In just a short period of time, two Martial Emperors had already died.
Duan Ling Tian’s first opponent in the second round of the martial competition was the last person he wanted to meet.
Thundercloud Peak’s Lan Bi.
‘Both of them are Thundercloud Peak’s disciple… Zhou Yi definitely has a profound understanding of Lan Bi’s strength. If I defeat Lan Bi, I’m afraid he’ll surrender immediately before I even attack if he’s matched with me.’ Duan Ling Tian was somewhat upset.
Originally, he planned to kill Zhou Yi during the Hidden Fog Martial Competition and retrieve the Devilseal Tablet that originally belonged to him.
However, things had turned a little tricky now.
Lan Bi was the direct disciple of Cloud Continent’s Martial Emperor Lei Ming, master of the Thundercloud Peak. According to Yang Hui, she was at the Second Level Martial Emperor Stage and was extremely strong.
She was definitely more powerful than Zhou Yi.
Naturally, such strength was nothing to him. He could defeat her without even using the Colossal Aerolite Arrow or any other martial skill.
‘Never mind… I’ll let her win so I can obtain the Devilseal Tablet.’ Shortly after, Duan Ling Tian made up his mind.
Following that, the battle between Duan Ling Tian and Lan Bi merely lasted around ten breaths’ time under everyone’s watchful eyes before he was completely defeated.
It seemed as though he could not retaliate at all when they fought.
On the surface, it was flawless. Almost no one, including Lan Bi, realized that Duan Ling Tian had deliberately lost the battle.
“Congratulations, Senior Sister Bi.”
After Lan Bi won, Zhou Yi was the first to congratulate her. He looked at Duan Ling Tian as his eyes gleamed coldly. ‘Although Duan Ling Tian has broken through to the Martial Emperor Stage like me, he merely lasted around ten breaths’ time with Senior Sister Bi. His strength is far inferior compared to mine.’
A few days ago, Zhou Yi had just sparred with Lan Bi.
Lan Bi could not beat him within twenty breaths’ time.
Due to this reason, he concluded that Duan Ling Tian was not his match.
“Brother Ling Tian…” Yang Hui was stunned.
Regarding Duan Ling Tian’s defeat, it was nothing out-of-the-ordinary for those who did not know his strength. However, for Yang Hui, Ke’Er, and Li Fei who knew his strength, they were all looking at him in confusion. They did not understand why Duan Ling Tian would let her win.
All of them could see that Duan Ling Tian had held back earlier and deliberately lost to Lan Bi.
“I didn’t want to arouse any suspicion,” Duan Ling Tian replied leisurely when he heard the Voice Transmission from Yang Hui and the two women.
Did not want to arouse any suspicion?
The three of them looked around after hearing those words, but they did not find anything amiss.
“He dares to join the Hidden Fog Martial Competition with such strength?” Chen Zhi could not help but sneer when he saw how easily Duan Ling Tian was defeated.
He could see through Lan Bi’s strength from the beginning until the end. Although their cultivation base was almost similar, her strength was no match for his.
Now, Duan Ling Tian had been defeated by Lan Bi.
‘If he dares to fight me, I won’t give him any chance to surrender,’ Chen Zhi swore to himself as he stared at Duan Ling Tian coldly.
If there was another person at the scene that could see the abnormality of the battle apart from Yang Hui, Ke’Er, and Li Fei who knew Duan Ling Tian’s strength, Martial Emperor You Han was undoubtedly one of them.
She had fought with Duan Ling Tian before. Although they only exchanged a blow, she was certain Duan Ling Tian’s strength was definitely not any lesser than the Fourth Level Martial Emperor Stage.
‘He doesn’t seem to know that female disciple from Thundercloud Peak but still deliberately lost the battle… He must be plotting something!’ There was a glint in Martial Emperor You Han’s eyes as she speculated inwardly. However, she could not guess what the other party was trying to do.
In addition to Martial Emperor You Han, there was another person who noticed the abnormality. It was Martial Emperor Qing Xuan.
Martial Emperor Qing Xuan glanced at Duan Ling Tian. His eyes glinted before he averted his gaze. The thoughts running through his mind remained a mystery.
“That’s his strength?”
“If that’s his full strength… He’ll certainly die if he meets Chen Zhi!”
“Unless he surrenders immediately, it won’t end well for him.”
…
A lot of Hidden Fog Island’s core disciples were whispering among themselves as they looked at Duan Ling Tian standing in the distance.
Chen Zhi’s face sank when he heard the whisperings of the Hidden Fog Island’s core disciples. He was afraid Duan Ling Tian would be scared off by the core disciples’ chatter and immediately surrender when they meet.
That was not what he wanted. However, he had over thought things.
As time passed, the four martial artists at the peak of the Martial Monarch Stage were eliminated consecutively. Some of the Martial Emperor powerhouses were also eliminated, and three were killed.
