Actually, He Taijun indeed had the skills to back his reputation. He had only ended up in this situation because Wu Yu was much stronger than people had anticipated!
Wu Yu had also only blocked the Heavenly Feather Arrow thanks to his Violent Art and dao treasure combined, as well as his two mystiques, Purgatory Chains and Unshackled Doppelganger, which had allowed him to defeat his opponent.
His triumph over He Taijun was not actually as easy as it seemed.
Casting one's gaze out, the thousands of Tianyi Race members had been excited and hyped. Their smug smiles mirrored He Taijun's own at the beginning. The Tianyi Race had come to upend the table, but was instead met with an unexpected defeat that left their faces stony. Including the two race leaders.
The two leaders were looking around grim and reeling. Let alone the others.
Perhaps they were feeling rather embarrassed and wished that there was a hole they could burrow down into.
"The winner of this battle: Yan Huang Imperial City, Wu Yu." After the Taixu Sage Master announced this, word soon spread throughout the divine continent.
Wu Yu had defeated He Taijun. This was momentous news indeed. The Ghostly Emperor had overshadowed everyone during the Battle of Ghosts and Gods, including his shine. Right now, at the Divine Continent Heavenly Dragon Trial, he had shown everyone his true self!
Of the three Yan Huang Imperial City contenders, two had already lost, and Wu Yu, against the strongest two, had miraculously won consecutive victories. He had even knocked out the hot favorite, He Taijun! How could the chiliarchs and generals of Yan Huang Imperial City not cheer?
For every jeer that the Tianyi Race had directed to Yan Huang Imperial City, it was repaid in full in an invisible slap. Not only Yan Huang Imperial City, but the other sects also let loose with thunderous applause in reaction!
Only the Shushan Immortal Sect was slightly ashamed now. Even those that wanted to cheer felt too embarrassed to do so now. Cheering now was admission as to how great a loss they had suffered when they kicked Wu Yu out of Shushan...
Wu Yu was drowning in the sea of cheers. He had reached the pinnacle of his life, while He Taijun had slunk back into the ranks of the Tianyi Race, too ashamed to show his face.
Those Tianyi Race beauties either stared at him with impassive faces or cried. This had to be the feeling of one's faith crumbling!
Wu Yu was watching people too.
Over at the demons' side, he and Jiu Ying shared a smile. It was a rare thing that they could connect, transcending the hatred between their races.
Beside Jiu Ying was the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu. He was Wu Yu's true target. As the two locked eyes, the tension was unbearably keen!
The Blood Dragon of Mount Wu's blood-red hair was all over the place. His cold smile was still in place. Perhaps he was still confident, but he had finally reappraised Wu Yu, and now treated him as an equal opponent.
But in that gaze, there was still the same cold arrogance as when they first met. Even if he now saw Wu Yu as an equal, this did not mean that he thought that there was the slightest possibility that he would lose. At least given Wu Yu's current performance. To him, Wu Yu was not yet qualified to shake his arrogance.
To think that he had been that helpless when they first met. This time, Wu Yu inwardly seethed at the conceited expression of the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu. He wanted to kill him.
Perhaps now, among all the people present, they felt that the final showdown would be between Wu Yu and Blood Dragon of Mount Wu.
Finally, Nangong Wei. Besides the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu, she was the other one with a fiery gaze! In her eyes, the nine-colored flames swirled. Or perhaps in her eyes, there was no longer any trace of her past feelings. Only a strong desire to defeat Wu Yu. This desire fueled her onwards, spurring her cultivation dementedly. It triggered the terrifying power in her own bloodline.
For her, Wu Yu was always infuriating.
Although she did not say anything, her look conveyed it all. She had to have her showdown with Wu Yu, and she had to defeat him. It was her real purpose here. As for whether she could win, that did not matter.
"Wu Yu, come on up. Rest. The next battle is not far away." The Imperial General beckoned to him. Actually, the Imperial General was secretly celebrating at this point. He was pretty ticked off by the Tianyi Race as well. A particularly noisy bunch.
After Wu Yu went back, the Taixu Sage Master had already started the next battle before the crowd had truly recovered from the shock.
Although the stage was grand, it did not obscure the brilliance of Wu Yu.
Next, the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu again defeated another opponent with ease. Without showing too much of his skill, he easily entered the top eight.
As for Nangong Wei, she was luckier. She met an opponent who was already injured in the last battle. Although her opponent was an eighth tier Violent Kingdom of the Inner Sea cultivator, after a grueling battle, Nangong Wei managed to eliminate him.
She had again used her phoenix immortal beast's powers, in addition to the World Obliterating Furnace dao treasure, to best him.
In terms of the battle difficulty, anyone could see that Nangong Wei was not yet Wu Yu's match. Wu Yu had defeated He Taijun in too stupendous a manner.
