Chapter 228: Turning the Tide, Gratitude from Tens of Thousands! (Part 2)

Chapter 228: Turning the Tide, Gratitude from Tens of Thousands! (Part 2)

As Yu Changge pondered this, Ao Xuan, seeing that the treasures were at a stalemate, had a cold glint flash through his eyes.

The next moment, his other hand produced the blazing longsword once again.

With a gentle swing, the scarlet flame needles appeared once more.

This scene in the arena undoubtedly caused many Ji Hua Zong disciples to cry out in surprise.

Because at this moment, Chu Ning didn't show any signs of movement, as if using a magical artifact had exhausted all his spiritual power.

Just as these scarlet flame needles approached within ten feet of Chu Ning, a radiant flame suddenly ignited around his body.

The scarlet needles disappeared into the flames, and the next moment, they vanished without a trace.

Seeing this, the Ji Hua Zong disciples finally breathed a sigh of relief.

On the other side, Ao Xuan's expression turned slightly bewildered, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"I didn't expect him to still have the strength to activate a defense. Most likely, it's another ability of the ring in his hand," Ao Xuan thought to himself, but he didn't have any better ideas.

Even with his spiritual power, activating this powerful artifact would require him to exert all his strength to bring out its full potential.

And the attack he had just performed was already his limit.

Seeing that his attack was ineffective, Ao Xuan coldly huffed, "Then let's see whose spiritual power is stronger!"

Across the arena, Chu Ning also sighed inwardly.

"So this is a heaven-defying prodigy? Not impressive at all, no surprises here!"

With that thought, Chu Ning waved his hand, and the mother ring in his left hand suddenly flew out!

It flew directly towards the son ring, intending to merge with it.

The mother ring could not only defend but also attack!

This was something Chu Ning had discovered during his research over the past few years.

Previously, when he was in the Thousand Lakes and Islands, Chu Ning was always cautious and rarely used the mother ring for offense.

But now, with his numerous tricks and artifacts, he was confident.

Even without the defense of the mother ring, Ao Xuan couldn't harm him in the slightest.

As the mother ring merged with the son ring, the scarlet flames on it blazed intensely, completely overwhelming the dazzling five-colored radiance.

Then, the Double Fire Rings swiftly pressed forward.

In an instant, the five-colored radiance scattered and dissipated.

Ao Xuan's expression changed, and he channeled his spiritual power into the staff without holding anything back.

With the influx of spiritual power, the five-colored radiance became even more vibrant, and the rate of dissipation slowed down.

However, it continued to scatter!

Ao Xuan was already feeling overwhelmed by the stalemate with Chu Ning's artifact. But what happened next shocked him even more.

Chu Ning raised his left hand, and an Inferno Wingbird flew out, speeding towards Ao Xuan.

Among the four demon beast forms of the Fiery Flame Technique, the Inferno Wingbird wasn't the most powerful.

However, it was the fastest, especially now that it was empowered by Chu Ning's late Foundation Establishment spiritual power.

The Inferno Wingbird reached Ao Xuan in the blink of an eye!

"How is this possible? He still has the strength to cast spells?"

Ao Xuan's eyes widened in astonishment.

If it weren't for the scorching flames right before his eyes, he would have thought that everything was an illusion.

However, realizing something was one thing, but being able to defend against it was another.

With all his spiritual power focused on the staff, Ao Xuan couldn't spare even a bit to activate a defensive spell.

Just as the Inferno Wingbird was about to strike him, Ao Xuan swung his staff.

The next moment, the five-colored radiance completely scattered, and all the colorful light contracted.

It transformed into a five-colored shield that enveloped Ao Xuan's body.

Without any resistance, the Double Fire Rings descended like a red meteor and slammed into the shield, along with the Inferno Wingbird.

The five-colored shield only held for a moment before it collapsed!

The Double Fire Rings heavily struck Ao Xuan's body!

"Boom!"

At that moment, the entire arena erupted in a thunderous cheer.

Ao Xuan was blown away by the impact, and the fiery flames from the rings engulfed him completely.

Just as Chu Ning thought it was all over, he frowned slightly.

With his powerful spiritual sense, he quickly detected something unusual.

He noticed that Ao Xuan's white robe had transformed into a layer of white armor, enveloping his entire body.

Although his figure seemed to have sustained some injuries, they didn't seem too severe.

Instead, Ao Xuan took advantage of the cover of Chu Ning's flames to secretly retrieve a black ring.

As Chu Ning was about to launch another attack, he suddenly felt an invisible assault coming his way.

"A spiritual sense attack?"

Chu Ning, with his keen spiritual sense, quickly realized that this spiritual assault exceeded the strength of a typical late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although it couldn't compare to the spiritual sense of a Golden Core cultivator, it was very close.

"So this ring is a spiritual sense amplification artifact?"

Chu Ning had a hunch, and his heart stirred.

He activated the Spirit Banishment Art, but he didn't use its spirit backlash function.

The next moment, when the spiritual assault reached him, Chu Ning's body trembled, his face contorted in pain, and his eyes became vacant.

For Chu Ning, who was skilled in spiritual sense manipulation, simulating the effects of a spiritual assault wasn't difficult.

