Chapter 17 – The Conclusion of the Demon-Slaying Tournament
"Yu Yang Palace has truly favored Mei Yuanzhi, arranging a fully-refined demon with a demon core for him to face. This battle should help him advance, increasing his chance to enter Yuanchu Mountain," Yun Fucheng whispered with a faint smile.
"Big brother, do you think Mei Yuanzhi can actually enter Yuanchu Mountain?" Yun Fuan asked. "If he does and becomes a Godfiend, he might surpass our Yun family."
Across Dongning Prefecture, only the Zhang family's patriarch had attained Godfiend status from Yuanchu Mountain.
And now, another one?
"Enter Yuanchu Mountain? Do you think it's that easy?" Yun Fucheng said softly. "In the twenty-three prefectures of the Great Zhou, there are only twenty spots. Many children of powerful Godfiends from the capital and prefectural cities seek entry. A genius born of commoners trying to get in… it's far harder than for those born of Godfiends."
"What about Meng Chuan?" Yun Fuan couldn't help but ask. "Immortal Aunt Meng would do everything to help him."
"Immortal Aunt Meng? What does she count for?" Yun Fucheng shook his head lightly, true essence faintly emanating to block nearby sound. "Even with help, none of them have entered Yuanchu Mountain. Even our father's greatest ambition was simply to enter."
Yun Fuan nodded.
Whether one could enter Yuanchu Mountain had become the defining line for Godfiend strength. Only the strong enough were actively invited.
"As for Mei Yuanzhi… he discovered the Ice Momentum too late; he only has a two or three percent chance of entering Yuanchu Mountain," Yun Fucheng said. "And I know his temperament. He's extremely proud. Even if he became a Godfiend of Yuanchu Mountain, he would never be content to stay in Dongning Prefecture."
Aside from familial obligations, a civilian-born youth with extraordinary talent would prefer to remain in the prefectural city or even relocate his family to the Yuanchu Mountain region.
…
Whispers spread among the spectators, discussing Mei Yuanzhi. Many felt his chance of entering Yuanchu Mountain was slim, but at least there was hope. That alone was remarkable.
"Be careful," the Yu Yang Palace Master instructed.
"Understood." The lean Mei Yuanzhi stood, walking toward the arena.
Opposite him appeared a demon with a black exoskeleton, feminine face, six armored arms, and a long, sharp black tail. It smiled faintly, voice soft: "Such a young one… I can feel your vibrant life force."
Mei Yuanzhi drew his sword. An icy aura coalesced around him. At that moment, he seemed a millennia-old iceberg, his presence steadily growing. The frost he emitted began to creep across the arena floor.
"Ice Momentum?" the centipede demon woman chuckled. "But it looks like you just discovered it."
"Kill."
A cold glint flashed in Mei Yuanzhi's eyes.
In an instant, his body split into seven, seven figures appearing at different positions around the centipede demon, each slashing a blade toward her center.
Seven sword lights struck toward the demon.
"Such weak power, and spread so thin?" The centipede demon barely moved. Her six arms struck outward in all directions, smashing each sword light to pieces with her resilient palms.
Puh.
Mei Yuanzhi's true form appeared near her. A single sword pierced toward her head. The strike was swift, strange, and far more deadly than the previous seven sword lights.
"Hm?" The demon's eyes widened. Two of her arms suddenly joined, forcibly clamping the sword. She sneered: "So those seven sword lights were a distraction… and this is the real killing move?"
"Split!" Mei Yuanzhi's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
The sword in her grasp shattered explosively. Fragments, wrapped in true essence, scattered in all directions. Too close, some shards struck the demon's face, eliciting a scream.
Mei Yuanzhi's palms crystallized with ice, slamming onto the demon's chest.
Bang!
The centipede demon was blasted backward.
"This… is the real strike!" Mei Yuanzhi's eyes were icy. He knew he was weaker than the demon with a refined demon core. He attacked at full power. Externally, it appeared he relied on swordsmanship; in truth, he used Ice Momentum. Sword, fist, or palm—any could channel the momentum. The sword was merely a distraction.
