Yuan Hong stood within the Great Dao domain, looking at the attacking Ling Fan with a cold laugh.
Even though his Heavenly Venerate Great Dao had not been fully condensed, he had already transcended the mundane, rendering him impervious to all methods. Those who were not Heavenly Venerate powerhouses could not even touch him with their attacks.
However, the moment Ling Fan's fist, like a demonic god's arm, slammed down like an endless storm, Yuan Hong's pupils contracted sharply.
As countless fist winds rained down like raindrops, Ling Fan's attack seemed to warp time and space, overturn mountains and seas, and invert the cosmos. It actually shook the Great Dao beneath his feet. "This is impossible!" Yuan Hong cried out in distress.
He gritted his teeth and mobilized the power of his Great Dao, rumbling towards Ling Fan to suppress him.
But Ling Fan showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, his battle intent surged, unleashing the supreme ultimate skill of the Heavenly Demon royal clan to its fullest. His demonic fists struck, causing springs and autumns to reverse and the sun and moon to flip. Ling Fan was even attempting to invade and strip away Yuan Hong's nascent Heavenly Venerate Great Dao.
This filled Yuan Hong with both shock and extreme anger.
He quickly retracted his power and madly suppressed Ling Fan.
But Ling Fan was now unstoppable. His physical strength and cultivation power had reached their peak, manifesting the ultimate demonic path profound truths. His combat power soared to an incomprehensible, extraordinary level, actually causing Yuan Hong's Heavenly Venerate Great Dao to nearly dissipate. On the other side, he was frantically absorbing the incredibly precious Heavenly Venerate origin power.
"I have cultivated in the Longevity Pool for so long, and I was only a single step away from the Emperor Venerate level. Today, I will seize your Heavenly Venerate Great Dao power and achieve my Extreme Emperor Venerate body!"
Ling Fan laughed wildly, and a barrier deep within his body shattered with a pop. In an instant, Ling Fan's aura began to surge madly.
With this shift in power, Yuan Hong found it even harder to resist. He was beaten by Ling Fan with almost no ability to retaliate, forced to retreat step by step.
"Ah!"
Yuan Hong was so stifled he felt like spitting blood.
"I am the Heavenly Court's strongest genius, the Central Heavenly Realm's foremost prodigy! How can I possibly lose? Suppress him!"
Yuan Hong roared hysterically, his eyeballs filling with dense bloodshot veins. He became like a madman, terrifying power exploding within him. Yuan Hong unleashed various supreme offensive arts, pushing his lifelong learning to its extreme. Even the Heavenly Venerate powerhouses watching from all directions felt a sense of dread.
But it was still no match for Ling Fan, whose strength had increased more than tenfold after advancing to Emperor Venerate!
Puff, puff, puff!
Yuan Hong was beaten by Ling Fan, spitting blood frantically. Finally, he fell onto the plaza like a dead dog.
Ling Fan stepped on Yuan Hong's neck, his gaze sweeping casually over Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate, who stood within the supreme Great Dao.
"Do you dare to kill me? Let me go quickly! If you have the guts, try and touch me!"
Yuan Hong yelled, craning his neck.
"Heh, this is the first time I've seen such a request."
Ling Fan snorted coldly, raised his hand, and the Supreme Ancestral Dragon Seal appeared. He fiercely slammed it towards Yuan Hong's head.
With this punch, even if Yuan Hong had truly advanced to Heavenly Venerate, he couldn't withstand it. Moreover, at the critical moment of his advancement to Heavenly Venerate, Ling Fan had forcefully beaten him back to his original state.
"You win, stop."
A supremely majestic and unyielding voice rang out.
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate reached out and grabbed Yuan Hong, pulling him into his hand.
Ling Fan was repelled without any ability to resist.
He looked with a solemn gaze at Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate, who was shrouded in Dao light like a deity.
In that instant.
He felt as if he were an ant on the ground.
And Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate's power was unfathomably strong, like a giant dragon in the sky.
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate was at least a formidable Heavenly Venerate of the seventh or even eighth Dao!
Although he had now advanced to the Emperor Venerate realm, his true combat power was directly chasing that of an ordinary one-Dao Heavenly Venerate. However, in front of a Heavenly Court titan and an old Heavenly Venerate like Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate, he was still no different from an egg hitting a rock.
"Father, this bastard dared to ruin my advancement to Heavenly Venerate, and even dared to try and kill me! Don't let him escape!"
Yuan Hong gritted his teeth and said.
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate did not speak.
The atmosphere became tense for a moment.
Countless powerhouses dared not even breathe loudly.
On the Heavenly Court's side, no one announced the result.
"I won. Does the Heavenly Court intend to renege on its promise?" Ling Fan frowned.
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate suddenly said indifferently, "The Heavenly Court has always kept its word. If your identity is clear, you will naturally not be shortchanged on your reward. However, you are a major criminal of the Heavenly Court. Instead of seeking forgiveness, you dare to demand rewards? You must think of us four old fellows as blind and deaf."
"Fan Lin, why don't you reveal your true face?"
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate's roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, immediately stunning countless powerhouses.
Lan Xueyi's heart also clenched suddenly.
Ling Fan's heart skipped a beat.
But on the surface, he remained composed.
He looked calmly at Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate and said, "I am Fan Lin, the Deputy Sect Master of the Azure Profound Sect in Jinzhou. This is my identity. If Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate does not believe me, you can investigate now, or present any evidence you have. But if you intend to use this method to renege, are you not afraid that all the myriad worlds will laugh at the Heavenly Court for its lack of integrity?"
In fact, Ling Fan was also very nervous in his heart. If his identity were exposed, he would undoubtedly die. There was no question about it.
His only recourse now was to deny everything.
He calculated that a Heavenly Venerate titan of Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate's caliber would not directly kill him without evidence. After all, a behemoth like the Heavenly Court still had to abide by some rules. Otherwise, it could not rule the vast territories of the thirty-three thousand states of the Central Heavenly Realm solely by force.
"There is no evidence yet, but your suspicion is very high and cannot be cleared."
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate said coldly, "The Heavenly Court's great rewards will not be bestowed upon someone with suspicious identity. Nor will I marry my adopted daughter to a major criminal of the Heavenly Court. Therefore, all the championship rewards for this Genius Competition will be enjoyed by my son, Yuan Hong. As for you, until you prove your identity, you will stay obediently in the Heavenly Court. I will let you witness the wedding between my son and Xueyi with your own eyes."
"Of course, if you admit your identity yourself, I will give you a quick end."
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate said with great temptation.
"Hiss!"
Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate's words were like a bomb, causing an uproar among countless powerhouses.
Lan Xueyi's face turned ashen.
Ling Fan's eyes, however, shot out rays of incomparable anger.
But he knew he absolutely could not act rashly.
"Hahahaha, this fellow still thought he could win the beauty's hand, but in the end, he got nothing! And he's trapped in prison himself!" The Quasi-Heavenly Venerate of the Heavenly Court who presided over the Genius Competition let out a piercing, mocking laugh.
The other Heavenly Court powerhouses also surrounded Ling Fan, scoffing at him.
"Speaking of which, is this kid really that legendary wanted criminal?"
"I seem to have heard that the adopted daughter taken in by Lord Yuan Wu Heavenly Venerate is the wife of that wanted criminal in the lower realm. If this person is truly that wanted criminal, letting him watch his woman being taken by another man now should be more painful than killing him."
"Hahaha!"
...