How can simply creating a sect make you invincible?

As time goes by...

The China Tournament's challenge matches have quietly entered their later stages.

One exciting match after another unfolded, drawing applause and chatter from the surrounding audience. The vast Tiandu Square was filled with vibrant energy and a lively atmosphere.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a graceful figure in blue slowly stepped onto the Xuan Yu arena.

The woman wore a long blue dress, the hem of which fluttered gently in the wind, pristine and untouched by a speck of dust. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back, mostly held back by a single, gleaming white jade hairpin, with a few strands falling over her shoulders. Her eyes were clear and ethereal, her features exquisitely beautiful. This woman was none other than the Holy Maiden of Yao Guang—Meng Yao.

The moment she stepped onto the stage, the previously noisy and chaotic arena inexplicably fell silent.

This was not because everyone deliberately kept silent, but because an invisible and intangible Daoist rhythm quietly spread between heaven and earth, lingering around the arena.

Mengyao possesses the top-tier Heavenly Sound Sacred Body.

This body is profoundly mysterious and uniquely endowed by heaven. It does not cultivate brute force for killing, nor does it forge divine weapons. Every word, every breath contains the sound of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Ordinary cultivators who hear its sound will find their minds at peace and their Dao heart clear. However, when facing an enemy, a casual murmur or a nonchalant word is a sonic killing technique that can shatter spiritual power and dismantle formations. It is domineering and difficult to break.

"Oh dear! Isn't this Yan Feng, the core prodigy of Xuan Tian Valley? He's a renowned genius in Central Continent. How did he end up running into the Holy Maiden?"

"Sigh! Sometimes drawing lots is all about luck. Yan Feng is probably going to suffer a crushing defeat this time!"

The audience whispered among themselves, but their voices were always tinged with awe. No one dared to make a sound, for fear of disturbing the saintess who possessed the voice of the Great Dao.

Across the arena, Yan Feng was already poised to strike. Seeing Meng Yao standing calmly on the platform, he dared not underestimate her in the slightest. His profound energy surged suddenly, strands of azure spiritual energy coiling around his body, condensing into layers of defensive light barriers. Holding a longsword of black iron, its sword intent sharp and fierce, he pointed it forward and said in a deep voice, "Holy Maiden, you have yielded!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he burst forward, his sword moving with him. The sharp sword strikes, accompanied by a gust of wind, aimed directly at Meng Yao's face. The attack was swift and powerful, clearly a full-force strike.

However, faced with such a fierce attack, Mengyao stood still, motionless, her expression calm and undisturbed, her eyes showing no emotion, as if the earth-shattering attack before her was nothing more than a gentle breeze brushing against her body.

Just as the sword intent was about to reach her, she parted her cherry lips slightly and uttered only one word: "Retreat."

The sound was soft and clear, melodious and pleasant to the ear, neither too high nor too low.

Yet this simple word contains the purest laws of sound!

boom--!

An invisible sound wave exploded instantly, transforming into a vast Daoist aura that swept across the entire arena. The sword intent condensed by Yan Feng was like thin paper before the sound of the Great Dao, instantly shattering inch by inch and turning into ashes.

Immediately following, a powerful yet gentle and invincible force crashed into his body.

Yan Feng's fully charged sword strike abruptly halted, his spiritual energy instantly becoming chaotic and dissipating, his meridians tingling, his Dao heart trembling and unstable, and his longsword flying from his hand. He felt as if he had been struck by a tremendous force, unable to stand steadily, staggering back several steps before his legs gave way and he collapsed heavily onto the arena.

"I...I give up."

From beginning to end, Mengyao never raised her hand or moved her foot. With just a single word, she easily broke through the opponent's moves and instantly defeated the powerful enemy.

The entire venue was momentarily silent, then erupted in a deafening roar of astonishment.

"Incredible! Is this the power of the Heavenly Sound Sacred Body? A single word from him has subdued even the most brilliant genius!"

"They're not even in the same league; it's a complete rout!"

The referee paused for a moment, then immediately announced loudly: "Mengyao of the Yao Guang Holy Land wins!"

Mengyao's expression remained aloof, showing neither the joy of victory nor the slightest arrogance, as if defeating a prodigy from the Central Continent was merely a trivial matter.

She gracefully turned around and stepped off the Xuan Yu arena.

Just as she was about to step down the steps of the arena, her clear and aloof eyes suddenly pierced through the crowd and landed precisely on Mu Qingcheng on the jade table.

Mu Qingcheng sat gracefully at the table, dressed in a moon-white long dress, exuding an ethereal and gentle temperament, while her reincarnation body was reserved and unpretentious.

Suddenly, Mu Qingcheng noticed someone was watching her, so she looked up.

The two looked at each other across the distance.

The next second, the calm and peaceful look in Mengyao's eyes faded, replaced by a sharp and undisguised glint.

It was a condescending, disdainful gaze. She didn't utter a single word, nor did she make any movement; she simply stared silently at Mu Qingcheng, her eyes clear yet carrying a sharp, fighting spirit, as if silently declaring war—

A moment later, Mengyao withdrew her gaze, regained her aloof and ethereal saintly demeanor, and gracefully departed.

