Chapter 48

"Brother Hu, the outcome is uncertain. Do you know what today's you is like?" Gu Xuyao slightly increased the force on his hand, and Hu Changlu immediately found it hard to breathe. At this moment, he didn't dare to use Dao techniques to attack Gu Xuyao; cold sweat had already soaked his long robe.

"Dao friend, show mercy!" Hu Changqing, seeing the situation, became extremely anxious and shouted loudly. The blue yuan force barrier did not block sound.

Gu Xuyao turned to look at Hu Changqing, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. It was clear that Meng Xiang's previous attack was not light. The battle at the second position had ended, and without a doubt, Meng Xiang had won.

"Brother Hu, don't move around." As he spoke, Gu Xuyao increased the force on his hand. When he turned to look at Hu Changqing, the restless Hu Changlu tried to launch a sudden attack. However, how could this deceive Gu Xuyao? Although his eyes were not on Hu Changlu, his mind was entirely focused on his surroundings.

Seeing his younger brother about to be strangled to death, Hu Changqing hurriedly shouted, "Changlu, quickly admit defeat! Dao friend, this martial arts competition is for friendship and exchange. There's no need to create enmity and plant seeds of hatred. Neither of us will have a good future!"

The person about to die was Hu Changqing's own brother. At this moment, he was already in a panic, using both soft and hard words. However, Gu Xuyao had never intended to kill Hu Changlu.

"Brother Hu, you have a good brother. Don't let him down in the future." Gu Xuyao turned to look at Hu Changlu. As he finished speaking, he threw Hu Changlu forcefully against the blue yuan force wall.

Dao cultivators' physical bodies were not as strong as those of force cultivators. With this throw, Hu Changlu immediately fainted from the impact to his head.

"The first battle, second position, Meng Xiang wins!" At this moment, Qiming Zhenren began to announce the results. With Hu Changqing's defeat, the yuan force barrier at the second position automatically disappeared.

"The third position, Gu Xuyao wins!" Cheers came from the direction of Taiheng Sect. Even though Gu Xuyao was already having trouble standing, he still turned to look at where Zibi and Li Sheng were.

But after the results were announced, Gu Xuyao felt someone was watching him. The gaze was not friendly, and he suddenly felt a sense of unease, as if needles were pricking his back. His heart raced, and the dizziness he felt became even worse.

As a seasoned hunter, Gu Xuyao rarely had such a feeling of unease. Even when facing an adult red lion alone, he wouldn't be afraid. But this person's gaze alone made Gu Xuyao raise his alertness to the highest level!

As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the farther you can see. Gu Xuyao looked around but did not find the owner of that gaze.

"Please leave the Blood Arena if your match has ended!" At this moment, Qiming Zhenren issued the order to leave. Gu Xuyao glanced at Qiming Zhenren, who was still floating in the air, and then at Hu Changqing, who was carrying Hu Changlu away. Hu Changqing was also looking at Gu Xuyao, and their gazes met. There was no trace of resentment in Hu Changqing's eyes, only gratitude.

Gu Xuyao nodded at him and turned to leave. This nod was for Hu Changqing. As a brother, he cared more about his younger brother's safety than his own. Such a sentiment was something Gu Xuyao could not fully understand, so he admired Hu Changqing, admiring his willingness to sacrifice everything for his family.

Gu Xuyao and Meng Xiang walked down from the Blood Arena. When they first left the arena, which was full of scars, Gu Xuyao let out a long breath. But after leaving for a few moments, he felt a desire to return and fight again.

"Blood Arena, Blood Arena, it seems one cannot leave without spilling one's blood..." Glancing at the Blood Arena with a hint of aversion, Gu Xuyao came to Ling Sanshi.

After exchanging pleasantries with Meng Xiang, Gu Xuyao was pulled aside by Zibi, who kept asking him questions. Li Sheng was busy supporting Gu Xuyao, who was about to fall.

However, these were just two victories. The rule was best of four, and Changxu Guan still had a chance. If they won the remaining two matches, they could tie the score. If it ended in a tie, both sides would have to send one more person for a tiebreaker.

In fact, the situation for Taiheng Sect was not optimistic. Although Yu Wang had great talent and practiced very quickly, he was still too inexperienced compared to Jia Peng.

Gu Xuyao observed that although Jia Peng was a Dao cultivator, his fighting style was very aggressive, unlike Hu Changqing and Hu Changlu, who always tried to find opportunities while dodging. Jia Peng adopted an offensive strategy against Yu Wang. Yu Wang used a set of techniques that only the upper echelons of Taiheng Sect could practice. This technique had extremely strong offensive power, but it was being suppressed by Jia Peng. What was originally a mutual attack turned into a defensive situation for Yu Wang, and he was about to be defeated.

