eerie silence, a stark contrast to the previously heated atmosphere, shone brightly. Eyes fixed on Chen Guan high in the sky, waiting for the Ancient Clan's reaction.
The larger the power, the more they valued prestige.
The Soul Clan and the Soul Palace were the exceptions.
Chen Guan's actions seemed impulsive to them.
"Young man, this is excessive. The Ancient Demon has already lost his combat effectiveness, so why are you still humiliating him? Are you planning to kill him over a simple argument?"
Under the watchful eyes, one of the elders who had previously maintained the shield stepped forward, frowning and questioning, his words already hinting at accusation.
Chen Guan sneered inwardly. If his and the Ancient Demon's positions were reversed, would the Ancient Clan still treat the Ancient Demon with the same attitude?
Clearly not.
After all, the Ancient Clan, despite its immense strength and profound heritage, was like the other factions.
In some respects, they were even less virtuous than the smaller factions.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Guan was about to retort when Mang Tianchi spoke up first.
"Gu Nian, are you mistaken? Wasn't it the ancient demon who initiated the challenge? How can you blame Chen Guan for losing due to inferior skills? Could it be that your Gu Clan can't afford to lose?"
The elder known as Gu Nian felt a headache as he looked at this impudent man.
Mang Tianchi's status was not ordinary. He came here on behalf of the Thunder Clan. With him, the situation had to be reconsidered.
However, before Gu Nian could speak, Mang Tianchi asserted his position.
"I don't care if you bully others, but Chen Guan is from my Canaan Academy. As the dean, I have no tolerance for any injustice. Don't be unconvinced. I'm here today for the good of your ancient clan. You probably don't know, but Chen Guan has the entire Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan standing behind him. If you bully him, I guarantee a whole bunch of ancient dragons will come knocking on our door tomorrow. What the hell are you, Gu Nian? No one else is saying anything, but you're the one jumping around so much..."
Mang Tianchi lectured Gu Nian until his face flushed and he was speechless.
He only knew of Chen Guan's background from his dragon scale robe, that he was related to the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, but he had no idea of the deep connection.
It would have been fine if he hadn't known, but now that he had heard about it, the look in his eyes changed when he looked at Chen Guan again.
Unable to advance or retreat, Gu Nian was in an awkward position, on pins and needles.
"Alright, Gu Nian, step aside. Bumps and scrapes are normal when the younger generation exchanges ideas. Mang Tianchi, your eloquence hasn't declined at all, old man."
Two years after Gu Nian's advance and retreat, a slightly hunched, elderly figure slowly emerged from the sky.
The elder was clad in a white robe; even his hair, beard, and brows were a pure white. His deep-set eyes held a gleaming, infinite suction, like a black hole. One could hardly help but be drawn in, radiating an aura of profound mystery.
"Elder Tongxuan,"
the elder's appearance prompted Gu Qian and several other Gu Clan elders in midair to bow and greet him respectfully.
"Elder Tongxuan, I'm speaking the truth, unlike you Gu Clan..."
Seeing the elder, Mang Tianchi shrugged slightly, muttered a few words, and returned to his seat, his demeanor clearly changing significantly.
The elder known as Elder Tongxuan chuckled, nodded slightly, and then turned his gaze to Chen Guan.
"In my early years, I had some interactions with a powerful Ancient Dragon Clan member named Zhuming. After your trip, if you have the opportunity to visit Dragon Island, please give me your regards."
Without accusation or praise, Elder Tongxuan instead brought up a trivial and irrelevant matter.
Unsure of what he meant, Chen Guan nodded slightly in response.
"I don't know Senior Zhuming personally. Next time I visit Dragon Island, I'll have Ziyan pass on the message."
"Thank you, young friend. Just let it be. Ancient demon, come out. You've already lost this competition."
With that, Elder Tongxuan's gaze turned toward the deep pit below. His calm voice echoed through the hushed silence.
For a moment, many were stunned.
Was this ancient demon still awake?
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Then why had it been hiding in the pit for so long?
This…
After several seconds, there was finally movement on the ground. A figure with a black face leaped out of the pit, making it difficult to associate it with the ancient demon from earlier.
Landing on the ground, the ancient demon hunched slightly and saluted Elder Tongxuan with some difficulty. A casual glance at Chen Guanshi revealed resentment in his eyes.
