Chapter 324: A Friendly Spar (Ten-Thousand-Character Chapter)

"Damn! How is his luck so good?!"

"Rigged! It must be rigged!"

"He can even pick up a leak like this? I want that too!"

Some Nascent Soul perfection geniuses who were carrying injuries couldn't help but say this, their mental states momentarily crumbling a little; conversely, those at the late Nascent Soul stage were able to keep their composure regarding this situation.

Because they had seen it with their own eyes, after fighting in pairs, they all subconsciously believed that in the upcoming rounds, it might not be their turn to duel Du En.

Their strength and methods, or rather their trump cards, clearly didn't match up!

Therefore, the ones most concerned about Du En right now were those at Nascent Soul perfection.

Because no matter what, in the sixth round, during the competition for the top twenty, nine times out of ten, one of them would run into Du En!

For this reason, in this fifth round, it was of course better to exhaust Du En as much as possible, to make him reveal as much of his strength as possible; in any case, they just couldn't let him have it too easy!

It would be best if they could pick up a leak themselves, with an opponent who was a Nascent Soul mid-stage straggler... and then, it was Du En who picked up this leak!

It was no wonder they were losing their composure now.

Du En hadn't expected this either, so amidst the smiles of his very cheerful subordinates working for free, he stepped off the floating pillar and simultaneously sent a voice transmission to Meng Changqing.

"You did this?"

"If she can do it, why can't I?"

Meng Changqing answered very matter-of-factly, "You are early Nascent Soul, he is mid Nascent Soul; now it is perfectly comparable, very suitable and reasonable."

After saying this, he couldn't help but complain: "Also, that early Nascent Soul facade of yours—basically no one believes it now. Why not just be direct and stop pretending? It's a bit too much like 'the thief has a guilty conscience'."

"Let's see how things go after this match."

Du En replied casually.

As his methods were continuously exposed, the cultivation base he displayed on the surface would naturally be doubted and questioned; in any case, basically no one treated him as an early Nascent Soul anymore, but rather as a top-ten candidate and a dark horse contender for the championship.

After the hurried chat, he stepped into the arena.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

As soon as he entered, he saw Jia Yao coughing up blood, so he couldn't help but lower his altitude, land on the ground, and take out a medicinal pill to swallow.

Du En did not launch a sudden attack; he landed smoothly and said to him: "Brother Jia Yao, are you alright?"

Alright!

Of course he was alright!

How could he say he wasn't!

Jia Yao was refining the healing pill, a trace of unnatural crimson appearing on his face; his mental state was clearly also a bit abnormal. Hearing Du En's words, he subconsciously revealed a nervous and resistant expression.

But he immediately recovered, the crimson faded, and the turbulence of his magic power calmed down slightly.

Looking at Du En, who was as calm and relaxed as ever, with no injuries at all, he cupped his hands in greeting and smiled bitterly: "I have let Talent Du see a joke."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh: "To have made it to this stage is already the result of my greatest efforts. To finally be able to spar with Talent Du, even if it ends in defeat, when I return to Hub City, I can still show off and make people marvel and admire. It can be said that this trip was not in vain!"

Besides this, there was another most important point.

Du En would hold back!

In the end, he wouldn't suffer injuries that would shake his foundations and require decades of recovery to return to normal, so there were actually plenty of envious and jealous gazes being cast from outside the arena right now.

They wished they could take his place!

Let me have such a good thing; anyway, there's no way I could win!

Hearing the implication in Jia Yao's words, Du En only nodded slightly: "In other words, just a friendly spar?"

"It would be my greatest honor!"

Jia Yao immediately roused his remaining strength, trying his best to present his current best posture.

"Please."

Both sides rose into the air again, while the onlookers, by unspoken consensus, were uninterested.

An exhibition match!

There was nothing to see here; should they just go back to heal?

Forget it, they were already out, so it wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer. Besides, who said you couldn't heal while staying here? At most, you could only heal normally.

The geniuses thought this way and few left their seats; most just sat cross-legged on the spot, popping pills to heal while paying attention to the dueling arena.

Treating it as a moment of leisure and relaxation.

And this attitude of theirs naturally made Jia Yao feel bothered.

After all, he had been collectively underestimated without even realizing it!

Although the facts were basically that, he had his own pride, so he couldn't bear it and immediately decided to grit his teeth and hold on, to display his own style and make people look at him with respect.

Rumble!

As Jia Yao roused his remaining power, dark clouds immediately covered the sky, and there were bursts of muffled thunder.

