Chapter 564: Fighting the Cloaked Figure (3k)
The next day, as the morning light barely broke, the various passages of the Ancient Imperial Capital’s plaza were already densely packed with people. The distinct auras of grass filled the entire central area.
Looking out, the bustling crowd, accompanied by a clamor, spread in all directions, eventually merging into a warm current that soared towards the sky, warming the somewhat cold central plaza considerably.
For this competition, Su Jiu had specifically donned the complete version of the Crow Feather Attire. As she walked on the street, the black feather vest fluttered in the wind, appearing quite agile.
When Su Jiu arrived with Li Yi and others, she couldn’t help but feel a bit taken aback by the tightly packed human wall before her. Today was even more explosive than yesterday, with shouts and betting sounds everywhere.
“These Snow Demons really don’t think much of me.”
She turned her head towards the betting area, her gaze falling on a rather large plaque. The corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily. It even seemed to have the official badge of the Snow Demons on it—
[Single Match Odds: Su Jiu ☆ Win: 9.9]
[Single Match Odds: Cloaked Figure ☆ Win: 1.2]
There were also odds based on time, and without exception, they didn’t favor Su Jiu. The odds predicting her defeat within two minutes were about the same as betting on the national football team to lose.
Through the special passage for internal staff, Su Jiu was spared from competing with the ordinary residents. She directly entered a high platform with a rather good view from the entrance guarded by soldiers on the side.
Standing on the high platform, Su Jiu scanned the front and noticed that in addition to the arena, there was now a sky-high barrier. The barrier was completely transparent, presumably to prevent spectators from getting injured.
“After this competition, we should be done here. I’ll take my people to find Jiā’er and prepare for the next operation.”
With her hands on the railing, Li Yi held a small snack made of grass in his mouth. Behind him were two figures, one belonging to A Hu and the other to Elder Mo, whom Su Jiu had met a few times before.
“It’s a pity you’re not an Alchemist. However, we do need to have you leave early. We’ve been here too long, and due to the formation blocking communications, we have no idea what’s happening outside.”
Su Jiu said softly, looking at Li Yi. A hint of helplessness flickered in her eyes. If he were an Alchemist, the Prometheus anti-city cannon in the eastern regions of Bear Country could have been activated and operated by him.
When they went to the location, they would have to recruit a master Alchemist, otherwise, that intercontinental cannon platform would have no one to pilot it.
Li Yi also discerned the regret in Su Jiu’s tone and then shifted his gaze to the platform, pointing at Bai Ming and the other two in the front row. He smiled and said,
“If you desperately need an Alchemist, you can ask Saint Emperor Bai. In the Snow Demon Kingdom, which values alchemy, their technology is much higher than that of human regions.”
Su Jiu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly startled. Right, as long as she asked Bai Ming to acquire someone, why would she need to go through all sorts of detours? If she had the chance to get the War God-level Aman for free as combat power, the pressure on the Ancient God Sect would significantly decrease.
As for the Inspector who had been following her, he should be able to receive her message by now. As a Beginner War God, even at the slowest pace, he should have reached the Ancient Imperial Capital by now, right?
If they could pull a few War God-level individuals directly to that city, even if they encountered the Ferrymen that Ren mentioned, they could handle them easily, couldn’t they?
“The competition is about to begin. Please remain silent in the arena. Esteemed elders and distinguished guests, please take your seats.”
As the referee’s voice echoed in the arena, Su Jiu also looked towards the platform. With a “click,” a void door with a swirling vortex appeared on both sides of the barrier, seemingly awaiting the brave to enter.
As soon as the announcement was made, the elders and certain distinguished individuals directly entered the opposite stands. Those along the way extremely consciously avoided them. At the head of the crowd was the Grand Elder, his face carrying a calm expression, but no one knew what he was thinking.
At the tail of the procession, there was a short figure. Su Jiu focused her gaze and was slightly taken aback. This figure was wearing a mascot costume, with a toy bear’s head covering their face.
“Is that the Guanzhang?”
“Guanzhang?” Li Yi, beside her, followed Su Jiu’s gaze and, as if realizing something, clarified for Su Jiu, “I heard Saint Emperor Bai mention that those at the tail seem to have come from the Grand Prince’s side. They are here to witness the emergence of the first final match.”
As if sensing Su Jiu’s attention, the mascot bear looked over in a tacit understanding, waved its hand in a friendly gesture, and then proceeded to sit in its designated seat.
As the distinguished guests and elders took their seats, the voices from the high platform gradually became much quieter. All eyes were fixed on the arena. At this moment, the Cloaked Figure stood there quietly, with hands and face hidden beneath the black robe.
“Here I go.”
Smiling at Li Yi beside her, Su Jiu pushed herself up and forcefully stepped into the air, using the rebound to create a sonic boom as she reached the arena.
When only the Cloaked Figure was on the stage, their aura was the only thing pressing outwards. Now, as the two faced each other, a situation of equal footing emerged for a moment.
