Chapter 707: Intelligence! Bloodthirsty Wargoddess (III)
What no one knew was that within Bright Glimmer of Hope, the only domain wielders reaching the second rank of the ninth step were actually Long Haochen and Cai'er.
Although Chen Ying'er and Wang Yuanyuan possessed a domain of their own, they had actually only reached the first rank of the ninth step of cultivation. Their own domain was comprehended in the process of over four years of deep meditation, brought about miraculously. But beyond that miracle, the shortage in their cultivation was still a clear thing.
Otherwise, Chen Ying'er may not necessarily have lost to Li Zhengzhi, or at least have inconvenienced him to an even greater degree.
As the Temples' Great Gathering did not even permit any equiment, Bright Glimmer of Hope's shortages became even more visible.
That's why Wang Yuanyuan took a different approach from the beginning, by choosing to go for another type of battle. She was standing motionless, but actually maintained all her thoughts in the battle, looking for a hole in the opponent's strategy to bring her a victory in one blow.
The powerful spatial domain started to compress Wang Yuanyuan's residing space, the spatial cracks growing more and more numerous. From outside the barrier, it appeared that over thousands of spatial gaps had appeared in the field, seemingly crushing anything in their contact instantly.
So, what's to be done? What response will Wang Yuanyuan choose? A lot of spectators had these same questions arise in them.
Finally, a first spatial crack made contact with Wang Yuanyuan's Blood Domain. With a swishing sound, like that of ice melted by a red-hot piece of iron, Wang Yuanyuan's Blood Domain bubbled up violently, and that spatial crack disappeared immediately. But by paying attention, one would notice that those spatial cracks were ripping away some of the blood energy released by the Blood Domain.
This was just a beginning. Following that first one, even more of these headed towards Wang Yuanyuan.
Swishing sounds kept resounding, one spatial crack after another disappearing swiftly after contact with the Blood Domain. But it was apparent that Wang Yuanyuan's Blood Domain was rippling violently, losing its might.
The other party used a mix of magic and domain, while she only kept defending passively through her domain. The contrast was rather obvious.
The two parties' domains kept clashing, during which a lot of spectators were already shaking their head. Even Li Zhengzhi had a smile appearing on his face, muttering aloud, "Is this girl looking for an opening? How could she even find one? Old Yu's domain gave him the title Master of Constant Changes'. There's no set rule at all. She wants to rely on her domain's explosive force to make a surprise attack, but her pains will only get deeper and deeper."
With the thought of having one more powerhouse from the Mage Temple to make it through, Li Zhengzhi couldn't help but get into a better and better mood. Maybe his spiritual energy will really be replenished completely by the next round as well. However, because of his use of two great Domain Techniques, recovering to his peak by then would be really challenging.
Time passed second-by-second, during which Wang Yuanyuan's Blood Domain was still very powerful even when faced against an attack combining spatial domain and magic, enduring tenaciously. At least several thousand cracks had already disappeared in front of the Blood Domain.
Cai'er let out a light sigh, "I'm afraid that Yuanyuan won't be able to find an opening in the opponent's attack. This mage is very careful; look, when attacking through his domain, he really launches extremely irregular attacks, variating between single ones and swarms. And the thickness of the cracks only keeps growing. Now if Yuanyuan goes on the offense, she's even more likely to get trapped. This old mage is just too cunning. Upon realizing what Yuanyuan's plan was, he immediately made a countermeasure. If this lasts, Yuanyuan won't hold out for much longer."
Haochen patted Cai'er's hand, declaring, "Trust in her. Yuanyuan is not just stubborn but also clever. Her innate gifts may be the lowest, but she has still achieved extraordinary success. For her to have obtained her own domain before even reaching the second rank of the ninth step shows her intelligence and wits plentifully."
Thinking of that, Long Haochen couldn't help but recall his previous teacher Asura Ye. He really had not met him for a very long time. Who knew where the Knight Temple had sent him. Long Haochen had formerly asked his grandfather, but Long Tianying did not even breathe a single word of it, only telling him that Ye Hua was carrying out an extraordinarily important mission. So, Long Haochen had yet to find the opportunity to pay his respects to his teacher.
In the field, Wang Yuanyuan's Blood Domain which originally extended to three meters was gradually compressed to a diameter of one meter, barely enough to protect her body.
"Just concede, young girl. I don't want to injure you." The old mage's voice reverberated in all directions, his offense slowing down slowly. This being the Temples' Great Gathering, a domain's compression was a really dangerous thing. In case something went wrong, Wang Yuanyuan's life may very well be endangered.
