Desolate Ancient Martial God

Where there are people, there will be disputes. In places where martial artists gather, disputes are even more common. To resolve grievances among outer sect disciples, Heavenly Secrets Hall had specially set up the Yin-Yang Stage.

Every day, outer sect disciples used the Yin-Yang Stage to settle scores, and some even signed life-and-death agreements, engaging in battles to the death on the spot.

To build momentum, Liu Ye arrived at the Yin-Yang Stage early with his entourage, calling on friends and allies. Soon, more than a hundred disciples gathered around the stage.

“Brother Liu Ye is on the Yin-Yang Stage? Who is he going to fight?” an outer sect disciple passing by asked curiously.

“With someone quite famous in Heavenly Secrets Hall,” Liu Ye’s friend replied mysteriously.

“Famous? Who is it? Tell us!”

The onlookers were intrigued, pressing for more details, but Liu Ye’s friend kept quiet, refusing to say more.

When pestered repeatedly, he finally smirked and said, “You’ll know soon enough.”

The less he said, the more curious the disciples became. Those who were about to leave decided to stay, eager to see who this “famous” opponent could be.

Liu Ye, standing proudly on the stage, noticed the growing crowd and smirked to himself. This was all part of his plan to build up the moment and humiliate Xiao Yun in front of everyone.

Amidst the buzz of speculation, the crowd suddenly fell silent. All eyes turned to Xiao Yun, who approached the stage.

“Senior Brother Xiao Yun?”

“Why is Senior Brother Xiao Yun here? Did he come back to visit friends and watch the match?” Some disciples were surprised.

“Senior Brother Xiao Yun? Don’t call him that anymore. He’s crippled. He didn’t come to visit friends—he was sent back to the outer sect!”

“You might not know this, but Xiao Yun was originally supposed to be sent back to his hometown. The Xiao family paid a hefty price to secure a spot for him as an outer sect disciple so he could barely stay here.”

“To top it off, Xiao Yun provoked Senior Brother Liu Ye and challenged him to a fight on the Yin-Yang Stage!”

Liu Ye’s friends eagerly spread the news, fanning the flames of gossip.

The outer sect disciples were stunned. Xiao Yun, once the fifth-ranked disciple of Heavenly Secrets Hall’s outer sect, was now crippled?

And he had almost been sent back to his hometown?

At first, some were skeptical, but seeing Xiao Yun dressed in an outer sect disciple’s robe erased all doubts. After all, he had been selected for the inner sect just a few days ago. Why would an inner sect disciple wear such attire?

The buzzing discussions pleased Liu Ye, and he couldn’t help but smile. His plan was working perfectly. All that was left was to crush Xiao Yun in front of everyone and destroy the last remnants of his reputation.

Xiao Yun, however, ignored the gossip and walked calmly toward the stage.

“Xiao Yun! Get up here and die already!” Liu Ye shouted, pointing a finger at him.

“Life-and-death battle?” Xiao Yun asked, his gaze steady.

“Of course! On the Yin-Yang Stage, it’s always a life-and-death battle. Did you think this was just a sparring match?” Liu Ye sneered. “You were once the fifth-ranked disciple of the outer sect, but even now you’re still so naive. No wonder you were cast aside in the inner sect. Even if you had another chance, you’d still be useless!”

Liu Ye’s friends laughed mockingly.

The crowd shook their heads, their perception of Xiao Yun shattering further.

Unfazed, Xiao Yun stepped onto the Yin-Yang Stage.

This action only deepened the disappointment among the crowd. In the past, Xiao Yun’s movements had been agile and elegant, but now he merely walked up slowly.

Xiao Yun is truly finished, they thought, sighing inwardly.

“Once you step onto the Yin-Yang Stage, your fate is no longer your own,” Liu Ye said with a sneer.

“Do you hate me that much?” Xiao Yun asked, looking at Liu Ye. They had once been friends.

“I wish you were dead!” Liu Ye spat. “When you joined the inner sect, I thought my chance for revenge was gone. But you turned out to be useless! Xiao Yun, you never expected to see this day, did you?”

As he spoke, Liu Ye leapt into the air, his legs snapping down like a whip.

Bang!

Xiao Yun swiftly stepped back, dodging the strike.

Liu Ye’s whip kick struck the ground, causing the Yin-Yang Stage to tremble slightly.

