Wang Xiaoqiang's True Qi palm struck Lin Jinghong's True Qi Shield, shattering it, but in the process of consuming Spiritual Power, the True Qi palm also dispersed.

Lin Jinghong was jolted back three steps, looking somewhat disheveled.

Barely stabilizing himself, Lin Jinghong glanced subconsciously at the audience below, more precisely, he was looking for the reactions of the female disciples of the North Sect. At this moment, he saw that several female disciples who usually had a good impression of him, including one of the three great beauties, Zhao Wushuang, were looking at him with astonished eyes, as if to say, "Is this still the charming and profound Senior Brother Lin who is so elegant? How could he be slapped into such a state of disarray?"

Seeing this scene, rage exploded within Lin Jinghong's heart. His eyebrows shot up, and his eyes, bloodshot with extreme fury, glared at Wang Xiaoqiang.

His handsome face turned the color of livid meat, the muscles around his eyes twitched, and he clasped his hands in front of him. All at once, immense Spiritual Power condensed in his hands...

"Wooden Dragon Technique!" Lin Jinghong roared, his hands suddenly parting, as surging Spiritual Energy condensed between his palms into a huge azure-colored dragon. With a ferocious howl, the dragon opened its mouth and charged at Wang Xiaoqiang with claws bared and teeth flashing.

"Wow, we're finally witnessing Brother Lin's Wooden Dragon Technique, so powerful..."

"The destructive power of the Wooden Dragon Technique ranks first among the Taiyi Sect's spell techniques, just like a giant bomb. Getting hit by it is not as simple as just being injured. It's likely that the body could be blasted into fragments..."

...

Once Lin Jinghong's Wooden Dragon Technique was unleashed, the disciples of the North Sect below the stage stirred up another round of discussions.

"Hmph!" Wang Xiaoqiang snorted coldly, raising his hands high over his head, as rolling Spiritual Energy condensed, transforming in his hands into a fiery red giant axe.

At that moment, the azure-colored dragon, with its unrivaled momentum, approached Wang Xiaoqiang. The berserk Spiritual Power blew his clothes about.

Wood dominates with vitality; Wood Element spells are most fierce and powerful. For berserk techniques associated with the Wood Attribute like this, close quarters are the most feared. Yet Wang Xiaoqiang insisted on waiting until the Azure Dragon was up close before slaughtering it. This violated a major taboo for cultivators. Fortunately, the hundred Spiritual Springs around him formed a Spiritual Spring light screen, blocking the berserk aura of the dragon. Otherwise, he would have been blown off the platform by the force of the dragon's fury much earlier.

Just as the Azure Dragon was about to strike the Spiritual Spring light screen, Wang Xiaoqiang's fiery red giant axe came swooping down toward the oncoming dragon.

Crack!

Boom!

Within the enormous sound, the red giant axe split the dragon's head in two. The dragon's body quickly disintegrated, turning into nothingness, while Wang Xiaoqiang's giant axe in his hand still remained, not dissipating in the exchange of True Qi.

This fiery red giant axe, a manifestation of the Fire Element Spiritual Energy within his body, was the bane of the Wood Element spell "Wooden Dragon Technique." Thus, although the two were equally matched in terms of cultivation base, in this exchange, Wang Xiaoqiang won decisively.

That wasn't all— the powerful shockwave spread out in all directions, knocking Lin Jinghong back, his steps faltering until he eventually fell to the ground, barely avoiding tumbling off the platform.

Wang Xiaoqiang was also pushed by the blast, but the layer of the Five Elements Spirit Spring forming a light shield in front of him blocked the powerful shockwave. Still, he was forced to retreat three steps.

The stage above and the audience below fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted into a booming discussion,

"Wang Xiaoqiang is too strong. Brother Lin's Wooden Dragon Technique didn't cause him any harm..."

