The vast Martial Practice Field fell into utter silence.
Only half the ruined body of the Eight-Headed, Eight-Tailed Serpent remained standing on the platform. All eight heads had shattered, scattering broken ice across the ground, where it melted swiftly into puddles beneath the sunlight.
The crimson-gold Spirit Monkey Apparition still stood proudly before Jiang Ye. Its six arms slowly withdrew, and its three heads merged one after another, until it returned to an apparition with one head and two arms.
It lowered its eyes to the remaining half of the serpent's body, seeming to regard it with disdain, as though it had not yet had its fill. Then its form slowly dissolved into a skyful of crimson-gold sparks before disappearing entirely.
The gray-robed figure on the platform still stood where he had been, without having moved an inch.
Not far from him, the Sakura Princess, who had scorned everything since setting foot in Jiang Prefecture, had lost all her former splendor.
Her loose white robes had failed to withstand the crimson-gold flames. Several large holes had been burned through them, exposing the plain white lining beneath.
Fortunately, she wore close-fitting garments underneath, which barely kept her private parts covered.
Otherwise, the Sakura Princess would have exposed herself before the entire crowd.
Even so, her disheveled robes and loose, scattered hair left her looking utterly bedraggled.
Her snowflake-like eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Ye, yet seemed to have lost their focus.
The next instant.
The Sakura Princess, who had stirred towering waves throughout the Zhou Kingdom, seemed to have had every bone drawn out of her body. Unable to muster even a trace of strength, she collapsed heavily to the ground.
As she fell, the remaining half of the serpent's body shattered into countless ice fragments and dissipated into the air,