Although Du En was only responding with the attitude of a spar, he didn't actually hold back too much, so ten thousand magic tools were controlled and rose up simultaneously, making the people outside the arena feel a jolt of spirit.

Are they playing this seriously even for an exhibition match?

Jia Yao's attitude changed slightly, revealing a trace of gratitude, and he even forced himself to continue performing his thunder techniques as a response to Du En's respect.

Come, thunder!

Crack!

A silvery-white light exploded. Jia Yao was in the air, and his own cultivation method, the thoroughly mastered *Classic of Startling Thunder*, was already being executed at full power. As he raised his hands high, streaks of thunder like snakes poured out from the dark clouds.

It was his signature opening move, the top-grade spell: Silver Thunder White Lightning!

This minor-success technique still appeared extraordinary, fully displaying the majestic killing power of thunder techniques, making Du En feel only a dazzling silver-white before his eyes, with bursts of thunder sounding as if they were constantly exploding in his ears, shaking his mind.

However, while it could blind others, it could not blind Du En, and those thunderous sounds could not make him change his expression in the slightest.

He simply met it head-on, the ten thousand controlled items roaring as they rose, complex spiritual light and various manifestations dragging along a might not inferior to the thunder, charging directly forward.

At the same time, another spell was cast; one could see grass and trees forming a forest, growing directly beneath Jia Yao's body.

The giant trees grew upward, rapidly reaching the height where he was located.

Jia Yao naturally dared not underestimate this top-tier spell that had just entered the threshold; after all, he was currently tattered and covered in wounds. Never mind one that had entered the threshold, even a top-tier spell he had just learned, if it struck him squarely, might cause him to fizzle out on the spot!

Moreover, how could he not have paid attention to Du En's first match?

The "Grass and Trees Form a Forest" was secondary; the key was the accompanying "Spell-Devouring Spirit-Piercing"!

This top-tier spell could be said to be exceptionally threatening to injured geniuses!

Therefore, without a word, Jia Yao immediately gritted his teeth. While maintaining the Silver Thunder White Lightning to lock horns with the Myriad Control Art, he repeatedly cast more lightning spells.

Rumble!

The Space-Locking White Lightning, which seals space, was the first to descend from the sky. As thick as an adult's forearm, it swayed to form a massive net connecting heaven and earth. It did not cover Du En, but rather covered himself.

He also had to be vigilant against the tactic Du En used in his second match, where he used the "Grass and Trees Form a Forest" as cover to close the distance and get in his face!

In fact, just as the Space-Locking White Lightning fell, Du En's figure leaped out from the periphery of its enclosure.

You really are coming!

Jia Yao broke out in a cold sweat; the watching geniuses were gradually becoming serious.

Because Du En seemed to be playing for real!

The "Grass and Trees Form a Forest" ultimately did not reach Jia Yao, because while he was channeling the Space-Locking White Lightning, he also—while bleeding—used a move he had employed in the third round.

Startling Thunder White Blade!

A top-tier spell, executed with practiced ease. From the dark clouds high above, a white blade of lightning fell; the sound of alarm rose, and it arrived instantly.

Although Jia Yao was currently a paper tiger, Du En's "Grass and Trees Form a Forest" was indeed too crude, so it was slashed through and left nothing but a field of stumps on the spot.

The Startling Thunder White Blade vanished after the strike, and Du En used spatial movement to land on the ground elsewhere, making people's hearts skip a beat.

Because immediately following that, one after another, Profound Armor Giant Statues rose from the earth, their black armor cold and majestic.

The key was that Du En himself was also wrapped inside.

Immediately afterward, a sandstorm swirled, layering an outer shell of sand over the Profound Armor Giant Statues, making it so that one could only see the eerie and unfathomable giant statues, but could not see the specific situation inside at all.

Jia Yao's heart hammered. Watching the giant statues surround and attack, he could not judge whether Du En was still in his original spot. Thinking of Su Wanhe's previous Crimson Flame Guan Blade, he hurriedly donned a suit of white lightning armor first.

Still feeling insecure, several protective artifacts that were battered and bruised—having appeared in both the third and fourth rounds—floated out; among them were even two that Du En had refined himself.

And even with so many layers of insurance, Jia Yao still seemed to feel it wasn't enough. So, gritting his teeth and showing a look of obvious pain, amidst the curiosity of the spectators and the watchful gaze of Du En, who had long been circling and waiting for an opportunity, he took out a talisman.

"A Talisman Treasure!"

