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Chapter 648: Demon God Finger! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

One second. It was truly only a single second. An abrupt spread of grey, from the outlook it was just like the grey of chimney smoke, spreading out from the finger. The large, bright purple crab froze instantly, its eyes filled with unwillingness, with even a hint of disdain.

Zhou Weiqing could faintly hear a cold humph that shook through his soul once more. In the next instant, a muted explosion, and the entire bright purple crab vanished instantly in a puff of smoke.

The brothers TianFeng and TianMa, still locked in their embrace, fell limply to the ground, deeply unconscious, as blood began to leak out of their seven orifices.

Forcefully unleashing such a powerful destruction Skill, yet failing to kill or even defeat their enemies… All that was left for them was not just a simple wound or exhaustion. Even the Destruction Attribute in their bodies had been totally drained dry, and perhaps within the next few years they would not be able to recover.

As the terrifying Heavenly Energy reverberation swirled in the sky, a brilliant light flashed in Zhou Weiqing's eyes. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes to concentrate on the currently weak large Saint Energy whirlpool, working together with Tian'er to spin it and recoiver. At least, they were still standing.

This fight could be said to be a total lack of fighting skills at all, and the final victory had been determined by a single clash between their ace skills. However, it was without question that this clash of their powerful Skills had almost brought destruction and ruin to the entire ZhongTian City. Perhaps the Heavenly Energy inherent within the two Skills was not considered extremely high, at least not sufficient to bring shock to Shangguan Tianyang and Shangguan Tianyue. However, the ideological stage at which they were at was just too terrifying, unbelievable. It was at the true Heavenly God stage, or even higher!

For the brothers Shangguan Tianyang and Shangguan Tianyue to rush here personally, it was not just to protect the ZhongTian citizens, but also to feel for themselves this stage.. This was a stage that they had been yearning for all their lives, working towards all this time, and this sensation was of utmost importance to them. If they were lucky, perhaps with this sensation, it could give them enough understanding to breakthrough once more. Especially for Shangguan Tianyang, as any breakthrough would mean reaching the Heavenly God Stage.

The Demon God behind Zhou Weiqing's back did not vanish instantly after unleashing its attack. Raising its head slowly, his eyes still closed, his Will shot towards the skies.

Shangguan Tianyang was personally managing the Boundless Infinitium Formation, and he instantly shouted out loud without hesitation: "Release the formation!"

The milky white shield of light instantly dissipated as all forty nine powerhouses swiftly withdrew their Heavenly Energy. As the ones who released the formation, they could vaguely sense the terrifying presence and aura of the Demon God.

As the Boundless Infinitium Formation vanished, the projection of the Demon God behind Zhou Weiqing also vanished, as if it never had the intention to attack the formation in the first place.

However, Shangguan Tianyang's back was already soaked in cold sweat. He could clearly sense that if he did not give the order to take down the formation in time, allowing the wisp of that Will of the Demon God to leave, perhaps it would have drawn in the true Will of the Demon God to descend upon them. If that truly happened, perhaps everyone in the entire area would have perished.

Whether or not the Demon God truly existed or not, no one dared to bet on it. However, even if it was just a gathered consciousness from all of the Demonic Attribute energy in the world, it was not something that humans could easily block.

Shangguan Tianyue's sensations were not as direct or clear as Shangguan Tianyang, but he still vaguely sensed something.

"Big bro, that aura… that sensation, are there really gods in this world? Heavenly God Stage…?"

Shangguan Tianyang sighed and shook his head, saying: "Heavenly God Stage… that is just a name, an estimation on our part. In the legends, only when we breakthrough the Heavenly God stage, then can we shatter the chains of this world, entering a whole different realm. That is the legendary Heavenly Transformation. Only those who have the power of Heavenly Transformation can truly be called Gods. Zhou Weiqing, that little brat, he actually managed to use that Saint Energy to summon a bit of a will of the Demon God here… luckily his cultivation level is insufficient… otherwise, today might not have ended well at all."

Shangguan Tianyue's heart was also twisting inside, especially as he looked at the massive chasm below them. Seeing Zhou Weiqing holding Tian'er's hands so intimately, as a father, he was even more dissatisfied. However, at this point, the Heaven's Expanse Palace clearly could not reveal too many things.

Shangguan Tianyang waved his hands, and the forty nine figures rose into the air, flying up back towards the Heavenly Jewel Island. Of course, only the powerhouses that belonged directly to the Heaven's Expanse Palace like them could fly to the Heavenly Jewel Island like that.

At this point, the citizens were no longer cheering. In truth, for this huge battle, in their eyes, they could not have too many feelings, nor could they understand the underlying profound meanings behind it. To them, it was just a huge grey figure pointing at a large purple crab, and everything had ended. The pressure was terrifying, but without a baseline understanding, any pressure from a powerhouse would seem the same to them. If not for the fact that the brothers TianFeng and TianMa crumpling to the ground unconscious and not knowing if they were still alive, perhaps some of the audience might even think this was a joke fight, an empty show of strength.

Zhou Weiqing drew a deep breath, feeling the over-twenty energy whirlpools of his Death Acupuncture Points spin at full speed. Only when his Heavenly Energy had recovered to full did he relax slightly. For him, he was no better than Shangguan Tianyang, his entire clothes soaked in sweat after all that happened just now.

He made a decision inwardly… no matter what happened, he would never attempt to summon this Demon God easily again. It was just too abnormal, too frightening… not a power that he could control at all. He clearly sensed that the reason why the Demon God Projection actually helped him to destroy the giant crab was not because of his orders. He did not have the power or right to order the Demon God. However, it was the provocation of the giant crab that caused the Demon God Projection to act as he wished, destroying the crab.

Still covered in a faint, flickering light, Zhou Weiqing's face finally relaxed in a relieved expression.

Tian'er looked towards Zhou Weiqing, her eyes gleaming brightly. Her feelings were different from Zhou Weiqing; after all, the Skill was not unleashed by her, and all she did was to support him and infuse the Saint Energy into him. Although she could still sense the sheer terrifying power of the Demon God, Tian'er understood that by sensing the advanced state of that Will of the Demon God, it was definitely of immense benefit to their future breakthrough.

Currently, Tian'er's heart was full of pride, as it was her man who had unleashed that terrifying power just now. Zhou Weiqing had been her own choice, a man who would not be any weaker or less accomplished than her father in the future. She was truly proud of her own man.

"Senior Shangguan? Where are you?" Zhou Weiqing looked around in puzzlement.

As if hearing his voice, a figure appeared in a flash hovering over the chasm. It was Shangguan Longyin. At this moment, the head judge of the Heavenly Jewel Tournament was truly speechless. Everything that had happened was far beyond any of their expectations, any of their imaginations, and it all gone way past his control, even alarming the two Heaven's Expanse Palace Masters to activate the power of the Heaven's Expanse Palace. Only then had they been able to suppress the powers of the clash.

From the surface appearance, the clash between both parties did not have any repercussions, without any rippling effect. However, Shangguan Longyin was extremely clear that if any bit of the Will of the Demon God had escaped the Boundless Infinitium Formation, it would have brought an unimaginable destruction to the entire ZhongTian City. This area now would be an ocean of corpses.

"You… you two…" Shangguan Longyin looked at Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er, wanting to scold them in his heart, but realising that he could not just bring himself to do so. In truth, that level of Skills, he did not know what he could do if he met it. The only choice for him would to not allow them to have the chance to gather and infuse those Skills and unleash them.

Zhou Weiqing shrugged, smiling bitterly as he said: "Senior Shangguan, you can't blame us for that. In truth, we did not wish to use such a things, nor did we want all this to happen. However, we had no choice if we wanted to survive. Their attacks were just too strong, and we could only use our own strongest attack to deal with it. If it caused any problems to you, I hereby apologise sincerely."

A similar bitter smile flashed across Shangguan Longyin's face. "Problems? Is it just so simple as problems? Luckily, the Palace Master and Second Palace Master came in time and took action. Alright, enough of that, let us just go according to the rules of the Heavenly Jewel Tournament. The Third Match of the Heavenly Bow Battle Team versus the Dan Dun Battle Team, the victor is the Heavenly Bow Battle Team."

The last line was using the voice-transference with his Heavenly Energy, and all the audience could clearly hear it. At this point, the disorderly comments and discussions began to rise from the citizens.

Although they had experienced the panic and fear earlier, in this current instant, they were all starting to get excited once more. Indeed, such an experience, such a splendidly large scene, perhaps they would never get to experience a second time in their ordinary lives. This would definitely be imprinted in their memories forever. In the future, they could even tell their stories to their grandchildren, it was something to be proud of.

At this point, only then did the rest of the Dan Dun Battle Team members come to their senses. Quickly, the rest of the team members rushed to carry TianFeng and TianMa back to rest.

