Chapter 45 - Prince Bao Battles Hong Luan

“Oh? Really? Then let’s see what you’ve got!” Lu Mao chuckled.

“I don’t need anything special to deal with you!” Hong Luan suddenly raised her long sword and fiercely thrust it towards the sky.

As the sword pierced forward, a sword arc shot out like lightning. The power of this single strike seemed to slice through the Void, and within the emerald sword arc, a demonic beast let out a sharp cry!

“Come out already!” Hong Luan yelled, leaping up and closely following the sword arc.

“You?”

Lu Mao did not expect his hiding place to be discovered. He quickly controlled a phantom to charge forward, trying to block Hong Luan.

In the Void, the sword arc suddenly exploded, and Lu Mao waved his long sword repeatedly to deflect Hong Luan’s attacks.

“Polar Ice Seal! Disperse!” Hong Luan saw that Lu Mao had been forced out and knew he would use other phantoms to escape, so she preemptively activated a technique.

The Polar Ice Seal is an intermediate magical technique from the Blackwater Emperor Technique, which consumes a huge amount of magical power. Even with Leng Yan’s power reserves, he could only concentrate on three instances of this technique.

Snowflakes filled the sky, and the temperature plummeted. All of Lu Mao’s images were enveloped, and a thick layer of ice began to form on him.

“Bang! Bang…”

Phantoms were continuously shattered by Hong Luan’s attacks. In an instant, all of Lu Mao’s phantoms had been obliterated, turning to ash and disappearing, leaving only his true form entangled with Hong Luan.

The two fought fiercely in mid-air, with sword light filling the sky and sword qi frequently striking the arena, causing explosive sounds.

“Senior Brother Lu, you might as well give up. I know your talismans inside out; they can’t harm me at all. When it comes to magical techniques, my cultivation technique surpasses yours. Why make a futile resistance here!” Hong Luan attacked aggressively while trying to undermine Lu Mao’s confidence with her words.

“Don’t be so smug. Although my techniques are restrained by you, my cultivation level is deeper than yours. Your magical power won’t last much longer!” Lu Mao slashed down with his sword and retreated several feet. A talisman shook and a Golden Light surrounded him once more, with a phantom of a Golden Armored God appearing behind him, embracing Lu Mao to protect him.

“Senior Sister, this Golden Armored God is a defensive magical technique enhanced by my primordial qi realm spiritual power. With your current magical power, you can’t break through my defense. Once your power is exhausted, that’s when you’ll lose the match, haha!” Lu Mao laughed carelessly, guarded by the phantom of the Golden Armored God.

“Are you so confident? Let me show you how you’ll lose!” Hong Luan stepped back and bit her fingertip, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the emerald long sword.

As the blood dripped onto the sword, it was immediately absorbed. The sword then radiated a brilliant green light, and the ferocious form of a demonic beast appeared on it.

The beast resembled a wild wolf, but with wings on its back. Its mouth full of sharp teeth glowed blood-red. Who would have thought that Hong Luan, a gentle girl, would use such a beast as her sword spirit?

“Sky Dog Devour, slaughter!” Hong Luan’s hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals. The Sky Dog demonic beast grew increasingly excited, its eyes emitting a strange green glow, and it let out a low growl.

“The Greedy Wolf Sword! It’s a magical treasure of the demon sect, how did you…?” Lu Mao clearly recognized the treasure. Seeing the Greedy Wolf’s phantom, his face turned pale.

“Now you’re afraid? Too late!” It was evident that activating the weapon spirit of the Greedy Wolf Sword was quite taxing for Hong Luan, as her face turned somewhat pale.

Sky Dog howl! A fierce wind arose! Sky Dog fury! Dark clouds obscured the sun!

In an instant, the Sky Dog’s phantom flew out, its wings flapping, seemingly teleporting right in front of Lu Mao.

The Sky Dog, also known as the Greedy Wolf, was a unique race among ancient demonic beasts, possessing the extraordinary ability to absorb others’ spiritual power to strengthen itself.

However, this race vanished mysteriously ages ago, with no one knowing what happened. The Greedy Wolf Sword was crafted by a disciple of the demon sect using the soul of a Greedy Wolf he accidentally obtained. Later, this person used the sword to slaughter dao cultivators and was eventually killed by a great Divine Power practitioner of the righteous path, after which the Greedy Wolf Sword disappeared.

In a flash, the Sky Dog’s bloody mouth bit into the phantom of the Golden Armored God. The Golden Armored God let out a series of five harrowing cries as its Golden Light dissipated rapidly, while the Sky Dog’s body grew larger, with flashes of gold on it- a result of absorbing the Golden Armored God.