"The combination of the path of talismans and the path of artifact refining. And it's not an ordinary artifact-talisman, but a treasure-talisman—a Talisman Treasure."

"I was wondering why he dared to court humiliation; so he still had a trump card he hadn't used. No, it might also be one he just refined. After all, it's a Talisman Treasure, a thing that uses someone else's magic treasure to refine a talisman. If the techniques aren't consistent, it's very hard to refine."

"That's the logic!"

The geniuses chatted like this, faintly adding a layer of seriousness.

And Jia Yao had already activated this Talisman Treasure, which he had indeed refined not long ago but hadn't used in the previous match. It was a Talisman Treasure left behind by a fellow Nascent Soul genius, and its technique was indeed vastly different from his own: the Threefold Treasure Pagoda!

A phantom pagoda emitting a soft golden light appeared, possessing three levels in total. It directly covered him, instantly calming his mind and spirit, leaving his expression serene.

The so-called "Threefold" means to eliminate all distracting thoughts and make the mind calm; it is a type of cultivation method from the Buddhist sect. Nowadays, only the Immortal Sect is the exoteric school, dominating the entire region, so the Talisman Treasure Jia Yao obtained was not the original authentic version, but a modified one, which also had additional practical efficacy and power.

That is, it can eliminate all external mental interference and reject the disturbance of various external forces.

The so-called "holding the heart and guarding the upright, external demons cannot invade"—that is the essence of this Threefold Treasure Pagoda and the newly compiled Threefold Dharma Canon!

Du En did not see this at a glance, and the intelligence information provided by Meng Changqing also lacked this aspect, but at this moment, he could infer a thing or two from Jia Yao's state and his expression of suddenly letting out a sigh of relief.

Thus, after thinking for a moment, he sent a Crimson Flame Guan Blade over to actually test it out.

Clang!

The Crimson Flame Guan Blade, which came through the air and shattered space, broke through the Space-Locking White Lightning and struck the Threefold Treasure Pagoda, immediately emitting the sound of a tolling bell, after which the Guan Blade shattered and the faint light flowed back.

It was indeed a terrifying defense; the grade was at the high-tier of the fourth rank, corresponding to the fact that the original owner of this treasure should have been at least a late-stage Nascent Soul genius cultivator.

Facing this situation, Du En, while driving the many giant statues, rumbled forward with big strides, wrapped in a sandstorm, and punched the lightning light, directly forcibly breaking through the Space-Locking White Lightning.

At the same time, not giving Jia Yao any room to make another move, he immediately used another trick.

Ding!

It was as if the air had gone still; the darkness of the cloud-covered sky dissipated in the blink of an eye.

The sunlight of the small world poured down once again, causing Jia Yao and the others to involuntarily look up, only to immediately see a large area of replacing shadows, bringing heavy pressure and dispersing the clouds and thunder along the way.

Falling Meteorite Rock!

It crashed through the thunderclouds and extinguished the Silver Thunder White Lightning. Only the Space-Locking White Lightning, relying on the outer cloud layer, barely managed to maintain itself, but it was already wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, twisted and deformed, and shattered as soon as it was pulled by a Profound Armor Giant Statue!

Jia Yao's expression was somewhat panicked. Clearly, he was now in the same situation as Tang Mingshan in the second round, also having forced himself into a position where he could only desperately hold on!

Hold on then...

Jia Yao gritted his teeth, not wanting to admit defeat. After all, the people outside were watching closely; whether he could make them look at him with respect depended on this very moment!

He directly took out his only remaining healing and recovery precious pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

Immediately following that, the meteorite rock fell.

It slammed heavily onto the Threefold Treasure Pagoda.

Boom!

"Pfft!"

Jia Yao couldn't help but exhale, spraying out quite a bit of pill dregs, and then blood followed.

But, I will hold on!

Jia Yao refused to admit defeat and forcibly swallowed the pill dregs mixed with blood, thus gaining a bit of new help; the Threefold Treasure Pagoda, which had been slightly dim, became bright again.

Since he was stubbornly hiding in his turtle shell and wouldn't move or admit defeat, Du En had nothing more to say and directly launched a dense bombardment, smashing him so hard he had no strength to do anything else!

Meteorite Rock, rapid-fire!

At the same time, he manipulated the Profound Armor Giant Statues, striking in one go to dismantle the Lock-Void White Lightning, and also commanded his magical artifacts to tear apart and devour the last remaining dark clouds in the sky, leaving only the Meteor Rock as the sole protagonist of the heavens!

