Chapter 535 - 518: Magnanimity
Cui Zhi possessed the Thundering Heart Holy Statue, an undeniably powerful Holy Statue. However, facing Zhou Qian, he didn’t dare let his guard down in the slightest. At this level, that guy’s Shield of Sighs was nothing special, but that bizarre Balance Holy Statue was a real headache.
But it wasn’t as if he had no options. Learning from previous experience, the method to deal with Zhou Qian was simple and direct: don’t let him summon his Holy Statue!
After a bit of blathering, the battle was finally about to begin.
Cui Zhi’s Elemental Power erupted, and a vast wave of Sword Qi shot out. He had been carefully managing the distance, certain it was perfect. He wouldn’t give Zhou Qian any chance to use his Holy Statue.
But he had overlooked one thing: Zhou Qian wasn’t a wooden block. He could move.
The moment the Magical Combat began, Zhou Qian shot backward, clearly using all his strength. His goal was obvious; his earlier rambling had been to make his opponent impatient. As soon as someone got anxious, their judgment was bound to falter. Clearly, Zhou Qian had succeeded. His opponent’s Sword Qi barely missed him, and by the time he could attack again, the Soul Balance Holy Statue had appeared.
DING...
The giant, golden balance scale materialized. Cui Zhi wasn’t about to surrender without a fight. He immediately summoned his own Thundering Heart Holy Statue. ’Since it’s also a Holy Statue, maybe it can interfere with his.’
The Soul Balance Holy Statue apparently couldn’t stop the opponent’s Holy Statue from appearing. The massive scale turned slowly, but the problem was that the power of Cui Zhi’s Thundering Heart Holy Statue was being suppressed.
A Holy Statue clash!
It was like a spiritual confrontation. Evidently, the Soul Balance Holy Statue’s grade was higher, suppressing the Thundering Heart Holy Statue. This meant the soul judgment had to be carried out first.
Cui Zhi felt like he could cough up blood from frustration. He had a body full of power but couldn’t use any of it. At that moment, Zhou Qian’s playful smile vanished. ’This is the moment that decides it all!’
He couldn’t control the judgment criteria of the Soul Balance Holy Statue, but he would get a sense of it when he unleashed the ability.
And this time... it was the purity of the soul.
Cui Zhi was a Demon Cultivator and had killed many people. His soul was undoubtedly stained black with blood. He was an outstanding Demon Cultivator, one who believed in the slaughter that came from harming others for his own gain.
Of course, he struggled. But he found he couldn’t use any of the strength in his body. He could only watch helplessly as his opponent’s scale tipped down. Judgment successful. A brilliant light enveloped Cui Zhi. This was the sealing ability of the Soul Balance Holy Statue.
This was his last chance!
Not all seals would take effect.
Cui Zhi desperately tried to circulate his Elemental Power. There seemed to be a faint reaction!
Seeing the reaction of Elemental Power on Cui Zhi’s body, Zhou Qian was also stunned for a moment. The Holy Hall Disciples watching from far away in Starlight City were even more astonished. But Cui Zhi gritted his teeth, straining with every last ounce of his strength, yet he still couldn’t break free.
Being unable to use Elemental Power was like being a mere infant. The Soul Balance Holy Statue wasn’t invincible; on the contrary, there were many ways to counter it. For example, by preventing Zhou Qian from summoning it, or by possessing a soul so powerful that Zhou Qian’s couldn’t compare, or if the final sealing power was too weak to hold. Any of these would have worked.
Unfortunately, Cui Zhi hadn’t managed to capitalize on any of these methods. He glared at Zhou Qian as if he wanted to eat him alive.
Bursting Fire Talismans hovered in the air. Zhou Qian looked a little embarrassed. "Um, Brother Cui, you should probably just surrender. Otherwise, I’ll have to make my move."
The seal’s duration was very limited, so Zhou Qian naturally didn’t dare to be careless. It also seemed that the stronger the opponent, the shorter the duration.
Staring at the massive array of Bursting Fire Talismans surrounding him, Cui Zhi felt like he could cough up blood again. Without his Elemental Power for defense, he would be blown to pieces. He could only surrender.
This was probably the most frustrating battle since the start of the Other Shore tournament, rivaling the one with Purple Dragon.
"Holy Hall’s Zhou Qian is victorious!"
Vast Sea announced the result. As a knowledgeable Star Lord, he didn’t think this was a fluke. On the contrary, this was true ability. Of course, the members of the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect were clearly displeased. Extremely displeased.
