A surge of terrifying energy burst out behind Wenren Li, tearing through the surrounding space with explosive roars.
His True Fate emerged, a colossal celestial crane.
This crane stood a hundred meters tall, its feathers a deep violet-black. It had eight claws, two long and slender legs, and a violet crest on its head. On its forehead was a crescent-shaped mark, and its eyes were gloomy and cold. Its long beak let out a sharp, piercing cry.
"Let’s end this quickly," Wenren Li said calmly.
"Gladly," Ji Yongning nodded.
His own True Fate manifested, causing the space around him to shift.
It was a terrifying evil spirit, its presence so sinister that just looking at it sent a chill down one's spine.
The spirit was relatively thin, its entire body wrapped in a mixture of black and blood-red energy. A single horn grew from its forehead, and large, heavy ears bore two iron-ring-like ornaments. Its eyes radiated evil, and a thick killing aura surged around it.
“I heard the guardian beast of Heavenly Dao Academy is a Violet Moon Celestial Crane,” Tranquil Prince Yue Yunfei said quietly to someone beside him.
“That’s right. The Violet Moon Celestial Crane has lived for three million years, it’s a true immortal beast.”
“And that evil spirit behind Ji Yongning isn’t simple either. It's an abomination born from the slaughter of millions, formed by fusing all their resentment and killing aura.”
Back on the platform, the tension had reached its peak.
The crane let out a high-pitched cry, and holy light shone from its wings. Any evil energy touched by that light melted away like early spring snow, instantly cleansed.
The crane shot down like lightning, its razor-sharp talons slashing toward the evil spirit.
Ji Yongning took a deep breath. The spirit looked up at the celestial crane and, without anyone noticing, suddenly held a massive iron hammer.
The hammer was ten feet long, jet-black, with indistinct carvings on it.
The spirit raised the hammer and slammed it toward the sky.
There was a deafening boom, but the space didn’t shatter as expected. Instead, a shockwave rippled out from the hammer’s center.
Wherever the wave passed, space solidified.
This strike carried a powerful space-locking force.
Though the crane broke through the spatial seal, its speed was greatly reduced.
“Since I was eight, I’ve fought on battlefields, killed without number. This evil spirit is formed from over a million souls. How can you resist it?” Ji Yongning said.
With that, the evil spirit began swinging its hammer repeatedly, unleashing wave after wave of force at the crane.
Wenren Li’s face grew serious. Dodging forever wasn’t a solution.
The crane suddenly cried out and dove directly at the evil spirit.
Boom!
The hammer, cloaked in infernal fire, smashed into the crane’s back.
The crane let out a mournful scream as its body was shattered and dispersed into smoke.
“Is it over already?” someone in the crowd asked, confused.
“No,” Tranquil Prince shook his head slightly.
He said, “Do you know the trait of the Violet Moon Celestial Crane? It’s immortal.”
Just as he finished speaking, two sharp cries echoed out, and two identical cranes suddenly appeared in the sky.
There was no way to tell which was real, perhaps neither was fake.
They attacked again, their claws tearing through space.
Bang! Bang!
The spirit’s hammer crushed both cranes.
Before anyone could react, four more cranes appeared.
Then eight. Then sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four...
In just a blink, the sky filled with over a hundred celestial cranes.
Hundreds of cranes cried out in unison, their presence overwhelming even for the seasoned guests.
“At this rate, Ji Yongning’s going to get worn down,” Wenren Su said excitedly.
“No,” Xu Zimo shook his head. “Their strengths are about equal. It all comes down to their ability to seize the moment and their combat experience.”
Hundreds of cranes dove at once, charging fearlessly.
Ji Yongning didn’t panic. His eyes were sharp, and as the sky filled with cranes, blocking everyone’s view, the evil spirit charged.
Using its hammer to clear a path, it burst through the swarm and charged directly at Wenren Li behind them.
Though the cranes were many, they couldn’t stop the spirit. In an instant, it had reached Wenren Li.
Wenren Li was visibly shocked, clearly not expecting this.
The hammer swung down on him with crushing force. Though he was in grave danger, his cranes, now unopposed, rushed straight toward Ji Yongning.
Boom! Boom!
Two massive explosions shook the area, almost tearing the Wenren estate apart.
Wenren Jingshi waved his hand, easily containing the blast waves, preventing them from spreading.
Back on the stage, the two fighters took the full brunt of the attack.
As the dust settled, the stage was covered in a web of cracks.
Neither of the fighters had a patch of uninjured flesh left. Bloodied, they collapsed on the ground.
“Just a spar, did it really need to be this brutal?” someone murmured.
“You don’t understand. With so many powerful people watching, this match wasn’t just for reputation, it was for glory, and more importantly, to earn the favor of Patriarch Wenren and the Emperor,” someone nearby explained.
Looking at the scene, Wenren Jingshi said calmly, “Given how it ended, let’s call it a draw.”
“No,” someone weakly called out from the stage.
A hand rose, and then a figure slowly struggled to their feet.
He was badly injured, stumbling and falling several times before finally managing to stand upright.
Everyone turned in shock, it was Ji Yongning.
He wiped the blood from his face and laughed, a bold, unrestrained laugh.
Then he slowly began walking toward Wenren Li.
His steps were light, but each one felt like it pressed against the hearts of everyone watching.