This time, the entire Dan Dun Battle Team consisted of Blood Red Hell core disciples, and naturally some of them had the Light Attribute. Quickly, Light Attribute healing Skills were used one after the other on the two brothers, at least barely stabilizing them. In truth, their bodies were not injured at all, what was critically wounded were their souls and bloodline power. However, at this point, as both were unconscious, it was clear they could no longer continue fighting in the round. Originally, TianFeng could still participate in the individual matches, but that was no longer possible.

…

The Rest Houses were all gone…

When Zhou Weiqing brought Tian'er back to their Rest House to rest, only then did he realise that all the Rest Houses were gone, destroyed. In their first violent clash, the destruction was not limited to the stage and the newly created chasm, even the Rest Houses of all the Battle Teams had been affected, and all the other battle team members had been forced to withdraw. Still, It was lucky that happened, as what happened next was the giant crab unleashing its Destruction Aura, disintegrating the Rest Houses. If not for the swift reaction of the Heaven's Expanse Palace, when the Demon God Projection appeared, perhaps it would not have been so simple as just the destruction of the Rest Houses.

Returning to their companions, all of them looked at the two with gazes as if they were monsters. Especially for Yun Li, who had always had a hint of recalcitrant air in him. After all, they were both at the six-Jeweled stage. However, at this point, that had totally vanished, and there was even a hint of fear as he looked at Zhou Weiqing. This fellow was just too powerful, too terrifying. Previously, the sheer horror of that aura, Yun Li did not even wish to try and remember it. He knew that in his life, he would never be able to catch up to Zhou Weiqing in terms of cultivation level and power, and the only thing he could do was to focus and work harder on his Consolidating Equipment Scrolls.

Chapter 649: Demon God Finger! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

On the other hand, Ma Qun's look at Zhou Weiqing was a totally different matter. It was definitely a type of worship, a fiery, flattering and worshipful look that caused a chill to run down Zhou Weiqing's spine.

"Crow! You have to keep an eye on your husband, be careful of his sexual preferences, in case any trouble happens."

Crow giggled, saying: "No, it should be him having to keep an eye on me. Boss, if you keep presenting yourself like that, I am afraid I will fall for you instead."

Looking at her sweet smile and laughter, and the contrasting massive body, Zhou Weiqing was struck speechless. At last, he said: "Please give me a break, you two. Today, this round we have already guaranteed our victory. The Dan Dun Battle Team should have their spirits broken by now, and without morale or fighting spirit, the rest of the fights should be in the bag. Crow, the fourth fight is yours. Tian'er, you shouldn't need to, but the fifth fight is yours just in case."

Tian'er nodded as she smiled.

Although the fight today was alarmingly dangerous, with the Destruction Attribute Skill that the brothers TianFeng and TianMa had unleashed far beyond Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er's expectations. However, they had at least proven one thing – comparing the Saint Energy and the Destruction Attribute, there was still a gap in their levels. Today, even if they had used a weaker Skill and not summoned the Demon God, any other powerful Skill powered by the Saint Energy should still have ensured their victory.

This gave them further confidence in the Saint Energy, and the future of their cultivation, as well as the path they were taking.

…

Just as Zhou Weiqing had said, after the top three of the Dan Dun Battle Team, TianFeng, TianMa and Shen Little Demon, had already lost, the morale of the entire Dan Dun Battle Team was at a record low. For the fourth fight, Crow used her powerful strength to easily defeat a six-Jeweled member of the Dan Dun Battle Team. In the end, the round today ended with the Heavenly Bow Battle Team's victory with a 3-1 score, and they became the last team to advance to the top eight of the Heavenly Jewel Tournament.

After the massive battle between the Heavenly Bow Battle Team and the Dan Dun Battle Team, the rest of the fights were pretty much nothing in comparison, especially since there was nothing left to fight for. At last, when Shangguan Longyin proclaimed the end of the preliminary round, the Heavenly Bow Battle Team had become the focus of the entire plaza.

The entire ZhongTian battle Team, led by Shangguan Xue'er and Shangguan Fei'er, headed over to the Heavenly Bow Battle Team. There were no longer any Rest Houses, so everyone was standing around.

As Shangguan Xue'er and Shangguan Fei'er walked to the front of Zhou Weiqing, a barrier of faint Heavenly Energy covered them, Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er.

"Is that the power of the Saint Energy?" Shangguan Fei'er asked eagerly.

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Xue'er should have seen it for herself previously, when I summoned the Hell's Angel. Of course, this time, it was truly an unintentional mistake… the Demon God that I summoned was just too powerful. I believe that even if we consolidate the Saint Core Nucleus, such a summoning is still beyond our abilities. Luckily, the Saint Energy has a inlying self-protection of sorts, otherwise both of us would have been drained to death today."

Shangguan Xue'er took a deep breath and said: "It is truly impressive and shocking. In truth, the previous time, I did not really see you summon the Hell's Angel. After all, I was fighting at another wall. I could only sense the energy fluctuations of the Hell's Angel, and see the end results of the Skill. However, today, you have truly let me witness something shocking."

At the side, Tian'er burst into giggles as she said: "This time, even your father will no longer have any reason to stop Little Fatty from 'shooting three birds with one arrow' right? They have truly witnessed the power of the Saint Energy."

Shangguan Xue'er furrowed her brow slightly and said: "Weiqing, if we knew beforehand that the Dan Dun Battle Team was so strong, to force you to use such a Skill of your own, I would rather you not attend the Heavenly Jewel Tournament."

Naturally, Zhou Weiqing knew what she meant, and he smiled faintly as he said: "We cannot hide it forever, and it will eventually be known. So what if the power is known, even if they know about it, trying to sense the Saint Energy or its underlying meaning is not so easy, let alone gaining it for themselves."

Shangguan Xue'er nodded, saying: "That is true, but in the future, you will need to be very careful of the Blood Red Hell. This time, for them to be able to use this Destruction Attribute… it gives me a truly uncomfortable feeling. This matter has also stirred up our entire Heaven's Expanse Palace, as they are attaching much importance on it. Of course, we cannot see the future, but the recent developments and actions of the Blood Red Hell are extremely suspect, and both we and the Passion Valley are rather unsettled by it all. The entire situation in the south is also so chaotic… at the Heavenly Bow Empire side, you will need to be extremely careful as well."

Zhou Weiqing said: "When the tournament is over here, I will be heading to the Heavenly Snow Mountain with Tian'er for a while. Do you all want to come with me? As I promised previously, I will help you three consolidate the Saint Core Nucleus."

Shangguan Xue'er sighed gently, shaking her head as she said: "Unfortunately, I do not think it is possible for us to consolidate the Saint Core Nucleus."

Zhou Weiqing started momentarily. "What? Why?"

Shangguan Xue'er said: "The little Saint Energy whirlpool in my body has already dissipated, and only the pure Saint Energy is left."

Hearing her words, Zhou Weiqing's brow furrowed instantly. With Shangguan Xue'er's talents in cultivation being at the genius level, and how hard she worked, it was not possible that her little Saint Energy whirlpool had dissipated due to her not cultivating. That meant it was definitely a totally different reason.

Shangguan Xue'er continued: "I have thought about it in detail�� it should be because I do not have any Saint Attribute. The Saint Energy originates from the gathering and fusion of the four Saint Attributes, and now I believe that only those who have at least a Saint Attribute will be able to maintain a perfect cycle. However, even just this bit of Saint Energy has given me countless benefits, improving my cultivation quality and speed. Even after breaking through to the Heavenly King Stage in the future, if we have some Saint Energy to assist us, it will make things a lot easier."

Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment before saying: "In that case, it is even more important that you all come with us to the Heavenly Snow Mountain. Towards the Saint Energy, we just do not have sufficiently deep understanding. Only through constant testing and experimentation can we fully unearth more profound secrets. Even if you are unable to form the Saint Core Nucleus, being able to infuse more Saint Energy for you all can only be a good benefit."

Shangguan Xue'er saw Zhou Weiqing's unreconciled look, and her face broke out in a rare smile. "Wait until you win before we discuss this again, don't forget we won't go easy on you!" After saying that, she released the barrier of Heavenly Energy, nodding towards Tian'er before she turned and walked away.

Before Shangguan Fei'er left, she made a face at Zhou Weiqing, her lips moving in a 'mouth' shape.

Zhou Weiqing could tell that she was telling him 'Sis is just being outwardly stubborn.'1

After the ZhongTian Battle Team left, the BaoPo Battle Team approached them.

As the BaoPo Battle Team members looked at Zhou Weiqing, their expressions were rather complicated. The leader XiHua and his wife Butterfly Orchid stepped to the front.

XiHua sighed and said: "Team Leader Zhou, I never expected that after the last tournament where you rose to fame after being the dark horse of the tournament, you would once again repeat the feat this year. Team Leader Zhou, just tell me the truth please. If you are able to repeat what you did today in the upcoming top eight fight, using that Skill, we will surrender directly."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "How can Secret Arts be used so easily? This time, it has taken a huge toll on us as well. As for the top eight fight, it is hard to say who will advance. I can say that the same Skill we used today, we will definitely not be able to use it then. I look forward to have a good spar with your BaoPo Battle Team."

