Seeing Chen Fan wake up, Chris felt a sense of relief. At least with Chen Fan present, they wouldn't be under immense pressure if they encountered or directly confronted the Thirteenth District.
"Shall we continue moving upwards?" Chen Fan asked.
Without waiting for the others, Chen Fan walked straight upwards alone.
He pushed open a large door.
Inside, a pile of bones sat in the center of the room. Three large, gilded characters adorned the wall: Yan Wu Fang (演武房).
Bai Zhannian and the undead knights then ascended the stairs, finding Chen Fan staring at the skeleton seated in the middle of the room.
"Are you scared, Mr. Chen?"
Chris was a perceptive individual who only respected those stronger than him. After initially following Bai Zhannian's lead in calling Chen Fan "ge" (brother), and then hearing Chen Fan seemingly on the verge of reaching the mid-stage of the demigod realm, he began addressing Chen Fan as "Mr. Chen."
Chris stepped forward, intending to push over the skeleton.
"Don't move!!" Chen Fan shouted.
The sudden shout startled Chris, but in his surprise, his hand lunged forward, striking the skeleton.
In an instant,
Everything around them vanished from the pavilion. They found themselves in an ancient battlefield.
Facing them were figures identical to themselves, but their eyes were pure white.
A voice boomed from the sky.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Martial Arts Hall trial. Although your opponents possess the same strength and use the same moves as you, we hope you can survive. Any injuries sustained here, and even death, will be reflected in your consciousness when you return to your bodies!"
As the words faded,
Thirty phantom undead knight experts charged forward. The phantom Chen Fan and phantom Chris evaded and dodged, but Bai Zhannian was absent. As a disciple of the Kunlun Ancestor, Bai Zhannian, who had learned Kunlun secret techniques since childhood, was immune to all illusions and poisons.
"Tian Xuan Zhi" (天玄指)
Suddenly, the phantom Chen Fan vanished and reappeared before the thirty phantom undead knights, unleashing Tian Xuan Zhi.
Chen Fan's heart sank. He quickly dodged.
"Bai Zhannian, go directly for their Chris," Chen Fan roared.
Upon hearing Chen Fan's command, Bai Zhannian abandoned his plan to attack the phantom spirit knights.
"What am I supposed to do!"
Chris looked at the targeted undead knights.
"Stay put and don't move," Chen Fan said, instantly appearing beside Chris.
Meanwhile, the phantom Chen Fan's Xuan Tian Zhi shot out.
Where the Xuan Tian Zhi passed, a massive finger imprint flew from his hand, cracking the earth and distorting space as it streaked through the air like a white blur.
A lightning-fast figure intercepted the thirty undead knights just before the Xuan Tian Zhi struck, taking the phantom Chen Fan's attack head-on with his physical body.
"Boom!"
A tremendous explosion followed, kicking up dust everywhere.
The thirty undead knights behind Chen Fan were sent flying by the shockwave.
At this moment, Chris understood Chen Fan's intention – he had caught everyone who was about to fall off the cliff.
As the smoke cleared, the area where Chen Fan had stood was a shattered expanse, resembling a massive impact crater.
"Chen Fan is dead," Chris said, his voice filled with anxiety as he saw no sign of Chen Fan in the crater after the smoke dissipated.
"Your opponent is me."
A figure in black streaked across the sky.
The Yun Cong Sword appeared.
The Yun Cong Sword, which seemed to materialize from nowhere, directly pierced downwards upon spotting the phantom Chen Fan.
Seeing this, the phantom Chen Fan unleashed his true energy. The small stones and large rocks that had been cracked from the ground began to float, surging towards the Yun Cong Sword.
The Yun Cong Sword, being a divine sword with a sword spirit, could easily evade these projectiles. However, this was a formidable foe with the same cultivation as its master. Once within range, it was suppressed by the phantom Chen Fan's pressure.
"Splat..." a clump of mud landed on the phantom Chen Fan's face, followed by a torrent of various stones and clods of earth, engulfing him.
"Sorry, you lose."
Chen Fan's voice echoed in the phantom Chen Fan's ear.
Although the phantom Chen Fan possessed the same strength as Chen Fan, he was, after all, a clone. He lacked the nuanced thought processes of the original and could only employ a single skill. True Chen Fan, however, was known for his adaptability and versatility.
As the phantom Chen Fan was increasingly buried by mud and stones, Chen Fan appeared above the sphere-like mass. Gathering all his true energy, he slammed his fist down.
"Boom!"
Another deafening sound.
Time seemed to stand still. The sphere began to crack.
"Crack... crack... crack..." After three distinct cracks, the sphere instantly exploded under the immense force.
Inside, the phantom Chen Fan, after experiencing the vacuum explosion, bled black from his seven facial orifices. Before he could react, Chen Fan instantly appeared above him.
"To deal with you, I don't even need my sword."
With a high kick, he struck the phantom Chen Fan's face. The phantom Chen Fan plummeted to the ground like a falling meteor, creating a crater more than ten meters deep.
Another aerial maneuver, combined with the effects of gravity, allowed Chen Fan to gather true energy in his right foot and descend again.
"Boom... boom... boom... boom..." A series of spectacular ground-kicking blows swiftly defeated the phantom Chen Fan.
The entire process, from the swift end of the battle with the phantom Chen Fan to Bai Zhannian's fight nearing its conclusion, took less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
"Kunlun Zhan" (昆仑斩)
Bai Zhannian, wielding his long sword, unleashed a wave of sword energy that sliced through the sky.
"Ah..." The phantom Chris was struck by the Kunlun Zhan and instantly dissolved into gas.
The thirty phantom undead knights were also dealt with by Chen Fan in a single move.
Throughout the entire battle, there was little engagement from the undead knights. They mostly played a supporting role, dodging the various combat aftershocks.