I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 179 - 177: Trample Flat

Elder Zhu made his move.

The Ice-Fire Melting Break went out of control after Hu Jing released it. She couldn’t make it detonate like an Ice-Fire Combination Talisman, but against Song Zhong’s powerful Defense Array, it produced the same effect.

Had Zhu Jun not intervened, the entire area would have been leveled.

A giant Dharma Wheel, imbued with an unknown Defensive Array, blocked the fierce blast of the Ice-Fire Melting Break. But Elder Zhu, who was right there, was left covered in dust, and his beloved Magical Artifact had actually developed cracks.

As for Song Zhong, he was sent flying by the shockwave head-on. He was too close to the blast and was knocked unconscious, completely helpless.

Hu Jing herself was stunned by the scene. ’I... I really didn’t expect this, not in the slightest. I acted purely on instinct.’

The massive arena on Fire Cloud Square... was gone.

If not for Elder Zhu’s timely intervention, Song Zhong would surely have been obliterated, and countless bystanders would have been killed or injured.

A pillar of scorching fire shot into the clouds like a tornado; all that power had to find an outlet somewhere.

After a long while, the fiery vortex finally dissipated. Elder Zhu wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Hu Jing had also been thrown back by the shockwave, but Wang Meng caught her. He slowly channeled a stream of Elemental Power into her body. She had been jolted by the blast and sustained minor injuries.

"You’re all right now."

Wang Meng’s voice sounded in her ear, and suddenly, Hu Jing felt the pain in her body vanish completely.

So what was the verdict?

Everyone was stunned by the power of the attack. As for the combatants, Song Zhong was unconscious. And while Hu Jing was still conscious, she had also been thrown from the stage and had clearly lost her ability to fight.

All eyes turned to the chief Elder of Fire Cloud Hall. Zhu Jun could see the desperate hope in the eyes of the Fire Cloud Hall Disciples. If this match was declared a draw, Fire Cloud Hall would win the overall contest.

But this was the Holy Hall. Its thousand-year honor could not be compromised.

"Hu Jing of Thunderlight Hall wins!"

Elder Zhu’s voice rang out clearly across Fire Cloud Hall. If he hadn’t intervened, Song Zhong would not have survived. However, Hu Jing, having lost all her defenses, would certainly have met the same fate. It was merely a matter of timing, but that timing was the difference between victory and defeat.

Furthermore, he had personally interfered. When an Elder intervenes in a match, they must adhere to strict principles. He could not forsake the dignity of Fire Cloud Hall for the sake of a single victory.

The result was announced, but it was as if everyone’s mind had gone blank. The silence was broken only when someone began to cry.

Some of the female disciples of Fire Cloud Hall simply could not accept this result. Fire Cloud Hall had endured so much hardship, creating the revolutionary Array Talisman Bow for Technique Cultivators. Their Senior, Song Zhong, had even been the first to reach the Twentieth Layer. It was all meant to be a legend, a miracle, the pride of Fire Cloud Hall.

But all of it had been snuffed out by an even greater miracle.

Song Zhong, revived with an Emergency Pill, learned the result. He heard the sobbing of the disciples around him, especially Yao Yuan, who was crying inconsolably. Yao Yuan knew better than anyone the effort his Senior had poured into this.

All for this one tournament.

But they had lost. It was a crushing defeat.

As their Elder, Zhu Jun didn’t know how to comfort them. ’Every match had been so close. If only Yao Yuan were a little more mature... If only Song Zhong hadn’t been so cautious... maybe the outcome would have been different.’

In this battle of wits and courage, Thunderlight Hall had won.

This time, despite their boundless joy and excitement, the disciples of Thunderlight Hall couldn’t bring themselves to celebrate with wild abandon.

Fire Cloud Hall was truly strong, truly impressive. The three-to-zero score didn’t reflect how difficult the struggle had been.

The slightest mistake would have meant defeat for Thunderlight Hall.

Wang Meng walked up to Zhu Jun. "Elder, your impartiality is admired by all of Thunderlight Hall. We won by a stroke of luck today; it does not diminish the strength of Fire Cloud Hall in the slightest. The Array Talisman Bow will surely go down in history!"