XiHua looked deeply at Zhou Weiqing and said: "In that case, when the time comes, please show mercy."

After the BaoPo Battle Team left, the WanShou Battle Team were also about to approach and greet them. However, they were stopped by Tian'er, who motioned them to move away. Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Weiqing quickly led the team away, otherwise who knew how long they would be surrounded for.

If in the previous days, the Heavenly Bow Battle Team was considered a dark horse in the tournament, one that wasn't considered too strong, then after today's fights, they had risen to become one of the favourites to seize the championship.

…

In order to quickly recover their Saint Energy, Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er once again ascended the Heavenly Jewel Island.

This time, as soon as they reached the top of the island, they ran into a familiar face. Zhan LingTian looked at them coldly, saying passively: "Come with me, the two Palace Masters wish to see the two of you."

Zhou Weiqing had already anticipated something like this would happen, and he ignored the enmity in Zhan LingTian's eyes as they followed him. After all, matters of the heart was not something that one could yield easily. Although he did not have any enmity towards Zhan LingTian, being a love rival was something that can't be helped.

…

Heaven's Expanse Palace.

Shangguan Tianyang and Shangguan Tianyue stood there, looking at the two youths in front of them, Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er. At this moment, their hearts were definitely unsettled. The Demon God Projection and the shock it had brought was still there. The higher one's cultivation was, the greater their impression and sense of the Demon God Projection.

"Speak then, how did you two do this." Shangguan Tianyue was direct, asking as he pinned Zhou Weiqing with his gaze.

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Honestly speaking, it is not considered 'difficult', just infusing Saint Energy into a Skill. I have tested it before, and it seems like any Heavenly King Stage Skill and above, once infused with Saint Energy, there is a chance to 'revive' it."

He had already told the secret of the Saint Energy to the Heaven's Expanse Palace Masters, and towards this point, there was no need for him to hide it.

A flash of surprise appeared in Shangguan Tianyang's eyes. "What about this Demon God that you summoned today? Where did it come from? What kind of Heavenly Beast did you Store such a Skill from?"

Zhou Weiqing replied: "It is actually an innate Skill, a power that belongs to my bloodline. Perhaps, my bloodline has a trace of the Demon God's power, which is the reason all of this happened today. In truth, I never expected that we would be able to summon the Demon God Projection."

Shangguan Tianyang's eyes were filled with surprise and amazement. At last, after a time, he said slowly: "This Saint Energy truly lives up to its name of being top of everything. It looks like the legend of it being the key to breaking past the Heavenly God Stage to reach a higher state is not impossible! I believe Xue'er should have told you about her Saint Energy whirlpool and how she was unable to sustain it. What do you think about it?"

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "It is currently impossible for us to know for sure yet, and we can only continue experimenting. After all, we have barely uncovered the uses of the Saint Energy yet. As such, after this Heavenly Jewel Tournament ends, I want to bring them with me. Only by continued testing can we find the problem and any possible solution. Of course, it might be that since Xue'er does not have any Saint Attribute, she is not able to to maintain the Saint Energy whirlpool of her own. Even so, infusing Saint Energy into her will still be a great benefit to her cultivation."

Shangguan Tianyang's brow furrowed slightly, as he looked towards Shangguan Tianyue.

Shangguan Tianyue's gaze was somewhat unfriendly as he glared at Zhou Weiqing. With a humph, he said: "Wait until you gain the Heavenly Jewel Tournament championship before we speak. This year's championship is not that easy to achieve, not just something luck can bring you."

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Father in Law, do you still not believe in my power?"

Chapter 650: Top Eight Fight | BaoPo Battle Team! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Shangguan Tianyue glanced coldly at Zhou Weiqing, saying: "Your power? Is your power to bully those poor Heavenly Beasts of my Heavenly Jewel Island?"

"Uhhmm… that…"

Shangguan Tianyang said: "Alright, we already know about you using the Skill Storing Palace Heavenly Beasts, cultivating the Saint Energy with the Devour Skill right? You need to ensure that no Heavenly Beasts will die because of that. Every Heavenly King Stage Heavenly Beast and above that you Devour, you will need to pay a million gold. Yesterday, you two Devoured from over thirty Heavenly Beasts right, I will round it down for you. Later, pay up thirty million gold before you leave the island. Of course, if you wish to continue Devouring, you can do so. The price is the same."

"Ahh?" Zhou Weiqing stared with jaw agape at Shangguan Tianyang, who looked serious and stern. "This… Uncle, we are all a family right? Isn't mentioning money too much of an outside matter?"

Shangguan Tianyang smiled gently: "A family? I wonder who it is who won away two hundred million gold from our ZhongTian Empire, you certainly aren't courteous in that regard! Oh, right, one more thing, you all destroyed my ZhongTian Plaza today, as one of the main culprits and the victorious side, you should take up the payment for it as well. Let's give it a discounted price of ten million gold. Also… those three girls, their bride price and betrothal gifts, you still need to give right? Hmmm…. Another hundred million gold… that isn't considered much right?"

As Zhou Weiqing listened up to this point, his mouth was already gaping open so wide, unable to shut. This… this was daylight robbery! However, the critical thing was…. He was unable to reject it!

At the side, Tian'er was covering her mouth and giggles, but she did not say a word.

Lounging back casually, Shangguan Tianyang said in a relaxed fashion: "So… are you giving or not?"

Zhou Weiqing's heart was bleeding! Alas, as one was under the eaves, how could he dare to not lower his head? This was a matter of his own future happiness, could he not give the money?

"Give, give, of course I'll give. Uhh, Uncle, Father-in-law, after our fight with the Dan Dun Battle Team today, we are just too exhausted, our condition isn't too good. We are going to head back to rest first. Haha, well I didn't bring the gold with me today, when it is time for the Finals, I will bring it."

After saying that, he practically dragged Tian'er along as he fled the scene.

Looking at his sorry figure fleeing into the distance, a smile crossed the Shangguan brothers faces.

However, what they did not know was… As Zhou Weiqing brought Tian'er to leave the Heavenly Jewel Island, his panicked face turned into a sly grin, as if a cunning plan had succeeded.

Tian'er asked curiously: "You were just forcefully cheated of more than a hundred million gold, and you can still smile so happily?"

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Why shouldn't I laugh? As the saying goes 'The wool still comes from the sheep's back, a good sheep means good fur, and a good fur means good money.1 That one hundred million gold was originally their money after all, and we won almost two hundred million in the bets for the preliminary stage, and we are only returning them slightly more than half. That means we have almost a hundred million gold left still. Furthermore, by giving that amount, that means they have subtly agreed to my relationship with Bing'er, Fei'er and Xue'er…"

"Also, it brings an official relationship to ourselves and the ZhongTian Empire as proper allies… before this, we were merely just a chess piece to the ZhongTian Empire. However, our Saint Energy, and the performance of our people in the Crescent City Battle… we have managed to fight for this status. Of course, from the current state of things, the ZhongTian Empire will not treat us as equal allies, but at least we are no longer a mere chess piece. This is a very good beginning. Without the ZhongTian Empire supporting us from behind, with just our powers alone, it will be nearly impossible to fight against the Bai Da Empire, let alone the Dan Dun Empire."

Tian'er was stupefied. "Why do I suddenly feel like you are such a schemer?"

Zhou Weiqing gave a defeated look as he said sadly: "What scheme is this, you should say this is intelligence and wisdom! Your husband, I, am a wise man! Although I may not have much ambitions, I will still do my best to ensure that in the near future, my homeland will have the power to ensure no one dares offend us easily."

Tian'er burst into giggles, saying: "Anyway, no matter if you are an Admiral, General or just a farmer, I will follow you."

…

The Heavenly Jewel Tournament preliminary round had ended, and the top eight fights would only begin after a few days. This year's Heavenly Bow Battle Team could be said to be far 'Darker' 2 than the last tournament's Fei Li Battle Team. After all, at least the Fei Li Battle Team was from a major empire, and even prior tournaments they had good results of fifth position previously. However, it was the first time that the Heavenly Bow Battle Team had attended the Heavenly Jewel Tournament, and they had already entered the top eight stage. This was truly unbelievable in most people's eyes.

In the top eight round, the Heavenly Bow Battle Team would be facing up against the BaoPo Battle Team. This time, no one would dare to look down or underestimate this dark horse team. Ever since the last day of the preliminary stage ended, almost the entire ZhongTian City audience who had watched the fight that day were discussing it with great relish, the fight which had brought that so much surprise to them. It was being spread so much that they had almost become myths.

Although Zhuo Weiqing and Tian'er did not go through another round of Devouring Heavenly Beasts, their Saint Energy had after all already reached a level of one hundred and fifty drops each. Just by their normal cultivation using the large Saint Energy whirlpool, though it was slow, they would eventually recover a large portion.

Ever since they had gained the Saint Energy, although Zhou Weiqing would try his best not to depend too much on the Saint Energy, it was considered his last and most critical secret ace in hand for any danger.

