Chapter 2512: Elimination

Boom! A rumble echoed across the vast arena, fueled by the overwhelming pressure radiating from Huashan Shen Nü and Songshan Shen Zi. Both possessed astonishing bloodlines and were at the Zhǔn Dì level, their auras incredibly potent.

The onlookers wore peculiar expressions.

The so-called Shen Nü was actually Ye Chen's physical body, which simply felt off no matter how you looked at it.

On Ye Chen's side, he was still inhabiting the Shen Nü's body, busy polishing a divine pearl.

At that moment, more people were contemplating something else entirely: whether the little stone from Huashan had perhaps snuck off for some indulgence in the dead of night. The mental image was rather… stimulating.

Kunlun Shen Zi had already produced a club and was polishing it vigorously, making it gleam. Once the Five Peaks Duel concluded, blood would be shed – he was determined to give that little stone a thorough beating. But first, he’d target Songshan Shen Zi, and then Ye Chen. Compared to the little stone, he found those cross-eyed stares far more irritating. How dare you strike my woman? You have some nerve.

Boom!

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, Huashan Shen Nü and Songshan Shen Zi clashed ferociously.

The battle was undeniably spectacular.

It was clear that Huashan Shen Nü was entirely on the defensive. It wasn't that she couldn't fight Songshan Shen Zi; rather, because she wasn't using her own body, she wasn't at her peak and was constantly constrained. In terms of combat power, she was even weaker than Huashan Shen Zi himself. No wonder she was losing.

Songshan Shen Zi, for his part, was acting like a true brute this time. He wasn't exchanging insults, but he certainly wasn't holding back – his attacks were relentlessly brutal. After all, she wasn't his own wife, so why would he show any restraint?

After just over a dozen exchanges, Huashan Shen Nü was already a bloody mess, her body riddled with countless gashes. Each wound pulsed with an eerie glow that rapidly drained her vital energy.

Kunlun Shen Zi's face darkened, and he tightened his grip on the club he was polishing. He had already made up his mind: once the duel ended, he would beat Songshan Shen Zi first, then Ye Chen. That cross-eyed fool deserved it for daring to hit his woman.

Meanwhile, Kunlun's sect leader had the foresight to act the moment Huashan Shen Nü stepped onto the platform, casting a seal to restrain their own Shen Zi and prevent him from causing chaos.

If not for that, Kunlun Shen Zi wouldn't have remained so quiet – he would have charged up there ages ago.

Pfft!

As the crowd watched, Huashan Shen Nü took another heavy blow, nearly split in half by a palm strike from Songshan Shen Zi.

Seal!

Huashan Shen Nü soared into the sky and countered with a palm strike of her own.

In her palm lay an ancient seal, an archaic forbidden technique capable of stabilizing the heavens and earth and suppressing yin and yang. It was an emperor-level immortal art, one of her trump cards, which she had completely mastered.

Break!

Songshan Shen Zi snorted coldly and shattered the seal with sheer force, then struck down Huashan Shen Nü with a sword.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

What followed was a gruesome spectacle. After taking that initial sword strike, Huashan Shen Nü never had a chance to regain her footing. Songshan Shen Zi pressed on with relentless sword strikes, giving her no room to breathe. Each blow drew blood, and each was more savage than the last, staining the skies crimson.

"This kind of guy is no good for marriage – his strikes are far too vicious."

Tai Bai nudged the little girl beside him, attempting to offer some advice. What was supposed to be a duel felt more like a barrage of lethal techniques.

"That guy's toughness is off the charts."

Tai Yi clicked his tongue, glancing at Songshan Sect's leader, who was lounging in his chair with a relaxed expression, chin held high. Every now and then, he would shoot a provocative look at Huashan Zhen Ren.

Huashan Zhen Ren had already closed his eyes, adopting an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach.

"My body..."

Ye Chen had finished polishing the divine pearl and was quietly observing the unfolding scene. Every time Huashan Shen Nü took a sword strike, he felt a pang of pain, as if he were the one being hit.

He knew Huashan Shen Nü possessed a trump card – Da Meng Wu Ji.

But he also knew she wouldn't use it again. She had already made one mistake by switching bodies, and using dream path immortal arts carelessly could lead to even more unpredictable trouble.

The battle raged on brutally, and the spectators sighed with pity. More and more people arrived to watch, including cultivators from the Upper Immortal Realm and scattered immortals from other realms.

Whenever this occurred, Ye Chen's divine sense would scan the area, searching for any reincarnated souls. Unfortunately, after sweeping back and forth dozens of times, he hadn't found a single one.