Seeing this, Ao Xuan no longer hid his intentions.

The white armor on his body flashed with white light, and the surrounding flames instantly vanished.

A cruel glint appeared in his eyes as he brandished his staff and flew towards Chu Ning.

The joyful shouts of the Ji Hua Zong disciples watching in the arena abruptly stopped when they witnessed this scene.

However, another figure was quicker, stepping forward first.

Just as Yu Changge arrived in the air, someone blocked his path.

It was Ao Langtian.

"Sect Master Yu, the disciples haven't finished their match yet. What's the hurry?" Ao Langtian laughed.

Yu Changge's gaze turned cold, and his body trembled as he unleashed the power of a late Golden Core cultivator.

Seeing this, Ao Langtian was unfazed, also unleashing the full might of his late Golden Core cultivation.

In an instant, the serene and steady aura clashed with the domineering and arrogant one, creating a tremendous pressure.

The overwhelming force caused the Ji Hua Zong disciples below to turn pale with fright.

On the platform, the Ji Hua Zong Golden Core cultivators rose to their feet, ready to protect their disciples.

At that moment, Yu Changge's gaze towards the arena flickered, and he suddenly retracted his formidable aura.

In the arena, Ao Xuan, clad in white armor and wielding a staff, flew towards Chu Ning.

His body suddenly staggered, and he fell towards the ground.

The backlash of the Spirit Banishment Art! This proud genius of the Da Luo Zong wanted to inflict severe damage on Chu Ning and seemed afraid that Chu Ning would recall the Double Fire Rings in time to defend himself.

When he swung his staff, he once again used the black ring to launch a spiritual sense attack.

It was no wonder he was so confident.

Ao Xuan's spiritual sense was already exceptionally remarkable for a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

With the black ring amplifying it by 50%, his previous attack on Chu Ning had succeeded, so he didn't hesitate to use it again.

However, he never expected that Chu Ning had been holding back.

Sensing Ao Xuan's spiritual sense attack, Chu Ning coldly hummed in his mind.

He unleashed the full backlash of the Spirit Banishment Art, doubling its strength.

This was equivalent to a spiritual sense counterattack with three times the intensity of Ao Xuan's spiritual sense acting upon himself.

It caused Ao Xuan's mind to go blank, and he fell straight down from the air.

Naturally, Chu Ning wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

Phantom God Stab! Although Chu Ning had cultivated this divine art of spiritual sense manipulation, he rarely used it. But now, he unleashed it without hesitation.

A powerful spiritual sense condensed into a sharp stab, viciously piercing Ao Xuan's consciousness, which had already been damaged by the backlash of the Spirit Banishment Art.

This strike caused the proud genius of the Da Luo Zong to almost instantly lose all consciousness.

However, Chu Ning wasn't going to stop there.

He knew exactly what Ao Xuan had been planning, and he had also seen through Ao Langtian's intentions.

Since they showed no signs of holding back, Chu Ning wouldn't show them any mercy.

Ever since entering the cultivation world, he had never shown mercy! Chu Ning's right hand condensed a ball of flames as he flashed towards Ao Xuan.

His speed was incredibly fast, similar to the speed he achieved with the Divine Wind Escape.

But only he knew that at this moment, he was using the Thunderstep! The next moment, Chu Ning's right fist, covered by the flames, heavily punched Ao Xuan in the abdomen.

The blazing inferno couldn't penetrate Ao Xuan's white armor, and naturally, it couldn't harm him.

But...

Sky Piercing Fist! Essence Severing Strike! Soul Shattering Strike! Combined with the Thunderstep!

The four secret arts of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Technique fused into one punch, and in this instant, they unleashed their full power on Ao Xuan's body.

Two completely different types of damage penetrated his white armor's defense and struck his dantian and consciousness.

It instantly detonated the spiritual power and spiritual sense within his dantian and consciousness.

It also detonated the injuries he had sustained earlier.

The devastating force ravaged the body of this late Foundation Establishment genius! It caused his body to crumble, and he fell towards the ground!

"Whoosh!"

Seeing this, the worried Ji Hua Zong disciples erupted into cheers once more.

Ao Langtian, who had been blocking Yu Changge, finally sensed that something was wrong.

He turned back and saw Ao Xuan falling to the ground.

His face changed drastically, and he flashed into the barrier.

Chu Ning also retreated, flying backwards to create some distance between them.

He didn't want to put himself in danger.

Sure enough, Ao Langtian quickly scanned Ao Xuan with his spiritual sense and saw his son's terrible condition.

His face darkened, and he immediately picked up Ao Xuan, flew out of the barrier, and returned to the platform.

At the same time, the white-browed elder quickly took out a pill from his storage bag and fed it to Ao Xuan.

The white-browed elder grabbed Ao Xuan's hand to examine him closely.

The next moment, his tone turned icy as he said, "His spiritual sea and dantian have been damaged. It will take at least five to ten years for Brother Ao to recover, and even then, his cultivation will have regressed.

Moreover... I'm afraid he won't be able to form a pill."

Upon hearing this, Ao Langtian's brows twitched, and his face turned grim.

