The Grand Competition Concludes

Just as everyone thought Nine-Infant Dao had been instantly defeated, its figure shot up from the canyon.

Of its original nine heads, five had been severed. The remaining four were wounded as well, missing eyes and mouths, while its once-glorious black wings were now tattered beyond recognition.

"Ying ying ying!" Nine-Infant Dao cried furiously.

Jiang Ming had already exhausted his strength and landed on one knee.

Nine-Infant Dao had clearly noticed Jiang Ming's condition. Its damaged body charged straight at him.

"Still just a little short." Jiang Ming, his head lowered, suddenly said, "Then I'll have to stop playing fair."

Outside.

"What did he mean? He's clearly exhausted. Could he have other methods?"

"Just watch carefully. With your meager cultivation, how could you understand their methods?"

"Could it be talismans or formations?"

"But those need spiritual power to activate, don't they?"

Jiang Ming suddenly rose to his feet. The bright gold in his eyes had dimmed as he rubbed the Imperial Heir Ring on his index finger.

He pulled out a stack of talismans.

Ordinary talismans indeed required spiritual power to activate, but holy talismans could have activation switches set within them and did not necessarily need spiritual power. The only drawback was that their might would be greatly reduced.

"World-Destroying Tribulation Lightning!"

"Flowing Shadow Sword Formation!"

"Aurora Cloud-Shattering Flash!"

"Xun Wind Thunder-Shaking Saber!"

"Cosmos Sun-Moon Slash!"

"Soul-Scorching Spirit-Burning Saber!"

As Jiang Ming called out each name, the previously tranquil talismans frantically absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, unleashing attack after attack capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Nine-Infant Dao, which had been closing in, retreated at an even faster speed.

It had thought the Sun-Sundering Heaven Technique was the pinnacle. Who would have imagined it had merely been a simple ordinary attack, with so many similar attacks still to come?

One alone had nearly taken its life. With so many more attacks remaining, it was dead for certain.

"Ying ying ying!" As Nine-Infant Dao's unwilling cries faded, its life force drained away at a frenzied pace. In the end, it fell silent and collapsed to the ground.

"Ten Tribulations of Startling Thunder!"

Jiang Ming followed up with another attack. Nine-Infant Dao's ruined body could no longer be recognized.

A deep-purple inner core rolled out from its body. Jiang Ming picked it up, examined it curiously for a while, then stored it in the Imperial Heir Ring before turning toward the Sky-Splitting Demon Ape's battlefield.

The two battlefields were not far apart. At this moment, the Sky-Splitting Demon Ape was covered in blood, ice crystals in one hand and flames in the other, wielding two attributes at once.

All fourteen cultivators at the Tenth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm had been injured. Eight had already fallen, while Zhang Wushuang, Chen Lin, Ouyang Yuegui, Xuanyuan Tian, Xuan Wuying, Xu Nuo'an, and the others were still barely holding on.

Zhuge Jinyue sat up from the ground and looked toward Jiang Ming in the distance, astonishment in her eyes.

Though Jiang Ming's face was somewhat pale, he looked far better than she did in her dusty, disheveled state.

"Young Master Jiang, can you still deal with another great demon?" Zhuge Jinyue smiled faintly. Paired with her soot-smudged cheeks, it gave her a rather unique charm.

Jiang Ming stared blankly at her. "Zhuge Jinyue?" he asked uncertainly.

"It's me," Zhuge Jinyue said. Her slightly parted lips highlighted just how unusual she was—she was missing one of her front teeth.

Jiang Ming's mouth twitched wildly. He thought of every sad thing that had ever happened in his life before barely managing to suppress it.

Zhuge Jinyue's serious expression, combined with that missing front tooth, was simply too devastating.

"Are you all right?" Zhuge Jinyue asked uncertainly. Though her divination arts had reached a respectable level, Jiang Ming's unsteady steps and utterly drained appearance made him look unwell no matter how she viewed him.

"! Why wouldn't I be all right? I'm perfectly fine!" Jiang Ming suddenly shouted.

