Chapter 379 - Matched Against Xu Jing

Chen Fan had killed Liu Wuxiang with a punch and a palm strike, shocking the crowd. The entire space fell into a hushed silence, as everyone was in disbelief.

The outcome was just that unexpected.

“Wuxiang!”

Suddenly, a furious roar rang out, breaking the silence. Considering how wide his eyes were now, it seemed like Yuan Kun’s eye sockets were about to crack. His aura churned, sending shivers down the spines of the spectators.

Within the Heaven’s Alliance, Duan Jingtian stood as their unwavering leader, while Yuan Kun served as his steadfast lieutenant, overseeing all matters.

If Duan Jingtian represented the soul of the Heaven’s Alliance, then Yuan Kun was its indispensable commander-in-chief.

Liu Wuxiang was one of the few top executives of Heaven’s Alliance and was the closest to Yuan Kun. They were like brothers.

Yuan Kun wanted to rush up to the arena and kill Chen Fan then and there.

During this martial arts competition, Chen Fan had first killed Swift Blade Lin Qi and Liu Wuxiang. He had severed its left and right arms. It was like he had no respect for the alliance.

Yet, he knew that despite his seething hatred, he couldn't act impulsively during the competition.

During the competition, life and death hung on the whims of fate. If a disciple died, it was simply the course of events.

“Bastard! You damned beast! You’re courting death, you’re courting death! You’d best pray you don’t run into me. Don’t get eliminated so soon! I want you dead! You must die!” Yuan Kun's rage rendered his words nearly unintelligible.

Chen Fan halted, turned to face him, and simply said, “I’ll be waiting.”

“Ahhh!” Yuan Kun’s eyes went red in anger at Chen Fan’s dismissal. His killing intent reached the skies, stirring the winds and the clouds.

“What terrifying killing intent!”

“Heavens! Wouldn’t he just tear Chen Fan to shreds if they met in the arena?”

“I know, right? Chen Fan killed two executives of the alliance one after another: Lin Qi and Liu Wuxiang. One of them was even an Illusory Core realm expert! He’d simply deeply wounded the alliance and slapped them hard on the face.”

“Luckily for him, Senior Brother Duan Jingtian isn’t here. Otherwise, he would have defied the rules and killed Chen Fan right here.”

“For real...”

Meanwhile, on the highest stands:

“Hoho, how is it, Fengyunzi? Does your face hurt?” Wei Buyu mocked, looking at Fengyunzi with a faint smile.

The smile on Fengyunzi’s face had disappeared, replaced by gloominess as if a terrifying storm was about to descend.

Fengyunzi did not say a word.

Chen Muyang said from the side, “Hmph, Wei Buyu, Chen Fan killed two of our Spring Autumn Sect’s genus disciples. Are you feeling very proud of it?

Wei Buyu’s expression darkened, and he said coldly, “Then, should he have just let those pieces of trash kill him?”

“You...” Chen Muyang felt speechless. In the end, he spat out, “Excuses!”

“Hmph! I can’t be bothered with you. You’re not from the Sect Leader’s faction. Why are you picking on Chen Fan? I don’t understand. Did you perhaps become one of Duan Jingtian’s followers?”

Among the grand elders from the Spring Autumn Sect present here, many were in the Sect Leader’s faction.

Elder Liehuo was one of them, but he had remained silent thus far. On the contrary, Chen Muyang had jumped out at every turn, so it all seemed suspicious.

Someone from the neutral faction would have remained silent in this kind of situation, but Chen Muyang kept picking on him and Chen Fan left and right.

“Hmph, I just can't overlook the ruthless manner in which Chen Fan fights. After all, Lin Qi and Liu Wuxiang were both genius disciples of our sect. Their deaths are a huge loss for us,” Chen Muyang said coldly.

“Genius? Once they're dead, they're irrelevant.” Wei Buyu curled his lips and continued, “Moreover, Chen Fan killed them easily, proving himself to be a greater genius. Those two couldn't hold a candle to him, individually or combined. What more is there to discuss?"

......

Chen Fan returned to his seat. Countless gazes—each laden with various implications—fell onto him from all directions.

He did not pay them any attention and waited quietly. With each round, the pool of contenders dwindled.

From a hundred to fifty.

Then, down to twenty-five.

After several more rounds, only a handful remained.

The remaining twenty or so disciples were all the strongest core disciples of the four great sects. Each was either at the ninth level or the Illusory Core realm.

More than ninety-nine percent of the disciples were eliminated and had gathered outside the battlefield, speculating on the emergence of a dark horse and predicting the eventual victor.

“The finals are almost upon us. I wonder who will take top place and obtain the Extreme Profound Elixir!”

“Who else? It's bound to be one of them: Yuan Kun, Li Wangsheng, Yan Hong, or Shangguan Yuhai. They are the strongest among the participants. They’re just shy of reaching the Core Formation realm and can even exchange blows with genuine Core Formation realm experts.”

"Absolutely, those four are the cream of the crop in this contest. Xu Jing, Chen Fan, and the rest fall into the second tier."

“Hehe, say, do you think Chen Fan might surprise us all and emerge as the dark horse, seizing the top spot?"

“How is that possible? Liu Wuxiang only had a ten percent solid core. He’s much, much weaker when compared to Yuan Kun and the others.”

“That’s right, let alone going against those four, Xu Jing alone will be a tough enough match for Chen Fan.”

“Hehe, I’m just saying. Don’t take it seriously. I think those four will be the ones truly fighting for the top spot.”

“......”

After all, claiming the top spot meant getting a step closer to the coveted Core Formation realm—a realm every inner sect disciple aspired to reach.

Chen Fan’s token vibrated. He subconsciously stood up and stepped into the battlefield.

As soon as he moved, countless gazes followed him.

"I wonder who Chen Fan will face off against in this round?"

“Whoever it is, I don’t think he can easily win against his opponent anymore.”

“That’s right. At this stage, only the crème de la crème remain. After all, they are stronger than all of us... Hahaha.”

A feminine silhouette appeared in Chen Fan’s arena.

Xu Jing!

All of a sudden, the entire battlefield was bustling with noise and excitement.

“Heavens, look! Chen Fan’s opponent for this round is Xu Jing!”

“Chen Fan’s victory streak will break here, right? Xu Jing defeated a fellow Illusory Core realm expert in only ten moves. Her combat strength is unparalleled. Chen Fan can’t be a match for Xu Jing.”

“That’s right. I doubt Chen Fan can even withstand three of Senior Sister Xu Jing's strikes."