Chapter 402: Xifeng Holy Sanctuary Unleashes its Ultimate Move

Here is the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

"Dominating the Nine Heavens ()" Find the latest chapter!

Seeing Ah Xi's excitement, Old Wang laughed heartily and threw an arm around his shoulder: "Ah Xi, we've already won four straight Holy Sanctuaries. This place is nothing special—we're moving forward!"

"Right! Keep moving forward, Rose for the win!" Ah Xi's eyes gleamed as he threw a punch in the air excitedly, as if they had already secured their fifth 3-0 victory.

The trek up had taken considerable time. Liu Yishou from Xifeng Holy Sanctuary had said the match would begin at 10 a.m., but it was now approaching noon. The members of Xifeng Holy Sanctuary were surely growing impatient. News of Wang Feng and his team's ascent had been relayed by earlier cable car arrivals, and representatives from Xifeng Holy Sanctuary were waiting anxiously. Spotting Old Wang Squad, they promptly escorted them to the combat arena.

As one of the foundational top ten Holy Sanctuaries, Xifeng Holy Sanctuary's arena was truly majestic. From a distance, its colossal oval structure resembled a bird's nest.

Just the exterior far surpassed the arenas of previous Holy Sanctuaries they'd visited. Passing through a narrow corridor into the interior revealed a vast space.

The rectangular combat platform, stretching nearly 200 to 300 meters in length and width, wasn't paved with tiles but rather a single, massive slab of hardened alloy! The dark platform was elevated about a dozen centimeters, with four towering statues of the Four Sages standing at each corner: the Exorcist Sage, the Mermaid Princess, the Orc Prophet, and the Holy Light Sage. Each statue gripped a thick iron chain connected to the dark alloy platform, reminiscent of the Four Symbols Array Old Wang had seen in the Dragon City illusion that once restrained the Hydra Haikula. The dark alloy platform itself resembled a massive lid, as if sealing some terrifying entity beneath...

This was Xifeng Holy Sanctuary's Demon-Subduing Arena, renowned throughout the Holy Sanctuaries and the entire League of Blades. Existing since the sanctuary's founding, it was originally a formation to suppress evil before being converted into an arena. Unlike ordinary arenas prone to damage, this one remained unscathed despite over two centuries of battles—no one had ever left even a scratch on its dark alloy surface. Instead, the arena's unique aura enhanced combatants' performance, often pushing them beyond normal limits.

Opposite the Rose entrance, Xifeng Holy Sanctuary's five fighters had been waiting.

Zhao Ziyue stood with arms crossed, his Eternal Lance planted beside him. He had arrived two hours earlier, meditating in silence.

He'd heard about last night's incident in Xifeng Town, but it left him unmoved. Once, he had looked down on Wang Feng—when the latter's reputation exceeded his actual strength. But as a top-ten elite among hundreds of thousands of Holy Sanctuary disciples, Zhao Ziyue's judgment was sound.

A leader who had guided Rose to four consecutive 3-0 victories against high-ranking Holy Sanctuaries; a strategist who invented swarm tactics, forcing even a master like the Flame Demon Valaroca to surrender with just eighteen Frost Bees; an opponent about whom Ye Dun had sent three urgent missives, meticulously analyzing Wang Feng's Frost Bee tactics...

However biased Zhao Ziyue might have been, he couldn't underestimate Wang Feng anymore. In fact, he held a measure of respect for him. Last night's hospitality had been genuine—the extra expense meant nothing. Anyone who thought he'd be upset over such trivialities sorely underestimated Xifeng Holy Sanctuary.

Though his eyes were closed, his senses were sharp, his aura steady. The Zhao Family Lance technique demanded dominance. After two hours of silent preparation, his energy had peaked. Amid the arena's noise, his keen hearing caught faint footsteps from the opposing entrance over a hundred meters away.

They're here!

Zhao Ziyue's eyes snapped open, blazing with golden light as he fixed his gaze on Rose's entrance.

Emerging from the passage, Old Wang immediately noticed Zhao Ziyue's stare but ignored it, scanning the surroundings instead. His eyes soon found the Frost Spirits and Fire God Mountain contingent in the stands. Aota, apparently prepared, held two large cymbals. Spotting Old Wang's team, he immediately clanged them together in support. They weren't alone—many others in that section also cheered for Rose.

Dragon Moon Holy Sanctuary, Kuisha Holy Sanctuary, Nanfeng Holy Sanctuary...

These were the main groups that had tormented Liu Yishou last night. Dragon Moon's contingent needed no explanation—though Xiao Bang wasn't present, his juniors represented him. While unaware Old Wang was Xiao Bang's master, they knew Xiao Bang supported Rose and followed suit.

