The atmosphere in the tournament arena became exceptionally strange, all eyes were fixed on the white flame enveloping Su Chen's body and the giant, illusory qilin.

Just as everyone was speculating about what it could be, Su Chen, bound by the hexagram, suddenly let out a thunderous shout!

With his shout, the flames on his body rapidly materialized at an astonishing speed, transforming into a real Flame Dark Qilin, enveloping his entire body!

"Roar!"

Another earth-shaking roar erupted, the qilin suddenly stood upright, its four hooves stepping, a massive azure whirlwind, mixed with rolling heatwaves, suddenly attacked the hexagram!

"Boom boom boom—"

A series of explosions rang out!

Under the gaze of everyone, those indestructible deep blue serpentine ice crystals were surprisingly torn apart and shattered!

In just moments, the hexagram that Jolena was so proud of had become fragmented!

"Bang!"

When the last ice crystal shattered, the Flame Qilin suddenly opened its mouth wide, spewing scorching flames towards Jolena, whose expression had drastically changed!

"No!"

Tianhui screamed, tapping his toes on the platform, shooting towards the flames like an arrow!

"Swish!"

With a swift motion, Tianhui barely managed to block in front of Jolena, tracing a profound path with his hands before him, forming a massive ice shield several meters wide!

"Boom!"

The flames struck the ice shield, making it incredibly bright. However, it only delayed the attack for a moment before it exploded with a "pop".

Tianhui, who had already prepared, grabbed Jolena and retreated backwards!

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The torrential heatwaves rushed past them, causing even Tianhui to draw a sharp breath! If the flames had hit directly, even he would have been severely injured!

Fortunately, with all his might, Tianhui managed to block the flames for a moment. Now, the flames were exceptionally weak, only causing waves of heat as they passed by him, without inflicting real harm.

Retreating more than ten meters, Tianhui barely stood firm, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

The previous attack, if faced by another Five-Star Beast Venerable, would have been impossible to withstand!

The arena fell silent again, everyone staring at the platform's white flames and the grim Flame Dark Qilin, too shocked to utter a word.

"Flame Fire Qilin..."

Only after a long while did Beast Emperor Qiao Buyi utter some strained syllables.

Su Chen's eyes flashed blue, and under the gaze of the crowd, he slowly retracted his foot from the platform.

The Flame Qilin, along with the nearly faint white flames on his body, disappeared into thin air simultaneously.

He stood silently, coldly watching Tianhui and the unusually pale Jolena, yet he did not continue his attack.

The wind and fire energies within him were nearly exhausted, making it extremely difficult for him to continue even if he wanted to. Moreover, with Tianhui's intervention, it was hard to attack as freely as before.

Tianhui gazed at Su Chen, his eyes flashing with thoughts unknown.

The scene suddenly turned silent, the large arena with not a word spoken. Everyone watched Su Chen and the sullen Jolena.

"I lost..."

After a long pause, Jolena finally spoke with a voice low, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Lina!"

Tianhui exclaimed, his face full of disbelief.

"Uncle, I've indeed lost."

Jolena slowly raised her head, looking at Tianhui's handsome face and the undisguised pity in his eyes, feeling a sudden sting in her heart. Yet, she forced herself to calm down and softly said, "Before activating the restriction, I was already injured, continuing on would certainly lead to my loss."

Tianhui shuddered, looking at Jolena's face as pale as paper, suddenly understanding something, extended a large hand to gently pat her head, showing a gentle smile, "A loss is a loss, besides, you're someone who can afford to lose. Moreover, this guy's strength is truly impressive, even uncle has no absolute certainty of defeating him."

Jolena obediently nodded, then suddenly smiled brightly and softly said, "I've long known he's not an ordinary person, receiving such praise from uncle is already commendable."

"Hmph!"

Tianhui snorted heavily, but didn't linger on the topic, turning his gaze to Su Chen, speaking lightly, "This battle, you've won."

Su Chen nodded, not saying much. He held some respect for this immeasurably powerful middle-aged man.

Su Chen, under the complex gazes of the crowd, slowly walked down from the arena. He felt little joy from the victory, knowing this was not an end, but a new beginning. Walking back to his room, his brows furrowed, seemingly pondering something.

The night deepened, moonlight laid a silver-white path on the ground. Su Chen walked alone on this path, surrounded by silence. However, he remained vigilant, sensing someone might be watching him from the shadows.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind attacked from behind, targeting his vital points. Su Chen reacted swiftly, sidestepping to dodge, while simultaneously countering with his sword, clashing with the assailant.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the night, sparks flying. Su Chen focused his gaze and found the assailant was a masked man in black, of not insignificant strength.

Su Chen's heart tightened, knowing this ambush was clearly premeditated. He dared not be careless, fully engaging against the black-clad assault. However, the opponent seemed familiar with his moves, making every attack hazardous.

As the fierce battle continued, Su Chen gradually felt overwhelmed. Much of his internal energy was depleted, while the black-clad assailant grew more vigorous. Just then, a fiery red figure descended from the sky, transforming into a giant Phoenix, diving towards the assailant.

"Screech—"

The Phoenix let out a crisp call, its wings spreading flames rolling forth. The black-clad assailant was stunned, wanting to evade but unable. The Phoenix's sharp claws heavily struck him, lacerating his flesh and leaving him bloodied.

"Ah—"

The assailant let out a miserable scream, his body knocked away by the Phoenix, crashing heavily to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Su Chen broke free from the assailant's entanglement and retreated to the side.

The Phoenix gently landed, transforming into a girl in a red dress. She was exceptionally beautiful, exuding a heroic aura. She looked at Su Chen and smiled slightly, "Are you alright?"

Su Chen shook his head, gratefully saying, "Thank you for saving me. I'm fine."

It turned out that this girl was the Phoenix who had once encountered Su Chen. She had been secretly observing him and acted immediately upon seeing the ambush.

Su Chen looked at the fallen assailant, filled with doubt. He did not know who this masked man was or why he attacked. However, when he tried to approach for answers, he found the assailant already dead.

The Phoenix approached Su Chen, looking at the assailant's body, her brow furrowing slightly. After a moment of thought, she said, "This masked man is not simple. His aura feels familiar to me. It seems the person behind it is not ordinary."

Su Chen nodded, filled with bewilderment. He knew a deeper conspiracy lay behind this ambush. However, he currently lacked the strength to unravel it all.

"Thank you again for rescuing me." Su Chen said gratefully to the Phoenix, "If not for your timely arrival, I might have fallen victim."

The Phoenix smiled and said, "You once saved me too, so we're even. But, be careful, the person behind this will likely not let this go easily."

Su Chen nodded, his expression serious as he said, "I will. This ambush made me realize my strength is far from sufficient. I must train harder to face future challenges."

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