Chapter 951: Together, Together

Chapter 951: Together, Together

Amidst the discussions, Dao Xuan Zhenren’s ethereal voice rang out once more.

“Niu Ben, Dongfang Yuyan, come up to the stage.”

As soon as the words were spoken, a loud bang echoed, and Niu Ben, wielding his massive axe, strode onto the battle platform. His burly figure made every spectator in the audience cough awkwardly.

In contrast to Niu Ben, Dongfang Yuyan on the opposite side looked far more delicate and graceful, like a refined young lady from a noble family who had yet to leave her boudoir. She was enveloped in radiant divine light, her youthful innocence unable to conceal her stunning beauty.

“Little sister Yuyan, be careful.”

Niu Ben blinked his eyes and took a step forward, vanishing in an instant. Though he was a strength-based cultivator, his speed was in no way inferior to his power.

Fortunately, Dongfang Yuyan was no pushover. She smiled charmingly, lightly tapped her toes on the ground, and glided away like a fluttering butterfly, leaving trails of afterimages.

Bang!

The spot where she had just stood was split open by Niu Ben’s axe.

Gulp!

Witnessing Niu Ben’s ferocity, Gong Xiaotian Er and the others standing below the platform all swallowed hard. Thankfully, Dongfang Yuyan had inherited the true essence of the Dongfang family. If it had been any of them, they would have been defeated on the spot.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The roaring sounds continued endlessly, with the battle on the platform raging fiercely.

Niu Ben was overwhelmingly dominant, his brute strength unmatched, and his massive axe wielded with extreme dominance—a supremely powerful secret technique that seemed like a simple swing but incorporated numerous variations.

As for Dongfang Yuyan, she fought with more agility, spending most of her time dodging. Even her occasional counterattacks barely breached Niu Ben’s defenses.

This was the difference in their attributes. In a team context, Niu Ben would be the front-line tank, while Dongfang Yuyan would be the back-line healer. Her speed was fast, but if caught, she risked being instantly defeated.

The battle lasted a full quarter of an hour before Dongfang Yuyan stopped and raised her hand in resignation.

“I admit defeat.”

“Little sister, you’re not hurt, are you?”

The moment before, Niu Ben had been exuding fierce energy, but now he grinned widely.

“I’m… I’m fine.”

Dongfang Yuyan smiled awkwardly, her figure quite disheveled.

“Mu Yun Shao, Hao Tian Qing Yu, come up to the stage.”

No sooner had Niu Ben and the others stepped down than Dao Xuan Zhenren’s voice echoed through the venue.

In an instant, two figures—one in purple and one in white—ascended to the platform.

As they took their places, the spectators straightened up in anticipation.

Mu Yun from the south and Hao Tian from the north—these were the two prominent families at the extremes of Beichu. Their showdown in the Xuan generation was sure to draw attention from all sides, including Ye Chen.

“In terms of seniority, he should be your grandnephew, right?”

Hong Chen Xue remarked casually.

“As you say.”

Ye Chen chuckled and glanced toward the Hao Tian family direction. Coincidentally, Hao Tian Xuan Zhen looked over as well. The two shared a brief, tacit understanding before averting their gazes.

Ye Chen fell silent and turned his attention to Hao Tian Qing Yu on the platform.

Even from a distance, he could discern at a glance the cultivation method Hao Tian Qing Yu practiced. The young man carried a special bloodline, though not entirely pure. Similarly, Mu Yun Shao from the Mu Yun family possessed a trace of a special bloodline. The two were evenly matched in bloodline strength and cultivation level.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two began to fight.

As the spectators had predicted, this battle was perhaps the most dazzling one in the entire Three Sects Grand Competition so far.

The two were equally matched, their fight intense and exhilarating. Each unleashed their family’s secret techniques, with divine abilities emerging one after another. Splendid divine light enveloped the platform, obscuring the viewers’ vision.

Faintly, the cries of a cang ying and the roars of a meng hu could be heard.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed that these were the manifestations of their abilities: Mu Yun Shao’s was a meng hu, and Hao Tian Qing Yu’s was a cang ying. What seemed like a personal duel was, in fact, a clash of their respective Dao.

The battle dragged on for a full hour.

In the final direct clash, both were sent flying to opposite sides—one staggering, the other unsteady—both utterly exhausted, having depleted their last bit of spiritual energy and even their protective true essence.

“It’s a draw.”

Mu Yun Shao smiled wearily.

“Agreed.”

Hao Tian Qing Yu smiled helplessly.

The two handled it with grace, supporting each other as they left the platform. As the most outstanding disciples of their generation in the Hao Tian and Mu Yun families, they knew neither could defeat the other. This draw would preserve face for both families.

Ah!

The Hao Tian family was fine with it, but the elders of the Mu Yun family sighed quietly to themselves.

Compared to those elders, Mu Yun Ao was more composed, though he sighed inwardly as well.

Because of Ye Chen, the Mu Yun family’s Qing generation had been completely outdone by the Hao Tian family. Now, in the Xuan generation, even though it was a draw, they still felt like they had lost overall.

The subsequent battles remained just as intense.

The Xuan generation disciples all displayed their talents, full of youthful vigor and unwilling to back down. Their duels were exquisitely brilliant.

