Chapter 4 The Victory and the Challenge
The fourth battle stage had its victor.
In the ruins of the pond, Nangong Huaitian, her cotton-and-linen white dress stained with blood, her exquisitely beautiful face emanating a sacred glow, had spiritual wings sprouting from her back.
Across from her, floating on the water's surface, was Cang, the ninth guardian of Zhongtian Mo Shi, hovering listlessly, on the verge of death.
It was clear that Nangong Huaitian had won.
Cang crushed the jade slip and was thus eliminated. The people of Zhongtian Mo Shi felt a touch of pity for this outcome, but they could do nothing about it. Cang was too heavily injured; even if he hadn't crushed the jade slip, after recovering, he wouldn't have been able to contend on other battle stages, as those opponents seemed even stronger than Nangong.
An eighth-place finish was already an excellent rank. The greatest hope of the Zhongtian Mo family for their young guardian was a top ten finish, which had now been achieved. Any further advancement would be pure bonus.
"Impressive."
Chen Changkong sat cross-legged by the pond, his sword qi subtly spreading, isolating all mist and pond water. He looked at Nangong Huaitian and praised her with a smile.
He had witnessed the entire battle between Nangong and Cang, and naturally, he felt a degree of admiration for Nangong. Cang was truly formidable, so much so that the sword at his waist vibrated, eager to be drawn.
But in the end, Nangong had won, without any luck involved, defeating Cang with absolute, overwhelming strength.
"If my senses are correct, you possess the bloodline of the Heavenly Phoenix, and that last cry seemed to be a phoenix's call?"
Upon hearing this, Nangong Huaitian stared at Chen Changkong with vigilance, her tone unfriendly, "That's none of your business."
"If you intend to play the role of the mantis stalking the cicada, then by all means, but I won't let you succeed."
Chen Changkong heard this, slowly stood up, and then calculated the time with a few finger gestures. He responded with a smile:
"Of course not, you've misunderstood. As I said, I just came to observe. Now that the time has come, I should be leaving."
"Your strength is formidable. If I hadn't promised a certain scoundrel that I would kill someone for him, I might have been tempted to test your mettle today. But alas, there are no 'ifs'."
Chen Changkong sighed, then leaped to the edge of the fourth Jade Pool, high above. He gazed at the second Jade Pool, a thousand meters away, and smiled faintly.
"Mu Xu, Xu Mu."
"I have arrived."
...
Between the second Jade Pool.
Xu Mu had lost count of how many times he had thrown a punch. Zuo Mingqiu, cornered by him, was being battered relentlessly, punch after punch landing with bone-jarring force.
Despite this, Zuo Mingqiu still refused to yield.
While parrying the physical attacks, he unleashed his spoken pronouncements, employing three thousand Daoist spells that carried immense destructive power, attempting to force Xu Mu back.
But with the experience from their first encounter, Xu Mu knew he absolutely could not let Zuo Mingqiu create distance. Thus, he was willing to endure the pain of taking damage to deny Zuo Mingqiu even a moment's respite.
For every ten punches Xu Mu landed, Zuo Mingqiu would unleash a Daoist spell, striking him. It could be a God-striking Whip, the terrifying bite of a monstrous beast, a mist that rendered his limbs weak and useless, or an illusion that briefly robbed him of control over his body.
But no matter what it was, Xu Mu endured it and continued his desperate suppression of Zuo Mingqiu.
Their battle raged on for another half an hour.
Both were severely wounded, even on the brink of death, yet they continued to fight, neither willing to concede.
But a victor had to emerge.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Mu's fists finally ceased. He seemed to have sensed something, or perhaps he had simply run out of strength. In any case, he stopped his assault. He staggered forward a couple of steps and collapsed against the wall with a thud.
Zuo Mingqiu, who had been cornered and pummeled, now had his arms covered in bloody, shredded flesh. The bones and protective Dao patterns on his body were shattered, his face unrecognizable.
He too, like a puddle of mud, leaned against the wall.
Their bodies pressed closely together, their only support seemingly that thick, sturdy wall.