“You dodge pretty fast. I wonder how long you can keep this up. Don’t think I don’t know that you only have 30% of your Qi Sea left!” Liu Ye sneered, his sweeping kicks like heavy whips, each strike aimed to kill. Xiao Yun was forced to retreat continuously.

The more Xiao Yun retreated, the more aggressive Liu Ye became. His strikes grew stronger and faster, his excitement mounting as he saw Xiao Yun struggling.

The outer sect disciples watching the match were already convinced of Xiao Yun’s weakness.

“Look at him… he’s only at the sixth level of Qi Refining Realm.”

“And his Qi is weak. Liu Ye was right—his Qi Sea must be mostly destroyed.”

“Xiao Yun used to be so strong. Now he’s reduced to this…”

“Things change so quickly. He’s done for.”

At that moment, Xiao Yun was backed to the edge of the Yin-Yang Stage. Behind him was a deep abyss, a sheer drop that promised certain death.

“Xiao Yun, let’s see where you can run now!” Liu Ye taunted, a wicked smile on his face as he launched another whip kick straight at Xiao Yun.

Ah…

Xiao Yun let out a low sigh. Then, he punched forward.

Thousand-Pound Punch!

Boom!

A deafening explosion of air rang out. The sound was so powerful that the onlookers felt their ears roar, momentarily deafened.

Xiao Yun’s fist cut through Liu Ye’s attack like a blade slicing through paper. The force struck Liu Ye square in the chest.

It felt as though he had been hit by a speeding demonic beast. Liu Ye’s chest caved in, his ribs breaking instantly.

Puff!

Liu Ye crashed to the ground, coughing up blood violently. His pale face was filled with pain and disbelief.

The crowd of outer sect disciples stood frozen in shock.

“What… what kind of martial art was that?”

“It looked like Thousand-Pound Fist…”

“Bullshit! Thousand-Pound Fist isn’t that powerful!”

“The force of that punch was comparable to a lower-grade yellow-level martial art. That can’t be Thousand-Pound Fist—it just looks similar. It must be a different martial art,” an older disciple speculated.

Xiao Yun calmly walked over to Liu Ye.

Liu Ye, severely injured and pale, instinctively crawled backward, terror written all over his face.

“One punch was enough to defeat you,” Xiao Yun said coldly. “I didn’t strike earlier because of our past friendship. I wanted to see if you had any decency left. But you pushed me to the edge of the cliff, forcing my hand. I let you off once, and you chose to take it further. Now, I have to send you off myself.”

“Don’t kill me…” Liu Ye stammered in panic.

Xiao Yun stepped down on Liu Ye’s neck. Crack! With the sound of bones snapping, Liu Ye’s struggles stopped. He was dead.

Xiao Yun didn’t feel the slightest discomfort from killing Liu Ye. He knew that if he spared Liu Ye, the man would only return to torment him again, perhaps even worse than before. Better to end it here and now.

Xiao Yun searched Liu Ye’s body, finding a money bag and a martial arts manual. He quickly glanced at the manual before putting it away. With so many people watching, he decided to examine it in detail later.

As Xiao Yun turned to leave the Yin-Yang Stage, a loud noise suddenly erupted in the sky.

Boom!

Fireworks exploded in the air above Heavenly Secrets Hall, dazzling and bright. They fell slowly, their brilliance drawing everyone’s attention.

From the sky, a majestic voice echoed throughout the sect.

“Congratulations to Ling Yuji, the core disciple of my sect, for officially becoming the Sect Master’s personal disciple!”

What?

Ling Yuji has become the Sect Master’s direct disciple?!

The announcement sent waves of shock through Heavenly Secrets Hall.

Everyone understood what it meant to become the Sect Master’s personal disciple. It was no ordinary honor. Such a position meant Ling Yuji had a great chance of being groomed as the Sect Master’s successor.

For Ling Yuji, this was nothing short of ascending to the heavens in a single step.

The crowd erupted with envy, though no one dared feel jealous. After all, they were just outer sect disciples. Becoming an inner sect disciple was difficult enough, let alone a core disciple. As for the Sect Master’s direct disciple, that was a status beyond their reach.

Xiao Yun looked up at the fireworks, his expression calm but his fists clenched tightly.

“Ling Yuji… no matter what status you hold now, within three months, I will reclaim my Martial Spirit Seed and make you pay for everything you did in the past!”