Boom!

The void rumbled, space shattered, and amidst various mysterious phenomena, Huashan Shen Nü was defeated, plummeting from the sky. Her entire body, once radiant with immortal light, was now soaked in blood and completely extinguished.

From that point on, she had no more strength to attack; her energy was utterly depleted, rendering her unable to fight any longer.

In the void, Songshan Shen Zi stood gracefully, looking down with a mocking smirk. His expression was as arrogant as ever, as if he were gazing at a mere ant.

What made people want to laugh was his pair of cross-eyes – they were so perfectly aligned that if you stuck a stick between them, something amusing might happen. It was truly hilarious.

Huashan Shen Nü's face was impassive as she sheathed her immortal sword and slowly descended from the battle platform. She accepted her defeat with grace and didn't make a fuss, unlike Huashan Shen Zi, who would have barked like a mad dog.

This loss was entirely her own fault. If she hadn't used the dream path immortal arts, there wouldn't have been the body-swapping mess. And without swapping with Ye Chen, she could have beaten Songshan Shen Zi into a pulp.

"Ah."

Huashan Xian Zi sighed.

Recalling the previous Five Peaks Duel, Huashan Sect had dominated, defeating the other four peaks. But this time, they were utterly humiliated, with both their Shen Zi and Shen Nü defeated.

With this battle, Huashan Sect was officially out.

The spectators' gazes were mostly filled with pity. It wasn't that Huashan was weak; it was just that ridiculously unfortunate things had happened. One Shen Zi was crippled by Ye Chen, his life-bound weapon destroyed, suffering terrible backlash. The other Shen Nü had accidentally swapped bodies with Ye Chen, drastically reducing her power.

This perfectly illustrated what it meant to be undone by your own people.

And Ye Chen was the center of attention. The other four sects likely had him to thank for their good fortune.

Ye Chen stood with his hands behind his back, ignoring the stares from all sides.

"Little stone, care to come up for a fight?"

A mocking laugh suddenly rang out from Songshan Shen Zi. He had won against Huashan Shen Nü but hadn't left the platform, instead eyeing Ye Chen with amusement and a playful sneer.

Ye Chen curled his lip.

"You're a Zhǔn Dì, and I'm just a Sheng Wang. You sure know how to pick easy targets."

"I'll suppress my cultivation to match yours, down to Sheng Wang level."

Songshan Shen Zi's laugh grew even more teasing, laced with an ethereal quality that could disrupt one's mind.

"In the same realm, even your Shen Zi couldn't beat me. Where do you get your confidence?"

Ye Chen shot back at Songshan Shen Zi, his words a mix of intimidation and provocation.

"Don't lump me in with that trash."

Songshan Shen Zi glanced at Huashan Shen Zi as he spoke – his remark was as crude as ever. That earlier "trash" comment had nearly set Huashan Shen Zi off.

Then he turned back to Ye Chen.

"If you're scared, just admit defeat."

"In that case, I won't hold back."

Ye Chen stood up and looked toward Kunlun's sect leader.

"Senior, could you kindly cast a seal to suppress his cultivation to match mine?"

No wonder he was the emperor of Da Chu – always thinking ahead. If this fight was supposed to be at Sheng Wang level and that guy suddenly restored his Zhǔn Dì power mid-battle, who would he complain to?

He wasn't afraid of a Zhǔn Dì; he just didn't want to reveal his true strength too early – the timing wasn't right.

So, a seal was the perfect solution.

And having Kunlun's sect leader do it was ideal – it would lock him down tight, no chance of reverting to Zhǔn Dì.

"Very well."

Kunlun's sect leader smiled warmly and flicked a strand of immortal light into Songshan Shen Zi's body. It was a powerful seal – any cheating was out of the question.

As the seal integrated, Songshan Shen Zi's aura plummeted.

But he didn't seem to mind at all, laughing with utter disdain, his arrogance even stronger. He believed he was superior to Huashan Shen Zi; Ye Chen might have beaten Huashan Shen Zi, but not him. His intent was clear: he wanted to use Ye Chen to reach a new peak.

Just imagine the prestige of defeating the owner of the Dao Jing.

Ye Chen chuckled lightly and stepped onto the battle platform. He had no idea where Songshan Shen Zi's confidence came from. In the same realm, even Dao Ancestor might not stand a chance – did he think he was better?

"He'll definitely turn the tide for Huashan."

Huashan Zhen Ren had opened his eyes, smiling more gleefully than Ye Chen. That Songshan Shen Zi was no match for him at all.