Chapter 1284: Exposed

ZENITH continued on with the next round of elimination matches after just a single day of rest.

Perhaps it was because he had leaped too high earlier, or perhaps his luck just changed, but regardless of the reason, Gu Xiao’er was the first to appear on the first layer. He was first to fight in the second round of elimination matches.

Another figure appeared in front of Gu Xiao’er, still suspended in midair while being surrounded by three strands of qi and emitting a godly aura.

Many people were dumbstruck; this luck was a bit too impressive.

Lu Yin rolled his eyes; that guy was gone.

Gu Xiao’er stared blankly at the indifferent Shang Qing before him while feeling like he had just stepped in shit.

How could this happen? There were still a hundred people left, which was equivalent to fifty matches, so why had he, Gu Xiao’er, immediately run into Shang Qing? This was too much!

There was a roar from within Smoke-Eater Peaks. “You bastard! You must have visited Azure Mansion before ZENITH, causing your luck to be taken away by those girls! I’ll skin him alive when he gets back.”

No matter what anyone thought, these results would not be changed.

Gu Xiao’er raised his head with grief and indignation clear on his face. “Who set this up? Is there some grudge against my Smoke-Eater Peaks? Has there been some offense?”

Across from him, Shang Qing attacked.

It did not take long for Gu Xiao’er to be defeated, and he reappeared down on the second layer while Shang Qing remained on the first layer.

Although the first layer was not as large as the third, it was still quite big.

After winning his match, Shang Qing appeared at the edge of the first layer. This layer had no barrier around it. Instead, the barrier only isolated the battlefield.

Immediately after the first match ended, Ye Xingchen appeared up on the first layer. His opponent was Fan Shun.

Ye Xingchen, Lu Yin, Mu Rong, and Ling Que had once been called the four peerless Limiteers, but when Ye Xingchen had been a Limiteer, he had always been in the Cosmic Sea.

It was not until after the Sixth Mainland had invaded and the war reached the Cosmic Sea that Lu Yin had met Ye Xingchen.

Ye Xingchen’s innate gift was meteor shower. He was in no way weak, but there was simply too large of a gap in strength between him and Fan Shun. Regardless of if it was cultivation realm or battle strength, Ye Xingchen could not compare at all.

In the end, he lost without any surprises during the battle.

Experts both known and unknown appeared on the first layer, and the winner of each match would stay behind while the losers reappeared on the second layer. This stage was the greatest platform in the current universe.

Autumnfrost Qing lost to Qiu Shi, Lilyrose lost to a man named Ze Cu, and Qian Zou lost to God Taiyi. No matter how unbelievable Qian Zou’s strength was, God Taiyi simply weakened his runes, rendering Qian Zou’s strength nothing more than ordinary.

Dao Bo lost to Liu Tianmu, and Liu Shaoqiu lost to Yao Xuan. These two battles in particular attracted a lot of attention since both users of the Thirteen Swords had appeared.

However, Liu Shaoqiu never revealed anything to do with the Thirteen Swords throughout his battle.

Yao Xuan smiled. “I want to see Liu Tianmu’s Thirteen Swords, not yours.”

This single phrase was all that was said before Liu Shaoqiu collapsed. Yao Xuan’s spiritual force was unfathomable.

Long ago, Liu Shaoqiu had been a favorite to win the Astral Combat Tournament, and he had been expected to eventually replace one of the Ten Arbiters. However, he was not able to make any waves in ZENITH at all. The level of this tournament was just too high for him.

On the first layer, the Leaf King was defeated by Yōu Qi. The Leaf King possessed powerful battle techniques and was able to transform his opponents’ star energy into leaves, but Yōu Qi simply ignored all of his opponent’s attacks while the Leaf King was unable to do anything to Yōu Qi.

If he had fought against almost literally anyone else, then the Leaf King would have been able to put up a fight. However, he was perfectly countered by Yōu Qi.

Even at this stage of ZENITH, there were still a few people who had managed to rely on their luck to get through, such as Ku Wei. He ran into a Limiteer for this round, but Ku Wei was quickly running out of luck.

The goal of ZENITH was to determine the top ten youths, and any position outside of the top ten was completely meaningless. Also, it was impossible to enter the top ten with sheer luck, as even getting into the top twenty by being lucky was impossible.

Yao Ji was frustrated, as he had encountered Yuhua Mavis.

As the Cosmic Sect’s fourth true disciple, even if he knew that he was destined to lose, he still had to do his best. Otherwise, he would not be able to face his sect after returning.