Zhu Jun smiled faintly. "You’re too kind, Elder Wang. A win is a win. We of Fire Cloud Hall won’t sell ourselves short over a single loss."

Wang Meng clasped his hands in a salute, and Zhu Jun returned the gesture. After all, Wang Meng was now an Elder of his peerage.

Wang Meng walked before the countless Thunderlight Hall disciples, who were so emotional they couldn’t speak. He paused, then tilted his head back and roared to the sky, "Where to next?"

"HENGSHAN HALL!"

The sound echoed out of Fire Cloud Hall, past Fire Cloud Peak, and spread throughout the entire Holy Hall.

Their sights set on Heng Mountain, who would emerge the hero!

The news spread like wildfire throughout the Holy Hall. To be precise, by the time Thunderlight Hall had made it this far, they had already captured everyone’s attention. From the lowest-ranking disciples and even some mortals, all the way up to the Ancestral Masters, everyone was waiting for the result.

But when the news broke that Thunderlight Hall had swept Fire Cloud Hall three-to-zero, everyone’s first reaction was that the report was backward. ’Surely it was Fire Cloud Hall that swept Thunderlight Hall three-to-zero?’ The short-staffed Thunderlight Hall... how could they possibly win?

But that was the truth. Thunderlight had created a miracle for Thunderlight Hall—a true thunderlight storm.

A three-win streak, tying the record in the Holy Hall’s history. Ever since the tournament system was established, the longest winning streak had been three victories, and those records were set by upper- or middle-tier Sub-Halls.

A man named Wang Meng, a disciple at the Second Layer of Life Mark who had been on the verge of elimination, had led the Thunderlight Hall—a hall about to be disbanded—to its Bathing in Fire Rebirth!

Could you believe it?

This was a miracle unfolding before their very eyes!

The tournament’s influence was far greater than that of the Hundred Treasures Hall Meeting. An Ancestral Master’s favor might just be a talking point, but true strength was the only thing that mattered.

Call it a fluke or call it luck, but everyone knew a three-win streak could not be accomplished by luck alone. A three-to-zero sweep of Fire Cloud Hall was even less likely to be a fluke. Thunderlight Hall possessed not only courage, but also wisdom!

The Array Talisman Bow, the Twentieth Layer of Life Mark, and Song Zhong’s calm and cautious nature—all of it was trampled flat by Thunderlight Hall. What did that mean?

Power!

Hu Jing and the others hadn’t slacked off for a single moment. Talent was only part of it; their dedication was even greater. With no distractions outside of their cultivation, they had been willing to put their very lives on the line.

There wasn’t a shred of luck involved. To have come this far and still call it luck would be utterly foolish!

The moment the victory was announced, Zhao Guang nearly exploded with rage. ’Three-to-zero! If I were still in Thunderlight Hall, all this glory would be mine! I could have even become the direct heir to the Zhao Family! All that fame and recognition... it was so important! And in the end, it was all taken by a mortal, by Wang Meng, a peasant!’

Zhao Guang gritted his teeth in fury, but no one paid him any attention.

Although Fire Cloud Hall had been defeated, for some reason, its disciples couldn’t find it in themselves to feel any resentment. Wang Meng’s commanding presence and Thunderlight Hall’s fighting spirit may not have completely won them over, but it left them wondering what would happen next.

As he was leaving, Song Zhong looked at Wang Meng and his disciples and said just one thing: "Defeat Hengshan Hall."

His words were likely filled with bitterness and reluctance, but they also carried a hint of respect for a worthy rival.

Three wins in a row. Clearly, Thunderlight Hall would not be intimidated by Hengshan Hall now. The challenge had been issued. Hengshan Hall had long been lying in wait, they just never expected their opponent would be Thunderlight Hall.

