Chapter 489: Deathmatch
Woo~
The ghost beast’s long howl reverberated through the heavens, stirring the mist into violent turbulence. As the dense fog surged, the boundary of the Mist Sea suddenly expanded dramatically, engulfing everyone within its reach.
The lantern-draped pavilion swayed precariously, the young woman perched on the windowsill, her legs crossed. Behind her, colossal ghost beasts, like leviathans of the mist, roamed the Mist Sea, their dark forms looming like storm clouds, radiating overwhelming power.
Boom!
Boom!
A colossal figure emerged from the churning mist, its crimson flesh mottled with white. A mountain-sized stone sword was clutched in its hand. Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. A flesh giant?
Wasn’t it killed by Dang Yunshu? How is it alive again?
His optimism about the battle suddenly waned. Mingliao and the others might not win, and even if they did, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
“Demoness! You have plunged all living beings into chaos, a crime unforgivable! Kill her!”
At the command, the battle erupted. The Dragon-Taming Daoist soared into the air, a scroll in his hand glowing with ethereal light. The landscape painted on the scroll seemed to come alive, the sound of flowing water filling the air.
A phantom mountain peak materialized in mid-air, descending upon the leviathan ghost beast with the force of a collapsing mountain!
The compassionate expression vanished from Ming Hui’s face, replaced by an icy resolve. With a swift motion, she produced a golden alms bowl, pressed two fingers together, pointed them skyward, and roared, “Demon, face your doom!”
The golden bowl suddenly blazed with light, resonating with the distant sun. Sunlight pierced through layers of mist, converging within the bowl as if some immense energy were gathering within.
Patriarch Zuoqiu waved his hand, summoning a formation plate. Countless arcane formation patterns floated into the air, slowly rotating before expanding outward. The patterns passed through the bodies of the assembled warriors and the ghost beasts alike, as if they existed in a separate dimension—visible yet intangible.
Hummmm…
The formation patterns coalesced into a massive luminous barrier that enveloped the battlefield. Streams of light coursed across its surface, adding an air of profound mystery.
Yu Anwei watched their preparations with calm amusement, showing no intention of intervening. She even took a moment to smile and nod at Xu Sanyan.
Boom!
The phantom mountain peaks crashed down upon the giant whale’s head, unleashing invisible shockwaves that swept across the battlefield. The mist surged and churned like tidal waves, causing the red lanterns hanging from the pavilion to sway violently.
The force of the blast ruffled Yu Anwei’s hair, sending her long, dark tresses billowing. The crimson hem of her skirt fluttered upward, but before Xu Sanyan could get a clear glimpse, a slender, jade-like hand pressed it back down.
Meanwhile, the Mad Daoist had already engaged the flesh giant in a fierce, chaotic battle, the outcome of which remained uncertain.
By now, Ming Hui was nearly ready. He inverted the golden bowl, aiming it directly at Yu Anwei.
“Die!”
Whoosh!
In an instant, an incandescent light erupted from the golden bowl, searing the eyes and making it nearly impossible to look directly at. It was as if the sun itself had been concealed within, its violent power causing the space to tremble violently, distorting even the light itself.
A supreme treasure!
Xu Sanyan was secretly alarmed. This golden bowl, like the Holy Ancestor’s Sword in his own possession, was one of the few supreme treasures remaining in the world!
A rare hint of solemnity crossed Yu Anwei’s face. With a wave of her hand, an object flew out from the pavilion behind her—an embroidered fan.
The fan’s surface was adorned with golden silk embroidery depicting several blooming lotus flowers, exuding an air of refined elegance.
Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. This thing…
He had seen it before.
Years ago, when he had entered the Hundred Saints Secret Realm, he had once ventured into that very pavilion. It housed countless treasures, including the remains of sages and this very fan.
Yu Anwei waved the fan, and a layer of white light spread out before her, imprinted with delicate lotus flower patterns—a vision of ethereal beauty.