But from the will in Nangong Wei's eyes, she was not going to rest until she had defeated Wu Yu. To her, her regard of the importance of this battle was no less than the battle between Wu Yu and Beishan Mo three years ago.
If she could not win at the Divine Continent Heavenly Dragon Trial, she would find other chances. After all, a lifetime was a long time. She was not content; she was relentless and without rest.
The battles continued round after round. Seven of the top eight had already been decided, and they were basically all elites, save for Wu Yu and Nangong Wei. They were generally all eighth tier Violent Kingdom of the Inner Sea cultivators, and each a star even stronger than Shen Qiuyan. In the final battle, the excitement of Wu Yu and He Taijun's battle was rekindled.
Because this battle was a talking point.
Two strangely connected people who had enmity not long after their birth.
They were the Shangyuan Dao Sect's Ji Lingshuang and Gusu Fairy Peak's Gusu Yudie.
Sisters by blood, and yet they walked onto this battlefield with completely different statuses.
Seeing these two similar-looking young women with completely different auras walking out under the gazes of all the experts of the divine continent, Wu Yu was a little curious as to how they would develop.
It was like a battle of destiny.
Wu Yu could understand that some battles were filled with anticipation, such as his own vengeance against the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu. Nangong Wei longed to defeat him, and this Gusu Yudie probably longed just as much to defeat the famous Ji Lingshuang and prove herself!
That was why, at this moment, Gusu Yudie was so worked up. This beauty, as pretty as a colorful butterfly, whose cuteness plucked at your heart - her expression was somber. Her beautiful eyes and her white skirt trailing behind weightlessly, she looked at the fairy-like Ji Lingshuang, and upturned her red lips slightly, saying, "I spurn you. After your transformation, you forgot your family name, and the family that comes with it. All these years, I have strived for this day - to tell you that your advantage is nothing. Even though I come from Gusu Fairy Peak, I can still defeat you!"
The Shangyuan Dao Sect and Gusu Fairy Peak were clearly not on the same level.
Against Gusu Yudie, Ji Lingshuang's expression was cool. Unruffled, she said, "As you wish. After all, to me, my place of birth and my parents do not matter. It was the Shangyuan Dao Sect who created me; it was my master who nurtured me. While I live, I am one of them, and when I die, I will be a ghost here. Today, my family name is Ji, and I will always have my family name as Ji. I am not at all related to you."
The great dao was cold, and Ji Lingshuang had made this plain. She cut no corners. These were her true thoughts, which was why she did not feel that a sister by blood was anything special.
"Someone so emotionless is obviously not fit for the family name of Gusu!" Gusu Yudie had worked up into a fit now.
Ji Lingshuang ignored her, instead preparing to begin the battle. Amongst their age, she was deemed the highest level, a seventh tier Violent Kingdom of the Inner Sea cultivator. When she was young, the Taixu Sage Master had given her the Shangyuan Dao Sect's ancient legacy. That legacy was a dao treasure, which she had already mastered.
At this time, Ji Lingshuang pulled out that dao treasure.
It was a painting. Within that painting, there were many ink-drawn pictures. It seemed like a place surrounded by immortal fog. This was a watercolor painting. In a few brief strokes, it painted sky palaces and immortal palaces in vivid realism. This was Ji Lingshuang's dao treasure, the Immortal Palace Painting.
And in contrast was Gusu Yudie, with no dao treasure, and no legacy.
It was said that she had worked exceptionally hard to reach where she was now from nothing. She was clearly not as soft as her cuteness would seem.
Deep down, she must have endured much hardship.
Ji Lingshuang whipped out the Immortal Palace Painting and immediately sprung into battle. The two tangled on the Upper Immortal Battle Ground. These two great beauties, young and beautiful, yet completely opposite in manner despite their bond of blood - a naturally compelling scene that demanded everyone's attention!
Evidently, Ji Lingshuang was still slightly stronger in every aspect. Which was why, from the start, she used the Immortal Palace Painting to completely suppress Gusu Yudie. However, Gusu Yudie had also proven herself. Without a formidable mentor like the the Taixu Sage Master, without any elite legacy, she could still fight at this level. She had shown off her full strength, and no one thought her weak. Besides, she was also younger than Ji Lingshuang.
Such a person, once they received a treasure, would definitely take off.
Finally, Ji Lingshuang defeated her younger sister with the advantage of the dao treasure. Gusu Yudie backed down, injured. Even after the Taixu Sage Master had announced the result, Gusu Yudie was still discontent, trying to crawl back up.
"Scram!" Ji Lingshuang wanted to help her up, but she screamed and got to her feet. She did not return to the Gusu Fairy Peak contingent, but instead ran away from Shangyuan Immortal Mountain....