Chapter 499: Battle of the Strong

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The moment the words were spoken, Elder Dong and all the other experts present for the inner court assessment shot forward. They unleashed their terrifying auras without reservation, completely surrounding Duan Tianlang and his four companions.

"Duan Tianlang, what do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to declare all-out war with Gale Light Academy?" Elder Dong stood before Duan Tianlang, seething with rage as he bellowed.

"Xuan Ye, are you alright?" Qingfeng, meanwhile, had instantly appeared in front of Ye Xuan to prevent a second attack from Crazy Battle, his face full of concern.

"I’m fine."

Ye Xuan shook his head as a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His Rock Armor was covered in a dense web of cracks, a clear sign he had taken considerable damage from the last blow, but his life was not in danger.

’Damn it. He even managed to escape an opportunity like this. How could that kid’s reflexes be so fast?’

Crazy Battle stared ferociously up at Ye Xuan in the sky, his expression dark and gloomy.

They had planned this scheme to kill Ye Xuan before even coming to Gale Light Academy, but they never imagined that it still wouldn’t be enough.

’Those purple wings must be the Spiritual Treasure refined by Lu Li of the Sky Empire. It’s what he used to escape from Qin Feng. But what about that King Level, blond-haired youth? Why hasn’t he shown up yet?’

Crazy Battle’s goal in attacking wasn’t just to kill Ye Xuan; it was also to lure out the blond-haired youth backing him. He never expected that even under these circumstances, the youth still wouldn’t appear.

High in the sky, Ye Xuan stared coldly down at Crazy Battle.

Ruthless. Utterly ruthless.

To kill him, the Profound Mystery Sect had dared to make a move right inside Gale Light Academy, showing absolutely no regard for the lives of the other students.

If not for his superior strength, keen observation, and constant vigilance for Crazy Battle’s attack, any other disciple in his place would have been dead several times over.

’Profound Mystery Sect!’ At that moment, a vast ocean of killing intent surged in Ye Xuan’s heart.

This disregard for human life, treating it as if it were worthless, had thoroughly enraged him.

"Duan Tianlang, do you have anything to say for yourself? If you don’t give Gale Light Academy an explanation today, none of you will be walking out of here!" Elder Dong roared from the sky.

Duan Tianlang didn’t answer, instead casting a cold glance at Crazy Battle.

"Sect Master Duan, I didn’t expect the kid’s reflexes to be so fast, either. He actually escaped. And the blond-haired youth never appeared," Crazy Battle hurriedly explained via voice transmission.

"Hmph. Incompetent fool," Duan Tianlang transmitted back with a cold snort. "Proceed with Plan B."

He then turned to Elder Dong and the others and sneered, "An explanation? What explanation? Does the Profound Mystery Sect need to give Gale Light Academy an explanation for apprehending a wanted criminal?"

"Insolent!"

"Duan Tianlang, it seems you truly wish to make an enemy of Gale Light Academy."

Elder Dong and the others were utterly enraged, their eyes glinting with killing intent. "Since it has come to this, then you can all stay! We will require your Sect Master, Tang Zhao, to come and explain this himself. Otherwise, you’ll spend the rest of your lives inside Gale Light Academy!"

"That’s right! Make them stay and give Gale Light Academy an explanation!"

Lu Jun and the others shouted angrily. They hovered in the sky, completely surrounding the group from the Profound Mystery Sect.

"Hahaha! Give your academy an explanation? I haven’t even demanded one from you yet! Besides, do you really think the few of you can stop us?"

Duan Tianlang said with a cold laugh.

"It seems there’s nothing left to say."

"Attack."

Duan Tianlang’s rampant arrogance thoroughly infuriated everyone.

BOOM!

Elder Dong, Elder Yao, and the others drew their weapons and charged forward.

There were a total of six instructors from Gale Light Academy on the field: Elder Dong, Elder Yao, Lu Jun, Qingfeng, Wang Feng, and Wu Qing.

Among them, Elder Dong, Elder Yao, and Lu Jun were the strongest, being Tier Seven Second Layer Martial Kings. Qingfeng and the other two were Tier Seven First Layer Martial Kings.

The Profound Mystery Sect, on the other hand, had five Martial King experts plus a mutated Demon Beast. The two sides were not evenly matched.

In just an instant, both sides found their opponents.

SWOOSH!

Crazy Battle immediately shot toward Ye Xuan, his determination to kill him not having wavered in the slightest.

"Xuan Ye, fall back!"

Qingfeng shouted to Ye Xuan before moving to intercept Crazy Battle.

"Is it really worth it for Gale Light Academy to go head-to-head with our Profound Mystery Sect over a single student?"

Crazy Battle said through gritted teeth, "The only one we want to kill is this Xuan Ye."

"There is no ’worth it’ or ’not worth it.’ This is the founding principle of Gale Light Academy, and it is our creed. We wouldn’t let the Profound Mystery Sect run wild here for even an ordinary person, let alone a talented student."

"Hmph. Then don’t blame me for being merciless."

"Hmph. Enough nonsense. Our last fight wasn’t satisfying. This time, I’ll make sure you don’t leave here alive."

Qingfeng let out an angry roar and clashed violently with Crazy Battle.

BOOM!

A golden wheel of light and a cyan longsword clashed repeatedly, sending out ripples of cyan and gold and stirring up earth-shattering shockwaves.