Kuisha Holy Sanctuary had no direct ties to Old Wang Squad but was close with Fire God Mountain. They were rare earth-element mages in the League—not highly ranked but uniquely formidable.

As for Nanfeng Holy Sanctuary, Old Wang knew them well.

During the Dragon City battle, he'd rescued their top fighter Wu Dao, whom Fu Yu had nearly killed. Fortunately, Old Wang—while "escorting" Mo Tong—had administered a soul-nourishing potion. Now Wu Dao sat in front, six swords strapped to his back. Though pale, he looked spirited—having outdrunk Liu Yishou last night, he and his juniors waved enthusiastically.

"Go Rose! Go Old Wang Squad!"

"Old Wang, sweep Xifeng Holy Sanctuary 3-0!"

"Wang Feng! Win and you're cleared of that 8,000-currency debt!"

Nearly a hundred supporters cheered as Wang Feng's team emerged. Unfortunately, this wasn't Rose's small arena...

Spanning hundreds of meters with over twenty seating tiers, this super-arena held 20,000 spectators. Nearly full, the cheers of Rose's supporters were drowned by overwhelming jeers.

"Here comes Rose's new money."

"That Wang Feng controls over a dozen Spirit Beasts at once. As a Spirit Beastmaster, his talent is impressive. Those Frost Bees are well-equipped too..." "Brother, this is real combat. Just wait—forget challenging the Eight Holy Sanctuaries, Xifeng will be their end!"

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

"A bunch of buffoons putting on a clown show! Today I'm here to see how Wang Feng meets his end! Don't tell me the captain's chickened out!"

Ear-splitting taunts surged from all directions. As one of the Top Ten Holy Sanctuaries, Xifeng Holy Sanctuary was nothing like the small-scale operations of Rose Holy Sanctuary. Xifeng alone had over ten thousand disciples, most of whom were clearly present now, along with many spectators from other Holy Sanctuaries. People laughed and mocked without restraint, the buzzing noise overwhelming.

Unlike the Blade Sacred Road where many voices supported Rose, most gathered at Xifeng Holy Sanctuary—especially visiting disciples from other Holy Sanctuaries—held an almost unanimous attitude toward Rose: they looked down on them, eager to see them stumble. To put it bluntly, they were here to witness Wang Feng's fall.

This wasn't due to media influence. Setting everything else aside, during the Dragon City battle, Rose hogged all the glory—Hei Wukai, the "strongest Holy Sanctuary disciple," Wang Feng who "held out until the final layer," and other such accolades left all participating Holy Sanctuaries in the shadows. As proud young disciples, who among them would truly be convinced? United in their shared resentment, Rose had now become "the villainous faction" in everyone's eyes.

The uproar didn't last long. At the arena's front stood a raised platform where dozens of elders sat, unlike the noisy youngsters in the stands. Most were composed, whispering as they observed Rose's entrance.

"Silence!" A commanding voice rang from the dais center. A gray-robed elder spoke softly, yet his voice swept through like a hurricane, instantly suppressing twenty thousand voices.

The white-haired, frail old man was Zhao Feiyuan, Xifeng's current principal. Once a fierce military commander in the Western War Zone, his Zhao Family Spear had secured the borders, maintaining an uneasy peace against the Nine Gods' Third Divine General for twelve years—a ghost-level top-tier expert.

Though age had weakened him, his soul power cultivation had refined. Occasional sharp glints in his seemingly dim eyes struck fear into observers.

The arena quieted as tens of thousands focused on him.

"Xifeng Holy Sanctuary has stood for two centuries. We've faced many challenges from lesser Sanctuaries, but never before has one like Rose dared delay two hours."

He was setting the narrative, ensuring Rose's destruction beyond redemption. He continued calmly, "To treat Xifeng with such disregard shows remarkable audacity. To honor this, I expect Xifeng's warriors to deliver swift defeat—the greatest respect we can offer!"

"Faithless curs! Rose is trash!"

"Xifeng wins 3-0! Crush them!"

Applause erupted. Zhao Feiyuan raised a hand. "Today we're joined by distinguished guests from the League and Sanctuary headquarters, including Holy City representatives..."

Normally challenges introduced both teams, but Zhao Feiyuan prioritized introducing conservative faction dignitaries—Xifeng being their stronghold. Surprisingly, among them sat a familiar face.

Yan Ruoyu—still handsome. Tch tch.

After lengthy introductions, his team remarks were brief: "Both teams' details are well-known. I declare the challenge begins! Visitors send first fighter!"

The arena erupted as Wang Feng named his first warrior.

"Wu Di!"

