Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin: I Set Taboos in the Heavens

With the draw results finalized, Yunhe from the Sea God Academy was surprisingly eliminated, meaning he would be automatically guaranteed a spot in the top three without having to compete in the semifinals.

This luck is astonishing, yet no one questions it.

The two semi-final matches, however, captivated everyone's attention.

The first match was between Fang Qing and Hua Piaomiao.

On the arena, Fang Qing and Hua Piaomiao stood facing each other.

Hua Piaomiao was as ethereal and aloof as the moon, with illusory images of the sun and moon appearing and disappearing around her, her aura ethereal yet vast.

Fang Qingze is as deep as a pool and as imposing as a mountain, with the essence of the Five Elements contained within.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, please."

Hua Piaomiao's voice was clear and melodious, showing little hostility. She knew that her younger sister, Hua Fengfeng, was on good terms with Yang Qi, and that this battle was more of a friendly exchange to test their skills.

"Fellow Daoist Hua, please."

Fang Qing nodded with a smile.

The battle began, and Hua Piaomiao made the first move.

With a gentle wave of her jade-like hand, she formed the "Sun Wheel Seal" with her left hand, and a dazzling golden sun phantom condensed in the sky, its scorching heat bursting forth and burning the void. At the same time, she formed the "Moonlight Seal" with her right hand, and a clear, bright silver moon phantom appeared, casting endless cold light and freezing everything.

The sun and moon shine together, yin and yang rotate, light and darkness intertwine, instantly transforming the arena into a realm where the sun and moon shine together.

"The Sun and Moon Shining Together Ceremony of the Sun and Moon Academy truly lives up to its reputation!"

The audience gasped in amazement.

When this technique is cultivated to a high level, it can transform the sun and moon, control yin and yang, and possess boundless power.

Immediately afterwards, Hua Piaomiao's figure swayed, splitting into two, then into four... In an instant, nine of her figures appeared on the arena.

Each one was imbued with a solid aura, making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake; it was another unique skill of the Sun and Moon Academy—the Nine Luminaries Illusionary Body.

Nine figures each displayed their unique skills. Some used the "Great Sun Burning Heaven Palm," whose palm wind was as scorching as lava; some used the "Mysterious Ice Moonlight Finger," whose finger force was icy cold; some manifested the "Sun and Moon Divine Sword," whose sword energy crisscrossed; and some activated the "Yin-Yang Millstone," grinding away at the void...

Nine attack methods, encompassing palm, finger, sword, seal, and domain techniques, fully demonstrate the profound foundation of Sun Moon Academy.

Despite the magnificent and powerful offensive, Fang Qing remained calm.

Instead of rushing to counterattack and break the deadlock, he conjured a Five Elements Canopy above his head, with strands of five-colored necklaces hanging down to protect his body.

At the same time, he used profound footwork to weave through the gaps in the attacks of the nine figures, using his hands—fists, palms, and fingers—to skillfully respond according to the principles of the five elements.

He used the power of water to nourish and neutralize the intense heat of the scorching sun.

The rising of "fire" counteracts the extreme cold of "mysterious ice and moonlight".

With the sharpness of "metal," it cleaves through the edge of the "sun and moon divine sword."

With the weight of "earth element", it bears the pressure of the "yin-yang millstone".

The vitality of the "wood element" permeates the illusory and real changes of the "Nine Luminaries Illusionary Body".

Now that we've come to this world, we still need to learn and understand some things.

Struggle is not the goal; progress is.

The two fought for about two hundred moves. Hua Piaomiao had used seventy or eighty percent of what she had learned, but she still could not break through Fang Qing's seemingly simple but actually infinitely varied Five Elements Defense, nor could she detect his true location.

She sighed inwardly, knowing that her opponent's strength was unfathomable and that he was clearly holding back, using this battle to hone his skills and test his knowledge.

"Fellow Daoist Fang's cultivation is profound; I admire him greatly."

Hua Piaomiao withdrew her attack, the nine figures merged into one, the illusory images of the sun and moon dissipated, she breathed slightly, fine beads of sweat seeped from her smooth forehead, clearly she had expended a lot of energy.

"Continuing to fight would only be a waste of our energy. I concede defeat in this battle."

She wasn't without trump cards, but those were all deadly moves, clearly unsuitable for sparring.