The energy of the Golden Armored God was absorbed by the Sky Dog, shattering its protective power. The Sky Dog’s sharp claws slashed towards Lu Mao’s face.

Sweat trickled down Lu Mao’s forehead as he hastily retreated, casting several ice walls to block the Sky Dog’s assault.

“Convergence of Ten Thousand Waters!” Hong Luan, having swallowed a few primordial spirit elixirs to restore some vital energy, saw Lu Mao attempting to escape. Without hesitation, she unleashed the Convergence of Ten Thousand Waters.

Lu Mao’s magical technique was merely an ordinary cultivation technique from his sect. It was drawn in by the Convergence of Ten Thousand Waters from the Blackwater Emperor Technique, transforming into Water Qi before it could become ice walls, and was absorbed into Hong Luan’s body.

His defenses were futile. The Sky Dog encountered no hindrance, its speed far surpassing anything Lu Mao could match.

“Ah!”

A claw mark appeared on Lu Mao’s chest, blood staining his green robe. But this was just the beginning, as the Sky Dog was now lunging for his throat. Lu Mao could smell its rancid breath.

“No! Spare me! I concede!” Lu Mao stumbled backward, frantically shouting his surrender, his eyes filled with utter terror.

Since the opponent had conceded, Hong Luan ceased her attack, quickly ordering the Sky Dog to halt.

The Sky Dog, naturally fierce, bared its teeth menacingly at Lu Mao, even after receiving the order to stop. However, restrained by Hong Luan, it didn’t continue to attack.

“Senior Brother Lu, I told you before, don’t resist pointlessly!” Clad in a white silk dress, Hong Luan’s commanding words seemed almost unbelievable. Perhaps this was the effect she desired.

Facing a match with someone at the primordial qi realm, losing wouldn’t harm Hong Luan’s reputation. But winning would greatly enhance her status, aligning perfectly with her plans.

“Don’t be so smug! Though I concede, I’m not convinced. I demand to know from the Elders-doesn’t it matter that Hong Luan, a Righteous Sect disciple, used a magical treasure from the demon sect?” Lu Mao, disheveled, stood on the arena, shouting towards Xuan Yi.

The crowd broke into heated discussions, with a flurry of opinions.

“Although Hong Luan won this time, it’s indeed inappropriate for a Righteous Sect disciple to use a demon sect magical treasure!”

“Nonsense! So what if it’s a demon sect magical treasure? In Hong Luan’s hands, it’s Hong Luan’s strength. As long as she wins, why fuss over trivial details?”

Seeing the commotion among the crowd, Xuan Yi smiled slightly. His voice, though low and deliberate, carried an undeniable persuasion. “A magical treasure itself holds neither good nor evil, right nor wrong. Used for righteousness, it is righteous; used for malevolent purposes, it is evil. Good and evil reside in the heart, so why concern ourselves whether it is a treasure of the demon sect or the Righteous Sect? Lu Mao, since you have already conceded, leave the arena. Let the competition continue!”

Having heard Xuan Yi speak, Lu Mao, despite his dissatisfaction, said no more and stormed off the arena. Meanwhile, Hong Luan tenderly stroked the golden wings of the Sky Dog, smiling as she awaited the next challenger.

“Princess Hong Luan, I didn’t expect that in such a short time, you would become so formidable. It seems the rise and fall of the Royal Family of the Water Kingdom rests on your shoulders!” Prince Bao, holding a folding fan, approached the arena step by step, smiling as he addressed Hong Luan. Once on the arena, he cast a sideways glance at Leng Yan.

“Prince Bao, since you’re entrusting the Royal Family’s fortunes to me, why bother stepping onto the arena yourself?” Hong Luan and Prince Bao had always been at odds, and her words were sharp right from the start, wasting no time on pleasantries.

“I’m just like that, competitive by nature! Even if it’s not for the power of the Water Kingdom, I’m compelled to challenge you for the Greedy Wolf Sword in your hand!” Prince Bao was indeed a notable figure-able to bide his time, and judging by his actions, not one to shy away from challenging Hong Luan.

“Very well! Let’s see how capable you are!” Hong Luan’s expression turned cold, her hand seals changed, and the Sky Dog vanished from its spot, reappearing right in front of Prince Bao, its claws striking down like lightning!

Prince Bao maintained his composure, still smiling, but reacted with remarkable speed. With a light step, his body flew backward, and he swung his folding fan, releasing bursts of energy to impede the Sky Dog’s advance!