Amidst the solidified atmosphere, a white light flashed in Su Jiu’s palm, and a cluster of butterflies appeared. She then slightly raised her eyes to look at the other party and said with a light smile, “Mr. Mysterious, please be merciful from now onwards.”
“Merciful… No, I must win this match.”
The Cloaked Figure also looked at Su Jiu. After a brief silence, they closed their eyes and murmured, seemingly taking Su Jiu’s politeness seriously, but then quickly shook their head and said sincerely,
“As long as I win against you, in the second round of the Alchemy Competition, I will definitely take the championship if I can get into the top three.”
“Even if you win, I won’t let you win easily.”
Hearing the other party’s words, Su Jiu smiled, a spark of fighting spirit flashing in her eyes. She slightly bowed, and a faint dust appeared on her face, the feathers of her Crow Feather Attire vest beginning to flutter.
With the use of Elegy, the blood within Su Jiu’s body began to boil, like water being heated to a boil, causing her skin to feel hot and flushed.
She had to use Elegy to forcibly increase her combat power before the match began, otherwise, with her current physique, she would easily be instantly killed by the opponent.
Their auras intertwined in mid-air, creating what seemed like tangible sparks. A tense atmosphere was maintained between the two parties, and the arena erupted with immense shouts, the atmosphere instantly reaching its peak!
“Boom!”
“The match begins!”
Amidst the deafening cheers, a massive explosion suddenly sounded in the sky, with blue light lingering. The moment the explosion sounded!
Su Jiu’s figure flickered and disappeared from her original position. She needed to force the opponent to draw their bow and arrow, and at that moment, use Crescent Moon Dream.
“Using this speed right from the start, is she crazy?”
The Cloaked Figure’s eyes suddenly snapped open. At this moment, their pupils darted towards the empty space in front, like a falcon’s gaze. Their eyes narrowed, and their feet remained an inch from the ground as they slid backward at extreme speed.
“Whoosh!”
The next moment, Su Jiu appeared where the Cloaked Figure was a second ago, and a giant scythe slashed down. The air was cut, impacting the sides, and her silvery hair scattered casually.
Raising her head abruptly, the Blood Clan’s innate Blood Eye stared straight ahead, emitting a faint scarlet glow, and with another “whoosh!” she disappeared from her original position.
“The attack feels ordinary. Is she trying to win with speed?”
As the Cloaked Figure slid, a blue circle of light appeared on their chest, and a sharp aura instantly erupted from them as the center point, like a storm.
“Let me see if you can still attack in this wind and snow domain?”
And within that massive storm, frost and snow could be faintly seen swirling, the rumbling sound causing people’s hearts to tremble.
The enormous wind and snow vortex, nearly a dozen zhang in diameter, emanated an energy pressure that left countless people around the plaza in a daze.
Many couldn’t help but click their tongues. Is this the true power of a War God? It turns out that when fighting the Snow Tiger before, they weren’t even serious.
A powerful suction force emanated from within the storm. If the arena weren’t so sturdy, it would likely be instantly destroyed. This was also the Cloaked Figure’s intention—to “slow down” Su Jiu with the power of wind and snow.
As expected, Su Jiu’s movements slowed down, and the trailing afterimages began to lengthen. However, her expression remained unchanged, her gaze fixed on the center of the blizzard, where a blurry figure could be seen.
She could use Dream of Blossoms to assassinate, but conversely, if the opponent was wary of her, it would be much harder to wait for them to draw their bow and arrow next time.
Therefore, Su Jiu decided to wait for an opportunity when the opponent drew their bow and arrow. For now, she should wait for the opponent to attack first, and she would lie in wait for the opportune moment.
The opponent’s mental power was also superior to hers! Although her mental power was equivalent to a mid-level War God, her actual mental power was still not as condensed as a true mid-level War God.
“咻咻咻!!”
As Su Jiu pondered how to deal with the situation, several ice-laden blade-like projectiles shot out from within the spinning, massive blizzard, targeting the path Su Jiu was about to take.
The speed of these blade-like projectiles was terrifying. In just a flash, they appeared before Su Jiu. The sharp aura seemed to be trying to cleave Su Jiu in half.
“Clang clang clang!!!”
Facing these blade-like projectiles, Su Jiu’s expression remained unchanged. She shook her arm and swung her scythe in front of her. The scythe in her hand spun like a whirlwind, forming a “wall” that could not be easily breached.
“Interesting, how about this?”
Seeing that the sharp blade-like projectiles were easily resolved by Su Jiu, a neutral voice emanated from within the storm. Then, the Cloaked Figure waved their palm, forming a tornado vortex in the center of their palm.
The tornado, as if sentient, roared and rushed towards Su Jiu’s “whirlwind wall.” The arrogance of a dragon was vividly displayed on it.
Reflecting the tornado in her eyes, Su Jiu, with a “bang!”, transformed into a cluster of crimson butterflies, her figure becoming much smaller. In just one second, she rushed to a place twenty meters away.
The arena erupted with zealous cheers again. This duel, which had just begun, was already so intense. Just when they thought the pace of the battle would finally slow down, a faint voice suddenly sounded from below the stage.
“Look up.”
