.

If Qin Yuxuan used the third layer of the Gale Knife Technique, it would be even harder for him to handle.

Ye Yongqiang couldn’t help but show a trace of worry on his face. Although he had Fan Songbai backing him and did not fear Qin Yuxuan, seeing this kid who had just started cultivating make such rapid progress in strength in just a short year, plus him gaining the patronage of Elder Zhao’s granddaughter Zhao Ying’er, his future prospects were likely limitless. If he missed this opportunity, he was afraid the next time they fought, it would be very difficult to defeat this person.

Therefore, Ye Yongqiang secretly made up his mind that no matter what, he could not let Qin Yuxuan go. He had to strike him dead on the spot.

Just as Ye Yongqiang was pondering this, Qin Yuxuan pressed on with his attacks once more.

Qin Yuxuan gripped the Blood Battle Saber tightly again and raised it high over his head.

Then, he let out a loud shout, Third layer of the Gale Knife Technique! Horizontal Saber Stance!

Then he fiercely slashed downwards!

The blood-red blade emitted a dazzling light in the air, hovering in front of him and forming eight streaks of blade energy, each about two zhang long and half a zhang wide.

From the shimmering luster on the surface of this saber energy, one could see that it contained immense power. Even the disciples of Yi Jian Peak who had already retreated far away could feel the fluctuations of spiritual power. Its might was not inferior to the blue ice dragon suspended in the sky.

Let’s see if you can block my move again!

With a great shout from Qin Yuxuan, the eight streaks of red blade light in the air immediately stacked into a giant blade, then flew towards Ye Yongqiang’s position with earth-shattering momentum and spiritual power.

Ye Yongqiang’s heart shook. Within the powerful spiritual power fluctuations of this giant blade, there was a hint of terrifying dangerous aura. This was definitely an all-out strike that could threaten his life.

Go! Ye Yongqiang immediately shot out a blue spell decree from his hand, guiding the ice dragon still in the sky to change its trajectory and assault that red giant blade.

Rumble!

A huge booming sound rang out, as if a huge thunderbolt had exploded in the sky. The blast shockwave spreading in all directions toppled two large trees near the edge of the arena, and the several dozen named disciples standing over ten zhang away were all blown off their feet.

After the dust from the explosion dissipated, the crowd was surprised to find that both the ice dragon and the giant blade had vanished.

The luster of the Ice-cold Jade Sword had dimmed considerably as it returned to Ye Yongqiang’s hand. It seemed the great collision just now had greatly damaged the sword’s spiritual nature, making it unable to transform into the ice dragon again.

Qin Yuxuan’s giant blade had also disintegrated into nothingness.

It appeared as if Ye Yongqiang had prevailed, shattering Qin Yuxuan’s attack, but there was no joy on his face at all. Because the Ice-cold Jade Sword’s spiritual nature was greatly damaged, it could not be used again in a short time. In that case, he could only bring out his most treasured possession!

Chapter 385: Puppet Battle

Qin Yuxuan also sighed. He felt that he had made a mistake. He thought Ye Yongqiang’s Ice-cold Jade Sword was just an ordinary top-grade magic weapon. But unexpectedly, its quality was far superior to typical top-grade magic weapons, and it could withstand impacts beyond his expectations.

As a result, after the great collision between the two sides, because Qin Yuxuan had only cultivated the Gale Knife Technique to the third layer, although it merged into a giant blade midway, superimposing eight times the attack power, it still could not withstand the immense impact force of the Ice-cold Jade Sword and was scattered by the ice dragon it transformed into. Moreover, he had consumed a lot of his spiritual power and had to immediately take a recovery powder to replenish it.

Fortunately, Ye Yongqiang’s Ice-cold Jade Sword had also lost a considerable amount of its spiritual nature due to the tremendous impact and could not be used again without proper repair.

Ye Yongqiang’s face was as gloomy as water when he saw his beloved Ice-cold Jade Sword reduced to this state.

Although the damage to the blade could be quickly repaired, the greatly diminished spiritual nature of the blade would inevitably lead to a significant decrease in its power. To restore it to its original spiritual nature, the value of the precious materials needed would be no small sum. Even with his wealth, he would have to bleed quite a bit.

Qin Yuxuan, damaging my precious sword has truly enraged me! I want to see what other trump cards you have! Ye Yongqiang let out an angry shout, then suddenly slapped his storage pouch. Three black streaks of light flew out from his pouch and landed on the ground.