Currently, though the Heavenly Bow Empire was in the development stage, perhaps they could even be considered as just starting out; however, with the Peerless Regiment and the Fei Li God General, or rather the now Heavenly Bow God General Ming Yu at the head of development and commanding, they were definitely on the right track. However, the problem was the Heavenly Bow Empire lacked absolute powerhouses.

Without sufficient powerhouses, facing the Kalise Empire was still alright, but in the future when they had to face the Bai Da Empire, things would become far more complicated. This was also the main reason why both Zhou Weiqing and Ming Yu were focusing on building up their strength instead of rushing to extend their territories and destroy the Kalise Empire. After all, with the current Peerless Regiment, it would not be too difficult to take down the Kalise Empire!

If Zhou Weiqing could bring his own personal strength to a much higher level, especially if he could enter the Heavenly King Stage, it would be an immense aid to their future development. This was the reason why he could leave the Heavenly Bow Empire in such a critical point of the Empire's development, and the Heavenly Bow Empire upper echelons did not have any issues with that, as they knew how important this was.

…

After descending from the Heavenly Jewel Island, both Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er would rest for the next days, not even leaving their rooms. If Zhou Weiqing would have to describe it, the sun was shining brightly outside, but the windows were closed, curtains shut and comforters drawn tight.

In truth, they were deep in cultivation these few days.

With continued use of the Saint Energy, they began to have a deeper understanding of it.

Besides the power of Creation of the Saint Energy, they had another feeling regarding the Saint Energy, which was its extremely powerful self protection. Simply put, no matter how they used the Saint Energy, it would never actually cause any harm to themselves. Just the example when they had infused the Saint Energy into the Ward of the Demon God, releasing such a terrifying and powerful Skill. With the aura and scale of the Demon God, if it continued devouring their Saint Energy, not only their energy would be drained dry, even their life force and souls would be devoured totally, with nothing left.

However, at the critical moment, even with the powerful Will of the Demon God Projection behind it, the remaining Saint Energy was able to automatically cut off the connection, protecting them from harm, so much so that their little Saint Energy whirlpool was still maintained. It could be considered a 'last second' save even.

The importance of this could not be stressed more, especially since they were still at the beginning stages of training in the Saint Energy. After all, with their current cultivation level, they were still far from being able to use the true power of the Saint Energy, but with this recognition of the self defensive capabilities, at least when they were experimenting and training in its usage, they could be bolder and take more risks, which would definitely be a good aid in their progress.

Of course, that was not just the only benefit to the Saint Energy. In fact, that day after Devouring from so many powerful Heavenly Beasts and bringing their Saint Energy past a hundred drops, both Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er could sense that in their original Heavenly Energy, there was starting to show signs of a very faint silver-white glow. The glow about their Heavenly Energy might be very dim, but it was extremely beneficial to their cultivation process and speed. Firstly, it seemed like the glow was attached to their meridian channels, not only strengthening the channels but also increasing their absorption rate substantially. Secondly, with this seeming remnant of Saint Energy around, it also greatly increased the absorption rate of the Heavenly Energy they drew in, making the entire process easier… almost by half! The Saint Energy was on a level far above any other individual Attribute, and thus when any Attribute Heavenly Energy had any interaction with the Saint Energy, it became much 'tamer'.

When Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er sensed this new discovery, they were extremely delighted. Previously, although there had been improvements to their cultivation, it was not as obvious as it now was. They understood the underlying meaning and how it would affect their future cultivation speeds drastically. As long as they had enough time, and enough external energy to transform into Saint Energy, it would perhaps not be too long before they truly consolidated the Saint Nucleus Core. Once that happened, they would no longer need to fear anyone.

Cultivation had always been a dry and monotonous activity, but with the continuous experimentation of the wonders of the Saint Energy, it brought a new and interesting facet to the cultivation. It also gave them much joy and wonder as they tried out various things, experimenting in all sorts of methods. After all, the Saint Energy would not harm them, and thus they were starting to be bolder.

However, Tian'er was also a little vexed. With her background from one of the stronger Great Saint Lands, the Heavenly Snow Mountain, and the only daughter of the strongest powerhouse in the world… yet her cultivation speed was still no match for Zhou Weiqing!

That Immortal Deity Technique of Zhou Weiqing's was just too overbearing. With his current over twenty Death Acupuncture Points broken through, and the energy whirlpools at work at the same time, it was as if he was a black hole, making a clean sweep of the atmospheric energy around, drawing in all sorts of attribute energies. As soon as those energy whirlpools held a hint of Saint Energy, the sheer cultivation speed he could maintain was shocking, even to Tian'er. It had to be known that currently Tian'er was at a higher cultivation level than Zhou Weiqing, already at the seven-Jeweled stage. Even with such an obvious advantage, she was still slower than him in terms of cultivation.

It could be said that the Saint Energy's benefit to Zhou Weiqing in this regard was far greater than Tian'er. Of course, this had a strong connection with his Immortal Deity Technique. In the past, Zhou Weiqing always had some qualms and worry about cultivation in his heart. After all, the pain and suffering that the Immortal Deity Technique brought to him everytime he broke through was just too memorable. Even with his considerable willpower, he would still feel fear thinking about it.

Chapter 651: Top Eight Fight | BaoPo Battle Team! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

However, now that he had the Saint Energy, it was different. With the protection of the Saint Energy, even when breaking through it became a lot easier than before, at least he no longer needed to fear that his body would breakdown. Furthermore, now that he had completed the Dragon-Tiger Transformation, fully inheriting the powers of both the Solidified Dragon Spirit and the Dark Demon God Tiger bloodlines, the toughness and flexibility of his body was far beyond any Heavenly Jewel Master. As such, his progress in the Immortal Deity Technique had already long surpassed that of the creator!

…

Early in the morning, the ZhongTian Plaza was already crowded and bustling with life. The citizens had long since started to gather in the plaza and the surroundings, some having come the night before to camp out at the plaza grounds the ensure they had a good place. As long as they did not enter the central zone, the guards around the plaza would not bother them.

To some of the citizens' amusement, the freshly rebuilt competition stage looked very different from that of the preliminary stage. The first and most obvious change was in the size, at least double that of the previous stage. Secondly, it was clear that the stage was no longer crafted out of granite, instead giving off a faint green glow. Some of the people who had knowledge in this area quickly pointed out it was a green gold stone, a metal several times harder and tougher than granite. Obviously, that battle on the last day between the Heavenly Bow Battle Team and the Dan Dun Battle Team had caused so much destruction that it had left a deep impression on the organizers, and they were trying to prevent it from happening again. After all, in the top eight fights, the others notwithstanding, the Heavenly Bow Battle Team would once again be facing a strong opponent, yet another team with the background of a Great Saint Lands, the BaoPo Battle Team.

The Passion Valley was behind the BaoPo Battle Team, and at least from the previous rankings, the Passion Valley was above the Blood Red Hell. This top eight fight was an elimination type match; that was to say, the team members on the stage would continue fighting until they were beaten, until all of one side's members had lost. As such, the competition and degree of fighting could only be more intense. Of course, once again this fight was the most anticipated amongst all of the top eight fights.

…

"Boss, today we really aren't going to bet anymore?" Ma Qun asked, a look of regret on his face.

Zhou Weiqing glanced at him, a look of stern justice on his face as he said grandly: "One must not be too greedy, we have already won enough."

The current time was not considered early anymore, with the morning sun relatively high in the sky.

The immediate surroundings of the stage was also different now. Although there was no restriction regarding the other teams who had not entered the top eight, and they would still be able to watch from their rest houses, there were only eight rest houses closest to the stage, belonging to the top eight to use. The rest of the teams had their rest houses further behind.

The Heavenly Bow Battle Team rest house was right next to the ZhongTian Battle Team's one, and Zhou Weiqing was definitely very satisfied with that arrangement. At least, he could now see his two wives at close proximity easily now. The top eight fight was just as important to him, as this would be the determining factor whether or not he could ascend the Heavenly JEwel Island and see Bing'er.

It seemed like just a blink of an eye and three years had just passed like that. As the saying goes, the closer one was, the more one grew nostalgic about things. Now that he was on the verge of seeing Bing'er, his heart yearned for her even more. Towards this point, Tian'er could already sense it. As long as he was not deep in cultivation, Zhou Weiqing would constantly be dazed and distracted, his eyes filled with memory and remembrance. However, Tian'er never interrupted him. In truth, amongst all of Zhou Weiqing's other women, the one Tian'er could accept the most was actually Shangguan Bing'er. More than anyone else, she knew how much Bing'er meant to Zhou Weiqing.

The ZhongTian Empire officials still had not appeared in the VIP Stands yet, and as soon as Shangguan Tianxin appeared on the VIP Stand, the entire audience erupted into cheers of 'Long Live', a startling sight indeed. However, Shangguan Tianxin's expression was not too good, though why that was so, only he would know.

