18: Chapter 18: Some died, some were crippled

"Arrogant!"

Murderous intent surged in Gu Song's eyes, and the dark green light around his body flared intensely.

"Just you? Go to hell!"

Before the words had even faded, Gu Song's figure transformed into a distorted green shadow, closing in on Lu Jinghan with unpredictable, eerie movements.

His ten fingers curled like hooks, and the green light at his fingertips surged, manifesting into ten ferocious, emerald-green phantom vipers.

Carrying a pungent, fishy stench, they lunged from all directions toward Lu Jinghan's vital points.

"It's the Gu Family's Green Scale Poison Python Hand! He has actually cultivated it to the manifestation realm!"

"What incredible speed! What a bizarre poison technique!"

Exclamations rang out from under the stage.

Facing this vicious and swift offensive, Lu Jinghan's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not panic.

He took a step, his figure swaying like willow catkins in the wind.

He drifted backward along a trajectory that appeared slow but was actually exquisitely precise.

At the same time, the Jinghan Sword in his hand suddenly shone with a brilliant, clear radiance.

"Frost Condensation."

As the two cold words were uttered, the sword blade traced an arcane arc.

In an instant, the temperature on the arena plummeted.

With Lu Jinghan as the center, layers of ice crystals condensed out of thin air.

The ten emerald-green phantom vipers lunged into the range of the ice crystals, and their speed visibly slowed down.

Their surfaces were even covered with a thin layer of white frost.

"You have some tricks up your sleeve."

Gu Song sneered, clasping his hands together forcefully, "Poison Devours the World!"

"Boom!"

The ten phantom vipers exploded violently, transforming into a sky full of emerald-green poisonous mist.

In an instant, it eroded and dissolved large swathes of ice crystals, shrouding toward Lu Jinghan.

Wherever the poisonous mist passed, even the specially made Qinggang stone floor of the arena emitted a "hissing" sound of corrosion, showing just how potent the poison was.

Lu Jinghan held his breath, his internal Spiritual Qi circulating rapidly.

A faint, ice-blue light shield appeared on his body, isolating the poisonous mist outside.

But he could feel that this poisonous mist was highly corrosive, and his light shield was being rapidly depleted.

"I cannot let this drag on."

Lu Jinghan's thoughts raced.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and the Jinghan Sword suddenly let out a clear, resonant hum.

"Jinghan Sword Strike!"

The sword light erupted, like the Nine Heavens' Milky Way pouring down, and like a frigid polar wind sweeping across the land.

A beam of ice-blue Sword Qi, condensed to the extreme, tore through the poisonous mist and pierced straight toward Gu Song's throat with an unstoppable force.

This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless!

It even contained a trace of a cultivator Undergoing Tribulation's precise mastery over Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Although its power was limited by his cultivation level, its Concept and sharpness had already far surpassed the Golden Core category.

Gu Song's expression finally changed drastically.

He had not expected that Lu Jinghan could still unleash such a sharp and swift sword strike while suppressed by the poisonous mist.

In his haste, he let out a strange howl from his throat.

A jade pendant on his chest suddenly erupted with dense black light, forming a tortoise-shell-shaped shield to block in front of him.

"Crack!"

The ice-blue Sword Qi struck the black tortoise-shell shield, emitting a teeth-gritting cracking sound.

The shield's light flashed wildly, covered in cracks, but it did not shatter completely.

Gu Song was shaken back three steps, his blood and Qi surging, and an unnatural flush appeared on his face.

"A defensive Magic Treasure?"

Lu Jinghan frowned slightly, recognizing that the jade pendant was at least a Nascent Soul-level defensive treasure.

Looking at the cracked jade pendant, Gu Song coldly looked at Lu Jinghan.

Only now did he realize that Lu Jinghan's strength was such that he hadn't even used his full power in previous battles.

However, being able to shatter the jade pendant must be Lu Jinghan's limit.

"Very good, to be able to achieve this level, you have enough reason to be proud."

"But next, only death awaits you!"

Before the words had even faded, Gu Song circulated his Cultivation Technique with all his might, his own Spiritual Qi erupting to shroud most of the arena, forming a poisonous miasma.

Emerald-green vipers continuously shot out from within, killing toward Lu Jinghan.

However, after exchanging blows with Gu Song twice, Lu Jinghan knew his approximate strength.

He still didn't need to use his full power to defeat him.

"Thousand Phantoms!"

