This happened in an instant.

It was an extremely important turning point in the battle.

The snapped thorn vines turned into countless emerald spots in Yan Qing"s hands. His thick body muscles seemed constrained beneath the elegant emerald robe.

After he was done with the two thorn vines, he took a step forward and grabbed all the other vines in his arms.

The peculiar scene, the beastly presence, violent techniques and ferocious howl made everyone stop in their tracks.

Although they quickly regained their composure.

"Does this person not know pain?"

"Pain? If I am not wrong, he is the one people termed as a monster, the number one prodigy in the Extreme Combat Empire. However, I heard that this guy has a peculiar character and is difficult to get along with."

"That"s normal. Who would be friends with a monster like this anyway?"

The Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples shuddered as they discussed the issue. Even though they have all heard about the terrifying strength of the monster in the Extreme Combat Empire, it was still shocking for them to see such raw brute strength with their own eyes.

Yan Qing acted as though he did not hear those words. Not a hint of pain could be seen from his face. It was as though the thorns on the vines and the blood dripping from the multiple wounds on his body meant nothing to him at all.

Roar! He bellowed.

All the thorn vines were torn apart. This was pure brute strength, using his raw power and body weight to annihilate the thorn vines in his embrace.

Nangong Hao stopped in his tracks. He was around an inch away from Yan Qing"s body as his white robe fluttered amidst the shockwaves from the collision of the Fifth Elder"s and Fang Zhengzhi"s attack.

He cast his glance at Yan Qing.

At the same time, Yan Qing cast his glance on Nangong Hao. The emerald robe he wore had already been torn and stained with blood. However, he had a calm expression, as though the sword in front of him posed no threat.

Boom! Fang Zhengzhi and the Fifth Elder was finally separated from one another.

A murderous intent filled the atmosphere and a purple light rose to the horizon.

Fang Zhengzhi took five steps back as he looked forward with a deathly cold stare.

The Fifth Elder also dodged to the side as he panted heavily. It could be either due to the aftershocks of the collision or simply the finis.h.i.+ng pose of his attack.

Naturally, it could also be due to Yan Qing"s sudden appearance which disrupted his original plan, making him extremely infuriated.

However, all of this did not matter…

Most importantly, the situation was now blowing out of proportions. More unexpected people were getting embroiled in this fight.

"Why did Yan Qing rush down to save Nangong Mu?"

"I don"t know, he was saying something about he is mine! Who is this "he"?"

"Is it the Fifth Elder, or Nangong Mu?"

The Heavenly Dao pavilion disciples stared at Yan Qing who was standing in the middle of the Heavenly Academic Altar and Nangong Mu, who was standing behind him. They could not fathom Yan Qing"s sudden appearance.

Isn"t this situation just a tad too chaotic?

It originally started with a simple fight between Fang Zhengzhi and the Fifth Elder. However, Yan Xiu, Nangong Mu and Qian Wu somehow got involved in it.

Following which, even Nangong Hao and Yan Qing joined in.

The Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples stared apprehensively at the figures in the battle. They had no clue how this battle would end.

At that moment, Nangong Hao cast his gaze away from Yan Qing and turned to look at Nangong Mu.

"Have you decided?"

"Yes!" Nangong Mu nodded his head.

"Do you remember the mission that you were tasked to do?" Nangong Hao did not seem surprised at Nangong Mu"s answer and spoke after a moment of silence.

"You alone will be enough," Nangong Mu said calmly.

"Alright," Nangong Hao seemed to have understood something. He then turned his body and walked back toward the crowd of onlookers as he said, "Do what you like."

Nangong Mu stopped talking. He stared at Nangong Hao"s back view as he clenched his fist tightly. A blue and green light appeared in each of his eyes.

"Shall we?" Nangong Mu turned his gaze back at Yan Qing after watching Nangong Hao disappear into the crowd.

"Please," Yan Qing nodded as he removed the emerald robe covering his body, revealing his tanned and defined muscles.

This scene was witnessed by all the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples. It struck fear into the deepest part of their hearts, as though they were alone in a field during a heavy storm.

"Why is Nangong Junior back?"

"What did he mean when he said battle? What battle?"

"Are you telling me they are going to fight? But isn"t Yan Qing trying to save Nangong Mu? What is going on?"

They were all extremely confused.

However, Yan Qing and Nangong Mu clearly did not feel like explaining themselves. When Yan Qing nodded, Nangong Mu already started moving, he swung his sword mercilessly towards Yan Qing.

