Unrivaled Martial Emperor

During this time, many outstanding talents had risen to prominence.

The Tianxuan Continent's Lǚ Wangxian defeated several formidable competitors in succession and had already made his way to the fourth row of ancient monuments. He was far ahead in terms of immortal affinity.

The Ziyang Continent's Zi Dongyang was no less impressive either. He advanced steadily and stepped into the third row, ranking among the frontrunners.

As for the others, like Huang Wuji and Di Chen, they also demonstrated exceptional comprehension and combat prowess, progressing along the Road of Ancient Monuments.

Yet, Chen Fan appeared somewhat out of place.

He remained cross-legged before the golden roc's ancient monument in the first row. Since the start of the test, apart from defeating Lei Meng and seizing his immortal affinity early on, he hadn't made a single move. It was as if he had turned to stone.

The golden splendor of the ancient monument was still rich, enveloping him.

Outside, countless cultivators watched the sky screen, their discussions rising in waves.

"Something is strange about Chen Fan. He's still in the first row?"

"Maybe his fame was overblown. This third stage truly tests comprehension and talent. Maybe this is his limit."

"What a pity. He performed so impressively in the first two tests. I thought he was the next dark horse, but now..."

At True Martial Academy, eyes stayed fixed on his unmoving figure. They also couldn't help but show traces of worry and confusion on their faces.

But among them, a few, the elders and peak masters, remained calm, silently observing. They understood Chen Fan's temperament and knew well that he wouldn't do something meaningless.

Suddenly, someone stepped out from the crowd and approached Chen Fan's golden roc ancient monument.

Dressed in a green robe and slightly thin, the newcomer was Nangong Chan, a genius from the Zhongyuan Continent.

Having already defeated a rival earlier, he had earned the right to enter the second row.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to move forward. Instead, his gaze was locked onto Chen Fan.

He observed for a moment. Chen Fan's aura was calm and stable, but the golden-winged roc's will showed little visible progress. That gave him more confidence.

Hmph,Nangong Chan thought.So what if you were once ranked first? On the Road of Ancient Monuments, one's comprehension ability is the basis for everything. Staying here is your biggest flaw.

He moved his will!

A brilliant green light burst from a monument—a stone marked with the image of a strange cicada. A formless will fluctuation shot straight toward the golden roc ancient monument.

Buzz---

The void between the two ancient monuments let out a slight tremor in resonance. Immediately afterward, a new battle image slowly unfolded in the sky above the two monuments, projected for all to see.

In the vision, Nangong Chan's will had become a massive, serene azure cicada.

Thirty feet long, with delicate wings covered in intricate patterns, it pulsed with a sharp, high-pitched buzz that rippled through the air, shaking one's sea of consciousness.

The azure cicada's compound eyes stared fixedly at the golden figure on the opposite side.

"It's Nangong Chan's azure jade heavenly cicada will! The sound of this cicada's cries can confuse one's mind and throw their Dao art into disarray. It's a nightmare to counter!"

"Judging by how lifelike that azure cicada is, his comprehension of the monument's Dao art has at least reached the entry threshold, possibly beyond," someone observed.

On the other hand, Chen Fan's will was still in the shape of a golden-winged roc.

The roc's wings were slightly tucked in as it stood motionless in the void. Golden light shone brightly around it, not as wild as during the clash with Lei Meng. Instead, it carried a calm, reserved force, like an ancient divine bird on the verge of awakening.

"Chirp!" The azure jade heavenly cicada suddenly let out a cry, its wings vibrating at high speed.

Countless azure-colored sound blades visible to the naked eye descended from the sky like torrential rain, sweeping toward the golden-winged roc.

Wherever they passed, they stirred up ripples in the void.

But the roc remained still.

Even as the sound blades neared its feathers and the sky seemed wrapped in an azure web meant to trap it, it did not flinch.

Then, it moved.

With lightning speed, the golden-winged roc raised its massive right wing and flapped.

Chla!

A streak of extremely condensed golden divine light swept out from the edge of the golden wing!

The azure sound blades that filled the sky, whistling, silently crumbled apart when they came into contact with the golden divine light.

With a single strike, Chen Fan had neutralized every one of Nangong Chan's attacks.

"What?!" Nangong Chan revealed a look of horror in his eyes.

Before he could return to his senses, that streak of golden divine light that seemed to have dissipated curved midair and lightly swept across the azure cicada's head.

Poof...

A light, shattering noise rang out.

Immediately afterward, a thin golden crack rapidly spread throughout the azure jade heavenly cicada from its head.

Next, the cicada exploded into pieces, turning into azure dots of light and filling the sky before dissipating in the ancient monument space.

Outside, in front of the ancient monument, Nangong Chan shook violently.

Uek!

He spewed a large mouthful of fresh blood violently. His complexion turned white as paper, and his aura rapidly waned.

The light of the azure ancient monument in front of him extinguished at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A thick pillar of azure immortal affinity rose from it, surging into the golden monument still glowing before Chen Fan.

One strike. That was all it took.

Those who had just been whispering, ready to mock Chen Fan, now stood frozen with mouths agape, words stuck in their throats. The plaza fell into an eerie silence.

"It... it ended just like that?" muttered someone, their voice dry.

"Nangong Chan... couldn't withstand a single move?"

"That wing slash... What kind of strength is that? Why do I feel like my soul is trembling?"

"Too fast... and too powerful! Chen Fan... it's not that his comprehension ability is lacking at all. He's comprehending that golden-winged roc's divine art to a level we can't begin to imagine."

On the Immortal Draft Monument, Chen Fan's name shone brightly. His recorded length of immortal affinity shot up significantly, and his ranking also jumped significantly.

From the beginning to the end, Chen Fan remained seated cross-legged, his eyelids not even twitching once.

The golden splendor flowing around him became even gentler and deeper, and the silhouette of the golden-winged roc was faintly discernible behind him.