Chapter 62 The Magic Array "You want to win, and I want to win too."...
The spiritual barrier shattered, and the mountain rocks collapsed.
This sword strike plunged the entire arena into a long silence. The crowd had not yet recovered from the shock that the young disciples of the immortal sect had used such a powerful move in a single competition.
Everyone witnessed its power, but because no one had actually used this move for so long, few people in the arena could recognize it for a time.
An elderly member of the Kunlun sect stood up abruptly, his astonishment lingering in his heart.
He had seen it.
A century ago, someone used this technique to save a dynasty on the verge of collapse. However, it was precisely because this technique disrupted the affairs of the mortal realm that the person who used it suffered a backlash from the heavens, causing their cultivation to plummet. From then on, Kunlun established a rule that Kunlun disciples must not interfere in mortal affairs, but can only observe their cycles and changes.
For a hundred years, no one has ever seen this move used again. Unexpectedly, he witnessed it again today in the grand competition.
When a young disciple asked him a question, he simply shook his head. After a long pause, he whispered, as if speaking to himself, "That is, 'The Gatekeeper of the Emperor'."
The eighth sword of the Kunlun Nine Swords, a sword capable of cleaving open the Heavenly Gate. For a long time, it existed only in legends.
The woman who had just unleashed that astonishing sword strike was now leaning on her sword, her weight resting heavily on the iron blade, struggling to stand. The sword in her hand was dull and lifeless, clearly indicating that her spiritual energy had been exhausted and her body could no longer support her. Wielding such power must have taken a tremendous toll on her, both spiritually and physically, and everyone felt that her current state was normal.
A blue eye behind the curtain, peering through a corner lifted by the breeze, gently fell on the woman in black in the room.
She leaned on her sword with one hand and clutched her chest with the other, swallowing the rising blood in her throat. Although she could still stand, her injuries were no less severe than her opponent's. She didn't look at her fallen opponent, nor did she heed the surrounding whispers of surprise and uncertainty. She simply stared at the mountain peak she had leveled in the distance, leaving everyone guessing what she was thinking.
Although this person possessed exceptional swordsmanship, she was ultimately too soft-hearted. Killing was forbidden in the competition—a rule of the immortal sects—but accidental killings were not uncommon in actual matches. Once on the dueling platform, one was responsible for their own life and death; this was an unspoken rule within the immortal sects. Yet, she used this almost self-destructive fighting style, without taking her opponent's life.
Jia Yue shook her head inwardly. The disciples of Tianque would show her the consequences of being soft-hearted.
Jiang Yuhuo swallowed another mouthful of blood, looking at the distant mountaintop. Even though his blood was churning, he felt incredibly gratified at that moment.
She succeeded.
Others might not know, assuming she possessed the power to wield the "Imperial Gate," but only she knew that with her pitifully small amount of spiritual power compared to Mo Sheng, it was utterly impossible for her to unleash this move. Yet, her opponent was Mo Sheng, whose spiritual power was abundant. He even generously used the pillar of spiritual power, and the moment Jiang Yuhuo saw the golden pillar of light, an idea formed in her mind—to borrow his power and wield her sword.
She originally just wanted to take a chance, but she succeeded on her first try, cutting through the air and slicing through mountains with great exhilaration.
If Wen Yizhan were here, she would definitely think she had gone mad. If she couldn't borrow strength, and her spiritual power was exhausted, she would be unable to use "Sun and Moon Shining Together" to resist, and would only be able to fight with her physical body.
But she won her gamble.
However, her goal was only to win, not to kill Mo Sheng, so in the end she still deflected her sword strike.
Severely injured, Mo Sheng was unable to get up for a long time.
The fragments of the Heavenly Pillar that he had carefully treasured were shattered, along with his pride. That savage woman clearly had the opportunity to kill him, but for some inexplicable reason, she foolishly let him go.
But she made him look so pathetic in front of that person, causing him to lose face for Tianque.
Mo Sheng was filled with resentment, as if his heart and lungs had been shattered. A surge of anger caused him to vomit several mouthfuls of blood, along with indistinguishable pieces of flesh and blood.
He glanced towards the platform; the figure behind the white curtain remained seated, unmoved by the opponent's astonishing moves, unlike the spectators on the field. Similarly, there was no regret for his defeat.
This is what a god should be like: forever impartial and unbiased, looking down on every mortal beneath his feet with utter contempt.
Mo Sheng turned her gaze back to Jiang Yuhuo across from her and realized that Jiang Yuhuo wasn't much better off than herself.
She borrowed spiritual power far exceeding her current capacity. Controlling such power would have already caused a huge impact on her body, and yet she dared to forcibly change the direction of the giant sword at the last moment—she was truly courting death. But it was precisely because Jiang Yuhuo recklessly changed direction that he was able to escape with his life from her grasp. As long as he was still alive in the arena, he still had a chance.
The drums on the sidelines did not sound, but a faint, indistinct chant could be heard in the wind.
Jiang Yuhuo's attention was drawn to the sound in the wind, and his gaze fell from the distant mountaintop back to his opponent in front of him.
Mo Sheng slumped to the spot, unable to move, but kept muttering something.
Still unwilling to admit defeat?
A growing commotion arose in the stands, with people whispering to each other, "Didn't that woman win? Why hasn't the judge struck the drum yet? Is he stalling for time?"
"Calm down. The cultivation methods in Tianque are different from those of other sects. That disciple still has a breath left. It's too early to talk about the outcome now."
"But it was clearly that woman who spared his life..."
"On the field, there's no room for sentimentality."
In the vast arena, the white-robed cultivator slumped at the edge of the arena, while the black-clad cultivator stood in the middle; neither of them could take another step forward.
