Volume 7, Chapter 396 – Focus Battle, Lü Er Makes His First Move

Qi Huang immediately turned her gaze toward the source of the voice. A group of about ten people, men and women dressed in matching yellow-and-blue uniforms, stepped out from the crowd. Their leader was a man nearing thirty, with sharp brows, piercing star-like eyes, a face as if chiseled from stone, and a tall, imposing stature that exuded an intangible pressure.

Having spent the past two years stirring up trouble everywhere, Qi Huang had gained some experience and recognized these uniforms, they belonged to disciples of the Changhe Sect, the very sect Cheng Hongling had once intended to join.

The Changhe Sect was a state-level sect from neighboring Changzhi Prefecture. If external reinforcements were disregarded, their strength even surpassed that of the Huxiao Sect, ranking them among the Western Radiance Dynasty’s Ten Great Immortal Sects.

“Number six is actually the Changhe Sect! No wonder they dared to hide their draw!”

“I heard the Changhe Sect has two Incarnation Realm geniuses. Without counting external reinforcements, they really are stronger than the Huxiao Sect.”

“Right, that tall and imposing leader is the Changhe Sect’s top genius, Lu Kai, whose cultivation has reached the third layer of the Incarnation Realm. Half a step behind him is their second genius, Sun Yao, who’s at the second layer of the Incarnation Realm.”

“With these two and eight elite disciples, they might even stand a chance against Sixth Princess Lin Ran! Lü Er is in deep trouble now.”

“Fellow disciples of the Changhe Sect, give it your all! Teach that brat a lesson and cure him of his delusions of immortality!”

The moment the crowd realized the sixth slot belonged to the Changhe Sect, their attitudes shifted dramatically, with many enthusiastically cheering them on.

“So it’s the Changhe Sect. This’ll be fun to watch.”

Qin Quan smirked with schadenfreude.

“Indeed. With their strength, they should be able to force Lü Er’s true body to appear. Then we’ll see whether he’s a dragon or a worm.”

Xu Mei nodded in agreement.

“Hah! The person who can ‘cure me of my delusions of immortality’ hasn’t been born yet! Pinning your hopes on these trash? The Western Continent must be truly devoid of talent!”

Lü Er, however, wore an expression of utter disdain.

“Western Continent? What Western Continent? Isn’t this Yongning Prefecture?”

A confused cultivator muttered, with many others also looking puzzled.

“He must be referring to the Western Continent of the cultivation world!”

Yun Fei explained in a low, serious voice.

“If that’s the case, does it mean he’s from one of the other four continents, Eastern, Southern, Northern, or even the Central Continent?”

Ruan Lingyu turned to Xu Mei with a grave expression.

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“No way to tell. The cultivation world is vast. We can’t deduce his origins just from his words and demeanor.”

Xu Mei shook her head helplessly.

Beside them, Cheng Hongling clenched her fists slightly, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.

Qi Huang, however, remained composed. No matter where you’re from, you’ll be sent packing the moment you cross me.

“Call out your true body!”

The Changhe Sect disciples stepped onto the stage, their leader, Lu Kai, issuing the challenge.

“True body? You lot aren’t even worthy of him. I alone am enough!”

Lü Er replied, his hands clasped behind his back.

“What? Are you saying you intend to challenge the entire Changhe Sect with just a doppelgänger?”

The slightly shorter Sun Yao, their second genius, asked in disbelief.

“You overestimate yourselves. This isn’t just about you, it’s about all the sects present challenging me. As for my true body… you’re not qualified to see him!”

Lü Er’s lips curled slightly.

“Is he saying his true body won’t participate in the Evergreen Conference?”

“Hah! Does he think he’s one of the Nine Great Monsters of the cultivation world, daring to challenge all the elite disciples here with just a doppelgänger?”

“Exactly! Even if his true body is at the peak of the Incarnation Realm, how strong can a mere doppelgänger be? How dare he spout such arrogance?”

“Peak Incarnation Realm? He looks no older than twenty-four or twenty-five. Unless he’s a descendant of an immortal, how could he possibly reach that level?”

The cultivators below erupted into murmurs.

“Oh? And what if I insist on seeing your true body?”

Lu Kai’s gaze sharpened.

“That depends on whether you have the strength!”

Lü Er remained unshaken.

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“Can we begin?”

Lu Kai turned to the Immortal Alliance disciple overseeing the match.

“Yes! The match begins now!”

The disciple hastily announced.

The moment the words left his mouth, Lü Er vanished from his spot, his figure disappearing like a ghost.

Before anyone could react, a loud “BANG!” resounded, Lu Kai’s body was sent flying like a cannonball, the sheer force of the impact sending his fellow disciples tumbling after him like scattered stars, blood spraying in their wake.

BOOM!

Lu Kai’s momentum didn’t stop until he crashed into the steps at the edge of the plaza, blasting a deep, bottomless crater.