What are these things? Everyone was startled when they saw the three demonic beasts on the ground.

Qin Yuxuan looked closely and saw three lifelike black wolves standing on the ground, each about three zhang long and nine feet tall, all with bloody maws open wide, looking like they wanted to devour people.

He instinctively sent out his spiritual sense to probe, but was suddenly shocked because he could not feel a trace of life aura from these three black wolves. They were actually three puppets.

Zhao Ying’er was also extremely shocked. She inwardly cursed that she had forgotten to remind Qin Yuxuan that Ye Yongqiang’s two great weapons were the Ice-cold Jade Sword and the Puppet Black Wolves. However, he rarely used the Puppet Black Wolves when fighting others, usually only using the Ice-cold Jade Sword.

Ye Yongqiang also felt some heartache. Although these three Puppet Black Wolves were not low-level, reaching the late-stage Condensed Liquid Realm, the spirit stones consumed to drive them to fight enemies were frighteningly high. Each Puppet Black Wolf would consume ten middle-grade spirit stones per hour of battle. It was a complete money burner. Even with his wealth, he would probably go bankrupt if he used them too many times.

But now, he had no choice but to painfully bring out all three of these Puppet Black Wolves, preparing to go all-in to finish off Qin Yuxuan once and for all. After all, this was a life-and-death battle.

Qin Yuxuan’s eyes also revealed a solemn look. This was also the first time he had encountered an enemy who could release three puppets. After pondering for a moment, he slapped his storage pouch and released the three Iron Kites he had obtained from the Thousand Puppet King.

Three white birds immediately screeched and flapped their wings in the air, and from the metallic luster on their bodies, it could be immediately determined that these were also three puppets.

What are these? Could they be Iron Kite Puppets? Ye Yongqiang sized up the three birds circling in front of Qin Yuxuan and finally recognized them.

At this moment, he was also secretly shocked, not expecting this newly admitted junior to have such a rich background! He only had three puppets running on the ground, while Qin Yuxuan actually had three puppets flying in the sky. The value of puppets capable of flight was much higher than those running on the ground.

However, although he was shocked and fearful in his heart, Ye Yongqiang’s face remained calm and steady. He knew that he absolutely could not show any signs of panic or timidity now.

Instead, he glared with wide eyes, putting on an angry appearance, and roared, Get him! Bite that kid to death!

At the same time, he once again drew out a golden longsword. This longsword was only a high-level magic weapon, and although it was a grade lower than the Ice-cold Jade Sword he had used before, it was still barely usable.

Ye Yongqiang gripped the longsword and vigorously shook it, slowly infusing his spiritual power into the blade. The sword’s body immediately shone with a brilliant light, and the energy blew the sand and soil around him flying in all directions.

The three Puppet Black Wolves howled and charged towards Qin Yuxuan at a swift speed. Although they were still far away, Qin Yuxuan had already sensed a dangerous aura. If he were bitten by these black wolves, the outcome would definitely be severed limbs, a ruptured abdomen, and disembowelment.

Go!

A cold light flashed in Qin Yuxuan’s eyes. He immediately flicked his fingers, sending out three spell decrees onto the three Iron Kites in the air. Then he focused his entire mind on manipulating them to fly towards the black wolves.

Halfway there, the three Iron Kites opened their beaks and spewed out a large amount of white mist.

This white mist condensed in the air to form three misty nets that spread down directly towards the three Puppet Black Wolves.

Whoosh!

The three Puppet Black Wolves were immediately ensnared by the white Ghost Mist Silk Nets, and their originally swift running speed was also restrained.

However, they were, after all, puppets at the late stage of the Mid Condensation Phase. With a fierce tug, the originally tough white Ghost Mist Silk threads were immediately pulled taut, looking as if they were about to break free.

Seeing this, Qin Yuxuan’s heart tightened. He hurriedly sent out a few spell decrees, trying to reinforce the White Mist Silk Nets.

But how could Ye Yongqiang, being such a cunning person, let him have his way? The golden longsword in his hand immediately emitted a dazzling light, as blinding as the sun, showing that he had raised his spiritual power to the extreme.

At this moment, he gripped the longsword tightly with both hands and suddenly swung it forward, shouting, Break for me!

A golden sword light, carrying powerful spiritual power fluctuations, shot towards the White Mist Silk threads at a swift speed.

Pop, pop, pop!

With the onslaught of that sword light, even though Qin Yuxuan had already infused spiritual power into these White Mist Silk Nets, the full-force strike of a peak Mid Condensation Phase cultivator was so fierce that how could the silk nets formed from the mist spewed by the Iron Kites withstand it?

