This woman’s skin, one could not tell how it was maintained, was whiter than snow, no, even fairer than snow.
Her face was like a lotus in bloom, her brows like willow leaves, and her eyes seemed like endless frozen ice, as though they could freeze everything in sight.
It added an extraordinary charm to her presence.
Her lips, red as if painted, curved slightly upward; her hands delicate as tender shoots, skin like congealed cream, neck as smooth as jade, teeth as fine as shells, and brows arching like silken moths.
This woman was Baili Xiao.
Having not seen her for some time, her transformation left people dumbfounded.
Compared with how she was before, she was utterly different, her aura and bearing changed completely.
As she walked step by step along the colorful ribbons, an old verse surfaced unbidden in people’s minds.
Graceful and slender at thirteen years. Like buds just sprouting in early spring.
She was cold as frost, her body surrounded by boundless celestial energy.
In a trance, many felt as if they were watching an immortal fairy descend from the heavens in white robes.
But she was not wearing white, and she was no fairy.
Her crimson robe bloomed like fresh blood, her breathtaking face as pure and fleeting as a moonlit flower.
Delicate, drifting, overflowing with fragrance.
She was more like a daffodil flower with hidden thorns.
“I have long heard the Baili Imperial Clan has produced a woman of the ages, even comparable to the Grand Empress Hong Tian. Today, to meet you in person is an honor,” Qi Tianhai said with a smile.
“The radiance of the Empress cannot be eclipsed by anyone, not even me,” Baili Xiao shook her head and answered earnestly.
Her voice was ethereal, like a lark singing in the mountains.
“There is no need to belittle yourself. The achievements of those before us exist only to be surpassed,” Qi Tianhai smiled again.
“I hear it was your proposal to convene this Alliance Conference?”
“Yes,” Baili Xiao replied calmly. “If the Sovereign has doubts, you may ask after the meeting. For now, we are still in the duels.”
“Then I was rude,” Qi Tianhai chuckled. “Though, looking at you, I truly find it difficult to strike.”
“Beauty is but a skeleton after a hundred years, Sovereign, you exaggerate,” Baili Xiao said, shaking her head.
“In that case...” Qi Tianhai’s smile faded.
His aura erupted once more, towering waves crashing toward Baili Xiao.
Her gaze remained calm. She lifted her right hand, and with a flick of her finger, the rushing waves instantly froze solid.
With a wave of her hand, there was a bang, the frozen water shattered, turning into countless icy arrows shooting toward Qi Tianhai.
His eyes narrowed, surprised at how easily she had turned defense into offense.
With both hands, he swept up another surge of water, forming a rotating circle before him.
The whirlpool spun counterclockwise, pulling all the icy arrows into it.
Qi Tianhai’s momentum rose higher and higher, his aura like a surging tide.
Spreading his arms wide, massive water columns rose around him, each transforming into a dragon soaring skyward.
The dragons roared, descending upon Baili Xiao.
“The Sovereign need not test me,” Baili Xiao shook her head slightly.
She stood still, unmoving.
With a surge of spiritforce, she waved her hand, and a colossal hand of energy materialized above.
As it came crashing down, Qi Tianhai’s lips curled with a subtle, knowing smile.
The giant hand struck empty air.
The four water dragons, instead of colliding with her, suddenly dispersed into the ground in four directions, east, south, west, and north.
Baili Xiao frowned.
“A formation?” she asked, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
“Correct,” Qi Tianhai smiled.
“I know you are a troublesome opponent. To deal with you requires a single, decisive strike.”
He snapped his fingers.
The arena beneath their feet began to tremble.
Four great forces surged upward from the corners, intersecting with each other.
They formed the pattern of a four-pointed star.
“Frost Dragon Sealing FOrmation,” Qi Tianhai said lightly.
Within the formation’s range, the ground turned white, as though covered in frost.
A colossal ice dragon coiled overhead, its massive head spewing streams of chilling frost.
Baili Xiao found her movements sealed, the very space around her locked down.
Qi Tianhai revealed his true might without concealment.
His fate-star shone above his head, and with a shout he intoned,
“The waters of the Yellow River descend from the heavens, surging toward the sea, never to return.”
The heavens above began to change.
Wind and cloud churned. The sound of rushing water grew deafening.
Suddenly, the sky split apart, revealing an endless ocean.
It was a true ocean, boundless, without end, its crashing waters surging like the Yellow River flooding from above.
“If you yield, I will spare your life,” Qi Tianhai said. “If this fate-star descends, the consequences will be your own.”
Baili Xiao’s expression remained unchanged, her gaze still calm and indifferent.
“Attack!” Qi Tianhai roared.
Dragging the sea itself, he hurled its power down upon her.
The might of nature was truly terrifying, akin to the force of heaven and earth itself.
The endless sea crashed down, threatening to obliterate everything.
With a thunderous boom, centered on the formation encasing Baili Xiao, the ocean fell.
In an instant, the fortress-like arena collapsed under the torrent, violent waves surging madly.
The world roared, cracks splitting the arena of condensed dao-crystal, storm winds sweeping the land, forcing onlookers to retreat.
Qi Tianhai gazed upon his masterpiece with satisfaction.
The Alliance Master’s position would be his.
“You seem rather pleased with yourself,” a voice suddenly spoke behind him.
His face froze, his whole body stiffened.
Turning his head with trembling effort, he found himself staring at a face of breathtaking beauty.
“How… when…?” he managed to speak but had no time to think.
Baili Xiao’s jade-like hand pressed against his back.
A surge of overwhelming power pierced through him.
A bloody hole burst open in his chest, his body hurled forward, swallowed instantly by the raging waves of his own formation.
In a moment, he was gone, obliterated.
“This round, Baili Xiao wins,” Baili Chengfeng announced with a satisfied smile. “Who else wishes to fight? If not, then this conference may end.”
The audience was dead silent.
For the sovereign of Vast Ocean Empire to be defeated so decisively, such a warning could not be ignored.
Just as Baili Chengfeng was about to declare the end, a figure suddenly rose.
“How about… I play with you?”
A man in black battle robes, wearing a white Asura mask, stood up.
A red cape billowed behind him as he strode onto the arena.
The breeze drifted past, and the man seemed to stifle a yawn.
“Apologies, sitting down there too long almost put me to sleep.”