There was a flash of light.

In the arena, Gao Danyun’s body, which had been sliced in two, vanished and then reappeared in the next instant, alive and unhurt. He stood there blankly, his face pale and his eyes dull.

After a long time, his seemingly frozen body trembled while beads of sweat broke out of his forehead, trickling down his cheeks. What filled his head even now was the strike that shook the heaven and earth.

It was a tyrannical strike that threatened the world, an unwavering strike that was without a rival and impossible to defend against. It was simply an extreme sense of death.

He was no match for such a strike; he deserved to be defeated.

After another long moment, Gao Danyun sighed melancholically. “I’ve lost…”

As he spun, his graceful bearing was gone in an instant, and then he hobbled his way to his sect.

Hong Changtian watched with eyes full of disbelief as his Grand Uncle-Master walked back like a dying old man. His body was still stiff and his mind was completely blank. In a trembling voice, he said, “Grand…Grand Uncle-Master… this…”

With a pale face, Gao Danyun shook his head and said deeply, “His strength is far beyond mine. It was a complete suppression and had nothing to do with plots. I can’t even resist his aura. I’ve lost this match, and I’m convinced of the outcome. I think I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life…”

Hong Changtian’s eyes widened instantly, filled with horror.

“The third match…” Huo Yunfeng’s voice rang out from above. He turned his eyes to Cangwu Union while the people of the other eight sects did the same.

To Cangwu Union, the third match was a match of life and death. They had lost the first two matches, and if they lost the third, they would be deprived of their Celestial Luck Banner.

So, the decision was now in the hand of Cangwu Union. How would they choose to fight? Who would fight the match? Would it be a match of formation or between their disciples? They had to consider this carefully.

If they won, they would not only recover some lost ground, but also have a chance to turn defeat into victory. But if they lost, they would be completely defeated.

Hong Changtian’s lips were trembling; it was clear that he was at a loss. The defeat of the first two matches was unexpected, especially the second match, which was a miserable and shameful defeat. Now, as the third match was about to begin, he did not know what to do and could not make up his mind.

Standing beside him, Gao Danyun’s face was still pale, but his eyes were flickering as he said deeply, “We are in a dangerous situation now. We have to win this match to lift our spirits, and only then can we talk about the rest of the matches. Although we have lost two matches, I’ve found something in them…Shi Wuchen, the man who fought the first match, has an amazing strength, but is clearly far weaker than Luo Dajiang. The gap between them is huge. However, the Residence of Nine Supremes still laid their hope on him to win the first match, which was the most important one. This can almost prove that Shi Wuchen is the strongest expert in the Residence of Nine Supremes apart from Luo Dajiang.”

Hong Changtian nodded slowly; that seemed true according to common sense.

“Luo Dajiang is the strongest, then Shi Wuchen…That means the cultivation base of the rest in Residence of Nine Supremes is weaker than Shi Wuchen. Is this inference tenable?”

Hong Changtian nodded again.

“Jiang Jingfei lost the first match, but he was suppressing Shi Wuchen almost the entire time during their fight. Everyone saw that he was defeated in the end because of his opponent’s intrigue. It was a narrow win, and his true strength was actually greater than his opponent’s.”

“Yes, it is quite possible to say so.”

“Then, can we conclude that if Jiang Jingfei’s opponent was someone else, he should have won the match?”

“Certainly.”

“But Jiang Jingfei has fought and cannot fight again. Luckily, it’s thanks to this rule that Luo Dajiang cannot fight again either. Otherwise, we’d be doomed! Changtian, your cultivation base is about the same as Jingfei. Although your attacks may not be as fierce, you are far calmer. We need to win the third march, we have to win!

“Changtian, why don’t you suggest that the third march be fought between the sect leaders?

“Their sect leader has not fought in the first two matches, nor have you! This match is basically equivalent to a match of life and death, and it is reasonable to be decided by the leaders of both sects.”

After listening to Gao Danyun, Hong Changtian’s restless heart gradually calmed down. He considered for a moment; the more he thought, the more reasonable those words became.

Generally, the first match and the match between the top experts were matches to show all their strength, especially the first match. To Residence of Nine Supremes, it was a match they could not lose. If Yun Yang, as the sect leader, had a stronger cultivation base, he would have fought the first match.

Although Shi Wuchen had won, it was a narrow and hard victory.

