Soul Land V: Rebirth of Tang San

Tang San drew the number one lot, meaning he would be the first to step into today's tournament. This match would also determine the first person to advance to the next round.

At this time, the other contestants also started to draw lots, each grabbing a number. The eighteen participants of the third round soon all had their lot numbers, but none of them displayed it openly like Tang San. Keeping your opponents in the dark so they couldn't prepare in advance was fundamental.

"First group of contestants, please enter the arena," announced the Great Demon Emperor Heavenly Fox in a calm voice.

Eight spikes protruded from Tang San's back, pushing against the ground to propel his body as he leapt elegantly into the arena.

At the same moment, not far from the resting room where he had been, another figure also sprung upwards. Like Tang San, they shot into the arena.

Seed Player!

Without turning his head, Tang San already knew he had drawn a seed player to face in this round. In the next moment, he also sensed who his opponent was, and his expression turned peculiar.

Ning Chenen was also eagerly waiting to see who had been so lucky to draw Tang San. He was inwardly frustrated that he did not draw the number two lot and thought he missed the chance to be lucky enough to compete against Tang San.

Meanwhile, the entire venue was abuzz with commotion.

The disparity in strength was evident - was the first match really so starkly divided? That was the initial reaction of the audience upon seeing the competitors.

Tang San landed within the confines of the competition field. Devoid of the Sword Saint Demon Emperor Statue, he naturally appeared to be the weakest of all eighteen contestants in the third round to all the spectators, the unmistakably most feeble kind of weak. After all, it was common knowledge that the Blue Gold Tree Clan was not skilled in combat!

And almost simultaneously appearing in the field, landing opposite Tang San, was a competitor evaluated as a super powerhouse in the previous matches. He had even developed into one of the few contestants who were most likely to reach the very end of the battle for the throne. At least judging from the previous two elimination rounds, this contestant was definitely a hot favorite.

"Instant karma, this is instant karma! Is this the price for using the Sword Saint Demon Emperor Statue?" Ning Chenen said, with a touch of schadenfreude after a brief moment of disappointment.

The one facing Tang San had a composed expression, no different from when facing other opponents in the previous two matches. He was the foremost talent of the Crane Demon lineage, the heir to the Sword Saint Demon Emperor, and someone who had earned the title of Heavenly Earth Sword after just one match - Qiu Zixuan.

Indeed, Tang San's luck could be said to be off the charts terrible, as he had drawn the Heavenly Earth Sword, who from the two matches that had already taken place, had demonstrated strength that could rank among the top five. An absolute seed player.

The judge for this match had also descended from above. But the referee was an old acquaintance of Tang San's, and quite possibly the strongest current Emperor - the Tianyang Spirit King.

At this moment, even the Tianyang Spirit King, while surprised, had an unusual expression on his face.

Among all the Emperors, he alone knew what Tang San's trump card was, at least that's what he believed to be the case.

But could the Ferocious Dragon help Tang San block Qiu Zixuan's Heavenly Earth Sword? These top-tier Great Demon Kings, especially the seed players, each possessed strength close to that of an Emperor. "Close to an Emperor" definitely had a gap compared to a true Emperor. Tang San had just contracted with the Ferocious Dragon, so there certainly couldn't be much synergy between them, and the extent of the Ferocious Dragon's combat power was still uncertain. In contrast, Qiu Zixuan's terrifying burst of power was something everyone had witnessed. If the Ferocious Dragon couldn't withstand that instantaneous burst, Tang San was doomed to lose. And how could resisting be easy?

However, the Tianyang Spirit King at least still had some expectations for Tang San, which was somewhat different from the rest of the audience who considered Tang San indisputably doomed.

Tang San bowed to the Tianyang Spirit King, and on the other side, Heavenly Earth Sword Qiu Zixuan also bowed at the same time.

