At this very moment, as the Dragon Necropolis was celebrating Ryan Ling's return, word had already reached the Huangfu Family.
"Good, very good. That brat actually dares to come back—interesting!" At the news of Ryan Ling's return, Harlan Yanro was momentarily surprised, but his eyes remained full of disdain—an extreme, almost mocking contempt.
Beside him, Ethan Xiao gave an awkward laugh and said, "Young Master Harlan, that brat may not be much to fear, but I heard he went to the Sky-Burial Necropolis. If he managed to return from there, he must have some weight to him!"
"Sky-Burial Necropolis? Heh, so what?" Harlan Yanro's gaze was still full of contempt, and he immediately said, "Sure, that brat has pulled off plenty of miracles on his way here, but do you really think I'm worried about some stinking mudfish stirring up a storm? Even if he got some lucky adventure in the Necropolis, compared to me, that's still an ant versus a Divine Dragon. Does he even qualify?"
"Young Master Harlan, that's true, but I'm still a bit worried. Right now the Dragon Necropolis is celebrating—could it be a trap?" After being burned twice, Ethan Xiao had become especially cautious; clearly, if anything went wrong this time, it would be fatal.
"Heh, look at you acting all cowardly today—what are you scared of? You know what they say, third time's the charm, but I won't let it happen again. Let me be straight with you: Nine-Dragon Gate's people have already entered my turf. Right now, Immortal-Domain City doesn't just have me as a Heavenly Immortal!" As soon as Harlan Yanro finished, Ethan Xiao's face turned purple, staring at him in utter shock.
Even one Heavenly Immortal was a miracle—now with another appearing, it was basically the greatest miracle under heaven!
The position where the Four Great Families and other warlords were gathered was called Immortal-Domain City. For decades, Harlan Yanro was the first Heavenly Immortal there—his status was beyond question. But now, with a second one appearing, it was like thunder striking everyone from the heavens!
"Look at you, scared out of your mind! Hahaha!" Seeing Ethan Xiao's terrified expression, Harlan Yanro burst out laughing and said, "Just watch—this time I'm going to blow things wide open. I want everyone in Immortal-Domain City to know who the real overlord is in the Immortal Domain World. Those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me die. Anyone who stands against me—I'll kill them off!"
"Got it—kill them, kill them all!" Ethan Xiao shouted along, clearly reassured by Harlan Yanro's words. With a Heavenly Immortal from Nine-Dragon Gate holding down the fort, even if Ryan Ling came back from the Sky-Burial Necropolis with three heads and six arms, he'd still be dead for sure!
At this moment, Ethan Xiao was completely reassured!
"Young Master Harlan, you're brilliant! I'll get right to work on all the tournament arrangements—I'll make sure this event is a smash hit and your reputation explodes to the max!" Ethan Xiao was now totally fired up, his heart burning like a furnace.
He knew perfectly well—if Harlan Yanro could cement his fame in this battle, Ethan Xiao would become famous too. Forget being patriarch of the Xiao Family—even the title of Immortal-Domain City Lord might fall into his hands someday!
Even more important was his own cultivation. Right now he was already at Earth Immortal peak—not exactly godlike, but still deep and unfathomable. With Harlan Yanro backing him, he might even make a run at Heavenly Immortal. Add all that up, and honestly, he'd be willing to be Harlan Yanro's dog!
And it wasn't just the Xiao Family's strength, either. The Ouyang Family, led by Tylon Ouyang, was also rising fast. They're Huangfu's strongest allies and itching to make a move. Plus, the Huangfu Family itself has a ton of up-and-coming talents and plenty of old masters. Stack all that together and they're enough to sweep the whole world!
So anyone with eyes could see—this so-called tournament was basically just a show match for these power blocs!
......
The tournament day was drawing closer and closer. After a night of celebration, everyone in the Dragon Necropolis was now scrambling to prepare. Even top experts like Leon Long and Lydia Jin felt their odds of victory were way too low, but with Ryan Ling's encouragement, everyone kept fighting hard. After all, until the very last moment, nobody was going to give up easy.
Besides, everyone knew—if you gave up now, it was a one-way ticket to death!
During this time, Ryan Ling shared the gains from his Sky-Burial Necropolis adventure. Joanna Long and Celia Xiao were the first to benefit—they're his dual-cultivation partners, after all. In these joyful days and nights, both of their realms shot up. Especially Celia Xiao: she used to be just at early Earth Immortal, barely between early and mid, but after bathing in love with Ryan, her cultivation skyrocketed. In just two days she soared to Earth Immortal peak, nearly breaking through to perfection. Joanna Long, a bit slower, still reached late Earth Immortal.
With progress like this, even the other Long Family members—and especially Leon Long—were jealous. Ryan Ling really was a treasure, shining with endless brilliance!
But even so, both Lydia Jin and Leon Long knew one thing for sure: Ryan Ling's potential might even outstrip Harlan Yanro's, but right now, time was the enemy.
If Ryan Ling had half a year or a year, odds are he'd win this battle hands down. But right now, there's just not enough time!
What worried them even more was that in these two days, Ryan Ling had been helping others—his own cultivation hadn't budged, still stuck at early True Immortal.
Sure, Ryan Ling's True Immortal was a mighty Golden True Immortal—he could easily sweep through Earth Immortals. But now he had to face Heavenly Immortal Harlan Yanro, and Harlan was already mid-stage Heavenly Immortal. That kind of power—there's no way a mere Golden True Immortal could take him down. It's pure fantasy!
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But maybe nobody realized—Ryan Ling hadn't advanced his realm, but through dual cultivation with the two women, every aspect of his qi had become perfectly balanced, inside and out.
It was a state like unity of heaven and man—everything harmonized, inside and out!
If Harlan Yanro really paid attention right now, he'd definitely notice—even as a Heavenly Immortal, his ability to control the world's qi couldn't compare to Ryan Ling's!
Of course, someone as arrogant as Harlan Yanro already thought victory was certain—why would he bother wasting effort to observe Ryan Ling at a time like this?
Ryan Ling smiled faintly. Right now, not only could he break through to Earth Immortal in an instant, he could also burn ten Heavenly Immortal remains to push his future Earth Immortal power to the limit. But what gave him true confidence was the immense backing of the Heavenly Immortal Burial Ground. Over the past few days, he'd built deep connections with the ghostly big sister and several friendly Heavenly Immortal spirits. If Ryan needed them, they'd come at once.
This was a Heavenly Immortal ghost legion—if they charged into battle, no matter how strong Harlan Yanro was, he'd be dead for sure!
"Whew!" At this moment, the "battle" with Celia Xiao and Joanna Long finally ended. The morning star was rising in the east—a new day was about to begin, and today was the tournament day!
Heroes from all corners of the Immortal Domain World had arrived—some came to fight, some just to watch, and most just for the spectacle!
Inside and out, the crowds had packed the entire Immortal Domain World tight!
Of course, most people already had their winner picked in their hearts—and that was Harlan Yanro!
Before the tournament even began, the Huangfu Family was already crafting a victory crown and dragon throne. Clearly, they saw this battle as a sure thing—like picking something out of a bag!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At this moment, three cannon blasts echoed from the center of Immortal-Domain City—the earth-shaking battle was about to begin! Many people were already waiting outside Ryan Ling's door, eager for him to emerge...