In the fight a few days ago, the Demon God Projection that Zhou Weiqing had revived had caused this ZhongTian Emperor to almost kneel down in obeisance. Luckily, at that time, no one had really noticed him. However, that feeling had left a deep impression in Shangguan Tianxin's psyche.

Amongst the three Shangguan brothers, both Shangguan Tianyang and Shangguan Tianyue placed all of their hearts and mind on cultivation. However, for Shangguan Tianxin, he had to run the entire Empire, and in terms of cultivation, he was much more slack in comparison. Of course, with the sheer amount of precious resources available and the power of the Heaven's Expanse Palace techniques, he had still managed to reach the Heavenly King Stage. However, in terms of both cultivation and fighting capabilities, this Emperor was definitely no match for his brothers. That day, after experiencing the power and aura of the Demon God for himself, different thoughts had sprang up in Shangguan Tianxin's heart. He finally understood why both his elder brothers did not wish to be bogged down by the power of the Emperor. The truth was, when their power had reached a certain point, titles like Emperor was just a joke.

Seated at the head of the VIP Stand, Shangguan Tianxin's eyes subconsciously found the Heavenly Bow Battle Team rest house. Inwardly, he sighed. He had received news from Shangguan Tianyang yesterday to request that the ZhongTian Empire fully support the Heavenly Bow Empire's growth, and to also help them restrict the Bai Da Empire. At that point, Shangguan Tianxin knew that his three nieces were likely to be 'taken advantage' of by that little brat Zhou Weiqing.

…

On the other side, the Dan Dun Battle Team silently appeared in their rest house in the back row.

The brothers TianFeng and TianMa were conscious now, but their faces were still pale and ashen, and they had to be supported by their team members to even enter the rest house. However, they still insisted on coming to watch. Shen Little Demon was able to walk on her own, but her face was almost just as pale as theirs, and it was clear that all three of them had not recovered. Her expression was extremely complicated indeed.

"Big Bro, the news has already been sent back." TianMa said softly to TianFeng.

TianFeng nodded and said: "This is of utmost importance, and it is imperative that the Hell Master learns of it. Today, let us just keep watch on things for now, let us see if anyone else has that energy besides Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er."

TianMa's brow furrowed as he asked: "Brother, what do you think that energy is? How could it possibly be so strong that even our Destruction Attribute isn't able to move it? Didn't Hell Master say that the Destruction Attribute is the strongest Attribute in the world? Above even the four Saint Attributes?"

TianFeng said: "I do not know either, brother. Alas, we are unable to test further. Unless, we can catch that Zhou Weiqing and imprison him, to do further tests on his Heavenly Energy… only then can we find out."

A cold smirk crossed TianMa's face as he said icily: "It looks like our failure this time may not fully be a bad thing. No matter what, we cannot let them go. We must catch them back no matter what before we can discuss anything further."

TianFeng nodded and said: "Have we communicated with the Elders?"

At the side, Shen Little Demon said: "Yes, communications have already been established. However, we can only wait for them to leave the city before we think about taking action. After all, this is still the Heaven's Expanse Palace territory."

"Heaven's Expanse Palace… hmph!" TianFeng gave a cold humph, as his mind couldn't help but think back to the Boundless Infinitium Formation, a cold look of disdain flashing in his eyes.

…

Perhaps to ensure the top eight fights proceeded smoothly, the judge for the fights today would once again be personally assumed by Shangguan Longyin.

In a manner of speaking, the Fei Li Empire had some decently good luck. Although they had lost a round in the preliminary matches, they were still able to ascend to the top eight as the second position of their group. However, their luck was used up by now, as in the top eight, they would be facing up against the WanShou Battle Team.

…

At last, the fights officially began. As usual, the ZhongTian Battle Team was the first to start. Perhaps due to the nature of the elimination formation, this time, Shangguan Fei'er was actually the first to start the fight.

What happened next was pretty much without any suspense. With her powerful close combat powers and seven-Jeweled cultivation level, within less than an hour, Shangguan Fei'er had defeated six opponents easily. One versus six, clinching the first victory of the day, and the ZhongTian Battle Team was the first to enter the top four.

The second round was the WanShou Battle Team against the Fei Li Battle Team. Once again, it was another easily predictable fight. The brother and sister duo of Ye Paopao took turns on the stage one after the other, and each of them managed a single victory before being knocked out, but the rest of the team fell just too easily. Still, they managed to save some face with those two victories.

"At last, it's our turn." Zhou Weiqing exercised his limbs as he looked towards his companions. "Ma Qun, you go first. Xixi, second. Crow, third. Yun Li, fourth. Today, I will be the fifth. Tian'er, you close up if necessary."

Besides Tian'er, the other four showed some surprise on their faces. In their minds, Zhou Weiqing would be fighting first, taking down as many as he could to bring victory for the team. They did not think that they would actually have the opportunity to fight today.

Zhou Weiqing could naturally see the puzzlement in their eyes, and he laughed heartily as he said: "This is a great opportunity to gain experience and train yourselves, do not waste it! The Passion Valley is different from the Blood Red Hell, as close allies to the Heaven's Expanse Palace, the BaoPo Battle Team members will not easily resort to killing methods. It will be a good fight and experience for you all, so you all just need to do your best and see how far you can go."

As the team leader, Zhou Weiqing would not care about showing off at all. Furthermore, in truth, Zhou Weiqing never really thought that highly of the BaoPo Battle Team in terms of this top eight fight.

After all, the greatest strength of the Passion Valley was the teamwork and unity of their husband wife couple teams. According to Zhou Weiqing's words, it was 'man and woman working together, no matter what they did it would not be tiring'.

In terms of one versus one, singular combat prowess, it was likely they were not even a match for the Dan Dun Battle Team members, let alone the brothers TianFeng and TianMa. Since this top eight elimination fight was all a one versus one style fight, Zhou Weiqing had absolute confidence that in the entire Passion Valley, no one could defeat him. As a result, he did not feel any sense of urgency at all, and felt it was a good opportunity to allow his companions to gain experience.

With a single bound, Ma Qun leapt up the stage, fully dressed in his Peerless Heavy Cavalry armour, the pair of massive spiked maces in his hands, striking an imposing figure indeed.

Perhaps because his form was so tall, grand and imposing, or perhaps because of his previous performances… as soon as he ascended the stage, the ZhongTian Plaza audience erupted in cheers.

Towards most of these audience, they were here to watch for the thrill and enjoyment, to have fun! Fighters like Ma Qun, with such direct styles, ferocity and pure strength… their fights were usually the most enjoyable to watch. At least, it would give the audience a sense of blood boiling, hearts afire, and free of inhibitions. As such, he had actually gained quite a few fans indeed.

On the Passion Valley side, the opponent who had ascended the stage was a six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master.

After both sides introduced themselves, the first fight officially began.

Ma Qun's appearance and his character was definitely a stark contrast. He knew very well that against a disciple from a Great Saint Lands, with his four Jeweled cultivation level, it would be extremely difficult for him to achieve victory. As such, he had decided to take it slow and steady, in a 'seek not to be meritorious but only to avoid blame' defensive fighting style.

Although he had a pair of massive spiked maces, the truth was that most of Ma Qun's abilities were defensive, and offense was his weakest point. As such, as soon as the fight started, he maintained a defensive position.

In terms of offense, he might not be the best, but in terms of defense, Ma Qun was definitely a good hand. After all, he had trained a lot under Lin TianAo and had even received some pointers from Long Shiya himself. With the two massive spiked maces, the heavy armour, and his four-Jeweled Assembly Set Shield and his various Earth Attribute defensive Skills, he was like an impregnable fortress!

Chapter 652: Top Eight Fight | BaoPo Battle Team! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Lin TianAo's teachings had also come into full play here, his steps and movement simple but effective, able to avoid direct clashes at critical moments, utilizing his defense to its ultimate max.

This fight lasted almost an entire hour before Ma Qun finally lost. However, his loss was because he had fully ran out of Heavenly Energy. Up until that point, his opponent had not broken through his defenses a single time.

Ma Qun's persistence and perseverance allowed Xixi to gain any easy victory when she came up. Originally, Xixi's overall combat prowess was already stronger than Ma Qun, though her expertise was the reverse of Ma Qun's, far more adept in offense than defense. Under her ferocious onslaught, the poor BaoPo Battle Team member who was already exhausted from his fight with Ma Qun fell, though he did manage to force her to expend a considerable amount of Heavenly Energy before her victory.

…

BaoPo Battle Team Rest House.

"Bro XiHua, let me fight." Butterfly Orchid said eagerly, clearly itching for a fight.

XiHua looked at her in surprise, saying: "Are you that eager to fight today?"

Butterfly Orchid gave a mysterious smile. Even though they had been married for so many years, XiHua was still bedazzled by the smile.

"If I go up now, we can perhaps force that Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er to fight with us both!"

XiHua laughed heartily and said: "You are still as competitive as ever. Do you really think we can defeat Zhou Weiqing though?"

Butterfly Orchid smiled and said: "If we do not try, how will we know? Alright, I shall go up to fight then."

