The Sovereign's Ascension

Two Sword Condors hovered above the Burial Sword Peak with two elders standing on them. It was naturally Bai Ting and Luo Feng. Above them, bolts of lightning would flash in the thunderclouds. The Sword Tomb was a lot more empty now. The number of participants was further reduced to a few dozen.

The brutality in the second round increased when everyone discovered the true use of the crystal. There were people being eliminated at every second, either by Flaming Souls or other disciples. When the disciples obtained a Flaming Soul, they would immediately try to run away.

The dozens left in the Sword Tomb were filled with ambition. They wanted to increase their rankings by hunting Flaming Souls and they were all elites who were capable of taking out the Flaming Souls alone.

Chu Haoyu was naturally at the center of the storm since his Cloudstun Sword was in complete mastery. His sword technique was brilliant and he could hunt a Flaming Soul within ten moves. He was so powerful that no one dared to come close to him out of fear of being dragged into the storm.

Ye Xiu and Jiang Feng weren’t any inferior as the two of them joined hands together. One had dense origin energy, while the other had a shocking physique. When they joined forces together, they hunted the Flaming Souls even faster than Chu Haoyu.

As for Chang Wu, he merely relied on Firecloud Art to hunt the Flaming Souls. The density of his origin also constantly improved as he refined the crystals.

He received more benefits in refining the crystals compared to everyone else. This was due to his high compatibility with the crystals. After refining one crystal, he could sense that he was going to make a breakthrough to the sixth stage.

His radiance wasn’t any inferior to Lin Yun. Anyone who came after him would be ruthlessly suppressed. So after a few rounds, no one dared to go after him anymore.

“Tsk tsk, it’s finally coming to an end. Old geezer, you seem pretty composed,” said Bai Ting coldly.

“What makes you think so?” replied Luo Feng.

“I don’t believe that you can’t tell that Chu Haoyu, Chang Wu, Jiang Feng, and Ye Xiu were pushovers. The reason why they’re not going after Lin Yun right now isn’t because Lin Yun is strong,” smiled Bai Ting.

Looking at the situation down below, Luo Feng’s expression turned grave as he stood on the Sword Condor. Coming this far, the slightest weakness would be amplified. So if Lin Yun revealed a weakness, everyone would swarm him like locusts without any hesitation.

As spectators, they could see many people being knocked out of the sea of flames. The differences in one’s stride also began to seem more obvious. This also highlighted the importance of trump cards.

Lin Yun had only been using the Dragon-Tiger Fist to suppress his opponents, but in reality, he had revealed too much. If he encountered an opponent that he couldn’t suppress instantly, it would reveal the weakness in his cultivation.

The reason why no one touched Lin Yun was that they had seen through his trump cards. So if they were going to make their move, they would strike fiercely without giving Lin Yun the chance to breathe.

Looking at Luo Feng’s face, Bai Ting sneered, “Chu Haoyu, Chang Wu, Jiang Feng, and Ye Xiu are all raising him like livestock. They’re waiting for him to mature before they take him out. Haha!”

“You’re saying that as if you can predict the future,” replied Luo Feng.

“Our strength is equal, so I don’t believe that you can’t see Lin Yun’s weakness. He only joined the sect for six months, so how can his trump cards possibly compete with the others? How can he possibly compete with Chu Haoyu? He won’t even be able to compete with Chang Wu,” smiled Bai Ting.

Luo Feng’s face was dark and he merely snorted. He couldn’t help feeling worried for Lin Yun because Lin Yun’s time in the sect was too short. His trump cards had already been seen. Surely everyone would go after him in the final battle.

The Sword Tomb calmed down right at this moment because the last Flaming Soul died to Jiang Feng and Luo Feng. The atmosphere suddenly became abnormal with only ten people left. There was no doubt that these ten would place in the top ten. Not only would they receive a sumptuous reward, but their name would also shake the entire Sword Firmament Pavilion.