Moreover, she had already achieved her goal of verifying what she had learned and making friends with strong people. Furthermore, because of her sister, she had no ill feelings towards Fang Qing, so it was better to admit defeat gracefully and save face.

Fang Qing also dispersed the Five Elements Canopy, cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist Hua, you flatter me. The unique skills of the Sun and Moon Academy are indeed profound and extensive. I have benefited greatly from them."

What should have been an incredibly intense duel ended in a relatively peaceful, even somewhat sympathetic, manner.

Fang Qing successfully advanced to the finals.

In contrast to the harmony of this battle, the decisive battle between Yang Qi and Yun Hailan was filled with a fierce and relentless killing intent from the very beginning.

On the stage, Yang Qi stared intently at the woman opposite him, a woman of stunning beauty whom he hated to the core.

Yun Hailan, dressed in white, looked ethereal and otherworldly, yet a cold and mocking smile played on her lips.

"Yang Qi."

Yun Hailan spoke, her voice clear and melodious, but her words were as sharp as poison needles: "I have given you countless chances, but unfortunately you were blinded by hatred and lost your mind, thinking that you had a fortuitous encounter and could be invincible. It's a pity that you dared to oppose the Crown Prince for a little bit of insignificant hatred. You are utterly foolish and courting death."

"shut up!"

Yang Qi roared, "Yun Hailan! You lied to me and humiliated me, this is an irreconcilable feud! Today, I will repay you a hundredfold for everything you have done to me on this arena!"

"Stubborn!"

Yun Hailan sneered, a cold glint in her eyes, "Since you're courting death, I'll grant your wish! I'll show you what true power is!"

Without saying another word, she moved swiftly, instantly conjuring up hundreds of illusory figures that filled the entire arena.

Each figure exuded a solid aura and moved differently, as if they were all real beings.

"The Thousand Illusion World Pearl!"

Those with discerning eyes exclaimed in surprise. This was an extremely rare auxiliary magic weapon, not only capable of continuously replenishing its master's true energy, but also granting the user the supernatural power of "creating countless clones." Each phantom possessed strength and attack power similar to the real body, making it impossible to defend against. Hundreds of "Yun Hai Lan" moved simultaneously, unleashing their fists in unison, their fist intent vast and their imperial might permeating the air.

"Emperor's Divine Fist!"

Rumble!
As if the sky had collapsed, behind every shadow of clouds and mist, a huge purple vortex appeared, with purple energy flowing endlessly from the east.

A blurry figure of an emperor, wearing a flat-topped crown and imperial robes, appears and disappears within the scene, as if communicating with the will of the heavens.

Endless, majestic purple energy poured down from the sky like a torrential rain, enveloping the entire arena.

Hundreds of fist shadows, carrying the majesty of the emperor and the wrath of heaven, bombarded Yang Qi from all directions.

Each punch contained unparalleled power, demonstrating the true imperial-level qigong of "Emperor's Divine Fist" to its fullest extent.

Faced with this overwhelming and deceptively real terrifying attack, Yang Qi unexpectedly did not immediately unleash the ferocious power of the "Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Force".

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his boiling killing intent and hatred, his eyes becoming sharp as swords.

"Qiang!"

With a clang of the sword, he held a seemingly ordinary longsword that contained a sharp sword intent.

This is an ancient sword he acquired during his travels. Although not a priceless treasure, it is still incredibly sharp.

Yang Qi's figure transformed into a blurry streak of light, weaving and flashing amidst the countless fist shadows and the torrential rain of purple energy.

He didn't use any earth-shattering sword techniques, just the simplest thrusts, slashes, parries, smears, points, strikes, and interceptions. Each sword strike was precise, swift, and ruthless to the extreme, directly targeting the weakest and most critical points in those phantom attacks.

His swordsmanship subtly contains a heavy artistic conception that suppresses everything and destroys all laws. It is the manifestation of the power essence of "Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Force" integrated into the sword moves. However, it is extremely subtle and difficult for outsiders to perceive. They only feel that his sword momentum is as heavy as a mountain, yet as fast as lightning, and extremely strange.

"Chichichichi...!"

Sword light and fist shadows collided and annihilated each other continuously.

With his exquisite swordsmanship, Yang Qi managed to carve out a small safe zone amidst the raging storm of attacks.

He kept wandering around, probing, searching for Yun Hailan's true location and the operating rules of the "Thousand Illusion World Pearl".