It was chaos.

The situation was obviously out of the control of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples. Nangong Hao had retreated, though Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, Nangong Mu, Qian Wu and Yan Qing…

They were all still immersed within it.

Apart from them, even the Fifth Elder and Third Elder were not released from that situation.

If the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples merely thought that Fang Zhengzhi"s appearance was a small disruption to the examination, the situation now was a far cry from what they expected. The examination proceedings were now completely interrupted.

Was it even possible to hold the third round of examination in this state?

No one could answer this question.

That was because the third round of examination was clearly of less importance than what was happening.

Most importantly, after Mu Qingfeng closed his eyes, he had yet to open them. Even when Fang Zhengzhi used Near-Life Dao, he kept it closed.

Silence.

Mu Qingfeng"s silence represented the silence of the entire Heavenly Dao Pavilion.

However, there was one person who could not stay calm no matter what. That person was the Emperor of the Holy Barbarian Empire, Qian Wu"s father.

This was not due to his character or nature. He knew very well what the situation was. However, Qian Wu"s expression was telling him that…

He was in pain, in such extreme pain that he would rather be dead.

"Fang Zhengzhi, let go of my Qian Wu!" The Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor stared at the situation as he hollered. He then leaped from his spot into the battlefield.

He was extremely fast.

As the Emperor of the Holy Barbarian Empire, he was still fully capable of battle.

However, when Fang Zhengzhi heard those words, he acted even faster. The moment when he saw the Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor leap forward, he charged towards Qian Wu.

"Not good!"

The Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples understood what was going to happen as they gasped in horror. Fang Zhengzhi"s Traceless Sword was aimed right at Qian Wu"s chest.

Killing a candidate?

This would not be sufficient for the Heavenly Dao Pavilion to be enraged. However, if this person was the well-known successor to the throne of the Holy Barbarian Empire, it would not seem like a wise decision.

"No! Fang Zhengzhi, stop!"

The Holy Barbarian Empire shouted desperately. He could accept and withstand most things. However, Qian Wu"s death was definitely not one of them.

This was so despite Qian Wu always attempting to keep a distance between them and that he would always reject the Crown Prince seat,

However, no matter how he shouted, he could not stop Fang Zhengzhi from plunging down his sword.

The Traceless Sword pierced through Qian Wu"s back and straight through his heart. There was no hesitation in that attack.

Crimson red blood stained Qian Wu"s back.

The Traceless Sword then emitted and light humming sound.

Qian Wu"s mouth opened as he tried to speak. However, he was unable to. The Near-Life Lock of h.e.l.l suppressed the strength of his entire body, he was unable to even open his eyes fully.

Apart from the overwhelming pressure that he felt, he also felt energy swiftly escaping his body.

If one were to use a word to describe Qian Wu"s feelings,

It could only be bitterness.

He was extremely bitter.

He left the capital at a young age and did not experience a life of wealth and comfort like most royals. This might not seem like a good thing, though it taught him how to be independent.

From the moment he stepped into the capital, his life changed. It became filled with wars, battles schemes, and betrayals.

But he still managed to secure his footing in the Holy Barbarian Empire.

Not only did he secure his position, he even overwhelmed the presence of the other Crown Princes. He was the commander of the Holy Barbarian Empire Army and was also an official in court.

Even his defeat in the battle against the Great Xia Dynasty was not enough to shake his position. That was because he was the hope of the Holy Barbarian Empire.

He was the only one who had mastered the Near-Life Dao at such a young age. He was also the only one who could manage the power balance between the n.o.bles and handle politics with grace.

However, he was about to die.

Furthermore, he would die while he was chained by the Near-Life Lock of h.e.l.l.

How could he not feel bitter?

"Why, why can he master the Near-Life Dao? Why can he summon the Near-Life Lock of h.e.l.l? What is happening?" Qian Wu was extremely bitter. He felt like screaming in despair to release the anger built up within him.

However, Fang Zhengzhi did not give him much time.

He drew the Traceless Sword out from his back which caused blood to spray from the wound. It was quick work. Qian Wu"s eyes then slowly closed.

Following which…

The blade enveloped itself in a sinister purple light once again and charged straight towards the Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor. Qian Wu"s blood did not drip from the blade of the sword. Instead, it seemed to be absorbed into the sword as energy.

"Leave, or die!"