Unexpected Turn of Events

Ning Fan and Lei Miao's gazes locked, instantly striking sparks. At this moment, even the chief disciples of the various peaks voluntarily cleared the path leading to the fourth level of the Yin Yang Tower.

The reason was simple-

This grand battle between the disciples of the Yin Yang Divine Sect held an immense appeal for everyone.

It was absolutely a pinnacle clash at the level of personal disciples!

"Whoosh-"

"Whoosh-"

Ning Fan and Lei Miao blurred simultaneously, entering the fourth level almost in the same breath. The others followed closely behind, terrified of missing this peak-level confrontation between the elite of the Yin Yang Peak.

Upon stepping onto the fourth level, the two tapped their feet against the floor and leaped high into the air, crossing over ten meters in a single bound.

Landing, leaping; landing, leaping.

Within a few breaths, the two stood atop separate barriers.

Between them loomed an even grander barrier. This barrier was truly massive-more than ten times the size of a standard one, nearly completely dividing the space between Ning Fan and Lei Miao. A barrier of this magnitude naturally contained an incredibly terrifying amount of Yin Yang Qi.

"Ning Fan, a duel between you and me."

"The victor takes this barrier. What say you?"

Lei Miao stood tall and proud, his voice ringing clear.

"Agreed," Ning Fan replied with a slight nod.

As the two set the terms of their stakes, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted into a flurry of hushed discussions.

"Hah."

"Lei Miao and Ning Fan certainly know how to calculate. With just a few words, they've already claimed the greatest fated chance on the fourth level."

"Do they even count the rest of us as people?"

Lei Miao and Ning Fan were undoubtedly outstanding among the core disciples of the main peak, but the chief disciples and a group of Walking Disciples were also present. Did they not matter?

"Everyone."

A voice suddenly cut through the murmurs. The speaker was Young Master Zheng, who swept his gaze over the crowd.

"We all have moments of youthful righteousness. In my view, rather than coveting this Yin Yang Qi, we might as well facilitate their duel and let it become a fine tale for the future."

"I believe this is acceptable."

Young Master Zheng's words carried the weight of a final verdict.

"I agree," Chu Xinghe nodded in concurrence.

"A clash between top-tier talents offers incredible observation value. Lei Miao and Ning Fan may not be at the absolute peak in terms of cultivation realm, but given their talent, they are destined for chief disciple positions. Opportunities to watch geniuses of this caliber fight are rare."

"Forfeiting the contention for a single fated chance to witness such a rare battle is a stroke of fortune in its own right."

With Young Master Zheng and Chu Xinghe setting the tone, no matter how dissatisfied the others felt, they could only reluctantly hold their tongues. After all, even if a true struggle ensued, that massive barrier would ultimately fall into the hands of either Young Master Zheng or Chu Xinghe. Being annoyed by Ning Fan and Lei Miao's arrogance was one thing, but whether they had the strength to claim that prize was entirely another.

In truth, this massive barrier was never a realistic target for the vast majority of those present.

Ning Fan and Lei Miao completely ignored the background noise. At this moment, only their opponent existed in their respective eyes.

Their gazes locked onto each other as their auras continued to surge, each searching for a fatal opening in the other's stance.

However, both Lei Miao and Ning Fan were veterans of countless life-and-death struggles. Ning Fan, in particular, had spent days locked in brutal combat against phantom reflections within the Endless Heavenly Palace ruins while evading Lingxu Fairy's pursuit, accumulating an inexhaustible wealth of battle experience.

As their opposing auras crested to their absolute peak, Ning Fan felt the pressure mounting. The reason was simple-he was at a disadvantage in pure momentum.

Before entering the Yin Yang Tower, Lei Miao had already reached the ninth layer of the Profound Extreme Realm. After refining the Yin Yang Qi from the first two floors, his cultivation had advanced to the point of being infinitely close to the Earth Extreme Realm. Although Ning Fan's breakthrough speed was astonishing, his starting point had been lower.