The Heavenly Bow Battle Team had been suppressed and disadvantaged since the start of the fight, and as soon as Butterfly Orchid entered the stage, they were fully suppressed all the way. Previously, the defensive capabilities that Ma Qun had displayed was all of his power. Those who followed him, Xixi, Crow and Yun Li, were all very good fighters in their own rights. Alas, they were facing one of top talents in one of the Great Saint Lands, one of the top few in the younger generation of the Passion Valley, Butterfly Orchid.

It was an absolute suppression of Attributes and cultivation level, and the next few fights ended rather quickly. Butterfly Orchid's cultivation level was actually at the later stages of the seven-Jeweled.

As Yun Li lost in a helpless fashion, the score had suddenly become a shocking 4 to 1, with the BaoPo Battle Team leading by such a large margin.

At last, Zhou Weiqing stood up in their Rest House. In a flash, he appeared on the stage.

Seeing that he had finally come on stage, Butterfly Orchid smiled sweetly and said: "At last, you are here. Team Leader Zhou, I have a proposal. How about we simplify the entire fight for both of us. Myself and XiHua, against you and Tian'er. If you win, we will surrender all the rest of the fights."

Although Butterfly Orchid's voice did not seem loud, all of the teams in their rest houses could still hear them.

This might seem like an obvious advantageous proposal for the Heavenly Bow Battle Team, after all the BaoPo Battle Team was already leading with such a massive advantage. However, those who truly knew the profound secrets of the Passion Valley knew that such an 'advantage' wasn't truly that at all.

With a faint smile on his face, Zhou Weiqing said: "Lady Butterfly, that is a very interesting proposal, such fine calculation!"

Butterfly Orchid smiled winsomely, saying: "Your powers are so strong, letting us get some advantage, it isn't too much right? I just do not want to lose in such a unreconciled fashion."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Very well, if the rules allow it, I do not have a problem." As he said that, he turned to look questioningly at Shangguan Longyin.

Shangguan Longyin nodded and said: "As long as both sides agree, I will allow it as well. We can go through with that fight."

Zhou Weiqing and Butterfly Orchid both nodded, beckoning to their respective partners.

As soon as XiHua ascended the stage, he gave a bitter smile towards Zhou Weiqing, saying: "Team Leader Zhou, I am truly sorry. We just want to experience Team Leader Zhou's power for ourselves."

Zhou Weiqing laughed and said: "No problem at all. Coincidentally, I also wish to truly experience the power of the Passion Valley, and the manipulation of the Time Attribute."

Shangguan Longyin's voice rang out throughout the plaza with his Heavenly Energy voice transference. "After some discussion, the Heavenly Bow Battle Team and BaoPo Battle Team have come to an agreement to hold a last two versus two fight to determine the final victory of today's fight. Due to the fact that the BaoPo Battle Team is especially adept in two versus two fights, I deem this to be fair. Both sides, introduce yourselves."

"Heavenly Bow Battle Team, Zhou Weiqing, Tian'er."

"BaoPo Battle Team, XiHua, Butterfly Orchid."

Shangguan Longyin glanced at Zhou Weiqing and said passively: "If you all cause such a huge commotion like the last fight, your payment will not be so low any longer."

Zhou Weiqing's eyes twitched. Low? Because of the damage last time, it cost me ten million gold! Is that considered low? Even if they rebuilt the entire ZhongTian Plaza, it wouldn't cost that much right. Of course, he only dared think it in his heart, but would not say it out, only nodding towards Shangguan Longyin.

"Fight, begin."

As Shangguan Longyin shouted the proclamation, the four of them on both sides instantly circulated their Heavenly Energy. Powerful Heavenly Energy reverberations rose abruptly over all four of them.

XiHua's cultivation was about the same as Butterfly Orchid, though he seemed slightly stronger and more profound. Still, he was at the later stage of the seventh-Jewel, at least not giving Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er another insane eight-Jeweled opponent.

In a similar fashion to the fight against the brothers TianFeng and TianMa, as soon as both sides clashed, it was firstly a clash between their auras. Interestingly, for Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er's side, both of them instantly held hands, and exactly at the same time, XiHua and Butterfly Orchid also held hands. It was as if there was some sort of couples meeting going on.

Both XiHua and Butterfly Orchid had a constant faint smile, but the aura and Heavenly Energy reverberations emanating from them was not gentle at all.

Zhou Weiqing was surprised to discover that all external sound seemed to have been fully isolated and blocked, and both XiHua and Butterfly Orchid in front of him became rather illusory in look.

In terms of strength of their aura, XiHua and Butterfly Orchid added up together was perhaps lesser than the brothers TianFeng and TianMa. However, they had their own strange tricks.

The aura around their bodies seemed to hold a certain illusory feel, and did not directly clash with Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er's aura. Instead, it was soft and gentle like waves, ebbing and flowing one wave after the other, and their aura was slowly growing as well.

Instantly, Zhou Weiqing realised it was a profound mystery of Time Control.

Somehow, with the control of the time Attribute, the pressure of their aura was able to adjust constantly in tiny and fluid changes, and the 'past' aura could somehow overlap with the 'new present' aura, in the constant waves of overlapping, their pressure was increasing, slowly but surely, soon surpassing the maximum that their own cultivation level could have reached.

So… the Time Attribute can actually be used in such a manner! Zhou Weiqing felt he had witnessed a massive eye opener, nodding to himself inwardly. It looked like today, they would have no choice but to attack first.

Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er were connected in their hearts, and abruptly, the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set and God Vanquishing Heavenly Spirit Set released simultaneously. In that instant, their aura was boosted far above their opponents.

XiHua and Butterfly Orchid's expressions changed, and they were also forced to quickly release their Consolidated Equipment as well.

The Passion Valley was after all not the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and XiHua and Butterfly Orchid did not both have Legendary Sets. As the seven Consolidated Equipment appeared around XiHua's body, they were all accompanied by the now-familiar Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura. However, Butterfly Orchid's one was not so, as around her body appeared a set of white armour, also seven pieces in total including the weapon. Although it was not a Legendary Set, it was clearly a fully complete seven-piece set of Consolidated Equipment.

Never ever underestimate a completed set just because it isn't a Legendary Set… that was especially because Butterfly Orchid's Set was already complete, and could fully unleash the effect of the Set. Compared to an incomplete Legendary Set, though the former would have greater future potential, currently their boost and combat strength was not that much weaker.

After all, in the end she had come out from a Great Saint Lands, one of the top in the Passion Valley, and this Set of Consolidated Equipment could not possibly be weak.

Zhou Weiqing moved then, the wings behind his back spreading out as he entered the Dragon-Tiger Transformation state. In a flash, he moved out towards XiHua in a swift pounce. As his body flew forward, the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation appeared below his feet as a thick Lightning Heavenly Energy reverberation appeared instantly, forming several hundred lightning pearls flying towards XiHua in a concerted fashion.

As Zhou Weiqing launched this massive attack instantly, XiHua was given a shock. He was also able to launch instant Skills, but these were usually much smaller and weaker, definitely not to the extent that Zhou Weiqing had just shown, a few hundred lightning pearls blasting out at him so quickly. These Lightning Pearls did not seem to be that powerful, at least individually, but stacked together in such numbers and proximity, their power could not be dismissed.

Furthermore, right behind the massive patch of lightning pearls, there was still Zhou Weiqing and his swinging Dual Legendary Hammers.

With a low shout, XiHua continued maintaining a hand linked with Butterfly Orchid, and together they advanced forward.

Instantly, the air began to warp in a strange fashion, and as soon as any of the lightning pearls reached a range of three metres from their bodies, they began to fly off in various different random directions, just unable to hit them.

Zhou Weiqing's charging body stopped in his tracks, unable to get through the twisting light. The Legendary Hammers in his hands suddenly slammed into each other, causing a strange *Weeeng* sound, as the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation under his feet glowed brightly.

Instantly, the lightning pearls which had been sent flying away suddenly came back, all of them still intact. Just that level of control alone was enough to shock anyone else. In the next instant, along with that strange buzzing sound, all of the lightning pearls abruptly exploded in near XiHua and Butterfly Orchid.

After countless practice, especially as Zhou Weiqing grew more familiar with his Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation, his control over the 'Flying Lightning God Technique' was also growing finer. Do not underestimate the fine control over just a single attribute; with the boosts of the 'Hate Ground no Handle' LEgendary Set, the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation's control and consolidation, this Skill was more than sufficient to compare with most Heavenly King Stage powerhouses' skills. More importantly, it had so many myriad changes to go along with the speed of its usage.

The violent explosion was almost enough to cause one's ears to go deaf. The greatest feature of the Lightning Attribute was definitely its explosive power, but many people neglected the sound that came along with the explosions. An abrupt explosion like that could greatly affect one's hearing, and the six senses were all linked together. Once the hearing was affected so suddenly, the overall senses would also be affected.

