Chapter 1052: Killing with Kindness
Chapter 1052: Killing with Kindness
A colossal Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox soared into the air, hovering in the sky. Each of its immense tails stretched over a thousand meters long. In that instant, a powerful burst of fortune energy erupted around it.
The sacred aura below was immediately drawn upward, merging with that overwhelming fortune energy. The two energies complemented each other, creating a perfect harmony.
Around the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, curtains of golden radiance began to form, adding a divine aura to its already awe-inspiring presence.
As the sacred power was drawn away, a black silhouette descended from the sky, landing beside the Tenebrous Dragon King. A dense black aura instantly enveloped him, as well as the Misfortune Pearl.
"You're crossing the line here. This is still a match, remember? I'm the referee." A calm voice rang out. In the next moment, the entire sky brightened. A blazing sun seemed to descend over the Ancestral Court, and the surrounding temperature soared rapidly. The protective barrier around the arena shattered instantly.
"Calm down, Brother Sunborne," said the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, swinging its enormous tails. Gentle white light, mingled with golden radiance, cascaded down from the heavens and enveloped Tang San. Immediately, golden light surrounded him, his fortune soared, and the sacred aura around him solidified like never before, coating his entire body in gold.
The radiant sunlight receded, and people could see that, at some point, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor had appeared above Tang San. The colossal Celestial Fox also shrank in size and floated over to the other side, where darkness still loomed.
Its nine tails flicked as if striking some pesky flies, then it opened its mouth to inhale. The unstable Misfortune Pearl flew in, along with a surge of misfortune energy—the very same misfortune that had been stuffed into Li Zhaopeng. All of it was absorbed by the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor.
Tang San stood still with his eyes closed, physically preventing himself from laughing out loud as he sensed the holy aura around him.
What an absolute blessing!
He had used the Ancestral Tree's imprint to channel a massive amount of life energy into the Radiant Dragon Spear, fully unleashing its spirit into the form of a holy dragon. But in truth, that artifact couldn't sustain such holy power; once the technique was used, the spear would shatter and the dragon spirit would dissipate.
Yet, to appease the Sunborne Nymph Emperor's wrath, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had used his overwhelming fortune control to stabilize the holy energy Tang San had unleashed. It reversed and condensed the energy, forcibly consolidating the Radiant Dragon Spear's spirit into a proper form. The cost for the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was immense, but for Tang San, it was a pure windfall. He was baptized in holy power, his cultivation rose, and the spear didn't just survive—it evolved.
I suppose we have to call it the Holy Dragon Spear now.
The most significant benefit? The original Radiant Dragon Spear couldn't withstand the projection of the Sea God Trident, but the new and improved Holy Dragon Spear was a different matter altogether. That meant his Sea God Trident could soon manifest physically, just like Mei Gongzi's Asura Sword.
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had absolutely no idea how massive a benefit he had just brought Tang San. No, forget about him, even Tang San himself was shocked.
The Sunborne Nymph Emperor's expression remained cold as he silently stared across the field.
Li Zhaopeng's face twisted in agony. He no longer cared about the Battle for the Throne. The misfortune energy had tainted even his darkness energy and his demonic weapon was backlashing fiercely. No matter how strong-willed he was, he was suffering immense torment.
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had forcibly taken control of the Misfortune Pearl and reversed the tremendous flow of energy. If not, Li Zhaopeng's sea of consciousness might have been destroyed. That was why the Tenebrous Demon Emperor had begged the Celestial Fox to intervene; only he could prevent catastrophe. If the pearl had exploded, it wouldn't have just killed Li Zhaopeng. It would have broken through the barrier and unleashed Emperor-level misfortune across the entire Ancestral Court.
And so, even knowing it would incur the Sunborne's displeasure, Celestial Fox had still acted immediately. Li Zhaopeng's life wasn't the priority, but containing the threat of the Misfortune Pearl most certainly was.
Tang San, meanwhile, was no longer paying attention to Li Zhaopeng. From the moment Celestial Fox stepped in, the match was over. His focus was on the Holy Dragon Spear in his hand. The spear had turned white just a few moments back, but now, it had turned golden once more. It was surrounded by an orange-gold aura that continuously nourished the weapon. With the Celestial Fox's power forcing it back, all the holy energy Tang San had blasted out of the spear had been condensed again and now enveloped both Tang San and the spear.
This holy energy not only refined Tang San's body and various bloodline imprints, it also continued to nourish the Holy Dragon Spear, helping it perfect its metamorphosis.
The misfortune energy from the pearl gradually dissipated, and Li Zhaopeng's condition stabilized.
The Tenebrous Demon Emperor had appeared beside him. With a deep bow to the Sunborne Nymph Emperor and a face full of apology, he said, "Your Majesty Sunborne, this was a sudden emergency. I was the one who asked Brother Celestial Fox to intervene. The misfortune backlash could have utterly destroyed Zhaopeng, and he is my true heir. I couldn't just watch him die. But it's true, we violated the rules. From this point forward, he will withdraw from the Battle for the Throne."
The Sunborne Nymph Emperor said nothing, but his icy gaze stayed locked on the Tenebrous Demon Emperor. His silence only intensified the pressure on the other Emperors present, especially those from the Empyrean Dominion.
Some things didn't need to be said aloud. If Li Zhaopeng feared misfortune backlash, then what about Jin Miaolin, who had suffered the same attack? You know the Misfortune Pearl is such a tyrannical divine item and you still want to use it, but you're not willing to accept the consequences? What kind of logic is that?
A flash of light, and the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor descended from the sky. He landed in front of the Sunborne Nymph Emperor and looked toward Tang San, who was still nourishing his Holy Dragon Spear. He said solemnly, "This incident happened too quickly. I had to take action to stop the Misfortune Pearl from exploding. If it had gone off, the Ancestral Court would have suffered greatly. Clan Leader Jin, I hope you understand. The Court will give you a proper explanation for this."
Tang San, still focused on his spear, smiled and responded respectfully, "Your Majesty is too kind. I trust that your decisions are always just. I'll be more cautious in the future and won't use this power again."
Upon hearing this, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor's lips twitched ever so slightly, disrupting the icy composure of his face.
This… was what it meant to kill someone with kindness.
No one had said Tang San couldn't use holy power. His use of it hadn't unfairly affected the match at all. Yet here he was, voluntarily stating he wouldn't use it again. Anyone with half a brain would instantly recall how he had also "voluntarily" promised not to use the Scourge Dragon earlier. How could people not read between the lines?
Despite the seemingly "clever tricks" he employed to win his matches, it was now abundantly clear: the Ancestral Court had repeatedly interfered against him. Was that because of the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor? That subtle implication effectively put Celestial Fox on the roasting spit. At the same time, it indirectly voiced his own dissatisfaction.