179: Chapter 179 A stunningly beautiful woman with unparalleled charm! An interesting fellow…

The woman tilted her head slightly, her pair of beautiful eyes, clear as autumn water, fixed steadily on Zhou Liangan in the center of the arena.

"An interesting fellow." Her voice was as pleasant as heavenly music, tinged with a hint of playfulness, "He truly is audacious."

An old man in a black suit standing respectfully behind her said in a low voice, "Young Miss, this young man is too arrogant. Patriarch Ye Cangxuan is a powerhouse in the Nirvana Realm, third stage, with unfathomable strength; he absolutely cannot be a match. Should we intervene to save him? After all, he possesses nine Golden Dragons of Fortune on him; if we can win him over, it would be of great benefit to us."

The woman in white shook her head gently, a strange light flickering in her eyes.

"No need," she said indifferently, "I actually think he might not lose."

"What?" The old man raised his head abruptly, an expression of disbelief on his face, "Young Miss, what did you say? He cannot possibly win! The gap between the Enlightenment Realm and the Nirvana Realm is insurmountable!"

The woman in white did not explain, only watching Zhou Liangan in the center of the arena with burning eyes, the smile on her lips deepening.

"Just watch," she said softly, "The good show has only just begun."

On the field.

The staff member brought the two to the entrance of the arena and then stopped.

He turned his head, looked at Zhou Liangan, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "Sir, I will ask you one last time, are you certain you want to fight Patriarch Ye Cangxuan?"

"Do you know how immense the gap is between the Nirvana Realm and the Enlightenment Realm?" His tone was sincere, carrying a hint of well-intentioned dissuasion, "Patriarch Ye Cangxuan is a long-renowned powerhouse of the Nirvana Realm; the number of Enlightenment Realm Cultivators who have died by his hands is at least eight hundred, if not a thousand. It is not too late to concede now; as long as you apologize to Patriarch Ye Cangxuan, he is a magnanimous person and might spare your life."

This staff member had worked in the duel arena for decades and had seen too many hot-headed young Cultivators die in the arena due to a moment of impulse.

He could not bear to watch such a gifted young man throw his life away in vain.

Zhou Liangan could naturally feel his goodwill.

He smiled, patted the staff member on the shoulder, his voice calm yet incomparably firm, "I understand your good intentions. I also know he is in the third stage of the Nirvana Realm. However, it matters not; he is not yet my opponent."

"Open the arena for us."

The staff member looked at Zhou Liangan's firm gaze and knew he had already made up his mind.

He sighed, said no more, and reached out to press a button on the control console beside him.

"Hum—" With a soft sound, the energy protective shield at the arena entrance slowly opened a gap.

"The two of you, please enter," the staff member said, "The duel rules are very simple: there are no rules, until one side concedes or dies. After the duel begins, no one may enter the arena, nor can they interfere with the duel."

Zhou Liangan nodded and walked into the arena first.

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan followed closely behind.

After both had entered the arena, the energy protective shield slowly closed, completely sealing off the entire area.

In the center of the arena, Zhou Liangan and Patriarch Ye Cangxuan stood facing each other, a hundred meters apart.

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Zhou Liangan with a smug smile of victory, his eyes filled with coldness and disdain.

"Little fellow, it is not too late to regret it now," he said slowly, "As long as you kneel down and kowtow three times to this old man, and acknowledge this old man as your master, this old man can consider sparing your dog life and letting you be this old man's slave."

"After all, it is truly a pity for such a talented young man as you to die."

Zhou Liangan sneered, stretched his wrists and neck, which made a crackling sound.

"Enough with the nonsense," he looked at Patriarch Ye Cangxuan, his eyes as cold as blades, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If I don't kill you within ten Moves, consider it my loss."

"Boom—" As soon as Zhou Liangan's voice fell, the entire duel arena instantly erupted into chaos.

A deafening roar of laughter erupted from the spectator stands; everyone was laughing until they were doubled over, tears almost coming out.

"Hahahaha! Did I hear that right? Kill Patriarch Ye Cangxuan within ten Moves?"

