"Well. It all depends on whether or not any one of you have the ability to defeat me. I am totally
confident that none of you are powerful enough to defeat me. On the contrary, I am afraid that you will
be killed in this fight.
However you don't be too afraid of my words for I am not going to tear your souls apart and render
them useless. Soul, the most precious thing for cultivators, shouldn't be wasted. Instead, I will use them
to refine the Ghost Devouring Flag.
I am sure that my Ghost-devouring Flag will upgrade to a higher level once it has absorbed your souls."
The demonic youth who had a scorpion tattoo on his face said these things in a cold tone and burst into
a shrill laughter on being faced by Tolkien's aggressive manner.
Hardly had he finished his words when his right hand suddenly stretched out and very soon, a thick
blanket of black smog erupted from his palm. As the smog spread quickly around him, he was soon
enveloped by it in mere seconds. Now, the only thing that could give away his location was the black
smog but where exactly did he lay in that smog, no one could tell.
Seconds later, a burst of vital energy force surged out of the smog and turned into the shape of a
demon's paw. Anyone would have run in the face of such danger. The paw was as high as thirty
meters. Suddenly, it pounced on Graham.
The evil man wanted to raid Graham unawares!
'Is that the Ghost-devouring Flag? It looks like the same black smog I faced while fleeing the Ghost
Sect. It's really shameful that someone is using the Ghost-devouring Flag in this event!'
Austin felt a sudden rush of panic as he thought about this. Since the black smog didn't seem to be
dissipating, he inferred that the demonic young man was most probably using the Ghost Devouring
Flag.
'Can it be that they are from the Ghost Sect? Wait a minute, there are from the Ghost Sect!
It is unbelievable that disciples of the Ghost Sect have shown up in the Outstanding Talents Exchange
Games!'
Austin pondered over it for a moment. His mind told him that it was highly improbable that the Ghost
Sect would dispatch its disciples to take part in the Outstanding Talents Exchange Games. It was well-
known that they were the archenemy of all major and minor sects in Violet Orchid Empire. Even if that
wasn't enough, disciples of the Ghost Sect were not allowed to enter the Mysterious Nether World.
However, the Ghost-devouring Flag belonged to the Ghost Sect and no one else outside that sect
could have controlled it. Even Austin had been taught a lesson by the Ghost-devouring Flag, and it left
a vivid impression upon him. Perhaps that was why his first thought on seeing the smog was about the
Ghost Devouring Flag.
"How dare you!"
Graham was pissed off by his opponent's despicable means. He reached out his hands and a golden
spear suddenly appeared between them. Then he stepped forward and bayoneted at that black smog
with all his strength. He wielded his spear tirelessly, and every strike clad in golden lines pierced the
smog. That so called "demon's paw" was suffering violent attacks now.
Seconds later, a rumbling sound was heard and it echoed through the arena. Then, a strong wind
arose from where the spear was attacking the smog. It formed a whirlwind, and blew outside. As its
gust swept across the hall, everyone in the hall felt a sort of rustling in their clothes. Some members of
the audience, whose cultivation bases weren't high enough, lost their balance and embarrassedly tried
to maintain their dignity by taking a few steps back.
Right below the point of impact, marble pieces which had lined the floor broke apart and were thrown
across the entire hall.
The two contestants, both with a cultivation base at the stage of Sky Realm were putting on a
spectacular show and had imposing manners.
Austin was worried now that he was no match for these cultivators who were at the stage of Sky
Realm. He could clearly sense the intense vital energy fluctuations of these contestants and it wasn't
going to be easy to defeat them. In fact, he wasn't sure he could.
Austin thought that he was the strongest cultivator in the Mysterious Realm and could bully anyone
who was at the same level. In fact, he wasn't even afraid of cultivators at the premium stage of
Mysterious Realm. To him, any opponent in the same realm was easy to be defeated.
But at least for now, if he had to fight with a powerful cultivator whose cultivation base was at any level
of the Sky Realm, he wasn't sure that he could defeat him.
Bruce was standing by Graham's side and he decided to do his ally a favor when he saw Graham and
the demonic young man fighting.
"Holy light, come out and illuminate the world!"
Bruce, clad in sunny yellow clothes, clenched his fist and punched towards the cloud of smoke with all
his strengths. All of a sudden, a strong vital energy force burst out from his body like a volcano had
erupted. Traveling extremely fast, it transformed into a peculiar shape that was shining with golden light
and darted towards the smog.
The attack launched by Bruce showed unparalleled momentum and felt violent. The golden light he had
emitted pierced the darkness of the smog. It penetrated through the smog and sounds of clashes were
heard. Somehow, a shadowy figure seemed to pop up in the sky for a moment. Judging from its effect,
it seemed that his offense was built up by some kind of mysterious power.
Everyone standing in the hall was appalled by the scene!
Bruce's fist no longer resembled a normal fist. On the contrary, it emanated the highest regal dignity
and authority. Every time he hit the smog violently, it was like an emperor commanding a massive army
to launch an attack.
Astonished by Bruce's offense, Austin judged that Bruce's cultivation base was higher than that of
Graham even though both of them were at the stage of Sky Realm.
Even at the stage of Sky Realm, there were still gaps in the ability of cultivators.
"Hahaha, no wonder you can ward off my violent offense. You are from the royal family, aren't you?
But now, the real challenge is coming. We will teach you an unforgettable lesson!"
Suddenly, a strange voice seemed to rise out of the sky. The other nine demonic young men showed
up and immediately took an offensive stance.
One of them drew out a black and sharp blade shaped like a crescent moon. He jumped high into the
air, raised his blade, and concentrated all his strength on his hands. His blade, full of evil, suddenly
turned into the incarnation of a poisonous snake. Without hesitation, the snake pounced on Bruce
guided by its wielder's hands.
Another one of them was holding a long, oddly-shaped stick. Its bottom was pure black but the
opposite end was a pure milky shade of white. Mysterious spells were spread over the middle part of
the stick. Somehow, even looking at that stick made people feel dizzy, as if there were demons trapped
inside the stick.
The young man slightly swung this stick and a burst of vital energy force, creamy-white in color, silently
spread out to defend against the offenses delivered by Bruce. There were visible ripples in air wherever
this vital energy force went.
Austin stared in wide-eyed amazement at the battle because he was surprised at the sight of the
violent and powerful spells that the two cultivators had launched. And now, these nine young men were
putting on an equally powerful show.
For a long time, he had thought that he was the strongest cultivator in Violet Orchid Empire and no one
had the qualification to challenge him since he had defeated everyone he had faced, even the so-called
top master in his generation. But now, there were cultivators in front of him whose cultivation bases
were higher than that of him and they could easily give him a run for his life. It was hard for him to
accept the fact that there were several cultivators in the world who were superior to him in terms of
cultivation base. How ridiculous it was that Austin had ever ranked himself the top one!
Now, he felt depressed and was stunned at the sight of this battle since these young cultivators from
Violet Orchid Empire were showing him what a really powerful cultivation base looked like.
'A truly powerful cultivator keeps a low-profile! Always!'
At this thought, Austin felt shameful by his naivety and his showing off. He found it ridiculous that
people like Leo, who was from the Peripatetic Sect, were titled as the "best cultivator" among the
younger generation of Violet Orchid Empire. And even people like Caden, Garret, and a few others who
thought so highly of themselves didn't deserve the praise they received.
Compared with the five cultivators who were at the stage of the Sky Realm, these so-called "best
cultivators" were nothing and were not qualified to represent the younger generation of the Violet
Orchid Empire.
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