Even now, many people still hadn't recovered from the shock. They simply couldn't wrap their minds around it — Xiahou Zong, that prodigiously talented genius said to be the reincarnation of a god, had actually fallen?
It was all too sudden.
The bloody scene that had just unfolded before their eyes — had they not witnessed it firsthand, no one would have believed it. And even having seen it with their own eyes, each and every person couldn't help but wonder if it had been some kind of illusion.
Who could have imagined that the once-invincible Xiahou Zong would fall just like that?
That undisputed number one genius of the Eternal Divine Kingdom, who had led everyone else by several full body lengths — dead, just like that?
Didn't believe it?
Yet that scene had been all too real.
It wasn't until Jiang Chen slowly descended from the arena, the killing intent still not yet retracted, that everyone finally snapped to their senses — yes, Xiahou Zong was truly dead!
In that instant, countless gazes, brimming with a deeply complex mixture of emotions, fixed upon the young man walking down from the stage. Those eyes were filled with reverence and awe.
An undefeated myth had been shattered, but in its place, an even more legendary myth had been born.
Shao Yuan, a genius from the Eternal Sacred Land, had slain Xiahou Zong!
Whether they were willing to admit it or not, in this very moment, every divine kingdom genius present felt a surge of powerlessness wash over them — and even a twinge of shame.
Those who had once pledged allegiance to Xiahou Zong, those who had been eager to follow along at Jiang Chen's expense, now felt a lingering fear in their hearts. How fortunate — truly fortunate — that they hadn't run into this Shao Yuan in the tournament.
Shen Fan. Xiahou Zong.
One illustrious name after another had become nothing but a joke in front of this man.
"Shao Yuan, magnificent!"
Yan Qingsang could no longer contain his wild elation and roared out at the top of his lungs.
That single shout immediately rallied the other Sacred Land geniuses, who all began clamoring in turn: "Shao Yuan, magnificent!"
"Shao Yuan, the number one genius!"
At first, it was only the Sacred Land geniuses who were shouting. Then, the geniuses of the various factions aligned with the Sacred Land joined in as well.
In moments, the roar shook the very heavens.
Applause erupted from every direction, a clear sign that the brilliance of this battle had won over the hearts of the crowd.
Even those who had previously had no favorable impression of Jiang Chen — those who had even harbored hostility toward him — could not bring themselves to withhold their applause at this point.
After all, to have slain Xiahou Zong in head-on combat — that absolutely merited everyone's applause.
To the Xiahou clan, this round of applause was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation of all.
Marquis Xiaoyao's face had gone deathly pale; he looked as though he had aged several decades in an instant. Grand Elder Xiahou Zhen's lips trembled ceaselessly, as though he were muttering some curse under his breath.
As for Xiahou Ying, she was wailing and keening, mourning Xiahou Zong in a fit of hysterical grief.
The Emperor of the Divine Kingdom wore an expression of gravity. At this moment, his own feelings were equally conflicted. As the host, the imperial family had absolutely intended to challenge the Eternal Sacred Land this time. They had believed this tournament would be the perfect opportunity to deal a serious blow to the Sacred Land's prestige, to make them suffer a quiet loss.
But surprises lurked around every corner.
Their meticulously devised plan had, in the end, still fallen short. Their scheme to halt the Sacred Land's geniuses at the fourth round had completely fallen apart.
This Shao Yuan — pulling off upset after upset, breaking through round after round. In the third round, he had defeated Shen Fan. In the fourth, he had outright slain Xiahou Zong.
Such a performance that completely overturned everyone's understanding of the tournament was, without question, the most devastating counterblow the organizers could have received.
Xiahou Zong had originally been the trump card of this Sword Discussion — a monument that everyone believed was insurmountable. Yet now, that monument had come crashing down with a thunderous collapse.
The fall of Xiahou Zong had also severed a critical link in the organizers' plan. And many people's entire frameworks of understanding had crumbled along with Xiahou Zong's death.
The Emperor was clearly astonished as well. He had never imagined that this Shao Yuan could be this formidable — that he could actually slay even someone like Xiahou Zong, a supposed reincarnation of a god.
Though three final rounds of the Genius Sword Discussion still remained, who among the remaining contestants could possibly stop Shao Yuan?
If Xiahou Zong couldn't do it, how could anyone else?
In other words, with this victory, Shao Yuan had virtually locked down the championship in advance. No matter how the organizers tried to suppress the Sacred Land's geniuses, they could no longer halt Shao Yuan's unstoppable march to the summit.
This left the organizers deeply disheartened. At the end of the day, a Sacred Land was still a Sacred Land.
Jiang Chen returned to the Sacred Land's camp, where he was received by everyone and greeted with the rapturous cheers of a hero.