Of course, as soon as he appeared on the first layer, he was stunned by a fist.

With only fifty matches in this round, there were eye-catching battles every few matches.

After the battle between Yao Ji and Yuhua Mavis ended, Bai Ling appeared, and her opponent was Yōu Ye’er.

Most people were unfamiliar with Yōu Ye’er and had no clue who she was.

Only a small number of people knew that she was from the Yōu clan and that the Yōu clan was a part of the Court of Seven Names.

The Innerverse and Outerverse believed that the Innerverse’s Yōu family was a branch of the Seven Courts’ Yōu clan, but Lu Yin was aware that the Innerverse branch was actually the main branch of the family as they possessed the Yōu clan’s secret technique.

Down on the foot of Zenith Mountain, Yōu Qin stared at a screen showing Yōu Ye’er with a complicated expression. On the bright side, Yōu Ye’er was a descendant of the Yōu family, but unfortunately, it turned out that the family’s true inheritor was a little girl who only looked like she was eleven or twelve years old.

The first layer was directly below the highest point of Zenith Mountain, and it was very close to the peak.

Yōu Ye’er looked up at the peak, remembering the warning that Elder Su had given her.

There were too many powerhouses in ZENITH, and if Yōu Ye’er continued to hide her strength and her secret technique, then it would practically be impossible for her to enter the top ten. Elder Su wanted Yōu Ye’er to give up on ZENITH and look at the bigger picture. News of the Yōu secret technique could not be revealed to the world as it was information that could not be allowed to spread.

Although Yōu Ye’er was the Yōu family’s inheritor, she was also nothing more than a vessel for the clan’s secret technique.

But Yōu Ye’er was not willing to accept this outcome. She had given up too much for her family, and she was not even allowed to make any decisions regarding her own marriage; why? She wanted to try to climb the highest mountain. She was not seeking the position of Pinnacle Youth, as she simply wanted to enter the top ten. Although it was an extravagant hope, it would be wonderful to end up in the top ten. She really wanted to go all out.

Across from Yōu Ye’er, Bai Ling completely disregarded Yōu Ye’er, as she was nothing more than an Explorer.

Strange lines entwined towards Yōu Ye’er. She still had the appearance of a little girl, and she stared at those lines in a pitiful manner.

Many people could not bear to watch this battle.

Down on the second layer, Liu Shaoqiu frowned. He was betrothed to Yōu Ye’er, and although he did not care about it, the girl was truly his fiancée.

Liu Shaoqiu clenched his fists when he saw Bai Ling attack.

In the Innerverse, the Yōu family watched. In the Neoverse, near the Netherworld River, many people from the Yōu clan were also watching the battle.

The strange lines exploded. Bai Ling’s attack was strong enough to even frighten an Enlighter with a power level of 300,000.

Many people grew nervous, as they were afraid that that Yōu Ye’er would be beaten to death.

After Bai Ling unleashed her attack, she no longer was concerned with her opponent. But inexplicably, four pillars formed from star energy suddenly surrounded Bai Ling. “Encompassing Lockdown Array.”

Bai Ling was surprised; had that little girl not died?

Four squares formed the base of the Encompassing Lockdown Array, and this was one of the Yōu clan’s inherited battle techniques.

Bai Ling let out a cold snort, causing more and more strange lines to appear all around the battlefield. As long as sound existed, she could use it. However, the strange lines of her innate gift that were formed from sound could not penetrate the Encompassing Lockdown Array.

She suddenly felt the power of an Enlighter.

Bai Ling’s pupils instantly constricted as Yōu Ye’er appeared in front of her. The opponent who had previously looked like a twelve year old girl was now an adult woman. This woman was extremely beautiful, and she felt like a black rose surrounded by thorns. When she raised a hand, star energy formed a sword.

Bai Ling had no time to react before her arm was pierced through by the sword.

Yōu Ye’er was not an Explorer, but rather an Enlighter. What’s more, she was not the same age as Liu Shaoqiu, as she was actually from the same generation as the Ten Arbiters. She was the Yōu clan’s true inheritor.

When Yōu Ye’er revealed her true strength, she shocked countless people.

The Sixth Mainland cultivators blankly stared at Yōu Ye’er; what had happened to the little girl? They had all been worried about that little girl just now.

In the Innerverse, at the Sword Sect, Liu Qianjue’s face fell. “The Yōu Secret Art: Age Concealment. They’ve quietly hidden themselves for so many years.”

In the Neoverse, along the Netherworld River, Yōu Kexin, the matriarch of the Yōu clan, was infuriated. Stupid! Just stupid.

