"Just prepare the coffin," Ming Lou said sympathetically, looking at the opposite side. "Shiniang rarely makes a move."
Yue Zhiyin glanced at the arena and had to agree.
Although Madam Yu Zhen was the Demon Lord, she had been quite adept at disguising herself in the cultivation world over the years.
At least, since he joined the Bei Yuan Sect, he had never seen Yu Zhen lose her temper with anyone.
Otherwise, his reaction wouldn't have been so strong when he learned that Madam Yu Zhen was the Demon Lord.
On the arena, Shen Yunwen of the Xuan Yue Sect and Dao Vener Su had both stepped down, and the four stood in a standoff.
Dao Vener Su looked at Yu Zhen standing opposite him with a very humble demeanor:
"Fellow Daoist Yu Zhen, I believe I have never offended you, and I don't understand why you would specifically challenge me. I never deal with women. Perhaps we can let this pass this time. After all, our two sects have always minded their own business, and there's really no need to worsen relations because of this."
Before Dao Vener Su could even make a move, he was already certain of his victory.
Yu Zhen raised an eyebrow, "We haven't even started fighting yet, and you're boasting. Aren't you afraid of spraining your tongue? I'll let you choose a suitable weapon yourself, and then we can begin."
Dao Vener Su's eyebrows twitched a few times. He drew the silver sword from his waist and charged forward. However, Yu Zhen, like a cat playing with a mouse, immediately retreated a few steps by pushing off the ground as he charged.
Dao Vener Su missed his target, his face showing anger. He raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike.
Yu Zhen easily blocked the palm strike and counter-attacked, hitting Dao Vener Su's chest.
Dao Vener Su had initially thought his cultivation was enough to go head-to-head with Yu Zhen. However, after Yu Zhen's palm strike, she didn't send him flying. Instead, she grabbed his collar.
Dao Vener Su's eyes widened. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his Dantian.
A chilling aura condensed in his Dantian, causing him such pain that he couldn't straighten his back.
Yu Zhen, however, looked righteous as she supported Dao Vener Su, saying, "Dao Vener Su is indeed very gracious, letting me have so many moves. Otherwise, I wouldn't have won. I barely managed to win this time, Dao Vener Su."
Dao Vener Su couldn't articulate his pain. His Dantian throbbed intensely, causing him to break out in a sweat. He clutched his Dantian and knelt on the ground, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
The disciples of the Xuan Yue Sect were thrown into a panic and rushed forward.
Qi Nian had already brought the medical cultivators to wait nearby. Seeing this, she walked over and placed her hand on Dao Vener Su's wrist. After a long while, she said, "Dao Vener Su's condition is very serious. It's due to the meridians misfiring during a strenuous cultivation technique, causing his Dantian to rupture."
Dao Vener Su's face was already deathly pale. Upon hearing Qi Nian's words, his face lost all color. He waved Qi Nian away and asked the medical cultivators of the Xuan Yue Sect to come over.
The medical cultivators of the Xuan Yue Sect came to take Dao Vener Su's pulse and diagnose him for a long time. Finally, they took a step back, bowed, and nodded, saying, "That young lady was correct. It is indeed due to the meridians misfiring that caused the Dantian to rupture."
Qi Nian had an expression of "as expected" and added, "In this situation, the best way to heal is to abolish the cultivation and stitch the Dantian. Otherwise... the leakage of spiritual energy will cause severe damage to the body, and in more severe cases, it could lead to a spiritual energy explosion! You could die."
Dao Vener Su had been bleeding continuously during this time. Upon hearing this, he looked incredulous.
He reached out and tightly clutched the hem of Yu Zhen's robe beside him, "You did it on purpose! Why did you abolish my cultivation? You...!"
"Hey, Dao Vener Su, you can't just say things like that," Li Yu stepped forward and shielded Yu Zhen behind him. "My beloved is always gentle and kind. How could she do something like this to you? It's clearly your own body that has a problem."
Dao Vener Su wanted to say that this was impossible. He had just circulated his spiritual energy that morning, and there were no problems. But before he could finish speaking, another mouthful of blood spurted out.
Li Yu shielded Yu Zhen, preventing the blood from splashing on her.
