Chapter 1074: The Three Finalists
Chapter 1074: The Three Finalists
Mei Gongzi said, "If I must, I'll ignite my bloodline power again. Even if I have to expose my phoenix bloodline, I must defeat him. Mom, you know… I cannot afford to lose."
Luo Qingzhu sighed, opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end said nothing. She had wanted to ask, Still no contact with Tang San? He seems to have vanished without a trace.
Mei Gongzi said, "Don't worry. After consuming the Blue Gold Fruit, my life force has increased. If I burn my bloodline power again, the effects should be even better. Besides, that strike I used last time wasn't actually my full strength. I can do better."
Luo Qingzhu asked, "Should we buy another Blue Gold Fruit from Jin Miaolin? Just in case. It's five thousand… We can afford that."
Mei Gongzi gave a wry smile. "We're opponents now. How can I go to him? And besides… he's clearly… Well, you know. I don't want to owe him too much."
Luo Qingzhu said, "Let's wait until after your match tomorrow. If the final match ends up being you against Xu An'yu, then there'll be no conflict of interest anymore, and we can make the purchase. It's best not to expose your phoenix bloodline before you become an Emperor. Otherwise, even if you earn the seat, it won't be secure. Three Emperors in one race would shake the entire Ancestral Court."
Mei Gongzi nodded lightly. Of course she understood what her second mother meant. But for her, the more pressing concern was not being forced to marry Xu An'yu. If pushed to the brink, she would never allow herself to lose—no matter the cost.
Outsiders thought she should be elated for having secured an Emperor Seat, but in truth, the pressure on her now was far heavier than it had been before the tournament began.
The atmosphere within the Ancestral Court had shifted alongside the changing landscape of the Battle for the Throne. With two seats already claimed, only one remained. Would it go to Xu An'yu, Jiang Chenchou, or Lan Moqian? Speculation abounded among the public, but there was no doubt that Xu An'yu had the strongest support.
And under these interesting circumstances, the third round of the finals began.
When Tang San arrived at the competition grounds, he realized he wasn't the last to arrive. Mei Gongzi had not yet come.
Since Ning Chen'en had been eliminated, he no longer needed to be there. Only three of the six thrones were currently occupied.
Tang San greeted Xu An'yu before going to his seat.
He wore a gentle smile, looking completely at ease. To others, this was perfectly natural; he had already secured a place among the winners. For a "mere wastrel" from the Blue Gold Tree clan, that alone was a monumental success. What could be more satisfying? In contrast, the atmosphere surrounding the two remaining female contestants was far heavier. They couldn't afford another loss.
Mei Gongzi arrived last and headed directly to her seat.
According to the schedule, the losers' bracket would begin first, followed by the winners' bracket final.
With the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's announcement, Lan Moqian and Jiang Chenchou rose into the air.
Their battle was even fiercer than expected. Back in the round-robin stage, Jiang Chenchou had defeated Lan Moqian, and having learned from that loss, Lan Moqian went all out from the beginning. She had already ignited her bloodline power once against Tang San, and she had been in quite a sorry state; it seemed that she had recovered since, likely with the help of a Blue Gold Fruit. Now, she burned her bloodline power again and launched a frenzied assault.
As it turned out, she wasn't the only one with a Blue Gold Fruit; Jiang Chenchou also used the Undying Golden Body again. But even so, she struggled to withstand the onslaught. For the first fifteen minutes, she was completely suppressed, unable to fight back. If not for her Undying Golden Body, she would have surely lost.
But as it turned out, it wasn't for no reason that this divine item's defenses were said to be impregnable even against the entire collective of Emperors. Even after exhausting her entire bloodline power and using her Berserk state, Lan Moqian still failed to break through. Her momentum began to wane.
In the end, Jiang Chenchou also lost the protection of the Undying Golden Body due to lack of energy. But by then, Lan Moqian was too weak to even raise her arm. The Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor intervened and declared her surrender, ending the match.
Jiang Chenchou narrowly claimed victory and kept her chance at the top three alive.
"Winners' bracket final: Mei Gongzi versus Jin Miaolin. Both participants, take to the skies."
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's voice rang out from Council Mountain.
The audience erupted with excitement.
It was the winners' final—Jin Miaolin versus Mei Gongzi at last!
The crowd was most eager to see whether Mei Gongzi's mysterious red sword could crack Jin Miaolin's Dark Turtle Shield.
Tang San and Mei Gongzi walked out of their pavilions together.
Mei Gongzi turned to look at him and nodded slightly. She had never imagined she would face this man in the winners' final. If someone had told her this before the Battle for the Throne began, she would've laughed in disbelief. But now, here he was, standing in front of her.
In his match against Lan Moqian, he had won with overwhelming defense and endurance. That made Mei Gongzi take him very seriously. She had experienced Lan Moqian's strength firsthand, after all. And while she had complete confidence in her Asura Sword, her true trump card was reserved for her duel against Xu An'yu.
This time, not only did she have to win, but she had to do it without revealing too much. When the match began, she planned to test just how strong this Dark Turtle Shield really was.
After all the battles she had fought, Mei Gongzi felt more in sync with her Asura Sword than ever before. The Heaven-Splitting Strike she had used earlier hadn't been in vain—it had deepened the resonance between her and the blade. The moment she had torn through the shroud of heaven, the sword intent inside her became clearer, and its beckoning call to the Asura Sword amplified.