"Did this kid get water in his brain? Who does he think he is? A Half-Emperor?"

"Kill a Nirvana Realm powerhouse in ten Moves? Throughout history, no one has ever been able to do it! He is definitely the first person to dare say such a thing!"

"It's hilarious! I think he's tired of living and wants to die early!"

"Lord Ye Cangxuan, stop talking nonsense with him, hurry up and kill him! I can't wait!"

The jeers and laughter rose one after another, almost lifting the roof off the duel arena.

Everyone thought Zhou Liangan was crazy and talking nonsense.

Even the staff member outside the arena shook his head helplessly, feeling that this young man was truly too arrogant.

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan was also amused by Zhou Liangan's words.

Having lived for twelve thousand years, this was the first time he had been so disdained.

"Good! A good 'kill me within ten Moves'!" Patriarch Ye Cangxuan laughed in extreme anger, his spiritual energy beginning to surge wildly, the golden light growing brighter and brighter, "Since you are so anxious to die, this old man will fulfill your wish!"

"This old man wants to see how you will kill me within ten Moves!"

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan stopped talking nonsense, lifted his right foot abruptly, and then stomped heavily on the ground.

"Boom!" A deafening roar instantly exploded throughout the entire arena.

The bluestone arena floor beneath his feet seemed to have been hit by a heavy bomb; starting from where Patriarch Ye Cangxuan landed, dense cracks spread wildly in all directions at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a giant spider web instantly covering the entire stage.

Fist-sized gravel bounced up from the ground, suspended in mid-air, and then were crushed into powder by an invisible force.

Immediately after, golden spiritual energy surged out from those cracks like a breached flood.

That was not ordinary spiritual energy, but the pure Nirvana Power that Patriarch Ye Cangxuan cultivated; every wisp carried a scorching temperature, the air burned and distorted, and from a distance, it looked as if the entire arena was shrouded in a sea of golden fire.

The golden spiritual energy gathered more and more, finally forming a giant wave dozens of meters high, the crest rolling with an overwhelming Aura as it smashed fiercely toward Zhou Liangan, who was standing on the west side of the stage.

Wherever the giant wave passed, space faintly rippled, and a terrifying pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down, swept toward the entire spectator stand.

The Loose Cultivators in the front row, whose cultivation was only in the Ningshen Realm, were instantly pressed until they couldn't breathe by this pressure, their faces pale as they retreated repeatedly; some even sat directly on the ground, oblivious to the water cups and snacks falling all over the floor from their hands.

The Loose Cultivators in the Enlightenment Realm in the back rows were no better off, each with a solemn face, exerting all their spiritual energy to barely resist this pressure, many with cold sweat seeping from their foreheads.

"It's the Golden Wave Extinguishing the World! This powerhouse actually used this Move right from the start!" Someone on the stands shouted, and it instantly exploded into chaos.

"My god! Such a killing Move, how terrifying!"

"It's over, it's over, this kid is dead for sure! Enlightenment Realm stage one against Nirvana stage three was already an insurmountable difference, and now that Referee Ye has gotten serious, he won't even be able to take a single Move!"

"Exactly! I said long ago, this kid just doesn't know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth, thinking that just because he has some talent he can be arrogant, daring to challenge this Nirvana powerhouse; now look, he's thrown his own life away."

"What a pity, seeing that he reached the Enlightenment Realm at such a young age, he was originally a rare talent encountered once in ten thousand years, but he was too arrogant, resulting in a fate where not even his bones will remain."

The Loose Cultivators on the viewing platform whispered to each other, almost everyone concluding that Zhou Liangan would undoubtedly die.

Even the few referees shook their heads one after another.

Although they felt Zhou Liangan's talent was good, in the face of an absolute difference in strength, talent was not worth mentioning at all.

Between the Nirvana Realm and the Enlightenment Realm lies an insurmountable chasm, not to mention that Patriarch Ye Cangxuan is a powerhouse in the Nirvana third stage; this kind of gap cannot be bridged by talent alone.

Everyone felt that in the next second, Zhou Liangan would be swallowed by that giant wave of golden spiritual energy, with not even a residue left.

