Mu Qingfeng's expression was definitely not as exaggerated as the Heaven Dao disciples, but a drop of cold sweat unknowingly trickled down his forehead. As he gazed at Third Elder sprawled on the ground in agony, he did not know what to say - because he was the one who suggested for Third Elder to give Fang Zhengzhi the first five moves.
Heaven pities and protects us all.
He never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would dare to strike Third Elder's anus so mercilessly, and even pull off a successful sneak attack!
"...." Mu Qingfeng's jaws dropped. He wanted to say something to comfort Third Elder, but he still swallowed his words eventually, because he knew Third Elder's temper very well.
In situations like these, he could only pretend to have gone blind and not witnessed this embarrassing scene, or to have his memories suddenly fragment and pretend to have not remembered anything at all.
There was a strange eerie silence.
Mu Qingfeng was wary of Third Elder's temper, and the Heaven Dao disciples were completely dumbfounded. After the initial wave of unbelievable shock, all the Heaven Dao disciples subconsciously lowered their heads.
"I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything …"
"I didn't see anything at all!"
"Wow, the sun's rays are so blinding …"
The Heaven Dao disciples lowered their heads one after another, muttering in their hearts and resisting the urge to do anything rash, too afraid to make a sound.
Yan Qing, Qian Wu and the other candidates looked at each other, noticing the astonishment and bewilderment in each other's eyes.
As for Fang Zhengzhi … he had no time to hesitate.
After landing a successful strike after much effort, he wouldn't possibly give Third Elder any chances to recover. As the saying goes, any mercy shown to the enemy is cruelty to yourself. Fang Zhengzhi wasn't interested in self-harm, hence could only let Third Elder bear the brunt of the pain.
Having dealt Third Elder with the unimaginable Thousand Years of Pain, he naturally knew that Third Elder was now in a world of excruciating agony. And as the saying goes, I'll kill you when you're still down!
Fang Zhengzhi decided to strike again before Third Elder could recover.
He didn't have time to ponder over more intricate issues like whether he would offend Third Elder and the Heaven Dao Pavilion. After all, he had to protect his own life first. Nothing else else mattered.
The Heaven Dao Pavilion wouldn't be concerned about their moral principles for some unimportant background character, neither would they show any mercy. In such a situation, they would only care about saving themselves.
Fang Zhengzhi's second strike came just as fast. Even though Third Elder flew about five or six steps away, it didn't affect Fang Zhengzhi's attack. The azure ray of light continued radiating in the air.
The Shifting Forms technique.
Fang Zhengzhi's body traversed through the blinding light. He previously observed this technique being used by the Half Sage Can Yang of the Demon Race, hence had to proceed with caution.
In the blink of an eye, he already arrived behind Third Elder.
There were no extravagant movements, or any announcements made like the previous sneak attack. This time, Fang Zhengzhi acted almost silently.
An attack like the Thousands Years of Pain …. He certainly couldn't use it again. After all, Third Elder was already sprawled on the ground. With this incorrect posture, Fang Zhengzhi couldn't possibly execute a similar attack.
He landed a kick straight on Third Elder's neck and head.
"Bang!" A deep thunderous sound ruptured through the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Following that, Third Elder's body propelled into the air once again, flying into the distance at a terrifying speed before finally crashing straight into a white jade railing at the edge of the Heaven Academic Altar.
"Crack!" The white jade railing shattered instantly, and Third Elder's body rolled a full eight steps away after the collision before finally stopping. His body was covered in debris.
"You insolent brat, how dare you …." Fifth Elder's voice finally rang. He clenched his fist so tight until it made cracking sounds. A shimmer of light flickered on his forehead. He didn't complete his sentence, but anyone could tell that he was not only enraged, but extremely furious!
However, he didn't take a step forward to help his senior even though his body was already shuddering incessantly from the immense rage.
"Shameless, utterly shameless!"
"He even attacked Third Elder while Third Elder was still down!"
"This guy is … really cruel!"
The Heaven Dao disciples began hurling insults at Fang Zhengzhi, but strangely enough, none of them moved forward to help Third Elder up. Even the expressions on their faces did not seem particularly tense.
"Was I not brutal enough? I already channelled 80% of my strength for that kick just now." Fang Zhengzhi was not bothered by the chiding from the crowd.
He was more concerned about … stabbing Third Elder another time while he was still sprawled on the ground.
He had a tinge of hesitation, but ultimately did not waver for long. Fang Zhengzhi began his third attack. He clenched both his fists as his eyes glowed with a resplendent azure light as blue as the sky.
Shortly after, the same azure light also appeared above Third Elder's head, with the exact same shade as the glint in Fang Zhengzhi's eyes.
