The final round began, and the audience erupted into cheers and excitement. Everyone was eager to witness the last battles of the competition.
On one side, Long Ju was about to face Zi Zang of the Zi Family. Meanwhile, the second match would be between Wu Ruken of the Wu Family and Lung Ten of the Lung Family.
The first battle was about to begin.
Long Ju and Zi Zang entered the battle arena, ready to fight. However, someone else was standing quietly at the side, holding a sword in his hand and watching the proceedings.
That person was none other than Zerak.
He had deliberately chosen not to participate in the final round. His only purpose in joining the competition had been to find strong opponents and experience exciting battles. If he had participated in the final round, he would have been required to join a sect, which was something he did not want.
As Zerak watched the two fighters, he wondered whether either of them would be able to defeat the person he had in mind.
Meanwhile, the battle finally began.
Long Ju gripped his sword tightly and swung it through the air. A powerful aura spread from his sword, transforming into a tangible force that rushed toward Zi Zang and attempted to capture him.
However, Zi Zang was not someone who could be defeated so easily.
He tightened his grip on his own sword and began spinning it rapidly. His movements generated powerful waves of sword energy, but Long Ju's aura spread like rubber, wrapping itself around Zi Zang's body and attempting to restrain him.
Realizing that ordinary attacks would not be enough to escape, Zi Zang immediately used his family's secret technique.
Shock Waves of the Thunder Sword!
A tremendous wave of sword energy erupted from his weapon. The shock waves swept through the arena, cutting apart the aura that had surrounded his body in a single attack.
Without wasting a moment, Zi Zang spun his sword and launched a powerful strike toward Long Ju.
The attack shot directly toward Long Ju, threatening to hit him head-on.
At that critical moment, Long Ju unleashed his own technique.
Burning Sword Technique!
He swung his sword with tremendous force, meeting Zi Zang's incoming strike directly.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided, producing a massive explosion that shook the entire battle arena.
The audience stared in disbelief.
"What just happened? Their powers seem almost equal!"
As the dust began to settle, everyone witnessed the destruction caused by their collision. A massive crater, approximately one hundred meters across, had formed in the ground.
The impact was so powerful that the arena's protective barrier began to tremble violently. Several elders immediately rushed forward to reinforce it with their power. Otherwise, the barrier itself might have shattered under the pressure of the two attacks.
The collision was so devastating that even the ground surrounding the battlefield had cracked.
At that moment, everyone's attention was fixed on the arena.
The leaders of the four great families were also watching closely. Even the leaders of the Ju and Zi Families had begun sweating as they witnessed the incredible destructive power of the two young fighters.
Suddenly, the dust cleared completely.
Both Long Ju and Zi Zang had collapsed onto the ground.
Neither of them had managed to secure victory.
The host immediately announced the result.
"The match ends in a draw! Both contestants have passed!"
Several people rushed into the arena and carried the two unconscious fighters outside so that they could receive assistance.
Meanwhile, a group of elders stepped forward to repair the damaged battlefield.
They extended their hands toward the destroyed ground, and a green-colored energy spread from their palms, gradually covering the entire arena.
Under the influence of their power, the shattered ground began restoring itself. The massive crater disappeared, the cracks closed, and the battlefield returned to its original condition.
The audience watched the entire process in amazement.
"So this is the power of an Immortal!"
Some of the younger spectators looked at the elders with admiration.
"I want to become an Immortal too!"
Their excited voices filled the arena.
However, the competition had not yet ended.
The host raised his voice once again.
"Now, for the next match, Wu Ruken of the Wu Family and Lung Ten of the Lung Family, please enter the arena!"
The two fighters walked onto the battlefield.
As they approached each other, they stared directly into one another's eyes.
Almost simultaneously, both of them spoke.
"Hmm? You're still the same as before."
For a moment, the arena fell silent.
Then one of them suddenly said, "Wait! Why are you copying what I said?"
The other immediately retorted, "I'm not copying you. You're the one copying me!"
Before the official start of the match, the two had already begun arguing with each other.
Watching them, the host and several spectators couldn't help but make awkward expressions.
"These two haven't even started fighting, and they're already at it!"
But the situation suddenly changed.
A flash of sword light appeared.
Someone drew a sword from its sheath, and a white line of sword energy flashed across the battlefield.
In the next instant, black aura and traces of blood-red energy appeared.
The atmosphere became increasingly tense.
Meanwhile, somewhere else, Die Yuan was speaking to himself.
"Hmm. It seems I made the right decision."
His expression remained calm as he considered the situation.
"Very soon, the entire Blue Star will be thrown into chaos. That's why I chose you, Yuixa Ju."
His words suggested that he had already anticipated the events that were about to unfold.
And he was right.
Back in the battle arena, the sky suddenly began changing.
Black clouds gathered overhead, and thunder rumbled across the heavens. The weather transformed so abruptly that the audience, the elders, and even the Holy Maiden began feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Then, a gigantic carriage appeared in the sky.
Four enormous black dragons were pulling the carriage through the heavens.
Everyone stared upward in shock.
Before anyone could understand what was happening, black and red auras began spreading across the entire sky. The overwhelming demonic presence made the atmosphere feel suffocating.
The elders immediately realized the truth.
"Demonic cultivators! We're under attack!"
At that moment, a message arrived, revealing horrifying news.
The demonic army had suddenly appeared in the Mortal World and had already destroyed 490 cities and 12 kingdoms.
The elders were stunned.
"What?!"
One of them looked toward the enormous demonic presence in the sky.
"Then there must be a powerful enemy here as well! Is this the same force that destroyed those twelve kingdoms?"
Before anyone could reach a conclusion, another voice came through the communication message.
"No! This is only a small fragment of their forces. The real army is approaching from the northeastern region. The force you are seeing here is merely the advance party, and the main army is following behind them."
The elders' expressions grew even more serious.
"Then just how powerful are these enemies?"
The answer came immediately.
"Their forces include more than 1,000 Martial Supremes, over 100 Martial Saints, 20 Saint-level experts, and 6 Saint Kings!"
The moment they heard these numbers, the elders and the Holy Maiden were overwhelmed with fear.
"How is this possible?!"
"With a force like that, even our sect might not be able to hold them off for three minutes!"
They understood the terrifying implications. If the enemy possessed so many powerful cultivators, the Heavenly Void Sect could face complete destruction if reinforcements failed to arrive.
One of the elders urgently asked, "Have you requested assistance from the other sects?"
"Yes, we have. However, it will take them approximately twelve hours to assemble and reach us."
"Twelve hours?!"
The elder's face changed dramatically.
"That's far too long! Tell them to hurry! We cannot afford to wait that long!"
He then turned toward the Holy Maiden.
"Young Miss, please remain here. We elders will head to the battlefield and confront the enemy."
However, the Holy Maiden immediately refused to accept the arrangement.
"I will fight too!"
"No, Young Miss. This is an order from the sect leader. Our duty is to protect you. You cannot accompany us into battle."
The elder spoke firmly, making it clear that he would not allow her to take such a risk.
"You must remain here. For now, that is all you can do."
The Holy Maiden could only remain behind as the elders prepared to confront the invading army.
At last, the scene shifted toward the battlefield.
On one side stood the elders of the Heavenly Void Sect.
On the other side stood the terrifying forces of the Demonic Sect.
The final confrontation was about to begin.