CHAPTER 731: CHAPTER 736: BATTLE OF THE TOP FOUR (4)

At this moment, everyone was watching Ling Chen and Yang Zhe on stage, patiently waiting for the outcome.

The recent bout of fighting had clearly put Ling Chen at a disadvantage; now, everyone was anticipating and wanting to know whether Ling Chen had any other tricks up his sleeve. A disciple of the esteemed Elder Su should not only be capable of this much.

In a moment of thought, Ling Chen tightened his grip on the shield in his hand and reached toward his waist to draw the Tianling Blade, resembling an ancient warrior as he held the shield in front of him, assuming a defensive posture.

Observing Ling Chen’s actions, Yang Zhe lifted his broad-backed saber and slightly shook his head. He had expected Ling Chen to have some new tricks, but it turned out to be the same old techniques, which was somewhat disappointing.

Seeing Yang Zhe stepping forward with his saber in hand, Ling Chen fearlessly pushed his shield forward. It appeared as if he had forgotten the embarrassments of being attacked just before.

"Rise!"

With a light shout, Yang Zhe leaped high off the ground, raising the saber above his head with both hands, with a fierce momentum he executed the Powerful Slash, aiming directly at Ling Chen’s head.

The blade edge was not yet close, but the chilling Sword Force had already swept over, like a strong gale blowing past, causing a stinging pain on one’s cheeks.

Ling Chen squinted his eyes slightly, lifting the shield in his left hand a bit while bending his knees, ready to bear the brunt of Yang Zhe’s heavy blow.

Clang!

In the midst of a crisp sound, Ling Chen’s body abruptly sank downward, feeling as if the weight on the shield was immense, nearly causing him to sit down on the ground. Fortunately, he used the Tianling Blade in his right hand to prop against the floor just in time to barely stabilize his body, preventing a fall.

Although he had managed to block the attack, it was not an easy feat for Ling Chen. Anyone who had to withstand such a heavy hit would not find it easy, let alone when the difference in strength between Ling Chen and Yang Zhe was so significant. At this moment, as the blade came crashing down, Ling Chen’s left arm was nearly numb, trembling slightly, and even holding up the shield seemed strenuous.

Seeing Ling Chen’s awkward state, the onlookers shook their heads in silence; clashing head-on with Yang Zhe was simply seeking death.

From the current state of the battle, as long as nothing unexpected happened, the ultimate victor of this duel should be Wang Hao.

As long as Yang Zhe wins this match, he would advance to the top four, where there would be two experts from the Earthly List and two from the Tiger List. The final winner would undoubtedly be chosen from among the two Earthly List experts. Although both Wang Hao and Yang Zhe were among the top three disciples in the Yangxin Pavilion, Wang Hao was recognized as the first, while Yang Zhe was only in the third place. Moreover, Wang Hao had secluded himself for two years and his strength had greatly increased, probably surpassing both Yang Tao and Yang Zhe by a wide margin.

Based on this reasoning, it was likely that no one among the Yangxin Pavilion disciples could defeat Wang Hao.

However, nothing in this world is absolute.

In terms of strength, Wang Hao’s prowess was unquestionable. But for this reason, the Yangxin Pavilion had an unwritten rule: apart from the comparison of strength, competitors’ tactics were also to be considered. On the platform, perhaps no one could match Wang Hao, but off the platform, it was another story. Maybe someone would play dirty, injuring or crippling Wang Hao, preventing him from competing. Then, the ultimate victor would definitely be someone else.

Therefore, even though they saw that Ling Chen’s strength was not on par with Yang Zhe’s, everyone still surrounded the platform, eagerly watching without any intention of leaving.

For everyone understood that the outcome of this kind of duel was full of variables; no one knew what would happen next.

Clang!

At this moment, another crisp sound echoed.

With the sound, everyone immediately turned their gaze toward the stage. Under the heavy strike from Yang Zhe, Ling Chen, holding his shield aloft, took several steps back, nearly tumbling off the edge of the platform.

Two consecutive strikes had almost shattered Ling Chen’s defenses. Not only that, but even the surface of the shield bore two deep marks from the slashes of the broad-backed saber. If the shield hadn’t been sturdy enough, it could have been split in two by Yang Zhe’s Sword Force.

At this moment, Ling Chen took a deep breath, slowly straightened up and looked at Yang Zhe, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

It seemed he had somewhat underestimated Yang Zhe’s strength. Before coming, Su He had advised him that if he faced an opponent stronger than himself, he should try to use stillness to control movement and deplete the opponent’s physical strength. Sooner or later, the opponent would reveal a weak spot. That’s when his chance to counterattack would come.

However, it’s been so long, and not only had Yang Zhe’s stamina not declined in the slightest, but he also seemed to be getting stronger as the battle went on. On the contrary, it was he who, after continuous fighting, found his physical strength rapidly depleting. If this continued, he would eventually be defeated without any chance of turning defeat into victory.

In the midst of his contemplation, Yang Zhe charged forward with a broadsword in hand once again.

Seeing this, Ling Chen, without thinking, swung his arm violently, and the shield in his hand flew out like a frisbee, striking straight towards Yang Zhe’s forehead.

As the shield neared, Yang Zhe’s wrist flicked and with a heavy slash of the broadsword, which weighed a hundred catties, he instantly knocked the shield to the ground.

Then, without slowing down, Yang Zhe dashed in a straight line and quickly closed in on Ling Chen. The broadsword was raised high, the blade sharp as lightning, aiming to cleave Ling Chen’s head.

The great sword moved with incredible speed, almost reaching its peak. Ling Chen didn’t even have time to lift his head and only saw a blur flash by as the fierce sword force nearly skinned his face raw.

At that moment, without enough time for his brain to react, Ling Chen instinctively raised the Tianling Blade to forcefully block the attack of the great sword.

Clang!

Sword and broadsword collided, and Ling Chen felt a weakness in his arm and numbness in his tiger’s mouth, as the Tianling Blade fell to the ground with a clatter.

However, Yang Zhe’s broadsword continued its relentless trajectory, plunging straight for Ling Chen’s chest.

The decisive moment had arrived!

Witnessing this scene, everyone held their breath, silently awaiting the outcome.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the edge of the great sword finally fell, steadily bracing against Ling Chen’s right shoulder.

Eh?

The onlookers below the stage were momentarily stunned; they had thought the battle was decided, but didn’t expect such a turn of events.

Although Yang Zhe’s great sword had fallen, it didn’t strike Ling Chen’s vital points. Instead, Ling Chen caught the blade of the broadsword between his hands.

Only then did everyone remember that Ling Chen wore a pair of silk gloves, tough in texture, capable of withstanding the damage of blades and swords. It was also thanks to those silk gloves that Ling Chen managed to turn danger into safety, withstanding Yang Zhe’s attack at the very last moment.

Looking at the blade in Ling Chen’s hands, Yang Zhe’s face darkened slightly, his toes tapped lightly, and his right leg shot up instantaneously, delivering a fierce kick toward Ling Chen.

Bang!

Taking the blow of Yang Zhe’s flying kick, Ling Chen’s body immediately soared into the air, crashing heavily onto the floor.

Puh!

Ling Chen opened his mouth, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his body seemed to lose all its strength, lying limply on the ground, not getting up for a long while.