The rest of the Da Luo Zong cultivators also wore grave expressions.

Adding to that, there was also Leng Daichun, who was still unconscious from the blow he received from Yuan Rongzhang's artifact.

Among the three disciples who participated in the competition, two of them were now lying there, their lives hanging in the balance.

The five witnesses on the platform, including the white-haired Elder Peng, exchanged glances, their faces revealing their mixed feelings.

Elder Peng sighed inwardly.

The rules of the duel had been proposed by Da Luo Zong, but in the end, they had brought this upon themselves.

The workings of karma were indeed profound.

As the witness, he naturally also saw how stimulated the Da Luo Zong disciples were, but given his status, he obviously wouldn't pay much attention to that.

Elder Peng slowly stood up and swept his gaze across the over ten thousand Ji Hua Zong disciples, who were filled with joy and anticipation as they looked at him.

He then glanced at the Da Luo Zong disciples, whose faces were filled with gloom, some even looking dazed.

Using his spiritual power, he announced, "In this match, Ji Hua Zong's Chu Ning wins!

In the three rounds of nine matches, Da Luo Zong won four, and Ji Hua Zong won five.

In this competition, Ji Hua Zong is the victor!"

"We won!!!"

As Elder Peng's voice fell, the entire arena erupted in deafening cheers.

The volume of their voices surpassed anything heard that night. The over ten thousand Ji Hua Zong disciples were either excited or moved.

More importantly, their eyes shone with a sense of pride.

Even though they had been in a desperate situation and had seen no hope of winning, Chu Ning's turnaround had changed everything.

Ji Hua Zong had won!

On the platform, Yuan Rongzhang, despite his extremely pale face, burst into raucous laughter.

"Hahaha! We won! We won!!!"

His laughter aggravated his wounds, causing his pale face to turn red with blood.

But he didn't care at all and just kept laughing towards the sky.

Seeing the unrestrained laughter of the Ji Hua Zong disciples, the Da Luo Zong cultivators, whose faces had already been gloomy, now wore expressions as dark as ink.

The rules of the competition had been proposed by their sect, and they had won four out of the first six matches.

Yet, in the end, Ao Xuan, the pride of their sect, had lost in all three types of competitions to the same person.

Ultimately, they had lost this competition.

At this moment, the Da Luo Zong felt as if they had suffered a great humiliation.

Ao Langtian and the others no longer had any intention of staying. Ao Langtian, holding Ao Xuan, glared at Yu Changge.

"Sect Master Yu, we, the Da Luo Zong, will remember this grudge.

We admit our defeat in this competition.

In one month, we will meet again at the Wolong Mountain Ruins!"

After saying that, Ao Langtian let out a cold hmph.

"Let's go!"

Following Ao Langtian's words, the Da Luo Zong cultivators left the arena in a dispirited manner.

Their haste to leave fully demonstrated the saying, 'Those who come with arrogance will leave with embarrassment.'

The Ji Hua Zong disciples couldn't help but cheer again.

Elder Peng and the others also bid farewell to Yu Changge and the others, intending to report back to the alliance.

Although Yu Changge tried to keep them, they insisted on leaving, citing the need to report to the alliance.

However, the Ji Hua Zong disciples didn't want to leave.

Seeing that all the outsiders had left, a figure suddenly leaped forward from among the disciples, standing at the very front.

The next moment, this person bowed deeply towards the platform.

"Thank you, Senior Brothers, for upholding the glory of our sect!"

After him, over ten thousand Ji Hua Zong disciples all faced the platform and bowed deeply in unison.

Then, a chorus of ten thousand voices shouting in unison resounded throughout Ji Hua Peak.

"Thank you, Senior Brothers, for upholding the glory of our sect!"

Seeing this, Chu Ning and the other two bowed to the crowd in return.

At this moment, Lu Jiakan and Yuan Rongzhang looked at each other.

Then, the two of them took a step forward and bowed towards Chu Ning.

"Thank you, Brother Chu, for turning the tide!"

As Lu Jiakan spoke, the Ji Hua Zong disciples, who had just stood up, bowed again.

"Thank you, Brother Chu, for turning the tide!"

The unity and spirit of ten thousand people moved straight to the heavens! Chu Ning was slightly startled, and the surge of heat that had welled up in his chest during the competition now turned into a warm current, filling his chest.

He bowed deeply to everyone and said, "Thank you, fellow disciples, for your support. Chu has only done what a Ji Hua Zong disciple should do."

"Good! Good! Hahaha!!!"

The usually restrained and composed Yu Changge burst into unrestrained laughter.

"With such fellow disciples, with such unity, how can I worry about the prosperity of Ji Hua Zong!"

His gaze swept across the arena and finally landed on Chu Ning.

"From today onwards, Chu Ning is our Ji Hua Zong's Big Senior Brother!

He shall be the leader of the Ji Hua Zong's Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

As Yu Changge's words fell, everyone except the few Golden Core cultivators on the platform bowed to Chu Ning.

"Greetings, Big Senior Brother!"

"Greetings, Big Senior Uncle!"

At this moment, everyone was sincerely convinced.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end