"Who won?"
From outside the arena, countless people watched this scene, holding their breath, their expressions tense, afraid to make a sound.
The intensity of this battle far surpassed their wildest imaginations. They finally understood why Zuo Mingqiu was known as the First Lord of the Nine Heavens.
In this fight, he had summoned lightning from the heavens, unleashed earth fire in the pond, and cleaved a Dao sword through space. Trapped in a predicament, he had employed three thousand Daoist spells. His combat prowess was beyond anyone's wildest expectations.
Some, after witnessing this battle, had already declared Zuo Mingqiu to be the champion of this Wan Clan Alliance before the outcome was decided.
Yes, the vast majority believed Xu Mu could not defeat Zuo Mingqiu, for the latter's displayed talent was simply too terrifying, mastering seemingly all three thousand Great Daos.
In contrast, although Xu Mu also employed Bagua techniques and Daoist spells, he used them sparingly in the latter half of the battle, ultimately abandoning them to trade blows with his physical body. This approach lacked aesthetic appeal and was the complete opposite of Zuo Mingqiu's style.
However, a small minority of gifted individuals who understood the nuances of this battle believed Xu Mu would win.
One such person was the old Daoist from Tianshi Mountain.
"The Bagua he uses bears a striking resemblance to the incomplete inheritance left by the Ancestor of Dao. Its grade is even higher than the Bagua passed down by my master, True Lord Chunyang."
The old Daoist gazed at Xu Mu with a complex expression.
From the moment they had initially clashed, he had seen the clues. Regardless of the type of Daoist spell Zuo Mingqiu unleashed, its power seemed to be inexplicably weakened.
At first, he attributed this to the mystical environment of the Jade Pool, perhaps the world's Great Dao differed from the outside, thus weakening Zuo Mingqiu's spells.
But as Xu Mu also began to employ Daoist spells, the old Daoist realized he was mistaken.
Xu Mu's Bagua techniques appeared somewhat clumsy compared to Zuo Mingqiu's, as if he had only recently begun learning them. Yet, unexpectedly, no matter which direction he was in, he could execute surprising techniques, and their power was inexplicably potent.
The old Daoist looked at Xu Mu, filled with confusion.
For the same Li Fire technique, Xu Mu stood in the position of Kan, while Zuo Mingqiu stood in the position of Li. With equivalent cultivation, the fire spell unleashed by the former was even more potent than the latter's. How was this possible?
"Master, did Little Zuo win?" the Daoist nun Mu Qing asked anxiously, looking at the two figures in the Jade Pool, resembling the dead.
Her concern clouded her judgment, and she failed to notice the details of the positions.
"He likely lost. That boy's Bagua is rather peculiar," the old Daoist sighed, then irritably turned to the Wine Immortal, asking in a deep, telepathic tone, "Wine Immortal, you're paying such close attention to this battle. Do you know that Mu Xu fellow?"
The Wine Immortal took a sip of his wine and chuckled, "I don't know him."
Upon hearing this, the old Daoist jumped up, "Don't talk nonsense! Speak quickly! Which temple is this boy from? Who taught him this Bagua? Why haven't I seen it before?"
The Wine Immortal glanced at him and then chuckled, "Don't rush. You'll find out later."
Seeing that he could not extract any information, the old Daoist could only shake his head in resignation and turn his gaze back to the Jade Pool.
Other matters were not as important now.
What was important was that he, too, was unsure who had won between the two: the mysterious Mu Xu, or his grand-disciple Zuo Mingqiu?
This was also the question on the minds of all the cultivators attending the Wan Clan Alliance.
Xu Mu and Zuo Mingqiu, who had won and who had lost?
...
The answer to this question soon arrived.
After an immeasurable stretch of time, seemingly as long as an epoch, one of the two exhausted bodies in the Jade Pool finally stirred.
"Hoo..."
Xu Mu opened his eyes, enduring the searing pain from his body. He slowly pushed himself off the wall, stumbled a few times, and then managed to stand steadily in the pond.
