159: Chapter 159 Penglai Dynasty

"Senior Brother, go for it!" Jian Tanghuang gripped her scabbard tightly, the enthusiasm of youth burning in her eyes as she gazed ardently at Xuanyuan Zhanxian.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian tilted his head and chuckled lightly. There was not a hint of tension in his laughter; instead, it carried a touch of anticipation: "It is fine. It is a good chance to stretch my limbs, lest these old bones start to rust."

His gaze swept over the fighting platform below. Sunlight danced on his silver-white hair tips, reflecting a leisurely composure, as if what was about to happen was not a life-or-death duel, but merely an ordinary sparring match.

"First match, contestant with draw number one, Great Xia Dynasty—Xuanyuan Zhanxian, versus Penglai Dynasty—Fairy of Penglai! Both sides, please take the stage!" The Elder referee's voice rang out again, echoing majestically over the Martial Arts Arena.

These words struck the crowd like a thunderclap. The spectators who had just returned to the Martial Arts Arena stopped abruptly, looking toward the directions of Great Xia and Penglai in disbelief: "Did I hear that right? Great Xia versus Penglai?"

"What kind of matchup is this? The weakest Dynasty meeting the strongest Dynasty?" Someone rubbed their ears, their voice filled with shock, and the surrounding discussions erupted instantly.

"That is right! It is Xuanyuan Zhanxian versus Fairy of Penglai!" Someone in the front row held up binoculars, their tone resolute yet unable to hide their excitement.

"Could it be... rigged? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence!" Someone lowered their voice, suspicion flickering in their eyes, yet they could not help but move closer to the fighting platform.

"Sigh, Penglai's strongest Prodigy facing off against the First Prince of Great Xia; it seems they will stop here." Others shook their heads and sighed, casting their gazes toward the direction of the Penglai team, as if watching a play destined for a tragic end.

The discussions surged like a tide toward the Penglai Dynasty team. The leading Elder's expression turned solemn instantly, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip.

He glanced at the cold, aloof young girl beside him and ultimately could only sigh helplessly: "Fairy, just do your best. We still have opportunities later; there is no need to force yourself at this moment."

The young girl known as the Fairy of Penglai merely lowered her eyelashes gently upon hearing this.

Her entire being seemed shrouded in a layer of invisible ice mist. The outside discussions, sympathy, and pity were like a breeze hitting an iceberg, unable to stir even a ripple.

A simple white Daoist robe was woven from extremely fine ice silkworm silk, the dark water-wave patterns on the hem shimmering in the sunlight. She looked like a celestial maiden who had walked out of a heavenly pool on a snowy mountain, unstained by dust.

She did not look at the leader again, nor did she pay attention to the gazes cast from all around. She merely tapped her toes lightly against the ground—without any superfluous movements, her figure drifted up like a feather, landing gracefully in the center of the fighting platform.

When her skirt hem touched the ground, it did not even disturb the dust, and she stood facing Xuanyuan Zhanxian from a distance.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian watched the young girl opposite him, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes—he had expected the Fairy of Penglai to carry the arrogance of a Prodigy, but he had not expected her Aura to be so introverted, like an unfathomably deep ancient well, making it difficult for even him to gauge its depth for a moment.

Immediately, that surprise turned into faint appreciation. He reined in some of his casualness, cupped his fists, and bowed slightly: "Fairy of Penglai, please."

"Please." The Fairy of Penglai's voice was as clear and resonant as a jade chime. It was just a single word, yet it carried a power that pierced through one's heart.

When the words fell, she said no more. Her fair hands hung lightly at her sides, with faint water vapor condensing at her fingertips.

Seeing both sides in position, the Elder referee swung his arm down fiercely: "Begin!"

While the word "Begin" was still echoing in the air, Xuanyuan Zhanxian's Aura exploded suddenly—like a dormant volcano awakening, carrying the profound mystery of the rotation of Yin and Yang, causing the surrounding air to start heating up.

He made a light grasp toward the Void Realm, and the space rippled in circles. A long sword interwoven with black and white slowly took form from the ripples.

The sword body flowed with a Taiji halo, black as thick ink, white as fresh snow.

As soon as it appeared, it caused the Spiritual Qi on the Martial Arts Arena to surge wildly, gathering toward the blade. Even the flags in the distance were whipped, making a snapping sound.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian flicked his fingertips lightly, and the blade emitted a clear Dragon roar, hovering steadily beside his shoulder.

Black and white Sword Qi coiled around the sword body like a swimming Dragon, carving a faint Yin and Yang fish mark on the fighting platform.

The mark lit up as soon as it touched the ground, actually carving a half-inch deep groove into the floor, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

"Yin and Yang Qi Sword?" In the Fairy of Penglai's hitherto calm eyes, a ripple finally appeared, like a fine crack on an ice surface.

She watched that Yin and Yang fish mark, and the water vapor at her fingertips grew denser.

The next moment, she raised her fair hand lightly. The water vapor over the Martial Arts Arena gathered crazily, instantly condensing into a water mirror the height of a person.

The mirror surface was so clear that it could reflect a single hair. Xuanyuan Zhanxian's figure, the black and white blade beside his shoulder, and even the Yin and Yang Qi flowing on the sword body were all visible down to the finest detail. "Since Young Master Xuanyuan has such sincerity, I will not hold back either."