On the other side, the battle had already begun.

"The world says Gale Light Academy is the head of the three great powers. Today, I’ll see for myself what you’re really made of."

Leng Wuji stood proudly in the sky like a winter plum in the snow. Icy snowflakes drifted around him, seeming to freeze the very world.

His gaze was proud and solitary, but his saber was even more so, like a lonely warrior gazing coldly upon an indifferent world.

"As you wish."

Facing Leng Wuji was Wu Qing, an instructor from the academy’s Martial Artist Element. He held a battle saber, veins bulging all over his body, his fighting spirit immense.

As their auras collided, the contest began in an instant.

If Leng Wuji was a cold and solitary swordsman, then Wu Qing was a passionate and hot-blooded warrior.

One’s saber was cold and sharp.

The other’s saber was tyrannical and fervent.

A duel between saber masters was no ordinary affair.

Evil Kill was fighting Wang Feng.

"Jie jie jie." Evil Kill’s figure was like a black phantom, flickering in and out of existence in the void.

Streams of deathly black energy, containing the power to annihilate anything, swirled around him.

"Hmph. Skulking in the shadows."

Wang Feng wielded a long spear. A cyan cyclone swirled at its tip, and every thrust was accompanied by a massive explosive boom.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhanlun was fighting Elder Yao. Zhou Zhanlun cultivated the Path of Beast Taming, and fighting alongside his mutated Demon Beast, Kuidi, his combat prowess was astonishing. Only someone like Elder Yao could hope to stand against him.

"I’ll deal with Duan Tianlang."

Lu Jun, his eyes bloodshot, once again faced Duan Tianlang.

"You alone?"

Duan Tianlang sneered. He stood proudly in the sky, and with a thrust of his purple longsword, the air filled with scattering cherry blossoms, forcing the roaring Lu Jun to fall back again and again.

PSH!

A flash of sword light passed, and another bloody gash appeared on Lu Jun’s chest.

"Damn it!"

Lu Jun roared furiously, unleashing his Barbarian King’s Tyrant Fist to its absolute limit, yet he still couldn’t fend off Duan Tianlang’s relentless assault.

"Bursting Body Skill!"

Streams of grayish-cyan light swirled around Lu Jun. In an instant, his body swelled, his arms grew thick, and he began to resemble a giant.

"Break for me!"

BOOM!

He threw an iron fist, and the very winds and clouds were swept up in its wake. The entire sky seemed to tremble from the blow, sending out astonishing ripples.

’Hm? His power increased by about thirty percent in an instant, and his speed by ten percent. A little interesting.’

Duan Tianlang raised an eyebrow, but his expression remained full of confidence. His purple longsword transformed into a single purple flower petal and suddenly collided with Lu Jun’s iron fist.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The continuous sound of clashing metal echoed through the void. With every strike, it seemed as if the sky itself would be pierced, gushing out enormous halos of Profound Power.

"What a powerful clash."

In the distance, countless students murmured as they watched the battle above the fighting arena. The immense power and pressure made every one of them tremble to their core.

Although many of the students present came from powerful factions and had seen Martial King Level experts before, a scene like this—with nearly a dozen of them clashing at once—was a first for almost all of them.

CHH!

Spreading his purple lightning wings, Ye Xuan watched the distant scene with a cold, indifferent gaze.

’Something isn’t right.’

His brow furrowed deeply.

It was a fact that he had killed the Profound Mystery Sect’s elder, Gale, but Crazy Battle’s accusation was based on little more than speculation. He had no proof.

Given the Profound Mystery Sect’s power, there was absolutely no need for them to offend Gale Light Academy just to avenge a single elder.

After all, both Gale Light Academy and the Profound Mystery Sect were among the three great powers of the Dream Realm Plain. To openly antagonize the academy over a single elder was to lose sight of the big picture and simply ask for trouble.

As for the idea that the Profound Mystery Sect had heard of his talent and wanted to strangle him in the cradle, that was even more ridiculous.

It might have been understandable if the Profound Mystery Sect’s experts came to demand he be handed over. But to immediately resort to an all-out battle after being refused was highly unusual.

No matter how talented he was, he was still just a Tier Five Martial Sect. To the Profound Mystery Sect, he was utterly insignificant. There would be countless opportunities to kill him in the future; there was no need to tear away all pretenses with Gale Light Academy like this.

The Profound Mystery Sect’s actions now seemed more like they were just causing trouble for the sake of causing trouble.

’What is the Profound Mystery Sect’s real goal?’

One question after another surfaced in Ye Xuan’s mind.

By now, the fiery battle had reached a white-hot stage.

With their numerical superiority, the experts from Gale Light Academy gradually forced the Profound Mystery Sect into a disadvantageous position.

’This can’t go on.’

Duan Tianlang’s brow furrowed.

’In that case...’

In the midst of the battle, a cold sneer suddenly formed on Duan Tianlang’s lips.

WHOOSH!

An even more severe light suddenly erupted from his purple longsword, and the aura from his body surged in the same instant.

"Spirit of the Nether Dream—Thousand Phantoms Flash Annihilation."

A sky full of purple sword light swept out, instantly tearing through Lu Jun’s defenses and leaving a series of bloody wounds.

Coughing up blood, Lu Jun let out a pained scream as his bleeding body was sent flying backward.