Chapter 167: Explosive Clash
Chapter 167: Explosive Clash
Cheng Lingyu left without speaking, his cold expression becoming the greatest insult to Feixing Ridge.
Every gaze in the arena fixed on him after his two matches drew unmatched attention.
Jiang Bin had swaggered victoriously during the first round.
By the second round’s end, Jiang Bin was now a cripple.
The shift happened too quickly, revealing Cheng Lingyu’s merciless tactics.
As Jiang Bin was carried away, Feixing Ridge’s earlier arrogance visibly deflated compared to yesterday.
Zhong Zhenlong gnashed his teeth. Both Wang Yun and Jiang Bin—handpicked by him—now lay broken. How could he face consequences?
Feixing Ridge, among the dominant Western Fallen Nine Ridges, couldn’t stomach being humbled publicly by Cheng Lingyu.
Cheng Lingyu paid no mind. After two matches, he’d grasped the ruthless rivalries between the Western Fallen Nine Ridges.
Take Feixing Ridge’s feud with Fallen God Ridge: normally, hosting a friendly match would force Feixing Ridge to save face despite their grudge.
Yet they’d brazenly provoked without restraint.
Had the city lord not been spectating mid-air, worse offenses might’ve occurred.
Matches resumed on the Battle Platform.
Cheng Lingyu became the main attraction in this Soul Martial Fourth Realm contest.
Once-forgotten Fallen God Ridge now drew eyes solely because of him.
After Round Two, Cheng Lingyu noted Feixing Ridge’s two remaining disciples advanced. With twelve left for Round Three—who’d he face next?
Many pondered this, expecting two outcomes:
Either Feixing Ridge, still defiant, would challenge Cheng Lingyu again.
Or they’d avoid him, fearing more losses.
Round Three began with Lou Ri Ridge versus Xuanmoon Ridge. Their disciples clashed fiercely for over two hundred moves before settling the outcome.
Cheng Lingyu’s turn came next. True to expectations, his opponent was Feixing Ridge’s Dong Zhi.
“Intentionally crippling opponents leads to disqualification,” Liu Haocun declared, tightening the rules.
Cheng Lingyu asked flatly, “Then how’s victory decided?”
“Knock them down three times—or make them surrender.”
Liu Haocun’s icy stare carried mental pressure.
Cheng Lingyu’s eyes rippled faintly, dissolving the pressure instantly. Liu Haocun’s face twitched in shock.
Turning his back to Dong Zhi, Cheng Lingyu walked forward casually.
Dong Zhi, a smug twenty-something, bristled at the disrespect.
“Cheng Lingyu—aren’t you overdoing this arrogance?”
Cheng Lingyu glanced at Lan Xiaozhu on the viewing platform and said casually, “We’re not close. No need for formalities.”
His words instantly stirred up wild cheers from countless disciples watching the match, who seemed drawn to his quiet yet striking demeanor.
A faint smile curved Cheng Lingyu’s lips, his handsome face radiating a dangerous allure that captivated yet remained unreadable.
Turning his back to Dong Zhi, Cheng Lingyu completely ignored Feixing Ridge’s presence, making its members tremble with rage.
Wan Fang chuckled. “The boy’s got guts.”
Zhang Chengtian, Palace Master of Liyun Palace, nodded. “He’s breathed life into the long-dormant Fallen God Ridge. Our master would surely smile seeing this.”
Wan Fang added, “I believe Master is watching right now.”
In Fallen God Ridge’s Supreme Spirit Palace, Han Cang indeed observed Cheng Lingyu on the Lou Ri Battle Platform, his typically stern face now softened by a faint smile.
Though Cheng Lingyu had appeared three times today, only this display had drawn Han Cang’s approval.
On the battle platform, Cheng Lingyu scanned the crowd with relaxed poise, his calmness visible to all.
Many watched this eighteen-year-old, sensing hidden depths beneath his charming smile.
Lan Xiaozhu gazed with infatuation while Song Xuejiao, Qu Wei, and Hong Xiu Tian Xiang studied him with mixed emotions, recognizing his uniqueness.
Though sparing with words today, Cheng Lingyu’s innate pride remained undimmed.
Bullied in youth, hardened by anger, he’d first shown promise in Yunyang City before maturing in Lou Ri City – his path unfolding clearly like a river reaching skyward.
Dong Zhi roared at the humiliation, attacking with furious footwork – the Double Dragon Strangle.
Cheng Lingyu turned coldly, smile vanishing into icy detachment that radiated silent menace.
