The poisoned dark web silently spread from behind, extending continuously into Lu Zhaozhao's blind spot.
The sword light in front of her increased, and Ji Shui couldn't stop retreating; she was about to give up.
At the critical moment, Cui Xingjue's final gamble unleashed unprecedented energy.
He charged toward Lu Zhaozhao with the blood-stained discipline whip, unleashing all his true energy as he crashed into her.
Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. Clearly, Cui Xingjue knew that he had no hope of advancing, so he wanted to use his last blow to severely injure Lu Zhaozhao. If he could take her with him, it wouldn't be a loss. If he couldn't take her, as long as he could cause her serious injury, her future path would not be easy.
With this thought in mind, Cui Xingjue rushed forward, intending to perish together with the enemy.
Ji Shui was initially shocked, but then a feeling of joy welled up inside him.
She was just wondering how to deal with Lu Zhaozhao, and now this fool actually wanted to fight to the death, which was perfect.
Lu Zhaozhao also realized his thoughts.
She frowned and backed away, dodging Cui Xingjue's attacks one after another.
The man's intentions were obvious; he wanted to drag her down with him. Lu Zhaozhao didn't think he had the ability to take her away, but she couldn't guarantee how much potential a person might have in a moment of panic, or whether it was enough to seriously injure her. Therefore, she could only take a conservative approach for now.
When Cui Xingjue got ruthless, he acted like he didn't care about his life, whipping the whip again and again, as if trying to squeeze out the little spiritual power he had left.
Ji Shui retreated to the outer area, looking at him with disdain, cursing him inwardly for being brainless, but dared not stop what he was doing.
She sent a wisp of her divine consciousness out to lay a dense net in the shadows during the brief entanglement, all for a final, desperate struggle.
Unexpectedly, Cui Xingjue, that fool, thought victory was hopeless and came out to pull this stunt, buying her a lot of time.
A smile spread across her face as her gaze fell upon Lu Zhaozhao's ever-changing figure.
The danger lurking in the shadows is about to burst forth.
While fending off Cui Xingjue's attacks, Lu Zhaozhao also kept an eye on Ji Shui, who had withdrawn from the battlefield. She didn't believe that the two of them wouldn't join forces when they had such a good opportunity.
Cui Xingjue's speed slowed down; he was about to give up. The sword wounds on his body still carried the sword intent of rebellion, and they couldn't heal for a long time. As a result, after these few movements, the wounds reopened, and blood flowed profusely.
Ji Shui's gestures slowed down. Her net was finished, just a few steps away from Lu Zhaozhao. If she retreated any further, she would fall into the trap silently. Ji Shui was confident that this trap would keep her prey trapped.
Cui Xingjue's offensive continued, but Lu Zhaozhao realized something was wrong.
She stopped retreating and forcefully blocked with her sword.
The questions in my mind reached their peak at this moment.
Cui Xingjue was clearly exhausted, so why was he still forcing her to retreat? He knew that doing so was futile and wouldn't even achieve the desired effect of shattering her body.
When did his mind change?
Lu Zhaozhao recalled every move she had just made.
At first, Cui Xingjue's tactics were indeed relentless, clearly showing he had no intention of holding back and was only willing to fight to the death. His approach was effective; Lu Zhaozhao halted her offensive and switched to a defensive stance. However, as the battle progressed, the underlying meaning of his attacks changed.
It was as if they were doing this on purpose, just to make her follow a predetermined route.
Lu Zhaozhao's gaze fell on Ji Shui, who appeared extremely agitated.
Lu Zhaozhao was just one step away from falling into the trap, but she stopped abruptly.
Ji Shui glared at Cui Xingjue with resentment, hating him for not being able to force him back one more step.
Halfway through the fight, Cui Xingjue inadvertently witnessed Ji Shui's actions. With just one glance, the two old rivals, who often dealt with each other in the southern border region, figured out each other's intentions.
He wanted Lu Zhaozhao to fall for him, but Lu Zhaozhao just stopped there, only a step away.
The final step, the very last step!
At the beginning, it was just one step away from driving Yao Tong out of the game. If she were out of the game, no one could give Lu Zhaozhao such a big boost, and the alliance with Zhou Xuegu would not have broken down. In the end, she would not have become Lu Zhaozhao's stepping stone along with Ji Shui, a scheming person.
And now, it's just one last step away.
Knowing he was no longer competitive, Cui Xingjue only wished that Lu Zhaozhao would also be sad before leaving the stage.