The Yōu clan had purposely split up all those years ago to hide their secret technique, but all of their efforts had just been destroyed by Yōu Ye’er.

Lu Yin was surprised to see Yōu Ye’er reveal her secret technique. This was quite interesting; was she that confident in entering the top ten?

Liu Shaoqiu was in a daze; what had just happened? Yōu Ye’er had actually transformed, suddenly revealing a level of strength that completely surpassed him. What was going on?

Liu Tianmu’s eyes went cold; so they had been protecting the Yōu clan’s main branch all along. Their Sword Sect had been tricked.

Regardless of the outside world’s reaction, Yōu Ye’er had just demonstrated a shocking display of swordsmanship, and this swordsmanship actually came from Liu Qianjue.

The Yōu clan was connected to the Sword Sect by marriage, and thus, they were protected by the Sword Sect. Yōu Ye’er had even been personally taught swordsmanship by Liu Qianjue, which was a favor that the Sword Sect had shown to the Yōu clan.

The moment that Yōu Ye’er’s swordsmanship was revealed, even Bai Ling was caught off guard.

Although it was not a peerless technique like the Thirteen Swords, Yōu Ye’er’s swordsmanship had merged with the Yōu family’s slashing techniques, making it completely different from the Sword Sect’s techniques. Yōu Ye’er’s sword was strange and unpredictable, but it was also fierce and unusual.

Bai Ling became extremely angry. She had been deceived! This woman was extremely powerful and incredibly skilled with the sword. Bai Ling could not dodge the attack, so she summoned her imprint, which caused her power level to spike. A strange bell rang out. This was the spiritual force technique that Bai Ling had once used to reduce thousands of people to idiots.

Yōu Ye’er immediately retreated into the Encompassing Lockdown Array, and the ringing of the bell could not enter the array.

Bai Ling’s eyes went wide, and her expression grew cold. She raised a hand, and her voice rang out in various tones as she bombarded the Encompassing Lockdown Array.

Cracks appeared in the array. Although Yōu Ye’er was also an Enlighter, the Fifth Mainland’s cultivators were innately suppressed by their peers from the Sixth Mainland. Bai Ling’s advantage was even greater than most as she possessed both an imprint and a martial print.

With a loud noise, the Encompassing Lockdown Array shattered.

A terrifying sound swept out. Bai Ling wanted to vent her hatred by turning Yōu Ye’er into an idiot.

In the Yōu family’s territory, a middle-aged woman sighed. The Yōu Secret Art had been exposed. Against a true powerhouse, this secret technique could not really affect the outcome of a fight, and many people in ZENITH had their own secret techniques. Thus, it was basically impossible for Yōu Ye’er to enter the top ten when she could not even deal with a Realmling.

This woman had to think of a way for the Yōu family to return. The Sword Sect would no longer be their safe haven, and they would certainly move against their family.

On Zenith Mountain, Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Yōu Ye’er had exploded with her full strength, but she still was not Bai Ling’s opponent. Logically the battle should be over, and it was possible that Yōu Ye’er had already suffered a miserable end. Still, for some reason, Lu Yin had a feeling that Yōu Ye’er would not lose so easily.

He still remembered what he had witnessed all those years ago when he had Possessed that Specter clan member. He knew that Yōu Ye’er had hidden herself very deeply, and since she was willing to expose her true power here, she should not be defeated that easily.

Suddenly, Lu Yin was taken aback, as Yōu Ye’er’s rune lines suddenly skyrocketed.

On the first layer, Bai Ling’s voice swept through the battlefield, but it was suddenly blocked by a blood-red lotus.

Yōu Ye’er appeared atop the blood-colored lotus flower. Her whole body was surging with blood energy, and even her clothes had been stained red. She went from looking like a black rose to a blood-colored rose.

No one had expected such a shocking scene to appear.

Even Madam Yōu, the leader of Yōu family, and Yōu Kexin, the Yōu matriarch, were both at a loss, as they did not know what Yōu Ye’er had just done.1

No one knew just what battle technique Yōu Ye’er had just used on the battlefield within the barrier of light, not even Arch-Elder Zen, as this technique had never appeared before.

The blood-colored lotus easily blocked Bai Ling’s attack.

[1] For everyone as confused as me the first time I read this, the Yōu clan is the group in the Neoverse. The Yōu family is the group in/near the Sword Sect. The family in the Innerverse were considered to be traitors to the clan, but it was a ruse to hide the main family and their inherited secret technique. ☜

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