Chapter 1058: Long Live the Clan Leader
Chapter 1058: Long Live the Clan Leader
Of course, Jiang Chenchou's attack hadn't been in vain, and neither had Mei Gongzi just "shrugged it off" the way it appeared to the spectators. But at that critical moment, when the Asura Sword's power was exhausted by that strike, that faint sword shadow that had appeared like a flicker of darkness meant the difference between life and death.
The Asura Sword in Mei Gongzi's hand was actually the Asura Shadow Sword. Physically speaking, it was still just a somewhat improved Shadowfiend Sword; only the intent within was that of the Asura Sword. If the true transcendent divine item were present, not even ten Undying Golden Bodies could block it for a single fraction of a second.
Thus, while Mei Gongzi used the Asura Shadow sword simply to manifest the Asura Sword, the innate abilities of the original still remained. Chief among them was its ability to absorb energy, and just as Tang San had predicted, replicate whatever ability it was used to channel.
And that was exactly what the sword shadow had been: a replicated version of Mei Gongzi's prior Asura Sword strike. Though unimpressive in appearance, it was actually no different in form from the original attack. Its power was less than fifty percent of the original, yet even at fifty percent, it carried the same overpowering sword intent. In the face of Jiang Chenchou's full-force strike, it lacked the power to counterattack, but it was more than enough to defend. It was this very sword shadow that carved out a protective space within the fire pillar, shielding Mei Gongzi from harm.
This was Mei Gongzi's first time using the sword shadow, so she wasn't exactly sure about the best way to use it. Otherwise, had the sword shadow been unleashed together with the actual Asura Sword strike in her initial attack, Jiang Chenchou might not even have had the chance to strike back. Perhaps the Undying Golden Body would have still protected her, but it would not have protected the massive sunflower that she had been preparing behind her; had it detonated right behind Jiang Chenchou's back, the impact would have been devastating.
Even so, Mei Gongzi had won. Though she had yet to familiarize herself with all her abilities, she had enough combat experience to draw on. As the Asura Sword was momentarily depleted and could not be used in the short term, she transitioned into a fusion of White Tiger Transformation and Peacock Transformation, and turned the tide using the Asura Hell Domain.
***
Back in the pavilion, Mei Gongzi sat down, exhausted. Her face was visibly pale; facing such a powerful opponent had drained her.
But her gaze was firm and resolute.
After her recent talk with her mothers, she had made up her mind: She would not leave anything to chance or fate. She would give it her all and fight to win the championship. Only by becoming the final victor could she take her fate into her own hands. Once that happened, not even an Emperor would easily be able to dictate her choices, especially with the White Tiger Demon Emperor and Undying Demon Emperor behind her. More importantly, when she ascended to Emperorhood, the Empyrean Dominion would have its most powerful pillar yet.
Of course, her biological father was not even considered in the equation. She felt no particular affection for Lin Ximo, in spite of his repeated attempts to earn it; as long as her mother didn't forgive him, she would never reach out to him.
***
Whether it was Tang San's battle against Li Zhaopeng or Mei Gongzi's duel with Jiang Chenchou, both had been utterly thrilling, awe-inspiring performances.
The audience's blood was boiling. This was what they were here for! This was the pinnacle of combat!
Watching the end of the match, Tang San couldn't hide the smile on his face. Little Big Sister Mei, you've truly grown.
She had faced her most formidable opponent yet, and she had been unable to rely on his guidance. Yet even though she still had some rough areas that needed to be polished, they had not prevented her from emerging victorious. There was no doubt: Battles like this were the fastest way for her to grow stronger.
"Alright, this settles it. Let's go." Tang San waved at Ning Chen'en.
Ning Chen'en wore a strange expression. "Brother Jin, you've really got an eye for people! Honestly, I never imagined Lord Mei could be this powerful. Looks like she's going to be one of the top contenders for the throne."
Tang San smiled slightly. "Well, of course. That's the woman I love, how could she not be strong?"
Ning Chen'en sighed. "What a pity! I'm already married, and Lan Moqian would never let me even think of such things, or I might've entered the matchmaking tournament myself!"
Tang San shook his head. "Are you really sure it's a pity? If you did that, you'd be my rival in love, and who knows what might have happened to you…. Haha! Joking, joking. Anyway, don't forget to discuss my proposal with your master when you return."
With that, Tang San called over the elders of the Blue Gold Tree clan and left the rest area.
The moment they stepped out of the competition grounds, the elders could no longer contain themselves and erupted in thunderous cheers. Jin Miaosen rushed up to Tang San, threw her arms around his waist, and in the next second, hurled him into the air.
"Long live the clan leader! Long live! Long live!"
The elders ignored the sidelong glances from the Ancestral Court's guards outside the arena and shouted madly in celebration.
The Grand Elder was in tears. The finals… He's really going to the finals!
After watching Tang San defeat Tenebrous Dragon King Li Zhaopeng, how could they not recognize the immense potential of their clan leader? He had relied heavily on external forces for other matches; one could even say that others had won the matches for him. But this time? This time was completely different.
As it turned out, even in the Ancestral Court, he could summon the power of the Ancestral Tree to aid him. This was strong proof of the power of his bloodline and his connection to the Ancestral Tree. And he'd hidden it all so well! Their clan leader had been playing the pig to eat the tiger all along! Now, he had made it into the final six, the core contenders in the Battle for the Throne!
And then there was the Scourge Dragon… Together with Nihil, their clan leader could likely duke it out with an Emperor. And that was even without being an Emperor himself. What would happen once he ascended?
Right… What if—just what if—he really does win the Emperor's Seat?
If that happened, the Blue Gold Tree clan would produce another Emperor. Not only that, but the glory of the Ancestral Tree era might just return.
The realization filled the elders with elation and disbelief. For a moment, they couldn't contain their emotions at all.
Tang San sighed inwardly. If there were any other way, he wouldn't have wanted to expose so much of his actual power. But against someone like Li Zhaopeng, with the Misfortune Pearl to boot, he had no choice. Otherwise, he might well have been forced to use the Discerning Eye of Heaven, and that was extremely risky.
After being tossed into the air three times by the jubilant elders, Tang San was finally let down.
"Big Brother, you really had us fooled! You're that powerful? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Jin Miaosen complained.
Tang San laughed. "Tell you what? I never hid anything! Didn't you all know I inherited the Ancestral Tree's legacy? Back when I defeated the Adamant Nymph Emperor, didn't I summon the Ancestral Tree's projection? If anything, it was even stronger than this!"
Jin Miaosen stared at him speechless. Indeed, when Tang San fought the Adamant Nymph Emperor, the power he had shown was even greater. In fact, the Ancestral Tree had nearly descended in full. But back then, the clan had just assumed that it was only possible because the Ancestral Tree was nearby. That at longer distances, it wouldn't work as well.
On the other hand, Tang San had never once said he couldn't summon the Ancestral Tree from here. And judging from today's match, although the summoned power wasn't quite as overwhelming as before, it was still plenty. In other words, his reserve power had always been greater than they had imagined.
"Come on, let's get some rest. The tournament's not over yet."
He had already secured enough wins, but there were still three matches remaining. His next opponents were Ning Chen'en, the Scorching King, and a Great Demon King from the Immortal Flame Phoenix clan.
From the current standings, Ning Chen'en still had a chance of breaking into the top three, since his results were better than Jin Anguo's. But as for the Scorching King and the Immortal Flame Phoenix contestant, their prospects were bleak. Particularly the Immortal Flame Phoenix Great Demon King—he hadn't won a single match yet and was almost certainly eliminated. Even if he somehow picked up a win today, the chances of advancing were slim.