"Yes, Brother Lin was on the offensive, and Wang Xiaoqiang was on the defensive, but in the end... Brother Lin ended up more disheveled than Wang Xiaoqiang. The outcome is already clear."

...

Listening to the discussions below, Lin Jinghong felt both shame and anger. He could not accept such a loss. He had made it into the top ten in the last large competition, and now, only at the start of this one, he was beaten so easily. How could he continue to show his face in the Taiyi Sect?

With that thought, he abruptly rose from the ground, and with a gesture of his right hand, a chain materialized in his hand. The entire chain was pitch-black and gleaming, thick as a child's arm and three meters long with sharp ends on both sides, looking quite sinister.

"What's that? It's Brother Lin's Magic Treasure, but what is it?"

"It looks so gloomy and terrifying..."

"Ah, this... could this be the Wuchang Chains?... Brother Lin has gone mad..."

"Hmph, boy, today I'm going to use these chains to send you to hell," Lin Jinghong said with a cold smile, staring at Wang Xiaoqiang.

"Is that so? Just with that broken chain in your hand, you think you can defeat me? Heh, you're quite the daydreamer," Wang Xiaoqiang retorted with a cold laugh.

"Seeking death," Lin Jinghong hissed coldly, as he channeled Spiritual Power into the chain in his hand, which immediately came to life, writhing around his body like a python. As it moved, it gradually grew thicker and longer, changing from the thickness of a child's arm to that of an adult's thigh, and from three meters to ten meters in length.

Whoosh...

Lin Jinghong's spiritual power surged as the chains, like a giant python, flashed with dark light and billowed with black Qi. With a sharp contraction and then a snap, they shot towards Wang Xiaoqiang.

"Fiend, if I'm not mistaken, what Lin Jinghong holds is the Wuchang Chains, the magic treasure of the evil cultivation madman, Dual-Faced Impermanence," the South Gate Taiyi Immortal's eyes intently followed the Wuchang Chains attacking Wang Xiaoqiang as he shouted angrily, "Lin Jinghong actually possesses a magic treasure from an evil cultivator, Hong Zhong, how do you explain this?"

Guo Shoujing spoke, pointing at the North Sect Leader, Hong Zhong, and demanded an explanation.

Hong Zhong's face immediately turned ghastly pale, cursing Lin Jinghong in his heart. You fiendish fool, not only are you incompetent, but do you also have to drag your mentor down with you? These Wuchang Chains belong to an evil cultivator; even if you possess them, you must not use them during the contest! Are you seeking your own death?

On the stage.

Watching the chain springing towards him like a crazed python, carrying a bone-chilling aura that seemed to brush against one's skin.

Wang Xiaoqiang dared not be careless. A hundred Spiritual Springs instantly became a shield in front of him, while his right hand reached into the air and grasped, summoning a fiery red Immortal Sword in his hand. The sword was entirely red, as if freshly taken out of a furnace, the very "Holy Flame Sword" passed down to him by the Taiyi Immortal.

Wang Xiaoqiang gripped the Holy Flame Sword, channeling fire element spiritual power into it, and immediately, a flame-like, yet not quite flame glow burst forth from the sword body, blazing and billowing as if a fierce sun had descended to the ground, its intense heat causing the platform beneath to emit a burnt smell.

Deeply inhaling, Wang Xiaoqiang swung his sword at the incoming chain.

Clang!

A loud noise resounded.

The cold chain, as if it had been struck at its vital point like a snake, was repelled and flew backwards, the light on the Sacred Fire Sword slightly dimming.

The blazing Holy Flame Sword, a bane to the Wuchang Chains, yet the Wuchang Chains also had repressive power over the Holy Flame Sword. Their attributes were exactly opposite, each restraining the other.