For a proud and arrogant man like him, suffering such a cruel outcome in such a situation was more painful than even being killed.
Elder Tongxuan also noticed the ancient demon's gaze, his brows furrowed slightly, and his expression became more stern.
"Victory is victory, defeat is defeat. If you don't even have the courage to admit defeat, how can you be the commander-in-chief of the Black Annihilation Army? How can you even claim the title of Black Annihilation King?"
The ancient demon gritted his teeth. After a moment, he finally took a deep breath, looked up at Chen Guan, and said with great reluctance, "I lost!" "
The ancient demon actually admitted defeat."
The square remained silent as they watched this scene. Many members
of the ancient clan were still filled with disbelief. The ancient demon, a figure who was undoubtedly among the top five of the younger generation of the ancient clan, had been defeated by someone outside the eight clans. This cruel reality filled them with utter disbelief.
"How is this possible?"
Lin Xiu, Ling Quan, and the others were speechless. This outcome was beyond their expectations.
"Nothing is impossible. Chen Guan is no ordinary man. With the Danta and the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan as his backing, his upbringing is no less favorable than ours, perhaps even more so. The Ancient Dragon Clan is truly mysterious... Lingquan, let go of your grudge with him. Don't provoke him again in the future, or you'll only bring disgrace upon yourself." Gu Zhen raised his head, gazing at the young man in the sky, and spoke slowly.
Hearing this, Lingquan opened his mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.
Even the ancient demon had been defeated by Chen Guan. With his strength, if he went again, he would be putting his face in danger of being struck.
Seeing Lingquan's expression, Gu Zhen smiled, his gaze suddenly shifting slightly, towards the giant tree grove at the far end of the square, a glint in his eyes.
"Tsk tsk, even unleashing the Great Nirvana Finger, and still losing. This ancient demon has suffered a significant blow."
Where Gu Zhen was looking, a towering tree rose to the sky. Three figures stood atop it. A man in a silver robe gazed at the sky, grinning.
"It's indeed very powerful. The most outrageous thing is that the ancient demon is being completely suppressed. The Six-phase Ice defense would be a headache for even us. Only soul fighting techniques are most effective, and Chen Guan happens to be very skilled in them."
A burly man's voice boomed, like muffled thunder, extremely loud. Although he looked foolish, the aura emanating from him was extremely powerful, as steady and solid as the earth.
"If he had also reached the rank of Eight-Star Dou Zun, I'm afraid not even the two of you would be his match." A gentle voice emanated from the figure standing in the front. He wore a thin green shirt, his face handsome and refined. His aura didn't appear as strong as the other two, but from his position, he was clearly the leader of the three.
"What about the eldest brother?" The silver-robed man smiled, his eyes rolling.
"It's hard to say... No one knows if he has any other cards up his sleeve. He's very clear-headed. He knew the Great Heavenly Creation Palm was no match for the Great Nirvana Finger, so he'd been preparing the Strange Fire Formation from the beginning to neutralize the remaining power of the Great Nirvana Finger and keep the ancient demon at bay. Only then did he unleash his killer Soul Fighting Skill. From beginning to end, the ancient demon was under his control."
The green-robed man smiled faintly, his analysis moving the burly man and the silver-robed man.
At the square, Elder Tongxuan waved to Chen Guan and the other two, saying, "Alright, now that the competition is over, Chen Guan, Gu Yao, you may proceed."
Chen Guan nodded slightly, clasped his fists before Elder Tongxuan, and without even looking at Gu Yao, he turned and returned to his seat, under the gaze of countless people.
Gu Yao, without even a glance back, left the square, as if staying even a second longer would be torture.
Seeing the two retreat from the center of the square, Elder Tongxuan struck the ground with his palm, and the battered square suddenly trembled. Countless boulders rapidly rose upwards. With a flick of his sleeve, the shattered boulders vanished, and a pristine, smooth stone square reappeared before everyone's eyes.
To him, this was merely a small trick, but it amazed everyone in the square.
"Let me preside over the next ceremony," Elder Tongxuan suddenly said.
Hearing this, the three elders were startled, then seemed to understand something. A look of shock flashed across their eyes, and they bowed and retreated.
After the elders left the scene one after another, Elder Tongxuan slowly descended from the sky. He smiled and turned his gaze to the charming figure in that special area, his face unexpectedly filled with anticipation.
"Xun'er, it's your turn."
(End of Chapter)