Chapter 74: You Lost!

"No problem. If I lose, I’ll do as you say," he replied.

"But if I win, then you’ll leave the Sect of the Returning Void for good. How about that?"

Yang Fan was not one to back down; his temper flared easily. These days, he’d heard many people comparing him to Bai Feiyu, which naturally irritated him. True, his cultivation level was higher than Bai Feiyu’s, so a victory would hardly be honorable. But Yang Fan cared little for such niceties. His way was to crush all obstacles, to flatten everything in his path.

"Agreed," Bai Feiyu answered without hesitation.

The two of them made their way toward a nearby dueling platform.

"This is big news! Yang Fan finally couldn’t hold back and challenged Bai Feiyu!"

"I wonder if Bai Feiyu can defeat Yang Fan this time. After all, Yang Fan is already in the Shackles Realm."

"Didn’t they say Bai Feiyu’s strength rivals the Shackles Realm?"

"That’s just ‘rivaling’—do you really think the Shackles Realm is the same as the Haoqi Realm? In the Haoqi Realm, Bai Feiyu could fight above his level, but in the Shackles Realm, he simply can’t!"

Many disciples, eager for a spectacle, discussed the matter among themselves and followed the two, determined to see the outcome firsthand.

In recent days, the hot topic among them had been whether Bai Feiyu truly possessed the combat power of the Shackles Realm. Naturally, the standard for comparison was Yang Fan. Though Yang Fan was the weakest among those in the Shackles Realm, he was still young—achieving such strength at his age gave him a healthy dose of pride. He and Bai Feiyu were about the same age, so hearing others debate over who was superior left Yang Fan simmering with frustration. At last, he had a chance to let off steam.

On the dueling platform, the crowd was thick. After all, Bai Feiyu and Yang Fan were star disciples within the sect, and many inner disciples had rushed over, eager to satisfy their curiosity and, perhaps, glean some insight from the coming clash. In cultivation, one could often catch a revelation from witnessing others’ battles and thus make rapid progress. After the Haoqi Realm, growth was no longer a matter of simply accumulating resources; comprehension was essential for advancement—though Bai Feiyu was a notable exception.

Standing on the dueling platform, Bai Feiyu looked at Yang Fan with a touch of helplessness. The other’s expression was one of mortal enmity, as if he’d killed his family and stolen his wife. Bai Feiyu worried that the disciples below would start to spread rumors. But soon he adjusted his mindset, eyes turning sharp as he fixed them on Yang Fan.

"Make your move!"

In an instant, both men burst forth with fierce, cutting winds. The next moment, they simultaneously unleashed their spear techniques on each other.

"Rainbow Spear Art!"

With a furious shout, Bai Feiyu thrust his spear like a streak of rainbow light—swift, agile, and forceful—gaining the upper hand in a flash. But Yang Fan was no pushover. To attain the Shackles Realm at his age, he naturally had his own formidable skills.

"Chaotic Heaven Spear!"

In a heartbeat, Yang Fan’s technique erupted like the awakening of a primordial beast, wild and ferocious, as though a demonic god were sowing chaos across the world.

The two clashed in a furious battle.

In just a short time, Bai Feiyu and Yang Fan exchanged dozens of blows. Throughout these rounds, Bai Feiyu absorbed many attributes from Yang Fan, his vigor and blood growing stronger with every pass. Meanwhile, Yang Fan frowned deeply. It seemed his opponent truly lived up to the rumors—he was a difficult foe indeed.

But Yang Fan was far from desperate; he wouldn’t have challenged Bai Feiyu without confidence in his own abilities.

"Sun Annihilation!"

With a roar, Yang Fan’s body began to blaze, and a dazzling sun rose radiantly behind him. As the miniature sun appeared, the temperature in the air soared.

"Bai Feiyu, this is my ultimate move. If you can withstand it, I’ll serve you like an ox or a horse for the rest of my life!"

Yang Fan smiled, his pride evident.

"Heh." Bai Feiyu let out a cold laugh—he knew Yang Fan had unleashed his full strength.

"Mandrake Divine Blossom!"

Bai Feiyu shouted, and before Yang Fan could fully wield his miniature sun, he found himself enveloped by a swirling vortex of spiritual power. Within the vortex, a bewitchingly beautiful mandrake flower bloomed, its green vines instantly snaking toward Yang Fan.

"Hmph! Petty tricks! Watch me destroy your flashy spell!"

With a snort, Yang Fan swung his miniature sun down at Bai Feiyu’s mandrake flower. The two techniques collided in a violent clash.

"They’re both going all out, but this time I think Yang Fan has the edge."

"I agree. Yang Fan’s Sun Annihilation is fire-based, while Bai Feiyu’s spell is a plant. How could a plant survive a blaze?"

"This is the end of Bai Feiyu’s glory!"

The onlookers were eager for excitement. Not being close to Bai Feiyu, many of them felt a tinge of envy at his rapid rise at such a young age, and secretly hoped Yang Fan would bring him down a peg.

But before they could finish their discussion, they were shocked to see that the mandrake flower seemed utterly unfazed by the Sun Annihilation. Its green vines stretched out, winding straight through the miniature sun and appearing right in front of Yang Fan.

The next instant, the vines wrapped tightly around the stunned Yang Fan, who let out a miserable cry. As he was bound, the blazing sun behind him quickly dimmed and then collapsed entirely.

The entire audience was stunned.

No one had expected Bai Feiyu to triumph even against a Shackles Realm disciple.

He was simply too formidable.

What they didn’t know was that this wasn’t Bai Feiyu’s first time fighting someone at the Shackles Realm. In fact, this time he’d deliberately drawn out the battle with Yang Fan to conceal his true strength.

Of course, he also wanted to pick up more attributes…

"Damn it!" Yang Fan cursed loudly, struggling to break free, but the vines only tightened, rendering him completely immobile in an instant.

"You’ve lost," Bai Feiyu said coldly, appearing before Yang Fan. Then, turning to the disciples below, he shouted,

"Is there anyone else who wants to challenge me? Step forward—today, I’ll take you all on!"

Before Bai Feiyu’s brazen challenge, not a single person responded.

…