Chapter 0616: Mountain and River Martial Spirit

Chapter 0616: Soul of Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yun glared at Jian Mang, though Jian Mang couldn’t see his furious gaze.

Jian Ruyan became more certain that Qin Yun had held back during their fight, realizing how foolish she had been to challenge him so impulsively.

Qin Yun had absolutely no interest in fighting—it was exhausting and could lead to injuries. Unless the rewards justified it, he’d rather avoid it.

Sensing Jian Ruyan’s mounting fury, Jian Mang quickly laughed and said, "Sister Ruyan, even if Qin Yun didn’t hold back, he still couldn’t beat you!"

"With his strength, defeating you is impossible. If he did hold back, it was probably just to avoid tiring himself out, knowing he’d lose to you in the end anyway."

Qin Yun nodded. "Sword Heroine, your spirit swords are incredibly powerful—fighting you overwhelms my mind."

"Add to that your peerless sword skills, and my body becomes an easy target. Battling you exhausts both mind and body. I simply can’t sustain a prolonged fight!"

He was telling the truth. He wasn’t even sure if he could win against Jian Ruyan in the end.

Hearing this, Jian Ruyan seemed partially appeased and snorted coldly.

"Though Qin Yun can’t beat you, Sister Ruyan, he can still dominate weaklings like Hua Xiyue! No matter how strong Hua Xiyue is, he’s barely superior to Liu Chongsheng. Back when Qin Yun was at the Ninth Layer Martial Path, he already defeated Liu Chongsheng, who was in the Spirit Martial Realm," Jian Mang added.

Hua Xiyue’s expression darkened at these words, but he couldn’t lash out at Jian Mang—not with Jian Shitian present.

Qin Yun couldn’t fathom why Jian Mang was acting this way. Normally, he avoided stirring trouble, yet now he was uttering such inflammatory remarks.

"Qin Yun, fight me!" Hua Xiyue said coldly. "You just want benefits to agree to a fight, right? If you beat me, I’ll give you a million purple crystal coins. Will you fight?"

"Hua Xiyue, I once sold the head of the Long Family’s patriarch to the Long Family for billions of purple crystal coins. Do you really think I’m short on coins?" Qin Yun chuckled. "How about this—I’ll give you a million purple crystal coins to brawl with a swine. Deal?"

"You—!"

Hua Xiyue could barely scrape together a few million purple crystal coins at most.

Just then, Hua Xiyue’s Master stepped forward and said, "Qin Yun, how about a hundred million purple crystal coins?"

Everyone knew how brutally Qin Yun had humiliated Hua Xiyue in the Immortal Armament Illusory Realm—it was Hua Xiyue’s most humiliating defeat.

Since Hua Xiyue wielded the power of his Profound Body, he couldn’t unleash his full strength in the Illusory Realm. He was convinced that in reality, he could defeat Qin Yun.

"You think I’m a beggar?" Qin Yun sneered. "Not worth my time!"

"Then what do you want?" Hua Xiyue snapped.

"I don’t want to fight!" Qin Yun laughed. "I already admitted I’m weaker than you. Why are you so obsessed with fighting me?"

Jian Mang grinned. "Because he can't stomach the humiliation. In the Immortal Armament Illusory Realm, you humiliated him badly. If he doesn’t get revenge, he’ll never live with the disgrace!"

This wasn’t just Hua Xiyue’s sentiment—Tian Yaolei, Long Kuangxing, and Long Ziming felt the same way.

"Qin Yun, if you beat me, I’ll give you a Yuanling Mystic Pill!"

Hua Xiyue declared resolutely.

The Yuanling Mystic Pill was extremely precious, on par with the Bone Spirit Mystic Pill.

Qin Yun had taken one before, dramatically enhancing his mental energy. Consuming more could greatly accelerate his spiritual cultivation, aiding his breakthrough to the mid-stage Spirit Martial Realm.

Many disciples were surprised—this was a substantial incentive.

Understand this: If Qin Yun loses the match, he's got nothing to lose.

But for Hua Xiyue, it’s different—if he loses, he has to hand over a Yuanling Mystic Pill.

"Two pills!" Qin Yun paused briefly before saying.

"I don’t have that many!" Hua Xiyue fumed silently. Just as Jian Mang had said, Qin Yun never fights unless there's something in it for him.

"Forget it then!" Qin Yun sighed. "I’ve got three billion purple crystal coins—buying Yuanling Mystic Pills wouldn’t be a problem!"

"Two then!" Hua Xiyue snorted. "Like you could win anyway. Even if I said ten, you’d never get them!"

"Wait, show me the two Yuanling Mystic Pills first!" Qin Yun demanded.

Jian Ruyan sneered disdainfully. "Such a penny-pincher, always chasing after trivial gains!"

Hua Xiyue took out two Yuanling Mystic Pills and handed them to Bao Changshou for safekeeping, to reassure Qin Yun.

"As expected of a disciple from the Dharma Protector Hall—the perks are impressive!" Chu Binyu chuckled.

Jian Shitian, seeing that a fight was about to break out—and involving a big shot like Qin Yun—perked up with interest. He smiled and said, "Let me put up the barrier so we don’t damage the gates of the Immortal Armament Palace."

Later, his grandson would also fight here. As the challenger, it was only polite for him to take care of this.

Everyone had assumed that after Qin Yun was expelled from his sect, there’d be no good fights to see. Yet now, they could witness a duel between Qin Yun and Hua Xiyue firsthand.