The silk threads binding the Puppet Black Wolves were severed one after another by the sword light. The three black wolves immediately broke free and then pounced towards Qin Yuxuan at an extremely fast speed.

At this moment, Ye Yongqiang’s eyes flickered as he manipulated the three black wolves with his spiritual sense to launch an attack on Qin Yuxuan.

The first one immediately leaped high, biting towards Qin Yuxuan’s throat; the second one swiped its claws, grabbing towards Qin Yuxuan’s abdomen; while the last one aimed its wolf maw directly at Qin Yuxuan’s lower leg, intending to bite him tightly and not give him a chance to dodge.

Ah! Junior Brother Qin is in danger! Zhao Ying’er couldn’t help but cry out. She, who was originally watching the battle, immediately rushed towards the two’s battle area. She was also preparing to lend a helping hand.

Hehe! Zhao Ying’er, do you want to break the rules of a life-and-death duel? Fan Songbai, who had been keeping an eye on her from the side, would not let her go and save Qin Yuxuan. He immediately leaped and landed in front of Zhao Ying’er, separating her from Qin Yuxuan.

Chapter 386 Killing Ye Yongqiang

Zhao Ying’er was both angry and anxious. She immediately took a glittering gold hairpin from her hair and tossed it into the air without a second word.

The gold hairpin immediately grew in the wind, becoming as large as a long spear, and then, with lightning speed, it rushed straight towards Fan Songbai, intending to knock him back.

Fan Songbai laughed and waved his sleeve. A black short halberd flew out from his sleeve and then shot towards the gold hairpin.

Bang!

After a loud noise, the gold hairpin and short halberd collided heavily and were immediately repelled backward. Zhao Ying’er felt a huge pressure coming towards her face and had no choice but to retreat several steps.

Zhao Ying’er was only a Condensation Phase cultivator, while Fan Songbai was already an early-stage Crystal Formation cultivator. Naturally, she was no match for Fan Songbai.

However, Yang Yang and the three elders, who had long noticed their actions, how could they let them fight it out in the promotion competition?

Stop!

After Yang Yang let out a loud shout, he and Elder Zhao rushed over at the same time. The two stood between Zhao Ying’er and Fan Songbai, each employing their divine abilities to forcibly separate the two.

Ying’er, this is a life-and-death battle! It’s not an ordinary arena competition! Since both sides have already made the choice of a life-and-death duel, even we cannot forcibly stop the duel! Elder Zhao hurriedly persuaded.

But, Junior Brother Qin, he... Zhao Ying’er looked at the battle on the stage, her heart burning with anxiety.

Because at this time, the three Puppet Black Wolves that had lost their restraints had already rushed to within less than ten feet in front of Qin Yuxuan. Although Qin Yuxuan had the Mysterious Iron Shield protecting him and the Earth Shield Technique supporting him, how could Zhao Ying’er not see that these two layers of defense were utterly unable to withstand the attacks of the three Condensation Phase Puppet Black Wolves?

Once the defenses were broken, Qin Yuxuan would only become a pile of bloody flesh under the rampage of the black wolves.

Hehe! Qin Yuxuan, you arrogant brat, today next year will be your death anniversary! Ye Yongqiang laughed loudly at this time. He felt that victory was already in his grasp.

And the cultivators from Fan Songbai’s faction were all beaming with joy, cheering and jumping for joy.

Zhao Ying’er and Qing Luo were breathing rapidly, their eyes revealing anxiety and worry. With Ye Yongqiang’s cruelty, they feared that Qin Yuxuan would not be able to escape this calamity.

However, just as everyone thought Qin Yuxuan was doomed, they suddenly heard three crisp sounds: Bang, bang, bang!

The crowd looked towards the arena and saw the three Puppet Black Wolves suddenly flying back more than thirty feet, heavily crashing to the ground at the edge of the arena.

What happened?

How did Qin Yuxuan knock back those three Puppet Black Wolves?

Eh? There’s actually a black scorpion on the stage now!

The disciples were all startled by the sudden change. Because next to Qin Yuxuan, a huge black scorpion had suddenly appeared.

And it was this scorpion that had just knocked back the three Puppet Black Wolves.

The crowd was stunned for a moment, but then quickly realized that this black scorpion must be the Ghost Spirit Scorpion that Qin Yuxuan had previously released.