Only on the arena stage.

Zhou Liangan stood there quietly, facing the golden giant wave that came covering the sky and earth, without the slightest panic on his face, not even his gaze changing in the slightest.

A faint sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with disdain, just like looking at a child playing tricks.

In the face of absolute power, these Moves of Patriarch Ye Cangxuan were no different from playing house in his eyes.

In the second before the golden giant wave was about to hit him, he slowly raised his right hand and gently unfurled his sleeve.

In an instant, an Aura completely different from the golden Nirvana Power erupted from his body.

It was an Aura of deep purple mixed with silver-gray streamers, not as violent and flamboyant as the golden spiritual energy, but instead appearing exceptionally heavy and steady, like an eternal river that had flowed for hundreds of millions of years, carrying a taste of vicissitudes and decay from the depths of time.

This was the Reincarnation Qi, a power of a higher level than Nirvana Power, containing the most fundamental Law of time and space between heaven and earth.

Nirvana Power is merely controlling life and death, while the Power of Reincarnation is controlling the cycle of life and death countless times.

Once the Reincarnation Qi emerged, the temperature of the entire arena plummeted instantly; the scorching feeling from just before disappeared without a trace, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

That terrifying pressure from Patriarch Ye Cangxuan was also suppressed in an instant; the Loose Cultivators who had just been pressed until they couldn't breathe suddenly felt their bodies lighten, finally able to breathe normally again.

But immediately after, a feeling of unprecedented palpitation rose from the bottom of everyone's hearts.

They felt their hearts were like being gripped by an invisible hand, beating slower and slower, heavier and heavier, and even their Souls were trembling involuntarily.

Some Loose Cultivators with low cultivation even had hallucinations, flashes of their past and present lives appearing before their eyes: the cries at birth, the peace at death, and the joys and sorrows in countless cycles of Reincarnation; those images were terrifyingly real, making them unable to help but shiver all over.

"This... what is this power?"

The discussions on the stands stopped abruptly, everyone staring with wide eyes, looking at Zhou Liangan in the center of the arena with a face full of panic, their eyes filled with shock and astonishment.

The referees who had just been pitying Zhou Liangan also stood up abruptly, expressions of disbelief on their faces.

They had lived for so long and traveled across most of the Universe, yet they had never seen such a bizarre and powerful force.

Even Patriarch Ye Cangxuan himself changed color.

He could clearly feel that his powerful "Golden Wave Destroys the World" Move, the moment it collided with that deep purple Reincarnation Qi, dissipated instantly, like a tide crashing against ten-thousand-year-old black ice.

The golden spiritual power was swallowed and annihilated bit by bit by the Reincarnation Qi, without even causing a single ripple.

In the blink of an eye, the golden giant wave, dozens of meters high, vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed at all.

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan's arm went slightly numb, and a powerful force of recoil traveled up his arm into his body, causing his blood and Qi to churn.

He forcibly suppressed the metallic taste of blood in his throat, looked at Zhou Liangan with a solemn gaze, and felt a tumultuous storm rising in his heart.

He finally realized that this youth before him, who dared to brazenly challenge him, was definitely not acting on impulse, but was truly confident and unafraid.

Although he hadn't used his full strength in that Move just now, it was enough to kill any expert in the first stage of the Nirvana Realm. Yet, it had been effortlessly neutralized by Zhou Liangan, without even brushing against the corner of his opponent's clothes.

This brat's trump cards far exceeded his expectations.

But things had reached this point; he had no way out.

If he lost this martial arts competition today, not only would his reputation plummet, but his status within the Sect would also be in jeopardy.

Moreover, he and Zhou Liangan had already forged a death feud; even if he surrendered now, Zhou Liangan would absolutely not let him off.

Rather than ending up with his reputation ruined, it was better to fight with all his might; perhaps there was still a sliver of hope.

Thinking of this, Patriarch Ye Cangxuan suddenly raised his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and mobilized all his Nirvana Power. The Aura around his entire body surged once again, his green robes fluttered without wind, and his hair stood on end.

