The Purple Demon Eyes combined with the God-Killing Domain instantly broke through her mental defenses, completely suppressing her on the spiritual level and giving him a chance to exploit.
His yin-yang energy was still not particularly powerful, so if Ji Guanlin had been in peak condition, she could have kept it under control. However, her sea of consciousness was too chaotic, due to being exposed to Tang San’s unadulterated killing intent. Coupled with Tang San's sharp spiritual power attacking from all directions, this killing intent paved the ground perfectly for the invasion of the yin-yang energy, making Ji Guanlin unable to resist and nearly causing her own Nirvana Flames to burn her to death.
The Undying Demon Emperor sensed the dire situation and had to intervene.
As the leader of the Immortal Flame Phoenix clan and a Demon Emperor, his word was law. But even so, it was quite embarrassing to be forced to intervene and save his daughter, who had long been expelled from the clan. Luckily, the same pride that caused him to feel embarrassed prevented him from simply smacking Tang San into the ground in front of everyone. And most importantly, when he took a moment to observe his daughter's condition, he actually became somewhat interested in Tang San.
Following Big Cat, Tang San also successfully entered the quarter-finals, but he also exposed his powerful spiritual power.
Of course, to Tang San, it was worth it. Without this sudden full-force strike, he would have had to pay a huge price to defeat Ji Guanlin once she completed a Nirvana Rebirth. He might not have succeeded even with the help of spatial abilities.
What puzzled him was that Ji Guanlin, like Big Cat before, appeared in the battle in practically a beggar's outfit, without any powerful weapons. The Immortal Flame Phoenix clan was definitely not poor! How could their direct descendant, who made it to the top sixteen to boot, have no items to use?
Of course, he didn't know that Ji Guanlin was in this sorry state because she had been expelled from the clan and all her treasures had been taken back, allowing him to gain this advantage.
In any case, what mattered was that Tang San had defeated his opponent and successfully advanced to the quarter-finals.
Moreover, this match appeared relatively easy compared to his previous three. Especially with Ji Guanlin displaying such a grand aura, no one expected him to win so quickly, and it looked all the more effortless in comparison. This would undoubtedly put great pressure on his next opponent.
Tang San had another, more important reason to unleash his full power this time and no longer hide his spiritual power—to minimize his energy consumption in the match. He and Mei Gongzi had a doubles match tomorrow. If he got injured and couldn't recover by tomorrow, how would he face the inevitably powerful opponents in the doubles match?
Compared to the singles match, he valued the doubles match more. It was the match he and Mei Gongzi were competing in together!
Returning to the rest area, he found Big Cat still meditating in the lotus position but looking much better. All his wounds had stopped bleeding, and a faint golden light surrounded him, clearly a result of the pill the Golden Lion King had given him. His aura was stable; one more day of rest and he would be like new.
Mei Gongzi came up to him, smiling. "You were amazing, Big Brother."
Tang San smiled wryly. "Let me tell you, this really was pure luck. She didn't know I was able to use spiritual attacks, so I took the initiative."
"Alright, stop humble-bragging and let's watch the next match. The winner will be your next opponent, after all. I remember from the draw earlier that the top favorite in this competition is fighting next. He’ll probably win and you’ll have to fight him after that, so we must watch this one."
"Oh? The top favorite?" Tang San was taken aback. He hadn't really taken the time to learn about his opponents. He only found out who they were at the start of each match and then began to strategize against them. In a way, this was a show of confidence. After reaching the ninth order, could there be any opponent of the same cultivation that he could not contend with?
This was the confidence of a former God King.
But seeing Mei Gongzi's serious expression, it was clear that the next opponent had to be extraordinarily powerful.
In this Ancestral Court Elite Tournament, he had already encountered many strong opponents, especially those with first-tier bloodlines and Demon Emperor legacies. Each of them was tough to deal with and brought him considerable trouble. He had to use various combat methods to face them and ultimately emerge victorious. Ꞧ
Among so many powerful beings, what kind of strength would the one called the top favorite possess? Would it be significantly stronger than all his previous opponents?
Even at the peak of the ninth-order, strength clearly varied. Ji Guanlin, who had just given him a lot of pressure, was a truly fine example. The purity of her Phoenix True Fire was incredibly terrifying. Even now, he was still expelling the fire poison from his body.
In this forest of strong contenders at the Ancestral Court Elite Tournament, to be recognized as the tallest tree, one's strength had to be universally acknowledged. What kind of being would have that level of strength?
At this moment, on the competition stage, the fourth match was about to begin.
Since Tang San and Ji Guanlin's battle took place in the air, it didn't cause much damage to the arena, so there wasn't a need for extensive repairs. Both combatants had already stepped onto the stage.
The first thing Tang San saw was an extremely burly figure, a familiar sight to him. It was from a race he had faced before.
He would’ve been virtually indistinguishable from a human male if he wasn’t two and a half meters tall and a rather odd color. His bulging, steel-like muscles betrayed his extreme strength, and his hands were simply massive. The air around him was slightly distorted, a result of the immense power of his muscles. This showed just how terrifying his physical strength was.
Although he was humanoid, Tang San immediately recognized him as a powerful member of the Behemoth clan, undoubtedly the heir of the Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor.
Tang San had personally faced the might of a Behemoth before. In terms of sheer physical strength, even the dragon and phoenix races did not compare. The name Sky-Splitting was well-deserved.
"Is it him?" Tang San asked Mei Gongzi.
Mei Gongzi shook her head.
This Behemoth contestant was obviously stronger than the one Tang San had faced before. If it wasn't him, then his opponent had to be truly terrifying, and that opponent….
Tang San squinted his eyes, looking toward the other end of the competition stage, several hundred meters away.
Another contestant emerged there, looking even more human compared to the Behemoth contestant. Standing about 1.8 meters tall, he had a slender and upright build. His fair complexion, handsome features, and black hair neatly tied in a ponytail made him appear like a handsome human youth. His bright black eyes were extraordinarily striking. He exuded no aura whatsoever, appearing just like an ordinary human who did not cultivate.
Tang San was stunned for a moment. At first glance, he couldn't identify the opponent's race. One reason was the distance and the fact that he couldn't use his spiritual power to observe from afar. Another reason was that the opponent had no discernible racial traits; even to a human, he looked perfectly human.
"What race is he? Is he from a clan we’ve dealt with before?" Tang San asked in a low voice.
Mei Gongzi shook her head and said, "We haven't faced anyone like him before. He's from the Tenebrous Dragon clan, and he is hailed as an unparalleled genius. The Tenebrous Demon Emperor once said that he is able to bring forth the night even at midday and reign over it as the Eternal Night Sovereign!"
This young man was the heir of the sixth-ranked Eternal Night Sovereign, the Tenebrous Demon Emperor.