Demon Nine led his nine companions straight toward the Cloaked Greenclaw, their target locked onto him.
Sensing the arrival of ten powerful cultivators, the Cloaked Greenclaw sneered, "I didn’t expect the Demon‑Beast Realm to have so many strong elites. Not bad, not bad. If we take over all these bodies, the Demon‑Beast Realm is as good as finished."
It was clear these ten were influential figures in the Demon‑Beast Realm. If their bodies were seized, it wouldn’t just boost the invaders’ power—it would grant them control over most of the realm.
When Demon Nine and his group arrived, they saw the Cloaked Greenclaw standing atop a mountain, with swarms of bizarre bugs crawling below.
"Are you the mastermind behind all this?" Demon Nine demanded.
"What do you think?" The Cloaked Greenclaw replied with a smirk.
"Looks like you really are. And at a time like this, you can still laugh? You’re awfully confident," Demon Nine said coldly, eyeing the hooded figure whose face was hidden.
"Of course I’m pleased. Now I have ten more powerful bodies to work with. With these vessels, the process will speed up considerably," the Cloaked Greenclaw said.
Demon Nine and his companions were shocked and furious—they hadn’t expected the Cloaked Greenclaw to treat them as prey.
"Hmph! Arrogant fool. Let’s see how we deal with you today," Demon Nine snorted. With that, the ten of them launched an all‑out attack on the Cloaked Greenclaw.
All ten of the Demon‑Beast Realm’s top powerhouses were here. Yet even against the Cloaked Greenclaw, they couldn’t take him down in one strike—instead, they had to join forces. That alone showed just how terrifying the Cloaked Greenclaw truly was.
The Cloaked Greenclaw had underestimated these ten. He’d expected to easily defeat one, but found them supporting each other, coordinating their attacks for maximum effect. Breaking up their teamwork proved extremely difficult.
So neither side could gain the upper hand. The ten demon‑beast elites couldn’t defeat the Cloaked Greenclaw, and he couldn’t overwhelm them. The battle turned into a stalemate, testing which side had more endurance.
Meanwhile, in the Immortal Realm, Yang Han faced Lan Wind. This was the final match of the first bracket: if Yang Han won, he’d take first place and earn the right to meet Elder Woodspirit. If he lost, he’d fall out of contention entirely.
"Last time was just a friendly spar, but this one’s for real," Lan Wind said with a smile.
"You hadn’t fully fused your body last time. You should be stronger now, but even so, you might not be able to show your true power," Yang Han replied, smiling.
Lan Wind shot Yang Han a suspicious look, then chuckled, "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
"If you don’t know, there’s no need to know. Let’s get started," Yang Han said.
"Alright, then try this!" Lan Wind declared, unleashing a surge of flames. The crowd was puzzled—wasn’t he from the Earth Temple? Why fire? Lord Ridge quickly explained that Lan Wind was dual‑attribute.
Hearing he was dual‑attribute, the audience finally understood and watched Lan Wind with renewed curiosity.
Mu Zi had lost to Lan Wind, but compared to before, he hated Yang Han even more. He wished for one of two outcomes: either Yang Han would suffer a crushing defeat, or both would end up badly injured.
Fire and water clashed, neither side gaining the upper hand—it all came down to whose strength was greater. Yang Han knew he was holding back, his ice‑fire not at full power. Still, Lan Wind sensed Yang Han’s ice‑fire was much stronger than before. Even though Lan Wind’s body had fused and grown more agile, he still couldn’t defeat Yang Han; his flames were constantly suppressed by Yang Han’s ice‑fire.
Yang Han watched Lan Wind dodge his ice‑fire attacks, sometimes countering with sneaky flames. Yang Han knew that if he unleashed his full ice‑fire power, he could win easily—but he chose not to.
He kept tangling with Lan Wind, making it look like the two were evenly matched. Lan Wind muttered to himself, "Just a little more strength and I could beat him."
Lan Wind didn’t realize that every time he ramped up his power, Yang Han’s ice‑fire grew stronger too—endlessly matching him. Sweat poured down Lan Wind’s face as he spent more and more energy, still unable to overpower Yang Han.
Yang Han saw Lan Wind was nearly exhausted. Even if the bug abandoned this host body, he wouldn’t have enough strength left to defeat Yang Han. Suddenly, Yang Han let his ice‑fire surge, instantly overwhelming Lan Wind’s flames and freezing him solid.
A sizzling sound ran from Lan Wind’s feet to his head. Only when Lan Wind shouted did the ice shatter, leaving him covered in wounds.
Yang Han frowned in surprise, and the crowd gasped—the sound attack was so fierce it shattered Yang Han’s ice‑fire. That took immense power, but Lan Wind now looked weak, nothing like someone with that much strength.