But the instant the counterpart's domain slowed down, she finally made her move.
Her speed was really immense: all the spectators only saw a flash of blood light, as she unexpectedly passed through the spatial gates instantly.
The whole stage was immediately in a state of surprise.
In fact, these spatial cracks were all spatial instabilities created through spatial magic, preventing any teleportation. Not only was the space extremely unstable, but furthermore could crumble at anytime, all the spatial cracks being filled with an extremely strong swallowing force. Absorbing things was none other than one of its greatest powers. Throwing oneself inside is simply akin to suicide.
But who could expect Wang Yuanyuan to make such a choice? This girl was just too staunch. Could it be that she would stake her own life rather than get defeated at the hands of the Mage Temple? After all, based on the Temples' Great Gathering's rules, killing one's opponent would automatically get oneself eliminated.
Even Li Zhengzhi had a look of complete shock upon catching sight of this scene. But the next instant, everyone here realized their own mistake.
In a flash of blood light, Wang Yuanyuan already appeared in another spot. This very instant, the numerous surrounding spatial cracks started to get more and more chaotic.
Because the whole field was filled of spatial cracks to the brim, when Wang Yuanyuan disappeared, only indistinct flashes of red could be seen in their midst. But something no one could see was occuring at that very moment.
The spatial cracks started to disappear one after another, gradually revealing the situation in the center of the grounds.
Then a breathtaking sight came. Wang Yuanyuan calmly stood there, her palm pressed onto the old mage's head. The latter did not utilize further magic, only looking at Wang Yuanyuan full of incomprehension.
"How did you achieve that?" The old mage asked, full of incomprehension, "This was inside my domain, my domain, and with so many spatial cracks around. You cannot possibly have used any teleporting ability. I know that you have a spiritual stove enabling teleportation, and it is something for which I have already accounted. I don't understand how you could pass through the spatial cracks, and end up right in front of me. My domain and magic are completely devoid of any regular pattern."
Wang Yuanyuan calmly answered, "There is no ability devoid of the slightest flaw. It is because your spatial cracks were boosted thanks to your domain that so many of them had appeared simultaneously. It is indeed as you say, these spatial cracks are devoid of any regular patterns. But you have forgotten that they come from the same domain, and that is their common point."
"All of these cracks that were created from the same domain, are all linked to each other, with spatial channels able to link them instantly like a spider web. What I did was all calculated: I picked a spatial channel that could connect me right in front of you, and that was all I needed."
Wang Yuanyuan had said that as if it was very simple, but the old mage was greatly shocked, "How could that be possible? That would require a massive amount of energy. Most of all, with just a little mistake, you would be torn in the midst of spatial ripples, or drifting in an endless space."
"No, this couldn't happen to me. Right, as you say my spiritual stove cannot be used in your domain. But I can protect myself in a fixed spot by using my domain's defenses. This is also why I remained purposefully unmoving for so long, or else,
by placing myself with my back facing the outside defensive barrier, I would have lasted for even longer. But I did not move in order to maintain my spiritual stove's positioning. That way, even if I ended up unable to pass through your spatial cracks, I would be able to trigger my connection with the spiritual stove, and return to the previous spot with the protection of my domain. Could it be that you didn't realize that when I was teleporting, the blood fog at the other side was maintained for some time? Why do you think it only disappeared when I arrived near you? It only lasted for one second, but that was enough for me to be decisive. So even if I had miscalculated, it would only have ended in failure, with no possibility of death.
The old mage looked at Wang Yuanyuan, totally blank and remaining speechless for a long moment.
Wang Yuanyuan retrieved her hand, and performed a warrior salute to him, turning back and walking out.
"A moment." The old mage suddenly shouted to Wang Yuanyuan.
Wang Yuanyuan turned her head to him, "Is there some other matter?"
The old mage solemnly declared, "I have lost and am thoroughly convinced in my defeat. You may have won with your cleverness, but in this world, people capable of such intelligence and steadiness are you are far too few. You are bound to be respected in the future Warrior Temple."
Saying that, the old mage solemnly bent to Wang Yuanyuan, before turning back with a smile on his face.
When she came out from the stadium, the first thing that welcomed her back was Chen Ying'er's warm hug.
"Won, You've won! Yuanyuan, you're really awesome." Chen Ying'er spiritedly hugged Wang Yuanyuan, who swayed visibly, shutting her eyes in her embrace, and muttering in a feeble voice, "Help me get moving."
This fight's whole process looked really simple, but only Wang Yuanyuan and the old mage knew how pressuring the battle was to her.