One of the Martial Emperor powerhouses who was killed was a man under Martial Emperor Qing Xuan. The other two Martial Emperors who were killed were core disciples from the Hidden Fog Island.
The situation was getting intense.
Swish!
Crack!
Suddenly, a piercing sound reverberated in the air. The clear sound of something clawing into a body followed soon after. It made everyone’s blood curdle.
The pale young woman had used a type of claw martial skill and clawed into her opponent’s chest. Her pair of hands seemed boneless as it forcefully tore into her opponent’s chest.
After a few moments, she ripped out a beating heart.
Snapped!
As the Martial Emperor powerhouse whose heart was ripped out stopped breathing and fell to the ground, the young woman clenched her hand and crushed the heart in her hand.
Blood splattered everywhere. It was a dazzling yet spine-chilling sight.
“Gory! Too gory!” Many people’s faces were distorted because of the scare.
“So strong! She has already broken through to the Third Level Martial Emperor Stage.” Duan Ling Tian looked at the young woman. He was shocked.
That pale young woman remained expressionless from the very beginning, just like the living dead. She was none other than the young woman who came with the Third Island Master of Hidden Fog Island.
Unlike most people’s expressions that looked horrible, the Third Island Master of Hidden Fog Island looked pleased.
This was because, apart from being a core disciple of Hidden Fog Island, she was also his direct disciple.
It did not take long until it was Duan Ling Tian’s turn again.
This was his final battle in the second round of the Hidden Fog Martial Competition. If he won, he would be ranked in the top ten of the Hidden Fog Martial Competition. He would then compete with the others for the exact ranking in the later round.
However, so far, he still had not encountered Zhou Yi.
When Duan Ling Tian entered the battlefield, his opponent followed and confronted him.
“Do you think he’ll surrender?” A lot of people were looking at Duan Ling Tian as they discussed among themselves.
“I think he’ll definitely surrender… After all, he can’t even win against that female powerhouse, and she had lost to Chen Zhi.”
Some of them talked while looking at the people from Thundercloud Peak. Their eyes landed on Lan Bi.
Lan Bi had previously lost to Chen Zhi.
“I was wondering when they’ll meet… I didn’t think they would meet in the second round.” Most of the people watching looked like they were on steroids.
Currently, the person who stood opposite him was none other than Chen Zhi.
Chen Zhi. The one who was blasted away and was seriously injured by Duan Ling Tian not too long ago. The only son of the Second Island Master of Hidden Fog Island.
“Seems like God is also giving me His blessing!” Chen Zhi stared at the purple-clad young man before him excitedly.
In his opinion, he would be able to kill him and redeem himself from the embarrassment earlier now that he met him.
Moreover, if he killed his opponent, his opponent’s women would become his.
Chen Zhi was excited when he thought about the two peerless beauties.
The thing he was most worried about now was Duan Ling Tian surrendering.
If that happened, he would lose his chance to seek revenge. It was not what he wanted.
When Chen Zhi looked over, Duan Ling Tian was also looking at Chen Zhi. His eyes were as cold as ice.
‘I didn’t expect to meet him so soon… I won’t hand over the victory just like that. I must win this battle, I can’t lose!’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself as his eyes glinted.
At this moment, he could no longer worry about Zhou Yi finding out about his true strength.
He could not be bothered even if Zhou Yi became wary of him because of his subsequent attacks or if he surrenders when they meet.
He only knew he could let anyone but Chen Zhi win.
Moreover, he also wanted to teach Chen Zhi an unforgettable lesson.
“Boy, I’ll kill you soon… After I kill you, your fiancées will be mine.” When Chen Zhi spoke, he pointed toward Ke’Er and Li Fei to intentionally provoke Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian was indeed angered.
“Want to kill me? I want to see which one of us will die,” Duan Ling Tian responded indifferently, not wanting to show any weakness.
“Don’t have to think about it because it won’t be me.” Chen Zhi sneered as his robe fluttered even though there was no wind. A vast milky-white flame rose along with energies in various colors. It was Chen Zhi exerting his Origin Energy and Profundities.
Chen Zhi’s strength was considered at the top among the few Second Level Martial Emperor Stage martial artists. He might even be a match for an ordinary Third Level Martial Emperor Stage martial artist.
He attacked as quick as a lightning and headed straight for Duan Ling Tian like a tiger charging down from a mountain. It was as though he would not rest until he tore Duan Ling Tian into pieces.
“The purple-clad young man is going to die soon.”
“He can only be considered unlucky for meeting Chen Zhi.”
…
In that split second, many people were whispering among themselves. All of them thought Duan Ling Tian was going to die in Chen Zhi’s hands.
After all, they had seen Duan Ling Tian defeated by Lan Bi, and she was defeated by Chen Zhi.
For a time, apart from those people who knew of Duan Ling Tian’s strength, most people including the Third Island Master of Hidden Fog Island, thought that Duan Ling Tian would definitely be defeated or even killed.