The ensuing battle was fraught with uncertainty. Xu Mu no longer bothered to calculate the pair's next moves, focusing instead on the tremors in the space, the lotus flowers being covered by frost, Nangong Huaitian drawing his longbow, and the streaks of white trails.
By this point, Nangong Huaitian and Xuanyuan Shennian held nothing back. Their halberds struck with the weight of a thousand mountains, their bows blazed with light, and the clash of their Dao laws was terrifying. This spectacle stunned countless cultivators from the Hundred Clans Land and silenced those who had previously dismissed Nangong Huaitian as a mere decorative facade.
The elder of the Lingbei Xiao clan stroked his beard and remarked with emotion, "Looking at them now, both Nangong Huaitian and Xuanyuan Shennian possess the strength to contend for the Supreme position. I had underestimated them all along, truly possessing blind eyes."
The second guard of the Zhongtian Mo clan nodded, then turned to sigh, "Cang, Nangong defeating you now, it seems, was not due to luck."
Hearing this, the young guard of the Zhongtian Mo clan's dejected expression vanished. Before this, he had believed Nangong's victory over him was a mere coincidence, nearly shattering his Dao heart. But now, seeing Nangong Huaitian's formidable power, he had nothing to regret.
With the towering mountains ahead, his heart was now filled only with a burning fighting spirit.
Such scenes unfolded across the clouds, but not everyone was inspired to fight. More cultivators were demoralized. In their perception, female cultivators should not be as powerful as male cultivators, yet the strength of Nangong and Xuanyuan had surpassed their wildest imaginations.
Gazing at their proud geniuses, each struck and displaying looks of pain, many elder clan members sighed and began to offer words of comfort.
Witnessing this, Prince Zhou Yuan of the Great Zhou Dynasty also smiled faintly and turned to ask curiously, "Esteemed Imperial Tutor, who do you think will win between the two of them?"
Yuan Pu's calm gaze seemed to pierce through space, landing directly on the Lotus Life Battle Stage in the Jade Pond Immortal Realm.
Nangong and Xuanyuan had both sustained injuries, and victory was about to be decided.
"Nangong Huaitian will win."
Yuan Pu finished speaking, slowly retracting his gaze, a hint of fatigue in his brows.
"Is that so." Zhou Yuan clicked his tongue. He didn't ask Yuan Pu why Nangong would win; he knew that if the Imperial Tutor said so, there must be a reason.
However, even if Nangong Huaitian could defeat Xuanyuan Shennian, could she defeat Xu Mu?
Thinking of Xu Mu's past deeds, Zhou Yuan shook his head faintly. It was impossible. Even he wouldn't dare claim absolute certainty of victory, let alone Nangong Huaitian in her severely wounded state. And if she couldn't secure the top spot in the Myriad Races Alliance, gaining access to immense cultivation resources and influential connections, any other ranking would be of no help to Nangong Huaitian.
This saintess of the Nangong clan would ultimately be forced into a political marriage.
But if Nangong was destined to lose to Xu Mu, what was the meaning of her current struggle?
"It has meaning."
On the battle stage, Nangong Huaitian personally plunged the tip of her arrow into Xuanyuan Shennian's chest. A pale white light mingled with blood, shimmering on the arrow.
"Even if you win, I will not acknowledge it as a victory," Xuanyuan Shennian said calmly, looking at Nangong Huaitian. Her Star Hand was only a hair's breadth away from crushing Nangong, but the latter's arrow had pierced her chest first, disrupting her cultivation.
If not for this Lotus Life Battle Stage, she could have used her top-secret forbidden technique to kill Nangong. Therefore, she did not acknowledge the outcome of the battle.
Nangong Huaitian looked at Xuanyuan Shennian, pushed her out of the battle stage, and said calmly:
"Perhaps you also have unknown trump cards, but Xuanyuan Shennian, I must tell you that during this very battle, I was restricted by this battle stage thirteen times."
"If not for this battle stage, you might have been eliminated by me half an hour ago."
Nangong Huaitian's voice was calm, her white dress fluttering. A hint of indefinable majesty graced her exceptionally beautiful face. Lotuses bloomed around the battle stage, but they merely served to accentuate her beauty.
At this moment, compared to Xuanyuan Shennian, known as the War Goddess, Nangong Huaitian seemed to be the true empress among women, radiating unparalleled grace, much like her elder brother.
"As expected of the Nangong clan's saintess," a middle-aged scholar, dressed in a thick, plain brocade robe, stood up among the Xuanyuan clan members. He said this while applauding, his eyes filled with admiration, as if Xuanyuan Shennian's loss had nothing to do with him.
A domain-level elder looked at the middle-aged scholar with a troubled expression and asked, "Patriarch, will Shennian's Dao heart be affected by losing to Nangong Huaitian? Should I..."
The patriarch of the Xuanyuan clan, the middle-aged scholar, waved his hand and calmly stated, "You need not do anything."
"I have long foreseen that in Shennian's destiny, there are three great tribulations. Only by overcoming them with her own abilities can she lead our Xuanyuan clan towards revival."
"Mm, I understand."
The elder nodded, carefully brought Xuanyuan Shennian down from the sky, and offered her a plain medicinal pill for her injuries, saying nothing throughout the process.
The surrounding cultivators watched all this and began to speculate, suspecting internal strife within the Xuanyuan clan. Their rumors, though varied, couldn't uncover the truth, so they quickly shifted their attention to the upcoming final battle.
Who would ascend to the apex of the Myriad Races and become the Supreme: Xu Mu or Nangong Huaitian?
"Nangong Huaitian wins this round."
"The final battle of the next round will be between Nangong Huaitian and Mu Xu."
"The location remains this battle stage."
As the judge's phantom voice echoed in the Jade Pond Immortal Realm, Xu Mu's figure quietly landed on the battle stage.
Xu Mu walked up to Nangong Huaitian, handed her a bowl of medicinal paste wrapped in parchment, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, you won."
Nangong Huaitian accepted the medicinal paste from Xu Mu, and upon opening it, she looked at the dark concoction inside, hesitating slightly.
"Medicinal aroma."
"This is medicinal paste?"
Nangong brought the paste to her nose, sniffed it carefully, and then a look of disbelief spread across her exceptionally beautiful face. She sensed several conflicting medicinal ingredients within, such as Fire Spirit Grass and Water Sunflower Immortal Dew. Consuming these two together would be fatal.
Xu Mu nodded and said earnestly to Nangong, "That's right, this is medicinal paste. I've added Fire Spirit Grass, which can help you quickly expel the yin energy from your body."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Huaitian quickly moved the medicinal paste away and forced a smile. Blinking, she asked Xu Mu, "Did you make this medicinal paste yourself?"
Xu Mu nodded, "Yes. What's wrong?"
Nangong Huaitian coughed twice, then cautiously continued, "Do you know that Fire Spirit Grass and Water Sunflower Immortal Dew cannot be eaten together?"
Xu Mu nodded, then shook his head, "I know, but sometimes they can be eaten together."
Nangong Huaitian was momentarily stunned and asked curiously, "For example?"
Xu Mu chuckled and replied teasingly:
"For example, if a miracle happens and the conflicting medicinal properties of Fire Spirit Grass and Water Sunflower Immortal Dew disappear, then you can eat it. Or, for example, if you are a legendary immortal, immune to all harm, you can eat them together freely."
"Or, for example, when this medicine is brewed by me, you can eat it."
Xu Mu said this, then took out a spoon and offered it to Nangong, his eyes as bright as stars, and smiled: Kanshige
"Try it? I guarantee it's not poisoned."
...
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