Chapter 59: A Desperate Struggle

Xiao Ning dropped another shocking bombshell: she had actually reached the peak of the Spirit Communication Realm and was on the verge of breaking through into the Transcendent Realm. Even ancient, deeply rooted noble families rarely possessed a Transcendent Realm powerhouse presiding over them, usually having to hide such figures away in ancestral grounds to slumber.

Good heavens!

This was no banquet prepared for Li Xuan at all; it was a brazen, cutthroat Hongmen Feast aimed at harvesting figures from all walks of life.

Yet, no one showed any intention of leaving. Instead, they wanted to see how the brilliantly talented and widely romantic Sea King, Li Xuan, would break this deadlocked game.

Xiao Ning's source energy surged forth. Her delicate, petite body was wreathed in flashes of lightning as she strode up to Li Xuan, raised a lotus-like foot, and stamped it straight onto his cheek, saying with a sinister and terrifying chill, "Well, have you thought it through? Are you going to break through your realm, or shall I undergo the Transcendent Realm heavenly tribulation?"

Who did not know that the God-Slashing Realm tribulation was child's play compared to the Transcendent Realm tribulation, not worth mentioning at all? By backing Li Xuan into such a corner, Xiao Ning clearly intended to ruin the Holy Path Academy on purpose.

Whether it was the God-Slashing Realm tribulation or the Transcendent Realm tribulation, either would cause a massive depletion of the Holy Path Academy's foundational source energy.

Enduring excruciating pain and humiliation, Li Xuan roared, "Pervert!"

"A pervert?!"

Xiao Ning let out a cold snort, her jade-white palm reaching up toward the boundless night sky to yank Jiang Qingyue right out from the void. She sneered, "Shall I strip her bare instead, letting all those bastards who originally came here for your good looks appreciate the charm of an peerless beauty?"

Consumed by burning fury, Li Xuan struggled with all his might. Yet, the gap in their cultivation realms was simply too vast. In the end, he pleaded tearfully, "Don't! I'm begging you!"

Unmoved, Xiao Ning hooked her slender, scallion-like fingers into the dark robes covering Jiang Qingyue and said, "I'll count to three. If you're still hesitating, the consequences will be severe!"

"One—"

"Two..."

Xiao Ning drew her voice out long and slow. The atmosphere grew heavy and tense; source energy churned and rippled, and a faint sound of tearing silk echoed through the air.

"Three..."

Just as Xiao Ning was about to strip the garments from Jiang Qingyue, Li Xuan let out a furious roar, broke free from his bindings, and bellowed, "To hell with your perversion!"

Throwing caution to the wind, Li Xuan lunged wildly at Xiao Ning, using both hands and feet, and sank his teeth straight into her arm.

Source energy surged within Xiao Ning, the shockwave filling Li Xuan's mouth with blood, but he refused to let go.

With a swift kick, Xiao Ning sent Li Xuan flying, two sharp gleams flashing in her pupils as she shouted, "Courting death!"

Taking advantage of his momentum as he tumbled backward, Li Xuan snatched Jiang Qingyue out of harm's way.

Covered in blood, Li Xuan cradled Jiang Qingyue and walked over to Tang Ruoxian, saying, "Tang Ruoxian, help me take good care of her!"

Tang Ruoxian gave a slight nod, a trace of unusual emotion flashing through her icy, star-like eyes.

At this moment, Li Xuan's eyes were blood-red, resembling a berserk primordial beast. He enunciated every single word, roaring, "Xiao Ning, I'm going to make you feel wonderful right now!"

His gaze shifted once more, suffused with an unfamiliar and terrifying aura. Accompanied by his fierce shout, source energy erupted into the heavens.

In an instant, dark clouds rolled across the sky, and a bolt of lightning tore through the pitch-black night, startling the onlookers into hastily retreating.

"Li Xuan, if you undergo your tribulation now, have you ever considered the consequences? The Holy Path Academy's foundation of thousands of years will be destroyed at your hands!"

Mo Qianqiu's face was grave, his source energy bursting forth. He could not allow the academy's foundation to be ruined in his generation; the moment Li Xuan dared to take the next step, he would undoubtedly strike to put an end to him.

With a soft whistle, Mo Qianqiu's surging source energy shot straight into the firmament. The mysterious gate of his aperture swung wide open, projecting the phantom image of a Flood Dragon. An ancient aura permeated the air, releasing an immense wave of pressure.

"Headmaster, please calm your anger—"

Elder Xi Yue of the Administration Office said anxiously, "Let's wait and see! This院 believes that Li Xuan is not someone so reckless!"

However, Elder Wang Chengxuan of the Discipline Office let out a cold snort and retorted, "Relying on the protection of Elder Xingxiu, Li Xuan has always been utterly lawless. There is nothing he wouldn't dare to do..."

Wang Chengxuan's words caused Headmaster Mo Qianqiu's brows to lock tightly together. His piercing gaze fixed unblinkingly on Li Xuan, while the archaic Flood Dragon roared overhead. The moment Li Xuan continued to release his source energy to summon the heavenly tribulation, the Headmaster would show no mercy in dealing a fatal blow.

Lightning surged and thunder rumbled, crash after crash of deafening roars echoing as massive energy fluctuations blanketed the skies.

...

"Li Xuan, you truly didn't disappoint me. Only once this young lady feels satisfied will the people around you be safe!"

Xiao Ning stood with her hands clasped behind her back, feeling the surrounding energy fluctuations as a cold curve formed at the corner of her lips.

Thunderclouds rolled and compressed continuously, condensing the energy at a terrifying speed. Muffled thunders rumbled, and bolts of lightning resembling giant pythons tore through the dark night.