However, in the previous battles, this Ghost Spirit Scorpion seemed to be just an ordinary early Condensation Phase spirit beast, without much extraordinary ability. But now, how could it knock back three Puppet Black Wolves in one go? Wasn’t it a bit too powerful?

So, the crowd probed the Ghost Spirit Scorpion with their spiritual sense.

And now, the Ghost Spirit Scorpion had just used its full strength with its stinger to repel the three Puppet Black Wolves, so it couldn’t conceal its cultivation at all. Thus, the crowd naturally discovered that this Black Scorpion was not at the early Condensation Phase, but a late Condensation Phase demonic beast. Qin Yuxuan must have had it conceal its strength before.

Heavens! It’s actually a late Condensation Phase level demonic beast, and from the looks of it, it’s probably not far from the Great Perfection level!

No wonder Qin Yuxuan was so confident in fighting Ye Yongqiang. With the help of this Black Scorpion, he indeed has the capital to do so!

This is getting exciting! I think the strength of this scorpion is quite extraordinary. Those three Puppet Black Wolves are also at the late Condensation Phase, but they were knocked back by it in no time!

As the disciples of Yi Jian Peak were still discussing, Qin Yuxuan had already issued the command for the Ghost Spirit Scorpion to attack. With a whoosh, it charged towards Ye Yongqiang at a ghostly speed.

Ye Yongqiang was instantly flustered. His most powerful reliance was actually these three Puppet Black Wolves. In previous battles against opponents of the same level, as long as he summoned these three puppets and assisted in the fight himself, it was equivalent to four Condensation Phase cultivators launching an attack on the enemy at the same time.

Although most of the mid Condensation Phase cultivators of Yi Jian Peak also had spirit pets, they often lost when facing a two-against-four situation. Therefore, Ye Yongqiang could easily gain the upper hand and become one of the top ten disciples in the previous promotion competition.

But now, Qin Yuxuan’s Black Scorpion had knocked back these three puppets in no time, showing that its strength far surpassed that of an ordinary late Condensation Phase demonic beast. Now it was brandishing its stinger and pouncing towards him, how could Ye Yongqiang not be flustered?

So, while using his spiritual sense to command the three Puppet Black Wolves to attack Qin Yuxuan, attempting to save himself by sacrificing others, he turned and fled, using the Dragging Technique, hoping to have the three Puppet Black Wolves kill Qin Yuxuan before the Ghost Spirit Scorpion killed him.

However, although the three Puppet Black Wolves pounced towards Qin Yuxuan, with the attacks from his Blood Battle Saber’s blade energy, as well as the protection of the Mysterious Iron Shield and Earth Shield Technique, they were unable to approach him in a short time.

Ye Yongqiang had only run for a while when he wanted to look back to see where the Black Scorpion was and how far it was from him, but his pupils suddenly dilated.

Because at this moment, he realized that the terrifying Black Scorpion had disappeared.

What’s going on? Could it be that Qin Yuxuan recalled it into his spirit beast bag? Such a thought flashed through Ye Yongqiang’s mind.

However, at this moment, he felt a violent tremor from the ground beneath his feet.

A black scorpion suddenly drilled out from underground, then swung its stinger, drawing a bright light in front of him!

Ah! So this Black Scorpion also knows Earth Traversal Technique... It’s definitely a mutated scorpion! This was Ye Yongqiang’s last reaction before his death.

As the Ghost Spirit Scorpion’s stinger blade swept across his neck, a fat-headed severed head, along with a spray of fresh blood, shot into the sky and then rolled off the arena.

Ye Yongqiang’s headless, obese body stood on the arena for a moment, then fell heavily onto the stage like a door plank, splashing up a mist of red blood.

This change happened in a flash. Before anyone could react, Ye Yongqiang had already died, becoming a headless corpse.

The disciples present were all stunned, unable to speak for a long time. After all, Ye Yongqiang was a powerful figure among the registered disciples of Yi Jian Peak. He had ranked very high in the previous promotion competition and was considered one of the hot candidates for promotion to the outer sect disciples this time. Such a core disciple dying in the top five competition was indeed difficult for everyone to accept.

Chapter 387 Entering the Semi-finals

After a moment, Qing Luo finally started cheering with joy, her pretty face brimming with delight, her laughter ringing around the arena like silver bells.

Junior Brother Qin, well done! Zhao Ying’er also praised Qin Yuxuan endlessly. The tension she had been feeling finally eased, and she was overjoyed.