Leaping skyward with radiant aura, his simple techniques carried terrifying divine power. With pure Physical Body strength, he could overwhelm any same-Realm opponent.
Dong Zhi surpassed Wang Yun and Jiang Bin, having opened eight cave heavens – marking him as exceptional.
Activating all eight cave heavens, Dong Zhi blurred into motion like smoke.
Hovering mid-air, Cheng Lingyu remarked coolly, “Eight cave heavens? Impressive. But after today, nobody will recall your name.”
“Arrogant fool!” Dong Zhi thundered.
Cheng Lingyu’s smile didn’t waver. “They’ll only remember another defeated soul on this Lou Ri Battle Platform.”
A palm flip sent thunder rippling through the Nine Provinces, shaking the void.
Dong Zhi stared as lightning coalesced in Cheng Lingyu’s palm, swelling with terrifying divine might.
“Thunder Palm?”
Cheng Lingyu nodded. “From Tianlei Sacred Church. Still new to it – pardon any roughness.”
His calm tone stoked Dong Zhi’s fury. “You think Thunder Palm scares me?”
Dong Zhi’s eight cave heavens blazed, pouring endless true essence into his surging combat strength.
Expression unchanging, Cheng Lingyu met him palm-to-palm, thunder crackling between them.
Dong Zhi’s combat power surged, yet no matter how much he increased it, he couldn’t suppress Cheng Lingyu.
“Is this your strongest ability? If so, you’ve thoroughly disappointed me.”
Cheng Lingyu’s sudden sounds pierced every corner, stabbing Dong Zhi’s pride and making him roar furiously at the sky.
“Cheng Lingyu! Only one of us will walk away today!”
Dong Zhi’s eyes burned with rage as his eight cave heavens aligned into a rotating golden ring, hurtling toward his opponent.
Cheng Lingyu thrust his palms forward. Divine power merged with violent thunderclaps, violently repelling Dong Zhi’s cave heavens repeatedly.
“Soul Strike!”
Dong Zhi roared. Eight razor-sharp soul swords shot from the cave heavens, aiming to sever Cheng Lingyu’s soul.
Cheng Lingyu’s eyes transformed into endless purple-red voids. Deep within them swayed a green bamboo, its leaves bearing tear stains like fleeting dreams too painful to recall.
The spiritual attacks from the eight martial souls drifted aimlessly upon entering Cheng Lingyu’s gaze, dissolving into strange dreamscapes.
The cave heavens suddenly trembled, their martial souls roaring as if suffering backlash.
Dong Zhi charged like a maddened beast, each dragon-like fist capable of pulverizing mountain peaks – yet Cheng Lingyu blocked them all.
Cheng Lingyu moved with startling contrasts: stillness mirroring a maiden’s calm, motion rivaling a fleeing hare’s speed, his assaults unbearably fierce.
The Thunder Palm lived up to its name. Each strike channeled countless thunderbolts that shook the void and battered the sky itself.
Dong Zhi kept roaring against overwhelming shockwaves, desperately fighting for dominance.
A martial soul materialized – a spotted leopard expanding fiftyfold before pouncing.
Cheng Lingyu sneered coldly. Sword shadows flashed across his gaze, shredding the leopard instantly before absorbing its essence.
Dong Zhi’s shocked gasp turned to blood-red eyed rage.
“Time’s running short,” Cheng Lingyu stated coolly. “Others await their turn.”
He spread his arms like a giant roc’s wings, closing the distance instantly. Thunderous palms struck relentlessly, their world-shaking impacts clanging against Dong Zhi’s cave heaven.
“He’s crazy! Trying to break cave heavens with bare hands? Idiotic!”
Spectating disciples cursed, convinced of Cheng Lingyu’s arrogance.
Reality proved horrifying. The first palm repelled the cave heaven. The second cracked it. The third shattered it completely.
“Impossible! Are my eyes lying? His flesh surpasses tempered cave heavens?”
The crowd gaped. Even arrogant Zhong Zhenlong frowned deeply, his expression stunned.
Dong Zhi’s scream echoed as his shattered cave heaven left him gravely injured.
Cheng Lingyu moved with deceptively graceful slowness, his true speed blurring beyond perception.
When Liu Haocun finally shouted to stop them, Cheng Lingyu had already ceased. All eight cave heavens lay destroyed, their martial souls annihilated without trace.
Dong Zhi crashed to the ground, aura feeble. Though his physical body remained whole, he’d been reduced to a cripple.