A dozen or so shooting stars descended from the sky, illuminating the night sky. It was possible to clearly see those burning arrowheads at the very front.
Nanke's face was still indifferent and wooden, but her pupils rapidly contracted. Her two hands tightly gripped the hilt of her sword. She did not have time to slash her sword at Xu Yourong, so she stabbed it into the night sky.
Stabbing into the night sky was an action. If it was still, it would only be an image. However, her sword seemed to have stabbed into the night sky countless times. At the same time, it was also the combination of countless still images.
Nanke raised her sword high up, perpendicular to the night sky above her head. Her eyes stared at Xu Yourong who was several zhang away, but there were countless sword glows flashing around her body, forming an extremely perfect ball of light.
There were countless fine marks on the surface of the ball of light. They were all swords.
The dozen or so arrows turned into shooting stars and exploded on the ball of light between the swords!
Muffled thunderous booms continuously exploded on the summit of Sunset Valley!
Countless cracks appeared on the hard surface of the cliff beneath Nanke's pair of dragon-skin boots, and they were even deeper than before.
Those arrows were all blocked by her sword and sent flying. However, this time, they did not disappear into the night. Instead, as if they were intelligent, they attacked once again with the clear cries of the arrows!
The dozen or so arrows turned into a sky full of arrows, continuously exploding towards Nanke!
Pa pa pa pa. An incomparably concentrated sound rang out from the peak.
These sounds were the crisp sounds of metal colliding. They were the strange sounds of sharpness and hardness scraping against each other, causing people's ears to ache.
Countless sparks appeared on the peak of the cliff, and there were even sparks in lines. These were all the results of arrows and swords colliding.
However, not a single arrow was able to approach Nanke's body. Even those fleeting, faintly discernible sparks were unable to float into the ball of light formed by her swords.
On the ground of the peak, there were marks made by arrows everywhere. Some were deep, some were shallow, and they were densely packed together. They were like the marks left behind by a torrential rain on the surface of the sand.
She stared at Xu Yourong outside of the sword glows. She raised her sword high up, as if she did not move at all.
However, in every instant, she sent out countless swords.
Looking from Xu Yourong's position, those slender sword shadows behind Nanke formed a fan shape.
It was like a peacock spreading its tail.
… …
… …
Seeing the sparks flying everywhere on the peak of Sunset Valley and hearing those tiny sounds, the zither-playing old man was moved speechless.
At this moment, Nanke's mind was completely focused on the longsword. No matter how powerful Xu Yourong's spiritual sense was, other than controlling the rain of arrows, it was very difficult for her to launch another attack. The situation seemed to have reached a stalemate.
What truly moved the zither-playing old man was the screen that Nanke's longsword had opened.
Only now did he realize that Her Highness the Princess had actually reached this step. She was indeed worthy of being the strongest among the younger generation of the Demon Royal Family.
Cultivators that had cultivated to the Star Condensation Realm had one major difference: they had their own domain — it was their own world, called the Star Domain.
In the Star Field, no one could harm them unless the opponent had an overwhelming advantage in terms of cultivation and forcefully broke through.
There was a similar saying in the Demon Race, but the personal domain possessed by the experts of the Imperial Family was not called Star Domain, but Moon Ring.
Because of Nanke's age, her strength was still insufficient, so she could not summon the complete Moon Ring. However, she had used an extremely perfect and flawless sword style to perfectly make up for the deficiency in her cultivation.
The sword screen that had bloomed on the peak of Sunset Valley was her Moon Ring!
At this point, the zither-playing old man was finally no longer worried about this battle.
Because no matter how powerful Xu Yourong's bloodline was, she was still limited by her own cultivation. So as long as she remained in Ethereal Opening, she would never be able to harm Nanke.
This meant that in this battle that occurred in the Garden of Zhou, Nanke was in an invincible position!
The zither-playing old man thought in shock, the Military Advisor must have known of this matter, which was why he had unhesitatingly given the heavy responsibility of killing Xu Yourong to Her Highness.
His Highness's plans were truly flawless.
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… …
The zither-playing old man was no longer worried, but he had forgotten one thing: being undefeated was not equal to victory.
Facing Nanke who had used her sword style to imitate the Moon Ring, Xu Yourong's performance could be considered perfect. The perfect here was absolute perfection.
Whether it was the frequency at which the rain of arrows fell or the angle of each arrow, it was all extremely perfect.
Nanke could only hold on with her sword screen, but she was unable to find any opportunity to counterattack.
To the proud her, this was a fact that she could not accept.
Her goal in coming to the Garden of Zhou was to defeat Xu Yourong, to kill her.
The clear sounds did not stop, the rain of arrows did not stop, and the sparks on the cliff continued to flicker. In the darkness even further away, those streaks of light were like scars. With time, they gradually faded away, but in the blink of an eye, there were many more scars.
The extremely unpleasant sounds of friction and the extremely terrifying sounds of collisions resounded in Nanke's ears.
She stared at Xu Yourong, her expression wooden, and her dull eyes gradually sharpened.
