Chapter 182 - Twin Stars of the Heavenly Realm!

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The name Yun Xiao thunderously echoed in the Arena Champion Battle. For a moment, countless challengers glanced sideways, their gaze drawn to the adjacent Cycle Battle's chessboard. Puzzlement danced in their eyes.

"Is that triumphant shout because the boy's dead?" someone wondered.

"Could be!" A group of talents from the Demon Continent snickered, their grins wide and mischievous. Being in the midst of the chaos, they were blind to the truth.

"Something's off," one mused, "that cheer is too ecstatic, not like he's dead..."

They looked up and were dumbfounded. Yun Xiao had already appeared on the Ascendent Board. The murmurs traveled fast, "Did you hear? Yun Xiao single-handedly defeated the top five talents from the Dragon Ranking!"

"What?!" Compared to the enclosed Cycle Battle, the Arena Champion Battle was an open book, news spreading like wildfire. In no time, both the sixteen Champions and the five thousand challengers were in the know.

"One against five?" Chen Xi had just taken care of her first challenger. She peered at the chessboard battlefield, biting her red lips, determination glowing in her eyes.

"Come on!" she urged the next challenger, her voice filled with impatience and spirit. Who wouldn't want their name to resonate through the Heavenly Realm and both the Divine and Demon Continent?

For a moment, all the Champions started accepting challengers with even more fervor! On one of the golden arena stages, a young woman with waist-length hair, dressed in intricate black, dispatched a human challenger with a single slap, sending his head flying.

Upon hearing Yun Xiao's name, her brows furrowed coldly.

"Little fox!" The young woman in black turned. Beside her stage stood a silver-haired individual, androgynous in appearance, with three peculiar fox tails. He exuded an eerie and mysterious aura.

Hearing her call, Moon Fairy, with a white wet cloth, gently wrapped it around her hand, meticulously wiping away the blood. Servant! That was his current job.

"Human blood... it stinks," the young woman in black remarked with disdain, eyeing a group of fiery-eyed human challengers around her, then said to Moon Fairy, "Clean it better."

She was a stickler for cleanliness! Given the number of individuals she'd have to dispatch today, the last thing she wanted was to be drenched in blood by the day's end.

Moon Fairy, with his head lowered, meticulously cleaned between her jade-like fingers until they gleamed spotlessly.

With a swift motion, the girl in black withdrew her hand and cast Moon Fairy a fleeting glance. "You're rather obedient," she commented, a teasing tone in her voice. "Serve me well, and you'll be handsomely rewarded."

Moon Fairy simply nodded with a subtle smile.

Then, another brave—or perhaps foolhardy—human challenger stepped up. Murderous intent flashed in the eyes of the young woman in black.

"You'd best not kill," Moon Fairy advised earnestly, "or you'll find no one left willing to challenge you."

"Do you think I need your advice? Stick to your tasks and hold your tongue!" she retorted with a glare.

Without challengers, her rank would plummet on the first day's leaderboard, making the top spot elusive. She just wanted to have a bit of fun at the start!

"Stick to my tasks?" Moon Fairy, gazing over at the other arenas, subtly melded into the crowd, disappearing from the girl's side. Another challenger fell before the young woman in black. This time, she'd been merciful.

"Little fox!" She reached back, expecting the wet cloth. But it never came. Whirling around, she realized that Moon Fairy had vanished from sight!

"Insolence!" she seethed, revealing a pair of sharp fangs. After giving him the privilege of serving her, he dared to wander?

"What could you possibly achieve in this arena?" she mused aloud, a veiled threat in her voice. "Once outside, you'll regret your little escapade."

Irritated, the young woman in black refocused and rejoined the brutal fray.

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With a hush, a silver-haired individual barefooted walked amidst the bustling crowd. A sickly yellow gust whirled around his fleshy frame. As the wind brushed past, his skin took on a decayed, yellow hue. Within his bones, a ghostly white flame emerged. Wherever the flames danced, bones shattered, aged, and decayed.

"Wind Fire Tribulation?" the crowd whispered. They looked on with eyes wide in astonishment at the silver-haired demon. To face the Wind Fire Tribulation during the War of Immortals was indeed an ill stroke of luck. Fortunately, this was the main battlefield where combat was prohibited outside of the arena stages. So, none dared to intervene.

