Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 37 A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix
In the second round, Ling Xuan's opponents were the trio of Ren Yaoli.

As soon as Ling Xuan teleported onto the arena, an exaggerated wail came from the opposite side.

Ren Yaoli, her face contorted in a mournful expression, stared wide-eyed at the sky with her bright, watery eyes: "Heavens above! How could I have run into such a monstrous being!"

"Hahaha," Ling Xuan chuckled lightly, "But we're bound to run into each other sooner or later, aren't we?"

"Please go easy on me, considering we've known each other for a while." Ren Yaoli's expression was exaggerated. "Meeting you meant I was destined to be eliminated."

"Don't worry, you won't feel any pain." Ling Xuan charged forward, wielding the Fire God's Domain Blade.

Ren Yaoli pouted, looking incredibly cute. Ling Xuan's words seemed comforting, but every single one of them felt like he was killing people like pigs.

Ling Xuan's body surged with crimson flames, the air rippled from the intense heat, and the Fire God's Absolute Domain Blade, carrying a scorching heat wave, slashed towards Ren Yaoli like a crimson lightning bolt.

Ren Yaoli's expression changed drastically. She lightly touched the arena with her toes and retreated rapidly like a willow catkin.

A pair of delicate hands were clasped together in front of her, and her bright eyes shone with purple light.

"I originally intended to save it to deal with that guy Feng Lishuang, but if I don't use it now, I'll never have the chance."

In an instant, the arena space twisted violently, and countless mirrors appeared out of thin air. Ling Xuan's figure was frantically copied in the mirrors, and each clone held a blade wrapped in black mist, with an eerie light flashing in its eyes, and stabbed fiercely towards the consciousness of the real body.

A chilling sense of oppression filled the air, as if countless invisible hands were trying to pull Ling Xuan's soul out of his body.

"Myriad Flowers Communicate, Soul Strangulation!" Ren Yaoli shouted, and her clones in the mirror unleashed their power simultaneously, instantly filling the entire arena with a thick, bloody stench.

Ling Xuan felt a sharp pain in his mind, as if thousands of steel needles were piercing into him at the same time.

"Soul-Suppressing Cauldron".

The ancient cauldron deep within Ling Xuan's soul suddenly shone brightly, and a soul barrier opened instantly.

Those sharp spikes of the soul that attempted to penetrate vanished the moment they touched the barrier, like moths drawn to a flame, leaving only a faint crackling sound.

Ling Xuan sneered, and the flames around him suddenly surged threefold, his sword momentum increasing rather than decreasing: "Child's play!"

He roared, and the fiery blade light, like a miniature sun, slashed down with the force of splitting the heavens and earth.

The mirror shattered inch by inch under the terrifying blade's light, the cracks spreading like a spider web. The broken mirror reflected countless light and shadow, making the entire arena look like a shattered galaxy.

Ren Yaoli's face turned deathly pale instantly. Feeling the terrifying pressure coming at her, she desperately mobilized all the power in her body, trying to condense a new defense.

But Ling Xuan was too fast. Before she could use any more methods, Ling Xuan had already appeared in front of her like a ghost, the tip of his knife pressed against her throat, the chill seeping into her skin.

The flickering flames on the blade reflected on her terrified face, but Ling Xuan's eyes remained completely unmoved.

"ended."

Ling Xuan's voice was as calm as if he were recounting something completely ordinary.

Ren Yaoli froze on the spot, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. It took her a long time to find her voice: "...You call this mild torture?"

"It's much gentler than you expected." Ling Xuan sheathed his sword, the flames slowly died down, and the residual high temperature in the air gradually dissipated.

With a gentle swipe of the Vulcan's Blade, Ren Yaoli was instantly transformed into a pile of data and teleported out of the arena.

The next second, Ling Xuan appeared beside her, casually adding, "Remember to learn from your failures."

"Hmph~" Ren Yaoli made a face at Ling Xuan fiercely, then turned her head away and ignored him.

Apart from the battle between Ling Xuan and Cao Benqi, the battles in the other groups were quite prolonged and intense.

The battle between Feng Lishuang and Leng Yanqiu was particularly intense, a true clash of equals.

On the arena, Feng Lishuang lightly touched the ground with her toes, her fiery red outfit billowing in the air, accompanied by scorching heat. The Nine Phoenix Divine Fire Spear in her hand pulsed with crimson flames, the nine phoenix totems on the spear flickering with her breath. Leng Yanqiu's silver hair moved without wind, and nine golden swords hovering around her radiated a chilling light of the golden primordial law, each tremor leaving a thin golden crack in the void. "Illusion Sword Style!" Leng Yanqiu lightly raised her jade hand, and the nine golden swords instantly transformed into nine streams of light, shooting out in a fan shape.