Yang Han was puzzled by Lan Wind’s sudden outburst. "I concede," Lan Wind said once all the ice melted away.
The crowd was confused—Lan Wind could shatter ice, so why quit? "Thank you for the match," Yang Han said, not knowing the real reason, but understanding that Lan Wind had conceded and he’d secured first place in the group.
Lan Wind looked at Yang Han and smiled, "I want to see if you can hold onto first place." With that, he turned and left.
Watching him go, Yang Han couldn’t guess what he was thinking. Lord Ridge followed Lan Wind out as well. Morgana stepped forward and said, "Congratulations."
"This is just the first step. If I win the next rounds, then you can congratulate me," Yang Han replied with a smile.
"If you win, it’ll be the biggest event in the Immortal Realm," Morgana said.
Yang Han just smiled and didn’t answer, then left with Morgana. Meanwhile, the Wood Palace Lord was secretly amazed, thinking, "Elder Woodspirit’s judgment is sharp. I wonder if Yang Han will create another miracle."
On the way, Lord Ridge asked, "Why did you stop?"
"Didn’t you see? I was frozen. If I kept going, I’d just burn more energy," Lan Wind replied.
"But if you used a bit more power, like with that shout, you could’ve beaten him," Lord Ridge said.
"Do you know how much energy that shout cost me?" Lan Wind asked.
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
"How much?" Lord Ridge asked, puzzled.
"Almost a third of my total energy. It'll take days to recover. I’m not about to gamble my life for a tournament match," Lan Wind replied.
Lord Ridge was shocked. "That much?"
"This body can’t handle that much power. I had to compress a lot of energy into it, then release it all at once. That’s why it was so loud—there was a ton of force packed inside," Lan Wind explained.
"So that’s how it works. Amazing," Lord Ridge said.
"Anyway, Yang Han got first place in the bracket. I want to see what happens in the next round. If I get the chance, I’ll sabotage him and make sure he never comes out whole," Lan Wind said with a cold laugh.
"We’ll know once the second group winner is announced," Lord Ridge replied.
Lan Wind nodded. Two hours later, both he and Lord Ridge received word: the second group’s champion was Cole Wood from the Wood Temple.
Everyone knew Cole Wood had fought Yang Han before, so they were all curious—last time was a draw, but now, who would win?
"Senior brother, you have to beat that guy and take first place," Mu Zi urged Cole Wood.
Cole Wood frowned. "Did you watch Yang Han’s match today? His ice‑fire isn’t capped—it keeps getting stronger. I’m worried he’ll be even tougher next time, and I might really lose."
"How is that possible? He’s already so strong—how can he get even stronger?" Mu Zi protested.
"You don’t understand. I heard from our master that Yang Han’s ice‑fire power has been partially unsealed. It’s not fully released yet, but it’s definitely stronger than before. Master didn’t say how strong, just told me to try my best, and if I couldn’t win, to let it go," Cole Wood explained.
"What? Master said that? Shouldn’t he be encouraging you? Why let Yang Han take first place? What’s so special about him? Why does Master think he’s so strong?" Mu Zi complained.
"Maybe Master knows something, or maybe Yang Han really is hiding his true power. Master just doesn’t want me to lose badly," Cole Wood said.
"If it were me, I wouldn’t listen to Master. I’d make sure that guy went down hard—but I just don’t have the strength," Mu Zi sighed.
"Don’t worry. I’ll give it everything I’ve got and try to beat him," Cole Wood promised.
"That’s the spirit, senior brother! I believe in you. You have to defeat that outsider—he’s way too arrogant," Mu Zi said with a laugh.
Cole Wood smiled, then grew serious, heading off to rest and prepare for his upcoming battle with Yang Han.
When Yang Han got the news, he muttered, "So it’s him."
Morgana was excited, "Yang Han, you’re up against Cole Wood next. If you win, you’ll become the tournament’s champion!"
"That’s right. If I win, I’ll get to meet Elder Woodspirit," Yang Han replied with a determined look.
The Wood Palace Lord watched Yang Han, secretly hoping he could create another miracle.
Soon, the final match of the Wood Temple Tournament was announced: Yang Han versus Cole Wood.
The crowd buzzed with excitement, eager to see who would claim victory.
Yang Han stepped onto the stage, facing Cole Wood. Both were calm, but their eyes burned with determination.
Cole Wood said, "Yang Han, last time we fought, I couldn’t beat you. This time, I’ll go all out."
Yang Han nodded. "You’re strong, but I won’t hold back either."
With that, the final battle began—ice‑fire clashed with wood‑attribute power, shaking the entire arena.
Who would win? The outcome would decide the Wood Temple Tournament’s champion, and the answer would soon be revealed.