"Hiss!"

"Is he really this ruthless even when beating a cripple?"

"This Du Yingcai, I feel like only two words can describe him."

"Ruthless!"

The crowd of geniuses watching the spectacle immediately began chattering; they stopped meditating to heal their wounds, stood up straight to crowd the railings, pointing and gesturing with tongues clicking in astonishment.

That Du En clearly only needed to wear him down slowly, and Jia Yao would have been at his wit's end, but the result was like this—once the fight truly began, it was like a tsunami, wave after wave, without the slightest mercy, as if he meant to smash his opponent to death on the shore.

This still had a little something to do with him, as they were relatively close to each other, both being from that Southern region; if they were to meet later, and there was no connection between them, wouldn't it be even more intense, unfolding like a true gale and raging sea?

Just thinking about it made his stomach ache, as if the one frantically taking pills and violently ravaging his stomach right now wasn't Jia Yao, but himself!

"What are you all jabbering about!"

Hearing this chatter, Xiong Fa became displeased; he pressed his large face directly against the railing, glaring at the places where those voices were coming from.

"That's right, being so gossipy all day, without a shred of heroic spirit—is this what you call a genius?"

Hao Liaoxue directly began to taunt them, yet with his upright appearance and stern demeanor, he looked like a righteous mountain peak, as if what he was saying were the absolute truth, making others feel a bit lacking in confidence.

After all, asking themselves, being this gossipy, it really didn't seem like the proper behavior for a genius, did it?

One could only say that the influence of the Grand Competition on their mindset was actually mimicking the past, attempting to recreate the mental journey of the elites who came before.

They were speechless, choking on their words in resentment.

And once this retort was finished, what followed was a dignified counterattack!

Consequently, Xiong Fa was pulled aside by Su Wanhe, who took the primary position, standing upright and heroic, speaking with righteous indignation: "It is he, Jia Yao, who wants to display his character and tenacity, not that my Lord Du Yingcai, Lord Du, is insisting on exterminating him. What do you call this? This is called respect!"

One Xiong Fa could stand for two and a half people, so after being pulled away, Ying Dongqing had room to stand as well.

She was not aggressive, but simply asked in return: "Or are you saying that when you geniuses encounter my Lord, he needs to let you win?"

Oh my!

What kind of talk is this!

I need him to let me win?

It is simply ridiculous to the extreme!

The geniuses laughed in extreme anger, their faces twitching, and then they suddenly became filled with heroic spirit.

"The two Junior Sisters speak quite well!"

"Du Yingcai is indeed without fault; it was we who were reckless!"

"However, we are not clowns; this talk of needing him to yield is not something to be spoken of carelessly!"

They straightened themselves out, suppressing the noise, and for a moment their momentum surged, showing off their own formidable strength, shaking Xiong Fa and Hao Liaoxue—who still wanted to say something—into feeling a bit guilty.

If they were to mock them further, would it cause them to vent their anger on the Lord and start thinking about using underhanded tactics?

Also, just like this, it seemed, perhaps, maybe, they had been a hindrance?

Who told this group to be not the previous elites, but geniuses who had gone a step further!

Thinking this, they felt increasingly guilty and immediately suppressed the words they had originally wanted to say.

The disturbance outside the arena was thus quelled, and the desperate resistance inside was gradually reaching its end.

Meteor Rocks crashed down one after another, accompanied by the surrounding Profound Armor Giant Statues; the sandstorm grew wider and more intense, and the swarm of magical artifacts circled and hovered, truly chilling to the bone.

Most crucially, there were the stealthy Spirit-Devouring Needles, which, in the gaps between the Meteor Rocks smashing into the Three-Flavor Treasure Pagoda, swarmed up to frantically devour Jia Yao's magic power, causing the power he had just obtained from crazily consuming pills to rapidly drain away.

Thus, when the fifth Meteor Rock fell, the Three-Flavor Treasure Pagoda finally collapsed, turning into a much dimmer talisman that drifted away; it could be used at most one or two more times.

The Meteor Rocks ceased, and the magical artifacts attacked, finally able to reach Jia Yao.

But he still did not want to admit defeat at this moment, because the more he fought, the more stirred his emotions became; he only wanted to fight on magnificently, drawing cheers from outside the arena, which became the firewood for his fierce battle, burning ever brighter!

It seems that if he isn't beaten down in one wave, this guy will get carried away and ignore his injuries and foundation.

Thinking this, Du En began to gather his strength.

