Chapter 506 - 489: Purifying World Lotus Holy Statue
Lv Yuantian stood up and, under the watchful gaze of the masses, announced the start of the battle—the campaign for the road to the Pure Land.
Duan Ruxue smiled faintly. "Duan Ruxue of the Flower Fairy Sect. Let’s begin."
Duan Ruxue’s robes were embroidered with a snow lotus; disciples of the Flower Fairy Sect often used a flower to represent themselves.
"Hu Jing of the Holy Hall. Let’s begin!"
A battle between a Talisman Cultivator and a Sword Cultivator.
Duan Ruxue drew her White Lotus Sword. It shone as brilliantly as fresh snow, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Duan Ruxue struck first, unleashing a biting Sword Qi that shot toward Hu Jing. But Hu Jing’s Defense Array was already in place. Carelessness was not in her vocabulary. It wasn’t that she never made mistakes, but she made sure to never forget one.
Anyone would feel immense pressure facing such an opponent, but only the members of the Holy Hall truly understood. Beneath that beautiful exterior lay a meticulous and uncompromising mind.
A Talisman Cultivator was naturally on the defensive when facing a Sword Cultivator, and Hu Jing was no exception. Yet, throughout the tournament, her mastery of Ice-Fire Talismans had become a spectacle in itself. Few Talisman Cultivators could so skillfully wield Talismans of diametrically opposed attributes.
Their power was such that no opponent dared to underestimate her.
Defense was Hu Jing’s forte, while offense was Duan Ruxue’s. Of course, Duan Ruxue knew Hu Jing was trying to conserve her strength. The Dawn Goddess Holy Statue was a one-hit-kill technique; you either had to prevent her from using it or be prepared to dodge it.
Yet Duan Ruxue seemed completely unperturbed by the pressure of the Holy Statue, remaining perfectly calm.
From the moment the battle began, the expressions of the members of the Holy Hall and the Flower Fairy Sect grew serious. At this level, superficial advantages meant nothing. The outcome would remain unknown until the very end.
In the air above, Wang Meng and Ling Fei’s gazes met for a moment. They were actually on good terms, and Wang Meng was even somewhat grateful to Ling Fei for her past actions. But in the Battle of the Other Shore, neither would give an inch.
Their eyes conveyed their respective sides’ absolute determination to win.
Duan Ruxue’s Sword Technique was incredibly sharp, her Sword Qi lashing out in all directions. But Hu Jing was clearly accustomed to such ferocious attacks. This was definitely not her first time facing an assault of this magnitude, and her composure showed it.
Though their expressions were serious, Zhang Xiaojiang and the others also showed a deep trust. It wasn’t a certainty of victory, but rather the quiet confidence of those who had weathered great storms. They were no longer fazed by this level of intensity.
During those three years, Wang Meng had initiated the ultimate training plan, a decision everyone had agreed to.
At the time, they hadn’t anticipated the Taiyin Church would make a move. Wang Meng knew only one thing: once they left the Secret Realm, they would inevitably face the full might of the Puppet Sect. It was questionable whether they could even survive long enough to reach the Battle of the Other Shore, let alone anything beyond that.
Everyone was committed to their cultivation with a do-or-die resolve.
As they forged ahead, they also had to face Wang Meng’s frenzied assaults. Wang Meng showed no mercy, launching near-crippling attacks. Only under such pressure could they truly improve.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. They had already built their foundations and made the necessary breakthroughs. But when it came to increasing raw power, especially raw combat strength, there were no shortcuts.
There was only frenzied battle. Fortunately, their group included Sword Cultivators, Talisman Cultivators, and Body Cultivators. When someone was injured, they had Ma Tian’Er’s Tree of Life. As long as no one was crippled or killed, it was all for the best.
Later, during one exploration, they accidentally triggered a mechanism in the Demon Spirit Space, turning the entire Secret Realm into a Demon Cave. They could have left, but they ultimately chose to stay.
The outside world, they reasoned, was far more terrifying and difficult than the powerful but mindless Demon Statues. If they couldn’t overcome this challenge, they would never survive what was to come.
Thinking back on those frantic years, Zhang Xiaopang subconsciously wiped away sweat, only to find his forehead was already ice-cold.
He looked up at the sun, a faint smile gracing his lips. ’We made it out.’