Silence instantly fell over the arena. Many hadn’t even seen what happened, only that four people had suddenly disappeared from the stage.

Cheng Hongling’s pupils constricted. Lü Er’s physical burst speed just now had matched her own peak performance when using the Dancing Butterfly Movement Technique. This was not something an ordinary third-layer Divine Ability Realm cultivator could achieve.

“He was hiding his strength!”

Even Qi Huang was taken aback. For a young man in his twenties, a doppelgänger at the third layer of the Incarnation Realm was already a miracle. Yet, that wasn’t even his limit, just how strong was his true body?

“With strength like yours, you still want to see my true body? You’re not even fit to meet my family’s guard dog.”

Lü Er retracted his foot, his tone dripping with mockery.

“Wha—?!”

The crowd below finally snapped out of their daze, their faces paling as they stumbled back in fear. Even the remaining Changhe Sect disciples on stage retreated in terror.

“Heavens! Did I just see that? The Changhe Sect’s top genius was taken out in one hit?!”

“Exactly! Three years ago, Lu Kai made it into the top ten of the Western Radiance Dynasty’s National Genius Ranking! Just how strong is this guy? No wonder he’s so arrogant!”

“The scariest part is that this is just a doppelgänger! How strong must his true body be?”

“Who knows? We’ll have to see if anyone can force his true body to appear later.”

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“I doubt it. If he can one-shot Lu Kai, can Cheng Kang or Lin Ran even stand a chance?”

Discussions erupted among the various sects.

“Did… did you all see that?”

Ruan Lingyu stammered, turning to her junior sisters.

“See what? I blinked, and the Changhe Sect disciples were already flying through the air!”

Shen Yuan gritted her teeth, her breathing ragged.

“Just where did this monster come from? If we end up facing him…”

Yun Fei shook her head helplessly.

Meanwhile, among the Longchang Sect’s ranks, Lin Ran wore a grave expression. Her ability to repeatedly overcome stronger opponents in the Evergreen Conference relied on her formidable physical prowess, yet Lü Er’s explosive speed just now had nearly matched hers. If they clashed, it would be a brutal battle.

In contrast, among the Donglai Sect’s ranks, Cheng Kang actually looked intrigued.

“I never expected to encounter such an interesting opponent at this year’s Evergreen Conference!”

“Indeed, his physical speed is impressive,” his master, Ye Donglai, remarked with a sigh.

“Fast, yes, but only around the fifth layer of the Incarnation Realm. Lu Kai was taken out in one hit because he let his guard down.”

Cheng Kang analyzed calmly.

“Confident you can defeat him?”

Ye Donglai asked curiously.

“Among cultivators of the same realm, no one is my match.”

Cheng Kang’s reply was simple and absolute.

Back on stage, the surviving Changhe Sect disciples finally regained their senses.

“You dare ambush us?!”

Sun Yao, their second genius, roared in fury, swiftly summoning his sword.

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“Ambush?”

Lü Er chuckled dismissively. “Then brace yourself. I’m about to ‘ambush’ you again.”

With that, Lü Er took a leisurely step forward, his fifth-layer Incarnation Realm divine sense surging forth like a tidal wave.

Sun Yao, already on guard, immediately mustered his own divine sense to resist. However, in the Incarnation Realm, even a single layer’s difference was like the gap between heaven and earth, let alone three whole layers. The moment their divine senses clashed, Sun Yao’s was utterly crushed.

As for the other five disciples, being an entire major realm weaker, they had no chance to resist at all. They were instantly pressed flat against the ground, unable to move!

Lü Er’s steps were light, but the divine sense ahead of him was like a raging tsunami, bearing down on Sun Yao with overwhelming pressure.

Sun Yao strained with all his might, but in the end, his divine sense was forced back into his body. Suddenly, he felt as if he had been plunged into an ocean of divine sense, every movement agonizingly sluggish.

Then, Lü Er vanished again.

The next moment, his foot slammed into Sun Yao’s chest, sending him flying.

BOOM!

Blood sprayed from Sun Yao’s mouth as his body smashed through a section of the plaza’s wall, leaving a gaping hole.

“Too weak. I should’ve just sent the third brother instead.”

Lü Er shook his head in disappointment. With a mere thought, the remaining Changhe Sect disciples were flung off the stage like ragdolls.

The Changhe Sect’s elders, responsible for their disciples’ safety, were thrown into chaos, crying out as they rushed to rescue their geniuses. These were the future pillars of their sect, after all.

Seeing the match decisively concluded, the Immortal Alliance disciple nervously stepped forward and announced:

“The winner… Number Five!”

Instead of leaving immediately, Lü Er turned to the assembled sects below and declared:

“I’ll make sure that the more you wished to face me yesterday, the more you’ll dread facing me tomorrow!”

With that, he leaped off the stage and, under the stunned gazes of the crowd, strode straight toward the Honghua Sect.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling exchanged glances, uncertain of what he intended to do next.