Suddenly, she closed her eyes, and with a hint of madness, she gave a loud shout!
"Ah!"
With this shout, the sword glow around her became even brighter, and the energy of her sword suddenly increased by thirty percent!
With a series of claps, her figure suddenly became illusory, and then became solid again. She passed through her own sword screen, and her sword stabbed straight at Xu Yourong!
She actually did not care about the rain of arrows. She condensed all her cultivation into a single sword, and wanted to cut down Xu Yourong!
Even if her sword landed, those streaks of light would still inevitably stab into her body. This battle had actually reached its most dangerous moment so quickly!
The zither-playing old man's expression suddenly changed, and he suddenly stood up from the zither.
For a Demon Princess to risk her life with this sword, just how powerful was it?
Nanke's sword had two rays of clear light.
The two sword glows intersected and slashed at Xu Yourong's face!
The zither-playing old man's face paled slightly, and he shouted in shock, "Southern Cross Sword!"
… …
… …
In the human world, one could not see the Demon Moon.
In the demon realm, one could see the starry sky above the heads of the humans, but because of their position or some other reason, the starry sky in the eyes of the demons was not a sky filled with stars, but two belts of stars like the Milky Way.
These two rivers of stars intersected in the night sky, just like a cross.
Compared to Xuelao City, the starry sky was in the south, so the demons called it the Southern Cross.
The sword that Nanke slashed at Xu Yourong was divided into two streaks of starlight. It was the extremely famous Southern Cross Sword of the demon realm.
The zither-playing old man also knew that Princess Nanke's longsword was the famous Southern Cross Sword.
One sword was the sword style, and the other was the body of the sword.
Nanke, use the Southern Cross Sword to execute the Southern Cross Sword!
The powerful sword intent pierced through the air, but before it even reached Xu Yourong's body, countless tiny cracks could be heard in the distant night sky!
A sliver of pain flashed across the zither-playing old man's pale face, and his body swayed.
This was the sound of the void shattering.
Soon after, in the distant plains at the foot of Sunset Valley, that strange suspended light also began to flicker. The light that was cast here was slightly deformed, proof that space was being twisted.
Nanke's sword … had already reached the peak that the laws of the Garden of Zhou allowed, and was even about to cross that boundary!
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… …
The ten-odd arrows transformed into streaks of light, piercing through the darkness at high speeds. To the naked eye, it was like a majestic rain of arrows.
Nanke released the Moon Ring and transformed the sword screen into a single sword. This was equivalent to exposing herself to this terrifying rain of arrows.
If Xu Yourong could receive this terrifying Southern Cross Sword, then it would be Nanke's turn to face the greatest danger.
The problem was that the Southern Cross Sword's power was so terrifying, and the Southern Cross Sword in Nanke's hand was an illustrious weapon of the demon domain. In the human world, it was completely qualified to be ranked on the Tier of Legendary Weapons.
Xu Yourong only had a wooden bow in her hand, so how could she receive it?
With the sound of a zither, the bowstring broke.
The bowstring broke at the end, curling up like the pistil of a flower, and fell on Xu Yourong's wrist.
She gripped the bow and stabbed it into the cliff in front of her.
With a muffled crack, the cliff suddenly shattered, and the longbow stabbed into the ground. It swayed in the night wind, as if it had become a tree.
A loud bang resounded!
The incomparably terrifying Southern Cross Sword chopped at the longbow!
This bow was very long, so it did not feel very sturdy. It was also clearly made of wood, but it still managed to block this sword!
On the smooth cliff peak, this tree was assuredly lonely, just like the tree she had seen on the mountain path.
The mountain path was an illusion. The tree she had seen was the tree she wanted to see.
The tree she had seen on the mountain path was a wutong tree.
The longbow now was also a wutong tree.
This bow was originally a divine weapon on the Tier of Legendary Weapons!
The wutong was the powerful magical artifact of Holy Maiden Peak. In the Tier of Legendary Weapons, it was ranked 31st and 32nd!
Why did a magical artifact have two rankings? Because the wutong was not a single magical artifact, but two.
Those arrows whistling through the night sky were the leaves of the wutong tree. They were called the Wu Arrows.
The longbow in her hand was the sturdy trunk of the wutong tree. It was called the Solitary Tree.
The Wu Arrows and the Solitary Tree.
My sword, the Solitary Tree.
This was a ruler's weapon. Unless one was a Saint or a Monarch, they could not use it.
But Xu Yourong could use it. In fact, only she had the ability to display the greatest power of this magical artifact.
It was the same reason why the solitary tree she had seen on the mountain path was a wutong.
She was a phoenix, perched on a wutong.
She was a natural ruler.
The clear light was like a wave smashing against a reef, scattering in all directions.
The collision of two powerful Qis illuminated the peak of Sunset Valley, and also illuminated each other's eyes.
Xu Yourong looked at Nanke with a tranquil expression. She did not say anything, but she was strong.
The Solitary Tree had blocked the Southern Cross Sword, but where were the Wu Arrows?
