Zhang Ergou heard his sect brothers calling him and immediately responded.
As he spoke, he brought Lin Yichen and a few others over to the side of their senior brothers and sisters from the Misty Sect.
“Senior brothers, senior sisters,” Zhang Ergou and the others nodded towards them.
The disciples of the Flowing Sea Sect who had already gathered looked on with grim expressions.
Their primary objective was to hinder and wear down the strength of the Misty Sect disciples, but they hadn't anticipated that the Misty Sect disciples would quickly coalesce into a single unit upon entering the stage.
It seemed the Misty Sect disciples were not foolish and had already recognized the Flowing Sea Sect's intentions.
Although Zhang Ergou and his companions hadn't interacted much with the Misty Sect disciples before, they were from the same sect. At such a critical juncture, they naturally chose to cooperate.
The disciples from the smaller sects who had luckily advanced to the finals stood alone, appearing somewhat isolated.
However, neither the disciples of the Flowing Sea Sect nor the Misty Sect paid much attention to the solitary disciples from the smaller sects.
All eyes were fixed on the opposing groups.
“Senior brother, what should we do next?”
Zhang Ergou humbly asked a senior brother beside him. This was Chen Gong, ranked second on the Misty Sect's inner disciple board.
Chen Gong was at the peak of the Golden Core mid-stage, appearing to be in his mid-twenties. His expression was aloof.
Seeing Zhang Ergou's question, Chen Gong turned his head slightly. “Show them what you've got, let those guys on the other side know that our Misty Sect is not to be trifled with.”
Chen Gong's words starkly contrasted with his appearance. Zhang Ergou hadn't expected this senior brother to be so combative.
However, what he said wasn't wrong. The Misty Sect was clearly being targeted at this moment, and to not resist would indeed invite contempt.
After speaking, Chen Gong paid no further attention to Zhang Ergou, his gaze fixed on Ling Feng'er in the opposing crowd.
Among this group, Ling Feng'er exerted the greatest pressure on him, and Chen Gong found it difficult to fully grasp her capabilities.
The great battle was on the verge of erupting.
As the referee elder gave the command, the disciples positioned in various corners of the arena moved.
To conserve their strength, Zhang Ergou and Lin Yichen subtly retreated to the back of the formation, leaving the opportunity to engage the enemy first to their senior brothers and sisters.
The senior brothers and sisters of the Misty Sect didn't pay them any mind, assuming Zhang Ergou and the others were fearful, especially since Lin Yichen and the others had only recently broken through to the Golden Core stage.
This was something everyone had witnessed.
“Kill!” came a roar.
The two forces collided. Due to the free-for-all nature of the fight and the fear of accidentally injuring their own comrades, both sides were initially hesitant in their attacks.
Meanwhile, the solitary disciples from the smaller sects were completely ignored.
Some even stood at the arena's edge, holding their weapons, watching the spectacle unfold. No one had expected things to escalate in this manner.
Large-scale destructive spells were unusable, as there were not only opponents but also teammates nearby.
This, however, provided Zhang Ergou with ample room to maneuver. His specialty was close-quarters combat. Wielding his spear, he charged forward from the rear of the formation.
*Thwack!*
Zhang Ergou’s spear struck a Flowing Sea Sect disciple's shoulder, drawing a gush of blood.
He then withdrew his spear and, with a swift movement, slammed it into another Flowing Sea Sect disciple beside him.
In an instant, Zhang Ergou had incapacitated two Flowing Sea Sect disciples, striking fear into the hearts of the surrounding Flowing Sea Sect disciples.
With expressions of terror, the Flowing Sea Sect disciples watched Zhang Ergou engage in fierce combat, now stained with the blood of his opponents.
Zhang Ergou now appeared even more formidable.
Before long, a vacuum zone formed around Zhang Ergou, with no Flowing Sea Sect disciples willing to approach him.
Chen Gong cast a look of admiration at Zhang Ergou. He hadn't expected the first to achieve such a feat to be that young man he hadn't paid much attention to.
Although Zhang Ergou had caused quite a stir within the Misty Sect recently, as the second-ranked expert on the inner disciple board,
Chen Gong hadn't truly paid much attention to him. In his mind, there was always only one rival: the top-ranked disciple on the inner disciple board.
Now, seeing Ling Feng'er from the Flowing Sea Sect, Chen Gong felt that his list of potential opponents had grown.
However, despite Zhang Ergou incapacitating two Flowing Sea Sect disciples in such a short time, Chen Gong merely offered a glance of admiration.
He didn't focus on Zhang Ergou any further.
Yet, while Chen Gong didn't pay Zhang Ergou much heed, it didn't mean others weren't observing him.
Within the Flowing Sea Sect's ranks, Ling Feng'er's delicate brows furrowed as she witnessed Zhang Ergou incapacitate two of her sect's disciples in the blink of an eye.
She then launched a series of attacks, repelling a Misty Sect disciple who was engaging her.
Immediately, she darted towards Zhang Ergou and, in a flash, appeared before him.
“Your opponent is me.”
However, before Ling Feng'er could reach Zhang Ergou, Chen Gong, who had been watching her intently, blocked her path.
“Move aside!” Ling Feng'er commanded coldly.
Having witnessed two of her sect's disciples being rendered combat-ineffective, Ling Feng'er had already taken notice of Zhang Ergou.
Furthermore, before they ascended the stage, their sect leader, Liu Xun, had specifically instructed them to keep an eye on Zhang Ergou, the implication of which was self-evident.
Now, seeing Zhang Ergou display such prowess, if he were allowed to continue unchecked, the numerical advantage of the Flowing Sea Sect would soon dissipate.
As the linchpin of the Flowing Sea Sect, Ling Feng'er absolutely could not allow this to happen.
Her intention in approaching Zhang Ergou was to eliminate this "threat."
However, Chen Gong had already identified Ling Feng'er as his rival. He was also a cultivation fanatic, and encountering a younger individual with superior cultivation not only failed to instill fear in him but rather ignited his competitive spirit. This was precisely why he had been fixated on Ling Feng'er since the start of the match.
“Move aside.” Seeing Chen Gong still blocking her path motionlessly, Ling Feng'er frowned.
“If you want me to move, defeat me first.” Chen Gong had his own pride and naturally wouldn't be deterred by Ling Feng'er's few words.
“Very well, I shall oblige you.”
Ling Feng'er wasted no time. With a raise of her hand, a sharp palm strike surged towards Chen Gong.
“Excellent!” Seeing Ling Feng'er attack, Chen Gong not only remained calm but shouted with excitement.
Both were paragons among the younger generation, and their initial moves were fierce killing blows, immediately impacting their surroundings.
Subsequently, the disciples of both sects surrounding Ling Feng'er and Chen Gong retreated, clearing a space for their battle.
Only after the two began fighting did Zhang Ergou react. Seeing that every attack between them was a decisive, deadly blow, he quickly dodged.
He remained oblivious to the fact that part of the reason Chen Gong and Ling Feng'er were fighting was due to him.