Chapter 150: The Great Empress Takes a Disciple
Jade Peony glanced at Gu Hanshuang, did not say much, and left directly.
After being reprimanded by Jade Peony, Bei Ming Ni did not dare to say anything more. He just gave Mingyan a resentful look and then turned and left.
Mingyan’s expression was calm. Bei Ming Ni was no longer his opponent. Mingyan would not take it to heart. If Bei Ming Ni really dared to act outside, as Mingyan had said, at that time, he would not know the severity of his hand. If he beat Bei Ming Ni to a pulp with one punch, that would also be Bei Ming Ni’s own provocation.
The competition continued. The subsequent opponents were not even as good as Bei Ming Ni. Although they did not shy away from the fight, facing Mingyan, they really couldn’t win. Mingyan and his senior sister both advanced by leaps and bounds.
Huang Feiyan had also been winning all along. Similarly, Ning Feixuan was also the same. Not to mention Jade Peony and Gu Hanshuang.
But after winning to a certain extent, it was time to withdraw. They couldn’t keep winning. Otherwise, sooner or later, they would have to face Gu Hanshuang and Jade Peony. If they won against them, then the Great Empress would have no choice but to take them as disciples.
Mingyan’s next opponent was Ning Zetian. Mingyan planned to withdraw after winning against Ning Zetian. This way, his withdrawal would not cause Wind Spirit Moon Shadow to lose face.
But Mingyan had not expected that Ning Zetian would not even compete and would directly admit defeat. Ning Zetian cupped his hands to Mingyan and went down with a smile.
Even the Sacred Land where Ning Zetian was was not surprised. They should have greeted him in advance. Seeing this, Mingyan could only give up.
It seemed he could only wait for the next opponent.
As the competition continued, Mingyan noticed a genius who also belonged to the Eastern Continent. This person behaved very mysteriously, covering herself up. Her strength was extremely outstanding. Basically, like them, she had won with a crushing posture.
This made Mingyan very surprised. He hadn’t heard of such a genius before?
Although there were many geniuses, such top-tier geniuses were not many. If there were, they should be very famous. But he had never heard of such a person before.
Not only Mingyan, but many people were also a little curious about this suddenly appearing genius. Someone revealed her true strength. It seemed to be a peak Divine Gate Realm!
Someone exclaimed, “I thought that in this generation of young people, having one Gu Hanshuang was already amazing enough. I didn’t expect there to be a Demon Clan’s number one, Jade Peony, and this mysterious person…”
Jade Peony’s identity, the Demon Clan and she herself had not concealed it. It was originally hoped to use this opportunity to revive the glory of the Demon Clan. Gu Hanshuang had been pressing on them for a long time. The Demon Clan had long been prepared to wash away their shame on this day.
But fortunately, the Demon Clan’s requirements for Jade Peony were not particularly strict. If she really couldn’t defeat Gu Hanshuang, then at least she had to be on equal footing with her, to prove that the Demon Clan was not without people.
Otherwise, Jade Peony’s pressure would be a bit great. She was already considered the top genius of the Demon Clan in tens of thousands of years. But after fighting with Gu Hanshuang several times, she had failed to defeat her. The strength of the two of them was really too close. If she really wanted to defeat Gu Hanshuang, then she would need some extremely heaven-defying opportunities.
Mingyan was very curious about this suddenly appearing genius and had been observing her situation. Yue Qingying, who was sitting next to him, said, “This person’s strength is strong. I’m afraid she will become the opponent of Gu Hanshuang and Jade Peony. But she is well hidden. Master, is this person a man or a woman?”
“It’s a woman,” Yue Wu Xia glanced at Yue Qingying and said. “But this person’s strength seems a bit unstable, always fluctuating. It’s very strange…”
“Fluctuating?” Mingyan frowned and asked with confusion, “What do you mean by fluctuating, Master?”
“Literally. This person’s strength is like an arc wave, her aura is sometimes strong and sometimes weak,” Yue Wu Xia said. “In her peak period, she is even stronger than Gu Hanshuang and Jade Peony. In her weak period, she even only has the strength of a peak Qi Sea Realm.”
“There’s such a thing?” Mingyan was surprised. Could it be that this person’s cultivation was not fixed?
“The world is vast, full of wonders,” Yue Wu Xia shook her head. “But this is the first time I’ve seen such an existence.”
“Stronger than Gu Hanshuang and Jade Peony in her peak period…” Yue Qingying was a little tongue-tied. “Doesn’t that mean that if she grasps the timing, she can defeat Gu Hanshuang and Jade Peony?”
“There is a complete possibility. But, that requires grasping the time. I have found that her strength rises and falls with rules. She can grasp it herself, and others can also grasp it. It can only be said that there is a chance, but it is not certain that she can win. Gu Hanshuang and Jade Peony are not so easy to deal with,” Yue Wu Xia shook her head.
Mingyan nodded. If these two women were so easy to deal with, they would not have grown to this stage.
Although they were unlikely to see through this mysterious woman’s strangeness at a glance like his master, if they really fought, the two of them would not fail to discover it. At that time, as long as they dragged out the time, and waited for the mysterious woman’s strength to fade, then with their strength, to deal with a cultivator whose strength had faded to the peak of the Qi Sea Realm, that would be too simple.
The competition continued. Mingyan’s next opponent was actually his senior sister, Yue Qingying!
That was good. The two of them directly withdrew from the competition and did not fight. This way, they would not lose face.
And on Ning Feixuan’s side, she also ran into Huang Feiyan. The two of them also naturally withdrew from the competition and did not plan to participate in the final competition.
This way, everyone was a winner, and no one lost. A win-win situation.
But Jade Peony and Gu Hanshuang would not withdraw. The entire Demon Clan stood behind Jade Peony, and Gu Hanshuang hoped to compete for the spot of the Great Empress’s disciple.
The competition continued for a while and was about to end. Only the last four people were left.
They were the mysterious woman, An Canhui, Jade Peony, and Gu Hanshuang.
Among them, the mysterious woman met An Canhui, and Jade Peony fought against Gu Hanshuang. The winner between the two groups would have the final battle to decide the final winner.
The two stood in the arena. An Canhui’s face was ordinary, but his aura was extremely powerful. He was once crowned the number one of the Eastern Continent. His true strength was naturally there. An Canhui calmly looked at the mysterious woman in front of him.
The mysterious woman should have some special magic treasure that concealed her aura and appearance. Even what clothes she was wearing could not be seen clearly.
“Your Excellency is so mysterious. It makes one very curious about your identity,” An Canhui said calmly.
The mysterious woman did not speak, just beckoned to An Canhui. She looked a little arrogant, but An Canhui’s face did not change. He also got into a stance. The battle between the two was about to break out.
An Canhui was a member of the An family of Rust Lake. The An family was a Supreme Dao prominent family. The family had produced a Great Emperor. Even before the Great Empress became an Emperor, the An family had produced a genius who had been competing with her. But in the end, in the final battle for the Dao, the Great Empress had won and had achieved her current position.
The An family’s strength was very outstanding among a group of Sacred Lands and prominent families. But after the Great Empress attained the Dao and became an Emperor, the An family became very low-key. Although that Human King of the An family had never used despicable means to harm the Great Empress, the An family was still worried about being settled accounts with by her.
But the Great Empress was, after all, a Great Emperor. How could she settle accounts after the event for such a thing?
As soon as the two of them fought, Yue Wu Xia said, “That woman’s strength is not at its peak now, and is similar to An Canhui’s. But if you give that woman a little more time to drag it out, An Canhui will probably be easily defeated.”
The mysterious woman who had a chance to defeat Jade Peony and Gu Hanshuang, facing An Canhui who was only at the early Divine Gate Realm, the outcome of this battle had no suspense.
The mysterious woman held a long spear, her aura becoming stronger and stronger. She thrust her spear! The surrounding spiritual energy trembled slightly. Her speed was too fast. Although An Canhui had dodged extremely quickly, he was still grazed on the shoulder, leaving a wound. After that, An Canhui was actually stunned in place, his expression slightly stunned. That mysterious woman held her spear and thrust again. An Canhui actually didn’t even dodge.
The tip of the spear was suspended at An Canhui’s neck, a hair’s breadth away from piercing it. But the mysterious woman did not kill him. After all, it was just a competition.
An Canhui came back to his senses, his eyes a little complicated. He cupped his fists to the mysterious woman and admitted defeat. “I lost.”
Although there was some difference in their strength, for An Canhui to admit defeat so simply made Mingyan a little surprised. An Canhui’s performance was a little strange. Could it be that he knew this mysterious woman…
Mingyan thought for a moment, thought of a certain possibility, and couldn’t help but be shocked. This mysterious woman, could she be An Ran?
From An Canhui’s reaction, this guess was really possible. But An Ran’s strength, how could it be so powerful? Thinking of what his master had said, Mingyan frowned. Was there something wrong with An Ran? Why would there be such a huge fluctuation in her strength?
The mysterious woman didn’t say anything. And the next match was the battle between Jade Peony and Gu Hanshuang. This was already the last few matches.
Many people were looking forward to this match, especially the demons. They were eager to prove that the Demon Clan was not without people. And the human race also hoped to further suppress the arrogance of the Demon Clan. After all, our human Great Empress was still in power. The younger generation of the human race also suppressed your demon race. On what grounds are you so arrogant?
