Chapter 1065: This Sword Shall Split the Heavens

Of course, Ning Chen'en understood that the sword strike Mei Gongzi was preparing carried all her strength, drawn at the cost of temporarily disabling her bloodline power. Its power easily reached the Emperor level, especially when paired with that terrifying divine sword.

He didn't possess an Undying Golden Body; his defense relied solely on his bloodline power and his hammers. Against a blow like that, he was fairly sure he couldn't hold on, and the moment a crack appeared, he would unquestionably die in body and spirit.

If they had attacked each other from the start, if he hadn't given her the chance to ignite her bloodline power and lock onto him, he might've had a chance to drag it into a slugfest that he inevitably would have won. But due to a combination of timing and pressure, Mei Gongzi's strike had already reached peak power, and this peak was even higher than the World-Sundering Sword shown by Qiu Zixuan. After all, it was a sacrificial blow!

Even if nothing else happened right now, she would undoubtedly suffer once she got off the platform. But whatever happened to her later was her own problem to deal with later. His

very immediate

problem was that he did not dare to take it head-on. Forget about him, even an Emperor might not be able to stop it, and he had absolutely no desire to court death at his young age.

Yet Mei Gongzi seemed not to hear his call. She stepped forward and slashed out with the Asura Shadow Sword.

Ning Chen'en yelled in fright. His aura exploded, and he raised his Eight-Petal Golden Hammers to shield his head, even crouching down behind them.

But he didn't feel the impact of that overwhelming force. Instead, the pressure vanished.

The arena fell deathly silent.

Following intense fear came an overwhelming sense of shame. She hadn't even struck him. He had actually cowered and crouched?

At that moment, he knew he was finished. His mentality had collapsed; his hope of claiming an Emperor's seat was gone.

Crack-crack... crack-crack...!

Strange sounds suddenly drew his attention.

He instinctively looked up.

The first thing he saw was Mei Gongzi. The blood-red flames covering her were now gradually receding, and her face was pale as paper. Though her eyes remained closed, she stood firm on the platform, using her sword as a crutch.

The cracking wasn't coming from her, but from all around them.

Ning Chen'en turned his eyes and was shocked to see the array pillars surrounding the arena, pillars that had withstood so many matches between peak-level warriors, were now covered in a multitude of fractures. That was where the sound came from.

Then his eyes rose to look at the sky... and his jaw dropped agape.

The protective barrier above had been split open. Of the two referees floating above, only the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor was visible. The Sword Saint Demon Emperor had disappeared.

In the sky, all the crimson light was gathering in one direction, as if fleeing into the void.

It looked as if the sky itself had split apart. Thousands of meters above, a colossal spatial rift stretched for miles, devouring the clouds. In just a few moments, what had been a cloud-filled sky became an endless, near-transparent blue—clear and empty.

Mei Gongzi staggered slightly and her eyes lost their focus for a moment, but with the support of the Asura Shadow Sword, she barely managed to remain standing.

Despite the massive crowd, the only sound was the collapse of the arena's protective array; pillar after pillar cracked, then turned to rubble.

The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor was thanking the heavens that it was wearing its customary crystalline helmet and nobody could see its facial expression.

That strike... Could I have blocked it without getting injured? No... could I have blocked it? I... don't know...

No one even paid attention to Ning Chen'en's instinctive crouch. Everyone was staring at the sky and the enormous spatial rift left by the strike—so clear against the azure sky, so vast that it seemed it could devour the world. The flash of red light was seared into everyone's hearts.

"Victory to City Lord Mei." When the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor announced the result, it addressed Mei Gongzi not by name, but by title. The respect in its voice was plain for all to hear.

That sword had indelibly etched itself into the hearts of everyone present.

The other four finalists now all wore grim expressions.

Of course, not all grim faces were the same. Tang San's was grim because, through the Asura Sword, he could feel Mei Gongzi's weakness. That strike had indeed damaged her blood origin. He understood why she had done it and he knew that it had been the most appropriate choice given the circumstances, but caring clouds reason. He ached for her.

If only he were stronger, she wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths. If he had shouldered more, she wouldn't have had to suffer.

As for the other four contestants, their grim faces were due to fear. If Ning Chen'en couldn't block that sword, could they? Absolutely not.

Sure, Ning Chen'en had faltered, and even the judges had lapsed, giving Mei Gongzi ample time to charge up. But even so, that strike... was far too terrifying!

No one brought up the referee's mistake, not even the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor. The reason was simple: Mei Gongzi hadn't actually attacked Ning Chen'en. In fact, from the moment she raised the sword, it seemed she had already decided he would surrender. She could have killed him with that blow; its power made that a real possibility. And the worst part was, if she'd done that, then Lan Moqian would've been forced to swallow her grievances. A competitor killing another was par for the course, so who could make Mei Gongzi take responsibility? And the referees had certainly erred, but could someone accuse two Emperors of negligence?

"Th-thank you... thank you, City Lord Mei." Ning Chen'en finally regained his wits, only to realize his back was soaked with sweat. Never in his life had he felt death so near.

He knew clearly that Mei Gongzi had shown mercy. Otherwise, he might already have vanished like the clouds, swallowed by that rift. In fact, the entire arena might have suffered massive casualties.

The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor descended to Mei Gongzi's side, and a moment later, the Sword Saint Demon Emperor also appeared—it seemed that he had been up in the sky, dealing with the rift.

He looked at Mei Gongzi with shining eyes. That strike had enlightened him in so many ways!

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Mei Gongzi had stabilized herself and stopped the burning of her bloodline power, but her face was now pale as paper and she felt incredibly weak.

"I'll escort you back," said the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor.

"Alright. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Both Emperors treated her with clear respect. That sword had outright shocked them, and not only that—it was a proclamation to all Emperors that a new peer was rising.

With the highest total points and a first-round win, Mei Gongzi needed just one more victory to guarantee a top-three spot. One foot had already crossed into Emperorhood.

Rainbow-hued light swirled around the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor as it escorted Mei Gongzi back to her resting chamber.

After bowing again, Mei Gongzi returned to her throne and closed her eyes to recover.

Thus ended the first match. It had stunned the arena, and it had shaken the entire Ancestral Court.

"Referees, please return," came the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's voice from halfway up the mountain.

The protective array around the arena had been destroyed and couldn't be repaired quickly. The matches had to be temporarily paused.

At that moment, Tang San strode toward Mei Gongzi's pavilion and stopped in front of her.

"City Lord Mei, this is for you."

As he spoke, he stretched his arm toward her, and in his hand appeared a Blue Gold Fruit. Not just any fruit, either, but a Great Nymph King-level one.

Mei Gongzi opened her eyes. When she saw Jin Miaolin standing there holding a Blue Gold Fruit, she was taken aback.