But what truly struck awe into their hearts was the sight of this demon, casually strolling while undergoing this tribulation. Others would typically meditate, seal themselves off, and fight with all their might against such a calamity. But him? Walking?

With a hum, his flesh gave birth to wind, and his bones to fire. The Wind Fire Tribulation was known to destroy one's body. Those who succumbed would perish, but survivors would be reborn!

Moon Fairy took ten steps in total. The intensity of the Wind Fire Tribulation grew fiercer with each step. By the fifth, he looked almost rotten to the core. But on the sixth step, from his decayed flesh and bones sprouted new, fresh ones, more fierce and raging from countless challenges faced before.

The next five steps initiated another transformation of flesh. By the tenth step, he seemed wholly rejuvenated, radiant with vigor. With that, he had crossed the Wind Fire Tribulation! The demonic power within Moon Fairy's flesh started to evolve towards the Saint Realm, having already reached the Late Wind Fire Tribulation.

"Absorbing Desolate Essence with the body double sure simplifies things," Moon Fairy mused.

Especially that Galaxy grade Desolate Essence, Tri-Ghost Flame, gifted by the Peacock Prince. It had spread to every limb and corner of his body. Once he had absorbed it, with the protection of his Chak Flesh Armor, the Wind Fire Tribulation had immediately followed. Clearly, the Divine Desolation Demon God was on the same pedestal as the Primordial Ancient Immortal.

"Ten steps, one tribulation!" After Yun Xiao's performance, a new wave of astonishment swept the first battlefield. The eyes of numerous humans and demons widened in surprise. The humans frowned. The demons looked pleased.

"Where did this Fox Clan genius come from?"

"I need his information!"

At the Ascension Gate, all 108 Demon Saints discussed heatedly with fierce glint in their eyes.

"Moon Fairy? A Primeval Demon? Wasn't he humiliated by Yun Xiao at the Spirit Treasure Palace? Wasn't he just at the Demon Meridian Realm two days ago?"

"The only direct disciple of Lady Hua Lian?"

In no time, whispers about this new prodigy spread. Meanwhile, the silver-haired demon now stood before a golden arena stage.

"I'm Moon Fairy representing the Demon Continent. At the Late Wind Fire Tribulation Realm, I challenge you to a duel!" Alongside other demons, he threw down his challenge.

On the golden stage stood a tall, exquisitely beautiful woman from the human race, draped in orange. In her hand, she wielded a magical fan that stirred tempests. She had just dispatched a demon challenger.

In the Spirit Treasure Immortal Empire, Si Muyou stood out like a beacon.

She was famed not only for her unparalleled beauty across the Heavenly Realm but also as the esteemed granddaughter of the Treasure Emperor of the Spirit Treasure Immortal Empire. Now, she held the title as the Empire's most prodigious talent, serving as the Champion for her nation.

The Spirit Treasure Immortal Empire brimmed with a plethora of talents and riches, making it the proverbial cherry on the cake in the Demon Continent's eyes.

Si Muyou cast a casual glance at the leaderboard. In just a brief span, she found herself slipping to the lower half amongst the top sixteen prodigies.

"You!" She pointed her delicate finger at one particular silver-haired demon among the challenging horde.

But, who could blame her? Moon Fairy, amidst all the demons, was like a sore thumb—oddly captivating and undeniably conspicuous.

"Much obliged for the opportunity, Miss Si," Moon Fairy gracefully stepped onto the golden stage, bowing in gratitude.

"Why the charade? You demons dressing up and imitating human customs," Si Muyou remarked, her voice dripping with frost.

Moon Fairy merely smiled and gestured for her to begin.

Intrigued onlookers watched as this recent Wind Fire Tribulation survivor, a talent amongst demons, ascended the arena stage to challenge the top prodigy of the Spirit Treasure Immortal Empire.

The crowd erupted.

"Go Moon Fairy! Go!"

"Devour that little human girl!"

"Rip her open, feast on her innards! Delicious!"

The surroundings morphed into a cacophony of fangs bared and hungry maws snapping. Si Muyou's brow furrowed further, her gaze growing even colder.