How about the process of the massive pressure brought upon her? Under such a pressure, she had to perform continuous calculations to get closer to her goal. Though her spiritual stove's position was fixed before she tore through the spatial crack, that was still in no way devoid of danger to her life! Since she wanted to beat the enemy and achieve victory whilst paying attention to her own safety, all these factors together meant her burdens were far too many.
So far, out of three of the six battles, Bright Glimmer of Hope had already achieved two victories, and occupied two seats in the top six.
Chapter 708: Flourishing Lotus Flower's Soul Purification (I)
The golden light of selection surged out and landed once again, shrouding Cai'er another time. This time, her opponent was from the Spiritual Temple.
The fourth battle of the fifth individual round began.
This summoner Cai'er had to face was a tall elder. All those who made it to the fifth round were powerhouses of the current age. The displays of strength of this summoner in the previous battles were seen clearly by everyone from Bright Glimmer of Hope. His strongest specialty was his contracted beast, a dragon, a genuine dragon. This summoner was the only dragon summoner out of the whole Spiritual Temple.
When facing this dragon summoner, the pressure on Cai'er as she was not allowed to use any sort of equipment was really great. Although this summoner had yet to enter the domain wielding realm, his summoned gigantic dragon was already a domain wielding powerhouse.
A shrill dragon cry came as a blue gigantic dragon appeared in the stadium. The dragon summoning elder was seated upright on its back; to vanquish him, one would first need to beat his summoned gigantic dragon.
The dragon summoner grabbed the dragon's horn with a hand, shifting his sight toward Cai'er, his opponent.
This blue gigantic dragon was of water attribute, and reached a length of a full fifty meters. Even as it stood within the entire field, that was still a huge monster.
Cai'er's body flashed, all traces of her disappearing inside the field. She knew that this battle would be an extremely difficult one. Without a way to use the Sickle of the God of Death and Tower of Eternity, her strength would be excessively restricted.
Beating this domain-wielding gigantic dragon would really be quite a challenge. It would be another story if she could use the seven arts of the God of Death, but right now she could only beat the mount before the rider.
The summoner's look became stagnant, connecting his thoughts with the water dragon. A dragon cry reverberated from the sky as an ice-blue ring spread out from the top of his head.
Generally speaking, ring-type abilities would cover a limited range, but this ice dragon's ring seemed limitless, extending through the whole stadium's barrier and encompassing the whole audience as well.
Cai'er's Invisibility naturally left no traces under those circumstances. Her figure flashing, she appeared onto the field, but suddenly disappeared once again in mid-stride before the ring approached her, sweeping past it while leaving no traces.
Spatial shuttling? This was a powerful ability that assassins would gain starting from a certain level of cultivation.
The dragon summoner let out a faint smile. This was not his first time facing an assassin, and he naturally knew how to respond.
The wings on the water dragon's back spread out, a terrifying blue water tide erupting from these wings. This was truly a perilous situation: a tidal surge of water essence attacked the whole stadium, reaching every corner in a flash. No matter where Cai'er would appear next, she would have to endure this water-waves attack. Furthermore, under the influence of such a massive water elemental attack, changes also started to affect the space. The closer one was to the core, the more intense these water waves would get.
In the empty space, a crack quietly appeared in front of the water dragon, and Cai'er strode out. Pure halations dispersed from her body, as the purifying force condensed into a Sickle of the God of Death which struck at the water dragon.
It wasn't that she did not want to attack the dragon summoner, but in truth the water dragon's released water essence was far too massive. A blue barrier had long-since enveloped his body, so if Cai'er chose to stubbornly attack him, the water dragon's greatest attack would surely follow in response.
The water dragon's eyes lit up, opening its large mouth to spit a breath attack. In the meantime, the surrounding water essence suddenly turned into a massive whirlpool, pulling Cai'er's body toward its direction. A massive water pillar arose from beneath, attacking from two sides simultaneously.
An ice-cold glimmer flashed in Cai'er's eyes and a white halo released from her body. That soft-looking white not only stopped the water dragon's spit, but purified all the nearing water essence as well. That was Cai'er's Domain of Purification.
The water dragon let out a howl, its massive figure shivering slightly, clearly feeling a great apprehension in front of Cai'er's Domain of Purification, but it still launched its own domain in the meantime.
An azure color encompassed the whole stadium, the water essence pulsing excitedly as if alive. Drop after drop, the water condensed into little dragons, swiftly emerging from the domain. Looking at them, they appeared extremely real, all charging at Cai'er. But everything surrounding their bodies suddenly turned illusory, as if forming a water blockade separating the dragon from Cai'er.
