Chen Mo stared at the monk in white, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Shi Yun’s methods were quite unique, somewhat similar to the Heart-Seeking Incense, yet not entirely identical.
The Heart-Seeking Incense forces one to confront their true heart, while Shi Yun’s approach was more akin to hypnotism, imposing his own thoughts onto others.
As he chanted the Buddhist name, his soul power vibrated at a special frequency, subtly influencing his opponent’s mind—put simply, from the moment he stepped onto the arena, Shi Yun had already begun his covert actions!
Every word exchanged between the two strengthened his control over Chen Mo!
"Bald donkey, like playing dirty games, do you?"
"Luckily, I had precautionary measures against you!"
Knowing Shi Yun’s methods were bizarre, Chen Mo preemptively hid a thread of his divine soul in his golden body to stay conscious at critical moments, preventing himself from being manipulated.
Realizing he had been "hypnotized," he decisively used Soul Slash to strike his Purple Mansion, forcibly interrupting the soul power resonance!
The cost was an injured divine soul, causing a splitting headache and bleeding profusely from his orifices!
This filled Chen Mo’s heart with unbridled fury!
"Before the duel even starts, you tamper in secret, using soul techniques to interfere with thoughts, making your opponent surrender, all while putting on a facade of universal salvation..."
"Wuwan Temple claims to be the true sect of Buddhism, yet resorts to such despicable witchcraft?"
"Preaching compassion while feasting on blood buns, your eloquent words are nothing but filthy!"
"Shi Yun, if you’re truly uninterested in competing, why not concede now?"
How could Chen Mo swallow such a loss? He directly vented his anger on the spot.
Infusing his voice with True Yuan, it reverberated across the field, clearly reaching everyone’s ears.
The crowd was stunned upon hearing this.
No wonder Shi Yun won every round without fighting; they originally thought it was Buddhist conversion, making people willingly lay down their weapons, but it was actually mind control?
The contestants who lost to Shi Yun instantly realized, feeling extremely aggrieved, their eyes burning with rage!
"If it was an open and fair fight, I’d accept dying on the arena! What skill is there in scheming secretly?!"
"Winning with soul techniques is fine, but starting before the match officially begins is against the rules, isn’t it?"
"Claiming to be uninterested in competing, then how did you get first on the Cloud Top Ranking?"
"Heh, what Hundred Household Chen said is correct; if you truly don’t want to be Martial Arts Champion, concede now!"
"What a hypocritical Holy Sect of Buddhism!"
Facing the court military officers’ sarcasm, the sect disciples looked sullen but rarely retorted.
No matter Shi Yun’s intentions, such methods are indeed disgraceful!
Yu Hongyin, who was watching the spectacle with interest, suddenly got hit by Chen Mo’s broadside, her expression stiffened as she angrily said, "Scold the bald donkey all you want, but dragging our Witch Sect into it, calling us despicable, who are you talking about?"
She elbowed the little maid beside her, "Look, see him? That’s the big scoundrel I was telling you about!"
Staring at that handsome, unparalleled face, the little maid was a bit taken aback, murmuring, "Hundred Household Chen, justified by appearance."
Shi Yun’s face darkened as he furrowed his brows and said, "This humble monk was only advising you; why do you throw dirt on our temple?"
Chen Mo sneered, "What, you dare to act but not take responsibility? Stop changing the subject, are you admitting defeat or not?"
Shi Yun’s expression fluctuated, remaining silent.
Chen Mo’s actions had backed him into a corner; conceding now would be tantamount to indirectly admitting guilt, further cementing the issue, potentially tarnishing Wuwan Temple’s golden reputation.
The only way to break through the situation was to crush him with overwhelming strength!
To prove to everyone that even without soul techniques, he could easily win the title of Martial Arts Champion!
Even so, this wouldn’t quell all doubts, and it contradicted his previous statement about "not competing," making it hard to shake off the "hypocrite" label.
But compared to the sect’s prestige, personal honor was insignificant.
"Amitabha, this humble monk may be compassionate, but when necessary, will display thunderous means."
"Beware, benefactor."
Shi Yun chanted the Buddhist name softly, the golden light in his eyes growing ever more intense!
Yet Chen Mo, bracing against the golden light’s impact, didn’t retreat a step, pointing at Shi Yun from a distance, grinning fiercely:
"Good! I was really afraid you’d surrender; otherwise, I’d have nowhere to vent this fury!"
Three consecutive Shattering Star Fingers struck the ancient bell’s shadow, breaking surface, leaving it covered with web-like cracks.
Lightning entwined Chen Mo’s feet as his figure suddenly vanished, moving at extreme speed, appearing beside Shi Yun almost like teleportation, with Sword Intent accumulated to the extreme like a river of stars overturning!
Shi Yun, however, saw through his intent ahead of time and turned his head to look.
Their eyes met, and upon seeing those amethyst-golden eyes, Shi Yun was momentarily stunned.
Surprised in his heart, his actions slowed down slightly.
The Azure Dragon Blade Energy sliced through the ancient bell and Shi Yun together like a hot knife through butter!
Then, Glazed Flame erupted, engulfing him in intense flames, reducing him to ashes almost instantaneously!
A surging cry of astonishment erupted from the crowd.
The crowd was amazed at Chen Mo’s strength, never expecting the battle to turn so one-sided!
Yet, a hint of seriousness flashed in Chen Mo’s eyes as he fully activated his divine skills, turning the flames from glazed to white-hot, even melting the bricks beneath like candle wax!
At that moment, from within the blazing inferno came a long Buddhist chant.
Following that, steady and resolute footsteps were heard.
Shi Yun emerged from the flames, unscathed from head to toe, his plain white monk robe spotless.