"The tiger doesn't show its might; do you really take me for a sick cat?"
An angry shout emanated from Yang Wanliu, and soon after he reached to his waist and swiped across it, a streak of black light appeared, causing the faces of the onlookers to shift slightly.
"It's Yang Wanliu's Thunder Wood!"
Seeing the piece of black wood in Yang Wanliu's hand, several exclamations rang out among the spectators. They had already witnessed the formidable power of this strange weapon during the fights two days prior.
Previously, there were also several Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage talents with impressive strength who stepped up to the platform, but as soon as Yang Wanliu unveiled the Thunder Wood, they were swiftly defeated with overwhelming force.
Because within that seemingly unimpressive piece of black wood, a silver bolt of lightning would suddenly strike out at an incredible speed, leaving no time for one to dodge.
Then, those struck by the lightning would stiffen up abruptly, and Yang Wanliu, well-prepared for this, would take the opportunity to defeat or kill his opponent, thereby securing victory in the arena challenge.
One could say that once the Thunder Wood was revealed, not many were optimistic about the chances of the young girl. After all, the power of thunder and lightning was just too fast. Moreover, you would never know where it would strike from; by the time you see the power of the lightning and respond, it would undoubtedly be too late.
"Indeed it's the Thunder Wood!"
Just as surprise was surging among the crowd, in a certain spot under the platform, a youth in black was radiating a sharp light from his eyes, fixating intently on the black wood in Yang Wanliu's hand while murmuring to himself.
This figure was none other than Yun Xiao, who had disguised himself. Predicting that Hu Ying'er would seek revenge against Yang Wanliu, he had hurried over and arrived just in time to witness Yang Wanliu unleashing the Thunder Wood.
Since Hu Ying'er had already ascended the platform, Yun Xiao didn't want to intervene any further, as that would only make things more suspicious. So, he simply watched the battle quietly from below the platform.
Until Yang Wanliu brought out the black wood, Yun Xiao, with his expertise, immediately recognized it as indeed the Thunder Wood he had seen before, and an excellent piece for a Qi Seeking Realm Middle Stage cultivator like himself to refine.
This prospect filled Yun Xiao with elation, thinking that if he could obtain the Thunder Wood, his Thunder Attribute Ancestor Vein would surely receive a significant boost. Perhaps he could fly without the need to draw on the strength of the Golden Snake Worm, Xiao Wu.
However, with Hu Ying'er and Yang Wanliu currently battling on the platform, Yun Xiao needed to wait if he wished to claim the Thunder Wood. Now that Yang Wanliu had deployed the Thunder Wood, even he could not predict the outcome of the fight.
Moreover, Yun Xiao could sense something odd about Yang Wanliu's aura; it seemed to be concealing something. So he knew that even if Hu Ying'er could withstand the power of the Thunder Wood's lightning, victory in this battle was not guaranteed, not to mention killing Yang Wanliu to avenge her family's annihilation.
Boom Crack!
On the platform, with the Thunder Wood in hand, Yang Wanliu's confidence surged. He took a step to the left, but at his original position, a bolt of silver lightning suddenly struck out, invoking yet another gasp from the audience.
It seemed Yang Wanliu's sudden movement was merely a feint to distract Hu Ying'er. His real trick lay in that burst of lightning, and if Hu Ying'er was drawn by his previous action, she would be even less likely to evade the lightning-fast Thunder Power.
It must be said that the lightning summoned by the Thunder Wood was incredibly fast – in the blink of an eye, it had already struck Hu Ying'er. Seeing this, many spectators shook their heads and sighed, thinking they had been overly hopeful.
That Princely Heir from the Yang Family, Yang Wanliu, was indeed not someone ordinary Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage cultivators could defeat, especially when aided by the Thunder Wood's power of thunder and lightning, which was like adding wings to a tiger.
In the spectator's minds, once the young girl was struck by the lightning, she would definitely be overwhelmed by numbness, and Yang Wanliu would not miss such an opportunity. The moment to determine the winner of this platform battle seemed imminent.
"Hmm?"
Perhaps only Yang Wanliu, standing on the platform, noticed something amiss when the Thunder Wood's lightning hit his opponent. Below the swirling electric light, the young girl's figure seemed to still be moving.
Based on Yang Wanliu's consistent understanding of the Thunder Wood's Thunder Power, anyone struck by the lightning would be instantly paralyzed. Even for the briefest duration, it was impossible for this to change.
The only possibility was that the young girl hadn't been hit by the Thunder Wood's Thunder Power at all, allowing her to move even now. But with such swift Thunder Power, how had the young girl managed to evade it?
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
However, at the next instant, whether it was Yang Wanliu on the platform or the thousands of cultivators watching from below, none harbored that much confusion and doubt any longer. Because, shortly after, the figure of the young girl atop the platform once again became visible.
"What... What is that?"
