Chapter 1057: Asura Hell Domain

"Little Mei!" In the Peacock Demon clan's pavilion, Luo Qingzhu and Su Qin leapt out almost at the same time, charging toward the protective barrier.

But the defensive array, capable of even withstanding the power of an Emperor's strike, was not something they could break through. Neither of them was anywhere near the level of the combatants on stage.

"Stay calm. She's fine."

A deep voice rang simultaneously in their ears.

Hearing that voice, Su Qin's tense nerves finally relaxed a little. Luo Qingzhu, on the other hand, wore an expression of stunned surprise.

In the sky, after the eruption of the fire pillar, the blinding light lingered in the air for several seconds before finally dispersing into a rain of golden-red light.

It's over...

Many spectators had their mouths agape. Against an attack of that magnitude, how could a human, Peacock Demon, or even White Tiger, possibly hold up? None of these were particularly known for their defense.

Her strongest attack had been blocked by the opponent's ultimate defensive divine item, only for her to suffer a devastating counter. Mei Gongzi hadn't just lost the match; if she'd actually taken the full power of the blow, it was likely that she had been obliterated outright.

Yet just as the audience was reeling from shock, they were dumbfounded to see that right there, in midair, a breathtaking figure was still standing. Mei Gongzi remained suspended in the sky, still reigning over the battlefield...

...entirely unaffected? How... is that... possible...

The eyes of all spectators nearly popped out of their sockets. They simply couldn't believe what they were seeing.

That was the full-powered strike of a peak Great Demon King! Even an Emperor couldn't easily brush that off. Not to mention, Mei Gongzi had already unleashed her own powerful attack already, and for it to cause the Undying Golden Body to collapse, it must have been her all-out move.

How could she still have withstood such a counterstrike? It completely defied logic.

But no matter how much doubt surged in the hearts of the onlookers, Mei Gongzi remained aloft in the sky, unharmed.

In the next moment, a chilling aura burst from her body. The temperature across the entire arena plummeted. A grim, murderous will turned the entire space a murky gray-black. Mei Gongzi's figure vanished, replaced by illusory phantoms roaming within the ashen world.

Endless killing intent surged toward Jiang Chenchou from all directions, encircling her step by step.

This was the evolved God-Killing Domain—the Asura Hell Domain!

Of all those present, Jiang Chenchou was undoubtedly the most shocked. Seeing Mei Gongzi emerge in midair as if her earlier strike had been nothing but a gentle pat on the head nearly made her cry out in shock.

Indeed, she had gone all-in on that previous attack. Even a peak Great Demon King would need time to recover after expending so much energy. Yet her opponent was already launching another attack, summoning a domain Jiang Chenchou had never seen before.

Now, she felt countless cold blades of killing intent converging on her from all sides. In her weakened state, the very air around her turned viscous, her footing seemed to sink downward. Within this domain, Mei Gongzi's shadows surrounded her, and deathly intent locked onto her from all directions.

Forced to disregard the toll of her last attack, Jiang Chenchou erupted with all her might again. Sunflowers burst outward, launching pillars of fire in every direction—she had reverted to her true form, for the first time. At the same time, she activated her own Blazing Sun Domain in an effort to resist Mei Gongzi's assault.

But she was already one step behind. When Mei Gongzi erupted, the Asura Hell Domain had already enveloped her completely.

"Die."

A cold voice whispered in her ear, as though it were right beside her. Panic surged within Jiang Chenchou. She unleashed her flame pillars wildly in every direction.

"Die."

A sharp cry sounded. Jiang Chenchou felt a tremor deep within her soul.

"Die."

Just then, searing pain surged from her sea of consciousness. Her flame pillars faltered for a split second.

In that instant, a figure appeared before her. White hair cascaded down her back, and though her veil still hid the expression on her face, she was radiating so much killing intent that she was painful to even look at.

"Die."

A single pair of razor-sharp claws shredded seven blazing sunflowers. The terrifying killing intent, entwined with space power, exploded in a wave of sharpness that could slice through anything.

"Die."

Jiang Chenchou groaned as searing pain wracked her sea of consciousness, and a moment later, she was forced back into human form. A tiger claw was holding her throat, and she felt that no matter what she did, that claw of despair would simply end her life in a split second.

"Die."

Jiang Chenchou met her opponent's eyes—brilliant golden irises, vertical pupils brimming with boundless killing intent. In that moment, they etched themselves into her consciousness. Her sea of consciousness froze, her vision went black, and she knew nothing more.

On the battlefield, all light and illusion faded. The flame pillars vanished, and so did the domain filled with endless killing aura.

The audience finally saw the two figures clearly again. Mei Gongzi stood in the center of the stage. Her hair had turned white, and her right hand was raised, not to signal surrender but to grip Jiang Chenchou by the throat.

"Mei Gongzi wins."

The Undying Demon Emperor's voice was calm, but carried a trace of something else, an odd nuance. But even the Emperors present didn't catch the subtle change in his tone. All their focus and astonishment were locked on the figure in the arena.

White Tiger Transformation!

When Mei Gongzi tilted her head slightly, a few strands of black hair still peeked from amidst the white, like the stripes of a tiger. Her golden-yellow eyes, shining from under the veil, lent her a fearsome edge and an overwhelming dominance.

She had won! Even facing a powerful Scorching Sunflower, and equipped with a supreme divine item like the Undying Golden Body, she had still won!

In the next instant, the demon audience erupted into thunderous cheers.

Among the female contestants, only three demon representatives had made it to the semifinals. And now, Mei Gongzi led the pack with a perfect win record.

Both Lan Moqian and Jiang Chenchou were top-tier contestants, with the highest chances of reaching the top three in the female bracket. Defeating them both meant Mei Gongzi had all but secured her spot in the finals.

And she represented demonkind. She represented the Empyrean Dominion! At that moment, Mei Gongzi's prestige soared. Meanwhile, Jiang Chenchou's supporters were left in stunned silence.

Mei Gongzi slowly laid Jiang Chenchou on the ground. The opponent had merely had her divine consciousness sealed and was otherwise unharmed; she could recover later. Mei Gongzi, of course, would not truly injure her. After all, in the next round, Jiang Chenchou would face Lan Moqian. No matter who won or lost, the key was for them to wear each other down.

Jiang Chenchou could not use the Golden Undying Body again, so she would have to face Lan Moqian's swords with her own power alone. Of course, she was by no means weak, just more... squishy. In turn, Lan Moqian may have lost easily to Mei Gongzi, but that was partly due to lack of preparation; she hadn't understood Star Shift or the Asura Sword well enough. In terms of raw power, Lan Moqian was likely stronger than Jiang Chenchou, though the margin wasn't all that high. Once their divine items came into play, the outcome was far from predictable. It would come down to their performance on the day.

Meanwhile, with four wins and eight points... Mei Gongzi now stood alone at the top.

The white in her hair gradually faded to black. Mei Gongzi stepped gracefully through the void and returned to her pavilion.

How... did she do it?

That was what all the spectators were still thinking about, remembering the shocking moment when she emerged unscathed from the massive fire pillar. That fire had completely engulfed her, yet she hadn't been harmed at all. That just didn't add up. How had she survived Jiang Chenchou's all-out strike so easily?

Only the Emperors and a select few of the most powerful contestants had sensed what had really happened.