Thenn, the strangest thing happened. Fang Zhengzhi's body vanished abruptly, leaving a black shadow at his original location, strangely enough.
In the next moment, Fang Zhengzhi's fist emerged from the azure radiance above Third Elder's head, followed by his head and body …
"It's the Heavenly Descent!"
"It's recorded in the ancient books that only a true master of the Heavenly Rebirth Dao can use such a technique!"
"How old is that shameless bastard? Judging from his voice, he shouldn't be any older than 25 years old, right? How can he be a Half Sage?!"
The Heaven Dao disciples gazed upon this puzzling sight, dumbfounded by this realization.
Initially, even though they knew that Fang Zhengzhi has mastered the Heavenly Rebirth Dao, the disciples all believed that he was just a novice in the Dao and could only demonstrate a few simple tricks. But once Fang Zhengzhi used the 'Heavenly Descent', they knew that Fang Zhengzhi was a true master of the Heavenly Rebirth Dao.
To cut to the chase … Fang Zhengzhi was already a Half Sage!
"He even mastered the 'Heavenly Descent'. If he was in my empire, I would have already given him a title equivalent to a prince!"
"From what I know, only Can Yang of the Demonic Race was able to master the Heavenly Rebirth Dao completely. Besides him, there isn't anyone else!"
"That's right, I never expected that there would be someone else! And we don't even know which sect does he belong to!"
The emperors and princes of the four empires marvelled at this sight in awe.
"That brat is no amateur in the Heavenly Rebirth Dao!" Fifth Elder's eyes closed shut. Even for him, he didn't believe that Fang Zhengzhi could actually use the 'Heavenly Descent'.
"The fake Senior Kong Qing … is indeed much stronger than the real one!"
"The Heavenly Descent, how remarkable!"
"I wish this fake Senior Kong Qing was real. Not only would I then have the chance to consult Senior Kong Qing, I would even be exposed to the Heaven Dao. Sigh, what a pity that he's ultimately a fake …"
Upon witnessing this sight, the few candidates standing behind Fifth Elder revealed expressions of sheer awe and adulation, with a slight hint of pity.
As for Yan Xiu, Nangong Mu, Yan Qing and Qian Wu, the four of them eyed Fang Zhengzhi's body basking under the azure radiance very closely, not uttering a word.
"Boom!" A thunderous sound reverberated through the arena.
Countless white stone fragments were sent flying in the air. Even the white jade floor was strewn with countless cracks and fissures. A cloud of white dust inundated the air and in the next moment, it fell to the ground.
Fang Zhengzhi's body was suspended in midair. Only the tips of his feet was cloaked by the azure light, seeming extremely peculiar.
"Cough, cough …" Two coughs came from under the pile of shattered white jade. Then, a figure rose up from the ground very slowly, as though he was carrying a 1000 kg crucible. In fact, he was indeed lifting a person up.
Fang Zhengzhi!
Third Elder's expression was evidently one of extraordinary pain. The pain caused both his legs to shiver unwillingly. He retracted his butt, clasping it tightly with both his legs.
It was an extremely awkward and ungraceful pose, but he still did it.
He couldn't say a word. Only those who have personally experienced such excruciating pain would truly empathize with Third Elder's feelings.
As a powerhouse in the Sagely State and a revered elder of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, Third Elder has rarely felt such traumatizing thrills in the depths of his soul like he did today. And all of this could be attributed to the person standing above him right now.
"The Heavenly Descent. I haven't seen this move for a very long time. Should I feel honored?" Third Elder glared at Fang Zhengzhi, straightening his arms out in front of him and gritting his teeth furiously.
"No need to feel that way, Third Elder. You stood up so quickly, are you sure you're not hurting?" Fang Zhengzhi asked with a concerned face.
"You brat, I'll kill you!" Third Elder's face distorted freakishly, seeming as dark as the overcast clouds before a storm.
"Third Elder, please don't be rash. You already took three strikes from me. You won't possibly go against your promise now, would you?" Fang Zhengzhi's body slowly retracted the azure radiance and looked at Third Elder with caring eyes.
"Stop your nonsense, you only have two more moves left!" Third Elder bit his lips hard. He naturally knew what Fang Zhengzhi was referring to.
Five moves!
When Third Elder first accept Mu Qingfeng's decision to honor Fang Zhengzhi's request, he even chuckled to himself in gratitude, seeming relieved and satisfied.
But now … if Heaven would give him a second chance, he would definitely tell Mu Qingfeng, "F*ck your five moves. If you have the balls, why don't you give him five moves to attack you instead!"