At that moment, the Sky-Splitting Demon Ape let out a roar. Its violent aura shook the entire arena as it drove back Xuanyuan Tian and the others with three, four, five punches in rapid succession. Then it left a false body behind and its true body swiftly fled.

The dim golden light in Jiang Ming's eyes flickered as he calmly watched the Sky-Splitting Demon Ape flee.

"You're that badass?!" Xuanyuan Tian was in a miserable state himself. The moment he saw Jiang Ming, he said, "So you'd been playing the pig to eat the tiger all along!"

"I still think you looked cooler when you were acting all smug before." Jiang Ming smiled faintly.

"What was that slash of yours? Can I learn it?" Xuanyuan Tian asked.

"Sure, but you probably won't be able to use it." Jiang Ming said. The ancestor who had created the Sun-Sundering Heaven Technique also possessed Sun Power. This art had been created specifically for Sun Power, and others simply could not unleash its might.

"Is that saber of yours for sale?" Xuanyuan Tian asked shamelessly.

"??" Jiang Ming's face was full of question marks. "Come on, brother, can you even afford it?"

The value of a peak holy artifact was immeasurable. How could a mere Nascent Soul cultivator possibly afford one?

Xuanyuan Tian was dejected for a moment, then suddenly declared, "I'll definitely become stronger than you!"

With that, he walked off to one side.

"Don't mind him. Whenever this guy sees something powerful, he wants it," Xuan Wuying said as he came over.

"Thank you, Brother Jiang, for lending us a hand!" Xu Nuo'an and the others cupped their fists together.

Jiang Ming waved his hand. "It's nothing. I was here too, after all."

"May I ask what arrangements Young Master Jiang had in mind by participating in this grand competition?" Zhuge Jinyue asked.

"Nothing much. I was bored, so I came to broaden my horizons."

"There are still two days left. Aren't you going to hunt demon beasts?" Jiang Ming asked.

Zhuge Jinyue pursed her lips in a smile. "I don't know about the others, but would Young Master Jiang truly not understand?"

"The grand competition ultimately judges everyone by their performance. Demon cores are not important. By joining forces to fight a Tribulation Transcendence great demon, our worth has already surpassed that of a fourth-rank Demon King's demon core."

"Besides, we are not in good condition right now. We need even more time to recover."

Jiang Ming studied her for a moment. She was not as breathtakingly beautiful as Ouyang Yuegui, yet she was very pleasing to the eye and carried an air of tranquil composure.

Jiang Ming said no more. He truly was somewhat tired. He took out a reclining chair from the Imperial Heir Ring and lay down on it directly.

The others sat down where they were and began breathing exercises to regulate their condition.

Two days later,

The Hundred Woods Realm Gate opened, and everyone left the Hundred Woods Realm one after another. When Jiang Ming and the others appeared in Tianwu Square, enormous cheers erupted from the crowd.

"The Imperial Clan is fucking awesome!"

"The Imperial Clan being awesome needs you to say it? Young Master is awesome! Young Master, look at me!"

"Young Master, I'll warm your bed!!"

"Young Master, do you need a maid?"

Jiang Ming froze for a moment before realizing that the young master they were calling for was him. The corners of his mouth lifted as he straightened his back and strode toward the center of Tianwu Square.

His black-gold robe patterned with dragon motifs gleamed beneath the sunlight. His high ponytail fluttered in the breeze, and his golden eyes brimmed with majesty.

"So handsome! Young Master is the most handsome!!"

"Young Master, I want to bear your children!"

Xuanyuan Tian stood beside Jiang Ming with his chest raised and his head held high, his hands clasped behind his back. "Worldly desires are stumbling blocks on the path. Cultivators like us should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the Dao!"

"Then why are you marrying Liu Qingqing?" Jiang Ming asked with amusement.

"It's merely an arrangement from home. Women only affect the speed at which I draw my saber!" Xuanyuan Tian said disdainfully. "If you have feelings for Liu Qingqing, then go snatch her from the wedding!"

As he spoke, excitement appeared on Xuanyuan Tian's face.