"Brat! There is a path to Heaven that you do not take, and you choose to barge into Hell where there is no gate!" His voice was cold and bone-chilling, filled with intense killing intent. "Since you are courting death, then I shall fulfill your wish today!"

As soon as the words fell.

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan quickly formed hand seals with both hands, chanting ancient and obscure incantations.

The golden Nirvana Power on his body surged wildly toward the top of his head, converging into a massive golden vortex above him.

The sky darkened instantly, and black clouds rolled above the martial arts arena. Thunder and lightning flashed, and a gale blew so hard that the Loose Cultivators in the stands couldn't even open their eyes.

"Roar!"

A deafening tiger roar emanated from the clouds, causing everyone's eardrums to hum. Many Loose Cultivators with low cultivation levels were directly struck by this roar, vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground.

Immediately after, a giant tiger claw slowly extended from the black clouds.

The tiger claw was at least a dozen meters wide, and each claw was as thick as a mountain peak, covered in a layer of shimmering golden scales. Ancient and mysterious patterns were carved onto the scales, emitting the majesty of the ancient Divine Beast, the White Tiger.

Around the tiger claw, space was torn into black rifts, and biting gales poured out from the cracks, making sounds like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

"White Tiger Rending Heaven Claw!"

On the judge's stand, a white-haired judge's face revealed a look of shock. "He has actually used his innate Divine Ability! It seems he is truly determined to kill!"

"Indeed! This White Tiger Rending Heaven Claw is a Saint-tier Martial Skill; this brat is absolutely doomed this time, he won't even be left with a whole corpse!" Another judge nodded and said with a tone of certainty.

The Loose Cultivators in the stands were terrified, their faces deathly pale. They gripped the railings in front of them tightly, fearing they would be swept into that terrifying pressure.

Some timid Loose Cultivators closed their eyes, not daring to watch the scene that would follow; they could already imagine the gruesome sight of Zhou Liangan being flattened into meat paste.

Those who had just been hoping that Zhou Liangan could create a miracle were now completely in despair.

Everyone looked at Zhou Liangan with sympathetic eyes, thinking that in the next second, he would be flattened into meat paste by that giant tiger claw.

However, facing this world-destroying blow, the cold smile on Zhou Liangan's face became even more intense.

He gently flexed his fingers, and for the first time, there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes, but more so, pity.

It was like watching an actor who was performing with all his might but still couldn't escape the role of a clown.

He had originally wanted to play with Patriarch Ye Cangxuan a little longer to see how much ability this Nirvana third-stage expert really had, but now it seemed that was all there was to it, and continuing to fight was just a waste of time.

"Ridiculous." He spat out two words indifferently. The voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Enough, I can't be bothered to play with you anymore. You may die now!"

As soon as the words fell.

Zhou Liangan slowly raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and gently tapped the air toward the giant tiger claw descending from the sky.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no dazzling light, not even a breath of wind.

There was only a tiny glimmer of purple-silver light that lit up at his fingertip.

That point of light was very small, as small as a firefly in the dark night, yet it was exceptionally dazzling, even more eye-catching than the sun in the sky.

Everyone couldn't help but squint their eyes and block their vision with their hands, fearing that the light would injure their eyes.

That tiny purple-silver glimmer flew out from Zhou Liangan's fingertip, turning into a beam of light as thin as a hair, shooting toward the giant tiger claw at a speed that surpassed light.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Falling leaves stopped in mid-air, the rolling clouds fixed in the sky, and the howling gale stopped blowing.

The movements of everyone in the stands turned into slow motion; the terror, sympathy, and schadenfreude on their faces were all frozen at that moment.

Only that hair-thin beam of light, in the frozen time, slowly passed through the center of the giant tiger claw.

The next second.

Time resumed its flow.

That White Tiger Rending Heaven Claw, which had carried a world-destroying momentum, suddenly froze in mid-air.

Then, starting from the point where the beam of light had passed through, it began to turn into fly ash bit by bit.

The golden scales peeled off one by one, the ancient patterns dissipated bit by bit, and the giant tiger claw disappeared silently, just like ice and snow melting in the sun.

