"I accept." A long silence filled the majestic hall before the national advisor's voice finally broke through.
"Alas," a sigh echoed from an unknown source.
"Yuan Ming is courting death! I fear after today, the 'Travels to the South' will cease to be heard."
"Why must it come to this, why?"
"Brother Ming, have you thought this through? It's not too late to back out. I can…" The young emperor's words were cut off.
"Trust me." Yuan Ming said with a smile, winking at the young emperor, who paused briefly before falling silent.
Yuan Ming's words also silenced any attempt by General Yuan to dissuade him. Despite his deep concerns, he could only choose to trust, believing that his son must have a reason for his actions.
***
Soon, the national advisor and Yuan Ming signed a life-and-death contract in the Tai'an Hall. The crowd moved to the plaza outside the hall, where the imperial guards had already cleared the area, leaving ample space for their duel.
"The life-and-death contract is signed. No one may intervene in your duel until life and death are determined. Afterwards, regardless of the outcome, neither party may seek revenge against the other or their respective sects and families for any reason. The families and sects behind both parties are also forbidden from retaliating." The young emperor, rarely displaying his imperial majesty, stood at the center of the high platform and announced loudly. After speaking, he looked towards the old emperor, the white-haired old lady, and the fairy of Luo River—three influential witnesses to the duel.
The fairy of Luo River lamented, "What a pity, a mayfly shaking a tree!"
But the old emperor said, "The sons of our Jin Kingdom should be so bold, living up to the name of a general's valiant offspring."
After exchanging glances, the three nodded in agreement. "Begin the duel," commanded the young emperor with a single hand raised.
Yuan Ming and the national advisor, Master Yuhu, stepped into the center of the plaza, standing ten paces apart, facing each other.
"You can still admit defeat now. I won't kill you today, but don't even dream of entering Changchun Temple anymore. A rotten wood cannot be carved," Master Yuhu said to Yuan Ming, his voice indifferent.
Yuan Ming didn't speak but simply extended his hand in a 'please' gesture.
"Since you're so eager to die, don't blame me for being merciless!" Master Yuhu's eyes flashed coldly as his robe sleeves billowed. A dark red light flickered, and four thick fire snakes emerged from his sleeves, each several meters long with vivid scales, as lifelike as real pythons, they twisted towards Yuan Ming.
"Intermediate Fire Snake Technique?" Yuan Ming remained calm, a blue light flashed by his hand as he summoned the Water Cloud Banner.
No longer concealing his cultivation, he poured the vast power of the Foundation Establishment stage into the banner, which expanded several times in the wind, enveloping him within.
A thick layer of blue mist appeared on its surface, and the surrounding area was instantly filled with moisture. Three fire snakes struck the banner, causing several loud explosions. The mist around the banner was mostly dispersed, and the banner itself shook violently, but it quickly stabilized, and the blue mist swiftly recovered.
"He's at the Foundation Establishment stage!"
"Yuan Ming has reached the Foundation Establishment stage after only three years of cultivation?"
"What exactly happened to him during his time in the Southern Border?"
"Changchun Temple has truly missed out on such a promising talent."
The fairy of Luo River, the old lady of Bailuo Villa, and other cultivators were all astounded, their discussions filled with schadenfreude.
Yuan Zuochong stood frozen, a sigh of relief in his heart, followed by a low curse, "This kid, even keeping secrets from your own father." Despite his scolding, the excitement and agitation in his voice were unmistakable.
The young emperor's eyes shone with admiration, clapping his hands in delight. Master Yuhu's face also showed shock, a tinge of regret flashing through his heart, quickly turning into a cold killing intent.
If before he was holding back due to his status, merely intending to cripple Yuan Ming's cultivation and give face to Tianming and the royal family, now that Yuan Ming had somehow concealed his cultivation, he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage in three years!
At this point, he could not allow Yuan Ming to live, or he would become a great threat in the future! As these thoughts raced through his mind, Master Yuhu formed hand seals and cast several spells around him.
"Whoosh!" A red pillar of light suddenly rose from his body, shooting towards the sky and exploding high above, rapidly spreading out.
In the blink of an eye, a ten-meter-wide cloud of fire formed, looking exceptionally red.
"The national advisor is using his ultimate Fire Cloud Technique; he doesn't want Yuan Ming to leave here alive!" The young emperor's heart sank, his lips parting to use Changchun Temple's sound transmission technique to warn Yuan Ming.
"Since they've agreed to a fair fight, it's best you don't interfere," a voice transmitted to his ear. The young emperor's expression stiffened, and he reluctantly gave up on the sound transmission.
General Yuan remained silent, his gaze fixed on the plaza, fists clenched tightly.
Although Yuan Ming didn't know what divine power Master Yuhu was using, he had experienced life-and-death situations in the Southern Border and directly participated in the Bi Luo Cave calamity. Having fought against Foundation Establishment cultivators multiple times even during his Qi refining stage, he was rich in combat experience and would not allow his opponent to act at will.