She was confident in her strength, but she also knew that she and Tang San would eventually face more than just the contestants in this tournament—they would have to contend with all the Emperors. To transcend this realm, they would need to seize more resources. The resistance would be immense.
"City Lord Mei." A voice sounded beside her, pulling her from her thoughts. It was Jin Miaolin.
"Congratulations," he continued with a smile before turning to face Council Mountain.
"Your Majesty Celestial Fox, I concede."
He… what? He conceded?!?!
During the round-robin stage, Jin Miaolin had withdrawn after securing his top position. But that was that and this was this!
Still, upon reflection, people understood. For someone like him, securing a place in the top three was more than enough. Meanwhile, everyone had witnessed Mei Gongzi's terrifying strength. Her Asura Sword was unmatched; even the Undying Golden Body could barely measure up to it, and it was even on the losing side.
But still, this was the winners' final! Didn't he at least want to test whether his Dark Turtle Shield could withstand the Asura Sword?
Even Mei Gongzi was stunned. She hadn't expected Tang San to concede at this stage. Emperor seats aside, higher placement offered a real advantage—like choosing the timing of one's ascension and claiming the realm's fortune first. Tang San's decision meant giving up a guaranteed top-two finish and dropping into the losers' bracket.
"Clan Leader Jin, do you confirm your decision to concede?" the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor asked again.
Tang San nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I concede."
"Very well. City Lord Mei wins and takes the top spot of the winners' bracket. She will face the champion of the losers' bracket to determine the final victor of the Battle for the Throne."
Even Xu An'yu was taken aback by Tang San's concession and couldn't help but laugh. He yelled from his throne, "Brother Jin, you really know how to go easy on the ladies!"
Tang San smirked and retorted, "What does it have to do with the ladies? I was just impressed by your gesture yesterday, so I came to the losers' bracket to keep you company. You'd better do your best tomorrow."
Xu An'yu laughed out loud. "Looks like I'll finally get to spar with you for real. Just you wait."
Tang San gave him a thumbs-up. This guy really was confident.
He then heard Mei Gongzi's voice.
"Thank you."
Mei Gongzi had finally recovered from the surprise. With Tang San's concession, she now had only one more match before the tournament ended. She was in the perfect position—guaranteed at least second place, and she could rest while waiting for the final challenger.
Tang San smiled. "Yesterday, those who conceded got a hug. Do I get that honor today?"
Mei Gongzi's face turned cold. "Don't overthink it."
With those words, she walked off. The day's matches were over.
Tang San scratched his nose awkwardly, then returned to the platform. Xu An'yu stepped up beside him and chuckled, "That icy peacock isn't so easy to win over, eh?"
Tang San gave him a sidelong glance. "Brother Xu, if I end up facing you in the losers' bracket final, I'll be giving it my all. I still want a shot at proposing to the goddess."
"Hahaha! Alright, it's a fair competition then!"
"Don't think you've won yet," a cold voice said from somewhere not far away. Jiang Chenchou, still weak from battle, was glaring daggers at Xu An'yu.
Tomorrow, there would be no winners' bracket matches, only one in the losers' bracket. Jiang Chenchou would face Xu An'yu in a fight that would decide the final seat.
Xu An'yu shrugged. "See you tomorrow, then. If I beat you once, I can do it again."
"Hmph!" Jiang Chenchou snorted and left quickly.
The battle the next day would decide the top three. Once those were confirmed, the Emperor Seats would be finalized. The last two matches were only for ranking, but to Tang San, the final rankings were the most important part.
With things as they stood, if Mei Gongzi won the championship, there was no way she would choose him. And if she didn't choose a spouse, the matchmaking tournament would have been for nothing. The Ancestral Court, especially the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, would keep pressuring her. Only if Tang San became champion could he take control of his fate. That meant defeating Xu An'yu and then overcoming Mei Gongzi's Asura Sword.
For Tang San, the real battle lay in those final two matches.
***
The fourth round of the finals began the next day. Mei Gongzi did not attend the match, but Tang San did. He watched closely, although he was fairly sure of the outcome.
Jiang Chenchou fought in the same way Lan Moqian had, unleashing everything from the start. She ignited her bloodline power and pushed her Blazing Sun Domain to the limit, turning the sky crimson. It felt as if she was the sun itself as she launched her ferocious attacks.
But Xu An'yu revealed his true form for the first time—a hundred-meter-long Radiant Dragon took to the skies.
As it turned out, the Blazing Sun Domain was not a pure fire domain, but instead a fire-light combination. Xu An'yu used his Light Sprite to gather all light energy around, and due to the Light Sprite's supremacy over the element, she simply stripped every bit of it from the Blazing Sun Domain. This reduced Jiang Chenchou's power by quite a lot, and from there, it was just a matter of time until she lost.
No number of Undying Golden Bodies could have helped her with that. Xu An'yu could fight in this state for days on end, so all she could do was get exhausted until she gave up.
And thus, the final three were confirmed. Only two matches remained: the losers' bracket final and the championship. These would determine the final ranking of the three Emperors. The entire Ancestral Court was on the edge of their seats.
Who would emerge as the ultimate victor?
Would the final battles end with more concessions or with dazzling displays of power?
The showdown of the three prospective Emperors was about to begin.