Amidst a flurry of furious attacks, Duan Ruxue was definitely feeling the pressure. She had the upper hand, seizing the initiative with the natural advantages of a Sword Cultivator, yet she couldn’t convert that initiative into a decisive advantage. This kind of suppression couldn’t be maintained indefinitely. Worse, Hu Jing remained unfazed; it seemed that no matter how much Duan Ruxue increased the pressure, her opponent could handle it.
It was a testament to her solid fundamentals and outstanding mental fortitude.
Surrounding Lv Yuantian were the Flower Fairy Sect Leader and other dignitaries of the Star Alliance.
Here in Starlight City, Flower Fairy Sect Leader Bai Yu was undoubtedly the highest-ranking among them.
"This girl’s technique is a bit rough, but she’s developed her own unique style. Not bad at all," Bai Yu commented.
She was referring to Hu Jing. The major Sects, of course, had their own standards of evaluation. While Hu Jing appeared very steady, her use of Talismans was... a bit unorthodox.
She didn’t follow conventional methods.
In truth... which of the Holy Hall Disciples wasn’t unorthodox? ’The master opens the door, but you must enter by yourself.’ This was the way of the Holy Hall, and the Cultivation Academy as well. It was a far cry from the rigid, unchanging instruction of typical Sects.
Limited by their own strength, the Holy Hall of the past couldn’t have taught its disciples much more anyway. Many of their killing blows were techniques they had devised and mastered through their own battles.
What looked unorthodox to others was, for them, simply the style that suited them best and that they had mastered.
BOOM! BOOM!
Duan Ruxue couldn’t afford to be careless against even a single one of Hu Jing’s Talismans. After all, her Ice-Fire Talismans were quite potent. Moreover, Duan Ruxue didn’t want to give her opponent the space to activate her Holy Statue.
In contrast to Duan Ruxue’s caution, Hu Jing’s calmness exuded a sense of ease. Her Talismans were all standard, by-the-book moves; she hadn’t even used an Ice-Fire Bursting Talisman yet. She met her opponent’s attacks with remarkable composure.
At first, this composure seemed like the only choice for someone on the defensive, but as the fight wore on, that perception began to change.
Duan Ruxue grew increasingly cautious, her attacks more deliberate, and in doing so, she put immense pressure on herself. She was shouldering the honor of the Flower Fairy Sect, with her Sect Leader watching from above. Hu Jing was, after all, a disciple from a lesser Sect; she shouldn’t have been a match for her.
With her initial offensive proving ineffective, Duan Ruxue had started to heap pressure on herself.
The psychological shift was subtle, but it was happening.
Finally, Duan Ruxue could bear it no longer. After forcing Hu Jing back with dozens of beams of light from her White Lotus Sword, her Elemental Power erupted, and a giant lotus flower bloomed.
Prosperous White Lotus Sword of the Hundred Flowers Sword Technique!
Countless blossoms of sword light descended upon Hu Jing—an overwhelming, tyrannical assault.
And Hu Jing responded with a Talisman Cultivator’s most fundamental tool: a solid Defense Array.
The air filled with the continuous crackle of exploding Sword Qi, and Hu Jing was completely enveloped in a shroud of Elemental Power.
Everyone was awestruck by the ferocity of the Prosperous White Lotus Sword—a magnificent attack with no openings.
A killing blow at the Minor Perfection level.
The great and famous Sects always equipped their elite disciples with such a finishing move.
But as the Elemental Power dissipated, Hu Jing remained standing on the Dueling Platform, her Defense Array still glowing brilliantly.
"An attack of this level isn’t enough."
At this, even the older generation experts like Lv Yuantian were visibly moved. To block an explosive killing blow with the most basic of defenses, and with such ease... what an incredibly solid foundation!
Only Wang Meng and the other members of the Holy Hall knew that Hu Jing’s Defense Array had been tempered through a thousand trials. It had been forged to withstand Wang Meng’s own Sword Qi attacks, and tested against the explosive assaults of countless Demon Statues. Frankly, this kind of artless, Barbaric Power attack was no longer effective against her.
Duan Ruxue lost her composure. It wasn’t because her ultimate move had failed, but because her opponent had defended against it so effortlessly. It felt like a condescending dismissal, and that was something Duan Ruxue could not accept.
BOOM...
Duan Ruxue could wait no longer and impatiently unleashed her Holy Statue. If she held back any longer, she would lose all face and, worse, disappoint her Sect Leader.
A flower bud, as white as jade, appeared behind Duan Ruxue and bloomed into a pure lotus.
—The Purifying World Lotus Holy Statue.
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