Hearing this voice, everyone was stunned and looked towards the arena.
Duan Shikong was even more bewildered, his expression incredibly complex. In fact, just moments ago, when his master and the Ziwei Dao Master were arguing about whether to rest, he had noticed something was wrong.
Because, in the ruins, the body of Hu Lifu, which had been smashed into pieces, had begun to move…
Under the astonished and disbelieving gazes of everyone, those shattered stones, broken beyond repair, began to reassemble themselves.
Then, granulation tissue appeared at the wounds, furiously growing and stitching the edges together, before disappearing. The wounds healed smoothly.
A dozen seconds later, Hu Lifu reappeared before everyone, complete with all his limbs and features, a sinister and cunning smile on his face.
Seeing Hu Lifu perfectly restored, Duan Shikong was first stunned, then dumbfounded, and finally broke out in a cold sweat.
This was because, at that moment, he had absolutely no strength left to fight him.
Upon witnessing this scene, those on the high platform were also rendered speechless by shock.
Even they, with their vast experience, could not explain how Hu Lifu had come back to life.
After all, under Duan Shikong's full-power strike just moments ago, several powerful cultivators in the Hedao realm had admitted they themselves would not have been able to withstand it.
The Ziwei Dao Master was initially filled with confusion, but after a moment, she smiled charmingly and understood: "So that's how it is. This young fellow from the Five Spirits Sect is not only strong in cultivation but also outstanding in his mind. He is indeed a junior worth nurturing. No wonder the Five Spirits Sect is pouring all its resources into his development!"
Duan Yanzhuo, however, was completely perplexed. He asked blankly, "Junior Sister Ziwei, what did you figure out? What exactly is going on?"
It was clear that the simple-minded and blunt Duan Yanzhuo had not yet grasped the current situation.
The Ziwei Dao Master shot him a glance, too lazy to bother with him.
Duan Yanzhuo scratched his bald head, mistaking his Junior Sister Ziwei's silence for lingering annoyance from their earlier dispute.
Little did he know, Ziwei simply did not wish to engage with such a foolish individual.
Equally foolish was his disciple, Duan Shikong, who was currently collapsed on the arena.
"Heh, Duan Shikong, you are as foolish as I expected," Hu Lifu said with a light laugh. "I must admit, your strength is formidable, and your true essence is abundant. If we were to fight purely on strength, I would certainly not be your match. However, I merely employed a small trick, and you fell for it. Such a mind is truly unworthy of being called a chosen prodigy."
"You brat, what do you mean? Can you explain yourself clearly?" Duan Shikong was furious, feeling as though his intelligence was being trampled underfoot by the other party.
"Heh, you still can't figure it out even now? You're truly foolish to the extreme!" Hu Lifu sneered. As he spoke, a colossal phantom of a fox appeared behind him.
"The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Dharma Idol possesses nine lives! Therefore, you did indeed kill me just now, but you only killed me once. I have eight lives remaining!"
"Actually, if you had slowly worn me down, instead of collapsing all your vital energy and unleashing that full-power strike, I would have died at your hands anyway!"
"It's a pity that you saw me as being at the end of my rope and went all out, exactly as I had envisioned!" Hu Lifu chuckled, his expression as cunning as the old fox behind him.
"You, you, you calculated all of this?" Duan Shikong looked at him incredulously, then gritted his teeth. "You despicable and treacherous scoundrel, have the guts to fight me again once I've recovered my energy! This time, I won't be fooled again!"
Hearing this, everyone was speechless.
It was one thing for Duan Shikong to be foolish, but to assume the other party was as foolish as himself?
"Hahahaha, Duan Shikong, if you were me, would you agree to your own terms?" Hu Lifu burst into laughter, tears almost streaming from his eyes. After all, in his eyes, the most formidable opponent in the Prodigy Battle had fallen at his feet.
He slowly paced towards Duan Shikong and stepped on him: "Duan Shikong, I said I would trample all the Holy Sons and Holy Maidens of the Three Sects under my feet. Now I ask you, do you submit!"
Duan Shikong was so enraged he could almost grind his teeth to dust, but he truly couldn't muster a single drop of true essence. Even if he wanted to fight to the death, he lacked the qualifications.
"I ask you, do you submit!" Hu Lifu pressed down again.
What he was stepping on was not just Duan Shikong's face, but the reputation of the three great super sects! The reputation of the entire Immortal Hidden Realm!
On the high platform, the representatives of all the super sects wore grim expressions.
Especially the leaders of the three great super sects.
The Ziwei Dao Master was relatively composed. Duan Yanzhuo clenched his fists until they creaked and said through gritted teeth, "This despicable brat is too arrogant. He had better not fall into my hands, otherwise, forget having nine lives, even nine hundred lives wouldn't be enough for him to die!"
"Senior Brother Duan, victory and defeat are common in warfare. There's no need for you to be so angry. We cultivate Supreme Detachment; you must restrain your anger!" Yun Lan said casually.
