Oriole Beats Mantis

Xiao Yan was only a Seven Star Dou Grandmaster. No matter how extraordinary his talent or how many trump cards he possessed, he only had so much Dou Qi.

Fully operating the Purple Cloud Wings earlier had already consumed nearly half his Dou Qi, while forming the Buddha's Fury Lotus Flame by fusing those two Heavenly Flames had completely drained both his Dou Qi and physical strength.

Thus, he was now nearly muddleheaded and half-conscious. He had only managed to hold on until now by swallowing several pills that restored Dou Qi and relying on sheer willpower.

He was already at the end of his rope. If the fire lotus exploded, the impact would likely kill him as well. But he was certain that the Dou Emperor named Wa Ke would not fare any better—if he did not die, he would be crippled!

After all, this trump card of his had severely wounded the Monster known as the Eight-winged Black Snake Emperor last time. Not to mention that a human Dou Emperor's body could never be tougher than that of a Sixth-tier Magical Beast, the strength this man had displayed was inferior to that Monster's.

Xiao Yan's vision was somewhat blurred. He struggled to open his eyes, and amid the swaying sky, he seemed to see a graceful pink figure slowly approaching him.

He immediately became alert, the Buddha's Fury Lotus Flame in his hand ready to launch. With the slightest push, he could turn this stretch of heaven and earth into a sea of fire. At the same time, he would detonate the Heavenly Flame source within his body, ensuring that no one could obtain it!

"Don't be afraid. It's me." The pink figure had already arrived before him. Her voice carried a hint of caution, yet it sounded somewhat familiar.

Xiao Yan tried hard to focus his gaze and saw an exceptionally beautiful woman standing before him, tall and slender, with pink hair and blue eyes. Her eyes held a trace of concern.

"E-Elder Yu Gongtian, cough, cough, cough!" Xiao Yan spoke with difficulty, then suddenly coughed several times. Another stream of blood flowed from his mouth.

"Can you make this dissipate?" Yu Gongtian took out a pill from her Storage Ring and handed it to him.

Xiao Yan hesitated briefly before accepting it and putting it into his mouth.

The pill transformed into a warm current that entered his abdomen. Its potent medicinal energy then began to regulate and repair his entire body.

"Thank you!" Xiao Yan's complexion improved somewhat, and he seemed more alert, no longer possessing that exhausted, dying look from before. Then, recalling something, he asked Yu Gongtian, "Where is Miss Gongsun? She was fighting the giant wolf Wa Ke created with a Dou Skill."

"By the time I got there, she had already dealt with it. I told her to return to Jia Ma Holy City first." Yu Gongtian answered, then pointed at the blue-white lotus platform in Xiao Yan's right hand and asked worriedly, "Can this thing be undone now?"

Xiao Yan froze, only then realizing that he was still holding this ticking time bomb!

Even Jia Xingtian, a Peak Dou Huang, deeply feared Yu Gongtian's strength. Since she had arrived here, this crisis was effectively over. There was no longer any need to unleash the Buddha's Fury Lotus Flame, but...

Xiao Yan gave an awkward laugh and said strangely, "I haven't learned how to undo it yet."

This was a Dou Skill he had created himself using the Fen Jue and Heavenly Flames, and it was immensely powerful. He knew how to form it, but he had never actually considered how to cancel it.

Yu Gongtian's expression stiffened, and a faint note of grievance entered her voice. "So you're saying this thing that's like an explosive has to be launched?"

Xiao Yan nodded bitterly, his right hand trembling slightly. Maintaining the fire lotus's form was clearly far too difficult.

Wa Ke had silently listened to their conversation, his face filled with solemnity. He could tell that the owner of the voice from earlier was the woman before him.

Run!

It was the only plan he could think of. Setting aside whether he could defeat this Jia Nan Academy elder, who was at his level or perhaps even stronger, the aftershocks of their battle alone would draw the other strong individuals in Jia Ma Holy City. By then, he might truly be beaten to death by a group, while the Chu Yun Empire could only swallow its broken teeth.

Dealing with that Alchemist brat earlier had merely been a minor scuffle. If two Dou Emperors fought to the death, their auras could be sensed for dozens of miles.

Wa Ke did not waste any words. While the two were talking, he spread his Dou Qi wings, gave them a powerful beat, and shot eastward at full speed.

"Elder Yu, that man is running," Xiao Yan reminded her when he saw Wa Ke rapidly fleeing.

Yu Gongtian merely smiled lightly and said with confidence, "Don't worry. He can't escape. Let's deal with that thing in your hand first."

"Please take me somewhere more remote first. I'll release it directly!" Xiao Yan suggested. He had created this destructive force, so naturally he should deal with it himself.

"The aftershock will kill you outright," Yu Gongtian said bluntly.

"There's no other way. I can't exactly fire one at you, can I?" Xiao Yan smiled.