As for Jia Yao, his protective magical artifacts were outnumbered and were instantly submerged and shredded by the opponent's artifacts.

However, he was already prepared; at this moment, he channeled his cultivation to its peak of excitement, his pupils bursting with light, and that suit of thunderous attire faintly took on the appearance of a crown and sash, covering him so that he truly resembled a god of thunder, high and unreachable, untouchable by mortals.

He strode forward, his attire cracked by the onslaught of the artifact swarm, and the thunder began to extinguish.

Having barely survived this wave of artifact bombardment, what followed were pairs of giant fists that beat him like a floating ball of electricity, causing him to bounce continuously in the sky.

A sandstorm enveloped him, hiding the Spirit-Devouring Needles, striking and wearing down his White Lightning attire from all directions, and preventing him from even using spatial movement to escape.

Truly miserable!

Seeing this, the genius spectators outside the arena couldn't help but start whispering again.

However, Jia Yao did not fall silent just yet.

"Hah!"

He let out an angry shout like a thunderclap, and the blood-stained Thunder-Command Seal flew out, towering and majestic, as if forged from thunder; at this moment, its light blazed, suddenly evolving into a realm of thunder, instantly shattering the sandstorm and scattering the Spirit-Devouring Needles.

For a time, thunder connected heaven and earth, spiraling and roaring; everywhere was nothing but thunder—silvery-white righteous thunder, dark-black evil thunder, five-colored Five-Elements thunder, as well as light, darkness, ice, wind, and all sorts of other thunders gathered within.

It was truly a world of thunder!

Although most were only in their infancy, without even the actual thunder seeds sprouted, it was enough to glimpse the terror of the future; if he continued along this path, upon reaching the Integration Stage, he could truly open up a real Thunder Realm!

Such lofty ambitions!

The geniuses couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

What a satisfying fight!

Jia Yao felt only generosity and high spirits at this moment.

He looked at the silent Profound Armor Giant Statues on the ground, wanting only to find where Du En was so he could have a satisfying fight with him.

After all, in a few more breaths, he would collapse!

Fortunately, Du En never intended to let him drag it out.

The build-up and accumulation of power complete, it was released at this moment.

The fully mastered Meteor Rock Art, and what's more, ten falling in succession!

Forty zhang in size, with a mottled, charred black shell and flowing crimson, when earth reaches its extreme it begins to carry additional attributes; it truly was a meteor falling from the heavens, heated by friction, unstoppable!

Before the meteor arrived, its pressure arrived first, smashing the Thunder Realm in the air directly onto the ground, first creating a giant crater, causing Jia Yao to look up in horror.

Roaring and brandishing thunder, he was currently facing the might of the heavens!

Watching this scene, the group of geniuses now only had one thing they wanted to say.

What are you pretending to be an early-stage Nascent Soul for? Is this something an early-stage can accomplish?!

You're simply treating us like fools!

They had suspected it for a long time; after all, that thing called the Myriad Control Art is not something a normal early-stage Nascent Soul can truly master, and even if one could barely manage it, it would be quite superficial.

Of course, if it were only to that extent, they still wouldn't have been overly suspicious.

After all, it was possible that Du En's magic power was exceptionally vast, who knows?

But now, looking at those meteor rocks, they no longer believed he was in the early stage!

If I could have done something like this when I was in the early stage, I would have laughed until I bloomed while cultivating!

However.

This really is my full strength for the early stage.

Du En controlled his level very strictly, and the reason he could still have such a performance was purely because his magic power was too vast, and his accumulation was growing deeper and deeper.

Of course, there was no need to explain anything.

The thought was like a dragonfly skimming the water, flashing by, and then, he watched the ten great meteor rocks smash heavily onto the Thunder Realm.

Boom—!

"Ah!!!"

Jia Yao roared, struggling to resist, but the Thunder Realm was still covered in cracks, unable to compete.

Thus, before it shattered, when the fourth meteor rock made contact, Du En nonchalantly dispelled it.

Whoosh—

The scorching, flowing-magma meteor suddenly turned into warm, hot dust, blowing gently, which made Jia Yao freeze in a daze, and then the Thunder Realm, which had long since reached its limit, retracted itself, and the Thunder-Command Seal, having sustained some damage, landed with a clatter.

He himself also collapsed on the spot.

Damn it!

Don't collapse!

At least take back your magic treasure before collapsing!

The group of geniuses were not surprised by this result, but at this moment, they couldn't help but roar inside.

That Thunder Realm's momentum was truly extraordinary; if it fell into Du En's hands, hiss! I dare not imagine it!

