Chapter 582: Hand in Hand

The scorching airflow surged and burned the constantly shifting spatial power, dissolving it.

At the same time, the sharp sword intent within Mei Gongzi's body was immediately washed away by the spatial power rotating at high speed, and the scorching sword intent silently dissipated. Indeed, Star Shift merged offense and defense flawlessly.

Both sides retreated simultaneously, but in the next instant, thousands of energy blades appeared almost simultaneously as both launched an all-out offensive.

Tang San did not interfere directly; he simply continued to channel his internal energy into Mei Gongzi through the Peacock Transformation, and his spiritual power permeated her sea of consciousness as he used his spirit core as a transmitter, enhancing her spiritual power.

During this competition, Mei Gongzi's cultivation, spiritual power, and insights had all greatly improved. But how could these insights be integrated into her own abilities? Nothing was better than practice, practice facing powerful opponents. Therefore, for this final match, the stage was hers; this match was the best training for her.

Tang San himself did not need such battle experience; he had far more experience than anyone else. Thus, his only purpose now was to help Mei Gongzi succeed.

Mei Gongzi used the Celestial Plume in her hand as a sword as she wove through space using the Celestial Dance. Despite the high temperature that caused space to distort, she used her divine weapon to open spatial gate after spatial gate, rift after rift, and fought the opponent using Star Shift.

The Red-Crowned Crane's sword aura was extremely sharp, but it could not break through the defenses of Mei Gongzi's Celestial Plume. Both sides unleashed countless energy blades, and the air screamed as they cut through it, yet neither side showed any signs of being overwhelmed,

The sword intent in the Red-Crowned Crane's eyes remained sharp, showing no fear even though he was facing the individual champion. Instead, he fought with increasing bravery, and his sword intent grew stronger and stronger.

However, he noticed that his opponent was the same. The energy blades formed from her spatial power were extremely sharp, and under the draw of her strange dance, spatial power continued to gather even under the burning heat of the Solar Fire. Moreover, his sword intent seemed to have no effect on her, her physical strength was extremely strong, and with the guidance of Star Shift, she could handle the energy blades that her Celestial Plume didn’t catch.

What he didn't know was that at this moment, in addition to using the Peacock Transformation, Mei Gongzi also used the White Tiger Transformation for defense and to enhance her fighting spirit. She was actually attempting to merge the two bloodlines mid-fight and have them support each other!

Energy blade crossed with energy blade as the auras of both sides continuously clashed.

The strength of the Red-Crowned Crane's sword intent lay in its ability to pierce even the void. And with the locking power of this sword intent, no matter how Mei Gongzi maneuvered and shifted her position using spatial power, the opponent could always lock onto her, and the energy blades would still reach her even through the distorted space.

As the Nine Suns burned, the Red-Crowned Crane's long sword became brighter and sharper by the moment, and every move seemed to rend the space asunder. Under the scorching temperature, the sword itself appeared to be slowly reducing in size, yet its power only grew with every moment that passed.

It was evident that this was a kind of cultivation method developed by the Scorching Sunflower and the Red-Crowned Crane together, and its effects were plain for everyone to see.

Even with the Celestial Plume, the sharp sword aura was becoming increasingly difficult for Mei Gongzi to handle. If not for the White Tiger Transformation's physical strength, she might not have been able to endure it.

Yet even in the face of such pressure, Tang San did not give her any support other than pure bloodline power and spiritual power. Mei Gongzi, in turn, did not retreat in the face of pressure, continuously using her own sword intent to neutralize the opponent's offensive.

Tang San seemed calm and composed as he stood behind her, but in reality, his attention was entirely on the chief referee standing at the edge of the field. Even compared to the mighty opponent in front of them, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was the truly terrifying one! It was most important not to let him see through Tang San’s secrets.

"Ha!" With a loud shout, the Red-Crowned Crane, who had been attacking continuously, suddenly pulled back his long sword and flew backward.

His armor rapidly melted into his skin, becoming like a second layer of crimson skin. He raised the long sword in his hand, which suddenly burst into dazzling brilliance. In that instant, even the Nine Suns became indistinguishable; there was only the long sword emitting fierce sword aura, and behind it, a pair of fierce red eyes that burned like two suns.

The Scorching Sunflower’s tempering did not just refine the sword but also the wielder. The two had cultivated together since childhood for this precise moment, and now, the results of their efforts were on full display.

The two staked everything—the scorching flames burned even their very essence. They did not hesitate for even a second.

The Red-Crowned Crane knew very well that although they seemed to have gained the upper hand, Mei Gongzi's defense was very steady. Thanks to the properties of Star Shift, Mei Gongzi's energy consumption was significantly lower than theirs. On the other hand, he could not maintain the Nine Suns Sword state for too long. Once it reached peak temperature, the sword itself would be consumed, and he had to end things quickly. Otherwise, his sword would be turned to nothingness and it would take an inordinate amount of time to create a new one.

Mei Gongzi was stronger than they had imagined. Ordinary spatial power couldn't block their attacks, but Mei Gongzi used the changes in space to layer upon layer neutralize their attacks. Additionally, the magical Star Shift always managed to deflect their fierce sword aura and intent, preventing sustained harm to her.

Mei Gongzi had been on the defensive, but very steadily, giving them no opportunity to exploit.

This was the strategy that Tang San and Mei Gongzi had discussed. Facing an opponent with extremely sharp attack capabilities, they decided to counter with a war of attrition. It was clear that the opponent had a trump card; if they engaged head-on and the opponent seized an opportunity, the result would be a lot less than desirable.

Otherwise, it was clear that in terms of overall strength, the opponent was inferior. Even though they undoubtedly had better coordination, Tang San and Mei Gongzi had a significant advantage in spiritual power, not to mention their elemental attributes. The Red-Crowned Crane indeed had a first-tier bloodline, but it was relatively weak among first-tier bloodlines. The Scorching Sunflower, despite her strength, could not make up for this shortcoming.

Even if the two complemented each other, could they compare to the combined bloodline power and spiritual power of Tang San and Mei Gongzi? Hardly. With that in mind, Tang San felt that adapting to the opponent’s attacks rather than going for a rigid offensive was the best solution. Eventually, the Scorching Sword Pair would be the one to fall.

Moreover, defending while enduring the impact of the sword intent was highly beneficial for Mei Gongzi; in the process, she would gain a better understanding of her two bloodlines and how to use them together.

The Red-Crowned Crane clearly realized that continuing like this was futile, so he abruptly paused for a moment, then erupted with power!

It understood that to defeat Mei Gongzi and Tang San and win the championship, it had to launch an unparalleled powerful attack at its peak to crush the opponents.

He was well aware that the opponents had some kind of supreme divine artifact, the weapon that had defeated Meng Dede. He also felt the sword intent coming from it—how could an heir of the Sword Saint Demon Emperor not feel it? But it was a gamble he had to take, and his gamble was that Mei Gongzi could not use that sword intent again, at least for a while.

And indeed, his bet was correct. Mei Gongzi indeed could not use it again. Not only was it not her ability, but even for Tang San, the price for using the Asura Sword once more was not something he could pay casually.

But did being unable to use it mean they would lose the match? That... remained to be seen.

Tang San extended his right hand, grasping Mei Gongzi’s right wrist. In that moment, with his body pressed against her back, he even felt the contraction of her back muscles upon contact.

Mei Gongzi could sense his presence, clear as daylight.

For some reason, her heart fluttered when she sensed this presence, and at the same time, she also felt an unusual sense of reassurance.