Yu Gongtian blinked her beautiful eyes. Then, with a mysterious smile, she extended her jade-white arm.

"What do you mean, Elder Yu?" Xiao Yan asked in confusion.

"I have a good idea. Give me the fire lotus." Yu Gongtian smiled.

Xiao Yan looked at her with some hesitation. Though he fully acknowledged the strength of this exceptionally beautiful elder before him, anyone below the Dou Zong realm would likely suffer an ugly fate after taking a Buddha's Fury Lotus Flame head-on.

"You don't trust my strength?" Yu Gongtian narrowed her eyes slightly, wisps of wandering Dou Qi emerging from her body with a terrifying aura.

"Among all the strong individuals I've met, you are absolutely number one!" Feeling the pressure, Xiao Yan's body stiffened slightly as his survival instincts surged to the limit.

"Mm-hm! Then give it to me!" The curve returned to Yu Gongtian's lips. She nodded in satisfaction, her outstretched hand bobbing as she made a requesting gesture.

After hesitating again and again, Xiao Yan placed a seal on the fire lotus and slowly pushed it into Yu Gongtian's hand.

"This seal can last for one minute. After one minute, the fire lotus will become violent and uncontrollable again," Xiao Yan said worriedly.

"That is enough." Yu Gongtian nodded, turned around, and chased after Wa Ke. In an instant, she vanished without a trace.

Wa Ke glanced behind him. Seeing no one there, the tension in his heart eased slightly.

Still unconvinced, he used his soul perception to inspect the area once more. Only after finding no aura belonging to any strong individuals behind him did he finally relax.

He stopped accelerating and continued flying at a high speed.

That woman was powerful, but arrogant. Though he admitted that she was stronger than him, they were both Dou Emperor-level strong individuals. Anyone who dared underestimate him would be making an enormous mistake. After all, his nickname was The Hidden One!

In a head-on fight, he was not particularly strong among mid-level Dou Emperors. He might even be slightly weaker than some formidable low-level Dou Emperors. But his ability to disguise himself and conceal his aura surpassed the vast majority of Dou Emperors, and could even deceive some strong individuals who had just entered the Dou Zong realm.

Therefore, as long as he left that woman's line of sight, Wa Ke could blend into heaven and earth itself, making it impossible for her to trace even the slightest sign of him.

"Hmph!" Wa Ke snorted. Yan Li's side of this plan had not encountered any problems, yet his side had nearly gone disastrously wrong. It made him extremely unhappy.

"This time, I've provoked Jia Nan Academy. Once I return, I'll need to discuss countermeasures with the master and the others." Wa Ke clicked his tongue. Though the Chu Yun Imperial Family would not do anything to him over this matter, he would inevitably be relieved of his post for a time to avoid attention.

"Bitch, don't let me find an opportunity, or I'll kill you in minutes!" Wa Ke continued cursing, growing angrier the more he thought about it.

He was an extremely proud man. Being frightened into retreat by a woman was making his blood boil just thinking about it.

"Now you have your chance!" Just then, a cold voice suddenly came from ahead of him.

Wa Ke instantly stopped, his pupils contracting violently.

Before him, an exceptionally beautiful woman dressed in an exquisite blue robe stood in midair as though she had been waiting for him for a long time. In her left hand, a blue-white lotus platform slowly revolved, its petals like multicolored Liuli.

"Impossible! Y-You... when did you get here? No matter how fast you are..." Wa Ke took a step back, his voice trembling.

"Let me think. About half a minute ago, I suppose." Yu Gongtian considered it, then answered.

Damn it, what kind of terrifying speed is this? Is she even human? Not even a Six-star flying Magical Beast should be this fast!

Wa Ke roared inwardly, while a chill began rising in his heart.

"Here, this is the gift someone worked so hard to create for you. It would be terribly unromantic of you not to accept it!" Yu Gongtian said with a smile.

Who the hell would dare accept a gift like that?!

Wa Ke gritted his teeth and nearly forced the words out. "Your Excellency, in this Alchemist Competition, we were targeting the people of the Jia Ma Empire. I did not intend to kill your student, so... I am willing to pay compensation. Could you let me leave?"

"But if I hadn't been here this time, wouldn't she have died?" Yu Gongtian countered. She slightly raised her left hand, and the lotus platform floated gently in her palm, its shifting radiance beautiful to behold.

Wa Ke was speechless.

"How about this? I'll activate this fire lotus, and you'll take it head-on. If you die, then everything will be settled. If you survive, I won't stop you from leaving. How does that sound?" Yu Gongtian lifted her gaze from the fire lotus and slowly looked toward Wa Ke.

Wa Ke was stunned, and anger immediately appeared on his face. What a joke. He had sensed it earlier—if that thing truly exploded, he would absolutely be gravely injured. Then wouldn't his life be entirely at this woman's mercy?