He raised his hands in the air, and several magical instruments flew out in succession—the Cold Star Sword, the Nine Rings Saber, the Wu Mountain Claw, and other mid-grade magical instruments.
After advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, his spiritual consciousness had greatly increased, and with the support of the Death Moon method, he was even more adept at simultaneously controlling multiple magical instruments for coordinated attacks.
These instruments formed a colorful torrent, rushing towards Master Yuhu. Amidst the glare of the magical instruments, a black needle transformed into a thin, silent shadow, circling around and stabbing directly at Master Yuhu's back.
Master Yuhu's expression remained unchanged, his hands wrapped in red light crossed in front of him.
The fire cloud in the sky rumbled like magma, and a dozen large, teardrop-shaped fireballs shot down from the sky, exploding around him.
Boom! All the fireballs burst, creating a massive wave of fire that protected him from all sides, not only deflecting the Cold Star Sword and the Nine Rings Saber but also the black needle.
The ground below was also affected, the thick stone tiles shattered, and the ground was deeply gouged, kicking up dust and debris.
Yuan Ming's face showed shock, with a hint of inexplicable fervor in the depths of his eyes.
Master Yuhu's lips curled into a cold smile as he raised a single finger and slowly pointed towards Yuan Ming's position. The fire cloud roared, and more than a dozen huge fireballs shot out, faster than before, sealing off all of Yuan Ming's escape routes.
Yuan Ming felt a scorching wave accompanied by a terrifying spiritual pressure rushing towards him, making him feel suffocated. However, he didn't dodge; his hand seals changed rapidly, the Water Cloud Banner's blue light intensified, and he also summoned the golden Eight Trigrams Mirror.
A golden light screen quickly spread out, adding another layer of defense around him. Just as he finished these preparations, the fireballs arrived, striking the golden light screen. A series of earth-shattering explosions erupted! The red flames rolled, turning into a black and red fire cloud that engulfed everything nearby.
Master Yuhu's cheeks were slightly pale, indicating that the spell had drained much of his mana, but his lips still held a trace of a cold smile. His Fire Cloud Technique was immensely powerful, and that strike was made with all his strength. Even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would not dare to face its edge, let alone Yuan Ming, who had just entered the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
However, the next moment, Master Yuhu's smile froze. His spiritual consciousness sensed that within the engulfing red flames, Yuan Ming's presence was still there, and he didn't seem to be severely injured.
"Impossible!" Master Yuhu hurriedly continued casting spells, the fire cloud in the sky surged again, but before he could act, the ground at his feet suddenly cracked open, and a dozen thick purple-black vines shot out, stabbing towards him like spears.
Master Yuhu, though surprised, was not disordered; he quickly summoned a yellow umbrella, which flew above his head and opened with a "whoosh," spinning rapidly. A series of slightly hazy yellow lights fell from the umbrella, forming a cylindrical light screen around him in the blink of an eye. The purple-black vines struck the yellow light screen and were all deflected.
Amidst the red flames, Yuan Ming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze fixed on the yellow umbrella—a low-grade defensive magical instrument. The Eight Trigrams Mirror had already shattered, lying in pieces at his feet, its spirit gone.
The Water Cloud Banner was still there, but its light had dimmed significantly, obviously suffering considerable damage. When the Eight Trigrams Mirror was destroyed, he decisively summoned the black inkstone and the Water Cloud Banner to withstand the impact, otherwise, he doubted he could have survived the explosion of the fireballs.
Yuan Ming slapped the ground with both hands, and a green light shone from his palms. The ground around Master Yuhu cracked open, and thick purple vines emerged, wrapping layer upon layer around the yellow light screen surrounding him. In a few breaths, Master Yuhu, along with the light screen, was completely covered and submerged by countless vines.
Beneath the ground, a few meters below Master Yuhu, lay a vine creature—Hua Zhi.
Before the succession ceremony, Yuan Ming had instructed Hua Zhi to sneak underground. Using the Wood Concealment Technique to hide its presence, it moved deep underground, lurking beneath Master Yuhu.
"Master, I alone am enough to deal with this old Taoist!" Hua Zhi boasted loudly.
"Stop your prattle!" Yuan Ming once again controlled the magical instruments, not attacking Master Yuhu but aiming for the fire cloud in the sky.
Master Yuhu's face showed a trace of surprise, and he quickly formed hand seals pointing to the sky. The fire cloud surged, and nearly thirty fireballs shot down, half meeting the magical instruments and the other half striking the ground.
Boom! A loud explosion erupted. A vast expanse of red flames appeared in the sky, the Cold Star Sword and other instruments were blasted away again, and the Wu Mountain Claw was directly shattered, completely destroyed.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan