Chapter 1025: Mei Gongzi's First Battle

On the competition stage, the Undying Demon Emperor's voice rang out solemnly: "Begin!"

The first match of the female semifinals commenced in an instant. Around Nan Xuewei, brilliant rainbow-colored light exploded forth almost immediately. At the core of this radiance was the power of the five phases—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—interwoven with refracted multicolored brilliance, creating a dazzling, fantastical appearance.

In a blink, she had merged into that rainbow glow. The five energies cycled rapidly, unleashing countless blades, giant trees, torrents of water, and fireballs that surged toward Mei Gongzi in overwhelming waves. The energy vortex spread swiftly, seeking to envelop the entire arena.

This kind of wide-area assault was precisely what the Rainbowglaze Nymph clan excelled at.

Mei Gongzi stood still, but the space gates around her shifted rhythmically. Strange silver ripples flowed through the air as the opponent's attacks were absorbed into the nearest portal, where they vanished without a trace.

Mei Gongzi's comprehension of space had long since risen to a new level. Her cultivation now rivaled that of the Peacock Great Demon King of old, at least from the standpoint of her Peacock Demon heritage, and with Tang San's past guidance using the Spacetime Lighthouse and her own keen intuition, her control over space was actually better than her father's had ever been.

No matter how the elemental energies shifted, her answer was always the same: Open up and let them pass through.

From the audience's perspective, it appeared as if wave after wave of brilliant elemental energy crashed toward Mei Gongzi, only to be swallowed up by her omnipresent space gates.

Meanwhile, the rainbow-colored radiance continued to expand quietly, encircling Mei Gongzi from all directions. Nan Xuewei had been at the peak of the eleventh order for many years and her cultivation was above Mei Gongzi's, so she had the advantage in sheer magnitude of energy reserves.

Yet Mei Gongzi showed not the slightest wavering; she continued to open space gates to block the onslaught. The spatial ripples grew ever stronger.

Compared to the previous match, this one was far more thrilling, and the crowd watched in rapt delight.

Nan Xuewei's strength was indeed formidable and oppressive. As time passed, the vortex created by her energy grew more and more forceful. The rainbow glow kept absorbing ambient elemental energy as it pressed inward, compressing Mei Gongzi's domain of space power.

It was clear that the silver zone was shrinking, while the rainbow domain expanded. The advantage seemed obvious.

"Your goddess seems to be in a bit of trouble," commented Ning Chen'en.

Tang San merely shrugged. "It's not over yet. Don't jump to conclusions too soon."

Ning Chen'en said, "At our level, once you suppress your opponent, they don't get a chance to turn it around, unless something really special happens. Nan Xuewei's been famous for a long time, and I bet she's spent decades in seclusion working on her elemental control. Space does counter her somewhat, sure. But their cultivation and combat experience are on different levels. Nan Xuewei hasn't even gone all out yet."

Tang San didn't argue further, simply keeping his eyes fixed on the arena. Was Nan Xuewei holding back? Maybe. But was Mei Gongzi giving it her all?

No one knew Mei Gongzi better than Tang San. He could see it clearly: She was using the pressure from her opponent to comprehend how space behaved under duress. In other words, she was using this battle to train herself.

Hehe, as expected of my wife. How confident!

Meanwhile, on the platform, the energy of the two fighters' domains filled the space so completely that their figures were hard to see. The defensive barrier trembled under the intense energy waves.

The rainbow light's advantage was clear. It steadily pushed the silver radiance back, causing Mei Gongzi's domain to shrink.

The greatest advantage of the Rainbowglaze Nymph clan's five-phase control lay in the cyclical generation of energy. Once the cycle was complete, it would absorb the surrounding energy and build up power on its own, often resulting in power surpassing the user's own cultivation level. They didn't fear drawn-out battles; if anything, the longer it lasted, the stronger their domain became.

Mei Gongzi had to know this. As a serious contender, she had undoubtedly studied all major opponents in great detail. Yet she seemed content to passively block with space power, letting Nan Xuewei's domain grow stronger and denser. Why was that?

What was she planning? This question burned in the minds of many watching experts, and even the mind of Nan Xuewei herself. She knew Mei Gongzi wouldn't be easy prey. A seeded contestant, a city lord, a former champion of the Ancestral Court's Elite Competition—Mei Gongzi was certainly not inexperienced. So why was she allowing her domain to fully unfold?

At the center of the arena, Mei Gongzi had closed her eyes, her hands forming intricate gestures. Space gates blossomed before her like petals, layering outward to block the five-phase force, all while sensing the mounting pressure.

Looks like the pressure's growing, isn't it?

A faint smile graced Mei Gongzi's face. Her hands circled before her, surreptitiously drawing the Mysterious Circles of Heaven. Not to dissolve the attack, but to draw the surrounding space forces into harmony.

The overlapping space layers fused rapidly, forming a circular portal, black as ink at its heart but radiant with silver light at its edge. It looked as if the gateway to another world had suddenly opened before her.

Nan Xuewei's assault paused briefly. Clearly, Mei Gongzi was shifting tactics, and her space energy was being reinforced. But this new portal, though clearly special, couldn't possibly overcome the Five Phase Domain.

What is she trying to do?

The next instant, Mei Gongzi gave her the answer.

A strange silver light blossomed, and the entire sky seemed to darken for a moment. The massive circular portal expanded suddenly, and an unfamiliar force sliced into the Five Phase Domain.

Nan Xuewei had been cautious, but in that instant, she faltered. The disruption in her Five Phase Domain was immediate and bizarre, so swift she couldn't react.

The fire energy within her domain was abruptly cut off and absorbed into Mei Gongzi's portal, vanishing as it closed. A chain reaction followed instantly.

In the five-phase cycle, wood fuels fire, fire produces earth, earth gives birth to metal, and metal purifies water. But with fire gone, the buffer between wood and earth is no more, and wood restrains earth.

The cycle collapsed.

The remaining four elements spiraled out of control and started clashing violently, causing the domain to ripple with elemental energy. It happened so fast that by the time it all registered in Nan Xuewei's brain, regaining control was impossible.