The heavy sword light, along with the mottled laws of the Great Dao, collided without warning.
Then, between Xu Mu and Chen Changkong, a terrifying explosion occurred.
Boom!
Sword qi crisscrossed, and the Great Dao was like a fishing net. Everything visible was shattered by their intersection.
Chen Changkong held his sword with both hands, pouring all his sword qi to resist the chaotic Great Dao, but was still blasted into a cliff face, his life or death unknown.
However, in the last moment before he vanished into the cliff, an extremely cold sword qi seemed to flash and disappear, dissolving those Great Dao.
Xu Mu was also engulfed by the terrifying explosion. The Xuanwu turtle shell starlight that flickered on his body only blocked the explosion for a moment before his body was submerged in a cloud of dust.
Outside, countless people stared with wide eyes, anxiously watching the thick dust cloud, desperate to know the outcome for the two.
"What a terrifying explosion, with countless Great Dao hidden within the sword qi. At this distance, no physical body of a Third Stage cultivator could withstand it!"
Among the Hundred Clans, an ancestor-level figure stroked his beard and said regretfully, clearly implying that both Xu Mu and Chen Changkong were unlikely to survive.
They would both die in this explosion.
"No way, that's Chen Changkong!"
On the other side, a cultivator murmured in disbelief. Although he had witnessed the terror of the explosion and seen Chen Changkong's fearful expression as he was blown away, he still couldn't believe that the young Sword Saint who roamed the Hundred Clans would die so easily.
Among the Hundred Clans, an elder of the Si Nan family shook his head and sighed, "I believe it was a mutual destruction."
"Let alone their realms, which are merely Second and Third Stage. At this level of explosion, even a Fourth Stage Lord would struggle to survive if they were to take it head-on without activating their domain."
Upon hearing this, the hearts of the Jiang family members sank, and their faces became solemn. Meanwhile, members of the Ye and Jia Lan clans, who held grudges against Xu Mu, broke into smiles upon hearing that Xu Mu might be dead.
"Serves him right!"
The patriarch of the Jia Lan clan sneered, feeling exhilarated. He had thought it would take considerable effort to avenge his son, but unexpectedly, Xu Mu died before he could even act!
"Now, let's see how you Jiang family dare to act so arrogant!" the old ancestor of the Qi clan said with a relaxed expression, sneering at the Jiang family.
In the third round, their Qi clan's Qi Sheng had fallen from the Saint Ladder because of Xu Mu, causing their final ranking to be thirteen places lower than expected. And Xu Mu had then directly ascended to the top, which had pained him for a long time. For if Xu Mu were to truly claim the position of Supreme, the cost of seeking revenge would be too great!
"Alas, it is a pity that these two are rare geniuses of our Hundred Clans. It takes many clans many years to produce such a talent. They should have led our Hundred Clans to prosperity, but now, they are both dead."
Among the crowd, there were also those who considered the matter from the perspective of the entire Hundred Clans. They wished for more geniuses in their land and regretted the deaths of Xu Mu and Chen Changkong.
"What a pity..."
Within the crowd, sighs of regret, cheers, and cries of sorrow mingled, creating a chaotic scene, as they all believed Xu Mu and Chen Changkong were dead.
Yet, a small portion of people had remained emotionless from beginning to end, for they trusted that the individuals they favored would absolutely not die.
For example, the middle-aged Sword Saint from the Chen family. He stood on the peak of the clouds, his white eyebrows stirred by the breeze, his gaze never leaving the Jade Pool Wonderland. Regardless of how the battle progressed, his expression never changed.
Because he knew Chen Changkong's strength and his trump cards. His child could not lose, let alone die.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Qiongqi, held in the arms of the Wine Immortal Daoist, yawned lazily and then said, "We've endured explosions from that bow many times before."
The Wine Immortal Daoist was instantly relieved, then shook his head and chuckled.
"Your lives are truly resilient. The saying 'evil people live long lives' seems to be true."
Qiongqi rolled his eyes at the Wine Immortal, then narrowed his eyes, quietly awaiting Xu Mu's reappearance.
At this moment, the smoke and dust in the Jade Pool slowly dispersed, revealing the devastated scene.
A figure struggled out of the cliff wall, covered in blood, appearing extremely disheveled, but clearly still alive.
"Look, Chen Changkong is alive!"
At this moment, someone exclaimed, for the figure standing in the Jade Pool was the young Sword Saint, Chen Changkong, alive and well!
"..."
Upon seeing this, the Ye family and other enemies of Xu Mu had their smiles freeze on their faces.
Because Chen Changkong's survival proved that Xu Mu also had a chance to live, which was undeniably bad news for them.
Whether Chen Changkong lived or died was irrelevant; they simply did not want Xu Mu to live.
But then, they were disappointed.
