It belongs to the same origin.
Could it be that the ancient sword is related to the old man on the testing platform?
"Mr. Ye! This is..."
Xu Zhan was naturally familiar with the ancient sword.
"I see Elder Xu recognizes it!" Ye Ming smiled and said, "That's right! This is the one I borrowed when I fought with Chairman Gu."
Borrowed?
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhan almost rolled his eyes.
"Cough cough!"
Xu Zhan forcibly cleared his throat and said, "This ancient sword was given to Chairman Gu by those people at the time. I didn't expect Mr. Ye... to borrow it!"
Doesn't this sound a bit unnatural?
"Those people!"
Ye Ming naturally knew who Xu Zhan was referring to.
So the question now was:
Since this ancient sword was given to Gu Taiyi by the people behind the Ancient Martial Arts Association, why would it be related to the old man on the testing platform?
This was quite intriguing!
"Things seem to be getting more and more interesting!"
Thinking of this, Ye Ming showed a devilish smile.
Du Yuemian, standing nearby, had seen this expression before and couldn't help but feel a jolt, sensing that someone was about to have bad luck.
"Young Master! Is it really okay to let things develop like this?"
She was somewhat worried.
More precisely, she was worried about Xi Yao and the others.
The Dragon Phoenix Pavilion had provided her with considerable help during the inner circle and the competition for opportunities.
"Don't worry! Someone will handle it!"
Ye Ming patted her hand and comforted her, "If things really spiral out of control, I will intervene!"
As he said this, a figure in a white, plain dress appeared in his mind.
"This time, I'll watch your performance!"
He chuckled inwardly.
...
At the testing platform, the old man looked at the figures rapidly approaching, grinned, and had no intention of stopping them.
He held the withered wooden staff, waiting for them.
A moment later, after Xi Yao and the others arrived.
"Your Excellency! Could you cease this?"
Xi Yao stepped forward, not showing hostility immediately.
Fu Tianxing, on the other hand, had a constant coldness in his eyes. Hua Yisan's expression remained largely unchanged, giving a sense of neither joy nor sorrow.
"Little girl! As the leader of a Pavilion, how can you ask such a naive question?" The old man leaned on his staff, glancing indifferently at them, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
Little girl!
Upon hearing this address, Xi Yao's delicate brows furrowed. But after sensing the other party's age, she relaxed.
Indeed!
Compared to the old man before her, she was indeed a "little girl."
Subsequently, the old man's gaze locked onto Fu Tianxing. Noticing the coldness flickering in his eyes, he shook his head. "If I were you, I wouldn't show me killing intent at this moment!"
As he spoke, before Fu Tianxing could react, the old man lightly tapped the ground with his staff. The ominous aura that permeated the surroundings instantly condensed into substance and surged directly towards Fu Tianxing.
"You..."
Fu Tianxing had no time to think, frantically mobilizing the true qi within his body to form a protective barrier on his skin, attempting to resist the intrusion of the dark energy.
However, what happened next left him utterly stunned.
Because the protective barrier he had condensed with his true qi was like a piece of thin paper before the dark energy, offering no resistance at all and directly invading his body.
"Ah!"
The moment the dark energy invaded, Fu Tianxing's vitality seemed to be devoured. An endless tearing sensation tormented every nerve, causing him to cry out in pain.
To what extent was the pain that even a peak Martial God could not endure?
Seeing this, Xi Yao and Hua Yisan, standing nearby, both frowned. Without any verbal exchange, they immediately mobilized the true qi within their bodies and launched an assault on the old man.
"Overestimation of your abilities!"
The old man tapped the ground again with his staff. The surrounding dark energy surged instantly, blocking all their offensive routes.
"Do not come into contact with that dark energy!"
Xi Yao shouted.
Then, she formed hand seals, and streams of true qi flowed from her fingertips as she chanted:
"Heaven, Earth, Man, Sun, Moon, Harmony, As my heart desires, All things illuminated."
"Condense!"
At this moment, the words Xi Yao spoke transformed into a white energy, merging with the true qi in her hands. The next second, after the infusion of this special energy, Xi Yao's true qi began to undergo a qualitative change, becoming more pure and seemingly connected to all things.
Xi Yao controlled the special true qi, forming a protective film on the surface of her skin.
Its existence actually prevented the intrusion of the dark energy.
"This is... the Qi of All Things!"
Seeing the special true qi condensed by Xi Yao, the old man was greatly surprised and said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect you to master the method of true qi conversion in such a short time. Truly remarkable!"
That's right!
The method Xi Yao had just used was to convert true qi into the Qi of All Things.
However, this was only achieved by her employing a certain secret technique, allowing her to do so in a short period.
Seeing that Xi Yao's method was effective, Hua Yisan also possessed a similar technique. In a mere few seconds, she also condensed a protective film of the Qi of All Things on her skin.
She then channeled a trace of the Qi of All Things into Fu Tianxing, preventing further intrusion of the dark energy.
However, due to the considerable amount of dark energy already accumulated within Fu Tianxing, even though the influx was stopped, it could only temporarily save his life.
Without the interference of the dark energy, Xi Yao and Hua Yisan could finally attack without restraint.
But was that truly the case?
"Your mastery of the Qi of All Things does indeed surprise me!"
The old man held his staff with his right hand, slightly raised his left hand, and pressed it down gently towards the two of them, saying, "But that's all!"
Boom!
The moment the old man pressed down, Hua Yisan and Xi Yao felt as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. Above them, a violent torrent seemed to descend, instantly crushing them to the ground.
They were completely powerless to resist.
"Puff!"
"Puff!"
Under the immense pressure, blood gushed from their mouths, and their faces turned extremely pale. At this moment, they finally understood true powerlessness and despair.
Was the gap between them and the enemy so vast?
"Two little girls, the Qi of All Things is merely a beginner's skill in the eyes of people like us. Don't imagine it to be too magical." The old man took a step forward, and the next second, he appeared before them, looking down at them from above. "Do you know what realm I have reached?"
With a wave of his hand, the struggling Fu Tianxing was sucked into the air. The vitality within his body was drawn out through the previously leaked dark energy and absorbed into his own body.
The next second, his withered skin seemed to tighten slightly, and his entire spirit and vigor were elevated.
He was extracting Fu Tianxing's life force to nourish his own body.
The old man looked at the slightly dazed two, and the sinister smile on his lips widened, saying:
"To you, I am the all-powerful... God."