Three Sins Against Heaven-Chapter 85 – The collision of financial strength and power
After the bloodbath led by Wei Changkong, the Law Enforcement Hall was much quieter than usual. Even though they had been recruiting heavily over the past few months, they still couldn't recover their strength in a short time.
In the Martial Arena, Ghost Guest handed over his token, received an iron stick, and found a corner to meditate.
He didn't know when Mark Ye would arrive, so he had to treat every upcoming battle as if he were preparing for Mark Ye.
The cultivator in charge of arranging the matches glanced at Ghost Guest without a trace and quietly crushed the communication jade slip in his hand.
Not long after, Mark Ye slowly walked into the Martial Arena, received his iron stick, and pretended not to see Ghost Guest. He sat calmly far away from him, quietly wiping off the red paint on the iron stick. Seeing the two words on it, he smiled.
The cultivator hosting the event was sweating profusely. Xie Ding'an had only told him one thing: turn a blind eye. But even this simple instruction made him feel uneasy.
He knew that the participants in the next match were Ghost Guest and Mark Ye. If possible, he would rather not host this match. If anything happened to either of them, he would be held accountable. But if he refused, he wouldn't survive the day.
Thinking of this, the cultivator trembled as he called out, "Next match, Jiazi!"
Ghost Guest and Mark Ye opened their eyes simultaneously and leaped onto the stage.
Mark Ye frowned, showing a surprised expression, "It's you. I heard that since joining the Law Enforcement Hall, you've maintained an undefeated record. But after today, that record will end."
Ghost Guest sneered inwardly. To lure him in, he was still pretending.
Mark Ye spread his spiritual sense, carefully assessing Ghost Guest's cultivation level, then looked at him with disdain, "Acupoint breakthrough forty-seven, your cultivation speed is decent. I'm at forty-five, a bit lower than you, but you're no match for me. If you're scared, you can concede."
Ghost Guest remained calm. Such an obvious bluffing strategy had no effect on him. He turned to the nervous cultivator and asked calmly, "Aren't you going to announce the start?"
The cultivator snapped back to reality and quickly retreated to the edge of the arena, "Begin!"
Their eyes met, and neither concealed the killing intent within.
Neither made the first move. Mark Ye held a mid-grade flying sword, pointing it at Ghost Guest, silently building up his sword momentum.
Ghost Guest took this opportunity to consume all his enhancement pills. Around him, vines and trees grew rapidly, forming layers of protection in front of him.
Facing a sword cultivator like Mark Ye, he couldn't possibly take the offensive. He had to wait for Mark Ye to make the first move and reveal a flaw.
After a long while, Mark Ye raised his hand, forming a sword with his fingers, and brushed it across the blade, infusing it with flames without any leakage. The once cold blade became scorching, and even the cultivators watching below could sense the sharp and fierce aura.
In the next moment, Mark Ye moved, shooting forward like an arrow. With one swing of his sword, the vines and trees in front of Ghost Guest were instantly cut down. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Ghost Guest, the sword tip aimed at his throat.
Ghost Guest took out a palm-sized brown turtle shell, channeled spiritual energy, and it immediately expanded into a shield in front of him, barely blocking the sword.
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Even so, a deep sword mark was left on the turtle shell.
Ghost Guest took the opportunity to retreat. Sensing the fierce sword qi attacking from all directions, he formed a seal with one hand, splitting the turtle shell into four pieces to circle around him, once again blocking Mark Ye's attack. His gaze grew more serious.
Metal overcomes wood, wood fuels fire. Whether it's metal or fire, both counter his Wood Spirit Technique.
Mark Ye, with his perfect Gold and Fire Spirit Root, was undoubtedly the most countering opponent among his peers. Even though he had prepared beforehand, he hadn't expected Mark Ye to break his technique so easily.
Fortunately, he had prepared a mid-grade mortal turtle shell shield. It wasn't that he couldn't afford a high-grade one, but with his current cultivation, a mid-grade was the limit he could control.
Although he couldn't unleash the full power of the turtle shell shield, it was enough to defend against Mark Ye's attacks.
The Law Enforcement Hall's matches prohibited the use of techniques imprinted by other cultivators. Under Mark Ye's fierce assault, Ghost Guest could only keep retreating, using the turtle shell shield for protection while continuously employing Wood Spirit Technique to delay Mark Ye's advance, secretly releasing toxins.
"I took an antidote pill before the match; your poison is useless against me," Mark Ye said, then realized his mistake and stopped talking.
If anyone with a keen mind heard this, they would surely guess the trick behind it.
To prevent anyone from deliberately choosing their opponents, the words on the iron sticks were always sealed with red paint. Mark Ye's words inadvertently revealed that he had known his opponent was Ghost Guest all along.
Fortunately, everyone was focused on the intense battle and didn't notice the true meaning behind his words.
Seeing Ghost Guest only defending and not attacking, Mark Ye sneered, summoned his flying sword, and with a hand seal, controlled it to cut through the vines Ghost Guest had just formed, leaving sword marks on the turtle shell shield.
The light on the turtle shell shield grew dimmer and finally vanished under Mark Ye's relentless attack, reverting to its original form and falling into Ghost Guest's hand.
Mark Ye seized the opportunity, controlling the long sword to stab at Ghost Guest's heart.
With the aid of the Windwalking Pill, Ghost Guest avoided a fatal blow, but a deep wound appeared on his waist.
One misstep leads to another. With Mark Ye holding the advantage, he wouldn't easily let Ghost Guest off. With a flick of his finger, the flying sword once again aimed for Ghost Guest's throat.
"Clang!"
A crisp metallic clash rang out. The flying sword was forcefully rebounded. Mark Ye looked at the copper bell phantom enveloping Ghost Guest and then at the purple copper bell in his hand, his eyes slightly dazed.
The Spirit Suppressing Bell, with a defense stronger than the previous turtle shell shield, was a powerful mid-grade mortal tool, costing at least three thousand Spirit Stones.
The spectators below were equally stunned. Even some cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Refining might not possess two mid-grade mortal tools, yet Ghost Guest, at the fourth level, casually brought them out.
They were impressed by Mark Ye's displayed strength and equally shocked by Ghost Guest's wealth. It seemed being a pill refiner truly was a lucrative profession.
Holding the Spirit Suppressing Bell, Ghost Guest turned to the hosting cultivator, "I wish to concede."
"Uh, this..." The hosting cultivator stammered, unsure of how to respond.
"The outcome isn't decided; why concede?" Mark Ye asked, his expression calm, though he was growing anxious inside.
Ghost Guest replied solemnly, "You have a protective magical tool from your master. I can't harm you no matter what, making this match meaningless."
"If that's your concern, there's no need," Mark Ye said, pulling open his collar to reveal his bare neck and chest, "I never carry protective magical tools when dueling."
"Is that so?" Ghost Guest stomped the ground fiercely, causing vines to grow rapidly and entangle Mark Ye tightly, "Then I have no problem!"