"Prepare both sides." Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands, Tianyang Spirit King certainly couldn't show bias towards Tang San. Nor did he intend to. After assisting Tang San in subduing the Ferocious Dragon that day, his perception of the Clan Leader of the Blue Gold Tree Tribe had entirely changed. What he looked forward to seeing more was whether Tang San could pull off a stunning comeback and create a miracle when facing such a formidable opponent.

Qiu Zixuan closed his eyes, and his sword beam suddenly solidified. At this moment, he seemed to have vanished, leaving in existence only the sword between heaven and earth. The powerful sword beam soared to the skies, condensed and not scattering, its might climbing rapidly. There were no illusory lights or shadows, just that formidable sword qi that seemed capable of cleaving heaven and earth.

Tianyang Spirit King's gaze subconsciously turned towards Tang San. His divine consciousness was exceptionally strong; just from the sword beam Qiu Zixuan was emitting, he felt Tang San was in trouble. The Ferocious Dragon was strong, indeed, but its strength lay in its totality, not in explosive burst power. Harnessing its destructive power was also not something that could be done easily. It could be said that Qiu Zixuan's style of putting all his efforts into a single strike was precisely the kind to suppress a being like the Ferocious Dragon.

Therefore, he also thought that Tang San was in a precarious situation. The Ferocious Dragon he had just contracted might even fall because it couldn't withstand the Heavenly Earth Sword. After all, Qiu Zixuan was the top genius among today's Great Demon Kings.

Yet, what surprised him happened at that moment. Tang San did not summon the Ferocious Dragon Overlord through the contract he had just formed. Yes, he did not summon it. He just stood there calmly, with the life aura-filled shadow of the Blue Gold Tree Tribe appearing behind him. The dense life force swirled around his body, and purely in terms of appearance, it was absolutely splendid. Even the Tianyang Spirit King, feeling the pure life force he was releasing, found it very comforting.

"Are you ready?" Tianyang Spirit King couldn't help but ask him. Was he planning to concede defeat by saving the Ferocious Dragon and not using it?

Tang San revealed a grin towards Tianyang Spirit King and said, "I'm ready, thank you, Your Majesty."

The corner of Tianyang Spirit King's mouth twitched; if he was going to concede defeat, why not say it now? Was he waiting to be split by the opponent?

But even if he was the strongest Emperor of this era, he could not ask further at this time; otherwise, it would be questioning fairness and integrity.

He definitely did not want to see Tang San die. And yet, somehow, he felt like the young man was courting death!

Once more he turned his head to look at Qiu Zixuan. Qiu Zixuan seemed unaware of what Tang San was doing, still had his eyes closed, and his sword beam was escalating relentlessly.

"The match, begins—now—" Tianyang Spirit King announced the beginning of the match, even deliberately prolonging the sound, waiting for Tang San to voice his surrender. Still, Tang San said nothing, simply focusing his attention on his opponent.

This kid...

Tianyang Spirit King even felt somewhat irritated at this moment—was he really intent on seeking death?

Yet he could delay no longer; transforming into a gold-red light, he soared into the sky, and the barrier separating the two vanished. His right hand was already making a grasping motion in the void. In face of Qiu Zixuan's Heavenly Earth Sword, even if he wanted to intervene and stop the match, he had to be prepared in advance. The Heavenly Earth Sword's might was too strong, and too fast. He was afraid that Tang San might be annihilated in an instant.

The moment the barrier disappeared, the unrivaled sword beam of Qiu Zixuan exploded, his pitch-black Longsword slashing out like lightning. Body and sword fused as one, and he completely disappeared into the sword light.

In an instant, the world turned dark, as if the entire sky had been obliterated by that one sword strike.

Tianyang Spirit King's right hand subconsciously shot forward, but at that moment, he froze in the air. Astonishment flickered in his eyes.

As the barrier vanished and Qiu Zixuan made his move with the Heavenly Earth Sword, his opponent Tang San took action too.

He squatted down!