However, Yu Wang's defeat was something Ling Sanshi had anticipated. He was not an all-knowing immortal, and it was too difficult to guess where Changxu Guan would place Jia Peng. Therefore, he straightforwardly did not use Yifeng and instead bet on Gu Xuyao's victory. This way, even if Jia Peng won, they could still win this round.

Unfortunately, Ling Sanshi did not expect that after the reform, the strength of Changxu Guan's disciples had increased so much. Yang Xi, at the first position, was in a tough battle!

Guanzi was a woman. Ling Sanshi had seen her fight before and had a certain understanding of her strength. However, he correctly predicted Gu Xuyao's victory but not Guanzi's sudden change.

"Gu Gu, look at that woman. She's so strong. Senior Brother Yang Xi is about to be defeated." After confirming that Gu Xuyao was not seriously injured, Zibi began to discuss the current battle situation.

The victory of the sect was naturally important, but Gu Xuyao's mind was not entirely on the Blood Arena. The feeling of being pricked by needles still lingered.

Just as Gu Xuyao was still thinking about that gaze, the battle at the fourth position ended. Yu Wang used all his skills but was still defeated by Jia Peng's techniques. Like a broken kite, Yu Wang was hit by Jia Peng's Dao techniques and fell heavily in front of the Taiheng Sect members.

"The fourth position, Changxu Guan Jia Peng wins!"

The battle ended, but Jia Peng's momentum did not diminish. His eyes were like lightning, but he did not look at anyone else. He stared directly at Yifeng of Taiheng Sect. Not only that, Jia Peng pointed at Yifeng from a distance.

Yifeng usually did not speak much, but he was extremely proud. Feeling provoked by Jia Peng, his pupils dilated, and he was about to step onto the stage.

"Yifeng." However, Ling Sanshi would not allow Yifeng to do so. With just a light word, he stopped Yifeng's actions.

Jia Peng, with his head held high, glanced at Gu Xuyao and then turned to leave the stage.

"Brother, how are you? That guy is so hateful..." Yu Lin always appeared calm and composed in front of Gu Xuyao. This was because Yu Lin had entered the sect before Gu Xuyao and had a higher cultivation level. More importantly, he had Yu Wang as a strong support. However, it now seemed that this support was also vulnerable to others.

"Master..." Yu Wang did not pay attention to his younger brother's sadness. Instead, he struggled to stand up, his face full of guilt.

Ling Sanshi sighed and did not blame Yu Wang.

"Jia Peng's strength has improved a lot. Yifeng, even you might not be able to guarantee a hundred percent victory." Jia Peng's arrogance was not baseless. He had absolute strength among his peers. Among the forty-eight sects under the Blue Supervisor, those who could match Jia Peng were the top core disciples of each sect.

However, the most pressing issue at the moment was not Jia Peng but Yang Xi.

Guanzi's fighting style was different from Jia Peng or Hu Changqing. She fought while moving, and Yang Xi neither attacked nor defended. From the beginning, he was in a tough battle. Guanzi was not in a hurry; she slowly accumulated advantages. Yang Xi became increasingly agitated, and in a moment of carelessness, he was hit by five consecutive yuan force shots from Guanzi and knocked unconscious.

A dramatic moment arrived when Yang Xi lost consciousness. Taiheng Sect and Changxu Guan were tied.

According to the rules, both sides would have to select another cultivator for a tiebreaker. This result was unexpected by Ling Sanshi and completely beyond his expectations.

For a moment, the atmosphere of both Taiheng Sect and Changxu Guan changed dramatically. Ling Sanshi was confident in the first round, and he gritted his teeth, deciding to send Yifeng to fight. No matter what, he had to win the first round!

However, just as Ling Sanshi was in a dilemma, an even more dramatic moment occurred, announced by Qiming Zhenren.

"The first battle, Taiheng Sect and Changxu Guan, tie. The originally scheduled tiebreaker is canceled. Both teams will enter the second round with a tie. This is a rule change by the supervisor for this session."

This news shook the entire arena. A tie, a result that had never appeared before. No one knew what position a tie would hold in the second round.

Ling Sanshi's brows furrowed upon hearing this news. The second round was completely different from the first. His arrangement in the first round was to secure the top spot in the second round. However, the sudden rule change by the Blue Supervisor completely destroyed his plan.

"The second round, Shanbeng Hui will face Xuzhai!"

Qiming Zhenren ignored the dissatisfaction of both sides and quickly announced the next match.

As for Gu Xuyao, he was still troubled by that strange feeling.

The next events did not concern Taiheng Sect. However, after watching the matches between other sects, Gu Xuyao had a general idea. Among the forty-eight sects, Shanbeng Hui, Zangshui Sect, and Tiezhua Sect were the three strongest. Taiheng Sect was in the middle to lower tier. However, in these matches, cultivation level was certainly a factor, but the specific way of fighting was the key.