The moment the match ended, Zhou Qian smiled and released the seal. But just then, Cui Zhi erupted, unleashing a Thunder Strike he had been brewing for a long time.
At that moment, the frustration in his heart had turned to madness.
Faced with a point-blank explosive attack, Zhou Qian could only instinctively defend, but it was too late.
However, the explosive attack vanished into thin air in an instant. A middle-aged man had appeared between the two of them.
The commander of the Pure Land Knight Order, Ji Guang.
Ji Guang didn’t just stop after blocking Cui Zhi’s attack. He immediately threw a merciless punch, striking directly at an opening in Cui Zhi’s defense.
Cui Zhi was sent flying without even a chance to dodge. A crisp CRACK of bone echoed as the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits shot to her feet in a rage.
"Ji Guang, you have some nerve!"
Ji Guang’s expression didn’t change. "Anyone who breaks the rules must be punished. True Mother, he’s the one with some real nerve!"
Ji Guang was clearly not afraid of the Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits.
"Ji Guang, he was merely acting on impulse. The punishment is sufficient. Going too far would be improper. They are all young people."
A voice rang out, and Ji Guang could only withdraw his attack.
The one who spoke was the Extreme Dao Immortal Venerable. Ji Guang might not give face to others, but he couldn’t ignore one of the four great experts. Besides, that last blow was more than enough punishment for Cui Zhi.
The Mother of Ten Thousand Spirits was furious, but she suddenly calmed down. It was clear that whether Cui Zhi had acted on impulse or with premeditation, the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect had lost face. This wasn’t some internal Sect sparring match; it was an event for the entire Small Thousand Realm. Even Demon Cultivators had to follow the rules.
With a cold snort, she sat back down and said no more.
But Vast Sea wasn’t finished. "Zhou Qian, you are the victor. You have the right to decide the loser’s punishment. What do you say should be done?"
Apparently, the Star Lord had no intention of giving face to the Extreme Dao Immortal Venerable.
Zhou Qian’s playful smile disappeared. He gave Cui Zhi a rather placid look. "I welcome Brother Cui’s challenge at any time, on another day. Has a Holy Hall Disciple ever been afraid? However, I hope that next time, Brother Cui thinks things through and trains harder."
After speaking, he bowed respectfully to the audience.
Vast Sea nodded. With a wave of his hand, Ji Guang dragged Cui Zhi away.
Now *that* was the bearing of a prestigious sect. In comparison, the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect really were sore losers!
Starlight City erupted into a sea of cheers. From a purely spectacular standpoint, the battle hadn’t been very satisfying, and Zhou Qian’s victory seemed a bit opportunistic. However, Cui Zhi’s antics had instead highlighted Zhou Qian, making him seem profound and unfathomable. Coupled with the Holy Hall’s previous performances, perhaps Zhou Qian had simply felt his opponent was too weak and decided to finish him off with the Holy Statue. Who knew if he had an even stronger trump card?
Underestimate him?
Who was he? A Holy Hall Disciple!
Where were all those who had looked down on the Holy Hall Disciples now?
Zhou Qian’s calm and modesty was a sign of his excellent disposition. Someone like Cui Zhi was just the classic type of person asking for a beating.
This battle showed the Cultivators the magnanimity of the Holy Hall. As he was being dragged away, the half-dead Cui Zhi clearly heard the surrounding comments. The people talking were either Sect Leaders or top experts of the younger generation.
Their words were clearly filled with contempt.
To reach this level and still be such a sore loser was simply classless.
There are always differences in strength, and in Magical Combat, there will always be a winner and a loser. You can fight to the death, you can endure, you can choose to die rather than be defeated. But this Cui Zhi surrendered the moment things looked bad—that’s called cowardice. Then he launched a sneak attack after surrendering—that’s called despicable.
Demon Cultivators aren’t afraid of being called despicable, but it depends on the situation. Using such tactics here was simply foolish.
Jii Wanli’s face was expressionless, but he was cursing furiously in his heart. ’What an idiot! Does he not use his brain? Look who’s here. A sneak attack?’
If a sneak attack like that could actually succeed, people like Vast Sea might as well go home and become nannies.
(It’s the last few days of the month, so I have to trouble everyone again. If you have any monthly tickets, please show your support. It’s very important to Skeleton. Thank you!) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)