Meanwhile, on another arena, Shen Changqing of the Taiqing Holy Land, dressed in a plain white Taoist robe, possessed an elegant face and refined demeanor, exuding an otherworldly air that made it difficult for anyone to feel any sense of caution.

But everyone knows that the disciples of the Taiqing Holy Land are pure and detached from worldly desires when cultivating, but ruthless and merciless when facing enemies! Shen Changqing is especially known among his peers for his ruthlessness and never shows mercy to his opponents.

His opponent was a prodigy who had narrowly escaped elimination in the preliminary rounds. Knowing the disparity in strength, this person deliberately played the victim from the start, trying to stall for time and save his life, and even planned to concede defeat if he lost.

But the moment the battle began, Shen Changqing's eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp, and his gentle Daoist aura instantly transformed into a chilling killing intent.

Before he finished speaking, he formed the Taiqing Secret Seal with both hands, and the Taiqing Dao Power surged up, instantly transforming the pure energy between heaven and earth into a sharp killing blade!

Thousands of azure swords materialized out of thin air, densely covering the entire arena, giving the opponent no chance to admit defeat, dodge, or beg for mercy!

The prodigy's face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly activated all his spiritual power to defend himself, but his defense was as fragile as paper in the face of the supreme power of Taiqing.

boom!!!

The sword of Dao crashed down, instantly tearing apart all of the opponent's defenses!

A piercing scream echoed across the arena. The opponent's foundation was damaged, and he was severely injured. He was forced off the arena!

Throughout the entire process, Shen Changqing remained calm and decisive, making swift and clean moves without any hesitation or hesitation, giving his opponent no chance to breathe. He appeared ruthless and decisive in killing!

"Damn, Shen Shengzi doesn't even give anyone a chance to admit defeat! He crippled the person in one move."

"Shen Shengzi is still as ruthless and decisive as ever."

"Sigh! I think it's just a ring fight, there's no need to cripple them, that's too cruel."

"Get out of here! If you're so compassionate, why don't you become a 'saintly man' or become a bald monk, chanting 'Buddha's mercy' all day long?"

"Hahaha... Fellow Daoist is right, this kind of person deserves to be scolded."

On another arena, Xuan Yuanqing, dressed in an imperial robe, stood atop a high platform, looking down upon all living beings.

His opponent was a renowned prodigy from the southern part of the Central Continent, who also possessed the cultivation level of the late stage of the Saint Realm, wielded the superior-grade Saint Artifact Panlong Spear, and had once dominated the younger generation in the south. He was extremely ambitious.

Knowing full well the immense danger of facing the prodigies of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan, his fighting spirit remained undiminished, eager to hone his skills against them. Victory would ensure his place in history, and he might even have the chance to join an Emperor-level power!

"Young Master Xuanyuan, please allow me to experience the superior skills of the Imperial Clan!"

The prodigy roared, his fighting spirit surging, his spear trembling and emitting a dragon's roar. Thousands of spear beams tore through the sky, carrying the power to rip through mountains, and went straight for Xuan Yuanqing's throat. Every move was ruthless and left no room for mercy!

Below the arena, everyone held their breath, for this single shot contained a terrifying intent!

Faced with such a terrifying attack, Xuan Yuanqing stood rooted to the spot, unmoved, his eyes filled with indifference and contempt, and he coldly snorted:

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, it's futile and overestimating one's own strength."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pure and exquisite sword intent burst forth from his fingertips.

The sword light illuminated the entire arena, its speed reaching its limit, silent and swift, cutting through the air in an instant!

Click—!

The spear intent that the southern prodigy was so proud of crumbled inch by inch, and the Panlong Spear flew out of his hand and fell to the ground.

Before he could show any horror or retreat, Xuan Yuanqing raised his hand and channeled two golden rays of light into the meridians of his arms!

Click!Click!

Two crisp cracking sounds rang out!

Ah...ah...ah!

A scream could be heard throughout Tiandu Square.

His arms were shattered inch by inch, his meridians completely destroyed, and his immense fighting power instantly vanished to zero. Like a bird with broken wings, he crashed heavily onto the arena, covered in blood, utterly incapacitated and unable to cultivate or fight again!

These are the only two moves!

Again, they cripple people without killing them!

Xuan Yuanqing's methods were ruthless and domineering. He would destroy the enemy's foundation with a single move, showing no mercy. This fully demonstrated the supreme majesty of the imperial clan, which was unchallenged and could not be offended!

He put his hands behind his back and finished his stance, his gaze sweeping coldly over his fallen opponent without a trace of pity, before turning and leaving the ring!

In the following battles, only a handful of people from the Emperor-level forces were eliminated, leaving about twenty people remaining in each Emperor-level force.

The overwhelming battles fought by the nine imperial clans were awe-inspiring, making all ordinary geniuses fully realize the vast gap between top geniuses and ordinary talents.

On the high platform, as the referee elder's gaze swept across the entire arena, his voice resounded throughout Tiandu Square:

"The first round of competition has concluded! A total of 277 prodigies have advanced to the second round, divided into 138 groups for head-to-head matches. One player still receives a bye. All advancing prodigies will now rest! In half an hour, they will return to the stage to draw lots to begin the second round of the prodigy battle!"