Steward Fan, you were indeed right! This is a life-and-death duel! Not an ordinary arena competition! Since both sides have already made the choice to fight to the death, even we cannot forcibly stop the duel! She was in a great mood now, teasing Fan Songbai with a smile, then turned and returned to her seat.

Fan Songbai’s face alternated between green and white, looking extremely unsightly. He obviously hadn’t expected that Qin Yuxuan had set an ambush earlier, deliberately having his spirit beast conceal its cultivation.

With such a formidable Black Scorpion as a spirit pet, no wonder this kid was so confident, daring to engage in a life-and-death duel with Ye Yongqiang.

At this time, Qin Yuxuan had already hooked his hand, taking Ye Yongqiang’s storage bag into his possession. According to the convention of a life-and-death battle, all of the loser’s belongings would go to the winner. He naturally confiscated this guy’s storage bag without hesitation.

In this match, Qin Yuxuan is the victor! He enters the top four, while Ye Yongqiang ranks fifth, but since he has been defeated and killed, the fifth place will remain vacant for now, to be filled in the next promotion competition! Yang Yang now also officially announced the results of this match.

Qin Yuxuan then smiled slightly and leaped off the arena.

After receiving the Spirit Wine, he hurriedly sat down to meditate and recover his spiritual power, preparing for the upcoming battles.

Qin Yuxuan knew very well that the semi-finals that followed would be even more intense and difficult.

Fan Songbai was extremely depressed at this moment. Ye Yongqiang was his most powerful subordinate, but now he had been killed by Qin Yuxuan. This would lead to none of his confidants entering the outer sect disciples in this promotion competition.

As a result, he would lack strong supporters in Yi Jian Peak and be in an unfavorable position. After all, only outer sect disciples were considered true formal disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect, while registered disciples were subject to many restrictions and had no real say within the sect.

Qin Yuxuan, on the other hand, was secretly delighted, because after extending his spiritual sense into the storage bag, he unexpectedly discovered that this person was extremely wealthy. He had as many as 500,000 Spirit Stones alone, not to mention many magical tools, talismans, and elixirs. Although he was an alchemist, compared to Ye Yongqiang, he was simply a pauper.

Of course, now all of Ye Yongqiang’s possessions belonged to him.

It seems that risk and reward are always proportional. He could be considered as having benefited from misfortune, obtaining a very large gain after experiencing extreme danger.

Half an hour later, after Qin Yuxuan finished resting, the drawing for the semi-finals began.

This time, Yang Yang personally placed a bamboo tube in front of Wu Jianchun, Li Dingxi, Yu Chengjie, and Qin Yuxuan.

There are a total of four bamboo slips in this tube, numbered one to four. The semi-final matchups are one vs two and three vs four. You may begin drawing lots! Yang Yang said solemnly.

Qin Yuxuan randomly drew a slip, and saw that it had three written on it. He looked over at Wu Jianchun and saw that the slip he drew had two written on it.

Li Dingxi and Yu Chengjie also each drew a slip. Li Dingxi drew number one, and Yu Chengjie drew number four.

Alright! The semi-final matchups are set. The first match is Li Dingxi vs Wu Jianchun, and the second match is Qin Yuxuan vs Yu Chengjie! The winners will advance to the finals to compete for first and second place, while the losers will fight for third and fourth! Yang Yang loudly announced at this time.

Afterwards, he glanced at Li Dingxi and Wu Jianchun and asked, Li Dingxi, Wu Jianchun, do you still need to rest?

No need! The two actually replied in unison.

Good! Then you may begin the first semi-final match! Yang Yang waved his hand.

The two nodded, then jumped onto the arena together. However, Li Dingxi’s expression was clearly very solemn, because he knew that Wu Jianchun was not an ordinary mid Condensation Phase cultivator.

Originally, Wu Jianchun could have started attempting to break through the late Condensation Phase bottleneck a year ago. But in order to give himself more certainty, he deliberately suppressed his cultivation at the peak of mid Condensation Phase to make his magic power more refined.

As a result, this also put him in an absolute advantageous position among the registered disciples this year, and he was publicly recognized as the top contender for promotion before the competition.

Li Dingxi’s chances of winning against him were indeed very slim.

After Yang Yang shouted begin, Li Dingxi launched his attack.

He was a cultivator skilled in wielding flying swords in battle. With a mother sword in hand, his eyes flashing with brilliance, he used his spiritual sense to control eight child swords, attacking Wu Jianchun, his opponent, from various directions.

