"She has finally drawn her weapon. Looks like you will have to fight."
"No matter what, Danxian is still strong."
Everyone was surprised when Yao Xian'er unsheathed her sword. It was already a sign that things had taken a different turn. The atmosphere, which had been heavy with anticipation, suddenly sharpened.
Whoosh…
On the other side, unlike the excited crowd, Su Min did not feel the slightest bit relaxed. She was certain that this woman had severed all her foundations, her physique, her divine abilities, and her cultivation base. But there was one thing she absolutely had not touched, her memories.
Memories were the foundation and anchor of a person's identity, so Yao Xian'er would not recklessly tamper with them. But as long as her memories remained intact, she still remembered all her techniques. This meant that even if she could not reach her former peak, she was still not to be underestimated.
That peak was undoubtedly the height of her original cultivation, but for someone like Su Min, who was only at the Golden Core stage, it was terrifying enough. What is more, Su Min was completely in the dark about Yao Xian'er's specific abilities.
"Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar!"
In that case, she could only fight using the method she was most familiar with. After all, she had not prepared any specific countermeasures against Yao Xian'er. When she fought the Great Desolate Holy Body before, her tailored countermeasures had given her a perfect opportunity to strike. But against this woman, she had nothing prepared. It was pure improvisation.
"One Sword Condenses the Heavens, Nine Phoenixes Take Form!"
At that moment, milky white light shimmered around Yao Xian'er, and a massive white phoenix, even larger than the Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar, materialized in the sky. The spectators were stunned. Summoning a giant entity was not unusual, most of them had inherited similar abilities. But this was not a summoned creature.
It was purely a manifestation of sword intent. Sword intent materialization was not something even a Nascent Soul cultivator could achieve, let alone a Golden Core cultivator. It required an extremely high level of swordsmanship and years of accumulation.
Su Min could do something similar, but only by drawing on the Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon legacies. Even then, her creations were small, just a few meters tall. They were nothing compared to this white phoenix that spanned over a hundred meters. What was even stranger was that she felt no killing intent from it, only a profound and immense pressure.
"Her swordsmanship surpasses mine. Trying to match an old monster like her in swordplay is suicide. There is only one path left, no hesitation."
Seeing this, Su Min had already made up her mind, brute force would have to suffice.
[Heavenly Life Sacrifice Pill (Fourth-tier, High-grade): After consumption, the user sacrifices a large amount of lifespan. For Golden Core cultivators, it grants power surpassing the Golden Core stage for a short duration.]
In that instant, another pill appeared in her hand, and she swallowed it without a second thought.
Boom!
A violent surge of energy erupted within the arena. Su Min's power instantly broke through the Golden Core barrier, officially entering the Nascent Soul stage. The air around her crackled with unrestrained power.
"This girl is insane! That pill she just took trades lifespan for power, does not it? The reward for first place must be something she can not refuse. There is only one possibility…"
Feeling Su Min's growing aura and the Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar flaring wildly behind her, Yao Xian'er felt a jolt of awe. For cultivators, lifespan was the most precious thing of all. Yet this woman was willing to burn hers away. What kind of determination was that?
At this point, Yao Xian'er had already guessed what Su Min desired.
For a Five Elements Holy Body to reach perfection, one had to gather all five divine treasures. But these treasures were rare and nearly impossible to obtain. Throughout history, there might have been many Five Elements Holy Bodies, but most had exhausted their lifespans without ever collecting all the treasures. So, the only thing that could drive Su Min to such extremes was something related to these treasures.
"She figured it out. Damn it. If others could not detect the side effects of my pills, I could have treated them like snacks."
Seeing Yao Xian'er's shocked expression, Su Min knew she had been exposed. But for her, this was actually the smallest price to pay. Though she spent most of her time in seclusion or refining artifacts, she had genuinely lived for several hundred years. If it were anyone else, reaching the Golden Core limit would have meant their vitality was already declining. But Su Min showed no signs of aging, she had nothing to fear.
"This strike has to completely destroy that condensed white phoenix. Then I will figure out the rest."
With that thought, Su Min's hands moved rapidly, forming seals. The already massive Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar grew even more imposing before transforming into a streak of light, charging straight at the white phoenix.
Since this was a sword intent manifestation, and Su Min had temporarily reached the Nascent Soul stage, she was not afraid to clash head on, not just with the white phoenix, but even the Great Desolate Holy Body's Dharma Body.
"Hmph."
Seeing Su Min's attack, Yao Xian'er did not waste words. With a swing of her sword, the massive white phoenix collided with the flaming bird.
BOOM!
A dazzling explosion engulfed the entire area, and the resulting shockwave forced Su Min to retreat rapidly. But at that moment, a sense of danger struck her. Without time to react, she instinctively raised her sword to block.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring echoed as Yao Xian'er's arm went numb from the impact. Another strike followed, forcing her to block again. No matter what, she was still only a Golden Core cultivator, limited by her physical body. She could not afford to let these attacks land. But Su Min's assault came like a storm, relentless and overwhelming.
Clang!
Another collision rang out as Su Min gritted her teeth. The earlier explosion had only been a distraction. Even if it meant taking heavy damage, she had to close the distance. The cost? She had swallowed another recovery pill and, upon closing in, taken a third.
"Just as I suspected. As a Spirit Dao Body, even if you have lived a second life, you still have a major weakness, your physical body is not strong enough."
Su Min stared intently at Yao Xian'er. The Omni Spirit Dao Body's greatest strength lay in amplifying spells, so its cultivation naturally focused on spellcasting. Even in her second life, Yao Xian'er had not made up for this deficiency.
