The thousand-jin bronze tripod Li Yundong tossed into the air crashed to the ground with a dull thud, and the hearts of the onlookers trembled along with it.

The cultivators from the major sects stared blankly at Li Yundong, as if watching a Monkey King spring forth from a crack in a rock. They could not fathom where this fellow had emerged from, nor how he possessed such formidable power!

After a long silence, someone finally regained their senses, let out a long breath, and exclaimed in awe, "Incredible!"

"Which sect does this man belong to? I've never heard of him before!"

"Strong, truly strong!"

Some of the younger cultivators, less experienced in duels, began whispering amongst themselves, "This man's divine strength is astonishing. Could he possess innate divine power?"

The older, more seasoned senior brothers and sisters took the opportunity to instruct their juniors. "There are hardly any cultivators born with innate divine power. If you see his strength, it's because his cultivation is profound, his foundation solid, and his vital energy condensed into steel, resulting in such mighty True Essence! A person's mere physical strength cannot lift something this heavy, let alone handle it as if it weighed nothing!"

"You must first wrap the thousand-jin tripod in True Essence, then mobilize the vital energy from the kidneys and liver, urging forth the power within the body, merging the two into one—only then can it be accomplished!"

The younger cultivators suddenly understood. "So that's how it is. It sounds simple enough when you say it! In that case, I could do it too."

The elder cultivators spoke with grave sincerity. "Many can achieve that feat, but those who can counter an opponent instantly in that manner are exceedingly rare! Look at this Li Yundong; he was in a position that should have guaranteed defeat and death, yet he adapted to the environment, used what was available, and instantly turned the tide! That is a truly remarkable skill!"

As the cultivators from all sects were murmuring amongst themselves, Ruan Hongling couldn't help but tug on Ziyuan's sleeve, whispering, "Sister Ziyuan, this fellow has become so powerful! He’s even stronger than just now!"

Ziyuan’s expression remained unchanged, but a look of satisfaction surfaced in her eyes as she gazed upon the arena. She also murmured back, "He has successfully weathered the Heavenly Tribulation; naturally, he soars to the heavens and achieves sudden fame! I believe after this battle, the name Li Yundong will become renowned throughout the cultivation world!"

Ruan Hongling watched Li Yundong with a mixture of envy, jealousy, admiration, and sourness, pouting, "Let's see if this guy can survive the subsequent wheel battles!"

Li Yundong, meanwhile, walked back to the long line he had previously drawn, cupped his hands in a salute, and announced loudly, "I was fortunate enough to win that round just now. Who would like to step up and offer some guidance in the next match?"

As soon as his voice rang out, the murmuring stopped, and everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

Some young, spirited cultivators who were previously confident in their profound techniques considered stepping forward, but after witnessing the duel between Li Yundong and Du Fei, they all immediately retreated like turtles into their shells, unwilling to go out.

Conversely, other experienced and powerful cultivators began to secretly calculate whether they should engage in this fight. If they won, that was fine, but if they lost, they would be unable to hold their heads up in the future—a massive loss indeed.

For a moment, the major sects all seemed hesitant, until a tall, thin man walked out.

This man wore a long, wide Daoist robe and a square cap on his head. His eyebrows were long and thin, curving upward at the outer edges, giving him a distinctly mournful expression. His mouth corners drooped as if his own mother had just passed away, presenting a visage of deep sorrow.

He carried a wooden sword in one hand, and his entire frame looked like a kite in the wind, ready to be blown away by the slightest breeze.

The man stepped into the arena, cupped his hands, and began to speak, "I am Zhao Wuji, from the Fangzhen Sect..."

Before he could finish speaking, the cultivators from the assembled sects burst into uproarious laughter. "Fangzhen Sect? What kind of sect is that? We've never even heard of it! And Zhao Wuji—what a terrifying name!"