The sound of air being torn apart rang out in the darkness. Countless arrows rained down on Nanke.
Nanke's sword clashed against Xu Yourong's longbow. How could she avoid this rain of arrows? Just like what was said before, if she could not end this battle with a single strike, then it was her turn to face absolute danger.
Just at this moment, an unexpected scene appeared.
Nanke's two hands holding the hilt of her sword crisscrossed. One sword blocked Xu Yourong's longbow, while the other swung out. The sword screen reappeared, completely blocking the ten-odd Wu Arrows!
The Southern Cross Sword was actually two swords!
Just like the wutong was two magical artifacts!
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… …
Tonight, the peak of Sunset Valley was overflowing with light and color, and clear cries constantly rang out.
This was an unimaginable battle. In terms of intensity, it definitely could not compare to the heaven-shaking ambush outside the Garden of Zhou that was rarely seen in a hundred years, but it was even more mesmerizing.
Just like the rumors said, whether it was in terms of cultivation or willpower, they were extremely similar. Even their weapons and techniques were very similar. Just as imagined, they had finally met, and then fought. The Phoenix and the Peacock, the Wutong and the Southern Cross Sword. Who would obtain the final victory?
— — If there was fate, then they were fated opponents. Anyone who saw the battle tonight would firmly believe it.
If no one saw this battle, then it would be the regret of the entire continent.
Fortunately, there was a spectator to this battle.
Every wrinkle on the zither-playing old man's face expressed shock and admiration.
It was not only for Nanke, but also for Xu Yourong.
He had never seen such powerful bloodlines and battle prowess.
Let alone the fact that they were still so young.
The Wu Arrows met the sword screen, the Southern Cross Sword met the Solitary Tree. Now, the battle on the cliff had once again entered a stalemate. It all depended on who could last until the end.
The zither-playing old man was very clear on this point, so he stood up in admiration.
A fair battle? It was just like how the demons did not believe in the tears of humans. That was a very hypocritical word, without any meaning.
However, Nanke glanced at him. Although it was only a glance out of the corner of her eye, it was still colder than snow.
The demons did not believe in fairness or justice, but she believed in pride.
As a result, the zither-playing old man retreated.
The peak of Sunset Valley remained bright from beginning to end. It was the sparks from the friction between the arrow and the sword, the flowing light formed from the collision of the Qi between the sword and the bow.
Amidst the sparks and flowing light, the luster on Xu Yourong's ordinary and delicate face grew brighter and brighter, calmer and calmer. It represented confidence.
A dignified Qi emanated from her white ceremonial robes, incomparably bright.
Nanke's gaze was still somewhat dull, but it grew fiercer and fiercer. Because it grew more and more focused, it grew colder and colder.
Suddenly, a clear whistle burst out from her lips!
That voice was somewhat immature, but it was incomparably proud. It symbolized unruly and haughty arrogance.
It was a peacock that stood alone in the depths of a swamp. It looked at the hundreds of birds flying into the distance and cast a disdainful glance.
Noiselessly, a stream of blood flowed from her hands, covering the hilt of the Southern Cross Sword!
The blood that flowed from her was not red, because she was not human. However, it was not the green of ordinary demon blood either. Her blood was multicolored and incomparably mottled!
This blood was not disgusting. On the contrary, it possessed a bewitching beauty.
The stream of blood seemed very cold, like flowing ice. It slowly covered Nanke's hands and the hilt, and then it began to burn. However, the flames also seemed to be cold!
The icy flames began to fiercely burn on the Southern Cross Sword!
In just an instant, the Wutong Bow was covered in a layer of ice and snow. A moment later, it actually produced several icicles!
The place where the bow was connected to the cliff began to violently tremble, producing several cracks. It seemed as if it could not endure it any longer!
Was this the true blood of the Surpassing Bird? Xu Yourong silently pondered.
Then, the tips of her brows slightly furrowed.
It was not vigilance or unease, much less fear. Rather, it was a fear of pain that had begun prematurely.
Bleeding really did hurt a little.
She did not like pain, so she did not like this method of battle.
However, since Nanke had already extended an invitation to her, she could not refuse. This was because she disliked defeat and death even more.
Because of the pain, her brows furrowed more and more tightly. She seemed rather pitiful, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter, her expression calmer and calmer.
A stream of blood slowly flowed from her fingers, dripping onto the bow that she tightly gripped.
The blood was red, because she was human. However, in the instant it came into contact with the night wind, the blood turned gold.
The blood seemed to be flowing gold, incomparably dignified, incomparably pure. It seemed to contain an endless amount of energy and heat.
Just like that, the Wutong Bow began to burn.
The ice and icicles were instantly purified into smoke.
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It's been four thousand characters for the past two days, because it's much more beautiful and appropriate for the plot to end here than three thousand. Yes, then the problem is, what do I do without a draft … Tomorrow, I have to fly to Shenzhen. I'll leave at around six in the morning, and hopefully arrive at the hotel around six in the evening. China is just this big, and us northeasterners are just this willful! I'll go write something first, and then adjust it according to the updates of the next few days.
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