You've Won

Everyone was stunned, including the students from Imperial Academy. 

Chen Kong had easily withstood what they thought would be a sure defeat without expending much effort. 

"Is he really that strong?" The disciples of Yuan Sword Sect felt the most conflicted. 

Initially feeling humiliated because of Lu Feng, they were thrilled to see Chen Kong acting so arrogantly. 

When Chen Kong got trapped by the duster whisk and attacked by various weapons, they were ready to mock him upon his defeat. 

Their own weakness didn't matter as long as they could demean the enemy to be weaker. Chen Kong had given them the perfect opportunity. 

However, the outcome didn't turn out as they wished. Their prepared taunts got stuck in their throats, unable to be voiced. 

They felt as if they had swallowed something vile and unpleasant. 

"Wow—Chen Kong, mighty as ever!" 

A thunderous cheer erupted from the Imperial Academy camp. 

"Don't hold back, form the formation!" Chu Chenzi stopped his move to rescue Chen Kong and commanded in a low voice. 

Now, he was no longer worried about whether Chen Kong would be seriously injured or killed by his senior brothers. Instead, he began to worry if the ten of them might actually lose. 

If they did lose, Yunxiao Palace would be utterly humiliated. 

Upon hearing this, the ten disciples' faces grew serious. Chen Kong's defensive strength far exceeded their understanding. 

Yunxiao Palace had a secret formation known as the Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation, which almost every personal disciple trained in. 

This formation could effectively combine the power of seven individuals to produce an effect greater than the sum of its parts. 

The seven highest-ranking members of the ten quickly changed positions, forming the shape of the Big Dipper. 

With their true qi surging, their aura climbed, each nearly reaching the level of a Ninth rank Grandmaster. 

The remaining three didn't remain idle either. They formed a Three Talents Formation, slightly boosting their aura, and led the next wave of attacks on Chen Kong. 

The attacks from the Three Talents Formation were dazzling, like the sun and moon competing in brightness, stinging everyone's eyes. 

Chen Kong's nearly white eyes narrowed, and he formed hand seals. A terrifying golden giant finger materialized. 

The ground beneath his feet underwent a mysterious ecological transformation. Some grass and trees in the large plaza seemed to experience withering and blooming within a short moment. 

"Heavenly phenomenon! Be careful, it's a heavenly-rank martial skill!" The disciples of Yunxiao Palace were alarmed, and the Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation operated at full speed. 

Seven gusts of qi, compressed to the extreme by the formation, converged. 

Seven points of seven colors, forming the shape of the Big Dipper, followed the Three Talents Formation's attack, jointly striking the enormous golden fingerprint. 

"Is this the heavenly-rank martial skill you acquired from the Fallen Leaf King's tomb?" Zhou Xuanqing's face changed. The power of the Withering Finger was even greater than an average heavenly-rank martial skill. 

Yunxiao Palace also possessed heavenly-rank martial skills, but only the founder's legacy could compare to the power of the Withering Finger. 

"Heh, we must thank the brothers from Yuan Sword Sect for their generosity. Our Imperial Academy owes at least half of the credit for obtaining this heavenly-rank martial skill to them!" Fu Qing laughed; his words full of sarcasm aimed at Qin Wufeng. 

Qin Wufeng's face darkened, wanting to cut off Fu Qing's tongue. The failure in the Fallen Leaf King's tomb was the most embarrassing event in Yuan Sword Sect's history. 

First, their treasure hunt yielded nothing, and ten of them were killed by one, with eight dead. Then, the top two on the Young Qilin Ranking were defeated by Chen Kong, who fought alone against them. 

Lastly, he, a Martial Emperor-realm deputy sect leader, was chased and hacked at by Fu Qing. 

It was so humiliating that no one in Yuan Sword Sect dared to mention it for a whole year. 

Luckily, Lin Yang's success had brought some honor back to the sect by claiming the top spot on the Young Qilin Ranking, easing Qin Wufeng's mind slightly. 

He planned to bring his disciples to Yunxiao Palace for an exchange and to relax. 

But encountering Fu Qing again ruined his mood from the moment they arrived via the teleportation array. 

He cursed inwardly: 'Damn Wang Hua, if only you hadn't exposed yourself! Otherwise, the Blue Flame Empire would have invaded the capital by now, and he'd be chasing Fu Qing down.' 

He would have slaughtered everyone in Imperial Academy without mercy! 

Unfortunately, with Wang Hua's exposure, the Blue Flame Empire missed its chance to advance, and was ordered by the Holy Land to compensate Tianxuan Empire heavily. 

Now, Tianxuan faced no imminent threat of annihilation. Those sects that usually paid lip service and were ambiguous in their stance with the empire now facing retribution. 

Despite Fu Qing being merely a Martial Emperor, he dared to brazenly speak against Yunxiao Palace. 

In reality, with the Blue Flame Empire no longer a check and the four major sects no longer united, the Empress alone could flatten a sect in an instant. 

"Can it be blocked?" Chu Chenzi's mindset had unknowingly shifted. 

He had gone from worrying about whether Chen Kong would be seriously injured or killed to worrying about whether Yunxiao Palace's Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation combined with the Three Talents Formation could withstand Chen Kong's attack. 

He regretted his arrogance, regretting that he hadn't personally entered the formation. If he were among the ten, anchoring the formation at the critical point, its power would be fifty percent stronger. 

However, the situation on the field did not surprise Mo Qingkuang. The combined power of these people through their formation had already surpassed the level of a grandmaster, but they were still just grandmasters. 

From the grandmaster level onwards, a spirit body could truly demonstrate its potential as a prodigy. So-called challenges across levels were merely routine. 

What Mo Qingkuang didn't know was that true prodigies, like Lan Xiao from Penglai Immortal Island, could challenge even one major realm higher without much difficulty. 

This was the terror of spirit bodies. 

The enormous power of Withering Finger did not disappoint the Imperial Academy students. The Three Talents' light cluster and the Seven Stars' points, upon contact with the Withering Finger, were like pebbles cast into the ocean. 

They created barely perceptible ripples before instantly collapsing, shattered by the Withering Finger's overwhelming force. 

After destroying the combined attack of the ten, the Withering Finger, still powerful and with an immense suppressive force, pressed down on the ten individuals. 

"No—" Chu Chenzi was horrified. The Withering Finger's power exceeded his estimates. 

Even his Yunxiao Palace's heavenly-rank martial skill, the 'Nine Syllable Truth,' could not compare. 

It wasn't the difference in the grade of the martial arts, but the person using it! 

He finally admitted that even if he personally took the field and coordinated with nine brothers of equal strength, they would not be a match for Chen Kong. 

No matter the outcome, losing was inevitable, but he couldn't let these brothers fall in this match; they were Yunxiao Palace's future backbone. 

However, he was powerless, as he had no confidence in blocking this finger. 

Just as he was desperate and in a critical situation, Zhou Xuanqing's figure suddenly appeared before the Withering Finger. The old Taoist uttered a clear command: "Lin!" 

There were no phenomena, no energy fluctuations, but with this single word, the relentless Withering Finger dissipated, vanishing into the void. 

The old Taoist's expression was complex. He didn't look at Chen Kong but turned to give Fu Qing a deep glance, letting out a long sigh: "You've won."