Less than a minute after appearing, having spoken only three sentences, he instantly killed the thousand-year demon king Yang Shan Jun!
What power this was!
What talent this was!
What a presence this was!
If Zhao Yi Yao's previous display of Shen Nei Dao Lin, killing two demons in succession, had surprised everyone, then Yan Shou Yi's display now left everyone utterly stunned.
Astonishingly brilliant!
This young man, barely in his early twenties, had nearly succeeded in becoming the Heavenly Master of Long Hu Mountain, despite being a successor of a folk sect.
He had reorganized Rong City, swept through Qian Tang, and shocked Chang An.
He possessed immense strength, yet maintained a calm demeanor, neither arrogant nor impatient.
Compared to him, let alone the Left Protector or Wu Tian Feng, Yan Shou Yi's true opponent should be the president of Chi Hua Hui, Wu Jian Chou!
The rest were simply not qualified to be his rivals!
Strong!
Too strong!
"Hoo..."
Tian Jue Er let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing Yang Shan Jun killed.
Zhuge Lian, shaking off her earlier frustration, smiled and said, "Yan Shou Yi's strength is far greater than I imagined!"
"Sister, didn't we observe the heavens before coming? Yan Shou Yi and Lin Zi Tong both possess Zi Wei Qi, so they are bound to be extraordinary," Zhuge Ji said.
"Hmm... let's see," Zhuge Lian's confidence in the Folklore Research Association grew with each passing moment.
[Windblown Taoist: Is this child Yan Shou Yi? Indeed, he has a noble bearing and possesses Haoran Qi!]
[Cornish Rex: Hmm... I admit, he is just a smidge handsomer than me, and I am just a smidge uglier than him!]
[Uncle Fan Has Labor Insurance: Heh, worthy of being the man who took away our goddess! With his strength to instantly slay a thousand-year demon king with a single strike, I grant him this favor. The feud over my wife ends here!]
[Beautiful Woman at the Bridge of Helplessness: @Uncle Fan Has Labor Insurance, are you sure you're not chickening out after witnessing Yan Shou Yi's abilities?]
[Uncle Fan Has Labor Insurance: I'm not chickening out, I'm just being sensible.]
[Wind Over Water: Instantly killing a thousand-year demon king with one strike. It's understandable to be sensible in front of such a person.]
Compared to the subdued reactions of the on-site audience, the comments from the vast number of netizens were clearly much bolder.
Everyone discussed Yan Shou Yi's strength without reservation, and public opinion leaned unilaterally towards the Folklore Research Association. The reason was simple: the immense strength displayed by Yan Shou Yi provided everyone with a great sense of security.
Those successors of folk sects, who were without support externally, hoped for a powerful reliance. They had hesitated before, but after witnessing Yan Shou Yi's actions just now, they were completely reassured.
"Did anyone see when Yan Shou Yi drew his blade? It was too fast, I couldn't see it at all!"
"My main discipline is the sword. Although I didn't see when Yan Shou Yi drew his blade, I vaguely sensed sword intent from that move..."
"Are you kidding me? How can there be sword intent in a blade?"
"It's not a joke at all! I heard that during the Luo Tian Da Jiao, Yan Shou Yi encountered a powerful individual disguised as a disciple of the He Shan Sect. That person had cultivated for over sixty years, but was ultimately defeated by Yan Shou Yi. At that time, Yan Shou Yi used a move that contained sixty years of sword intent!"
"Good heavens, is there anything Yan Shou Yi *doesn't* know how to do?"
The audience's initial murmurs grew into loud exclamations, completely drowning out the presence of the Chi Hua Hui.
Wang Ji Wang, while having Old Jin take people to bring Zhao Yi Yao down for treatment, observed the emotions of the crowd.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Wang Ji Wang was very pleased.
Although Zhao Yi Yao had been impressive before, she was ultimately bullied severely by Yang Shan Jun. Everyone was hoping for a strong figure to appear and defeat Yang Shan Jun.
Yan Shou Yi had appeared at the perfect moment, his arrival itself having an incredibly imposing aura, and then he instantly killed Yang Shan Jun with a single strike after stepping onto the stage.
The impact was maximized!
Everything happened at precisely the right time; any slight alteration would have made it seem deliberate and staged.
"Old Yan has arrived, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief," Wang Ji Wang said with a smile.
The elders of the Folklore Research Association all showed looks of relief.
With Yan Shou Yi on the stage, Lin Zi Tong and Tao Hua Ying no longer remained on the small boat.
They disembarked and walked towards their companions. Luo Ning excitedly said, "You arrived at the most opportune moment!"
"We were delayed by something earlier, we were rushing to make it in time," Lin Zi Tong patted her chest.
No one asked Lin Zi Tong what had caused the delay, as it was unimportant.
However, the dog Taoist asked, "Lin girl, why don't I see that red-faced old man from Lu Jing?"
Lin Zi Tong replied, "Uncle-Master Lu Jing is in seclusion at the Lotus Pond."
The Folklore Research Association had a lotus pond, located in a secluded area, suitable for meditation.
The dog Taoist was puzzled. Why would Lu Jing be in seclusion at such an event instead of watching the excitement?
Moreover, given his personality, how could he possibly sit still and meditate?
However, the dog Taoist didn't dwell on it, and everyone turned their attention back to the stage.
After killing Yang Shan Jun with a single strike, Yan Shou Yi calmly looked at the Left Protector.
"You are the first challenger to me... a demon refiner? That's quite rare. I wonder if your demon refining pot still contains any stronger monsters. If not, you will lose this match."
The Left Protector lowered his head and found that his hands and feet were trembling uncontrollably.
Yang Shan Jun was his greatest reliance, but this reliance was effortlessly killed by Yan Shou Yi. This meant he had lost.
There was no room for maneuver, no possibility of a miracle.
For a miracle to occur, Yang Shan Jun would have to be resurrected with his cultivation ten times over.
But that was absolutely impossible.
The Left Protector said dejectedly, "Yang Shan Jun is the strongest monster in my demon refining pot."
Yan Shou Yi nodded slightly.
Yang Shan Jun's strength was on par with that of a Ghost King, but his skill level was slightly higher than Tao Hua Ying's.
He did not possess the ability to instantly kill Yang Shan Jun. It was merely that Yang Shan Jun had underestimated him and was unprepared. It happened that a dense rain obscured the glint of the Zan Po Dao, and it happened...
In short, Yan Shou Yi's strength accounted for fifty percent of the instant kill of Yang Shan Jun, while the remaining fifty percent was due to favorable timing, location, and human factors.
If Yang Shan Jun were given another chance, the two would have fought for a hundred rounds.
However, the outcome would not change; Yan Shou Yi was destined to kill Yang Shan Jun!
Upon hearing the Left Protector's answer, the audience knew that the result of the first match had been decided.
Just as the Left Protector turned to leave the stage, Yan Shou Yi's voice suddenly rang out: "Left Protector, do you remember what I said? Life and death do not matter on the stage."
The Left Protector's face instantly turned pale. Frightened, he retreated several steps and asked with a trembling voice, "You want to kill me?"
"What I mean is, if you leave your demon refining pot, I will spare your life," Yan Shou Yi stated calmly.