This was a means used by the dragon summoner for self-defense, wielding a part of the domain's power defensively. After all, Cai'er was the only remaining assassin in the Temples' Great Gathering, and possessed a domain of her own. What if the domain's force was suddenly sealed off? The dragon summoner's force was this gigantic dragon. All his abilities were related to this gigantic dragon, the two of them complementing each other. His spirit united with the water dragon, commanding the latter in battle. Not only did it boost the water dragon's technical aspects, but it also connected his spiritual energy with the latter's, the result approaching the three hundred thousand.
Facing the assault of the mini water dragons, Cai'er's eyes lit up. The light of purification was as if limitless, spreading through the Light of Purification swiftly. In the meantime, she raised her right hand, stretched forward. There seemed to be some stubbornness in her look, as well as great expectations.
The dispersed petals started to shrink, gathering onto her palm. In this process, the surroundings of Cai'er's body were like a terrible whirlpool. The mini water dragons from that domain only managed to fly within a certain range of her body before smashing to pieces instantly, disappearing and turning back into water essence. However, the light of purification surrounding Cai'er did not spread further, leaving it unable to affect the water dragon's domain.
The sight of those white petals gathering rapidly was pretty. Cai'er floated in midair, like an immortal. Her purification attribute had a very great characteristic: to remain unaffected by perturbation from other elements. This wouldn't change even if the other party were to utilize domain force. Even if it were even denser, water essence was in the end water essence. In circumstances where that the light of purification had not launched any attacks, the water essence had no way to proceed beneath it.
The water dragon's sight seemed slightly frenetic. It perceived an immense threat from Cai'er.
"Raah!" Going past the light of purification would require a direct clash. Elemental essence was of no use, but skills could be used.
All the mini-dragons in the domain roared, and immediately, everything in the water dragon domain lit up. The scope of the massive domain started to extend to the whole stadium, turning into a massive whirlpool. Every water dragon turned into a light flowing through the whirlpool, disappearing in the midst of this massive domain alongside the summoner and his water dragon.
This wide whirlpool had a terrifying pulling force. Every circulating light charged toward Cai'er's domain of purification, producing a violent explosion, as well as some intense fluctuations in the white light on its surface. The spiral's rotation speed grew faster and faster, the impact force coming stronger and stronger.
But this instant, that lotus flower in Cai'er's hand bloomed.
Domain technique, Flourishing Lotus Flower.
On the last time when that lotus flower had made its appearance in the Tower of Eternity, it was not with its full power. But this time, Cai'er deployed it fully with no second thoughts.
This was Cai'er's domain technique that she was not in full control of, as well as her strongest attack at her disposal without the Sickle of the God of Death and Tower of Eternity.
But would this domain technique be enough to defeat the Water Dragon?
After Flourishing Lotus Flower came out, a purifying force was released, then, it slowly arose above Cai'er's head.
Immediately, Cai'er, who was originally sent flying upwards in the water dragon's whirlpool, returned to normal in a flash, and the flourishing lotus flower kept blooming above Cai'er's head.
A ring of extreme white suddenly extended, causing every spectator in the stadium to immediately feel bewildered. Even the defensive barrier's protection seemed ineffectual.
Graaa. The water dragon's cry was filled with great panic, because it realized, to its horror, that this ring of white light from Flourishing Lotus Flower only passed through its domain and kept expanding. Water essence was of no use in blocking it. Or perhaps no ability would be able to stop its advance. Even the dragon's extremely powerful soul's force seemed to be seeping out from its body.
No mistake, this was the purifying force's most terrifying aspect. What was purified was not the body, but the soul. Cai'er's Flourishing Lotus Flower stripped out soulforce, and had extreme boosting effects. No matter how strong you are, if your soul is wounded, that is some irreparable damage.
The water dragon did not dare attack Cai'er further, and contracted its massive domain, turning it into an immense sparkling barrier surrounding its body. In the meantime, its two dragon horns flashed in thunderous icy blue, protecting its own head.
At the very moment, all its focus was put on defending its own soul, as well as that of the dragon summoner on its head.
Once spiritual energy density reaches a certain level, there's not much to do anymore. The ice dragon perceived that Cai'er's domain of purification was actually not really suppressing its own water attribute, but its undead attribute. If it was an undead creature, even if it were twice as strong, those Flourishing Lotus Flowers would have scattered it to ashes in a flash. But as its water attribute soul did not have much of the dark aspects, it was not purified too violently. Damage to one's soul is always a very dangerous thing. It had to defend against that at all cost.
Flourishing Lotus Flower's white ring of light finally attacked the water dragon's barrier.