Free Web NovelChapter 157: Chapter 157: Hundred Flowers Kill
Duoduo had been at Late-stage Foundation Establishment back in the Secret Realm, and after cultivating day and night in Lu Sangjiu’s storage bag while hugging a Cold Ice Crystal Stone, its cultivation had now greatly improved.
If it weren’t limited by its master, Lu Sangjiu, who had yet to reach the Golden Core Stage, it probably could have undergone Core Formation long ago.
Therefore, the Ice Wall it conjured now was extremely effective. The arrow formed from Spiritual Power shot forward, but it only managed to penetrate two-thirds of the wall before losing its momentum and completely dissipating.
Yan Zui’s eyes flashed with surprise, and the smile on her face grew wider. "Your Spirit Beast really is impressive. If that’s the case... then I’ll have to get serious too."
Promising Lu Sangjiu she would only use three techniques was already holding back. Still, a tournament match deserved to be treated with respect, so she hadn’t planned on reserving any strength for those three moves.
Before, she had been worried about injuring Lu Sangjiu, but now that she saw Lu Sangjiu had a powerful Beast Pet, she naturally had to give it her all.
The moment Yan Zui’s voice fell, her pupils suddenly turned a pale gold!
Caught off guard, Lu Sangjiu’s gaze met those eyes, and for a moment, her mind went into a daze...
Yan Zui’s lips curled into a slight smile as she drew her bow again.
Her golden eyes didn’t just possess the power of Charm; they could also perceive weaknesses.
At that moment, the weak points of the seemingly impenetrable Ice Wall were crystal clear in her eyes.
As she drew her bow again, the crowd was astonished to see that this time, as many as three arrows had formed from Spiritual Energy!
Moreover, despite the increased number, none of the arrows had weakened in the slightest.
The crowd stared in shock at the young woman hovering in mid-air. ’Is this the power of the Joyful Union Sect’s greatest genius of this generation?’
Though she had not yet reached her full potential, one could already see her limitless future!
At that moment, the crowd’s stereotypes about Joyful Union Sect Cultivators quietly began to shift.
At the very least, lacking the strength to back it up, they would never again dare to size up Yan Zui with lewd gazes.
In mid-air, Yan Zui abruptly released the bowstring. WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH! Three arrows shot toward the Ice Wall.
The Ice Wall, which had seemed unbreakable just a moment ago, suddenly shattered as the three arrows plunged into it!
At the same time, one of the three arrows, having used only half its power, continued streaking toward Lu Sangjiu’s right shoulder after the Ice Wall crumbled!
The arrow was too fast. From the crowd’s perspective, even if Lu Sangjiu were conscious, she wouldn’t be able to dodge it—never mind that she had fallen under Yan Zui’s spell and was still just standing there in a daze.
Even Luo Linlang and the others broke into a cold sweat for Lu Sangjiu, thinking she was done for this time!
Among the crowd, only Xie Ningyuan remained perfectly calm and composed. ’How could the person I’ve placed my hopes in possibly fail to handle even this?’
And just as expected, right as the arrow was about to plunge into Lu Sangjiu’s shoulder, the previously dazed-looking girl suddenly raised her right hand to meet it head-on!
Everyone was shocked. ’Blocking an arrow with her hand? Won’t that arrow pierce right through her palm?’
However, the bloody scene everyone expected never happened. As Lu Sangjiu’s right hand met the projectile, the arrow struck her squarely in the palm.
Yet, the arrow failed to pierce her skin. As if hitting hard stone, it stopped for a moment before bursting apart.
It was only then that everyone noticed Lu Sangjiu’s hand had a faint golden sheen, as if it were made of metal.
Clearly, it was a Cultivation Technique that strengthened the hand.
Surprise flashed through Yan Zui’s eyes once more. This time, it was genuine astonishment at Lu Sangjiu’s strength.
Against any opponent below the Golden Core Stage, no one had ever recovered immediately after falling prey to her Shattered Star Golden Pupil.