Yun Hailan grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.

Her "Thousand Illusion World Pearl" combined with "Emperor's Divine Fist" has caused many masters of the same level to die. Often, before the enemy could even find her true form, they would be exhausted or severely injured by endless attacks.

But Yang Qi was like a slippery eel, and his swordsmanship was cunning and ruthless. He could always neutralize her attacks with minimal cost, and even nearly pierced her true body several times!
"We can't delay any longer!"

A fierce glint flashed in Yun Hailan's eyes. Her true form was hidden behind layers of illusions. She formed a complex and profound hand seal with her hands. Purple energy gathered wildly around her, and the illusory image of the emperor behind her became clearer. An even more terrifying pressure, as if it were to punish on behalf of heaven, spread out.

Hundreds of phantoms returned to their positions and merged into her true form. Yun Hailan's aura surged instantly, and she threw a punch at Yang Qi from mid-air.

This punch seemed to drain all the surrounding purple energy, transforming into an incredibly thick purple fist aura crackling with lightning. Within the fist aura, the phantom of the emperor seemed to open its eyes, coldly staring at Yang Qi, declaring his death sentence!

The power of this punch is already infinitely close to that of a legendary strike!
Faced with this earth-shattering punch, Yang Qi's eyes suddenly burst forth with dazzling divine light, and it was as if billions of giant elephants were roaring within his body. An ancient, savage, and terrifying aura that suppressed hell erupted from his body.

"Waaaaah... Awooooo... Moo moo moo..."

A strange melody emanated from Yang Qi's body, not through the air, but directly resonating deep within Yun Hailan's soul.

This movement seems to be woven together by the wails of countless ancient evil gods, the weeping of hellish demons, and the majestic roar of divine elephants, filled with the atmosphere of the twilight of the end times and the desolation of the end of all things.

The Symphony of Twilight!
In the ancient legend of "The Divine Elephant Suppresses Hell", the divine elephant suppresses hell and commands countless powerful and evil gods of the underworld and hell.

When these suppressed evil gods join forces, they will play the twilight symphony. Wherever the symphony goes, all things wither, the laws collapse, and even the gods in the sky and the emperors on earth will walk towards twilight and meet their death in this ending melody.

"what?!"

Yun Hailan's expression changed drastically.

She felt her "Heavenly Punishment Fist," imbued with divine might, begin to disintegrate and dissipate under the erosion of this eerie melody. The illusory image of the emperor within the fist's energy emitted a silent lament and became blurred.

Even more terrifying was that the music directly affected her soul, making her feel a weariness, despair, and coldness from the depths of her soul, as if her life was rapidly slipping away and heading towards its end.

"No! Impossible! What kind of demonic art is this?!"

Yun Hailan screamed and frantically activated the "Thousand Illusion World Pearl" in an attempt to resist the erosion of the music, while retreating rapidly.

But it's too late.

As Yang Qi began playing the music, he took a step forward, seemingly traversing space, and appeared before the retreating Yun Hailan's true form.

His fist, enveloped in the twilight light, moved slowly, yet contained the power to end everything, gently pressing against Yun Hailan's chest.

"puff--!"

There was no violent explosion.

Yun Hailan's body was like a sand sculpture scattered by the wind, rapidly turning into countless points of light from the point where the fist landed and dissipating into the air.

Only the "Thousand Illusion World Pearl" fell to the ground with a clang, its light dimming.

The arena was deathly silent.

Yun Hailan... just like that, dead? Turned to ashes by Yang Qi's punch?
However, Yang Qi frowned slightly.

"Second Incarnation..."

He muttered to himself, his tone icy, "What a Yun Hailan! Her true form didn't even come; she only sent an avatar centered around the 'Thousand Illusion World Pearl' to participate! No wonder she's so confident!"

It turns out that what Yang Qi "killed" was not Yun Hailan herself, but a powerful avatar she created using a secret technique combined with the "Thousand Illusion World Pearl." It possessed most of the original's strength and memories, but was not a true life form.

The real Yun Hailan is probably already hiding somewhere safe under the protection of the Crown Prince.

Just as Yang Qi was about to pick up the Thousand Illusion World Pearl, a terrifying will descended.

The Crown Prince has actually arrived, wanting to reclaim Yang Qi's spoils of war! (End of Chapter)