Before her voice faded, the water mirror shattered with a roar! Countless fragments wrapped in cold light instantly transformed into sharp water blades, shooting toward Xuanyuan Zhanxian like a torrential downpour.

The water blades were so fast only afterimages remained. Even more bizarrely, they seemed to have eyes, maneuvering along the trajectory of the Yin and Yang Qi, precisely avoiding the sharp edge of the blade, and aiming straight for the openings in Xuanyuan Zhanxian's defense!

"Good technique!" A flash of admiration crossed Xuanyuan Zhanxian's eyes. Amidst his exclamation, he flipped his wrist. The black and white blade drew a perfect arc in the air, like a rising full moon.

The Yin and Yang Qi exploded with a roar, forming a rotating Qi wall. Interwoven with black and white, it carried the power to devour everything, sweeping all the incoming water blades into it.

The moment the water blades hit the Qi wall, there was no clashing of metal; instead, it was like ice and snow melting into warm water. They were instantly assimilated by the black and white Qi, actually transforming into Spiritual Qi that nourished the Qi wall—the Qi wall became increasingly solid, rotating faster and faster, until even the surrounding light began to distort.

Seeing this, the Fairy of Penglai moved slightly, her toes tapping the fighting platform seven times—each touch was as light as a butterfly touching the water surface, yet upon landing, it stirred a ripple of pale blue water.

The seven water ripples connected into the formation of the Big Dipper, suddenly lighting up with a deep blue glow. From the center of the formation, a water Dragon as thick as a water barrel roared out!

The Dragon scales were clear, and the Dragon head had a single crystal ice horn. The horn radiated a bone-chilling cold, carrying the power to tear through the Void Realm, and crashed fiercely toward the Qi wall!

"Well come!" Xuanyuan Zhanxian did not retreat but advanced instead, taking a step forward. The stone slab beneath his feet sank slightly.

He loosened his wrist, and the black and white blade flew out of his hand, transforming into a streak of black and white interwoven light in the air. Carrying an Aura that could break through everything, it collided with the water Dragon with a roar.

There was no earth-shattering boom, only a muffled humming echoing over the Martial Arts Arena.

The water Dragon's crystal ice horn was shattered by the Sword Qi, the fragments scattering like meteors. The black and white blade was also knocked back by the impact, but it suddenly veered just before hitting the edge of the fighting platform, landing steadily back in Xuanyuan Zhanxian's hand.

The moment the water Dragon shattered, the roaring sound exploded like thunder from the Nine Heavens, shaking every bluestone tile on the Martial Arts Arena until they trembled.

The water mist filled the sky, pouring down like a breached Milky Way. Billions of water droplets wove into a hazy curtain of light in the sunlight, and even the exclamations of the audience a hundred meters away were crushed and blurred by this humid air, turning into a buzzing noise.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian stood tall with his sword. The hem of his black robe was covered in ice crystals splashed from the shattering water Dragon, but his ink-black hair seemed to have a consciousness of its own, whipping and flying in the windless air.

Every strand of hair was coiled with Sword Intent that had condensed into substance, as if it could transform into a sharp blade and pierce through the air at any moment.

The gaze with which he looked at that figure in plain white in the arena gradually settled from initial appraisal into unfathomable solemnity.

The Fairy of Penglai stood quietly in place, her pristine skirt hem not moving a single bit, as if that water Dragon's furious strike, which was enough to tear mountains, had been nothing more than a breeze brushing past her fingertips.

This young girl's control over the Law of water had long since crossed the boundary of "mastery" and reached the Peak of "Transcendent." With every gesture, she actually made all the water elements in the world bow and obey her commands.

The Fairy of Penglai raised her fair hand lightly. Her movement was slow and elegant, yet it carried an irresistible power of heaven and earth.

The water mist filling the sky suddenly solidified in front of her palm. The next second, countless crystal-clear ice crystals condensed out of the water mist, like billions of diamond shards suspended in mid-air.

Sunlight pierced through the ice crystals, refracting colorful streamers of light, illuminating the entire Martial Arts Arena as if it were a glazed illusion.

"Condense." Her crimson lips parted lightly. Her voice was as clear and cold as an ice spring striking stone, yet it carried a power that shook the Divine Soul.

The moment the words fell, the suspended ice crystals moved suddenly! They roared and swirled in the air like a reversed galaxy. Countless ice crystals intertwined, and within a single breath, they wove into a giant ice crystal web covering several tens of zhang.

Every ice crystal was spinning at high speed at a rate invisible to the naked eye, its edges sharp enough to slice through the air, emitting a "hissing" sound of death, completely sealing off all paths of retreat around Xuanyuan Zhanxian.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's gaze tightened. The Yin and Yang Qi Sword in his hand suddenly emitted a long, impassioned sword chime, like a Dragon's roar breaking the dawn, and also like a Phoenix's cry in the Nine Heavens.

He turned his body slightly, his movements smooth and flowing like clouds and water, and the tip of his sword slowly drew a perfect Taiji Diagram in front of him.

This time, the Taiji Diagram was no longer an illusory light shadow, but a black and white Qi vortex condensed into substance.