Free Web NovelChapter 22: Chapter 22: Shock, Heavenly Might, Defeat
But as is often the case, reality proved disappointing. In the end, Gu Yun couldn’t hold on.
He was sent flying by Situ Qingtian’s massive, fiery-red fist, like a kite with a snapped string.
Crashing onto the arena stage a short distance away, his body cracked the hard floorboards with a loud BANG!
Kicking up a cloud of dust!
’Tsk, damn it. I never thought I’d see the day I’d be the one getting sent flying,’ Gu Yun thought as he struggled to his feet amidst the dust.
’Damn it! Even if I lose, I’m still using this move!’
"Hah!" Gu Yun’s Spiritual Qi surged like writhing dragons, his momentum astonishing!
Great Success Celestial Thunder Technique!
In an instant, the very sky seemed to change.
A bolt of thunder flashed across the sky with a loud BOOM.
At some point, a dark cloud, black as ink and as heavy as a mountain, had gathered in the sky above the arena.
The clouds churned into a single mass, pressing down with oppressive weight!
Dark winds howled and swept across the stage. The sky above the arena seemed to descend, so low it felt as if one could touch it.
This terrifying phenomenon immediately drew the attention of most of the surrounding crowd.
Everyone, from Outer Sect Disciples to the visiting patriarchs of smaller families and the Sect Leaders and Elders of Minor Sects,
turned to stare at arena number one in shock.
"Holy crap! They’re actually causing a celestial phenomenon! Does it have to be this absurd?" an Outer Sect Disciple exclaimed in shock.
"Is that still the Spiritual Martial Realm? Why am I so weak?!" a young man from a small family, himself at the Spiritual Martial Sixth Layer, was utterly dumbfounded.
On the high platform, the dignitaries watched.
"Tsk, the kid’s Thunder Technique actually produced a celestial phenomenon."
"I wonder what stage of the Desolate Heaven-Imprisoning Palm that Situ the Kid has reached."
KRA-KOOM!!!
A brilliant bolt of lightning erupted from the clouds, followed by two, then three... dozens of thunderbolts lit up the sky.
The dozens of bolts then converged, forming a single, massive thunderbolt twenty feet thick that descended from the heavens with supreme might!
Staring at the terrifying, brilliant thunderbolt above—a bolt that seemed to pierce the heavens and tear through space itself—
Situ Qingtian, in his flame giant form, let out a cold snort.
The full power of his Half-Step True Martial Realm erupted.
An aura as deep as the abyss surged outwards in all directions like a tidal wave.
He roared, "Second Palm: Break the Firmament!"
Instantly, the very energy of the world around him seemed to be stirred into a boiling frenzy.
That oceanic aura condensed into a massive, golden Palm Seal!
A colossal golden palm rose like the morning sun, unleashing an overwhelming radiance that illuminated the entire sky above the arena.
This massive Palm Seal rose from the ground and soared into the air, carrying the vast might of heaven like the legendary Tathagata Divine Palm.
Everywhere the colossal golden Palm Seal passed, the very air seemed to shatter.
With supreme power, it shot straight up to collide with the Celestial Thunder descending from the sky.
KRA-BOOM!
In that instant, a world-shaking collision occurred!
It was like two massive asteroids colliding in space. A vast power erupted—a torrential tsunami, a clash of mountains and rivers, a cataclysm of landslides and earthquakes.
It was like a volcano, dormant for a thousand years, erupting all at once. Terrifying power exploded in the void!!!
Thunder, like the wrath of heaven itself, crackled and flashed, piercing the sky!
The boundless golden palm blotted out the heavens!
The two terrifying powers clashed, creating a storm of Spiritual Power visible to the naked eye that swept across the sky.
In that instant, the entire arena was engulfed by the ferocious Spiritual Power storm.
Under the horrifying impact, the entire stage began to shake before being blasted to smithereens.
The array patterns on the stage’s perimeter lit up, forming screens of light that contained the storm-like shockwave within the arena’s bounds.
However, under the terrifying collision of power, the screens of light shook violently like vibrating glass,
making the surrounding audience worry that the defensive barrier would shatter at any moment!
"What?!"
On the stage, Gu Yun, who had exhausted his strength to unleash the Great Success Celestial Thunder Technique, watched with a pale face as his Celestial Thunder was actually being ground into nothingness by the golden palm. A look of utter disbelief filled his eyes!
The remnants of the golden palm then shot rapidly toward him.
"Fuck!"
Gu Yun used his last ounce of strength to defend with Earth-Bursting Heaven-Shaking, but it was no use against the golden palm as it bore down on him.
BOOM!
Gu Yun was sent flying by the remnants of the golden palm. His body flew off the stage like a kite with a snapped string, smashing onto the hard ground below.
He landed with a loud BANG, kicking up a cloud of dust!
Seeing Gu Yun knocked off the stage, the Deacon Referee immediately announced, "Number eighteen, Situ Qingtian, is the winner."
Gu Yun gave a bitter, helpless smile.
’So I lost in the end.’
’The gap was just too big. He’s incredibly powerful, stronger than me in both Spiritual Power and Body Refinement.’
’Plus, he has a special constitution, the Fire Spirit Body, and that insanely strong golden palm Martial Technique, like the Tathagata Divine Palm.’
’I can’t complain about this loss!’
’My body is still too weak. Looks like I’ll have to focus on Body Refinement from now on!’
To the surrounding audience, both the heaven-like might of the thunder and the colossal golden palm were displays of unimaginable power!
Every spectator in the crowd wore a look of utter shock!!
The power on display was simply beyond their imagination!
"So this is the strength of the top ten in the Outer Sect of the Eastern Domain’s top Sect! I can’t believe someone in the Spiritual Martial Realm can be this powerful!"
"And for Gu Yun to fight one of the top ten to that degree... even in defeat, you can’t deny his terrifying strength!"
Back on the high platform, the dignitaries commented.
"For that kid to contend with a Fire Spirit Body using a mere Mortal Body, and to force Situ Qingtian to use the Situ Family’s Desolate Heaven-Imprisoning Palm, is an incredible feat."
Gu Yun healed his wounds below the stage,
then turned to watch the next matches.
It was a real eye-opener for him.
Most of the subsequent matches featured the top ten disciples of the Outer Sect, and their fights were truly earth-shattering, the sounds echoing for miles.
The arenas were even destroyed several times, which must have been a headache for the Array Masters.
The first-ranked of the Outer Sect, Shi Ritian.
The second-ranked, Ye Bufan.
The third-ranked, Wang Sen.
...
The finals came down to a clash between the ten strongest disciples of the Outer Sect.
He was witnessing what true power really was.
In the end, due to the point-based system,
Gu Yun had to go up and fight a few more matches. The fights continued even if one was injured; according to the Sect,
this was to test the disciples’ ability to fight continuously.
He had three losses and five wins.
When Gu Yun got lucky, he was matched against disciples ranked in the twenties or thirties, whom he could defeat with relative ease.
Defeating anyone in the top twenty was still quite difficult for him.
As for the top ten, he couldn’t beat a single one.
The finals continued until sunset on the second day.
The sun set in the west, its vibrant afterglow spilling across the Profound Celestial Sect’s Outer Sect plaza, making the ongoing battles seem even more fierce.
Not until the very last ray of sunlight had vanished
did the Profound Celestial Sect’s Outer Sect Grand Tournament officially end!