There was probably one reason why they made such an arrangement: it was not because Yun Yang did not want to fight, but he was not strong. If he were to fight, the odds of them winning would be even lower.

Hong Changtian nodded repeatedly as he rose to his feet. “Yes! The third match is the key, and it is inappropriate to be fought by others. Lead Supreme Yun, why don’t you and I, as the sect leaders, fight this match?”

Yun Yang cleared his throat and said lightly, “No matter who fights this match, the outcome will always be the same. Residence of Nine Supremes will definitely win, and the Celestial Luck Banner is already in our bag.”

While laughing, Hong Changtian leaped down from the stand, drifting slowly into the arena like a cloud with his hands clasped behind his back all the way. “In that case, please come down here, Lead Supreme Yun. I’m Hong Changtian, the sect leader of Cangwu Union!”

Yun Yang stood up and paused for a brief moment as if he was hesitating, then said, “Sect Leader Hong, if this match is fought by another person and not you, you will be able to retain your dignity as a sect leader even if that person is defeated. However, if you lose to me, the blow to the confidence of your disciples will be deadly. Have you considered this carefully?”

“If we lose the third match, the Celestial Luck Banner will be taken away from Cangwu Union,” said Hong Changtian with a smile. “By that time, what does it matter if we have the confidence or not? What does it matter if I no longer have the dignity?”

But, he thought in his mind, ‘This Yun Yang must be afraid. By talking so much before the match, he is trying to sway me into changing my mind and replacing someone else or distract me. This is not something that an expert would have done.’

That made him more confident. “Please, Lead Supreme Yun!”

Yun Yang sighed and flew into the arena.

On the high stand…

“Are the people of Cangwu Union crazy?” Huo Yunfeng’s eyes were wide. “The third match is crucial to them. Residence of Nine Supremes has just been established not long ago. Even if their higher-ups are all experts, their disciples could never be as strong, and only about ten of them are here. Cangwu Union should have requested a match between the disciples to recover some lost ground. Instead, they sent their sect leader to fight this match. What’s wrong with them?”

Ding Buke and You Buneng did not understand that decision either and could not figure out the reason behind it.

As the founder of a sect, if Yun Yang’s fighting strength was not strong, how could he have subdued experts like Shi Wuchen and Luo Dajiang? Was the sect leader of Cangwu Union an idiot?

Could he have already given up and was trying to make a name for Yun Yang?

In the arena…

Hong Changtian drew his sword, his face still full of smiles. “After you.”

Yun Yang’s hands were empty as he said lightly, “I think it’s better for Sect Leader Hong to attack first.”

Hong Changtian did not reject that; now was not the time for him to be courteous anyway. His sect had lost two matches in a row, and no matter how calm he looked on the outside, his heart was already boiling. The courtesy he had now was merely to keep the demeanor of a sect leader to take care of his face.

And so, he struck out his sword without hesitation. A mountain of swords emerged, and then beams of light poured out of it, heading toward Yun Yang like monstrous waves that swept across the surface of a sea.

“A thousand waves!”

His first attack was already a killing strike. Man and sword merged into one as the mighty waves of sword light swarmed over.

Across Yun Yang, the mountain of swords and the sea of swords stretched as far as the eye could see. He stood firmly in place while his purple clothes fluttered. In the face of such a mighty attack, all he did was lightly lift his right hand and open his fair palm. His movement was gentle and leisurely, clearly visible to all.

“What? Not only does this Lead Supreme Yun intend to fight with his bare hands, but he also looks so nonchalant! He is just too careless!”

Everyone was staring at his palm and saw that as soon as it was fully opened, it closed abruptly and a clang—the cry of a saber—rang out!

A saber had appeared out of nowhere in Yun Yang’s fair palm!

A strange, beautifully-curved blade shrouded in fingers of purple mist!

With the saber in hand, he seemed to have grown taller. He placed his left hand behind his back and lifted his right hand before swinging it straight down.

The strike was almost identical to Luo Dajiang’s!

The difference between them was that Luo Dajiang held his saber with both hands and leaped toward his opponent, taking advantage of the momentum, but Yun Yang only struck out his saber when his opponent was in front of him. In terms of the lead-ups alone, both strikes were very far apart. Luo Dajiang’s strike was awe-inspiring, as if he would either make it or break it with the attack, and Yun Yang’s strike was overly casual.

