The Yinglong’s Ascent

The white spirit flowers bloomed and spread, nourished by true qi and spirit qi. Within this domain, saturated with both, they flourished as if jade had found water, quickly carpeting the entire area.

“Do not presume that breaking my domain will lead to my defeat.”

Gong Lingfeng watched as his pale blue domain was completely dismantled by Chi Qiu. After a flicker of expressions, he finally chose to abandon its maintenance, instantly retracting his true qi.

“Show me whatever other tricks you have up your sleeve.”

Seeing the domain vanish, Chi Qiu immediately activated her Falling Leaf Steps. Her form flickered, and she charged directly at Gong Lingfeng. Chi Qiu’s hands were now poised, brimming with true qi and tribulation lightning. With each strike and seal, an extraordinary mystery unfolded, instantly sealing off Gong Lingfeng’s surroundings.

Gong Lingfeng blocked with his horizontal shuttle, but the strange force from Chi Qiu’s palm compelled him to retreat step by step. He struggled to regain his footing, then released the shuttle with his right hand. True qi condensed upon it, instantly forming a small mountain peak that shot straight towards Chi Qiu’s face.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Facing the small mountain peak that Gong Lingfeng had conjured with a single strike, Chi Qiu remained unperturbed. She shifted her body, gathering tribulation lightning. Coupled with her profound understanding of the Dao of Flowing Water, she effortlessly deflected the small mountain, causing it to miss its target.

“Sharp-tongued…”

Although completely suppressed by Chi Qiu, struggling even to retaliate, Gong Lingfeng’s defiance remained unwavering. After a cold retort, he fell silent, dedicating all his effort to fending off Chi Qiu’s assault, all while searching for an opportune moment to counterattack.

For a moment, the grey-blue arena transformed into a dramatic chase. Chi Qiu pursued relentlessly, while Gong Lingfeng dodged and weaved, appearing utterly disheveled.

“I never thought a direct descendant of the Gong family would be no match for this Chi Qiu.”

“Yet, I don’t see what kind of divine abilities or ultimate techniques Chi Qiu possesses. Why is the power behind her fists and kicks so formidable?”

“For a young woman, her fighting style is surprisingly fierce; truly a rare sight.”

“Watching her from here is quite a treat for the eyes.”

“Indeed…”

The spectator stands buzzed with chatter. Today’s challenger was a direct descendant of the ancient Gong family—a figure rarely seen, making an encounter with them as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Consequently, all seats around the arena were filled, with many even squeezing into corners just to witness this grand battle. As the discussions grew lively, they were laced with numerous sarcastic remarks directed at Gong Lingfeng.

Hearing these words, Gong Lingfeng could no longer maintain his composure. His face darkened, and he finally ceased his retreat.

Boom!

Gong Lingfeng stopped conserving his true qi, unleashing its full power. An immense, mountain-like wave of true qi swept across the entire arena, forcing Chi Qiu, who had been relentlessly pursuing him moments before, back several steps.

Chi Qiu coughed lightly. Struck by the impact, she felt a sudden tightness in her chest, prompting a soft cough.

“I’ll finish you in one move.”

Gong Lingfeng’s eyes narrowed, gleaming with a chilling light. He knew his current burst of true qi could not be sustained for long. Thus, he decided to unleash his strongest attack, aiming to utterly defeat Chi Qiu.

“Divine Ability: Mountain Moving!”

Seizing the opening created by Chi Qiu’s retreat, Gong Lingfeng cupped his hands as if embracing something vast. Earth-yellow Dao patterns materialized out of thin air, constructing a colossal mountain peak on the blue arena, several times larger than the platform itself.

Chi Qiu’s expression remained impassive. She gazed calmly at the massive mountain looming overhead, her entire body’s true qi condensing. This “Mountain Moving” divine ability was undoubtedly far stronger than when Gong Lingfeng had used it against Su Hanxing back in the Yinglong Tomb. It seemed that in the two years since his defeat by Su Hanxing, Gong Lingfeng had reflected deeply and diligently cultivated, significantly enhancing his strength.

