"Roar..." Jiang Yong approached Han Kui and showed no intention of letting him go. He delivered another punch to Han Kui's body, and the sound of cracking bones mixed with Han Kui's screams. "This guy is so despicable, he had planned to trick him even before stepping onto the Life and Death Stage," someone muttered among the growing crowd. "On the Life and Death Stage, it's a true fight to the death; any means are fair game," someone else argued.

Li Xiaoyao, however, ignored the murmurs around him. He coldly stared at Jing Yan standing before him. "Move aside." "A mere eighth level of the Qi Martial Realm, and you dare act arrogantly in front of me? You had a hand in Han Feng's death, didn't you?" Jing Yan sneered, showing no concern for Li Xiaoyao. "I killed your brother with a single sword strike to the throat. If you make him stop now, I'll replace Han Kui on the Life and Death Stage. Otherwise, if I don't go up, you'll never get your revenge," Li Xiaoyao said. Jing Yan, ranked sixth among the outer disciples, was not easy to deal with. Hearing another howl from Han Kui, Li Xiaoyao continued speaking.

"Hmm?" Jing Yan's eyes narrowed, and then a cold light flashed in them as he shouted, "Jiang Yong, stop!" Jiang Yong immediately halted his attacks on Han Kui and stood up, looking toward Jing Yan. "You can go up and take Han Kui's place now," Jing Yan continued to fix his gaze on Li Xiaoyao, his body radiating murderous intent.

Without waiting for more words, Li Xiaoyao swiftly moved onto the Life and Death Stage. At that moment, Han Kui's face was drenched in blood, his chest bones shattered. With great difficulty, he wiped his hands across his eyes and finally managed to open them. "Han Kui, can you hold on?" Li Xiaoyao crouched down and asked. "I'm fine, not dead yet. Get revenge for me," Han Kui grinned, enduring the pain throughout his body. "Don't worry." Li Xiaoyao felt a mix of emotions upon seeing Han Kui's grin; this guy was truly stubborn.

Carrying Han Kui's body, Li Xiaoyao moved towards the edge of the Life and Death Stage. Just then, Jing Yan's cold voice rang out: "Jiang Yong, you know what to do, right?" "I understand. Kill both of them," Jiang Yong responded with a sinister smile. Jing Yan nodded in satisfaction. "Once you're on the Life and Death Stage, your lives are no longer in your own hands. Do you really think you can replace him? You'll both die together," Jing Yan said indifferently, as Li Xiaoyao glared at him.

"Is that so?" A cold smile appeared at the corner of Li Xiaoyao's exposed lips as he gently placed Han Kui at the edge of the Life and Death Stage.

At that moment, Jiang Yong, carrying a fierce aura, charged towards him. "Fire Blast, let's die together!" Jiang Yong roared. In his hand, a blazing flame appeared, so intense that the surrounding space crackled and sizzled from the heat. "Get back."

Li Xiaoyao's sword left its sheath, and with a flash of sword light, a thunderous explosion echoed through the air, instantly swallowing the fire. The remaining force of the sword struck Jiang Yong, leaving a deep wound on his chest, from which blood gushed out. Drip. A drop of blood fell from the tip of Li Xiaoyao's sword, landing on the Life and Death Stage. His eyes, filled with undisguised killing intent, locked onto Jiang Yong. "You still think you can kill me?" Li Xiaoyao sneered, swinging his sword again. It echoed like rolling thunder, and though Jiang Yong tried to dodge, he was still struck by the sword energy. His body was flung into the air, crashing heavily onto the Life and Death Stage.

Jiang Yong couldn't even withstand a single sword strike. "Thunderbolt Sword Technique—sword out, thunder roars. Who is this guy? He uses the Thunderbolt Sword Technique so skillfully," the crowd murmured, unable to see Li Xiaoyao's face behind his mask.

Jing Yan was momentarily stunned, his expression souring. Jiang Yong wasn't a match for Li Xiaoyao. This was supposed to be a rare opportunity to kill him. Now, with Jiang Yong defeated, even if Jing Yan injured Li Xiaoyao off the stage, he wouldn't be able to kill him outright.

Jiang Yong, seeing Li Xiaoyao approaching with his sword in hand, retreated on the ground in fear, his face finally showing terror. "I give up! I surrender!"

"Surrender?" Li Xiaoyao seemed to have heard the most laughable joke in the world. Jiang Yong had almost killed Han Kui, and if he had the strength, he would have killed both of them without hesitation. But now, after being defeated, Jiang Yong thought a simple surrender would suffice. Was that possible?

"Die." Jiang Yong suddenly roared, throwing white powder towards Li Xiaoyao as he frantically ran towards the edge of the stage. "Jing Yan, save me!" Jiang Yong shouted as he ran towards Jing Yan. Li Xiaoyao quickly followed.