Many top ten on the Mortal Ranking and inner disciples had been eliminated. This would continue until there was one person left in the Alliance-Union Battle. But when everyone looked at Chu Haoyu’s crimson sword, Chang Wu’s playful smile, and Ye Xiu and Jiang Feng standing together, they felt immense pressure.

The gaze of the crowd was focused on their faces before they forfeited by leaving the Sword Tomb’s borders. As for those knocked into the sea of flames, they left with the flames. But the outcome was completely different for these groups. The former method of being eliminated allowed one to keep their life, while the latter method meant death.

Once one person left, more people began to forfeit the Alliance-Union Battle. The number of disciples left instantly dropped to half. 

“Is the final battle starting?” The disciples standing at the border wore a grave expression.

“Why is it so calm now? It feels even more frightening for some reason…”

“Yeah. Everyone’s eyes were bloodshot just a moment ago. However, the sudden calmness feels abnormal.”

“So everyone left now is fighting for the position of champion. Look, Lin Yun is still in there!”

“He wants to fight to be the champion?”

As more people forfeited, Lin Yun started to stand out. Compared to the likes of Chu Haoyu and Chang Wu, he seemed more tender, which revealed the gap between their ages.

“Big Sister, is Big Brother Lin going to fight to be the champion?” asked Lin Yan uneasily. She couldn’t help feeling nervous.

“He will either give up or fight for it. But if he fights for it, he will definitely become the champion,” said Li Wuyou. Lin Yun was already in the top ten, but Li Wuyou knew that Lin Yun wouldn’t give up so easily without trying.

“This Alliance-Union Battle is too brutal…” sighed Lin Qiushan. No one could rely on luck at this point. She didn’t know how to reply to Lin Yan when her gaze fell onto Lin Yun’s youthful figure. There were five people left in the Sword Tomb and Lin Yun had grudges with three of them, which excluded Chang Wu. If Lin Yun continued to stay there, the situation would be unfavourable for him.

On the observation platform, all the disciples and elders wore a grave expression. They knew that the decisive battle was going to take place and many people were shocked to see Lin Yun was still there. After all, no one was optimistic about him before this. Most of them even felt that he wouldn’t make it into the second round.

But Lin Yun obtained the Imperial Sword Herb under the persona of Zhong Yunxiao and suppressed the top ten on the Mortal Ranking. At the same time, his Dragon-Tiger Fist, Seven Profound Steps, and Dracophant Battle Physique shut the mouths of those who doubted him.

He was one of the last five people standing. This left many people who weren't optimistic about him shocked.

“He’s not satisfied with just being in the top ten?”

“He’s in the top five if he forfeits now. It’s a prideful achievement for him to stay in the Alliance-Union Battle, but it’s a pity that he’s not satisfied.”

“It’s unwise to be too greedy. It’ll be a pity if he threw away his prospects and lost his life in the Sword Tomb.”

The elders had all changed their impression of Lin Yun, and there was concern in their tone. After all, Lin Yun only joined the sect for six months, so his foundation was weaker than everyone else who was still standing in the Alliance-Union Battle.

Xin Yan also wore a grave expression. She couldn’t help feeling worried about Lin Yun. But even so, she still gnashed her teeth and watched the Alliance-Union Battle.

The sea of flames continued to blaze in the Sword Tomb, which released sword buzzing noises. The atmosphere felt like there was ice and fire that were fusing together. The stars in everyone’s jade plaques were shining so brightly that it enveloped the five of them.

Lin Yun remained because he didn’t have a reason to leave. He didn’t say anything to Xin Yan, but he already promised in his heart that he would become the champion for the Locket Mountain. He would respect those who respected him. It went without saying for Xin Yan since she had helped him greatly. Therefore, he had to become the champion no matter what.

“It looks like I’m being treated as the pushover.” Lin Yun smirked when he sensed everyone’s gaze. In the next second, all four of them charged at him together without any warning. It was as if they had already reached an agreement beforehand.