Ling Tian Sword God

While retreating, Huo Yu took out his Folding Fan, holding it in front of himself.

CHINK!

The sword tip struck the Folding Fan, sending brilliant sparks flying.

"Get away from me!"

Forced to retreat several steps, Huo Yu's face darkened. He swirled his fan and stopped. Instead, he advanced, striking it against the Sword Light.

The clash of metal resonated. Ling Chen's Cloud-hidden Sword was bent, then sprang back. Ling Chen himself was sent flying back lightly, but his Sword Light still left a cut on Huo Yu's arm.

Seeing the scene on the Dueling Platform, everyone was stunned.

"What's going on? Is Huo Yu injured?"

"Did Huo Yu actually lose to Ling Chen? Was Ling Chen hiding his strength before, not using his full power?"

In everyone's mind, Ling Chen's strength was less than Huo Yu's, and the gap was not small. However, right at the start, Ling Chen overturned their judgments. With an incomprehensible sword strike, he injured Huo Yu and gained the initial advantage.

Glancing at the sword cut on his arm, Huo Yu, his eyes practically spitting fire, growled, "Bastard, you've managed to enrage me. Now, prepare to face my wrath!"

With a roar, Huo Yu elevated his True Qi to the Eighth Layer of the Red Feather Divine Art. The Flames swirling around his Folding Fan surged with the power to split mountains and shatter the earth, blasting through the Void towards Ling Chen.

At this moment, Huo Yu's fighting strength was fully unleashed, a full Three Points stronger than when he faced Nie Wu Xiang; his Vital Energy, True Qi, and spirit erupted in full.

Seeing this, Ling Chen's expression remained unchanged as his figure flickered and drifted, easily evading the scorching attacks. Then, his Cloud-hidden Sword vibrated, generating a dense rain of brilliant Sword Lights that enveloped Huo Yu, who was not far away.

Huo Yu sneered, "You think you can hurt me again? Ridiculous! I, Huo Yu, will definitely not suffer a second loss at the hands of a junior."

With that, the wings on his back abruptly flapped, stirring up crimson waves of fire that propelled his figure forward in a flash. Then, in mid-air, he launched an attack with his fan.

"Blazing Assault!"

A Fire Phoenix burst forth from the Folding Fan, seeming to turn the surrounding space into a vacuum.

Ling Chen's expression was indifferent. With his index and middle fingers resting on the front of his sword hilt, he executed a precise thrust, striking the very center of the Fire Phoenix's fan-generated energy. Air rippled outwards. After a faint POP, the fan energy suddenly shattered, splitting down the middle like a torn piece of cloth.

The ninth technique of the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique: Dragon Revealing Touch.

"He actually managed to find the weakness in my technique."

Huo Yu was astounded. Ling Chen's strike had appeared ordinary, just a simple thrust. However, to him, it clearly contained the profound subtlety of converging Sword Light, possessing extreme resilience and penetrative power.

This kid's troublesome; I can't underestimate him.

He had never fought Ling Chen before and hadn't known how formidable he was. Now, after this exchange, he felt that Ling Chen's seasoned combat experience was far beyond that of an ordinary person. He could always inflict maximum damage at minimal cost.

Considering Ling Chen his greatest adversary, Huo Yu's expression became extremely solemn. He furiously channeled his Red Feather Divine Art. Streams of fire True Qi rapidly gathered over his body, solidifying as if forming a suit of battle armor. "Raging Flame Battle Body!"

The Raging Flame Battle Body was one of Huo Yu's trump cards, initially saved for dealing with Young Master Ye. He hadn't expected Ling Chen to be so difficult to handle. To end the fight quickly, he had no choice but to use it now, disregarding other considerations.

Instantly, all of Huo Yu's True Qi seemed to ignite. His aura surged, never decreasing, and quickly broke through its previous level.

CRACK!

The Dueling Platform beneath his feet couldn't withstand his Overbearing Style and scorching power, shattering into countless winding cracks as fiery energy surged upwards.

In less than the blink of an eye, Huo Yu's aura and battle prowess rose to a new level. He roared and shot into the air. Under the infusion of immense, scorching True Qi, the wings on his back seemed to burst into flame.

"Flame Wing Heavenly Soar!"

As his voice fell, Huo Yu's pair of fiery wings flapped violently. Countless incandescent feathers instantly shot out from them, showering towards Ling Chen like a torrential downpour. Their terrifying number was undoubtedly more than double what he had used against Nie Wu Xiang!

Below the Dueling Platform, the younger generation in the audience turned pale with fright at Huo Yu's overwhelming display of power. They had never imagined that Huo Yu, unleashing his true strength, could be so terrifying, resembling a Fire Demon. Many of them also practiced Fire Attribute Cultivation Methods, but compared to Huo Yu, their skills were mere child's play.

Ling Chen's gaze narrowed slightly. His figure blurred, transforming into numerous overlapping afterimages that scattered in all directions, flitting about erratically like startled moths. Huo Yu, opposite him, laughed arrogantly, "Don't waste your effort! The entire Dueling Platform is within my attack range. Where can you possibly hide?"

As his words faded, innumerable fiery feathers spread out, resembling fiery clouds on the horizon that dyed the sky crimson.

SIZZLE, SIZZLE, SIZZLE, SIZZLE...

The afterimages Ling Chen had left behind were incinerated into wisps of smoke, vanishing completely.

Gasps of surprise frequently erupted from the audience in the stands. The battle between Huo Yu and Ling Chen was full of twists and turns. Initially, Ling Chen had held the upper hand, but now Huo Yu had seized it. Moreover, Huo Yu's advantage seemed far more distinct.

The members of the Divine Intent Sect looked worried. At this point, it would be a lie to say they didn't hope for Ling Chen to reach the top three. If he could defeat Huo Yu, Ling Chen would win this crucial match, setting a favorable precedent for the next two battles. As long as he survived this round, then regardless of the outcome, it would be enough to shake the Martial World and bring immense fortune to the Divine Intent Sect. However, Huo Yu was simply too strong; only now had he unleashed his full battle strength, stunning the entire audience.

Only Xu Ruoyan remained composed. Ling Chen's true strength is much greater than what the crowd imagines, she thought; this was her unfaltering intuition about him.

With no way to evade, Ling Chen abruptly halted. He poured Lingtian True Qi into his Cloud-hidden Sword, then spun it in his hand to create a defensive circle of sword light.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The fiery feathers struck the sword circle one after another, sending dazzling sparks flying in all directions. After repelling one wave of the fiery onslaught, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Ling Chen's eyes. The next moment, he shot upwards, sword in hand, and began to spin rapidly.

"Dragon Soars Over the Vast Sea!"

Amidst the high-speed rotation, Ling Chen seemed to transform into the phantom image of a Giant Dragon, soaring towards the sky.

The fiery feathers struck the Giant Dragon phantom but were all deflected, failing to harm Ling Chen in the slightest.

"What?!"

Huo Yu hastily retreated, dodging the dragon shadow's counterattack.

The dragon shadow shot past him, soaring directly above his head.

"Headless Group of Dragons!"

The dragon shadow dispersed, revealing Ling Chen. He raised the Cloud-hidden Sword high with both hands and unleashed another powerful sword technique.

Four dragon phantoms descended from the sky, shaking the entire Dueling Platform.