Chapter 572: Three out of Four

Her strength and confidence added a touch of nobility and power to her already stunning appearance. Just standing on the stage made her the center of attention.

Many eyes focused on Mei Gongzi as she gazed across at her opponent.

He was a male over two meters tall, with ordinary features and narrow eyes. His face had some strange markings, purple lines that twisted and turned, giving off an eerie feeling. His hair was also purple.

He was the type of person whom you’d instantly run away from if you saw him on a dark alley. And you’d be right to run—he was well-known because he had the highest kill count in the Ancestral Court Elite Competition. Five contestants had already died at his hands.

When his gaze fell on Mei Gongzi, his pupils narrowed, and his sinister aura intensified, clearly exuding killing intent.

As the saying goes, enemies often meet on a narrow road. Yesterday, Tang San and Mei Gongzi severely injured the Meng siblings. And today, her opponent in the individual competition was a dragon race contestant.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

It had to be said that the dragon race was indeed a powerful race; having three members in the quarter-finals was no joke. Meng Dede was eliminated due to severe injuries, but in the second bracket, there were two other dragons—one in front of her, and another who would compete in the next match.

The contestant in front of her belonged to a less favored branch of the dragon race, the Poison Dragon clan.

The reason for his high kill count in the previous matches was, obviously, his highly toxic nature. The Poison Dragon clan was not large; it only had a few members, but the most powerful one served as a guest elder in the Tenebrous Emperor's Palace. Thus, the entire Poison Dragon clan was under the protection of the Tenebrous Emperor.

The Poison Dragon in front of her was originally a support player, Meng Dede’s adjutant of sorts. He was here to clear up some obstacles so that Meng Dede wasted less time on matches. Unexpectedly, he was still in the competition, while Meng Dede had been not just eliminated but downright crippled.

Although this person appeared to be filled with fierce killing intent, he actually felt a bit happy about Meng Dede's severe injury. The reason was simple: Meng Dede had been the chosen successor of the Tenebrous Emperor. Now, the Tenebrous Emperor had no choice but to find someone else. If he could perform better in the competition, or even defeat the one who severely injured Meng Dede, wouldn't that earn him the Tenebrous Emperor's support?

Among the dragon race, the most powerful was naturally the Crystal Demon Emperor. However, the Crystal Demon Emperor rarely dealt with the daily affairs of the race and had never designated a successor. Thus, the support of the Tenebrous Emperor was particularly important for the dragon race, so this Poison Dragon’s thoughts were perfectly reasonable.

Moreover, although Meng Dede lost yesterday, he didn't think he would lose as well. After all, his unique toxic attribute made it so that none of his opponents could casually approach him.

The referee observed both contestants and, seeing that they were ready, announced the start of the match.

This match was undoubtedly the most anticipated one in today's quarter-finals. Mei Gongzi had been competing continuously every day, in both individual and doubles matches. Although she defeated Meng Dede yesterday, she ended up unconscious, and it was unclear how much she had recovered. The audience was curious to know if she could use that red light attack again, and if she could do it alone. If so, the championship was basically in her bag.

And Mei Gongzi did not disappoint. When the referee announced the start of the match, she raised her Celestial Plume.

Silver light flickered, and a streak of red suddenly shone.

Immediately, the entire arena erupted in excitement.

The Poison Dragon's pupils instantly contracted. The toxic breath he was about to spew at her instead sprayed onto the ground in front of him. The dense, dark-purple toxic mist quickly enveloped him instead. Not only did it act as a shield of sorts, ensuring that the opponent couldn’t approach to melee range, but it also blocked perception to some extent.

Yesterday, he had watched the match and witnessed the terrifying power of the vast red light Mei Gongzi released at the end, which even split the Tenebrous Dragon clan’s famous demonic weapon in two.

So, when he saw the red light emanating from Mei Gongzi's Celestial Plume, how could he not be afraid? He had asked his elders about the red light yesterday, and they speculated that it must be a powerful divine weapon, though no one knew exactly what it was. There were no records of it even in the Ancestral Court’s archives.

The red light not only shattered the demonic weapon but also eradicated all the vengeful spirits within. Although Meng Dede survived, his cultivation method relied on the Blood Slaughter Devil Spear; his cultivation base was completely wrecked. The vast righteous energy left by the red light was gradually dispelled only thanks to the personal intervention of the Tenebrous Emperor.

Just as the Poison Dragon spewed a lungful of toxic breath in front of him, that streak of red light rose again, looking identical to when it struck down Meng Dede.

But the red light only flickered for a moment before completely disappearing. Instead, silver light gate after silver light gate opened, completely encircling the Poison Dragon.

Intimidated by the red light, the Poison Dragon had released that toxic mist that blocked perception. The problem with that was

his

perception was also partially blocked. By the time he realized something was wrong, the silver light gates had already completely surrounded him.

Toxic mist surged out—a toxin, he believed, strong enough to corrode even space itself.

Unfortunately for him, while the toxic mist could indeed corrode everything it touched, that took

time

, and most of it was simply transferred away by the space gates before being able to do anything. Each space gate emitted a powerful suction force, continuously absorbing the poison he released.

The space gates surrounded him, but Mei Gongzi had already vanished. Only dense spatial cracks descended from the sky.

At their level, losing the initiative was almost equivalent to losing the opportunity. The Poison Dragon's toxins were terrifying, but in order to be effective, the opponent had to actually make contact with them.

Mei Gongzi relied on the most basic spatial ability, teleportation, avoiding direct confrontation. She consumed her opponent's strength while attacking with spatial rifts, never giving him a chance for a head-on clash.

When the power of space sealed off all possible escape routes for her opponent, the outcome of the match was already decided.

After over fifteen minutes of attrition, the Poison Dragon was confined to a space no larger than three meters by the space gates. Completely bound, he had no choice but to swallow his frustration and concede.

If he had managed to release his toxic mist all over the arena from the start, he would definitely have had a chance. He was a peak ninth-order dragon, and his toxins were something even Meng Dede couldn’t scoff at. But influenced by the impression of Mei Gongzi's powerful performance in the previous battle, he had inadvertently given her more than five seconds to set up her trap. How could he stand a chance?

With this victory, Mei Gongzi smoothly advanced to the semi-finals!

To the ordinary spectators, this match seemed like a crushing victory. But in reality, it was nothing more than outscoring the opponent. Mei Gongzi hadn’t even used the Celestial Dance or the White Tiger Transformation; she’d simply relied on tactics. Her mastery of the space element seemed to grow stronger every day.

Her foundation was undoubtedly important, and the full support of the Peacock Great Demon King and the relentless assistance of a former God King ensured her rapid improvement.

And with this, Tang San, Big Cat, and Mei Gongzi had all advanced to the semifinals!