Lu Jinghan swung the Jinghan Sword, and waves of sharp Sword Qi erupted.

Its speed was so fast, and its power so great, that the poisonous miasma and emerald-green vipers were instantly annihilated by the thousands of sword shadows.

At this moment, the thousands of sword shadows did not dissipate but instead rapidly killed toward Gu Song, forcing him to defend.

When Gu Song had blocked all the Sword Qi one by one, he discovered that he hadn't sustained any injuries.

He secretly thought to himself that Lu Jinghan was nothing more than this.

But Lu Jinghan no longer wanted to waste time and swung the Jinghan Sword.

A burst of Late Twilight Sword Qi had already reached before Gu Song, and even with his Nascent Soul Magic Treasure protecting him, it was of no use.

When the Late Twilight Sword Qi dissipated, Gu Song crashed to the ground, his head and body separated.

This move was precisely the Late Twilight that Lu Jinghan had not yet displayed.

This sword strike was too fast; at the moment the battle ended, those watching hadn't even recovered their senses.

"You brat, how dare you!"

When the Gu Family elder roared in fury, everyone realized the battle was over.

Although some had died in previous duels.

They were basically from small clans, and Disciples of major clans were at most seriously injured.

The final result was truly as Lu Jinghan had said: after today, the Gu Family's younger generation would be dead or crippled.

The Gu Family Head looked at Lu Jinghan with a vicious gaze, wishing he could kill him right then and there.

"Brat, you had best stay in the Qin Family forever, otherwise you have only a dead end."

The Gu Family Head said coldly.

With the end of the last match, the Southern Wilderness Great Family Ranking Battle also came to an end.

Afterward, the three major Imperial Dynasties would allocate Cultivation resources according to the new clan rankings.

When Lu Jinghan walked off the arena and returned to the Qin Family's seats.

He found that Qin Muchuan and the crowd of Qin Family members were all looking at him with great joy.

"Brother Lu, thank you for fighting for my Qin Family. On behalf of the Qin Family, I sincerely thank you."

"My Qin Family has prepared extremely rich rewards. If Brother Lu has any requirements in the future, my Qin Family will definitely satisfy them with all our might."

Qin Muchuan laughed aloud.

The sound reached the Gu, Zhu, and Jin families, sounding particularly grating.

Lu Jinghan shook his head and smiled.

Given his friendship with Xiaochuan in their past lives, he didn't need any rewards.

At this moment, Lu Jinghan noticed a child around ten years old standing beside Qin Muchuan, whom he had never seen before.

Seeing Lu Jinghan's confusion, Qin Muchuan explained.

"Brother Lu, this child came over just before you went on stage, saying you are his Senior Brother and that he came to find you."

"We didn't know if it was true or not, so we let him wait for you here."

Listening to Qin Muchuan's words, Lu Jinghan looked at Lin Yanzhou with confusion.

"Lin Yanzhou greets Senior Brother."

"Revered Master had some matters to attend to and left first, telling me to come find you after you finished your match."

Lin Yanzhou stepped forward and bowed to Lu Jinghan.

Lu Jinghan sensed the Revered Master's aura on Lin Yanzhou and confirmed that he was his Junior Brother.

"Has Revered Master also come to the capital?"

Lu Jinghan thought to himself.

Just as Lu Jinghan wanted to ask Lin Yanzhou, several gazes were already cast toward him.

The seats where the Ye Family was located.

Ye Family Head Ye Lingxiao had been paying attention to Lu Jinghan ever since he went on stage to fight.

This youth had extremely high talent and extremely strong combat power.

He didn't know what kind of great luck the Qin Family had to be able to recruit him.

"Who is that person?"

Ye Lingxiao looked at Lin Yanzhou in front of Lu Jinghan.

"Isn't this the person the Zhao Family is looking for? How could he be involved with Lu Jinghan?"

Among the many clans paying attention to Lu Jinghan was the Zhao Family, who also saw Lin Yanzhou at this moment.

In order to improve in this ranking tournament, the Zhao Family chose to pay allegiance to the Ye Family, becoming an affiliate of the Ye Family.

Previously, they had also brought heavy gifts to the Ye Family, asking them to help find news of Lin Yanzhou and Jiang Changge in the capital.

But there had never been any news.

What Zhao Li did not expect was that Lin Yanzhou would actually appear on the Jade Plaza, and that it would also be related to Lu Jinghan.