"Hmph, Yun Lan, you still have the leisure to make sarcastic remarks. He is not only stepping on the face of my Human Sect, but the faces of all three of our super sects!" Duan Yanzhuo said indignantly.
"Senior Brother Duan, that is not entirely accurate. Among our three great sects, there is still the last seedling, the Earth Sect's Holy Son Li Shouxuan, who has not yet been defeated by this brat!" Yun Lan, while seemingly offering comfort, was also subtly applying pressure on the Earth Sect.
"Hmph, him!" Duan Yanzhuo snorted coldly. Although he didn't finish his sentence, his meaning was clear.
Even my Hedao realm disciple was no match for this Hu Lifu, let alone the mere Holy Son of the Earth Sect, who would be easily dispatched!
"Duan Shikong, I will ask you one last time, do you submit or not!" Hu Lifu forced Duan Shikong to give an answer, appearing ready to kill him if he refused to yield.
"I, I, I…" The words 'I submit' were stuck in Duan Shikong's throat, unable to escape.
His eyes were filled with regret and unwillingness. If he had been a little smarter, a little more careful earlier, he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
Furthermore, in front of so many people, if he uttered the words 'I submit,' this humiliation would follow him for his entire life.
Yet, if he didn't, the other party might truly kill him, and the possibility was high.
No one was fearless of death, and Duan Shikong was no exception.
However, the choice before him was stark: either live a life of shame or die with honor.
As he was struggling with this dilemma, his master Duan Yanzhuo's voice echoed from the high platform: "Shikong, victory and defeat are common in warfare, you don't need to take it too seriously…"
Hearing his master's words, Duan Shikong's mind suddenly cleared.
He understood. His master was telling him to concede.
It made sense. Although he had lost this time, there would be opportunities to win back in the future.
He had already entered the Hedao realm. Despite this defeat, his Dao intent had not dissipated, and he still had plenty of opportunities to regain his honor.
Moreover, this time the opponent had only been superior in cunning, winning by trickery, not a glorious victory.
With these thoughts, Duan Shikong gritted his teeth and uttered those three words: "I submit!"
"Very good." Hu Lifu grinned, then stomped down.
*Puff—*
Duan Shikong's bald head, encased in golden paint, was crushed by Hu Lifu's foot, exploding like a watermelon!
"Bastard, you broke your promise! My disciple said he submits, and you still attacked!" Duan Yanzhuo leaped down from the high platform, roaring at Hu Lifu.
Hu Lifu sneered, "When did I ever say that if he submitted, I would let him go? I merely asked him if he submitted!"
"But according to the rules of the Prodigy Battle, once the opponent concedes, they cannot continue fighting. Don't you even understand this rule?" Duan Yanzhuo raged.
"Heh, you said it yourself, if he conceded, I naturally wouldn't attack him. But did you hear him concede? You can't decide whether he conceded, and neither can I. Only the referee can!" Despite Duan Yanzhuo's relentless pressure, Hu Lifu remained sharp-minded, still adept at playing word games.
Duan Yanzhuo looked at the referee, who suddenly felt a prickle of unease and stammered, "The Human Sect's Holy Son, indeed, did not express any intention of surrendering…"
In reality, he was still confused. If Duan Shikong had conceded just now, it would have been his responsibility to announce it.
Since he hadn't announced it, Duan Shikong hadn't officially conceded.
If he were to count Duan Shikong's concession, it would mean he had failed in his duty… and he certainly wouldn't admit to that.
Hu Lifu smirked triumphantly. What were these three great super sects? Weren't they still being toyed with in the palm of his hand?
Duan Yanzhuo was so furious he wanted to tear the opponent apart with his bare hands, but under the public gaze, he couldn't do that.
In the end, he could only point at Hu Lifu and say word by word, "Kid, you have guts. You wait for me. You had better not fall into my hands, or I will make your life worse than death."
"Alright, I'll be waiting." Hu Lifu drawled lazily, "But, shouldn't you get lost now? You're disrupting the Prodigy Battle arena. Do you think you can act recklessly just because you're the Human Sect Dao Master?"
Duan Yanzhuo's anger flared up again, but he was in the wrong and in front of everyone, so he couldn't lash out. He could only leave the arena, grumbling curses.
"You brat, you'd better survive the finals, because I will tear you to shreds with my own hands!"
As Duan Yanzhuo returned to the high platform, the referee decisively announced the continuation of the finals.
Although the referee was supposed to be impartial, he was ultimately aligned with the Three Sects and had no intention of giving Hu Lifu any breathing room.
Furthermore, by doing so, he wasn't actually breaking any rules.
After all, the abundance of vital energy was also a manifestation of strength.
Becoming a peerless prodigy was not an easy feat.
Sometimes, unfairness was actually the greatest fairness!
However, when Chen Xiao stepped onto the arena, the first thing he said was a casually spoken question to his opponent: "You've been fighting for so long, you must be tired. Would you like a moment to rest?"
The crowd erupted in an uproar. What was the Earth Sect's Holy Son doing?
Was it excessive confidence, or pure cowardice?