For Xu Mu's body also staggered to its feet from the bottom of the pool. Blood like glazed glass dyed the surrounding water red. He was battered and hunched over, appearing to be on the verge of death, capable of dying at any moment.
Yet, he was still alive.
As long as he was alive, there was still a chance for everything.
"Excellent!"
The Jiang family erupted in thunderous cheers, their faces flushed with excitement, their fists clenched. With Xu Mu alive, their Jiang family still had a chance to contend for the town!
"Don't celebrate too early. Even if he can live now, Chen Changkong is in a much better condition!" The head of the Ye family said with a grim expression, taunting, "Blame him for fighting so fiercely with Zuo Mingqiu earlier. At this point, this battle has no suspense."
"Look, he can't even hold his bow steady."
As the man mocked, the Jiang family members also hurriedly turned their gaze towards the Jade Pool, looking nervously at Xu Mu.
In his right hand, he clutched a trembling bow, its body hanging and floating on the pool water, as if only in this way could Xu Mu hold it.
Thus, everyone fell silent, because, as the Ye family head said, even if Xu Mu were alive, it was meaningless. He couldn't even hold his bow, so how could he possibly defeat Chen Changkong?
Compared to Xu Mu's exhaustion, the latter had, at most, sustained some serious injuries. The victor was already clear.
"It's finally going to end."
In the Jade Pool, Chen Changkong, enduring the sweetness in his throat and the sharp pain in his dantian, raised his sword at Xu Mu.
Xu Mu's vision was blurred, obscured by blood and the poisonous pool water. He couldn't see Chen Changkong clearly, nor did he know what the other was doing, but he could still sense danger, so he wanted to retaliate.
But alas, he couldn't even lift his bow now.
He was too gravely injured. If it were an ordinary cultivator, or even a Third Stage peak physical cultivator, they would have died long ago. Yet, he was still alive, all because of his heart that beat incessantly at all times.
But even so, that heart could only ensure he didn't die, and doing anything else was clearly impossible.
Thus, Xu Mu fell silent. The only way to survive now seemed to be to knock on the door of the heavenly palace in his consciousness, but if he did so, he might be permanently trapped inside, never to have the chance to come out and control his body again.
—Buzz!
Chen Changkong's sword qi struck, carrying an oppressive force that could crush everything.
Xu Mu closed his eyes, his consciousness reaching the door of the heavenly palace.
But just then, another sword qi descended.
*Dong!*
A familiar figure fell into the Jade Pool, blocking in front of Xu Mu and shattering Chen Changkong's sword qi with a single strike.
Xu Mu opened his eyes, his expression blank.
He knew he had been saved, but he didn't know by whom.
"Senior Brother Yanyu?"
Xu Mu hesitated for two seconds, then wiped the blood from his eyes with his arm, looking at the young man in the daoist robe before him and asking.
"It is I."
Yanyu's voice was ice-cold, filled with murderous intent.
Chen Changkong looked at Yanyu, silent for a moment, then asked, "What is the meaning of this, sir?"
Yanyu looked at Chen Changkong, his face like frost. The dao sword in his hand trembled incessantly, seemingly from anger.
Seeing this, Chen Changkong's confusion deepened.
"I don't think I've ever met you. So, from where does your hostility originate?"
"I'd like to ask the same question," Xu Mu said in his heart, helpless.
Even now, he didn't know why Chen Changkong had conspired to kill him, or what hidden secrets lay behind it.
"Where did your sword come from?"
Yanyu did not answer, but instead asked Chen Changkong coldly, with frost condensing around him and obvious murderous intent. It seemed that if Chen Changkong's answer was incorrect, he would immediately attack.
Chen Changkong secretly swallowed a pill, his complexion slightly improving. He frowned and said, "The sword in my hand was obtained from my Chen family's sword tomb. What, are you interested?"
Yanyu shook his head and said with a cold voice again, "I'm not talking about this one."
At these words, everyone was stunned.
Those outside did not understand what sword Yanyu was referring to, nor what his purpose was in asking about the sword. Only the middle-aged Sword Saint of the Chen family guessed a little, and his eyebrows raised.
Within the Jade Pool, hearing Yanyu's question and seeing the killing intent emanating from him, Xu Mu suddenly remembered some events that had occurred when they were in the Ancient Wasteland Battlefield.
At that time, the Shore Flower had appeared, and Qiongqi and Yanyu had gone to fight for it. But in the end, Yanyu was seriously injured due to betrayal.
The one who betrayed him was a sword.
That sword was cast from bronze and intricately engraved.
Yanyu looked at Chen Changkong, whose face was solemn, and could no longer contain the anger in his heart. He raised his sword and charged forward, unleashing a terrifyingly bright white sword qi across the heavens and earth.
"Gan Jiang, come out and die!"