However, Wu Jianchun was also a cultivator adept at long-range attacks. His specialty was using flying claws to grab people. This made him quite unorthodox in the sword-focused Shu Mountain Sect.

Under the manipulation of his spiritual consciousness, several iron claws also attacked Li Dingxi at extreme speed.

For a moment, gusts of wind and roars could be heard on the arena as the two exchanged blows. From the looks of it, they seemed evenly matched.

However, this situation only lasted for a brief moment before Wu Jianchun suddenly exerted his strength. His figure flashed like a ghost behind Li Dingxi, then he gripped a glittering golden dagger in his hand and heavily stabbed towards Li Dingxi’s neck.

Ah! Li Dingxi was startled. Although he had already activated his defensive shield, it was completely unable to block the full-force stab of this top-grade magic weapon.

With a clang, the shield shattered into countless fragments and vanished without a trace.

The dagger was then pressed against Li Dingxi’s neck.

I concede! Li Dingxi had no choice but to declare his surrender.

Seeing that Li Dingxi had conceded, Yang Yang immediately announced, In the first semi-final match, Wu Jianchun is victorious! He advances to the finals, while Li Dingxi will participate in the battle for third and fourth place!

Qin Yuxuan, witnessing this, also secretly felt shocked. This Wu Jianchun was capable of both long-range and close-quarters combat. Moreover, judging from the movement technique he used to secure victory, he likely also cultivated some body refining techniques, making his body far stronger than ordinary cultivators. If Qin Yuxuan had to fight against him, the possibility of defeat would be extremely high. Of course, with the assistance of the Ghost Spirit Scorpion, perhaps there was still a chance...

Just as he was pondering this, Yang Yang announced again, The second semi-final match will be Qin Yuxuan vs Yu Chengjie! Will the two disciples please take the stage!

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Chengjie took the lead in leaping onto the arena, then glanced at Qin Yuxuan with a cold expression.

Qin Yuxuan also got on the arena and sized up this senior disciple who was also in the top five last time.

He saw that Yu Chengjie was wearing the blue Shu Mountain Sect uniform, emitting a faint murderous aura that gave people a terrifying and dangerous feeling.

Chapter 388 Petrified Spirit Monkey

Qin Yuxuan, I have already witnessed your life-or-death duel with Ye Yongqiang. I must say, that Black Scorpion of yours is indeed a great threat to cultivators of the same level! However, if you think you can defeat me with it, you are gravely mistaken! Yu Chengjie said coldly at this moment, You are merely a touchstone for me and Wu Jianchun to test ourselves before the finals! I won’t waste too much time and energy on you!

With that, he patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist. A white monkey covered in gray dust from head to toe, with a very unsightly appearance, landed beside Yu Chengjie. What surprised everyone was that no spiritual power fluctuations could be sensed from this monkey.

Qin Yuxuan was also startled. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the monkey’s arms and limbs were actually made of stone.

Ah! This is a Petrified Spirit Monkey. Yu Chengjie actually captured it as his spirit beast? Elder Zhao exclaimed in shock upon seeing this.

As the name suggests, a Petrified Spirit Monkey is a monkey that undergoes a mutation during its growth, causing its limbs to petrify. This makes its body even harder, like stone. Such a petrified spirit beast monkey not only has greatly increased strength, but also an exceptionally sturdy body that is difficult to pierce with magic weapons and techniques. Even a cultivator at the early Crystallization Phase would find it very challenging to kill it.

Zhao Ying’er and Qing Luo glanced at each other, both revealing helpless expressions. They naturally knew that Qin Yuxuan’s greatest reliance was the Black Scorpion. With its Peak Condensation Phase strength and extremely sharp stinger that ordinary high-level defensive magic tools could hardly withstand, as well as its ability to burrow underground and launch attacks from unexpected places, ordinary cultivators were usually helpless against it.

However, now that Yu Chengjie also had a Petrified Spirit Monkey with strength comparable to the Ghost Spirit Scorpion, it would be very difficult for Qin Yuxuan to achieve victory by relying on his spirit beast.

If the two were to fight without relying on spirit beasts, then Yu Chengjie, whose cultivation had already reached the Peak of Mid Condensation Phase and was one of the top five disciples in last year’s promotion tournament, naturally had far greater strength than Qin Yuxuan.

Then let’s give it a try! I want to see just how powerful your Petrified Spirit Monkey is, Qin Yuxuan said, although he was also a bit surprised, he did not panic.