It was not that she did not know, it was that each life had to focus on a different aspect. Only when all her lives merged would she achieve true perfection. But for now, this flaw remained. And Su Min's plan was simple, overwhelm her with sheer force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of collisions reverberated through the space. Yao Xian'er's physical body was indeed her weak point, but that did not mean she was weak. Though Su Min had her completely suppressed, Yao Xian'er was far from being completely overwhelmed.
"She was definitely holding back against me. The cost of that pill must be enormous…"
Tian Hao watched the relentless exchange with a grave expression. Back then, Su Min had not taken the pill that boosted her to the Nascent Soul stage, yet she had still fought him evenly. Now, with this power surge, she could have crushed him. As a pure body cultivator, even he would not have been able to withstand such an onslaught.
But Yao Xian'er stood firm like a reef amidst a storm, unmoved no matter how fiercely Su Min attacked. Her body was indeed a shortcoming, but it was not a fatal flaw. If anything, her current performance was already terrifying.
"Go! Crush her!"
"Danxian, go harder!!"
"I love watching women fight!"
The stands had long erupted into chaos, with nearly everyone cheering for Su Min. There were two reasons for this.
First, Su Min had few enemies. As an alchemist, most people avoided conflict with her unless it involved core inheritances. Plus, so many had sought her pill refining services that over ninety percent of the participants owed her favors.
Second, it was simple human nature.
It was like a dangerous game. When the odds are overwhelmingly against someone, people secretly hope for an upset. When a dominant force appears unbeatable, the crowd naturally starts rooting for the underdog to triumph.
People crave unexpected twists.
And since Yao Xian'er had been overwhelmingly dominant until now, everyone was eager to see her fall. Naturally, they cheered for Su Min.
But.
Clang!
After this final collision, Yao Xian'er finally lost her grip on her sword. Half of her arm had gone numb from Su Min's repeated strikes. Because of her absolute confidence in her Omni Spirit Resonance, she had not prepared many contingency measures. Now, Su Min's relentless trump cards had pushed her to this point.
This time, as Su Min's body flashed with cyan light, Yao Xian'er's sword was sent flying from her hand.
"Damn it!!!"
Realizing her situation, Yao Xian'er tried to summon another sword. But before she could, Su Min aimed a small, unassuming gourd at her.
BOOM!
A black streak of lightning flashed, and a deafening explosion filled the air. Yao Xian'er, clad in white, was sent flying, her pristine robes now stained with scorch marks and splashes of her own blood.
Silence.
The cheers died instantly.
Apart from Xie Yingying, everyone stared in shock at the scene, even Tian Hao, who had fought Su Min before, twitched at the sight.
"Demon Slaying Thunder?"
"That is right. Not Black Demon Thunder or Dark Demon Thunder, this is the true Demon Slaying Thunder from the Ninety Nine Heavenly Tribulation. She still had this up her sleeve?"
"I think she is the one with the real mysteries. How the hell did she control this?"
After a long pause, someone finally muttered in disbelief. Their reaction was not unwarranted. Everyone present knew of the Ninety Nine Heavenly Tribulation, and many had witnessed, or even endured, its terrifying lightning.
To survive those three strikes, they had exhausted every means at their disposal. So, like Su Min, every survivor of the Nine Nine Heavenly Tribulation feared the Demon Slaying Thunder.
And the attack just now was clearly more powerful than the final strike of the tribulation. Back then, they had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage, so the lightning had not manifested its full might.
But now?
How the hell had she managed this?
"That little gourd… it is definitely no ordinary treasure."
"Must be…"
"Speaking of which, Yao Xian'er is ridiculously strong too. She actually survived a direct hit from Demon Slaying Thunder."
After the initial shock, the crowd was stunned again. Because Yao Xian'er had not been eliminated, she had actually endured the strike. That was downright terrifying.
Under normal circumstances, even the Great Desolate Holy Body, renowned for its physical resilience, would have struggled to remain in the arena after taking a point blank Demon Slaying Thunder strike.
"Both of them are freaks."
"Yeah."
By now, everyone agreed. Whether it was Su Min, who could wield Demon Slaying Thunder, or Yao Xian'er, who could survive it, neither was normal.
"Huff… huff… It has been so long since I have felt like this."
Yao Xian'er spat out a mouthful of blood. At the last moment, she had released a portion of her origin power to survive the attack. This origin power was her final lifeline, reserved for true emergencies. Yet now, a Golden Core cultivator had forced her to use it. If word got out, she would become a laughingstock.
What is more, origin power was extremely precious to her. Recovering even this small expenditure would take years. And her origin power was tightly sealed, this was the maximum she could access under these conditions. To unlock more, she would need at least an hour or two in seclusion. When she had spoken of "fully ascending," she had meant unleashing this power. In the end, her overconfidence had been her downfall. She had not prepared enough safeguards.
"Not enough!!!"
Su Min clenched her fists. The effects of her pill were about to wear off. Though she could not understand how Yao Xian'er had tanked the Demon Slaying Thunder with her body, as long as she was still here, there was no choice but to keep fighting. In that instant, the pendant around her neck glowed brilliantly, enveloping Yao Xian'er in a five colored light.
"Five Elements Killing Array!"
Su Min activated it once more, her final trump card. If Yao Xian'er recovered, the consequences would be unthinkable. So now, she had to go all out.
The Five Elements Killing Array encased Yao Xian'er as three glowing feathers descended from above, transforming into streaks of light that slammed into the formation with devastating force.
For a brief moment, Yao Xian'er felt a sense of déjà vu.
How many years had it been?
A hundred? Two hundred? A thousand? Two thousand? Even ten thousand?
She could not remember, it had been too long.
But at that moment, a faint golden light enveloped her, and her body vanished from the arena. The Golden Core Heavenly Ranking had judged her unable to continue and had ejected her to safety. The battle was over.
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