"Yes, Captain!" The beast-like Wu Di stepped forward, still fired up from morning cheers. Ignoring stand murmurs, he strode confidently out.

Opposite, Zhao Ziyue said calmly, "Zhao Ziliang!"

A young man in Exorcist robes emerged—short at 1.7 meters but razor-eyed. However...

Old Wang Squad froze, even Wang Feng himself.

A nobody—likely Zhao Ziyue's relative pulled in through connections. Unknown to most present, even absent from Li family intelligence.

A wildcard? Xifeng's secret weapon? But his Exorcist robes and curse-marked hands betrayed his specialty.

An Exorcist?

Once powerful, Xifeng was founded by the Exorcist Sage. In wartime, Exorcists were pillars of strength—highly sought-after. But in peacetime's individualistic era, even Xifeng had abandoned pure Exorcism for martial arts—otherwise they'd have been knocked off their perch.

Exorcists can't duel—common knowledge. Yet here one faced the beast-like Wu Di?

"I await your instruction!" Wu Di clasped fists. Zhao Ziliang smiled faintly—then suddenly swept his hand upward.

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Rustle...

Swish swish swish...

Spirit power erupted violently, and a Summoning Array instantly manifested on the ground.

A Spirit Beastmaster? This obscure figure was actually a Spirit Beastmaster? Yet he was paradoxically dressed in the robes of an Exorcist.

Truth be told, Xifeng Holy Sanctuary had never had much to do with Spirit Beastmasters. Though they had a Spirit Beastmaster branch, it was ceremonial rather than functional, lacking true prowess. After all, the Xifeng mountain ranges were mostly home to ferocious demon beasts and savage monsters, with scarcely a docile Spirit Beast in sight.

In past Hero Tournaments, no Spirit Beastmaster had ever appeared from Xifeng Holy Sanctuary. Where did this guy come from?

From within the crimson Summoning Array, a fire-wreathed unicorn rhino slowly emerged. Its body wasn't particularly massive, but with sharp fangs and claws, and fiery clouds billowing beneath its sturdy limbs, it radiated formidable presence.

Wu Di spared no breath, silently reciting the incantation Old Wang had taught him, attempting to reverse his bloodline. Yet the transformation, which he had long mastered, now refused to manifest. The power of his bloodline seemed congested like a dammed river.

Again!

Wu Di took a deep breath, straining with all his might. His face quickly flushed red, and then—PFFBBT!

The entire arena fell silent as a resounding flatulence echoed through the air, leaving Wu Di bewildered and embarrassed.

"Did I hear that right? Did that guy just pass wind?"

"Hahaha! What 'awakened' beastman? What transformation? He couldn't even hold in gas, let alone transform. Was this guy a fraud all along?"

"A clown, daring to make a fool of himself at Xifeng Holy Sanctuary!"

Roaring laughter erupted from the stands. Winnie, standing at the edge of the field, paled. "Was there something wrong with yesterday's food?"

"The food was fine," Old Wang muttered, clicking his tongue. He'd miscalculated. "It's a Bloodline Seal..."

"What's a Bloodline Seal?" Winnie widened her eyes.

Old Wang didn't answer, his gaze fixed on Zhao Ziliang on the stage.

A Spirit Beastmaster? This guy was dual-trained in Spirit Beasts and Exorcism. Not only had he cast a Spirit Beast Summoning Array, but he'd also silently woven a fourth-tier Exorcism spell—Bloodline Seal—without anyone noticing. Even the tens of thousands of eyes in the arena had missed it. This guy was seriously skilled.

Of course, even more impressive was Xifeng Holy Sanctuary's setup!

This was the Demon-Suppression Arena, a massive pure-metal battleground hundreds of meters in diameter. Legend had it that it was originally a "lid" used to seal away underground demons. Countless inscription arrays were likely engraved within its structure. Here, an Exorcist needed only the slightest guidance to amplify spells like Bloodline Seal, making suppressing someone like Wu Di an effortless task...

Aside from Old Wang, only the venerable elders on the long platform could see through this trick.

"Demon-Suppression Space, Bloodline Seal," murmured a white-bearded elder seated beside Zhao Feiyuan, a faint smile on his lips. "A spell created by the Exorcist Sage to counter the bloodline transformations of the beastfolk. *chuckle* With the decline of the beastfolk in recent years, it's been a long time since we've seen this technique. I thought it had been lost... This boy is quite impressive. How has he remained unknown until now?" "Ziliang does possess considerable talent in Exorcism," Zhao Feiyuan replied respectfully to the white-bearded elder, smiling. "But to make way for Xifeng's transformation, he's been kept in seclusion within his family all these years, quietly honing his skills. This time, we brought him out as Ziyue's deputy specifically to break Rose's pride."