The scales on Chi Qiu’s dark armored suit opened and closed, as an intensely potent killing intent surged forth, enveloping her. Following this, Chi Qiu’s eyes blazed with golden light, and crackling lightning erupted, flickering and dying around her.

Within Chi Qiu’s mind, the Nine Yinglong Combat Diagrams appeared one by one. The profound aura of the Dao depicted within them was fully imprinted into her consciousness. Deep within her sea of consciousness, a wisp of True Dragon’s Aura slowly stirred, shimmering with azure-gold light. A thread of this dragon’s aura, at some unknown moment, separated and merged into Chi Qiu’s divine soul.

“Is this truly your strongest attack? To me, it’s nothing remarkable.”

Chi Qiu’s eyes were fixed on the colossal peak above her. In her hands, surging lightning and true qi coalesced, the Grand Dao and dragon’s aura converged, and azure light merged with golden radiance. The sheer power emanating from her was so immense that even the protective array guarding the arena sensed danger. Pristine white formation patterns lit up, and a colossal white cauldron, thousands of zhang tall, materialized out of thin air, shielding the arena and the surrounding spectator stands.

“I never imagined even this grand array would be stirred.” The black-robed middle-aged man stood beside the great bell, gazing up at the enormous white cauldron in the sky, a look of astonishment on his face.

“Mountain Moving, Suppress!”

Seeing the white cauldron emerge, an ominous premonition stirred within Gong Lingfeng, though he knew not why. Without further hesitation, he pushed off the ground, soaring into mid-air. He clasped a corner of the colossal peak with both hands, forcibly moving the entire mountain. Then, mustering immense strength, he lifted the mountain and majestically brought it down to suppress Chi Qiu.

Seeing the mountain descend to suppress her, Chi Qiu remained unhurried. She circulated the azure-gold qi throughout her body, then stomped the arena and ascended. She transformed into a streak of azure-gold light, rocketing straight towards Gong Lingfeng, who was embracing the massive mountain. The azure-gold light intensified, erupting from Chi Qiu’s form. It gradually transformed into the shadow of a dragon.

This dragon shadow was wreathed in crackling lightning, sported twin wings, and was, in essence, a miniature Yinglong. Under the gaze of tens of thousands of spectators, the Yinglong formed by Chi Qiu collided head-on with the colossal mountain.

Boom!

With a tremor, the deafening roar transformed into tangible sound waves that spread outwards. The spectators, witnessing these waves, were all startled, fearing they might be struck.

Clang!

The white cauldron emitted a crisp, resonant clang. Under this mighty sound, the sound waves instantly dissipated, as if they had never existed.

Witnessing this, the crowd in the stands finally quieted, turning their attention back to the site of Chi Qiu and Gong Lingfeng’s clash. There, Chi Qiu, in her Yinglong form, streaked like a flying rainbow, forcefully smashing a massive breach into the Dao-patterned mountain. Moreover, Chi Qiu still possessed ample strength, continuing her relentless charge.

The seemingly unshakeable Dao-patterned peak quickly shattered into fragments under Chi Qiu’s assault.

“Your Gong family’s ultimate techniques, whether secret arts or divine abilities, seem rather ordinary.”

Chi Qiu gently waved her hand. Dragon’s aura and tribulation lightning surged forth in an incredibly profound trajectory, utterly pulverizing the already dilapidated mountain. All that remained was a pale-faced, terrified Gong Lingfeng, standing beyond the vanished peak.

“I surre—”

Gong Lingfeng knew he was outmatched and immediately tried to concede. However, Chi Qiu’s palm strike arrived even faster than his words of surrender.

Chi Qiu’s expression was cold. Her figure traced a stunning arc through the air, reaching Gong Lingfeng in an instant. Then, she delivered a light, almost playful palm strike to his chest, like a maiden’s gentle tap.

Gong Lingfeng felt as if his chest had been struck by a colossal boulder. A tremendous force, accompanied by searing pain, engulfed him. He lost consciousness in an instant, then was sent flying out of the arena by Chi Qiu, landing like a lifeless dog.

Silence immediately fell over the arena. All the spectators stared with wide, disbelieving eyes at the scene unfolding before them.