Chapter 1035: Two Wins in a Row

Even more importantly, this was the first time Mei Gongzi truly sensed that the genuine Asura Sword had locked onto her and would soon come to her side. Sadly, she couldn't tell Tang San about this yet.

She had been reluctant to use the Asura Shadow Sword so early in the tournament, but when faced with the Blood Moon Sacrifice, she had no choice but to do so. In that situation, even her White Tiger Transformation or Immortal Flame Phoenix Transformation wouldn't have been enough to turn the tide, unless she went for mutual destruction and then used Nirvana Rebirth. Moreover, the Asura Sword had already been seen in the Ancestral Court Elite Competition, so it would not be weird for her to use it again. By contrast, it was better to hide the phoenix bloodline for as long as possible in order to keep her ties to the phoenix race a secret. Otherwise, the obstacles to her path to becoming an Emperor would be immense.

This was something her grandfathers had told her and Tang San had confirmed: During this Battle for the Throne, she had to avoid using the power of her phoenix bloodline as much as possible. If there was ever a time to reveal it, that time would be during her Emperor tribulation. By then, with the protection of the Undying Demon Emperor and the White Tiger Demon Emperor, even if the other Emperors discovered her phoenix bloodline, it would be far too late for them to do anything about it. So unless it was truly a matter of life or death, she wouldn't use Nirvana Rebirth.

But even Mei Gongzi herself hadn't expected the sword's power to be so terrifying. The moment she grasped the Asura Shadow Sword, the cold yin energy that had posed a deadly threat moments before was immediately driven aside, unable to even approach her. She felt as if she had become the center of the world, and when she slashed down, it was as if she was passing judgment on the blood moon itself. The intent conveyed by the Asura Sword at that moment was:

All things in this world must submit to judgment, and nothing is immune.

The Endless Nymph Emperor's mighty bloodline power resisted her strike, and Mei Gongzi clearly felt its tremendous power. It was so dense that it felt more like quicksilver than water. Yet even so, this immense power gave out in front of her blade!

Of course, Mei Gongzi quickly stopped the attack and took the Asura Shadow Sword back inside her sea of consciousness; she did not want to reveal too much of the Asura Sword's might.

Meanwhile, the entire audience was in an uproar.

Shen Xiao had been one of the favorites among the female contestants. In fact, she was a serious candidate for the strongest among nymphs in this competition. This came as a surprise to no one; aside from the Scorching Sunflower clan, the most powerful nymph clan was the Nethermoon Flower clan, after all. Yet, even after using the Blood Moon Sacrifice, a move bordering on self-sacrifice that would take a long time to recover from, she had still lost. Even worse, that attack had wounded her to the very core.

Despite giving it her all, she had been defeated in a single stroke by Mei Gongzi. What was that blood sword? No one believed it was a demonic weapon, as the righteous aura it radiated in that moment was simply too overwhelming to ignore. But how could this Mei Gongzi of the Peacock Demon clan be so powerful?

With two victories in a row, both against powerful opponents, no one could now say that her bye in the elimination round had been unearned. With just these two wins, she had instantly become a top contender.

Having watched the entire match from outside his VIP pavilion, Tang San showed a gratified smile.

It had worked. In such a short time, Mei Gongzi had succeeded in fully merging the Asura Sword and the Shadowfiend Sword, a remarkable feat. With the fusion complete, the Asura Sword was now able to display the true might of a transcendent divine item. With its protection, even an Emperor would find it difficult to harm Mei Gongzi now; at last, she could truly be considered safe. Even without Tang San by her side, the Asura Sword would be enough.

Even if Mei Gongzi had chosen not to wield the Asura Shadow Sword openly and that chilling yin energy had invaded her body, it couldn't have harmed her. The powerful intent of the Asura Sword would have shielded her on its own. But it was good that she had, in the end. She had not been entirely accustomed to using the Asura Shadow Sword, as it was on a whole different level from the incorporeal seed of sword intent that she'd used before. After this battle, she would surely gain a deeper understanding of it.

With two wins, Mei Gongzi now stood at the top of the female contestants, neck and neck with the Radiant Dragon King.

"The second match for the male contestants. Both sides, enter the field." The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor continued with his announcements, seemingly entirely unfazed by the Asura Sword.

Tang San's lips curled in a slight smile. His turn had come.

Instinctively, he glanced to the side. Today, Ning Chen'en had not come out of his pavilion. Whether he didn't want to see Tang San or had simply given up hope of encountering this "weakest" opponent, Tang San didn't know.

But Ning Chen'en was in the second bracket, and once the first bracket matches were done, they would inevitably meet. Although... by that time, it was anybody's guess whether he would still want to fight Tang San.

Tang San leapt into the air and descended lightly into the arena. Not far away, the Lord of Sky-Splitting City and Behemoth King, Jin Anguo, also took to the air and landed across from him.

"Amethystine Warrior! Amethystine Warrior!"

No sooner had Tang San entered the arena than a chorus of cheers erupted from the stands, loud and widespread. This time, those shouts contained far less mockery and much more genuine excitement.

Even Tang San was a little surprised. Since the tournament began, he had been relying on cleverness to win match after match, so how had he managed to gather so much support?

In truth, it was because of empathy.

The logic was simple. In this world, true top-tier powerhouses were rare, but most people aspired to become strong.

Enter Jin Miaolin, a young sprout of the Blue Gold Tree clan. He was clearly terrible when it came to personal power, but through wealth, he had armed himself and won battle after battle. So what would the spectators think?

If I had money, I could do that too!

If I had the Sword Saint Demon Emperor's statue, I could win. If I had the Dark Turtle Shield, I could withstand the World-Sundering Sword. If I had a Scourge Dragon, maybe I could rampage my way to the throne!

So now, in many spectators' eyes, this Amethystine Warrior was their natural representative. And it was due to this that he had gained their support.

If Tang San knew this, he'd probably find it amusing and exasperating in equal measure.

Jin Anguo landed steadily across from him. His gaze was calm, without excessive emotion, but brimming with determination as he stared at Tang San.

He could not afford to lose this match.

To be sure of placing in the top three and advancing to the finals, a contestant would need at least six wins in this round-robin. He had already lost one match and needed to save one as a safety margin. In other words, he absolutely could not lose today.

Thus, Jin Anguo's eyes showed nothing but unshakable resolve. To him, losing this match would mean losing the entire Battle for the Throne. It would be almost impossible to contend for the throne afterward. Thus, he was approaching this match as if it were his last.

He had discussed Jin Miaolin at length the previous night with Ning Chen'en and Lan Moqian. They had all come to the same conclusion: this person was anything but simple, and he certainly was not the frail Blue Gold Tree he appeared to be. Each victory looked like pure luck, but how could a single person have so much luck? It was simply not possible. Sure, he had acquired those items at the auction, but he couldn't have known in advance what would be available, and he could not have known whom he would face. How could he have known what to bid on?

More importantly, from start to finish, he had remained perfectly calm, perfectly composed, no matter whom he was up against. He had faced nothing but powerful opponents, yet he didn't even have a single scratch to show for it.

Now, Jin Anguo no longer saw him as a free point bank, but as an opponent equal to himself. And he was prepared to act on that premise.