Yu Zhen stood behind Li Yu with a timid expression, but a slow smile spread across her lips.
When she had made her move earlier, she had been thinking:
If she directly crippled Dao Vener Su, wouldn't he become a burden to the Bei Yuan Sect in the future?
Therefore, it would be better to do it subtly.
Let the Xuan Yue Sect cripple Dao Vener Su themselves and take the blame, so as not to drag their Bei Yuan Sect into it.
Meanwhile, Shen Yunwen and Qi Yu were still locked in combat.
Actually, Qi Yu could have resolved Shen Yunwen within five moves. However, during the fight, Qi Yu had been contemplating what to do with Shen Yunwen, which was why she had delayed using her killing move.
It was like a cat playing with a mouse.
After a few rounds of fighting, Shen Yunwen was exhausted and knelt on the ground with one knee.
"What do you want?" Shen Yunwen wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked at Qi Yu with bloodshot eyes. "Do you want me to surrender voluntarily, or what?"
Qi Yu watched Shen Yunwen get up and struck the ground with her palm.
Immediately, a thick layer of frost covered the ground. Shen Yunwen couldn't stand steady and almost slipped.
Qi Yu raised her hand and sent a stream of spiritual energy, freezing Shen Yunwen's feet firmly to the ground.
Sui You watched the match from the sidelines, resting her chin on her hand. Finally, she couldn't help but raise her voice and shout, "Junior Brother Qi Yu, shouldn't you be done playing cat and mouse? Just give her a quick end."
How long had this been going on?
Qi Yu nodded, but her gaze towards Shen Yunwen was still thoughtful.
What should she do with this woman?
She couldn't kill her. If she crippled her directly, it felt too simple. But if she didn't cripple her, what should she do?
As all the immortal sects were gathered together, discussing how to abolish Dao Vener Su's cultivation without killing him, no one paid attention to Shen Yunwen's side.
Yu Zhen, with nothing to do, came over to join the fun. Seeing Qi Yu staring at Shen Yunwen as if she were a piece of marbled meat, she couldn't help but place a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't you know how to deliver the final blow? Come, Shiniang will guide you. Aim for the area above the Dantian and strike with your fist, using ice-element spiritual energy."
"Ah, Shiniang, isn't this not good?" As Qi Yu spoke, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Shen Yunwen had already broken free from the ice on her feet and was preparing to leave the arena to surrender. Thus, she extended her long whip and coiled it around her, pulling her back.
Shen Yunwen fell heavily onto the ground, in too much pain to get up. To make matters worse, she could constantly hear the conversation between Yu Zhen and Qi Yu.
"What's not good about it? Don't worry, you won't kill her," Yu Zhen comforted Qi Yu. "I know what you're worried about. Aren't you afraid that if you kill Shen Yunwen, the Xuan Yue Sect will seek revenge, and the Heavenly Dao will hold you accountable for taking a life?"
Qi Yu nodded, a little shyly. "I've always dealt with demons and my own kind before. I've never killed anyone. The path I cultivate does not allow for taking lives, so I'm afraid I won't be able to control the strength."
Shen Yunwen was going crazy.
Did they think this was a discussion about slaughtering a pig!
"Do it the way I just told you. No one will die," Yu Zhen patted Qi Yu's head. "You need to learn to adapt."
Qi Yu nodded.
When she walked in front of Shen Yunwen, thinking about Yu Zhen's advice to adapt, she suddenly had an idea. Instead of using ice-elemental energy, she used lightning-elemental energy to strike Shen Yunwen's Dantian!
As Qi Yu used lightning-elemental energy, purple electric sparks flashed from her hands.
The electric sparks penetrated Shen Yunwen's Dantian, leaving her body scorched black.
Before Shen Yunwen could even let out a shrill scream, Yu Zhen knocked her unconscious with a palm strike.
"Hmm, don't worry," Yu Zhen felt Shen Yunwen's pulse and turned to reassure Qi Yu. "She's not dead! It doesn't count as taking a life!"
Ming Lou leaned against Qi Yan, silently watching the scene. While watching, he stroked his chin and asked Qi Yan, "Fifth Senior Brother, don't you think Shiniang's expression and tone of voice don't quite match the force of her actions?"