Many people let out exclamations of amazement. The girl who now appeared before their eyes was no longer in her previous state. Around her, she was surrounded by a special layer of light and shadow.
This special layer of light and shadow looked like a lotus flower that had been stretched several times its size, enveloping the girl's entire figure. There were even flashes of lightning entwining it, making Family Head Yang Wanliu and the onlookers realize what had just happened.
It was clear that what had just occurred was not like what Family Head Yang Wanliu had thought in his mind—that the girl had dodged the strike of the Thunder Wood's Thunder Power with some special movement technique. Instead, she had timely initiated this defensive measure.
Although everyone was unclear about the true nature of the lotus-like defense, seeing how the lightning could not harm the girl in the slightest, everyone understood that this protective technique was anything but ordinary.
"Tsks, who would have thought that just one month into barely controlling the Double Flower Pure Lotus Body, she has already mastered the 'Pure Lotus Protection' technique. This talent is indeed impressive!"
Perhaps only Yun Xiao, among the crowd under the stage, understood something about Hu Ying'er's lotus-like defense, since he had seen this technique in his past life in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.
However, the lotus light and shadow around Hu Ying'er at this moment was still very indistinct. Compared to the Protective Pure Lotus that Yun Xiao had seen in his past life, it was weaker by who knows how many times.
The Protective Pure Lotus that Yun Xiao had seen in his past life was truly dazzling with a radiance that could be seen for thousands of miles, and lotus flowers spread as far as the eye could see. Even the attacks of Holy Rank Third Realm powerhouses could not penetrate a thread of that golden light. This was the formidable aspect of the light from the Double Flower Pure Lotus Body.
Although the Lotus Light that Hu Ying'er was currently using was still weak, it was more than sufficient to withstand the attack of a cultivator in the Early Stage of the Qi Seeking Realm. Didn't you see how the rampant lightning was completely devoured without a trace as the Lotus Light rotated?
"Protective Lotus Light, disperse!"
Just as Yun Xiao was reflecting on this in his heart, Hu Ying'er let out a low shout on the stage. Following the change in her handprints, the Pure Lotus Light that had been entwining her suddenly detached itself.
"Pure Lotus Light, both offensive and defensive, this girl indeed possesses astonishing talent!"
Seeing this scene, Yun Xiao sighed again, because he knew that the Pure Lotus Light was not merely for protection; once cultivated to a certain degree, it could be detached from the body and used to subdue and injure enemies.
Yun Xiao previously thought that in this period of over a month, Hu Ying'er had only mastered Pure Lotus Protection, but he had not expected that she had even dabbled in the technique of detaching and injuring others, which truly impressed him.
"Looking at it this way, this battle might not be without the possibility of victory!"
Yun Xiao, who had not held much hope for Hu Ying'er before, now had such a thought in his mind. However, he clearly had underestimated some situations, as perhaps unexpected changes would occur in this arena battle.
Boom! Crack! Boom! Crack! Boom! Crack!
On the stage, upon seeing the light lotus flower rushing towards him, Family Head Yang Wanliu, although he did not know how powerful that attack was, dared not to take it lightly. He swung the Thunder Wood in his hand, and three silver streaks of lightning broke free and fiercely struck the Pure Lotus Light.
But what surprised the crowd was that Yang Wanliu's ordinarily invincible Power of thunder and lightning had little effect this time.
As the light lotus flower slowly rotated, it seemed to possess a sort of assimilation power, a special technique. As the silver lightning struck it, it only flickered for a few moments before vanishing completely.
Even the aura of the light lotus flower had not diminished at all. It continued to rotate and rapidly approached Yang Wanliu—who was only a few feet away.
"Yang Wanliu, your Yang Family annihilated my entire Hu Family. Today, let me comfort the spirits of my parents in heaven with your life!"
Hu Ying'er's eyes held a hint of blood-red fierceness. Although she didn't speak these words out loud, they conveyed a satisfaction of avenging a great wrong, for she had great confidence in her Pure Lotus Light. If Yang Wanliu did not have other measures, he would surely die under this strike.
However, what Hu Ying'er failed to see was that when she executed her determined technique and everyone thought Yang Wanliu might be in a dire situation, Yang Family Head Yang Dingshan, who was not far away on the upper floor, had a hint of disdainful cold laughter flashing in his eyes.
"Defeat my son, Yang Dingshan's son, so easily? I don't think so."
The words that came out from Yang Dingshan's mouth were identical to those spoken before, causing several Yang Family elders, including the Great Elder Yang Qiwu who Yun Xiao had met before, to nod slightly. They all knew that secret and did not feel the slightest worry for Yang Wanliu.
Under such circumstances, the Pure Lotus Light deployed by Hu Ying'er finally struck Yang Wanliu hard. Amid the rampant radiance, it seemed to engulf his entire body. Seeing this scene, many onlookers were lost in thought.
Had this battle really ended just like that?