Boom!
The moment the two forces collided, the ground beneath Xu Sanyan’s feet began to tremble violently. The pavilion behind Yu Anwei shook uncontrollably, its red lanterns whirling wildly as the structure retreated into the air. Though the fan had blocked the brunt of the attack, the residual shockwaves still reverberated through the surroundings.
Xu Sanyan waved his hand, conjuring a barrier of spiritual power before him, shielding both himself and the young woman beside him.
“Cough… cough…”
Ming Hui’s face paled, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His internal organs had suffered a significant impact.
He had unleashed his trump card from the start, aiming for a swift victory, but he hadn’t anticipated the Demoness’s formidable abilities.
Yu Anwei stood suspended in mid-air, her fan sweeping aside the surging waves of energy. Though her expression remained unchanged, Xu Sanyan, observing from the sidelines, noticed her figure seemed to have grown slightly fainter.
How could a person’s body become fainter?
A glint flashed in Xu Sanyan’s eyes. Could she be a soul form?
But the distinction between a soul form and a physical body was usually quite obvious. How could he have missed it?
“Demoness, meet your death!”
Patriarch Zuoqiu, seeing Ming Hui’s attack fail, immediately pressed forward, giving Yu Anwei no chance to catch her breath. The formation plate in his hand spun rapidly, causing the Great Formation to erupt in radiant streams of light. Pillars of light pierced the heavens and earth, descending like divine spears.
Yu Anwei’s gaze remained indifferent. She extended her hand again, and another object flew from the pavilion, streaking through the dense mist before landing in her palm—a small, delicate flying sword.
The blade was less than a foot long, pure white and translucent, as if crafted from ice crystals.
Yu Anwei’s eyes lit up, and the ice crystal sword vanished instantly. Every heart in the vicinity clenched with anticipation.
I can’t sense it!
The small sword had vanished completely, not a trace of its aura remained. Yet its razor-sharp presence lingered in the hearts of everyone present.
“Be careful!” Ming Hui exclaimed in alarm. What kind of magic artifact was this? Its ability to conceal itself so thoroughly was unheard of.
Xu Sanyan sighed inwardly, marveling at the treasure left behind from a golden age of cultivation. Even a casually retrieved artifact from that era could rival the most precious treasures of the present day. Such forging techniques had long been lost, impossible to replicate with modern methods.
Swish—
The void tore open as the ice-crystal sword streaked through space. Its speed was so great that it left faint trails in its wake. The trajectory clearly targeted Patriarch Zuoqiu, who was holding the formation plate.
Though they had detected the attack, reacting in time was another matter.
Boom!
The moment the Great Formation’s beam pierced Yu Anwei, the small sword pierced Patriarch Zuoqiu’s forehead. A crimson stain bloomed on his brow, his eyes glazing over with confusion and disbelief.
He had sensed the danger and prepared to dodge, but…
Why was it so fast?
So fast that he didn’t have time to think. The moment the thought of evading arose in his mind, the small sword had already arrived.
He had only just become a sage, and before he could lead his clan to ten thousand years of immortality, was he about to die?
Bang!
The formation plate clattered to the ground as his body arched backward and collapsed. Deprived of spiritual power, the Great Formation gradually crumbled.
A sage had fallen at the very start of the battle.
Across the battlefield, Yu Anwei fared no better. Her figure grew even fainter, the change now starkly visible to Mingliao and the others.
She had planned to trade injury for a kill, focusing all her power into the ice crystal sword to eliminate one opponent first. If she had divided her attention to evade the light pillars, the sword’s power would inevitably weaken, jeopardizing her chance of a fatal strike.
As the Great Formation dissipated, Xu Sanyan retreated swiftly. The small sword’s eerie nature left him deeply uneasy.
With the death of a sage and Yu Anwei’s dwindling strength, the battle plunged into a feverish climax.
(End of the Chapter)