Such a battle truly showcased one’s strength.

"Hua Xiyue has dual martial souls, a Profound Body, and totems—with such foundations, he’s a shoo-in for the top ten early-stage Spirit Martial cultivators in Aoxing State!" Jian Ruyan remarked, acknowledging Hua Xiyue’s strength.

"What about Qin Yun? The guy's no pushover. Defeating Hua Xiyue shouldn’t be hard!" Jian Mang grinned. "Luckily, he can’t participate in the Martial Path Championship. Otherwise, he’d definitely secure a spot in the top ten!"

"No matter how strong he is, he can’t defeat me!" Jian Ruyan oozed confidence, then turned to Jian Nanhu beside her and asked, "Brother Hu, who in Aoxing State do you think can match you?"

"At least six, and you’re one of them!" Jian Nanhu replied, then glanced at the gates of the Immortal Armament Palace. "There’s also one in Immortal Armament City! The Medicine Immortal Valley, Canghuo Immortal Mountain, Demon Immortal Cave, and Demonmoon Island all have fighters who can match me!"

After Jian Shitian finished putting up the barrier, he asked, "Will you be using weapons in this duel?"

"No!" Hua Xiyue quickly answered.

"Doesn’t matter!" Qin Yun was strong even without weapons.

Of course, if weapons were allowed, he wouldn’t dare bring out the Nine Sun Divine Hammer—the old-timers here would see through it.

Hua Xiyue was feeling the heat, boiling mad. Jian Ruyan and Jian Nanhu’s earlier conversation had acted like he didn’t exist.

In his eyes, he was just as strong as Jian Nanhu.

But with Jian Shitian present, he knew better than to mouth off to Jian Nanhu.

The plaza before the Immortal Armament Palace gates was cleared, leaving a 200-meter-wide space for the duel.

Qin Yun and Hua Xiyue stood at opposite edges of the barrier, 200 meters apart, giving them room to go all out.

"Inside the barrier, you won’t be knocked out! If you're outmatched, just yield to avoid damaging your foundation and affecting your future!" Bao Changshou called out.

Jian Shitian shouted, "Begin!"

Furious, Hua Xiyue came charging like a mad bull, leaping into the air above Qin Yun. With a raised hand, he summoned the illusion of a towering mountain.

The massive mountain phantom slammed down, covering the entire area within the barrier.

Boom!

The descending mountain phantom shook the earth with a thunderous boom.

The over a million spectators erupted in shocked admiration!

Even many elders from esteemed clans couldn't help but praise this display of power.

The mountain phantom pressed down on Qin Yun, forcing him flat onto the ground, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Qin Yun was putting on an act—he couldn't show his true power yet, or else he wouldn’t be able to continue tricking others.

He saw value and challenge in suppressing his cultivation level while fighting Hua Xiyue.

Seeing Hua Xiyue’s strength, both Jian Nanhu and Jian Ruyan’s faces flickered with surprise.

"Hua Xiyue possesses the Profound Body and twin Dao Pills, allowing him to withstand the simultaneous burst of Hunyuan Dao Force. His strength is quite impressive!" Jian Shitian remarked with a smile.

"Qin Yun, I’ll show you what real power is! You, who only rely on talismans and weapons, can't comprehend the supremacy that comes with mastering true strength!"

Hua Xiyue, seeing Qin Yun knocked down and hearing Jian Shitian praise him, swelled with pride.

To prove his strength and avoid being underestimated by Jian Nanhu, Hua Xiyue had pulled out all the stops.

Swoosh!

As Qin Yun struggled to rise, Hua Xiyue swiftly conjured a massive river phantom, its raging currents surging toward Qin Yun!

Qin Yun, still on the ground, was pummeled like driftwood in a tsunami, his body seared with white-hot agony, forcing out a cry of torment.

Once again, Qin Yun was pinned, continuously battered by the river’s force.

The power displayed by Hua Xiyue’s Mountain-River Battle Spirit was nothing short of awe-inspiring!

With a mere gesture, he could summon a mountain to suppress Qin Yun, or a raging river to crush him.

"This guy is indeed strong in reality! Far stronger than in the Celestial Armory Realm!"

Though Qin Yun felt excruciating pain, his Sky Lion Mystic Body was nothing to scoff at.

His muscles sustained mere surface wounds, healing rapidly, while his robust internal bones held strong.

"Hua Xiyue’s strength is nothing special! With your Sky Lion Mystic Body paired with the Sky Lion Bone Spirit, you have incredible endurance. Even if he hits you a dozen more times, you’ll be fine!" Ling Yuner said.

"Just toy with him without using your Dao Pill power—treat it as limbering up. There might be more battles ahead!"

If Hua Xiyue knew Ling Yuner’s thoughts, he’d probably vomit blood in fury!

The crowd broke into thunderous applause as they witnessed Hua Xiyue’s second devastating move.

Just as Hua Xiyue reveled in his apparent victory, he saw Qin Yun slowly rise to his feet.

Though battered and bloodied, the fact that he could stand meant his bones held strong.

Seeing Qin Yun rise, Hua Xiyue clenched his fists tightly, unleashing a terrifying Dao pressure.

"Mountain-River Tyrant's Fist!"

Hua Xiyue charged forward, his fist infused with Mountain-River Hunyuan Dao Force, roaring furiously as he struck at Qin Yun.