If they weren't unable to intervene right now, these guys would all want to show some fellow-disciple camaraderie and kindly go in to stuff the Thunder-Command Seal back into Jia Yao's stomach.

Unfortunately, the people outside the arena could not intervene at all.

Therefore, Du En still appeared in front of that small seal.

In their unspeakable gazes, he picked it up.

A truly good magic treasure, it's mine now.

Even though it was silent, they seemed to hear this sentence, and suddenly they only wanted to sigh, not wanting to look directly, with all sorts of emotions in their hearts.

"Brother Jia Yao, how do you feel?"

Du En scanned the Thunder-Command Seal with his divine sense while walking toward Jia Yao, then asked.

"Still, still okay, many thanks to Talent Du, for showing mercy in the end..."

Jia Yao was now so miserable he couldn't even move, lying in a pool of blood, only able to barely make a sound.

But don't look at how tragic he appeared; in reality, the injuries hadn't touched his foundation at all, that is to say, the Nascent Soul of Nascent Soul stage cultivators, so it was actually heavy but not major; after going back to recuperate for a year or a year and a half, he would be able to recover as before.

So Du En nodded and handed the Thunder-Command Seal in his hand to him.

"... Talent Du, you shouldn't have picked it up to return it to me."

Hm?

In an instant, before Du En could react, a sheet of white light suddenly occupied his field of vision!

The people outside the arena were also caught off guard, all suddenly and subconsciously leaning close to the railing, and even if they could only see a vast expanse of white, they were all using various methods to peer carefully.

Even the four candidates for victory who were sitting steadily on the fishing platform appeared once again.

"What is going on here?!"

Xiong Fa was shocked, and the other three also had sudden changes in expression.

The other geniuses were also unable to find the reason, one after another frowning and thinking hard.

"Is that, the Annihilation Death Ray?"

One candidate for victory spoke hesitantly.

A quasi-True Monarch was furious.

"Huiqing, are you ever going to stop!"

Meng Changqing was first stunned, then suddenly realized, becoming aware of where the key lay!

Emotion-Will Deposit!

Hidden murderous intent!

The previous Wang Gu was a bluff to attract attention; the real killing move was Ye Buhui, who only struck one sword, coming solely to kill, but she actually had another hand prepared, and that was Jia Yao, the dark piece buried in Southern Pivot City.

By casting the secret technique of Emotion-Will Deposit before the competition, she created a Jia Yao who was false on the outside but true and unmistakable, through all the various, extremely real foreshadowing from before.

Until this match, Du En had actually been able to withstand that sword strike, only then did True Monarch Huiqing secretly make a move, activating this chess piece to return the deposited emotions and desires, letting Jia Yao return to his original self.

In every aspect, there was actually no change, only that he knew his own identity, understood his own goal, and mastered a suicidal secret technique that, by annihilating and perishing with everything he had, would erupt into that beam of death light!

Losing to Du En, the dharma treasure falling, the path paved along the way, without arousing suspicion, and then, a sudden attack!

It succeeded!

True Monarch Huiqing only thought this, and the sense of crisis lingering in her heart began to dissipate.

As for this posture of Meng Changqing wanting to fight her to the death, it was not much of a problem; even if he was of supreme talent and a polymath, now that her true body had broken through the barrier early, she could only fight to a draw with her, a mid-stage Integration talent.

Once the initial momentum passed and the anger began to subside, the other True Monarchs would start to mediate; it was impossible to let them truly fight to the death.

True Monarch Zhuding and True Monarch Buyi stared at each other, already preparing to act according to the unspoken rules between them.

But at this moment, True Monarch Chengru spoke up: "Eh? He is not dead yet."

Once these words were spoken, Meng Changqing immediately calmed down, and True Monarch Huiqing suddenly shifted her gaze to watch.

The other two True Monarchs also immediately focused their attention, and then, they saw that within that death light, Du En appeared to have had most of his body destroyed in an instant, but relying quickly on his Great Success Unending Azure Spirit Body and the defense of his natal dharma treasure, the Azure Crimson Palace, he began to engage in a tug-of-war with it.

The "Endless Life" had already taken shape, the Azure Crimson Palace changed in a thousand ways, the forms of various dharma treasures were revealed, and although it was difficult to take shape, the artifact prohibitions with the faint light as their bones were consuming the death light while being destroyed.

Jia Yao was already dead, so that Annihilation Death Light lacked follow-up power, which was why he was able to forcefully endure it, unending and unceasing, rapidly growing his body back.