He looked at Zuo Mingqiu, who also slowly raised his eyelids and gazed at him with difficulty. They stared at each other in silence.
After a moment, Xu Mu spoke:
"You lost."
"My physical body is stronger than yours, and it recovers faster. By trading injuries, if you couldn't trade yourself to death, then you would lose."
As Xu Mu spoke, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the bloody, mangled wound on his arm. The torn flesh was visibly growing back, blood surged, and his heart pounded like a thunder drum. It was evident that his injuries were healing bit by bit.
Conversely, Zuo Mingqiu grew weaker by the moment.
"It would be too unfair to eliminate you like this." Xu Mu stepped forward and retrieved Zuo Mingqiu's jade slip. Just as he was about to crush it, he stopped.
After some thought, Xu Mu decided to carry Zuo Mingqiu to the open ground outside the Jade Pool. After giving him some elixirs, Xu Mu allowed him to recover on his own. If the opportunity arose, Zuo Mingqiu could still challenge other Jade Pools for a chance to advance to the top four.
Having done all this, Xu Mu returned to the Jade Pool and, gazing from afar at Yan Yu, a thousand meters away, smiled faintly.
This battle, though hard-won, was ultimately his victory. Therefore, this second Jade Pool and the unclaimed city outside now belonged to him.
"Congratulations."
From a thousand meters away, Yan Yu's telepathic voice reached out, congratulating Xu Mu on his victory.
Before Xu Mu could reply, his expression suddenly turned sharp. He warned, "Be careful!"
Xu Mu paused, then looked back.
He saw a young man with a beard, riding a broadsword, flying directly towards him from the sky.
"Chen Changkong?"
Xu Mu was taken aback. Why was Chen Changkong here? Had he been eliminated?
However, there were no signs of battle on him, so he didn't seem to have been driven out of another Jade Pool.
"He didn't choose me. He chose the fourth battle stage along with Nangong Huaitian and Cang," Yan Yu's telepathic message continued to warn Xu Mu, his expression grave. "However, I don't know what transpired inside."
"All I know is that later, Cang was eliminated, and Nangong Huaitian remained inside, seemingly the victor."
"She won, then. That's good news."
Xu Mu nodded, then gazed intently at Chen Changkong. The latter had already landed on the ground below him and was sitting cross-legged beside Zuo Mingqiu, as if treating his injuries.
Injecting his innate energy, Chen Changkong dissolved the medicinal power of the elixirs, allowing Zuo Mingqiu to recover somewhat. Zuo Mingqiu then opened his eyes.
He saw the unharmed Chen Changkong before him.
Zuo Mingqiu blinked in surprise, instantly understanding what had happened. Enduring intense pain, he struggled to look up at Xu Mu, then recalled Zhou Jie.
At that moment, he seemed to grasp something.
Zuo Mingqiu lowered his head and, as if murmuring to himself, asked Chen Changkong weakly, "Why?"
"You know, I've been searching for a suitable sword for eleven years," Chen Changkong said with a complex expression and a sigh. "Three months ago, I found that sword, or rather, that sword found me."
"It is undoubtedly the most suitable sword for me, and one of the most powerful swords in this world, possessing a sword spirit."
Hearing this, Zuo Mingqiu asked, confused, "I still don't understand. What does this have to do with Mu Xu?"
"You sent Zhou Jie to fight him, lured me to expend my energy, and kept yourself in peak condition. What were you trying to achieve?"
Chen Changkong's expression turned serious.
"To kill him."
"Only after I kill him will that sword truly belong to me. This is a Heavenly Dao oath we made."
"To ensure safety, I had no choice but to do this, because I absolutely do not want to lose that sword. It is simply too perfect."
As Chen Changkong spoke, a hint of obsession flickered across his face. He involuntarily stopped circulating his energy, then stood up, his gaze burning as he looked up at Xu Mu.
Xu Mu met his gaze.
Chen Changkong smiled faintly, then drew the sword from his waist and asked, "Don't run. Do you dare?"
...