"Hahaha, what's this 'Little Sword God'? Turns out he's just a fool!"
Below the stage, the genius martial artists from Tianyang Empire burst into laughter. Li Xue's Element-Devouring Blood Array devoured all true qi. Even the Flaming Emperor's sword essence which contained the power of the Flaming Sun couldn't resist it. But this guy named Li Bufan actually released his true qi voluntarily, allowing it to be devoured by the Element-Devouring Blood Array. It was as if he'd lost his mind.
On the elevated platform, Grand Commandant Li had a face full of doubt as he watched Li Bufan standing there foolishly. His brows furrowed deeply. He couldn't understand why Li Bufan, born with the Wind and Thunder Physique and known for his terrifying speed, would just stand still and allow his opponent to set up the Element-Devouring Blood Array.
This array was extremely terrifying. Even Grand Commandant Li himself would struggle to break free from it. If too much of his true qi was consumed, the outcome of the battle could easily turn unfavorable.
"Bufan, what on earth are you thinking?" Grand Commandant Li muttered under his breath.
Ling Feng was slightly surprised when he first saw Li Bufan's actions, but he soon understood, and a faint smile crept across his lips.
"Big Brother, what is Big Brother Li doing? His Wind and Thunder Transformation is all about speed and destructive power, but he's just standing there like a target. Isn't he throwing away his advantage?"
Jiang Xiaofan was utterly baffled. If it had been him, he might have had no choice but to take the attack head-on, but Li Bufan was a completely different type of martial artist.
"Exactly. Ling Feng, did you figure something out?"
Gu Tengfeng turned his head and saw the smile on Ling Feng's face. He couldn't help but ask.
Mu Qianxue, Xue Xiaolin, and the others also looked toward Ling Feng, obviously equally confused by Li Bufan's actions.
"Bufan already gave you the answer earlier." Ling Feng smiled faintly. "Just keep watching. You'll know soon enough."
Ye Nanfeng muttered as he quickly turned his gaze back to the stage. He saw Li Bufan engulfed by the Element-Devouring Blood Array. This situation was exactly the same as with Mu Liufeng. Once his true qi was devoured, how could there be any chance of a comeback?
The audience below the stage watched Li Bufan with tense expressions. It seemed that he was their last hope. If he lost, anyone else who stepped up would just be serving as fodder for the Tianyang Empire's humiliation.
"Hahaha... Your Majesty, it seems this young man from your country isn't very smart."
Xiahou Lie laughed loudly. "Did he come up just to find someone to send him off to the afterlife? Your Majesty, I think you should tell this junior to surrender early. After all, his cultivation wasn't easy to come by, and if he dies on the stage, that would be quite the pity."
The emperor of Tianbai took a deep breath. His expression remained calm, showing no emotion as he said blandly, "Keep watching. The result isn't out yet. It's too early to say anything now."
Xiahou Lie laughed heartily and called out to Li Xue on the stage, "Li Xue, end this quickly. Shatter their last hope!"
"As you command!" On the stage, a vicious glint flashed in Li Xue's eyes as he grinned wickedly. "Boy, it's over for you! Let me refine you into a pool of blood!"
Grand Commandant Li immediately stood up from his seat. "General Xiahou, you—"
"Ah, Lord Grand Commandant, the arena's rules are clear. Fists and feet have no eyes. You can only blame this junior for not understanding his own limitations."
Xiahou Lie sneered. Among the three great ministers, Grand Commandant Li was in charge of military affairs and had thwarted Tianyang Empire's plans to annex Tianbai's territory multiple times. Since Li Bufan was Grand Commandant Li's descendant, Xiahou Lie saw this as a perfect opportunity for revenge.
"Hmph!" Grand Commandant Li flicked his sleeve, his gaze fixed anxiously on the stage and his fists tightly clenched.
On the stage, Li Xue roared, and the Element-Devouring Blood Array erupted with a blinding crimson light. The devouring power continued to erode Li Bufan's true qi, yet Li Bufan stood calmly in the center of the array, looking at Li Xue indifferently.
"What... What's going on?"
Li Xue stared in disbelief at Li Bufan, who stood unharmed in the center of the array. He had activated the array to its full power, but not only was Li Bufan completely fine, he actually appeared energetic, his vitality overflowing. But Li Xue could clearly feel the true qi flowing back to him from the array!
"What's happening?" Li Bufan's cold gaze locked onto Li Xue as he said calmly, "If you calculate the time, the Black Calamity Thunder in your body should be acting up about now."
"What? Black Calamity Thunder?"
Li Xue's pupils shrank as a severe, corrosive pain surged through his body. In the next moment, smoke began to rise from him, and in the blink of an eye, his body melted into a pool of pus, dissolving right there on the stage.
Everything happened too fast. The audience below hadn't even realized what had occurred before Li Xue vanished as if he'd disappeared into thin air.
"Li... Li Bufan won!"
The young geniuses of Tianbai Empire were stunned. The sudden turn of events had left them speechless.
"Li Xue... melted into a pool of pus?"
One of the martial artists from Tianyang Empire swallowed hard, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "Li Xue was creepy enough, but Li Bufan seems even creepier!"
"Those who bring calamity upon themselves can't escape death! You were too greedy, trying to absorb all of my true qi at once. Otherwise, you might have had a small chance of survival."
Li Bufan's eyes gleamed as he sheathed his sword with a graceful, unrestrained motion.
"What just happened? I still don't understand!" Jiang Xiaofan was as confused as ever.
"The answer lies in his sword," Ling Feng explained with a light smile. "Earlier, Bufan made a point to tell his opponent that his sword is named the Rampant Thunder Sword. But this sword is no ordinary weapon. It contains a terrifying power known as Black Calamity Thunder."
Hanging around an expert like Yan Cangtian had its benefits, and learning about the Black Calamity Thunder was one of them. This thunder can be converted into ordinary true qi, but under its master's control, it can be reversed back into thunder energy.
When Li Xue absorbed most of Li Bufan's true qi, thinking he'd secured victory, he didn't realize that the true qi he had absorbed was a trap. Once Li Bufan activated the Wind and Thunder Transformation to revert the true qi back into Black Calamity Thunder, the evil dao true qi within Li Xue was countered by the thunder energy.
Thunder is the natural bane of all evil, so the violent thunder energy exploded within Li Xue and shattered his meridians, fusing his corrupted true qi with his own body and melting him into a pool of blood.
In other words, Li Xue brought about his own demise.
That's why they say, those who bring calamity upon themselves cannot live!