Luo Jiaoyang never expected such a stroke of luck. No sooner had they arrived than they witnessed Sunspire City being eliminated by Newgrass City—and they could conveniently eliminate Newgrass City, which was now trapped in the Essence Power sea.
"Perfect timing—I'm starving. Those bastards kept targeting us. No amount of Essence Power would've been enough to keep up." Fan Yao cursed under his breath before greedily devouring the surrounding Essence Power.
This method couldn’t fully convert another’s Essence Power into their own—much of it would be wasted—but it was better than nothing. They were all exhausted beyond measure.
Ji Bozhai ignored them, stepping forward on his Flying Sword to pull Mingyi out of the eggshell-like barrier.
"How did you suddenly—"
"Win quickly!" She gripped his hand, her eyes blazing. "Win this match, then come with me!"
"..."
He had never seen such fervor in her gaze before—her eyes, fixed on him, held nothing but his reflection.
Ji Bozhai’s heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head away uncomfortably. "Understood."
Mingyi took the Divine Tools from their hands, swiftly repairing them while guiding their retreat.
"Her technique is too polished." The masters in the viewing seats once again turned their gazes toward She Tianlin.
She Tianlin chuckled. "Azure Cloud never lacks talent. That kid’s got a natural gift."
"Natural gift alone can’t explain this level of skill without proper guidance." Zuo Ping glared at him. "Master She, don’t tell me you’ve taken on another disciple in secret."
"What kind of man do you take me for?" She Tianlin’s expression darkened as he slammed the table and pointed to the sky. "I swore an oath—I would only ever take Ming Xian as my disciple in this lifetime!"
If only he had taken more. Just look at those repair techniques—identical to his own.
The other masters swallowed their words, stifling their frustration before turning back to the match.
What would take most Artifact Smiths hours of quiet concentration to repair, she adjusted in mere moments with a few twists of soft iron. A surge of Essence Power later, the Divine Tools gleamed as if brand new.
The Star Yearn City team, previously on the brink of collapse, now seemed revitalized, their fighting spirit renewed.
"This won’t do." The Moonchase City team watched from the shadows, murmuring among themselves. "Take out their Artifact Smith first. She’s already injured—easier to handle than the others."
Everyone agreed. So when the two teams crossed paths again, they prioritized attacking the Artifact Smith.
But—why was it that when others were targeted, Ji Bozhai merely blocked the attacks, yet the moment they aimed at the Artifact Smith, he turned into a wrathful deity? Not only did he shield her, but he retaliated with overwhelming Essence Power, as if intent on killing the attacker.
Fortunately, Moonchase City’s leader reacted swiftly, knocking his teammate unconscious to eliminate them before Ji Bozhai’s strike could land.
"Has he realized how crucial the Artifact Smith is?" Fan Yao muttered excitedly.
Chu He shook his head. "Or maybe it’s just because it’s Ming Guniang."
Ridiculous. What kind of place was this? Who would still be tangled up in romantic sentiments at a time like this? Fan Yao refused to believe it.
The next moment, Ji Bozhai hoisted Mingyi onto his back and said coldly, "I hate scars more than anything. If you keep pushing yourself like this, you’ll definitely end up with one."
Mingyi was too preoccupied with scanning their surroundings to respond, but he continued, "Fine. We’ll see if there’s any spirit medicine left when we get back."
Fan Yao: "..."They had just been injured, with countless wounds on their bodies, yet he hadn't mentioned searching for any spiritual herbs. Shameless!
However, with Mingyi's presence, not only could they use their Divine Tools, but their morale had also recovered significantly. Fighting their way forward, they surprisingly managed to stand under the moonlight within the Nether Domain.
Azure Snow City was rather indifferent to worldly conflicts. Even after reaching the vicinity of the moonlight, they didn't attack. Moonchase City still had a few survivors, but seeing Ji Bozhai's expression that clearly said, "My people are in a hurry to leave, and so am I. Anyone who stands in our way will die," they decided to conserve their strength and watched as the group exited the Nether Domain.
The originally one-sided situation had been reversed just like that. Mingyi didn't idle under the moonlight either. Taking advantage of the two cities' hesitation, she filled the area around the moonlight with trap Divine Tools, layer upon layer, from the ground to the sky.
Silver soft iron gleamed coldly under the moonlight, with faint glimpses of green poison needles hidden within.
At the main table, Bo Yuankui couldn't hold back any longer and turned to She Tianlin, saying, "These are all your proud creations from back in the day."
She Tianlin stroked his black-and-white hair and laughed, "Ah, really? Haha."
Haha, my foot! What's the deal with secretly training Artifact Smiths for Star Yearn City? Back then, you clearly swore loyalty only to Sunspire City and refused to accept students from other cities!
The elders were furious, but since the man refused to admit anything, there was nothing they could do but wait for the time to come when Star Yearn City would claim victory and leave the Nether Domain.
"Star Yearn City is truly formidable this year," Zuo Ping sneered. "If their Artifact Smiths aren't late next time, the rest of us might not even stand a chance."
"Indeed, with Ji Bozhai around... Huh? Where is Lord Ji?"
Just as the post-competition sarcasm was heating up, everyone looked up to find that the Star Yearn City group had already vanished without a trace, leaving only Qin Shangwu smiling at them. "They mentioned earlier that they really needed to use the restroom. Holding it in this long must have been tough. Please wait a moment, everyone, and enjoy watching the remaining teams. Haha."
Haha, what? All that's left is Moonchase City and the indifferent Azure Snow City—what's there to watch?
The elders fumed, but with She Tianlin on one side and Qin Shangwu on the other, both grinning foolishly and feigning ignorance, they got nowhere.
Ji Bozhai carried Mingyi on his back as they rushed back on a Flying Sword, asking along the way, "Who is that person to you?"
"I don't know, but they might be very important." Knowing they had already wasted too much time, Mingyi's eyes darkened, her lips pressed tightly together, and her fingers clenched his collar tightly.
Sensing her distress, Ji Bozhai lowered his gaze. "Don't worry. As long as they're not completely dead, there's always a way to save them."
Even if it meant using Essence Power to forcibly reconstruct their Meridians and heart, they could hold on until Yan Xiao arrived.
However, when they returned to the courtyard, there was nothing left—not even footprints.
Mingyi searched inside and out, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "There's no blood."
Ji Bozhai remarked, "Sunspire City's people are meticulous. Maybe they took him somewhere else to kill him."
Mingyi: "..."
Chu He elbowed Ji Bozhai's arm and gritted his teeth. "You're usually so good at sweet-talking women. What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"Ji Bozhai pushed him away impatiently and helped Mingyi sit down in a chair. Fetching some medicine, he said to her, "If he's important to you, then as long as you're alive, his life has value to be spared. Can't you even understand that?"
People like them only lived because they had value, and there were others who found value in living because of them.
Mingyi gave a bitter smile and suddenly grasped his hand.
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