Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Fire Dragon, Fire Phoenix, Peak Duel!

No one expected Ninghua Sect to fight Flying Cloud Sect to such a draw.

Spectators muttered as they watched: “Ninghua Sect is really surprising. At this rate, the outcome isn’t certain.”

Others argued with a shake of the head: “What do you mean not certain? Only Master Ling Xiao and Immortal Lord Chang Li are left on the field, and the gap between their realms is even clearer now.”

Someone laid out the difference bluntly: “Master Ling Xiao is at the peak of Late Divine Transformation, a full stage higher than Immortal Lord Chang Li. If Immortal Lord Chang Li still wins, wouldn’t that turn the world upside down?”

Master Ling Xiao has sat at the top of the Cultivation World as its number one cultivator for a hundred years, a throne no one can shake easily, especially when their realms are so far apart.

Another elder sighed as if settling the matter: “If it were anyone else at Late Divine Transformation, maybe the winner wouldn’t be clear. But Immortal Lord Chang Li is facing Master Ling Xiao.”

No matter the result, one thing was already certain: the name Immortal Lord Chang Li had spread across the Cultivation World. He would be the uncontested second.

The noise under the stage did not touch the two men on it. This fight carried each sect’s honor and, even more, it was a battle for their pride, the clash between Shen Sang Ruo’s former Master and her current Master.

They would give everything.

Master Ling Xiao wanted to prove, right in front of Shen Sang Ruo, how foolish her choice had been. In his eyes, that person did not deserve to be her Master and could never teach her well.

Immortal Lord Chang Li had no other thought. He only wanted the one who bullied his disciple to pay the price.

Enemies meet, and their eyes burn red. Their stare lasted only a breath; as their gazes hardened, both moved at the same time.

A watcher rubbed his arms and blinked: “Wait, how come their auras feel different from before?”

The earlier fights had been brilliant, leaving everyone still savoring them. When their attention returned to the platform, many sharp senses caught the change. The two men’s pressure surged to the limit, as if their real match was only now beginning.

They traded a quick flurry of blows, then jumped apart and settled at a great distance.

Master Ling Xiao’s hands moved fast, forming hand seals, the top-tier pressure of the Cultivation World on full display.

The crowd cried out together: “Profound Fire True Dragon Art! Master Ling Xiao is using the Profound Fire True Dragon Art!”

This technique was his own creation, famous for its fierce killing power. Its might needed no extra words; it was a top fire technique. In all the earlier fights, and even in past Sect Grand Tournaments, Master Ling Xiao had never used it. For him to bring it out now against Immortal Lord Chang Li meant he was truly serious.

Excitement rippled through the stands, mixed with fresh shock. What kind of grudge lay between these two sects that would make Master Ling Xiao draw his strongest art for an exhibition match?

The other sects stared at Master Ling Xiao’s forming seals with open surprise, as if they were witnessing a historic moment.

Dong Fang Xu curled his lip and scoffed aloud: “Has Master Ling Xiao gone mad? It’s only an exhibition match. Do they really need to go this far?” [He just wants to show off his flashy technique and realm.]

Even Heavenly Sword Sect Leader Ming Xi, someone who usually cared only about cultivation, could not hide her surprise.

Clan Head Jiang Wen Sheng of Red Desert’s Jiang Clan watched the platform with a tight gaze, thinking: [The Cultivation World may be heading for a great change.]

Artifact Forging Sect and Alchemy Sect, forever hungry for gossip, swapped messages and guessed at the old grudge between the two.

Within Flying Cloud Sect, faces relaxed the moment Master Ling Xiao revealed the Profound Fire True Dragon Art. They already looked like victors holding the prize.

But Feng He Yun and his friends clenched their fists, praying hard that their Master would win. They could not accept losing to that Immortal Lord Chang Li.

Back in Ninghua Sect’s waiting area, Daoist Wu Wei and Immortal Maiden Azure Luan, who had just calmed a little, locked their eyes on the platform again. All their hopes rested on Immortal Lord Chang Li, and they knew how thorny this fight would be.

Whispers kept coming: “Now that the Profound Fire True Dragon Art is out, Immortal Lord Chang Li probably won’t withstand it.”

Another voice added with a worried frown: “They both use fire spiritual power. Immortal Lord Chang Li must know how high the quality of this art is.”

Someone summed it up with awe: “The number one cultivator’s art is practically world-ending.”

A curious question followed: “By the way, what technique is Immortal Lord Chang Li using? Did any of you notice?”

A few people traded looks and admitted: “Huh, I guess we haven’t actually seen it.”

Only then did many realize that from the start until now, Immortal Lord Chang Li had not revealed his art, which only made them more curious.

A bolder voice laughed it off: “Whatever he’s got, can it be stronger than the Profound Fire True Dragon Art?”

On the platform, Immortal Lord Chang Li narrowed his eyes, calmed his breath, and began to channel his own art. There was no fear on his face, only steady focus.

Master Ling Xiao lowered his gaze. He pressed his palms together, then slowly drew them apart. Between them, a small but solid fire dragon coiled and circled.

His eyes flashed. He drew his arms wide from his chest, as if opening them for an embrace.

The fire dragon found its target at once and shot from his chest with a thunderous dragon roar. As it sped forward, its body swelled and swelled. The temperature over the entire Fengling Terrace leaped sharply.

Across from him, Immortal Lord Chang Li finished channeling as well. Standing with one hand behind his back, he flicked his other hand like a fan and swept out a streak of fire.

In a blink, the fire became a Phoenix spreading its wings. Wherever its feathers grazed, countless motes of Glazed Flame drifted down. It was dreamlike and beautiful, but the heat was deadly. A clear phoenix cry rang through the clouds.

The Fire Phoenix charged the dragon without fear, carrying a mighty force that raised the terrace’s temperature yet again.

Staring at the flaming bird in the sky, Shen Sang Ruo whispered to herself: “Sunset Glassfire Art?”

To be exact, it was a version Immortal Lord Chang Li had changed. His Crimson Feather Fan was already destroyed, so he could not use the exact same Sunset Glassfire Art as before.

The phoenix, wreathed in fire, shone in the eyes of the watching cultivators and left them speechless once more. Immortal Lord Chang Li’s art was not weaker than Master Ling Xiao’s.

Realizing this, Feng He Yun and the others went cold as ice.

Dragon and Phoenix crashed together over the terrace. The heat bursting from the impact sprayed flames everywhere, as if the terrace would be burned to ashes. At first the cultivators had been excited for a peak duel, but now sweat rolled down their faces from the blazing air. No one could smile; their expressions turned into near-tears. The heat had reached their limit. It felt like the two on stage were going to roast everyone into dried husks.

[When immortals fight, mortals suffer.]

Even though Immortal Lord Chang Li had modified the Sunset Glassfire Art, Master Ling Xiao could tell it was the same power he had sensed on Shen Sang Ruo before. Rage rushed up in him. He lifted a hand and poured another surge of force into his Fire Dragon.