<h4>Chapter 418: 417</h4>


    "Can it really be like this!?" Lian Qianjun said with a face of amazement, "Su Yang used only a few words, and he made such progress? How is that possible?"


    "The path of cultivation is exactly like this, from Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement to the Integration Realm, one can break through with brute strength alone. But once you reach the Venerable Realm, it’s not that easy anymore. And the leap from the Venerable to the Land Fairy Realm requires not only strength but also a certain state of mind," the gray-haired elder said. "Otherwise, throughout the ages, with so many Sovereigns, how many have been able to enter the Land Fairy Realm?"


    Taking a deep breath, Lian Qianjun asked in a low voice, "Having heard those words, did you have any enlightenment?"


    "No!" sighed the gray-haired elder. "The words Su Yang spoke were specifically about the Huo Family Secret Manual. Only those who cultivate the Huo Family Secret Manual, especially someone at Huo Zihen’s level of cultivation, could have any enlightenment. To others, his words are useless, not suitable for anyone else!"


    As he said this, the tone of the gray-haired elder clearly carried a sense of regret. He had been at the Venerable Realm for a not insignificant amount of time; if he could gain any enlightenment, it would have been an immense gain for him.


    What he didn’t know was that even Su Yang himself didn’t understand the meaning of the words he had said.


    Those words were recorded in the Destiny’s Tome.


    Just now, when Su Yang saw Huo Zihen ascend the stage, he noticed something unusual about the way the Qi in his body was moving and was reminded of a passage from the Destiny’s Tome.


    Initially, Su Yang had just asked a question with the attitude of trying it out; he had not expected that this was actually a secret technique passed down by the Huo Family.


    And Su Yang was very clear that this secret technique was one mentioned in the Destiny’s Tome. More importantly, ever since he obtained the Bronze Seal Script, he could discern the annotations of this secret technique. The words Su Yang just spoke were the annotations for this technique.


    Su Yang himself was quite shaken; the Huo Family’s secret technique was actually one recorded in the Destiny’s Tome, which was extremely novel. Could it be that there was some connection between the Huo Family and the Destiny’s Tome?


    Huo Zihen stood up, dering loudly, "The Huo Family willingly admits defeat, Master Su, the Huo Family is willing to ept any conditions you propose!"


    Su Yang nodded calmly, his gaze finally resting on Lian Qianjun, and he spoke loudly, "Family Head Lian, who will you send up next?"


    Lian Qianjun’s face was ice cold. He really wanted to send the gray-haired elder standing next to him to fight against Su Yang. But the elder had said that unless he could break Su Yang’s Great Prajna Vajra Zen, he was not Su Yang’s match.


    He let Huo Zihen take the stage with the idea that Huo Zihen would deplete Su Yang’s Great Prajna Vajra Zen and at the same time weaken the Huo Family’s strength. The result, however, was Huo Zihen admitting defeat outright, catching him off guard.


    Looking around, Lian Qianjun pointed to another person, the fourth-ranked expert from Pingnan Province.


    This person was also at the Venerable Realm, but his strength was far from that of Huo Zihen.


    Nheless, at this point, he had no choice but to steel himself and take the stage.


    Su Yang did not treat this man with the same courtesy as he had Huo Zihen. After a bout, on the thirteenth move, the man was struck down from the stage by Su Yang.


    Of course, Su Yang didn’t seriously injure him; after all, there was no enmity between them.


    Following this, two more challengers climbed onto the stage in session but were also each defeated by Su Yang.


    Throughout this process, Ghost de Mo Qianli had been watching from within the crowd, and Su Yang’s attention was also fixed on him.


    Su Yang didn’t directly challenge Mo Qianli to step up, as he was waiting for Mo Qianli to take action himself. He was certain that Mo Qianli must have allied with some power from either Pingnan Province or Pingbei Province, which gave him the audacity to instigate the Dragon Head Meeting in May.


    Since the Ren Family, Gwu Family, Wang Family, and Eight-Faced Yama made their moves so early, they certainly weren’t the forces Mo Qianli had partnered with. To control the power of both provinces, it would be impossible to exhaust one’s strength so prematurely or to reveal oneself too soon.


    Therefore, the force allied with Mo Qianli was surely someone else. Su Yang couldn’t discern who he was supporting just yet, so, for the time being, he also had no intentions to challenge him.


    By continuously challenging people from Pingbei Province, Su Yang was actually depleting the strength of both sides while simultaneously luring Mo Qianli out.


    Mo Qianli was bound to fight against Su Yang eventually, as he longed to kill Su Yang with his own hands. However, with Su Yang’s current situation, Mo Qianli dared not step into the ring to fight Su Yang; he could only wait until Su Yang’s power had sufficiently diminished before making his move.


    Right now, Su Yang was depleting his own strength, waiting for Mo Qianli to make his move. Of course, Mo Qianli wouldn’t challenge him under his own name. Once he stepped up, Su Yang would be able to see which force he was representing. By then, Su Yang would naturally be able to figure out which power Mo Qianli had secretly been in contact with!


    After defeating five opponents in a row, Su Yang was also somewhat out of breath.


    At that moment, the elderly man with grey hair finally nodded slowly.


    Lian Qianjun couldn’t have been happier and immediately dered, "Su Yang, you are truly too arrogant, thinking there is no one in Pingbei Province who can match you? In this round, my Lian Family will fight you!"


    A round of jeers rose from the surrounding crowd. After fighting half a day, and with five consecutive opponents in a sort of ry battle, dering a challenge now trulycked shame.


    Lian Qianjun paid no heed to the crowd’s jeers and turned to the elderly man with grey hair, saying, "Elder He, I’ll trouble you for this battle!"


    The grey-haired elder nodded slowly. He unfolded his arms, and his body gradually began to float, resembling a gliding crane, before gentlynding on the tform.


    Witnessing this spectacle, the crowd eximed in wonder, and many powerful individuals furrowed their brows.


    "It’s actually him!" Huo Zihen frowned deeply, no longer meditating but staring straight at the tform, his expression quite ugly.


    "Who is that?" someone nearby inquired curiously.


    "Lu Fanghe!" Huo Zihen said gravely. "Known as Heavenly Mountain Hermit, a master who came down from the Heavenly Mountain and once reached the fifth rank on the Earth Rankings. However, he hasn’t been seen for fifteen years, so his name is no longer on the list. But make no mistake, his strength is not to be underestimated. Fifteen years ago, he was only a step away from the Land Fairy Realm. Now reappearing, even though he hasn’t attained the status of an Earthly Immortal, how could his strength be simple?"


    "Heavens, it’s actually him!" someone else yelled out. "I’ve heard of him too; they say his strength is formidable. In this battle, does that Master Su still stand a chance?"


    Huo Zihen sighed as he looked at Su Yang on the tform, speaking softly, "If he hadn’t fought these five rounds in a row, the gap between his strength and Elder He’s strength would probably be fifty-fifty. But having fought these five rounds back-to-back, he’s expended too much energy. I’m afraid his chances of winning are not too great!"


    The expressions of the people around immediately changed dramatically. Could it be that Su Yang’s journey on the tform was about toe to an end?