Of course, the couple XiHua and Butterfly Orchid were extremely powerful. Even facing such a massive explosion of the lightning pearls, they instantly reacted with the best possible choice. They did not attempt to go too aggressive in hopes for a overreaching win, instead playing it safe and focusing on defense in that point.

In their eyes, though Zhou Weiqing's attack might seem ferocious, but since he had exploded out with so many lightning pearls, covering a relatively large surface area like that, though the power was not bad, it should still be no match for an extremely small area of effect powerful Skill. At the same time, such a Skill should also be a large toll on his Heavenly Energy. As a result, they were not in a rush at all. As the saying goes, there is a limit to one's energy, and the stronger his attacks, the faster he would decline.

Chapter 653: Divine Faith! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Both of them still remained hand in hand, the unique characteristics of the Time Attribute flourishing to the max as the strange Time energy reverberations caused warping in time all around their bodies, occasionally causing tiny rifts in time and space about them. The lightning explosion attacks were indeed terrifying, but they were just unable to breakthrough their defenses.

All of a sudden, XiHua seemed to realise something. "Not good!" He exclaimed. Before Butterfly Orchid could understand what was going on, his Heavenly Energy flared up explosively, the sword in his hands drawing a circle in midair as he pulled on Butterfly Orchid, and both of them entered the circle. In a flash, they suddenly appeared outside of the area of effect of the lightning pearls.

As soon as they left the area, Butterfly Orchid quickly realised why XiHua would suddenly exclaim out like that.

Zhou Weiqing had been going all out in his attacks, and they were doing well in their defense against him. However, that was a 2v2 fight, not a 1v2 fight! Besides him, there was still that equally dangerous Tian'er! With their status in the Passion Valley, how could they not know where Tian'er was from? XiHua had suddenly thought about how both him and Butterfly Orchid were so focused on the explosions of the lightning attribute attacks, and thus had not sensed any danger from Tian'er, who had not been seen for so long. As a result, that instinctive sense of unease had caused him to not stint on using such a Skill to swiftly leave the area.

Currently, Tian'er had her God Spirit Staff held high above her head, a thick gold light rising into the skies. Behind her back, the illusory image of a six-winged angel was flickering into existence.

A Heavenly Skill Image Skill!

Without even thinking further into it, XiHua already knew that it was just too late to unleash a Skill powerful enough to fight against Tian'er's Skill in a direct clash. They had already given Tian'er just too much time to slowly gather and unleash that Skill.

The twisting energy fluctuations flowed in the air, forming the illusory figure of a strange creature that Zhou Weiqing had never seen before. As soon as the illusory image appeared, it did not continue to gather into a Skill, instead flying directly towards the six-winged Angel above Tian'er's head.

However, just as the illusory image flew out, the illusory image of a large, fat insect appeared in the path, blocking right in front of it and forcefully intercepting it. At the same time, a purplish red glow lit up at the other side.

As XiHua and Butterfly Orchid glanced to the side, they saw Zhou Weiqing grinning at them evilly. Above his head, the Heavenly Skill Image of the Demonic Dragon Lady was swiftly gathering.

Towards the reactions of XiHua and Butterfly Orchid, Zhou Weiqing was inwardly very impressed. Originally, his goal had been to used a continuous onslaught of powerful lightning pearls, forcing them to maintain a defensive state to allow Tian'er to gather a powerful Skill. However, though XiHua had not realised it at first, as soon as he did so he had not hesitated to use a powerful Skill to escape his attack range. In truth, Zhou Weiqing was rather envious of the Skill he had just used, which he recognized swiftly though he did not have it himself. It was a Skill called Spatial Shuttle, very similar to the Blink Skill he had, but not only was the range far greater, it also had greater flexibility in movement, and more importantly, it could bring someone along as well. Of course, the expenditure of Heavenly Energy was correspondingly much higher compared to the Blink Skill as well.

However, Zhou Weiqing's combat experience was just too rich. As soon as he saw XiHua's reaction, he counterattacked in a similar fashion, swiftly using the Time Attribute Heavenly Skill Image Skill he had, the Time Reversal. Both sides were using the clash of Heavenly Skill Images to Neutralise the other's Skills, alas the mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind called Zhou Weiqing!

The crux of the situation was that Zhou Weiqing did not hesitate right after he had disrupted their Heavenly Skill Image Skill, instantly starting on the Dragon Silencing Seal right after.

At this point, one of the major advantages of Zhou Weiqing's Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation showed itself. The greatest difference between his Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation and Long Shiya's Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Formation was that he could 'store' a Skill in each of the six 'angled' corners of the star hexagon, and with the resonance of the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation, he was able to use his Heavenly Energy and activate them at a far faster rate than any other Heavenly Jewel Master.

To unleash any Heavenly Skill Image Skill was a great toll on any Heavenly Jewel Master, no matter if it was just for the purpose of the clash of Heavenly Skill Images. It was extremely difficult to use them in quick succession in such a chaining fashion, unless one's cultivation level had broken past the Heavenly King Stage, then it would become slightly easier.

In the first place, ordinarily speaking such Skills could only be used by Heavenly King Stage powerhouses and above. The four fighters right now could be said to be highly exceptional and talented, richly endowed by nature. With their mere cultivation stages of six or seven Jewels, they could all use such powerful Skills. However, it was only Zhou Weiqing who could continuously unleash Heavenly Skill Image Skills like that.

XiHua had just unleashed one, and it had been disrupted by Zhou Weiqing. In a short period of time, he would not be able to unleash a second one. Of course, Butterfly Orchid might be able to unleash one, but in the current state of things, she could only disrupt one! Under such a circumstance, no matter Zhou Weiqing or Tian'er, as long as they could unleash their Skill, it would definitely put them in an unassailable advantageous position.

It could be said that from the start of the fight, both XiHua and Butterfly Orchid had fallen into Zhou Weiqing's trap. Of course, this was also because they were not familiar with his Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation, allowing such a circumstance to occur.

XiHua and Butterfly Orchid instantly exchanged looks. Both of them were also linked empathically, and their greatest strength was fighting together. Even if they were in such a disadvantaged position, they managed to instantly react.

In a flash, XiHua appeared behind Butterfly Orchid, both his hands pressing on her back. Instantly, with their bodies as the central focal point, a twisted light shook violently outwards, and Butterfly Orchid's eyes shone brightly at once.

A brilliant, gorgeous coloured butterfly image rose swiftly above her head, but she did not use it in a clash of Heavenly Skill Images. The beautiful butterfly quickly turned clear, and a clear sound rang from Butterfly Orchid's mouth as the white Consolidated Armour she was wearing flashed with a layer of white, forming a column of white light fusing into the giant butterfly image.

The butterfly was originally a faint blue colour, but as soon as the light column infused into it, many spots of light began to appear on its wings.

Butterfly Goddess of Light. In the world of the Heavenly Beasts, it was the most powerful amongst all Butterfly type beasts, and it was at the same level as the Demonic Dragon Lady, belonging to those which were one step from entering the Heavenly God Stage.

Although its name had the words 'Light' within, in truth the Butterfly Goddess of Light was actually a Time Attribute Heavenly Beast. With a brilliant flash along its wings, a faint, twisting light fell upon Zhou Weiqing, who was still in the midst of unleashing the image of the Demonic Dragon Lady.

In that moment, Zhou Weiqing felt as if everything around him turned unreal. Inwardly, he muttered to himself. No good! It was the Cage of Time Skill, able to cause the time he experienced to slow down. That was to say, the Dragon Silencing Seal he was unleashing would also be much slower.

It was not that Zhou Weiqing did not want to use his own Heavenly Skill Image to directly disrupt Butterfly Orchid's Skills, but she had just unleashed the Skill too quickly.

Such a powerful Skill, yet she had somehow managed to unleash it in barely the time it took for two breaths. Without question, this was because of XiHua's support. The couple had somehow managed to join their Heavenly Energy together perfectly, to unleash a Skill as one, before actually using the power of the Time Attribute to greatly increase the speed of using the Skill.

This had to be one of the exclusive secret arts of the Passion Valley. As one of the Great Saint Lands, how could they be so easily taken down after all.

A single Cage of Time had caused the Dragon Silencing Seal of Zhou Weiqing's to become so much slower. However, at this point, for Tian'er's side, she had finally completed her Skill.

The six-winged angel above Tian'er's head flapped its wings, and a wave of gold light floated out like a water wave, rushing towards Butterfly Orchid and XiHua.

Butterfly Orchid took a deep breath, and the Butterfly Goddess of Light actually flew out just like that, throwing itself into the sea of gold light.

A strange sight occurred next. The Skill which could summon the Heavenly Skill Image of the six-winged Angel was undoubtedly strong. However, when the Butterfly Goddess of Light touched the gold light, all of the light went through a strange change, fluctuating violently in the air, but it was just unable to fly towards XiHua and Butterfly Orchid.

No matter what a Skill's effect was, no matter how powerful it was, if it was unable to reach the target, then it would not be able to use its power… it would be useless.

