hhnovel Chapter 182: A Last-Ditch Effort
Chapter 182: A Last-Ditch Effort
With one last glance at the disciple, Fang Yuan committed his face to memory, silently adding him to his ever-growing kill list. He then turned towards Ji Mingxiu and, with a respectful bow, said, "I seek the Holy Lord’s permission to return to my cave mansion for healing."
Ji Mingxiu, not thinking much of it, nodded and replied casually, "Permission granted."
He then turned his gaze to the other contestants and added, "All disciples are allowed one hour of free movement. However, failure to return within the allotted time will result in disqualification from the competition!"
"Thank you, Holy Lord!" Fang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, bowed again in gratitude, then took out his flying artifact and headed back to his cave mansion.
In his wake, several other participating disciples also left their respective fighting platforms.
After all, not every disciple could recover under the intense gaze of the vast crowd; some anxiety was inevitable.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen remained in place. Positioned at the center of the arena designated for the top-ranked, he sat cross-legged, calmly ingesting pills to restore his depleted Origin Power.
As for Fang Yuan, Jiang Chen was certain he would seek the help of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.
Still, Jiang Chen felt no concern.
The strength Fang Yuan had shown during their last fight hadn’t even reached the level of a Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm cultivator.
Even if he made substantial progress within the hour, could he really ascend to the Dao Comprehension realm?
As long as that realm remained beyond Fang Yuan’s grasp, Jiang Chen was confident of his imminent victory.
...
On his way to his cave mansion, Fang Yuan carefully took pills to aid his recovery and healing.
In his final duel with Jiang Chen, he had used the self-damaging secret art, the Wild Spirit Explosion Art. It had not only consumed a large amount of his Origin Power but also caused internal injuries.
As soon as he reached the seclusion of his cave mansion, Fang Yuan activated a series of protective formations!
These defenses had been carefully reconfigured under the wise guidance of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.
While their ability to block divine sense was somewhat limited, providing only minimal protection against detection beyond the Inquiring Journey realm, the formations were extremely sensitive.
If even the slightest hint of a divine sense tried to penetrate, Fang Yuan would be alerted instantly!@@@@
With the formations activated, Fang Yuan let out a sigh of relief. Sitting on a stone bed, he sharpened his focus and directed his divine sense toward the Soul Embodying Ring.
In an instant, he established contact with Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.
"Esteemed seniors! This victory is of great importance to me! Considering the formidable challenge Jiang Chen poses, I humbly seek your guidance!" Fang Yuan pleaded, his expression serious.
...
Time continued its relentless march, and in what felt like the blink of an eye, a whole half-hour had passed.
Suddenly, Fang Yuan, who had been sitting perfectly still, trembled, and his eyes snapped open. For a moment, a blood-red light flickered within them, filled with an insatiable thirst for battle.
It was clear that Fang Yuan had successfully mastered the Vigorous Sift Diagram.
Feeling the surge of combat power he could unleash with the Vigorous Sift Diagram, Fang Yuan clenched his fists in exhilaration, his heart swelling with confidence.
’This time, I will surely defeat Jiang Chen! The victory is mine, the Holy Son’s title is mine, Ji Ruxue is mine—everything is mine! Everything is mine!’
Without hesitation, he stood up and left his cave mansion. Once outside, he summoned his flying artifact and set off toward the bustling main square of the Purple Heaven Holy Land.
Before long, the vast plaza, filled with countless people, came into range of Fang Yuan’s divine sense.
Most of the assembled cultivators had their gazes fixed on Jiang Chen, their eyes filled with awe, admiration, fanaticism, adoration, obsession, and a range of other emotions.
Seeing this, Fang Yuan’s eyes flashed with a cold glint as he thought, ’Just you wait! The ultimate victor will be me! All of you will regret your judgments!’ He then descended onto the fighting platform reserved for the second-ranked contender.
Of course, Fang Yuan’s arrival quickly caught the attention of the disciples nearby.
"Fang Yuan has arrived!" an anonymous voice shouted.
"Oh, he’s actually brave enough to show up. I thought he’d be too embarrassed to appear!"
"Look at him, really pushing the limits of the time allowed. How much could he improve in just an hour? And how many breaths will he last against Senior Brother Jiang Chen’s strength? Let’s wait and see!"
While the crowd continued to voice their thoughts, most of them filled with mockery and ridicule, Jiang Chen also noticed Fang Yuan’s arrival.
’Judging by his demeanor, it seems he has made some improvements,’ he observed quietly. ’Yet, it doesn’t look like he’s reached the Dao Comprehension realm. My guess is probably right.’
Despite his thoughts, Jiang Chen remained cautious, keeping a healthy level of vigilance toward this Son of Heavenly Fate.
He was ready for any unexpected twists!
At this point, he had accumulated a considerable amount of Villain Value. Using it to exchange for treasures filled with abundant qi and blood energy was entirely possible.
If any unforeseen circumstances arose, he would exchange his Villain Value points for treasures containing qi and blood energy, allowing him to quickly master new cultivation methods!
With this approach, victory over Fang Yuan was almost certain!
Just then, the Elder overseeing the competition announced loudly, "Time’s up! We now declare the ranking competition officially open!"
He paused briefly to gather the attention of all the contenders, then nodded and said, "Disciples, please select your challenge targets!"