With a thud, Jiang Yong fell off the stage. However, a smile appeared on his face because Jing Yan was now standing in front of him.

Jing Yan couldn't intervene in the duel while it was on the Life and Death Stage, but once off the stage, the rules didn't apply anymore. "Too bad, you couldn't kill him on the Life and Death Stage." Jing Yan cast a disdainful glance at Li Xiaoyao, who stood at the edge of the stage. Once on the Life and Death Stage, it was a battle to the death. Even if Jiang Yong fled the stage, as long as he remained within Wind Valley, Li Xiaoyao had the right to pursue and kill him. But now, with Jing Yan present, Li Xiaoyao couldn't kill Jiang Yong.

"Is that so? From the moment I stepped onto the Life and Death Stage, his fate was in my hands, not the heavens'."

As soon as Li Xiaoyao's words fell, his Ninefold Wave technique roared towards Jing Yan. Jing Yan sneered, raising his palm to meet the Ninefold Wave. "Thunderbolt Sword!" Li Xiaoyao lunged forward, sword energy swirling, and the sound of thunder cracked once again.

Jing Yan's sword left its sheath, and he swung it with precision, also using the Thunderbolt Sword technique. "Ninefold Wave, get out of my way!"

After the thunderous explosion, Li Xiaoyao's body shot forward like a ferocious tiger descending the mountain. The Ninefold Wave surged relentlessly, as the thunder had yet to subside and the waves rose again. Jing Yan raised an eyebrow, surprised at the sheer strength of Li Xiaoyao's martial skills. The Thunderbolt Sword was precise, and each strike targeted his weak points. Whenever he attempted to block and counter, the wild waves followed closely behind, leaving him overwhelmed. He found himself involuntarily retreating several steps.

By the time Jing Yan deflected Li Xiaoyao's assault, he realized he had retreated to where Jiang Yong was lying, and Li Xiaoyao's sword was now pointed at Jiang Yong.

"Who is this guy? He's only at the Eighth Level of the Qi Martial Realm, but he managed to force Jing Yan back with the Ninefold Wave and Thunderbolt Sword. Even though it was only a few steps, that's something to be proud of."

"Jing Yan is ranked sixth among the outer disciples, and his strength is formidable. His mastery of the Thunderbolt Sword technique is exceptional. But this person's mastery is no less impressive, enough to force Jing Yan to retreat."

The crowd whispered among themselves. Li Xiaoyao was only at the Eighth Level of the Qi Martial Realm, while Jing Yan was one of the top-tier outer disciples. Even a group of Qi Martial Realm Ninth Level practitioners would struggle against him. Yet, under these circumstances, Li Xiaoyao had forced Jing Yan to back down, leaving Jiang Yong's life in his hands.

Hearing the crowd's murmurs, Jing Yan's face turned sour. His reputation among the outer disciples was significant, and now it felt as if Li Xiaoyao had slapped him in the face in front of everyone. "Try killing him, and I'll make you wish you were dead." Jing Yan's gaze was cold and sinister as he stared at Li Xiaoyao's sword.

"Spare me," Jiang Yong pleaded, trembling. "Spare you? In your next life, learn to be a better dog."

With a flash of the sword, a fountain of blood erupted, and Jiang Yong was killed in an instant.

"Impressive!" someone in the crowd silently praised. But before they could react, there was a loud boom, and Jing Yan's aura exploded, chilling and deadly. Li Xiaoyao had blatantly ignored his warning and killed Jiang Yong. At this moment, Jing Yan seemed to have forgotten that regardless of whether Li Xiaoyao killed Jiang Yong or not, he had no intention of sparing him. So why would Li Xiaoyao have obeyed?

"You've succeeded in angering me. Even if I can't kill you, I'll make you beg for death." Venomous words spilled from Jing Yan's mouth. The crowd murmured that Li Xiaoyao was in trouble. Jing Yan was furious, and even if Li Xiaoyao wasn't killed, he would certainly be crippled. It was a pity—Li Xiaoyao had such talent, but no one believed he could escape from someone ranked in the top ten among the outer disciples.

Jing Xiang held her breath in tension, but her strength was far too weak to help. Jing Yan could probably deal with her with a single sword strike.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Xiaoyao remained silent. Slowly, he turned and calmly stepped onto the Life and Death Stage once more.

"What is he doing?" the crowd murmured in confusion as they watched Li Xiaoyao climb back onto the stage.

Li Xiaoyao stood at the center of the stage, then turned to look at Jing Yan below. In a cold voice, he said, "Come up."

In that moment, silence fell over the entire space. Li Xiaoyao had just stepped onto the Life and Death Stage and was now challenging Jing Yan, the sixth-ranked outer disciple.