"Hey, brother, will that wooden sword of yours even work? Is it a peach wood sword? You should go catch ghosts and draw talismans, don't disgrace yourself here!"

Zhao Wuji paid them no mind. He slowly addressed Li Yundong, saying, "True Man Li, I possess no great skills, only this humble wooden sword, which is barely presentable as a magical artifact. I also know that I am no match for you. How about we let our magical artifacts fight instead? Whoever's artifact wins, wins the match. What do you say?"

Before Li Yundong could respond, the cultivators from other sects roared with laughter again. "Brother, are you mistaken? Pit that broken wooden sword of yours against the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan!"

"I give it two rounds before that wooden sword snaps!"

Li Yundong heard the ridicule, but noticing that Zhao Wuji remained completely unperturbed, he inwardly sharpened his focus, thinking: One doesn't climb Liangshan without some real ability; this man must have something up his sleeve.

Li Yundong smiled slightly and said, "Agreed!" With that, he tossed the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan in his hand high into the sky.

The Seven Treasures Spirit Fan instantly leaped into the air, its fan leaves snapping open with a whoosh. The golden Sanskrit characters inscribed on every leaf emitted a dazzling radiance, piercingly bright even in broad daylight.

Seeing the majestic golden light radiating from the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan hovering in mid-air as if issuing a challenge, Zhao Wuji took a deep breath, chanted something under his breath, bit down hard on his fingertip until blood appeared, and smeared that blood onto the wooden sword.

In an instant, the wooden sword seemed to come alive, twisting violently as if desperately sucking in Zhao Wuji's blood. Zhao Wuji’s face grew increasingly haggard and withered, and the droop of his eyebrows deepened further.

Zheng Yuan, the Sect Master of the Yin-Yang School of Wuhua Mountain, was the oldest and highest-ranking cultivator present. Being widely experienced, upon seeing the sword absorbing blood like that, he gasped in horror, shouting, "The Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword!"

The nearby cultivators turned to look at him, seemingly not understanding what kind of artifact the Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword was to cause such alarm.

Ding Nan was skilled at observing facial expressions and immediately asked cleverly, "Master, what is the Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword? I've only ever heard of swords made from peach wood, never locust wood. Can locust wood also be used to forge artifacts?"

Zheng Yuan was quite pleased with Ding Nan's quick wit. He glanced at her, thinking: Since Ping'er borrowed a body for her reincarnation, she has certainly become much sharper!

Zheng Yuan stroked his beard and spoke with the authority of an elder, "Tell me, why can peach wood be made into long swords, and why do many Daoists use them to subdue ghosts?"

Ding Nan had no knowledge of these matters. Fearing she might expose herself, she deliberately acted spoiled and coy. "Master, don't play games with me; just tell me directly!"

Zheng Yuan was quite taken with her demeanor and suspected nothing, so he explained, "Because peach wood is naturally an object of supreme Yang energy, while ghosts are the world's ultimate Yin filth. Naturally, one counteracts the other! That is why peach wood swords can suppress Yin entities! But locust wood is different; locust wood is naturally an object of supreme Yin..."

Ding Nan asked, confused, "Why is that?"

Zheng Yuan was concerned with maintaining face and was merely showing off. He assumed Ding Nan was intentionally asking questions to play along, not realizing she genuinely didn't know. He chuckled, "Think about it: the character for wood () next to the character for ghost ()—what character is that? It’s the character Huai (, locust)! Ghosts are the supreme Yin of the world; they love to dwell in dark places. The locust tree is inherently Yin, so ghosts often keep company with locust trees, making locust wood Yin compounded by Yin!"

"This Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword not only absorbs Yin souls for its use but also continuously siphons a person's Yang energy to feed the Yin ghosts within the sword. Look how thin and sorrowful Zhao Wuji appears; this is the result of his Yang energy being drained nearly dry."

Ding Nan was startled and asked, "Then this man still uses this artifact? Isn't he courting death?"