It wasn’t just Flying Phoenix, Immortal Origin, and Lingyin; even Dao Guang Hall could no longer sit idly by. To suggest that Thunderlight Hall could fight its way to face Dao Guang Hall was still a laughable notion that no one in the Holy Hall believed. But the miracle Thunderlight Hall had created was already comparable to the legendary "Dao Guang Miracle" of the past, forcing Ning Zhiquan to pay attention.

Even Ning Zhiquan could miscalculate. He never imagined that a group of new disciples could fight with such life-or-death desperation, erupting with so much power.

Thunderlight Hall’s strength, or lack thereof, wouldn’t affect Dao Guang Hall. But Wang Meng’s very existence threatened Ning Zhiquan’s status.

Before Wang Meng’s arrival, he had been the one and only Senior. Everyone, from the highest to the lowest in the nine Sub-Halls of the Holy Hall, revered him. It had been that way for years. He was the most influential disciple in the Holy Hall.

’Elder? Ancestral Master? None of those are my goal. My only goal is to become the Master of the Holy Hall!’

But now this Wang Meng had burst onto the scene, siphoning off that popularity and influence. Becoming an Elder through Ancestor Master Zhou’s favor alone wasn’t enough to threaten Ning Zhiquan’s position; his deep-rooted authority couldn’t be shaken by a mere title. But Wang Meng was now repeating the very miracle that he himself had once created. That, Ning Zhiquan could not ignore. Besides, the individual ranking tournament was still to come.

"Senior, Zhao Guang went to watch the match between Wang Meng and Fire Cloud Hall. Should we summon him for questioning?"

Gongsun Wuqing knew Ning Zhiquan too well; he could tell what his Senior was thinking from a single expression.

"It seems he’s quite concerned after all," Ning Zhiquan said with a faint smile.

"Heh, he can’t help but be concerned. The moment he left, Thunderlight Hall had a meteoric rise. The more glory Thunderlight Hall gains, the more it proves his foolishness. To be fair, though, it really has nothing to do with him. This Wang Meng, however, is someone worth watching," Gongsun Wuqing said.

Ning Zhiquan nodded. "If he can defeat Hengshan Hall, then you may go and see for yourself. For now, it’s not necessary."

"You’re thinking too highly of him, Senior. Tang Wei is a prominent figure in the younger generation. He single-handedly built Hengshan Hall into what it is today. I imagine he’s the last person who would allow someone to use him as a stepping stone."

"That’s why I said he has to pass the test of Hengshan Hall," Ning Zhiquan said with a faint smile. "And keep a closer eye on the situations in the other Sub-Halls."

With that, Ning Zhiquan stood up and walked toward his Sword Pavilion.

"Farewell, Senior!" Gongsun Wuqing said reverently.

He was performing the full etiquette of a junior disciple. Only after Ning Zhiquan had left did Gongsun Wuqing lift his head, a knowing smile on his face.

He understood his Senior’s thoughts better than anyone. As a Sword Cultivator, Ning Zhiquan had been waiting for a worthy opponent—at least one, in what would be his final tournament as a disciple.

Li Tianyi was one such potential opponent, but he was still a bit green. This Wang Meng was an anomaly, but was he worthy?

Gongsun Wuqing didn’t know, but he was eager to find out.

The seven Ancestral Masters had gathered once again. It seemed they had met more in this short time than in the past several years combined. Wu Fatian’s face was green with rage, while Thunderbolt was gloating uncontrollably.

"Time to collect, time to collect! A debt is a debt, so pay up! Don’t be shy. For the sake of our long friendship, I’ll even waive the interest."

Collecting the Spirit Stones was one thing, but the sheer satisfaction was priceless. Seeing Wu Fatian trying to swallow his anger, Thunderbolt was about to burst with glee.

Zhou Luodan shook her head helplessly. The old masters were bickering like children; there was nothing to be done. But when the news arrived, it had genuinely startled all the Ancestral Masters. After two grueling, back-to-back victories, Thunderlight Hall should have been running on fumes. And yet, they had swept Fire Cloud Hall three-to-zero.

Zhao Tianlong remained expressionless, but everyone knew that the perpetually stern Ancestor Master Zhao was, in his heart, extremely displeased.