Currently, Ning Fan lagged behind Lei Miao by two minor realms. If one factored in the subtle gap between a newly advanced ninth-layer Profound Extreme Realm cultivator and someone on the absolute precipice of the Earth Extreme Realm, the difference was three minor realms.

Such a gap could not be considered small.

In a tense stalemate like this, if one's imposing aura fell into a disadvantage, that deficit would inevitably warp into a glaring flaw over time.

He could not afford to wait any longer.

A flash of cold determination swept through Ning Fan's eyes. The spiritual power across his body surged to its absolute maximum, and beneath his clothes, his skin was already completely mapped with glowing Spirit Marks. Pushing off violently against the barrier beneath him, he launched himself into the air, charging straight at Lei Miao.

"Come!" Lei Miao bellowed.

His muscles expanded a fraction as thick, dragon-like veins coiled fiercely along his arms. Stepping off his own barrier, he shot forward to meet the strike.

The moment the two took flight, the barriers beneath their feet shattered instantly under the terrifying force of their recoil.

Ning Fan and Lei Miao collided in mid-air, both throwing a heavy punch simultaneously.

"Boom-"

A muffled shockwave rang out as their knuckles crashed together, sending a visible ripple of displaced air tearing outward into the surroundings.

Ning Fan's upper body leaned back significantly, clearly forced into a minor disadvantage by the sheer weight of the impact.

A look of gravity settled into Ning Fan's eyes.

This Lei Miao's physical strength was even more terrifying than that of Personal Disciple Qingbo. His force was completely condensed, lacking any of the scattered, unrefined edges of his previous opponent.

Lei Miao's eyes widened. Ning Fan's momentary loss of balance was the ultimate opening to strike. Reaching out with his free hand, he clamped onto Ning Fan's shoulder to prevent him from riding the momentum backward. Simultaneously, his other fist drove forward, targeting Ning Fan's chest.

"Dragon Snake Evolution Hand!"

Ning Fan instantly unleashed his martial technique, coiling the phantom shadow of a flood dragon around his fist to break Lei Miao's assault.

Yet, in the very next instant-

"Whoosh-"

A sharp, piercing screech tore through the air. Both Ning Fan and Lei Miao caught sight of a cold, lethal gleam streaking toward them from the periphery.

Ning Fan's heart gave a sudden jolt. This vicious strike was aimed squarely at him. With Lei Miao locking his shoulder and driving a fist toward his chest, Ning Fan was completely restricted. He could neither dodge nor defend, forced to watch the lethal flying sword bear down on him.

At the absolute precipice of life and death, the hand gripping Ning Fan's shoulder suddenly let go. The moment his restrictions vanished, Ning Fan violently arched his spine backward.

"Whoosh-"

The icy gleam grazed past Ning Fan's cheek, drawing a line of crimson. Droplets of blood scattered through the air as the flying sword shot harmlessly past and soared into the sky.

Ning Fan touched down, reaching up to wipe his cheek. Below his eye lay a deep, stinging laceration cut by the sword Qi.

If Lei Miao had not released his grip at that critical second, Ning Fan would have been pinned in place and impaled cleanly through the torso.

"Zhao Zhou."

"Who permitted you to interfere in my battle?"

Before Ning Fan could utter a word, Lei Miao turned a frosty glare toward the crowd and barked a reprimand. Following his voice, a disciple squeezed through the ranks of onlookers, a mocking, playful grin plastered across his face.

It was none other than Zhao Zhou, whom Ning Fan had encountered once before.

"Senior Brother Lei, what kind of talk is that?" Zhao Zhou chuckled. "The deep blood feud between my Zhao family and Ning Fan is no secret to anyone. If we are talking about a first-come, first-served basis..."

"Senior Brother Lei, shouldn't you be the one waiting in line?"

88.181.249.5

ns88.181.249.5da2