Chapter 1055: The Undying Golden Body

Jiang Chenchou's flaming pillars struck Mei Gongzi's spatial gates, but they were not fully absorbed before they started detonating. Clearly, she was using the explosive force of fire to deplete Mei Gongzi's space energy.

Clearly, she had studied Mei Gongzi carefully and was familiar with her abilities. She was also familiar with her weaknesses—namely that, in terms of cultivation and experience, Mei Gongzi was probably the weakest contestant in the entire Battle for the Throne. After all, she had only recently advanced to the Great Demon King level.

Thus, Jiang Chenchou came in with a clear strategy: attrition. By leveraging her formidable fire-element power, she aimed to exhaust Mei Gongzi's space-manipulating bloodline.

Would that really work? Hard to tell. Mei Gongzi's true strength lay in the Asura Sword, which had already made a stunning appearance during her match against Lan Moqian. But judging by Jiang Chenchou's composed and measured demeanor, she seemed well-prepared.

At that thought, Tang San's eyes lit up. He had realized something.

On the battlefield, Mei Gongzi immediately sensed her opponent's intentions and wasted no time reacting. Though she was less experienced than others, that did not make her a greenhouse flower; she had been through her own share of battles.

A red gleam flashed between her brows, and in the next moment, the Asura Shadow Sword appeared in her grasp. Mei Gongzi's aura changed in an instant; towering sword intent soared skyward, dyeing her surroundings a vivid crimson. Her control over space, under the influence of the Asura Sword, instantly solidified. No matter how violently the flames crashed against the silver spatial gates, they remained unmoved.

In the previous match, Mei Gongzi had begun using Star Shift with the Asura Sword. That was the first time this powerful combination had revealed its incredible potential. Now, the Asura Sword moved in elegant arcs around her, stirring immense vortexes of space energy that pulled in the opponent's blazing pillars, rapidly compressing the golden-red beams before her.

Jiang Chenchou responded instantly. The flame pillars vanished abruptly. Though she was still in her human form and didn't show any intention to revert to her real body, the fiery sunflowers behind her merged rapidly into a colossal blossom. Soon, a blazing sunflower over fifty meters in diameter bloomed before Mei Gongzi.

Fiery golden-red light churned within it, gradually forming a massive vortex. Even the audience could clearly sense how this vortex devoured fire energy from the air and even drew in sunlight. Its energy levels were climbing at a geometric rate.

The earlier exchanges had been nothing more than probing, but now, it was clear: The real showdown was about to begin.

By now, the audience had fallen silent; every spectator was holding their breath in awe. Everyone knew that once the two sides clashed again, it would shake the heavens. Whoever gained the upper hand in this direct clash would likely dominate the entire battle.

In the rest area, Tang San's expression had grown solemn.

Little Mei, can you see through your opponent's strategy? You can do this, right? I believe in you!

Jiang Chenchou's counter to Mei Gongzi's attack was undeniably wise. In the last battle, Mei Gongzi had used the power of Star Shift to redirect Lan Moqian's energy back at her, layering it with her own for a shocking sword strike. Had the Earthshade Nymph Emperor not intervened as referee, Lan Moqian's life might've ended there.

That encounter had clearly been a warning sign to Jiang Chenchou. Mei Gongzi's devastating sword wasn't powered solely by her own strength—it had relied significantly on the force borrowed from her opponent. So then, what if she had no such force to borrow?

Naturally, the sword's destructive power would be reduced.

For that reason, the moment Jiang Chenchou noticed Mei Gongzi preparing her sword attack, she halted her own attacks. Her goal was to leave Mei Gongzi with no energy to steal. Meanwhile, she used the time to gather more fire energy and condense it into a massive force, ready to clash head-on when Mei Gongzi launched her strike.

Mei Gongzi, however, seemed unfazed by her opponent's shift. After a slow rotation of the Asura Sword around her body, she raised it high overhead. Radiant red light burst forth again, carrying the will to judge all under heaven. Mei Gongzi's eyes turned crimson as well, and her gaze locked intently on her foe. At that moment, it felt as though the world's righteous energy had entirely concentrated into the Asura Sword.

Jiang Chenchou could feel the immense pressure too. No matter how prepared she was, facing the Asura Sword directly meant confronting a terrifying, unbreakable sword intent.

In her eyes, Mei Gongzi now seemed as towering and vast as a divine citadel, and that upcoming strike radiated a force that could overturn the sky.

Both sides were building up power, while high above, the Undying Demon Emperor had begun releasing beams of light into the protective array below. The Ancestral Court was certainly sparing no expenses to maintain the defenses and keep spectators safe.

That said, the referees preferred decisive fights over drawn-out battles. Though explosive clashes were harder on the arena, they were preferable to prolonged slugfests. At the level of Great Demon Kings, bloodline power could be regenerated as it was used, in a very efficient cycle. Moreover, some could even tap into their ancestral source of bloodline power, and while this could not be used for attacking directly—otherwise, the rules of the competition would have prohibited it—nobody stopped them from using it to recover. And that supply was virtually endless. Once such duels started, they could go on for hours on end. This had already occurred once or twice during the elimination rounds.

Compared to that, head-on clashes involving ultimate moves were more dangerous but also more time-efficient. These showdowns tested one's foundations, experience, skill, and preparation. Confident fighters would always prefer this style; they would never let their opponent entangle them. After all, who didn't have flaws? For instance, Mei Gongzi's weaknesses were her comparatively lower energy pool and lack of experience. Naturally, by using a power-shot from the very start, she set her own strong side against the opponent's weakness.

With the divine art Star Shift in her arsenal, Mei Gongzi's choice to clash directly left her opponent no other options. If her opponent attacked during her charge-up, there was a real chance their attack would be absorbed and used against them. Jiang Chenchou knew this, and so, her response was optimal.

Mei Gongzi took a deep breath and stepped forward through the void. The Asura Shadow Sword in her hand blazed into the sky, becoming a dazzling streak of red. The enormous sword light radiated a force capable of sundering heaven and earth. Even the mighty flaming sunflower—so immense it seemed to scorch the ground—paled before this crimson brilliance.

From her own pavilion, Lan Moqian watched with a grave expression.

Though she had lost to Mei Gongzi, she had never truly accepted it and had repeatedly reviewed the fight, trying to see what she could have done differently. In the end, she hadn't clashed directly with Mei Gongzi's final blow, and she knew it was beyond her ability to block. The Earthshade Nymph Emperor had saved her. Still, she believed that half the power behind that devastating attack came from the force Mei Gongzi borrowed from her.

Mei Gongzi's divine item was indeed powerful, but if it solely relied on her own cultivation, it shouldn't have been that overwhelming.

Yet now, as Lan Moqian watched Mei Gongzi raise the sword again and launch that incredible slash, she couldn't help but sigh to herself. Even without borrowing her power, the strike would have probably been enough to cleave through both her swords, and maybe her skull as well.

As they say, the bystander sees more clearly than the one involved. When Mei Gongzi's sword descended, it felt as though the sky was cracking open and a heavenly judge was bestowing judgment upon mortal beings. It wasn't just an energy attack; it also carried a terrifying assault on the divine consciousness.