Jade Peony and Gu Hanshuang stepped into the arena. Both of their auras were extremely strong. Gu Hanshuang’s face was like frost. She drew the long sword from her back and pointed it at Jade Peony. And Jade Peony had a gentle smile on her face, dignified and generous, a green leaf between her jade-like fingers.
Both the demon and human races took a deep breath, preparing to watch this match.
Gu Hanshuang acted first. She held her sword with both hands, took a step forward, and without any movement of her hands, several sharp sword lights cut through the air. The black sword lights seemed to be able to swallow the surrounding light, causing the space to tremble slightly. The speed was so fast that some elders who had long since surpassed the Divine Gate Realm were a little surprised!
Some people in the Demon Clan couldn’t help but take a cold breath. They were a little worried that Jade Peony was not Gu Hanshuang’s opponent.
But Jade Peony was unmoved. With a charming smile, the green leaf between her fingers shot out. The green light was even sharper! It directly cut the sword light into two halves. Just as the demons sighed in relief, they found that Gu Hanshuang had already approached with her sword. The silent sword was unstoppable! It made the hearts of the demons, which had just been put down, rise again.
Jade Peony took a wrong step, reached out at a strange angle, and clamped the sword body with her jade-like fingers, making a clanging sound! But Gu Hanshuang’s sword, how could it be so easily clamped? In an instant, the sword body bloomed with light, the sword qi soared to the sky, and the sword light filled the air, enveloping Jade Peony. The sharp sword intent seemed to want to directly cut Jade Peony into pieces. But the green leaf in Jade Peony’s hand had returned to her front, flashing at a speed that was impossible to capture with the naked eye. Every time it moved, it would cancel out a sword light. And she, gently and gracefully, pulled away from Gu Hanshuang. After that, the green leaf returned to Jade Peony’s hand.
Just as Gu Hanshuang was about to chase, her footsteps suddenly paused. Her whole body moved a little to the side. Another green light came from behind, flying past Gu Hanshuang’s neck. If she had been a little slower, her neck would probably have been pierced at this moment.
For a cultivator like Gu Hanshuang, although a pierced neck would not kill her, it would definitely cause her serious injury.
That green light was naturally another green leaf. At this moment, it had returned to Jade Peony’s hand, held between her index and middle fingers, one in each hand.
Jade Peony’s smile was sweet, and Gu Hanshuang’s face was like ice. The first clash between the two was a draw.
The two of them fought several more times after that, and it was hard to tell who had the advantage and who had the disadvantage.
“The strength of these two is too close. I’m afraid it’s difficult to determine a winner,” a Sacred Master spoke, hitting the nail on the head.
Everyone could see that these two were absolute top-tier experts. Their defense and offense were flawless. They fought inextricably, and it was hard to tell who was better.
“This number one of the Demon Clan is indeed quite strong,” another human Sacred Master spoke.
“Hmph,” a Demon King snorted coldly, a hint of regret in his eyes. He could also see that although Jade Peony’s strength was strong enough, to want to defeat Gu Hanshuang was probably not possible, at least not now.
Yue Wu Xia also spoke, “These two will probably fight for three days and three nights, and still not be able to determine a winner…”
Mingyan was also a little speechless. This was really a natural enemy…
At this time, the Great Empress finally spoke. “The competition ends here. I already have a choice in my heart.”
As soon as these words came out, the venue became quiet. And Jade Peony and Gu Hanshuang also pulled away, their expressions a little surprised…
The Great Empress landed in the arena. Her figure was blurry, and only a rough outline could be seen. She walked to Jade Peony and Gu Hanshuang and lightly tapped their foreheads. “This is some of my experience in cultivation. I hope it will be of some help to you two.”
This was already a reward from the Great Empress to the two of them. But after hearing this, there was not much joy on their faces. As soon as these words came out, it seemed that the Great Empress was not planning to take either of them as disciples.
But the two of them still bowed deeply and expressed their thanks to the Great Empress!
Sure enough, after that, the Great Empress walked towards the mysterious woman and said calmly, “From today on, you are my disciple. You don’t need to hide your identity. Tell everyone your real name.”
The mysterious woman was a little surprised, but she immediately knelt on one knee, and the mist around her also dispersed. “Disciple An Ran, pays her respects to Master!”
Mingyan’s eye twitched. It was really An Ran?!
“An Ran? That useless miss of the An family?!” Obviously, someone recognized An Ran! They revealed An Ran’s identity in one sentence.
The An family was silent. Only the An family’s Sacred Master looked at An Canhui. At that time, the An family had let An Canhui go and bring An Ran back. But An Canhui had told them that An Ran had already died and her Dao had disappeared… An Canhui was expressionless, but there was a faint smile in his eyes…
And more people thought of the enmity between that Human King of the An family and the Great Empress back then…
The Great Empress actually did not hold a grudge and was willing to accept a member of the An family as her disciple…
Such magnanimity, worthy of being a Great Empress…