"I'll count to ten. When I'm done, we'll begin. Ten." Yu Gongtian ignored his expression and began the countdown. She was merely informing him; he had no room to choose.

"Your Excellency, I am willing to offer all my resources..." Wa Ke began to panic. He had truly been frightened by this woman's strength.

"Nine." Yu Gongtian ignored him and continued.

"Wait!"

"Eight."

"I can't take this anymore!" Wa Ke's rationality finally collapsed. He directly raised the dagger in his hand, immense Dou Qi condensing into a huge slash as he charged at Yu Gongtian with bloodshot eyes.

"Seven."

Yu Gongtian did not dodge. Instead, she formed a longsword from Dou Qi in her right hand and casually swept it forward. A Sword Qi over thirty meters long shot straight at Wa Ke's black blade.

Boom! A tremendous collision rang out. As the two attacks struck, they unleashed powerful shockwaves. However—

Wa Ke's dagger shattered, and he was blasted away by that Sword Qi, crashing straight into the forest below.

"Six."

"Five."

Wa Ke darted through the forest like a ghostly shadow, intending to use the dense woods to evade the pink-haired woman's lock-on.

Yet after blasting apart a large tree, he saw a graceful figure standing in a small clearing before him.

"Four."

Wa Ke drew a deep breath. Black Dou Qi in his hands began condensing madly, compressed again and again. Then, forming claws with both hands, he clawed toward Yu Gongtian.

Earth-tier Low Grade Dou Skill—Nether Black Emperor Claw

The ground shattered in an instant. Ten massive black claws struck toward Yu Gongtian from every direction, while all trees within a mile began to disintegrate beneath the sharp energy emanating from those ten giant claws.

This was Wa Ke's ultimate trump card. This attack had once slain a four-star Dou Emperor!

"Three."

Yu Gongtian narrowed her eyes slightly and spun the longsword in her hand. A ring of Sword Qi formed around her, revolving at high speed.

The massive claws instantly struck the Sword Qi and were frantically sliced apart, yet they were somehow blocked outside. However, under the unceasing barrage of the black claws, the space within the Sword Qi's defense began to compress continuously.

"Hahaha! With this trump card of mine, anyone below the Dou Zong realm will either die or be injured without sufficient defenses. You will pay for your arrogance!" Wa Ke laughed wildly. He had gone completely mad, his eyes brimming with bloodlust.

He had always stood high above others, looking down upon all living things. Yet this woman's series of actions had ruthlessly trampled his immense confidence and pride beneath her feet!

"Two." Yu Gongtian remained utterly unaffected and continued counting to herself.

The fire lotus in her hand began to spin faster, terrifying energy fluctuations surging out from within.

"Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!" Wa Ke shouted madly, slamming both hands down. The giant claws tore apart the Sword Qi and twisted toward the person at their center.

Yet not a trace of blood sprayed from within.

Wa Ke panted heavily and dropped to his knees. After everything that had just happened, his body and mind were both utterly exhausted.

Just as he was experiencing endless exhilaration at the thought that he had surpassed himself and killed an opponent stronger than him with his trump card, a ghostly voice rang out behind him.

"One. Now, the show begins!"

He suddenly felt his body grow enormously heavier. Immediately afterward, gravity like a colossal mountain crushing down slammed into him, forcing both his hands onto the ground.

"W-What?!" Wa Ke was shocked. Through the gap beneath his lowered head, he saw the young girl standing atop a massive boulder behind him.

"The Alchemist Competition is quite grand, but it is still missing a little spectacle." The young girl nodded, as though she had suddenly thought of a good idea. "Hm, how about I set off the biggest firework in Jia Ma Empire history?"

The young girl slowly walked behind Wa Ke and bent down to lightly grab his ankle, only to frown at once.

Her hand was too small. She could not grip it.

With a helpless sigh, she could only raise her right hand. Wa Ke's entire body actually floated directly into the air.

With a light tap of her toes against the ground, she slowly rose into the sky.

Wa Ke's expression gradually changed from shock to terror. His mouth trembled incessantly as he stammered, "Floating through the void... a D-Dou Zong expert!"

The young girl ignored him and rapidly ascended several thousand meters into the sky.

She pressed the fire lotus in her left hand against Wa Ke's chest, then smiled faintly at him and said something very strange. "Sayonara!"

She slowly retreated, each step carrying her a hundred meters as though she had teleported.

A blue-white flash appeared in the sky, then slowly burst open. In that instant, no other sound could be heard. Only the thunderous roar echoed through the heavens.

The sky west of Jia Ma Holy City was illuminated. That night, countless people saw that enchanting blue-white lotus slowly bloom...

Liuli stood above the sky, watching the lotus. She smiled softly and said, "So beautiful."

Then she looked behind her, where a tiny black speck was slowly approaching.

"This was set off for you, Xiao Yan!" she said softly.