So, he used his calves to push off, making a final thrust at Lu Zhaozhao.
Lu Zhaozhao, who was calculating the situation, did not back down at this moment. She wanted to see what these two were up to.
With the person right in front of her, Lu Zhaozhao reached out, grabbed Cui Xingjue's whip, and with a forceful pull, yanked it out of Cui Xingjue's hand.
"You don't really think that's all I'm capable of, do you?"
A voice rang in Cui Xingjue's ear. In his terrified gaze, Lu Zhaozhao grabbed Cui Xingjue by the back of his collar as if he were a small object and threw him violently behind him.
"Bang—"
With a loud thud, Cui Xingjue was thrown into the hidden net of Jishui.
When prey intrudes, the dark web cannot distinguish between people and attacks spontaneously.
A bluish-gray hue instantly spread across Cui Xingjue's entire body, a clear sign of poisoning. The poison spread so quickly; it must be no ordinary substance. The Southern Frontier truly lives up to its reputation as a land of Gu poison.
She threw the whip, and the barbs pierced her palm, leaving several holes. Lu Zhaozhao glanced at them and saw that the holes were healing at a visible speed.
She charged toward the Ji River, sword in hand.
It's astonishing that such a vicious tactic was employed by this seemingly charming and delicate woman.
Now that things have come to this, we've stopped collecting water from the basket.
The Dark Web absorbed Cui Xingjue's remaining spiritual power, growing exponentially in size, and under her urging, attacked Lu Zhaozhao.
In an instant, both of them were surrounded by the dark web.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, my internet is full of deadly poison. If you get even a little bit on it, you won't be able to escape it."
Ji Shui laughed so hard her body trembled. She believed that the great formation was complete and the outcome was already decided.
Lu Zhaozhao chuckled softly, her eyes filled with endless indifference.
"A mere trickery, how can it test the sharpness of my sword?"
Frost rose from the sword's blade, and in an instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
On a warm day, snow began to fall from the sky.
The silk net was covered with frost flowers, and every single thread was frozen in place.
Ji Shui's expression changed drastically. She tried to activate the formation, but a layer of ice seemed to sever their connection.
Several sword lights flashed.
A cracking sound was heard, and the next moment, the carefully laid dark net tore open in several places before falling in pieces.
When it hit the ground, ice shards flew everywhere.
Ji Shui shook his head in disbelief, muttering, "Impossible, impossible..."
Sword light condensed in the sky above her head, forming an enormous sword.
The intense light caused the spectators around to close their eyes, and then the sword fell.
Radiant with light.
In the light, Lu Zhaozhao concealed her figure and stood opposite the mulberry grove.
Sangpan seemed completely unaffected, simply watching Lu Zhaozhao quietly.
“Cheng Sang’s Gatha”.
Lu Zhaozhao spoke silently, and Sangpan saw her lip movements and showed a relieved expression.
He approached, and beside him was a protective barrier he had set up, which blocked out the sounds from the outside and prevented those outside from hearing the sounds inside.
"When was it discovered?" he asked.
Lu Zhaozhao's face was cold, but she couldn't help but tremble when she heard this answer.
She didn't know how long immortals could live, but humans certainly couldn't live more than a thousand years. But what about demons?
"There are powerful figures from the cultivation world outside. Aren't you afraid I'll expose your identity?" she said coldly.
Sangpan laughed and said, "Now that I'm here, I'm not afraid of being exposed. Besides, you should have checked; there are no records of me among the humans, right? How are you going to expose me? Did you have a dream in which I was a demon? Hmm?"
He spoke in a light and unhurried tone, confident that Lu Zhaozhao posed no threat to him.
"Don't look at me like that. There's no deep-seated hatred between us. In fact, we can be considered old friends." Sang Pan's face transformed into Cheng Sang Jie's at that moment. He said, "I've only heard that the Human Race's Golden Palace Banquet is interesting."
Lu Zhaozhao sneered. She didn't believe this person's nonsense. If it had been a thousand years, he would have come long ago. Why wait until today?
The light outside gradually faded, and Cheng Sangji's face returned to Sangpan's appearance. He chuckled softly, "Shh, this is a secret between us."
As the light dissipated, the protective barrier also disappeared.
With Ji Shui and Cui Xingjue eliminated, Yu Anxing ceased his offensive.
The outcome was already decided, and he had no choice but to withdraw.
On the stage, only five people remained; they were the final winners who advanced.
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