Finally, the death light was exhausted and destroyed.

Du En could not help but rest his hands on his knees; although his expression was calm, he could not help but pant.

The Azure Crimson Dharma Robe gradually solidified; with it covering him, he would not be left exposed, and the storage bag was also protected, so nothing was wrong, and all his belongings were safe and sound.

"Hahaha! For all your painstaking efforts, in the end, it was all for nothing!"

Meng Changqing laughed and mocked True Monarch Huiqing, while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Damn it, he had just seen most of Du En's body destroyed in the blink of an eye and thought he was definitely going to die; even if he used his divine abilities, he would not be able to escape the range of the death light and would suffer the same destruction, very likely still having to die, so he had made a show of wanting to fight on the surface, but in reality, he was going to make a move to save him.

He never expected that by just strategically shifting his focus, Du En would be able to hold on relying on that new spirit body; it really made one break into a cold sweat!

"Endless life, or rather, the embryonic seed of the unending and undying..."

True Monarch Huiqing did not have a face as dark as water; although she was shocked in her heart, she quickly faced reality and began to analyze the details Du En had exposed again.

At the same time, she glanced at Meng Changqing, feeling some sighs in her heart.

Now it seemed that the Du En under his command had too many ideas and opinions of his own, basically not thinking of communicating with him, and this little junior brother was actually still looking happy and willing!

If it were her, she would absolutely not tolerate such an uncontrollable chess piece...

"I am not you; sometimes, calculating too rigidly will only let people figure out your bottom line, and you won't even be able to produce variables."

Meng Changqing looked at her gaze that seemed to carry pity and retorted directly.

And thinking about it carefully, she had to admit that if Du En had truly been fully understood by him, based on the situation where they, the True Monarchs, had observed and pondered each other at close range, she would have long since changed her strategy in a targeted manner; how could so many accidents have happened?

Look at now, the White Bone Daoist is dead, the natural sword talent is crippled, and a key chess piece buried in the Southern Pivot City has also self-destructed, but in the end, Du En, the target to be erased, is still living well, with no major problems at all.

"However, he is not without flaws; being able to glimpse his path through this, I can naturally target him effectively later, ensuring nothing goes wrong!"

Thinking this, although the sense of crisis in True Monarch Huiqing's heart lingered again, the degree was clearly much lighter than before.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, Meng Changqing could only secretly curl his lips and turn his attention to Du En.

"Are you alright?"

"As long as you give me a precious pill."

"..."

Looking at Du En, who had already flown back to the floating pillar, waving his hand to stop others from speaking and stepping into the wilderness space on his own, with the posture of being on his last breath and needing to heal, Meng Changqing only had a feeling of wanting to vent.

Thus, he thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, they can't see or hear us right now."

"Oh, then I'm really fine, but I still have to put on an act, otherwise my performance for her would be in vain."

Hiss!

You really were faking it!

I knew it sounded wrong!

Meng Changqing only felt a toothache, but his expression was somewhat solemn; he mobilized his own stock of good items from afar, which really pained his heart, but just as Du En said, after he took the initiative to show weakness, the importance, or rather the sense of urgency, from True Monarch Huiqing's side had clearly decreased.

Of course, as for the specifics, he would have to keep a close watch later; for now, it was naturally to act out the play to the end.

"Withered Wood Meets Spring Pill, fifth-grade high-tier; as the name suggests, even withered, rotten wood can grow into a towering tree again. It has a significant effect even on the Spirit Severing stage. I'll give you the whole bottle as compensation for this series of events."

Although Du En had basically held the initiative in this series of events, in reality, it seemed he didn't need any compensation?

After all, with True Monarch Huiqing's personality, as long as Du En was not her own person, she would decide to eliminate him in advance upon sensing a threat; there would not be a second choice.

Therefore, it actually didn't have much to do with his relationship with Meng Changqing; the main reason should be focused on True Monarch Huiqing's side.

"But even if I say that, there is still my direct reason; I didn't do a good job as the boss..."

Meng Changqing muttered to himself and persuaded himself, which was why his heart didn't ache as much.

Then, to shift his attention, he asked, "How exactly did you notice it?"

Judging from Du En's performance, it didn't look like he had noticed it in advance.

"It is true that I did not notice it in advance, but at the very end, that Si Lei Seal fell too coincidentally, and then, I just happened to pick this up."

Du En calmly put away the precious pill, answered calmly, and took out the Three Mysteries Treasure Pagoda talisman treasure he had picked up.