However, one could clearly see that although the couple Butterfly Orchid and XiHua were working together, it was a major struggle for them to face up against Tian'er's Skill. Both husband and wifes' faces were extremely bleak, and the Butterfly Goddess of Light in the air was slowly growing dim. However, the six-winged Angel above Tian'er's head was still brilliantly bright.

A faint purple light lit up in Tian'er's eyes, and the next sight that appeared was of immense shock to Butterfly Orchid and XiHua. The gold light that soared into the skies actually warped in a strange parabolic arc right back down to return to the six-winged Angel. In that next moment, it actually formed a sword of gold light in the angel's hands.

How was that possible?!

Shock flashed uncontrollably in XiHua and Butterfly Orchid's eyes. Being from the Great Saint Lands, they knew that currently the power that Tian'er was using was actual control of the Heavenly Skill Image, a power that only Heavenly King Stage powerhouses and above should be able to use. Furthermore, to be able to carry out control of such offensive nature, not only did it require a massive amount of Heavenly Energy, a sustained level of it, there was also a need for an extremely powerful Spiritual Force to maintain control. Otherwise, it could cause a severe backlash instead.

Tian'er had followed Zhou Weiqing for such a long period of time, and most of the time it was Zhou Weiqing fighting, and she had fallen into the role of supporting him, healing and boosting as required. As such, she had rarely shown her true powers.

Even for Zhou Weiqing, it was the first time that he had seen Tian'er in full power, and he had never expected that her combat abilities were at such an astonishing level. No wonder she had taken so long to actually gather this six-winged Angel!

The blade of light in the six-winged Angel's hands flashed across the skies, a powerful divine aura spreading out at once, so powerful that even the ordinary audience members in the crowd of the ZhongTian Plaza could sense it. However, not only did this divine aura not harm them, it actually gave them a feeling of being perked up, rousing their vigor and energy. Any of the audience members who felt the aura couldn't help but reveal a light of devotion in their eyes, with some with lower willpower actually kneeling down right there.

Chapter 654: Divine Faith! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

If one observed closely in detail, they would discover that layer after layer of faint and indistinct gold light was continually being given forth by the six-winged Angel, spreading over the entire plaza. As the citizens felt the divine aura and the benefits it brought them, a large amount of gold light began to rise up from them, across the entire ZhongTian Plaza, gathering towards the six-winged Angel above Tian'er's head.

On the VIP Stand, Shangguan Tianxin couldn't help but stand up in shock, exclaiming involuntarily: "This… this is… the power of Faith!"

Tian'er's beautiful face revealed a sweet smile. By now, the six-winged Angel above her head was even more solid, and as the countless spots of light surged into its body from all directions, an unbelievably strong gold light burst forth from its body, so much so that no one could look directly at it, as the divine aura around it grew stronger and stronger.

In comparison, the Butterfly Goddess of Light was growing dimmer and dimmer.

In a flash of the blade of light, the Butterfly Goddess of Light disappeared totally, destroyed fully as it dissipated into the air.

In truth, when the Butterfly Goddess of Light had charged towards Tian'er, it had already unleashed a powerful Skill on Zhou Weiqing, before being forced to block Tian'er's attack. It could be considered to have been relatively weakened already. Furthermore, the six-winged Angel that Tian'er had released was far more powerful than anyone could have imagined. At last, the six-winged Angel flew up into the air, and in a flash, it appeared right above XiHua and Butterfly Orchid.

Tian'er's voice rang out casually. "Surrender now."

Butterfly Orchid still wanted to continue trying, but she discovered that behind her, XiHua had already removed his palms from her back, stepping forward with a helpless look on his face. With a sigh, he said: "I never would have imagined that you have already grasped the power of Faith. In this entire plaza, no one below the Heavenly King Stage can possibly be a match for you… perhaps not even the heir to the Boundless Infinitium Set."

Tian'er stepped forward slowly, the six-winged Angel flew back to behind her, as if taking up a guarding position, silently standing there. At the other side, Zhou Weiqing had also broken free of the seal on him, although his Dragon Silencing Seal was no longer necessary now.

Did we win just like that? Zhou Weiqing's heart was filled with surprise, looking at the gold spots of light that were still continuously gathering towards Tian'er, filled with both curiosity and surprise.

Tian'er smiled at Zhou Weiqing, extended her hand towards him. In a single stride, Zhou Weiqing returned to her side, holding her hands. Instantly, an extremely thick and rich amount of Light Attribute Heavenly Energy began to rush into his body, startling him suddenly. He quickly formed the large Saint Energy whirlpool with Tian'er's help, and they began to transform the Light Attribute Heavenly Energy.

Tian'er's voice rang softly in Zhou Weiqing's ears: "The Divine Attribute's Faith is like the counterbalance to the Demonic Attribute's Devour, at the same level, considered the top powered Skill in their respective Attributes. I have only just comprehended and begun to grasp this ability in these few days of closed door cultivation with you. In fact, even Father has not comprehended this ability yet."

"Simply speaking, Faith is not really a Skill, but a sort of attached Attribute to the Divine Attribute, and it can even be considered one of the top final forms of the Divine Attribute. Its greatest use is actually when the Divine Attribute aura is released, improving it and causing feelings of respect and prayer in people, which will then imperceptibly invoke the Power of Faith, which will slowly infuse into any Divine Attribute Heavenly Jewel Master, strengthening their Skills and their Light aura. Once a Heavenly Jewel Master with such a Skill had sufficient followers, they could have a nigh-infinite source of Heavenly Energy. Unless one used a terrifying power far above their own to destroy them instantly, otherwise the Power of Faith would constantly sustain them, nearly forever.

Even for the Heavenly Snow Mountain, the Divine Attribute Faith had not appeared for more than a thousand years, and had almost been relegated to an object of legend. Who could have imagined that Tian'er would actually comprehend it so suddenly. With the six-winged Angel she had summoned, she decided to use the Divine Faith attached attribute for the first time, matching it with the Power of Faith, which was the reason why it had taken her so long to unleash the Skill.

In the ZhongTian Plaza, there were more than a million audience watching, with so many affected by the Divine Faith… one could imagine the sheer amount of Power of Faith provided.

Let alone XiHua and Butterfly Orchid, in the current situation, even if they added on TianFeng and TianMa to the opposing side, as long as they didn't use the Destruction Attribute to instantly kill Tian'er, they would eventually lose for sure.

Zhou Weiqing had never felt the Saint Energy whirlpool spin so quickly before. At the current moment, with the massive infusion of the Power of Faith, along with Tian'er and himself controlling the Saint Energy whirlpool with all their might, drop after drop of Saint Energy was constantly being churned out, and the drops of Saint Energy were automatically separated evenly, flowing into both their bodies.

After the major expenditure of Saint Energy from their previous fight, through this process they were recovering rapidly as the concentrated and thick Power of Faith covered both Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er with a layer of faint gold light.

…

The Divine Faith was only effective on those with relatively weaker wills, more accurately, those ordinary living beings that were not Jewel Masters or Heavenly Beasts. To unleash the Skill with so many ordinary people gathered together was normally an impossible occurrence. Perhaps, one could even call it a chance that could only occur once in a blue moon.

Of course, the Divine Faith power was a win-win situation; to be able to gain faith from the citizens, not only would there be any bad influence on the citizens, it would actually greatly improve their bodies and constitution, removing many impurities from them and was of great benefit to them overall.

This was the biggest difference between the Divine Attribute and the Demonic Attribute. The Demonic Attribute's strongest power was the Devour Skill that was absolutely a great benefit to oneself at a major cost to others. In contrast, the Divine Attribute was a great benefit to oneself, but also benefiting others as well, and was definitely much easily accepted.

…

As the affected citizens and audience sensed the benefits and comfortable sensations, the stronger the Power of Faith would grow. Very quickly, the Saint Energy transformed in Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er's body had grown to more than a hundred drops.

Shangguan Longyin looked towards the VIP Stand, where Shangguan Tianxin's brow was slightly furrowed. Although this Divine Faith was a good benefit to the citizens, it was also not a good sign for the ZhongTian Empire's governing. After all, if their citizens really had a strong faith towards someone from the Heavenly Snow Mountain, that was a very dangerous and unstable element deep within their borders.

Shangguan Tianxin gave an imperceptible nod towards Shangguan Longyin, who immediately understood. Clearing his throat, he said solemnly: "Heavenly Bow Battle Team has defeated the BaoPo Battle Team, advancing to the Top Four. This round is now over."

His voice was low, but deep and resonant, instantly knocking Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er out of that mysterious state. The two of them looked at each other, but were helpless in the matter. Nodding to Butterfly Orchid and XiHua, they jumped off the stage to return to their Rest House. At the same time, Tian'er quickly recalled the six-Winged Angel as well.

Of course, the recalling process was as slow as possible. The longer they could draw in as much Power of Faith as possible meant another possible drop of Saint Energy, and she did not wish to waste such a rare opportunity to gain it.

By the time she had no choice but to end the Skill, the little Saint Energy whirlpools within them had grown back substantially, with almost two hundred drops respectively as they spun happily.