Chapter 1067: Pesky Holy Energy

There was no doubt about it: This divine weapon had evolved, and not just by a little. The extremely rare holy energy it radiated made even Radiant Dragon King Xu An'yu turn slightly red-eyed with envy. By this point, he had already understood that buying the spear back from Tang San was bound to be nearly impossible.

The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor, who had left earlier, flew up to the mid-air battleground, but the Sword Saint Demon Emperor did not accompany it. This was because Lan Moqian had studied the sword under him, so he had recused himself to avoid any conflict of interest. On the Empyrean Dominion's side, the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor was dispatched instead. Though he was the weakest among the Emperors, he was still an Emperor, and nobody had any concerns as to whether he could do this or not.

Both referees turned to look at Tang San and Lan Moqian.

"Contestants, prepare."

Lan Moqian's expression instantly sharpened, and her gaze locked onto Tang San. In her right hand, Grief quivered slightly, humming in the air, while in her left hand, the glow of Heavy Water turned even darker and more profound. Her overwhelming aura burst out in full force.

Tang San held the Holy Dragon Spear in his right hand, and behind him, the projection of the Ancestral Tree once again emerged, surging with boundless life energy. Then, under the watching eyes of all, something new appeared in his left hand.

The audience squinted skyward, almost all of them focusing solely on Tang San.

This Amethystine Warrior had gone undefeated through every stage of the competition, constantly bringing surprises with every match. Now in the finals, what new tricks would he reveal? That was what everyone was looking forward to the most.

What abilities would Tang San pull out this time? That had become even more important to them than the match result itself. Was the Amethystine Warrior out of tricks, as some naysayers claimed, or did he still have some bizarre surprises left?

When they saw a new object appear in his left hand, their first reaction was,

Of course he didn't disappoint! Another surprise from the Amethystine Warrior!

But upon a second look, many of them noticed it was not a new object at all. In fact, it had once helped him win a match.

It was none other than the Dark Turtle Shield, the divine shield that had previously blocked the World-Sundering Sword and forced Qiu Zixuan to forfeit. It was famous for its literally impregnable defense, but equally infamous for its literally unparalleled weight, which made it practically unusable. Even Emperors struggled to move it around.

Last time, Tang San had simply planted it into the ground and hidden behind it to survive the World-Sundering Sword. But now, he had taken it out mid-air. For a moment, everyone expected him to fall down, like a meteorite going in the right direction. Yet the incredible weight of the shield seemed to have no impact on him whatsoever.

The two Emperors and Lan Moqian also reflexively squinted so they could see more clearly. And indeed, in Tang San's left hand was the notorious pitch-black shield, and in his right hand the glorious Holy Dragon Spear. All in all, it was a classic spear-and-shield warrior setup.

Could he actually wield the Dark Turtle Shield in combat? The Crystal Phoenix and Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperors didn't know all that much about it, but it was an ancient divine item of the Ancestral Court, so they did have

some

knowledge of it, and they had even tried—unsuccessfully, of course—to activate it in the past.

The Dark Turtle Shield was incomparably tough, but its weight was astronomical; it was close to fifty tons in weight. Even Emperors wouldn't bother with such a thing. Not because they couldn't lift it, but because it was completely impractical. The loss in mobility made it a burden in combat. But now, Jin Miaolin seemed to be holding it effortlessly, as if that immense weight meant nothing to him.

The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor saw that both contestants had drawn their weapons, and with the lesson of the previous fight fresh in mind, it immediately announced, "Begin!"

Lan Moqian had naturally seen the Dark Turtle Shield too, but... so what? She wasn't Qiu Zixuan. Her attacks weren't all frontal, and she wasn't a one-trick pony. On the ground, Jin Miaolin could at least brace against the platform, but in the sky? Was he actively trying to lose faster?

The two Emperors quickly retreated. Lan Moqian dashed forward in a flash, her aura erupting. In the sky, sword light flared, and Grief came down directly at Tang San.

Tang San swiftly raised the shield to intercept.

DANG-DANG-DANG-DANG-DANG-DANG-DANG-DANG-DANG!

Nine sharp clangs rang out in rapid succession. It was Grief's signature ability, Ninefold Shock!

This was a full-power assault from Lan Moqian, combining a Behemoth's raw strength, her sword mastery, the divine weapon's ability, and her built-up momentum—all unleashed in one burst.

But when the strikes landed on the Black Tortoise Shield, they only produced a crisp series of rings. Tang San didn't retreat a single step; it appeared that all the force had been absorbed by the shield.

Then came his counterattack. With his right hand, he thrust the Holy Dragon Spear along the edge of the shield in a straightforward and simple move.

Infused with divine life energy, the Holy Dragon Spear erupted in brilliant orange-gold light as the spear tip streaked toward Lan Moqian.

Her first strike having failed, she immediately swung the Heavy Water Sword in her other hand—yet another weapon known for its weight. Simultaneously, she shifted her body to the side in an attempt to dodge the Holy Dragon Spear while her sword beheaded Tang San.

But at that moment, she noticed something strange. She had clearly evaded, yet the spear tip was still pointing straight at her! It felt as though the spear tip was tracking her, as if it was somehow drawn to her by an unknown force!

When the Holy Dragon Spear was still the Radiant Dragon Spear, its most prominent ability was light-element purification; it was able to enhance and refine any light energy infused into it. That was what made Xu An'yu so desperate to obtain it; no one else could wield it like he could. Now that it had evolved, it had not only gained the holy attribute and a subsequent stronger purification ability, but also a new ability. One that Tang San had carved into it during his six days of seclusion: Absolute Strike.

It was exactly what it sounded like: In essence, once the spear locked onto the target's aura, it couldn't be dodged. The only option was to block it directly.

Lan Moqian reacted with impressive speed. Her Heavy Water, which had been sweeping toward Tang San's neck, instantly changed angles to strike the spear instead.

And then... something bizarre happened.

Tang San's shield suddenly radiated a black glow. A weird, dark glow emerged on its surface, as if the shell had come alive, and a tremendous suction force burst forth from it.

A massive sword like Heavy Water, combined with Lan Moqian's monstrous strength, was not something that could be deviated by just anything. Yet this titanic sword swinging at full momentum was suddenly yanked toward the shield by a terrifying gravitational pull!

The unexpected shift caught Lan Moqian off-guard. She tried her best to control the sword, but the suction from the Black Tortoise Shield was too strong, dragging the Heavy Water Sword off-course.

With Grief already knocked aside and now Heavy Water being dragged away, Lan Moqian found herself unable to evade Tang San's deceptively simple thrust.

At that critical moment, her combat experience showed its worth. Without a moment's hesitation, she let go of Heavy Water, allowing it to be pulled away. With the same swift motion, her right hand snapped out like lightning, and razor-sharp claws extended to strike the spear point directly.

CLANG!

A sharp crack rang out as the spear was deflected. But at that instant, a wave of orange-gold light burst from the spear tip, engulfing Lan Moqian and momentarily freezing her in mid-air.