The centipede demon's face bore fresh wounds; her chest caved in. As she flew back, she roared in fury: "Cunning humans! Die!!"
Her power surged. The demon core shattered, instantly pushing her magical force to its peak.
"Die!!!"
All six arms struck, bizarrely targeting the nearest academy formations—Lieyang Academy and Fengyang Academy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hundreds of black beams shot from her six hands toward the academies' seats. Her tail also surged, slicing toward the astonished Mei Yuanzhi.
"Not good."
"Watch out."
The spectators were shocked.
The two academy heads, Lieyang and Fengyang, were furious and terrified. The twelve disciples beneath them were even more panicked.
"We can't block all of them," the heads muttered. Even saving one or two disciples would be lucky.
"Qiyue!" Meng Chuan shouted, alarmed. Although observing, the crisis erupted suddenly. The centipede demon aimed at the watching disciples!
"Settle!" The Yu Yang Palace Master's voice was low yet firm.
The surrounding void trembled.
The hundreds of beams, faster than arrows, were instantly obliterated.
The centipede demon was helplessly suspended in midair, unable to move. She stared in disbelief at the master: "Impossible… from so far away, you could block my strike meant to shatter the demon core…"
"Nothing is impossible."
The Yu Yang Palace Master took two steps onto the arena. Looking at the suspended demon, he said: "I didn't expect you'd dare destroy the demon core and attempt to kill my humans."
"Hahaha!" The demon laughed shrill and sharp. "Humans only want me to train your young geniuses! How could I comply? Instead, I'll kill as many of your kind as possible! But in the end… I failed. Not one survived. Cough, cough, cough—"
Green blood seeped from her mouth.
With the demon core destroyed, she had little time left.
"Mark my words, the world will eventually belong to my kind. Your humans will all die, every single one—" She raved.
Puh.
Her body was instantly shredded by invisible threads, reduced to a puddle of black exoskeleton and green blood.
"Pathetic." The Yu Yang Palace Master snorted. Then he turned to Mei Yuanzhi, who still looked stunned. His strikes had been used by the demon to fly closer to academy disciples, attempting to attack them. From start to finish, she never truly sought to fight Mei Yuanzhi.
"She was brought here as a fully-refined demon with a demon core—such a creature never obeys fully. Alright, step down." The master instructed.
"Yes." Mei Yuanzhi nodded.
The Yu Yang Palace Master stood alone on the arena, surveying all directions.
The spectators were still shaken. The demon's desperate, core-shattering attack had been terrifying.
"If I can dare to place a fully-refined demon on the arena, no mistakes will occur," the master said calmly. "The demon-slaying tournament ends here."
He turned and left the arena, vanishing within a few steps.
"Everyone," the prefect finally stood, smiling. "You were all startled earlier, but with the Palace Master present, the fully-refined demon was merely a clown! Today, the disciples saw the demons' power. Even chained and weakened in prison, they could be terrifying. On the battlefield, they'll be stronger, and comrades may not survive. Cultivate diligently, so you may survive battles and slay more demons."
…
The demon-slaying tournament concluded.
The centipede demon's actions left the disciples shaken. The Yu Yang Palace Master's unimaginable power inspired awe—the demon was like an ant before him.
"Incredible, Achuan! Did you see that? Hundreds of black beams obliterated, and the centipede demon completely immobilized," Liu Qiyue exclaimed on the way home. "From start to finish, we never saw the master truly intervene. Just the slightest display of power—so terrifying."
"Qiyue, you almost got killed by that demon, and you're still so excited," Meng Chuan said, helpless.
"Don't you think the Palace Master is strong?" Liu Qiyue persisted.
"That's a Godfiend from Yuanchu Mountain—could he not be strong?" Meng Chuan's eyes held a glimmer of longing. He had always aspired to become a Godfiend.