"One thing might be a coincidence, but two things in a row is a bit strange, and then, I probably don't need to say more, right."

Better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't!

Just like the matter in Changle City, as long as there were clues and possibilities, Du En would start to be on guard and take his own actions.

Even if it meant using any means necessary!

Meng Changqing immediately understood, but then asked again, "But I saw you take the bait voluntarily; this, if the spirit body dharma treasure couldn't hold up, what were you planning to do?"

"Cough! I'm not trying to pry into your secrets, it's just that you keep things hidden and make me jumpy all day; is this reasonable?"

Don't look at how he had just retorted to True Monarch Huiqing so sternly and seriously; to be honest, he was also a bit resentful about this situation.

You don't have to explain it crystal clear, but you can't say absolutely nothing at all!

Do you still have me, your boss, in your eyes?!

"It's because you didn't ask before."

Du En calmly put away the Talisman Treasure and calmly gave his answer, causing Meng Changqing to suddenly freeze and then be left speechless.

Because it seemed that was indeed the case; he had never asked before.

And if he did ask, Du En would indeed carefully consider what to say, as long as it didn't involve core critical points.

So now, he replied: "It's very simple. One way is to use a secret technique to resist; another is to first use a secret technique to resist, then rely on the Phoenix Blood Spear to break through, and finally use a divine ability to recover. As long as I can escape with my Nascent Soul, I will be back in one piece immediately."

The underlying meaning was that in a necessary moment, even his Natal Dharma Treasure could be detonated directly!

Anyway, it was a part of him; once the divine ability was used, it would recover immediately.

Meng Changqing felt like baring his teeth as he listened.

However, he also felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Because hearing Du En say this, he knew that his trump cards were actually quite numerous, so there was no need to worry too much, and no need to treat him like a naive infant.

Thus, Meng Changqing stopped asking more and instead spoke generously: "If you have anything else you need, you can say it. If it's not excessive, I can take the opportunity to get it for you."

"Three thousand Tier 5 spirit beasts."

"……"

Meng Changqing silently cut off the connection.

Three thousand Tier 5 spirit beasts—do you have some misunderstanding about Tier 5 just because I gave you Tier 5 precious pills and can cook Tier 5 spirit meals?

That is a stage corresponding to the Great Cultivators of the Deity Transformation stage!

For a cultivator, it is a midway station, a qualitative leap, just like the leap from a mortal to a cultivator, or perhaps even more exaggerated; that is why they are truly treated as a person by the Five Great Immortal Sects!

In other words, Tier 5 spirit beasts are not common goods that can be raised anywhere, but top-tier strategic resources. To open your mouth like a lion and ask for three thousand at once—even Great Cultivators at the Deity Transformation perfection wouldn't dare to make such a request!

Meng Changqing muttered to himself repeatedly.

And then, he still had to find a way to solve the problem for Du En.

Because his answer had also implicitly revealed his "bottom line" to him, namely, the current progress of his divine ability.

And that divine ability could ensure Du En would go straight to being a heaven-gifted talent, becoming the key for him to strike back after the upper echelons of Luoyu; for the sake of both sentiment and profit, he had to help him get it done.

But the problem was, Tier 5 spirit beasts are really that kind of very precious situation!

"Sigh~!"

Meng Changqing sighed inwardly.

"Is the problem quite big?"

True Monarch Zhuding transmitted his voice secretly.

You are certainly concerned; you clearly know it's impossible for there to be a problem, so is this an attempt to take the opportunity to probe Du En's background?

A sense of alarm rose in Meng Changqing, but thinking of the plans and pursuits of this devious fellow, perhaps he could extort him?

Thinking this, Meng Changqing cast a somewhat strange look at True Monarch Zhuding.

Hm?

True Monarch Zhuding was startled and uncertain.

Other True Monarchs watched and pondered secretly, and for a time, they were unable to reach any accurate conclusion.

But looking at it this way, Du En was indeed quite deeply injured this time!

Of course, as long as he didn't die and it didn't involve the fundamentals like his soul or Dao heart, then as long as one was willing to spend a fortune, he could still be pulled back directly in a short time.

Therefore, Du En didn't stop his pace at all; he ate his spirit meals, meditated for half a day to put on a show, and once his state recovered, he immediately continued his grueling practice.

Time continued to pass.

The fifth round of this grand competition, those seventy days and seventy bouts, quickly came to an end.

The final number of people decided was not seventy, but exactly thirty-six.

(End of this chapter)