"Hmm?" Disciples below the stage, along with several sect leaders and elders, did not expect that the Taiyi Immortal had actually passed on his own Holy Flame Sword to Wang Xiaoqiang. Moreover, Wang Xiaoqiang's wielding of the Holy Flame Sword seemed even more powerful than when it was in the hands of the Taiyi Immortal. Little did they know that the fire element spiritual energy within Wang Xiaoqiang was precisely what could stimulate the Holy Flame Sword.

"Ancestor Master, Lin Jinghong has colluded with demons. I hope you can order the cancellation of his qualification to compete..." South Gate Sect Leader Guo Shoujing stood up, requesting the True Person of Taiyi to make a decision.

The True Person of Taiyi waved his hand, saying nothing.

"Ancestor Master, the nefarious energy of the Wuchang Chains is fierce. If Wang Xiaoqiang gets hurt, it would be greatly disadvantageous to him..." Guo Shoujing expressed his concern worriedly.

The True Person of Taiyi waved his hand again and spoke lightly, "Let them fight..."

Guo Shoujing sighed and had no choice but to stop insisting.

On the stage.

Lin Jinghong, surrounded by the Wuchang Chains, had his eyes slowly grow cold, yin poison, bloodthirsty, and mad... Clearly, he was already being backfired by the vicious energy of the Wuchang Chains.

In fact, Lin Jinghong was not stupid or an idiot; on the contrary, he was very clever and knew how to assess the situation. However, ever since he had accidentally come across the Wuchang Chains during an earlier journey from the sect, the chains had been constantly hidden on his person. The chains, refined with the living souls of men and spirits of women by the evil cultivation madman Dual-Faced Impermanence, exuded an extremely violent and ferocious aura. Not to mention Lin Jinghong's cultivation base, even someone with a Nascent Soul Cultivation could be backfired upon by it. Lin Jinghong carried the Wuchang Chains day and night, so it was not guaranteed that he wouldn't be backfired upon by it. His Daoist heart grew confused, his malevolent energy increasingly intensified, and just now, the vicious energy of the Wuchang Chains had clouded his mind, so much so that he blatantly revealed the evil item on the stage and used it to attack.

The Wuchang Chains imprisoned the living souls of eighty-one men and the living spirits of women, its vicious energy shaking heaven and earth. If fully deployed, even the Sacred Fire Sword wouldn't be able to suppress it.

"Wuchang Soul Chain..." Lin Jinghong's eyes emitted a sinister red light, cold as a snake and as malicious as a vengeful ghost. He threw his head back and let out a wild scream, his voice tinged with a strange and evil aura.

Accompanying that howl, a pitiful and ear-piercing wailing sound came from the Wuchang Chains, like countless vengeful ghosts weeping at night, causing hearts to tremble at the sound. At the same time, faces appeared on the chains—men's, women's, old people's, children's, but mostly those of younger adults. These were the living souls and spirits of people once slain by Dual-Faced Impermanence, and they showed expressions of deep pain, resentment, and venom as they wailed pitifully.

The shrill howling, piercing eardrums, fraying nerves, and overpowering minds, caused those below the stage with weaker cultivation bases to immediately cover their ears and collapse on the ground, their faces showing pain and confusion.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~~

With a shake of his hands, Lin Jinghong made the two tips of the Wuchang Chains spring forward like crazed pythons, flanking right and left to encircle Wang Xiaoqiang within. The stage wasn't very large to begin with; if Wang Xiaoqiang wished to dodge the chains, he would have to jump down from the platform. If he didn't jump down, he could only be hemmed in by the Wuchang Chains.

Seeing the chains coiling towards him like crazed pythons, Wang Xiaoqiang leaped up, swinging the Holy Flame Sword in his hand, slashing at the chain whirling towards him on the left side, dispersing one of the faces on the chain into smoke.

At that moment, the chain on the left coiled around him, trapping Wang Xiaoqiang within. The chain on the right also came coiling in after a momentary hesitation. Like two wild pythons, they entwined around Wang Xiaoqiang, their faces howling with excitement as they bit and gnawed towards him.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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