Chapter 548: Dual Domains

The frenzied energy blades swept toward Meng Dede.

In the face of this intense attack, Meng Dede still did not reveal his true form. He simply looked at his opponent with icy eyes, then raised his right hand and coldly uttered one word.

"Wither!"

In an instant, all the purple-black bands of light turned bright purple, appearing to be dissolving. They then quickly turned from bright purple into pitch black, plunging the entire area covered by the Dark Domain into a colorless abyss.

Whether it was the sharp energy blades or the spatial rifts they had created, they all seemed to collapse and dissolve in that instant, withering and falling.

Within a diameter of about two hundred meters, the surface of the competition stage actually sank by a whole two meters!

The dark golden color of the Behemoth suddenly darkened further, and even its fur began to lose its luster, becoming curly and lackluster due to the withering effect.

"Rooooaaarrrr!!!"

Meng Dede let out a dragon's roar toward the sky.

The withering darkness turned bright again—back to brilliant purple. In that purple world, he stood in the air like a heavenly demon, looking down at his opponent below.

The massive Behemoth was sinking into the ground bit by bit, as the overwhelming purple rushed toward him madly. Having used the Claw Blade Storm, he was now in a weakened state. How could he possibly break free from this dark assault again?

Tang San couldn't help but gasp when he saw this development. "Second domain!"

Yes, the transformation between purple and black was clearly no longer the simple Dark Domain but another domain, Wither!

The most terrifying thing was that Meng Dede's two domains complemented each other. Everything within the range of the Dark Domain withered even faster, and conversely, all that withered eventually turned into darkness, further reinforcing the domain.

Now Tang San understood why the Eternal Night Sovereign, the Tenebrous Demon Emperor, would say that Meng Dede could display the power of an Eternal Night Sovereign even at midday. Indeed, with his level of mastery over his own abilities and two such powerful domains, not even the average tenth-order demon or nymph could be his match. If he reached godhood in the future, he would undoubtedly be an extraordinary existence.

Most importantly, Tang San’s next opponent would be this young Eternal Night Sovereign, Meng Dede.

The Behemoth contestant on the stage finally conceded. If he didn't, his opponent might just strike the killing blow.

The invincible beast of the land had lost the match without even making contact with his opponent. What a tragedy!

But in the face of absolute strength and a remarkably talented opponent, words were meaningless.

The Tenebrous Demon Emperor was only ranked sixth among the Demon Emperors. If the Nymph Emperors were included, he might not even make the top ten. His grandson, on the other hand, was a whole different story. If Meng Dede managed to become a Demon Emperor in the future, the status of the Tenebrous Dragon line would be greatly elevated, far beyond its current sixth place.

Moreover, no other Emperors could hope to draw them to their side, since he was already the direct heir of a Demon Emperor.

On the stage, Meng Dede, having defeated the Behemoth, showed no trace of pride. His expression remained unchanged, as if this was something only natural. In the next moment, he slowly turned around, looking in a certain direction.

Many spectators followed his gaze and saw, in an inconspicuous area, a masked person. It was none other than the previous match's victor, the one who defeated the Immortal Flame Phoenix, Asura!

Meng Dede's gaze was quite peculiar. Even from a distance, Tang San could see the look in his eyes—it was an expression of curiosity. No hostility, just pure, intense curiosity!

In the next match, Tang San would face the top favorite of the individual competition. And given the strength Meng Dede had just displayed, Tang San knew trouble was coming.

Meng Dede's Dark Domain combined with the Withering Domain had been too much for the Behemoth to break through. Could Tang San fare any better?

Without a doubt, this was the strongest opponent Tang San had encountered in the competition, bar none!

In terms of element control, he surpassed even Mei Gongzi. The darkness element seemed to have become part of him, or rather, he had become part of the darkness. He was a true child of darkness. Defeating this guy with his current mixed abilities seemed almost impossible. In today's match, the Behemoth contestant had lost without even forcing Meng Dede to reveal his trump cards. If Tang San fought like he had until now, Meng Dede would likely defeat him next, then Big Cat, and finally Mei Gongzi, to win the individual competition.

For the first time since participating in this competition, Tang San felt a strong surge of fighting spirit and anticipation for a match.

Mei Gongzi, who was right beside him, clearly sensed his change in emotions. Instead of being discouraged by his opponent's strength, it seemed as though his fighting spirit was soaring!

At this moment, Tang San seemed like a different person. Those around him could feel a sense of grandeur and strength emanating from him.

Both sides stepped down from the competition stage, and the repairing works began. Naturally, it wasn't feasible to have ordinary workers do it, as that would take days. Several Demon and Nymph Kings with earth elemental abilities stepped onto the stage to quickly restore it. Although it wouldn't look as good as before, it would be good enough for competition.

Perhaps influenced by the change in Tang San's aura, Mei Gongzi was also filled with fighting spirit, as it would soon be her turn to compete.

Tang San and Big Cat had both defeated their opponents and advanced to the quarter-finals. How could she let them steal all the glory?

"Big Brother, I'm heading to my match."

Tang San brought his emotions under control and turned to Mei Gongzi with a smile. "Alright, good luck!"

"You guys are so strong, but I will definitely make it to the quarter-finals too. Let's meet in the finals."

After saying this, Mei Gongzi turned and walked away.

Watching her graceful figure disappear from sight, Tang San's heart became unusually calm.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Today's victory, or rather his progress in the Ancestral Court Elite Tournament, had gradually brought him onto the grand stage of this plane. Undoubtedly, there were many things about him that interested the various demon and nymph races. In the future, he would have to face many challenges alongside Mei Gongzi. He could no longer retreat, and he could no longer hide. He could only become stronger, as quickly as he could, if he wanted to be able to face all the changes and crises. In this world, strength was ultimately king!

At that moment, sensing a change in the aura behind him, Tang San turned to see Big Cat had finished meditating and opened his eyes.

He still looked a bit weak, but that would soon pass. Yet there also seemed to be something different about him; he had a complex expression on his face.

"How are you?"

Big Cat replied wryly, "Pretty good, my injuries have mostly healed. With a bit more rest, it shouldn't be a big problem."

"You seem troubled. Are you still holding a grudge against the Golden Lion clan?"

"It'd be impossible not to. After all, they and the other lion and tiger clans treated us in such a way that our clan faced the danger of extinction. Since childhood, I have never considered myself related to the lion or tiger races, nor did I think I would gain their recognition. I only feel resentment toward them. And when I wanted to become strong, it was just to show them whether our Lion-Tiger clan is truly a cursed clan or it is they who are blind to the actual truth."