"You seem rather popular," she noted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She gripped her fan, shaped like a banana leaf, as storms whirled around her. With her Galaxy grade magic treasure, the Gust Dazzle Fan, she appeared even more imposing than Ye Shengyin, who wielded the Imperial Seal.

She might not have reached the Saint Realm, but who would dare challenge her without some prowess up their sleeves?

"It's just a smidgen of fame," Moon Fairy remarked softly.

WHOOSH!

A tempestuous wind blew from her, making Moon Fairy's silver hair dance in the breeze. Two beast claw pendants shimmered beside his ears, and his three fox tails grew longer, brimming with the power of almost a hundred different Desolate Essences—most gifts from his master Lady Hua Lian.

But looking at Moon Fairy, Si Muyou's eyes were only filled with disdain. With a more severe expression, she whispered, "Dressed in human elegance while you still have a demon's heart, will it ever change?"

BOOM!

Like a gust, she lunged forward, gripping her Gust Dazzle Fan and unleashed a mighty sweep! Using the Upper Nebula grade daoist spell, Wind Sky Fire Refinement, she summoned a fiery tornado on her fan. In an instant, the entire golden stage was engulfed in a fiery storm.

Her orange dress fluttered wildly as she swung her fan overhead, resembling a massive tempestuous mountain, aimed straight for Moon Fairy. It was evident her mastery over her magic treasure far surpassed that of Ye Shengyin.

Under this firestorm, Moon Fairy, despite being in the Late Wind Fire Tribulation Realm, seemed as frail as duckweed in a whirlwind, seemingly ready to be obliterated at any moment.

"Demon heart?" Moon Fairy shook his head, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. He locked eyes with Si Muyou, and a mysterious white mist enveloped him, casting ethereal shadows as they danced like flames.

HUM!

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a pristine white Three-Tailed Demon Fox, his silvery eyes piercing and uncanny.

"Ah! Still just a petty fox..." Si Muyou sneered, her eyes brimming with disdain. The Gust Dazzle Fan she wielded conjured another Wind Sky Fire Refinement, hurling it towards the three-tailed fox.

"Illusionary Realm." With a mere blink, Moon Fairy unleashed his demon technique, and the entire stage was immersed in a dense, otherworldly fog, as if it had been transported to another realm.

While this illusion technique was a mere basic trick of the lesser fox demons, with the combination of the Divine Desolation Physique and the Seed of Creation, it had evolved to its pinnacle. It was so potent that even without conscious thought, his bewitching charm naturally radiated outwards. This was why individuals like Lady Hua Lian and that girl in black were subtly drawn to him, even without realizing it.

With just a sway of his tail, Moon Fairy was the ultimate seductor.

"Hmm?" As the bewitching fog enveloped her, Si Muyou trembled. Illusory lights danced before her, whispering sweet nothings, causing her animosity towards the fox to wane, leaving her in a daze as memories of the past flooded back.

Instead of a fox, a charming gentleman with affectionate eyes stood before her.

"Why suffer the sorrows of the mortal world? Run away with me, and we'll roam free, basking in eternal bliss." Dreamlike voices flooded her ears, engulfing her soul. A heat enveloped her, and without realizing, her intent to kill, her will to fight, all evaporated.

In her daze, she had no idea where she was or what she was doing. Her attack, the Wind Sky Fire Refinement, lost its force, aiming at nothing. Even the powerful Gust Dazzle Fan slowed to a stop.

"Si Muyou! Don't fall for the fox's seduction!" Urgent shouts broke through her trance.

Si Muyou's eyes trembled as she snapped back to reality, her face turned pale as a ghost, and a chill ran down her spine.

"Even against a fox, you seem to go weak in the knees, don't you?" A haunting whisper teased her ear, filling her with shame. Whirling around, Si Muyou was met with the sight of the three-tailed fox, already close enough to touch. Its claw swiped at her!

A shield of wind, formed from her magic, sprang up in defense. However, to her surprise, the fox wielded a force comparable to that of a mammoth beast. With a surge of its immense power, the fox's swipe shattered her shield, and the remaining force slammed into her.

"AGGH!" Blood spurted from Si Muyou's mouth, leaving scarlet streaks across her dress. She was thrown to the ground, tumbling several times before coming to a stop.