Feng Lishuang's beautiful eyes widened, and with a sudden kick of her toes, her body flew backward like a fiery meteor, sweeping across the Nine Phoenix Divine Fire Spear at the same time.

The gun exploded with nine crimson tongues of fire, colliding violently with the golden sword. The clanging sound was continuous, and sparks rained down like a downpour, making the arena flicker.

Leng Yanqiu slightly hooked his fingertips, and two golden swords suddenly darted along the ground like venomous snakes, aiming straight for Feng Lishuang's lower body.

Feng Lishuang spun and leaped into the air, the musket's butt slamming down like an iron whip, colliding with the golden sword and creating dazzling sparks.

She used the momentum to flip over, pointing the gun at Leng Yanqiu.

"Nine Phoenixes Facing the Sun!"

Nine golden beams of light shot into the sky from the gun, and nine phantom images of fire phoenixes merged into a hundred-meter-long golden fire phoenix. As its wings spread, it brought with it a heat wave that swept across the entire area, and it swooped down towards Leng Yanqiu.

Leng Yanqiu remained expressionless as she drew mysterious trajectories in the air with her delicate hand, instantly converging the nine golden swords into a giant golden sword over a foot long.

"Piercing Sky Style!" she shouted coldly, and the golden giant sword tore through the void, carrying a world-destroying momentum as it rushed towards the fire phoenix.

Seeing this, Feng Lishuang brandished the Nine Phoenix Divine Fire Spear, its shadows overlapping as she engaged in a head-on battle with the golden giant sword.

The moment the spear tip collided with the sword tip, the powerful energy fluctuations caused the arena's protective shield to ripple, as if it were about to shatter at any moment.

The phoenix's claws frantically scratched at the golden greatsword, sending up sparks as dazzling as fireworks. However, the golden primordial laws on the sword were like a persistent thorn, constantly eroding the phoenix's fiery body.

Feng Lishuang gritted her teeth and poured all her power into the Nine Phoenix Divine Fire Spear like a torrent. The flames on the spear increased threefold, and the nine phantom fire phoenixes spun wildly, transforming into a gigantic fire phoenix that blotted out the sky.

"A hundred birds pay homage to the phoenix!"

With a sharp shout, the fire phoenix raised its head and shrieked, crashing fiercely into the golden giant sword.

Veins bulged on Leng Yanqiu's forehead as he exerted all his strength to control the golden giant sword, the golden light bursting from its tip clashing wildly with the flames of the fire phoenix.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for several seconds when a loud "boom" was heard. The golden giant sword shattered into nine smaller golden swords, which then moved toward Feng Lishuang's location in a strange trajectory. The Nine Phoenix Divine Fire Spear moved rapidly, its tip flicking out fluffy spear flowers in an attempt to intercept the golden swords.

The fire phoenix, its momentum undiminished, slammed into Leng Yanqiu, sending her flying like a kite with a broken string. She crashed heavily onto the edge of the arena, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Leng Yanqiu collapsed to the ground, her breath weak; Feng Lishuang knelt on one knee, panting heavily, her delicate body bearing several sword wounds.

In this fierce battle, she ultimately won by sacrificing her life.

The two then teleported out of the arena together.

The top five have now been determined.

Flame God Cao Benqi

Flame Demon Ling Xuan
Phoenix Maiden - Phoenix Departure

Mad Blade Alistair
Ape Demon Austin
The figure of Venerable Beiyan appeared silently like a ghost. His face was cold and stern, and a rare smile appeared on his face, which was usually as cold as ice.

However, the smile seemed somewhat stiff and rigid, just like his title "Northern Rock," which was cold and hard, exuding a chill that sent shivers down one's spine. Rather than such a forced smile, it would be more comfortable to remain expressionless.

His gaze swept across the five people in the arena like lightning, his voice sounding as if it came from the deepest hell, carrying a hint of hoarseness and coldness: "Indeed, all five of you are outstanding individuals. Moreover, the top ten in this year's competition are all so strong that in previous years, each of you would have been capable of competing for the top spot. It's just a pity... fate is cruel, you were born in the same era."

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed respectfully, not daring to breathe loudly or show the slightest hint of pride.

Ling Xuan thought to himself: This Venerable One doesn't seem very easy to talk to, so I'd better keep a low profile and develop my strength first.

"Please take a short rest. The first five rounds of battles will begin shortly. The rules are as follows: the top five will each fight one match against the other four. The winner will receive one point, and the champion and runner-up will be determined based on the total points."

(End of this chapter)