Zheng Yuan scoffed, "The Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword is incredibly tyrannical and possesses immense power. If one obtains it, even an ordinary cultivator can become a master. How could such a treasure be easily abandoned?"

As he was speaking, the Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword in Zhao Wuji's hand had completely saturated itself with blood and Yang energy. It suddenly emitted a shrill, cold shriek, like the long cry of a night owl, sending chills down the spines of everyone in the arena, causing their body hair to stand on end.

The Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword struggled violently in Zhao Wuji's grip, resembling a frenzied, vengeful spirit trying to lunge at its target—a sight that chilled onlookers to the bone. Yet, Zhao Wuji did not loosen his grip; instead, he took another deep breath and spat towards the sword.

Ding Nan watched the long locust wood sword writhe like a snake, with hideous, ferocious faces continuously surfacing upon it. Despite feeling a bone-deep chill, she still asked, "Why is he spitting a breath onto it?"

Zheng Yuan stroked his beard and nodded slightly. "This Zhao Wuji understands the principle of 'pressing the advantage; the second effort wanes, the third is exhausted'—he has a bit of cunning. This principle is similar to cockfighting: when your fighting cock is eager to engage, you don't let it out immediately; instead, you provoke it further. Once it enters the ring, it will be unstoppable."

As he finished speaking, the golden light emanating from the Sanskrit script on the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan visibly dimmed, suggesting a hint of impatience in mid-air.

At that moment, Zhao Wuji suddenly released his grip, and the Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword shot into the sky like lightning, lunging toward the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan.

After flying into the air, the Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword constantly released smoky, ashen-black mist. This mist materialized into countless Yin souls and ferocious ghosts, which swarmed towards the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan like a tide.

Some cultivators below asked in confusion, "The Seven Treasures Spirit Fan is a Yang-attribute artifact, imbued with Buddhist power and divine techniques. If the Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword attacks with Yin energy, isn't it seeking its own demise?"

Immediately, someone shook their head and countered, "It’s often said: where the Dao reaches ten feet, the Devil reaches eleven. Yin and Yang generate and counter each other, but it’s not simply that Yang always conquers Yin. Yin can also suppress Yang; it all depends on whose cultivation level is higher—whoever that is, wins!"

At this point, everyone in the arena stared upward, watching the two magical artifacts duel in the sky.

The Seven Treasures Spirit Fan, suddenly subjected to the ferocious assault of the Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword, flared with intense golden light in indignation. Individual golden Sanskrit characters detached themselves and formed a Vajra warrior with three heads and six arms, engaging the horde of resentful ghosts in a fierce melee.

The Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword was not to be outdone. The ashen-black smoke it emitted also coalesced into a massive, black Rakshasa with three heads and six arms, wielding a trident and a cymbals-like percussion instrument, joining the fray against the Vajra warrior.

Everyone below watched with bated breath, fearful that the next second would reveal the victor between these two contrasting artifacts. Li Yundong also frowned slightly, clenching his fists.

For a time, the golden light and the streak of dark light twisted together. Initially, the Tianlong Mountain was intermittently illuminated by blinding gold flashes or plunged into darkness where one couldn't see their hand before their face. As the fighting intensified, the two spheres of light merged so completely that it became impossible to distinguish one from the other—gold shone through the black, and black permeated the gold, a strange, inseparable mixture of colors.

After another period of intense combat, Zhao Wuji suddenly bit his tongue hard and spat a large mouthful of blood towards the sky. The Nine Yin Locust Wood Sword, which had been locked in an unyielding struggle with the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan, suddenly seemed to gain an extra surge of power, overwhelming the Spirit Fan. The black Rakshasa began to force the golden Vajra warrior into a retreat.

Li Yundong frowned deeply, and the cultivators from all sects shook their heads. "The Seven Treasures Spirit Fan is going to lose! Yang energy being suppressed by Yin energy—defeat is certain!"