However, the outcomes of both strikes were shockingly identical as well!

There was a flash of light, and then Yun Yang turned around with his hands clasped behind his back, making his way back to his camp.

Hong Changtian, on the other hand, was frozen in place, holding his sword in an thrust-out posture. A brief moment later, the sword broke in the middle with a soft crack, and two-and-a-half-foot long section fell to the ground.

After that, a fine blood-red line appeared on his forehead, gradually growing larger and soon filling his forehead. Then, jets of blood sprayed out of it with a hissing sound as his body split into two parts.

The strike had come too quickly and sharply, so the two halves of the body stood for a while before falling apart when they could no longer hold the balance.

Just like Luo Dajiang, Yun Yang’s extremely casual and straight cut had split Hong Changtian’s body into two parts. Because it was so fast, the body did not fall apart until he had turned and walked over a hundred feet away.

By the time Hong Changtian’s body fell to the ground, Yun Yang had already returned to his place, staring at the arena with the same indifferent look in his eyes, his handsome face expressionless.

With one stroke, he had secured the Celestial Luck Banner, but this leader of Residence of Nine Supremes did not show any look of happiness or triumph. He was as calm and composed as before, as if the outcome was what was supposed to happen.

Since it was supposed to happen, it did not deserve his surprise.

All the people from the eight sects in the stands on either side of the arena, as well as Huo Yunfeng and his two fellow brothers, were rendered speechless once again, gaping at the scene for a long time.

Everyone’s eyes were filled with thick disbelief.

One strike…It was one strike again!

Another match ended with one strike!

Luo Dajiang’s strike was full of a domineering and powerful air, but Yun Yang’s strike was extremely casual, as easy as flipping one’s palm. The relaxed and smooth feeling was felt by almost everyone present.

And the way his saber appeared out of nowhere in his palm and then silently disappeared after the strike gave them an even stronger impact.

From beginning to end, no one could find out where did the saber come from and where did it go. All they saw was a flash of light, and then the match was over.

“Residence of Nine Supremes is the winner of the match between the sect leaders!” Huo Yunfeng’s voice was hoarse and bitter.

‘With three losses in a row, the outcome of the battle is now decided, and my 120 pieces of supreme-grade spiritual jade are gone as well…’

‘How is this even possible! Have I really done too many wicked deeds? Have I!’

As he announced the winner, Hong Changtian was resurrected like the two before him. There he stood blankly and wordless with a pair of dull eyes, looking like a dead man. He took two steps reflexively, then suddenly wailed and burst into tears.

The Celestial Luck Banner was gone!

From then on, Cangwu Union no longer had the Celestial Luck Banner. It had lost its pride and was reduced to an ordinary sect in the martial world. If it wished to take back the Celestial Luck Banner…

He closed his eyes as tears trickled down his cheeks.

“Residence of Nine Supremes has won three matches in the battle of the Celestial Luck Banner and is now promoted to a sect with a lower-class Celestial Luck Banner.” Huo Yunfeng’s voice was hoarse. “Congratulations, Residence of Nine Supremes and Sect Leader Yun.”

Everyone looked at Yun Yang and those around him with complicated eyes.

‘The wolf is here!’ The same thought filled the mind of all.

The fighting strength of Residence of Nine Supremes was simply too frightening.

Hong Changtian returned to his seat in a daze as if sleepwalking, and what greeted him were the dull and sad eyes of all the people in his sect.

“We’ve lost…”

He took a deep breath.

“Let’s go!”

Now that they had lost, it was meaningless to stay here except to bear more humiliation.

“Wait a moment, Sect Leader Hong!” Yun Yang’s voice rang out.

“What else do you want?” Hong Changtian gritted his teeth. In the face of this youth who had killed off Cangwu Union’s glory that had lasted for thousands of years, he refused to put on even the most basic courtesy.

“We still have two matches to fight.” Yun Yang smiled. “A match of formations, and a match of disciples.”

The people of Thousand Mountains Sect, which was ranked eighth, tensed up instantly when they heard that, their bodies stiffening immediately. Even the people of the seventh-ranked Illusory Sword Sect sat straight up on hearing that.

They could not believe that the Residence of Nine Supremes did not stop there, but wanted to win all the matches.

What was the point of that?

Yun Yang’s goal was as obvious as a louse on a bald head!