He also patted his spirit beast pouch and released the Ghost Spirit Scorpion. The Black Scorpion flew out from the pouch and jumped to the side of the Petrified Spirit Monkey with a whoosh. It then raised its stinger and fiercely slashed at the stone monkey’s neck.

Seeing this, Yu Chengjie was not concerned at all and let the Petrified Spirit Monkey take the hit head-on.

With a loud clang, the Ghost Spirit Scorpion’s stinger struck the Petrified Spirit Monkey’s neck but was actually unable to pierce through. Instead, it was repelled.

The Petrified Spirit Monkey is actually so sturdy? Qin Yuxuan was also startled upon witnessing this scene.

At this moment, Yu Chengjie’s eyes flickered. With a movement of his spiritual consciousness, the Petrified Spirit Monkey suddenly threw a punch, striking the Ghost Spirit Scorpion’s shell and sending it flying. Two of its antennae were broken as a result, greatly impeding its movement.

We can’t engage in a direct confrontation! Ghost Spirit Scorpion, burrow underground and fight with hit-and-run tactics! Seeing this, Qin Yuxuan’s heart sank. He secretly thought that if this stone monkey alone was already so difficult to deal with, let alone Yu Chengjie himself.

Thus, the Ghost Spirit Scorpion changed its approach. It immediately burrowed into the ground with a whoosh, then emerged behind the Petrified Spirit Monkey and heavily struck its legs, feet, waist, and abdomen with its stinger, attempting to find its weak points.

However, to Qin Yuxuan’s disappointment, this Petrified Spirit Monkey seemed to have no weaknesses on its entire body. Although it moved slowly and was not agile in turning around, its body was exceptionally sturdy. After multiple stabs and slashes from the stinger, only some stone fragments fell off, and it did not suffer any significant damage.

Qin Yuxuan pondered for a moment and immediately activated his Heavenly Eye Divine Ability. He carefully scanned the Petrified Spirit Monkey with his spiritual sense, looking for relatively weak spots on its body surface. At the same time, he had the Ghost Spirit Scorpion launch feint attacks, trying to find a place that could be penetrated by the stinger.

He believed that whether it was a cultivator or a stone monkey, there must be vulnerabilities. As long as he could find its weakness, he could overcome the enemy and achieve victory.

He refused to believe that this Petrified Spirit Monkey was truly covered with petrified skin from head to toe without a single gap.

At this time, Yu Chengjie drew a golden spear and said in a deep voice, Qin Yuxuan, let our spirit beasts fight on their own! It’s time for us to have a direct confrontation! I want to see what skills you, a new junior brother who has only been cultivating for a year, possess to have fought your way here!

With that, the long spear in his hand flew out, emitting a dazzling golden light. It then split from one into two, two into four, and four into eight. In an instant, it transformed into eight identical long spears. They carried intense spiritual power fluctuations and swooped towards Qin Yuxuan’s vital points such as his head, neck, chest, and abdomen.

Seeing this, Qin Yuxuan refused to show weakness. He slashed with the Blood Battle Saber in his hand, and eight blood-colored saber qi also carrying a red glow shot out, striking the eight golden long spears separately.

The sixteen rays of golden and red light collided fiercely in mid-air, producing a huge explosion. Smoke and shockwaves enveloped the entire arena. The flying sand and rocks made it difficult for the outer sect disciples around to keep their eyes open.

A moment later, when the dust settled, everyone discovered that Qin Yuxuan had retreated more than twenty steps, almost to the edge of the arena. There were traces of blood at the corner of his mouth, indicating that he had suffered internal injuries.

On the other hand, Yu Chengjie had only retreated seven or eight steps. Although his face was somewhat pale, he was clearly in a much better condition than Qin Yuxuan. This showed that his cultivation was indeed much higher than Qin Yuxuan’s.

Good lad! You actually managed to withstand one of my moves... However, I want to see if you can still handle my Spiral Flying Spear! At this moment, Yu Chengjie’s fighting spirit was also ignited by Qin Yuxuan.

He shook the long spear in his hand, and a spiral-shaped energy burst out from the spear tip. It then spun rapidly, charging straight towards Qin Yuxuan.

Not good! Although they were far apart, Qin Yuxuan had already sensed the powerful spiritual power fluctuations of this energy. It was definitely not something he could block with his flying sword.

He immediately summoned the Mysterious Iron Shield and placed it in front of him.

Then, he activated the Earth Shield Technique, forming a double-layered defense against the spiral energy.