Yet Lu Sangjiu had only been dazed for a single breath—perhaps even less!
’Otherwise, she couldn’t possibly have reinforced her right hand that quickly. She must have snapped out of it almost instantly and was only feigning her daze to lower my guard.’
Lu Sangjiu withdrew her right hand, its metallic sheen vanishing in a flash of white light as it returned to normal.
She looked at Yan Zui with a wide grin and offered a sincere thank you, "Thank you for going easy on me, Ms. Yan Zui!"
Yan Zui looked back at her and also gave a light laugh. "Interesting... Well then, this is the last move. If you can handle it, I’ll admit defeat."
Yan Zui was starting to get excited. She realized that Lu Sangjiu actually had the strength to face her in a proper fight.
However, since she had already made a promise, she wouldn’t go back on her word. The final move would be the final move.
’It’s just that... this time I plan to use my strongest move. I’m very curious to see what other surprises Lu Sangjiu has in store for me.’
Yan Zui put away her bow and arrows. Standing not far from Lu Sangjiu, she said seriously, "For what’s coming next, I advise you not to take it head-on. You’d be better off using your strongest technique to meet mine. You might have a chance of winning that way."
Lu Sangjiu blinked and nodded obediently. "Thank you for the warning, Ms. Yan Zui. I’ll be careful!"
Yan Zui gave a faint smile and said no more. Her fingers began to move in a rapid dance, and in an instant, the air around her filled with the illusory images of countless flower petals.
Standing amidst them in her purple robes, her spell-casting hand signs flowed like a dance. The entire scene was exquisitely beautiful.
’Of course... even the Joyful Union Sect’s Cultivation Techniques have to be beautiful. Their pursuit of aesthetics has truly reached its peak.’
Lu Sangjiu now recognized the technique Yan Zui was using: the Joyful Union Sect’s signature art, Hundred Flowers Kill!
’As beautiful as those petals looked, every single one concealed a deadly intent. It was an incredibly lethal technique.’
’I had fought with Cultivators from the Joyful Union Sect in the past and had experienced the power of this technique firsthand.’
’Because of her insufficient cultivation, the current Yan Zui couldn’t unleash the true power of Hundred Flowers Kill, but it was still not to be underestimated!’
As the storm of petals rushed toward her, Lu Sangjiu chose not to meet it head-on. Instead, she decisively materialized the Heavenly Origin Infinite Shield in front of herself.
’My few signature techniques were far too famous in the past; I absolutely couldn’t use them on an occasion like this. Therefore, I could only choose techniques I had rarely used in front of others.’
’In any case, I just need to withstand this one attack from Yan Zui.’
’The Heavenly Origin Infinite Shield is very effective against anything below the Divinity Transformation Stage. Its defensive power is immense, it just consumes a lot of Spiritual Energy.’
As expected, the assault of Hundred Flowers Kill failed to break through the Heavenly Origin Infinite Shield. The two were locked in a stalemate for a moment before it ended with Yan Zui withdrawing her attack.
"What a pity. I still didn’t get to see you truly fight back."
Yan Zui said with a smile, "But your defense is certainly impressive. Even if I kept going, I wouldn’t be able to break it."
"I concede defeat today. I hope we’ll have another chance to trade blows in the future."
Lu Sangjiu was delighted. "It’s all thanks to you holding back, Ms. Yan Zui. Thank you so much!"
Yan Zui was true to her word, and Lu Sangjiu was perfectly satisfied. The match came to a perfect conclusion.
The audience, however, felt that the fight had stopped abruptly just as it was getting good. Murmurs of complaint rippled through the crowd; they all felt the match should have been much more spectacular.
But after a single glance from Yan Zui, they all fell silent.
As they were stepping down from the stage, Lu Sangjiu called out to Yan Zui, "There’s no time like the present. Ms. Yan Zui, if you’re free, how about joining my friends and me for a drink at the Moon Viewing Tower?"