“Xiao Ling Wa, Yu Feng, come up to the stage.”

As Dao Xuan Zhenren’s ethereal words rang out, the expressions of the spectators turned strangely awkward all at once.

The matchup felt a bit mismatched.

Xiao Ling Wa was only the size of a palm, plump and adorable, like a tiny baby.

Yu Feng, on the other hand, was aged and frail, walking with a shaky gait, looking like he could be Xiao Ling Wa’s great-grandfather. Just imagining their fight felt odd.

Hehehe!

Under the gaze of all, Xiao Ling Wa chuckled and zipped onto the platform like a streak of light, rubbing his little hands as he scanned the surroundings.

“I admit defeat!”

Yu Feng stood up, raising his withered hand, his voice hoarse but carefree.

In the Heavenly Court, everyone knew what kind of existence Xiao Ling Wa was. His combat strength was pitifully weak, but his speed surpassed even many quasi-heaven realm experts. Compared to him, Yu Feng was worlds apart in ability. It was a foregone conclusion, and he was self-aware enough to know it.

Thus, he became the first disciple in this Three Sects Grand Competition to surrender without fighting.

The spectators felt no regret about this; the gap in strength was too vast to be bridged by willpower alone.

Wahaha!

Xiao Ling Wa’s laughter echoed through the venue, like that of an innocent child. He darted around like a beam of light, circling the area before landing on Su Xin Er’s shoulder.

“This girl is really beautiful.”

Xiao Ling Wa chuckled and even reached out to touch Su Xin Er’s soft cheek.

Seeing this plump little fellow, Su Xin Er’s maternal instincts kicked in, and she instinctively poked his little belly. It felt quite nice, to say the least.

As they played around, two more fighters ascended the platform.

One was Zhao Zi Yun, son of Zhao Xiong from the Zhao family, and the other was Nangong Ziyu, the holy maiden of the Nangong family.

Zhao Zi Yun looked like a scholarly young man, while Nangong Ziyu was like a playful sprite. The spectators couldn’t help but stroke their chins, thinking for some reason that the two made a perfect pair.

“Begin the fight!”

Dao Xuan Zhenren declared and stepped back from the platform.

However, the expected battle didn’t start. Nangong Ziyu blinked her bright eyes and sized up Zhao Zi Yun, finding him more and more appealing. This made Zhao Zi Yun feel uncomfortable all over.

“Are you married yet?”

Nangong Ziyu asked, her eyes wide and fluttering as she looked at Zhao Zi Yun.

“Uh…”

Zhao Zi Yun opened his mouth, his expression odd.

“Uh…”

The spectators’ expressions were just as strange.

“So, are you married or not?”

Not getting a clear answer, Nangong Ziyu kept blinking at him.

“Not… not married.”

“Then I’ll marry you!”

Pfft!

Cough, cough!

Nangong Ziyu’s words made people from the Nangong family choke, and many spectators spat out their tea.

What was this? A matchmaking session? This was the Three Sects Grand Competition! Couldn’t they take it seriously?

Meanwhile, Nangong Zheng turned his head sharply toward Zhao Xiong, his face full of dark lines.

Under Nangong Zheng’s gaze, Zhao Xiong felt indignant. What was that look for? This had nothing to do with him or his son Zhao Zi Yun. It was your girl who spoke up first!

“Together!”

As the two locked eyes, a bold and resounding wolf howl broke the silence.

The howl was so sudden that it made many people jump.

The one howling was Xiong Er’s beloved disciple, Gong Xiaotian Er, who was yelling from below the platform.

“Together! Together!”

Wang Biao and Shao Yu joined in the chaos, howling at the top of their lungs. Even Dao Ze and the troublemaking Xi Yan got in on it.

Well, then! A group of Xuan generation prodigies shouted louder than the next, drawing the young disciples from the audience to rush over and surround the platform in layers, their cheers rising like waves.

This scene was getting out of hand, even for Dao Xuan Zhenren. The spectators’ expressions became incredibly entertaining.

“You have to admit, you two little ones really do make a good match.”

Hong Chen Xue said with a light smile.

“Is this what they call love at first sight?”

“Turning the Three Sects Grand Competition into a matchmaking event isn’t so bad.”

Ye Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.

“So, is it okay?”

On the platform, Nangong Ziyu had already run to Zhao Zi Yun’s side, grabbing his arm and shaking it like a little sister pleading with her brother—pure and carefree.

“This… this…”

Zhao Zi Yun was still in a daze, his face flushing red in an instant.

“I’ll take that as a yes!”

Nangong Ziyu giggled and pulled Zhao Zi Yun off the platform.

“Is… is that it?”

The spectators were left with their mouths agape. Was this how the Three Sects Grand Competition ended a match?

“Ziyu.”

People from the Nangong family had already come to take her away.

“Zhao Zi Yun, come marry me, okay?”

Even as she was being led away, Nangong Ziyu turned back with a charming smile.

“Okay… okay.”

Zhao Zi Yun stammered, still in a stupor.

“You did great, my boy.”

Zhao Xiong arrived and slapped Zhao Zi Yun on the shoulder, laughing heartily.

“Looks like we’ll have to prepare some wedding gifts again.”

Even the unreliable old fellows like Gu San Tong stroked their beards thoughtfully.