In the blink of an eye, just as Qin Yuxuan had set up his defensive shields, the spiral energy had already arrived.

With a loud bang, the powerful shockwave sent his body flying more than a dozen zhang away. His clothes were shredded by the spiral energy, revealing his robust physique.

Ugh! Qin Yuxuan could no longer endure it and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, causing Zhao Ying’er and Qing Luo to feel distressed at the sight.

Junior Brother Xiao, you are indeed formidable! You even managed to withstand my Spiral Flying Spear! However, I believe you are now at the end of your rope, right? Yu Chengjie said coldly. At this moment, he also took out a Recovery Powder from his bosom and consumed it.

In fact, he was also in a difficult position. Although the Spiral Spear had immense power, it consumed too much spiritual power. Now, his internal spiritual power had been reduced by half, and he had no choice but to take the Recovery Powder to restore his spiritual power.

Chapter 389 Finding the Weak Point

Qin Yuxuan took a deep breath and also took out a Recovery Powder to consume.

He was well aware that his current strength was indeed quite far behind Yu Chengjie’s, and it was impossible to engage in a direct confrontation. It seemed that he could only fight against the enemy like the Ghost Spirit Scorpion.

Thus, he immediately pushed the Wind Riding Technique to its peak and, with the assistance of the Clear Wind Boots on his feet, began to move around the arena. Although Yu Chengjie’s Spiral Spear had immense power and a wide attack range, it still could not cover the entire arena.

Yu Chengjie was not a cultivator known for his speed, so Qin Yuxuan always managed to escape the attack range of the Spiral Spear at the last moment, thereby avoiding the enemy’s attacks.

Moreover, Yu Chengjie was not skilled in movement speed and body techniques, so he could not catch up with Qin Yuxuan, who had already cultivated the Wind Riding Technique to the Great Perfection level. Therefore, he could not do anything to Qin Yuxuan for the time being.

However, as Qin Yuxuan ran around like this, his consumption of spiritual power was even more severe than Yu Chengjie’s. In just the time it took to eat a meal, he had already consumed three Recovery Powders in succession. This was barely enough to sustain him, but if this continued, he knew that defeat would be inevitable.

Buddy, have you found any vulnerabilities in that Petrified Spirit Monkey? he asked anxiously. At present, the only hope of victory was for the Ghost Spirit Scorpion to defeat the Petrified Spirit Monkey and then join forces with him to fight against Yu Chengjie. Only then would there be a possibility of winning.

However, this Petrified Spirit Monkey was truly sturdy. Although the Ghost Spirit Scorpion had attacked it nearly a hundred times, it seemed to be merely tickling it, with no effect at all.

Despite activating the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability and scanning the stone monkey multiple times, he still could not find its weak points.

At the same time, Yu Chengjie took advantage of Qin Yuxuan’s declining stamina and nearly caught up with him several times, putting him in dangerous situations.

Before long, Qin Yuxuan accidentally stumbled and fell to the ground.

Unfortunately, there happened to be a rock on the ground, which hit his perineal area, causing him to cry out in pain.

I’m really out of luck, hitting there of all places! To hit that spot, my luck is just too bad! Qin Yuxuan couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

However, at this moment, a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and he pondered, The perineal area of a person is extremely vulnerable, and it’s a place that cannot be cultivated. Although this Petrified Spirit Monkey’s entire body has begun to petrify, its perineal area must also be its weakest spot.

Therefore, he immediately activated the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability again. After a blue light flashed in his eyes, the situation of the Petrified Spirit Monkey’s perineal area appeared in his field of vision. Although there were also signs of petrification there, the stratum corneum was very thin. With the sharpness of the Ghost Spirit Scorpion’s tail hook, it could definitely pierce through!

...It’s really in that spot... Qin Yuxuan was somewhat speechless at this moment.

However, he had no time to sigh. He could only continue running while issuing a command to the Ghost Spirit Scorpion, which was still underground, to attack the perineal area of the Petrified Spirit Monkey...

A moment later, with a crisp squish sound, the Ghost Spirit Scorpion, which had suddenly drilled out from underground, swung its shiny tail hook and fiercely stabbed through the perineal area of the Petrified Spirit Monkey, with the hook blade penetrating more than two feet deep.

The Petrified Spirit Monkey immediately let out a series of frenzied howls, its limbs trembling violently and stone flakes flying off its body. It slapped the back of the Ghost Spirit Scorpion with its palms, causing quite a few cracks to appear on its scorpion