"What exactly is Yun Bufan’s background, that he can actually summon a Chaos Beast?" Ling Feng muttered in his heart. Previously, he had only seen a Chaos Beast inside the Chaotic Octagonal Linglong Tower. Could it be that Yun Bufan also has a Chaos Supreme Treasure on him?

Thinking of this, the look Ling Feng cast at Yun Bufan grew a shade more solemn.

Aside from Ling Feng, no one present could see the true identity of the owner of that gigantic claw. They were all shocked by the sheer power and toughness of the claw itself.

After all, Jian Qingchen’s Sword Slash was practically invincible in battle, yet now it had actually been blocked by a pair of giant claws that appeared out of nowhere.

Even Jian Qingchen’s face showed an expression of extreme shock. His earlier feint had been to prepare for this very sword, but he never expected that when the sword fell, the opponent would summon such a strange creature, and it would even block his Sword Slash. How was this possible!

Jian Qingchen stared fixedly at the Cosmos Sword Slash; he had poured all his strength into this one sword. If this sword could not defeat the opponent, then he could only admit defeat.

Roar! A low growl came from the owner of that giant claw behind the Gate of Black Mist. Jian Qingchen’s Sword Slash had done no small amount of damage to it as well.

With that low roar, a layer of black mist spread over the giant claw. That mist continuously devoured the sword light, and as the mist expanded, the sword light was actually being gradually swallowed away.

"Dark Attribute Origin Power, carrying devouring power!" Ling Feng instantly sensed the attribute of that black mist’s strength.

However, it seemed Yun Bufan could not truly summon out the Dark Chaotic Beast; otherwise, even if everyone here joined forces, they still wouldn’t be a match for the Dark Chaotic Beast.

But even so, Yun Bufan already had the victory in his grasp. After all, Jian Qingchen’s strongest move had been broken by him, and Jian Qingchen no longer had the ability to continue the battle.

Just as something that is too rigid breaks easily, this sword of Jian Qingchen’s carried an unstoppable, press-forward momentum, leaving no way out for either himself or the opponent. This was the flaw of his Sword Dao—and also its defining feature!

This was his Sword Dao. The pity was that his Sword Dao was not an invincible Sword Dao.

With a boom, at this moment, the giant claw, nourished by the black mist, grabbed out with a massive hand and directly crushed the remaining sword light of the Sword Slash.

Jian Qingchen’s body trembled slightly, and his face became extremely ugly. He had never thought that his Sword Slash would be crushed so easily! This was a huge blow to his Sword Dao and his conviction!

A Swordsman can be knocked down, but cannot be defeated! Once he is defeated, it is a catastrophic blow to his own persistence and his Sword Dao.

"I lost, I lost so easily. Could it be because I was wrong?" A trace of confusion flashed through Jian Qingchen’s eyes.

He was a Sword Dao genius, and also an unruly man. Back when Sword Valley was destroyed, he trained bitterly in Sword Dao alone for a thousand years, finally reaching great attainment. With one Sword Slash he exterminated an entire Sect; that kind of heroic spirit was rarely seen in the world!

But now? His strength was greater than before, yet he had suffered setback after setback. This forced him to doubt: Is my Sword Dao really suited for me?

While Jian Qingchen fell into self-doubt on one side, Yun Bufan on the other side was also trembling. Summoning a Chaos Beast cost him far too much power.

In the end, when the giant claw of the Chaos Beast shrank back again and the Gate of Black Mist dispersed, only then did everything within the Practice Field return to calm.

Only when he saw this scene did Ling Feng finally let out a breath. Just now he had been wondering what to do if the Dark Chaotic Beast was successfully summoned out.

If it began a bloodbath, probably only a handful of people would be able to escape! Ling Feng had even considered striking to kill Yun Bufan, to stop him from continuing the summoning, but later discovered that Yun Bufan’s strength was simply insufficient to fully summon the Chaos Beast. Only then did Ling Feng extinguish the killing intent in his heart.

"Jian Qingchen, you lost!" Although Yun Bufan’s face looked somewhat pale, his aura was still surging. He stared scorching-hot at Jian Qingchen and spoke in an arrogant tone.

Jian Qingchen lifted his head, his slightly confused gaze landing on Yun Bufan. His hand tightened around the Longsword, but in the end he still chose not to continue the battle.

"I lost!" Jian Qingchen sighed. After saying these words, he seemed to age by many years.

He admitted defeat; not fighting to the last moment meant that he had denied his own Sword Dao. And once he denied his Sword Dao, he also lost the desire to fight.

When Jian Qingchen personally admitted defeat, the entire Practice Field boiled over. No one had expected the battle to end so quickly. They had thought it would be a dragon-tiger clash, but it turned out to be all bark and no bite.

In the eyes of the crowd, although Jian Qingchen’s Sword Slash had been blocked, he didn’t have no fighting strength left. Moreover, Yun Bufan’s current state wasn’t that good either; maybe if he gambled everything, he could have won!

But Ling Feng could see clearly: Jian Qingchen’s Dao Heart had shattered! For him, that was the most important blow.

When a person’s most relied-upon Skill is easily crushed by the opponent, for him it is undoubtedly a subversion of his faith. Only someone with an exceptionally strong state of mind can face it calmly—but clearly, Jian Qingchen did not have such a mind.

Jian Qingchen admitted defeat, so the champion of this Martial Arts Conference was already decided—that person was Yun Bufan.

Ximen Tian stepped forward. "Everyone, the first Martial Arts Conference of the Ancient Ruins has now come to a successful conclusion. We have finally determined the last champion—and that is Yun Bufan!"

Yun Bufan stood tall in the center of the Practice Field, sweeping his gaze arrogantly across the whole arena.

"The rewards for the Martial Arts Conference will be awarded tomorrow. All contestants, please stay. As for the rest of you, please return for now," Ximen Tian said calmly.

Just as the crowd was about to leave the arena, Yun Bufan, standing at the center of the Practice Field, smiled. "Everyone, since you’re all here, don’t be in such a hurry to go. I have something to say to you all!"

Seeing Yun Bufan’s casual demeanor, Ximen Tian felt a trace of unease. "Yun Bufan, whatever you have to say, you can discuss it with me afterwards!"

"Discuss it with you? Then wouldn’t my purpose in coming to the Martial Arts Conference be wasted?" Yun Bufan said lightly, then let out a low shout: "All of you, stand still!"

There was a domineering force in Yun Bufan’s voice that allowed no argument, actually forcing everyone present to stop. All eyes turned to Yun Bufan in astonishment, not knowing what he wanted to say.

Boom, boom, boom—at this moment, the entire Fiery Cloud Star trembled, and a sense of ominous foreboding shrouded everyone’s heart.

"Yun Bufan, what exactly are you trying to do!" Ximen Tian shouted angrily. "Are you from Heaven’s Gate?"

"Haha!" Yun Bufan burst into loud laughter. "So the Head of Ximen Family already knows my identity. Then I won’t bother hiding it. I am indeed from Heaven’s Gate, and my purpose in coming to the Martial Arts Conference is to wipe you all out in one fell swoop!"