Both of them were now completely exhausted of spiritual energy. Mo Sheng's internal organs were damaged, and he was unable to move. Jiang Yu Huo's blood and energy were in turmoil, and he could only barely hold on.
Intermittent sentences drifted into Jiang Yuhuo's ears on the wind. They were clearly obscure and fragmented, yet they felt strangely familiar to her. However, when she actually searched her memory, she had no clue what they were.
But as the other party chanted the incantation, they began to regain their power. Mo Sheng stood up from the ground, slowly returned from the edge, and walked closer to Jiang Yu Huo.
"So this is the incantation for cultivating spiritual power in your Heavenly Palace?" Jiang Yuhuo said to Mo Sheng, who was walking over. "No wonder you are much faster than other cultivators."
"Your spiritual power is exhausted. Surrender now, and I may spare your life." The newly absorbed spiritual energy eased Mo Sheng's pain considerably, and he spoke calmly.
Jiang Yuhu shook her head. "You want to win, and I want to win too."
Mo Sheng's expression suddenly changed, her voice sharp, "Then you should just die!"
He couldn't afford to lose. Historically, only disciples who won the Immortal Sect Grand Competition were qualified to become the next sect protector; this was an unwritten rule. He had already entered the ranks of high-level disciples, and the next step was sect protector—this was the immortal path he had planned for himself.
Only by winning the competition can he become a protector and serve that great man.
Suddenly, a strong wind swept across the arena, a whirlwind howling and instantly lifting Jiang Yuhuo from the arena into the air. The wind howled as if it would tear the person inside apart, but at its strongest, it suddenly slowed down. A pentagonal magic circle descended from mid-air, and the wind force eased, causing the person who had been swept up by the wind to fall heavily back to the ground.
Li Mengbai clenched his fists in anger. He was a practitioner of talismans and formations, and he immediately understood what was going on when he saw the pentagon in the arena.
This insidious fellow, she let him go, and he actually used the Five Elements Formation against her.
Wind, thunder, water, fire, and wood—the five forces of heaven and earth—will take turns playing out within this magic array, subjecting those trapped within to five kinds of torment until they breathe their last. It is an absolute killing array.
Li Meng was absolutely furious. He was angry that she hadn't just killed the other person directly, wasting all that effort. She had such excellent swordsmanship, but her brain was so stupid. Although he hadn't hesitated at all when he lied to her, seeing her fall for someone else's trick still infuriated Li Meng. For him, this formation wasn't difficult to break, but for her, whose spiritual energy was now completely depleted, it was practically a death sentence.
Li Mengbai stormed out of the canopy, not caring about getting his clothes dirty or the sun. He glared angrily at the black figure in the arena, his usually captivating peach blossom eyes now blazing with fury. Could she really be dead like this? She still owed him a piece of jade.
Jiang Yuhuo was envious that Mo Sheng had accumulated enough spiritual power to set up a magic array in such a short time. However, she was not entirely unprepared.
Different forces within the magic circle attacked her in turn—one moment ice spikes formed from condensed water, the next bolts of lightning descending from the sky—all aimed fiercely at her body. These forces were not feints; they struck her directly. For someone who had already lost all spiritual power, these few blows were enough to bring her down.
But Jiang Yuhuo not only did not fall, she even took a few steps forward, as if the power in the magic array could not harm her at all.
Jiang Yuhuo said coldly to Mo Sheng outside the formation, "So you really wanted to kill me."
Mo Sheng realized that it wasn't his formation that was malfunctioning; the problem was with her body.
Whenever a force leaves a wound on her body, the wound heals completely in the next instant.
how so?
Mo Sheng took a few steps back in surprise. But he was no ordinary person, and he quickly regained his composure.
So what if her body isn't injured? She has no spiritual power now, so she can't escape this magic array. Even if he wants to trap her, he'll trap her to death.
Jiang Yuhuo saw the surprise in Mo Sheng's eyes. She wasn't always like this; the reason her wound healed without medicine was thanks to her good fellow disciple.
She noticed this after the golden seal was refined into her body last night. Perhaps due to the seal's effect, all her injuries sustained from external forces were miraculously healing quickly. She looked around the stands but didn't see the master and disciple from Chongyuan Peak.
Then there's no need to wait.
I originally planned to clean it all at once.
Within the magic array, a shard of ice severed Jiang Yuhuo's hair ribbon, causing her long, black hair to cascade down like a waterfall.
She bit her little finger, lifted the longsword, and smeared the blood that seeped from her finger onto the blade.
On the high platform, someone inexplicably felt a twitch in their little finger. They reached out and looked; the finger with the ring was perfectly calm. The silver snake followed and soothingly slid across their finger, making the previous twitch seem like an illusion.
He lifted the curtain, his gaze returning once more to the person who had been exceptionally radiant during the battle.
The woman in the room had a speck of blood on her lips from her finger, which made her slightly pale lips appear more vibrant.
A fierce wind raged within the magic circle, causing the woman's black hair to fly wildly. A strand of hair drifted to her lips, instantly adding a touch of allure to her cool and aloof face. Yet, her sharp and stern eyes simultaneously exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.
When the spiritual energy within the formation shifted and the fire ignited, Jiang Yuhuo wielded his burning sword and slashed at the formation.
The fire in the arena suddenly became more ferocious than ever before, almost engulfing the entire arena. However, the fire no longer burned the people in the formation, but instead burned fiercely on the pentagonal magic circle.
In just a few moments, the air in the entire venue became scorching hot.
Then the five-sided barrier dissipated, and scattered sparks fell across the ground.
Mo Sheng watched as the figure, stepping over a field of flames and carrying a sword, slowly walked towards him.
His magic circle was burned away.
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