There was no explosion, no loud noise, not even a trace of spiritual power fluctuation left behind, as if that terrifying tiger claw had never existed at all.

The black clouds in the sky dispersed, and the sunlight shone back onto the martial arts arena, warm and bright.

The entire martial arts arena was deathly silent.

Everyone was staring wide-eyed, mouths agape, blankly watching the center of the ring, their facial expressions frozen in extreme shock and bewilderment.

Things in their hands dropped to the ground, making crisp sounds that seemed exceptionally jarring in the silent environment, but no one cared.

Patriarch Ye Cangxuan froze in place; the ferocity and triumph on his face hadn't even had time to dissipate before they turned into utter terror.

His eyes were wide open, his eyeballs almost popping out, staring fixedly at Zhou Liangan, as if he had seen the most incredible thing in the world.

He could clearly feel that the Saint-tier Martial Skill he had unleashed had been completely erased.

It wasn't dispersed, it wasn't blocked; it was completely erased.

Just like using an eraser to wipe words off a paper, not even a trace was left behind.

A metallic sweetness surged up his throat. Patriarch Ye Cangxuan could no longer hold it back; with a "pfft," he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the robes on his chest red.

He staggered back three steps; with each step, the bluestone beneath his feet was crushed to pieces, leaving three deep footprints.

He extended a trembling finger, pointing at Zhou Liangan, his voice shaking with intense disbelief: "Ho... how is this possible? What kind of terrifying power and Cultivation Technique is this? Who exactly are you?"

Let alone Patriarch Ye Cangxuan, even the knowledgeable judges on the judge's stand were all dumbfounded, looking at each other, and all saw deep shock and confusion in each other's eyes.

"Th... what kind of power is this? How have I never seen it before?"

"It's too terrifying! An Enlightenment Realm first stage, actually able to easily break a Nirvana third stage's innate Divine Ability; this simply overturns my understanding of Cultivation!"

"This kid is definitely not simple! He must have an extremely terrifying backer behind him! Otherwise, it's impossible for him to possess such a Heaven-Defying Cultivation Technique!"

"Regardless of what backer he has behind him, we absolutely must not offend this kid! We must find a way to build a good relationship with him!"

The judges whispered among themselves, and the way they looked at Zhou Liangan had completely changed.

From the previous pity, it had turned into awe and curiosity, and even a hint of ingratiation.

In the cultivation world, strength is everything. As long as you have enough strength, no matter how old you are or what your background is, you will receive everyone's respect.

The Loose Cultivators in the stands were even more uproarious.

"My God! Did I see that right?"

"This is too outrageous! Is he really just at the first stage of the Enlightenment Realm? Why do I feel like he's even more powerful than an expert in the Nirvana Realm!"

"Who was it just now that said he didn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth? Who said he was doomed to die? Step out! I promise I won't beat you to death!"

"Too cool! This is a true Genius! To beat a Nirvana Realm expert while in the Enlightenment Realm; he is simply a legendary figure!"

"I've decided! From now on, he is my idol! Whoever dares to say a bad word about him, I'll be the first to get upset with them!"

The Loose Cultivators shouted and cheered excitedly; those who had just pitied Zhou Liangan had now all become his fanatical fans.

As for those who had previously mocked Zhou Liangan, they were all deathly pale, heads lowered, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Only now did they realize that it wasn't Zhou Liangan who didn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth, but they themselves who were blind, mistaking a true Dragon for a loach.

Just when the entire martial arts arena was boiling over because of that earth-shattering finger, the VIP room located at the highest point of the arena was completely quiet.

The VIP room was covered with a thick red cashmere carpet; there was not a sound when stepping on it. Several priceless ancient paintings hung on the walls, and a faint sandalwood scent burned in a purple copper incense burner in the corner, with smoke curling upward.

A woman held a cup of steaming Yuqian Longjing tea in her hand.

Her appearance was stunningly beautiful, her skin fairer than snow, and her long, jet-black hair was casually coiled behind her head, revealing a slender, fair neck.

Her temperament was elegant and noble, yet carried a hint of languid charm; just sitting there, she looked like a stunning painting, making people afraid to look directly at her...