With grave expressions, the onlookers had long since fled far into the distance, keeping a close eye on the movements beneath the thunderclouds.

Li Xuan's source energy climbed step by step, and the heavenly tribulation was poised on the verge of erupting.

"Li Xuan, this young lady wants you to know the price of offending me. After today's tribulation, the foundation of the Holy Path Academy will be completely ruined, and you will go down in history as the sinner of the academy!"

Xiao Ning's apricot eyes flushed with excitement. Seeing her goal about to be achieved, her heart filled with joy.

Suddenly, a streak of golden light shot toward Li Xuan like a shooting star. An ancient aura suffused the area, instantly kicking up a massive torrent that came crashing down.

A lethal aura arrived in an instant, completely enveloping Li Xuan as the cleansing torrent of the cosmos bore down upon him.

Abruptly, a figure darted forward, a hand reaching out to grab the golden light. The phantom Flood Dragon twisted a few times before being completely obliterated.

An immortal-looking young man appeared before Mo Qianqiu and chided, "Kids are just fighting, why are you sticking your nose into it?"

Mo Qianqiu froze for a moment before breaking into a smile. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Elder Xingxiu!"

Elder Xingxiu chuckled heartily, pulling Mo Qianqiu up by the arm as he remarked, "My choice of apprentice was spot on—he knows what he's doing, and on top of that, he's just as handsome as me..."

Elder Xingxiu's complexion was rosy, his appearance indistinguishable from that of a young man, looking even fresher and more youthful than Li Xuan.

Mo Qianqiu glanced toward the mass of thunderclouds, unable to suppress his inner anxiety, yet still offering a flattering smile: "Naturally, an exceptional master produces a brilliant disciple!"

Suddenly, Elder Xingxiu's gaze shifted to Wang Chengxuan. Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, the elder cursed, "If you hadn't been fanning the flames just now, little Qiu-zi wouldn't have tried to deal a death blow to my Xuan-er. What do you think we should do about this?"

Wang Chengxuan shivered and offered his congratulations, saying, "Congratulations to Elder Xingxiu on living out your second lifetime..."

Yet, Elder Xingxiu merely dry-laughed and said, "In that case, go take fifty strokes of the disciplinary paddle yourself!"

Not daring to offer the slightest bit of rebuttal, Wang Chengxuan instead agreed readily.

Meanwhile, the thunderclouds grew increasingly dense, and the terrifying energy fluctuations filled everyone present with dread.

With no confidence left in his heart, Mo Qianqiu looked toward Elder Xingxiu and stammered, "This... that..."

Elder Xingxiu himself was somewhat bewildered. Once the heavenly tribulation was fully triggered, the foundation of the Holy Path Academy would undoubtedly be finished, and he would have no face to meet the founding headmaster. He muttered inwardly, "This brat is playing this far too dangerously!"

Putting up a front to protect his disciple, Elder Xingxiu declared, "It's fine! If he dares to undergo his tribulation right here in the Holy Path Academy, this old man will just give his backside a sound thrashing!"

Suddenly, the thunderclouds fractured, lightning burst forth, and the energy of heaven and earth spread outward like ripples on water.

The God-Slashing Realm tribulation that everyone had been anticipating failed to arrive on schedule. Instead, the source-inscriptions hidden within the dark night were suddenly illuminated.

Xiao Ning's apricot eyes narrowed as she gasped, "A source-inscription array?!"

Li Xuan let out a cold whistle, unleashing his source energy to the absolute limit. A halo of light materialized across the firmament, slowly blooming like a lotus flower.

However, bearing such terrifying might was immensely difficult for Li Xuan; his entire body became covered in spiderweb-like cracks. If not for the "Qingnang Codex" constantly repairing his physical form, his soul would likely have been shattered and destroyed long ago.

As the lotus bloomed, wisps of sacred might drifted downward, carrying a crushing weight comparable to Mount Tai.

Trying to harness the power of the lotus proved to be an arduous, nearly impossible task for Li Xuan.

Standing within the range enveloped by the sacred might, Xiao Ning felt an immense pressure as well, though she found it vastly easier to bear than Li Xuan did.

With a cold laugh, Xiao Ning deployed a technique from antiquity: "Phoenix Nirvana—The Secret Rebirth Realm is a Rarity Through the Ages."

Caw!

A phoenix cried out, and the power of rebirth surged outward, igniting a heaven-consuming fire straight across the sky.

Roar!

Li Xuan let out an enraged roar, summoning the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron. Leveraging the majestic might of the phoenix nirvana, he ignited the cauldron to temper his own physique while driving his source energy to climb once more.

Xiao Ning's lovely pupils contracted as she exclaimed, "The Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron! Returning the favor in kind!"

The surrounding spectators similarly recognized Li Xuan's intentions, all of them shaken to their cores and marveling at the young man's extraordinary wits.

Filled with anticipation, the crowd knew a brilliant clash was about to unfold.

Suddenly, the moment Li Xuan opened his eyes, the lotus bloomed anew, sacred might circulated, and ancient scriptures were chanted aloud.

Li Xuan shouted at the top of his lungs: "Second Form of the Sacred Intent Ashen Sword Art—Eternal Eras Defying the Mortal World!"

Sword Qi howled, source-inscriptions flashed, and the ambient source energy of the universe was frantically devoured, illuminating the sun and wrapping everything in a sacred glow.

An ancient and vicissitudinous aura pervaded the air, as if crossing through space and time to gather the strength of all living beings, aiming to slash the firmament apart.

The sword body expanded infinitely, blocking out the sun and swallowing mysterious light within the span of a few breaths.

Whoosh!

The massive sword slashed downward with earth-shattering force. The night sky was torn apart like a piece of cloth, and the torrential sword Qi swept toward Xiao Ning like a raging flood.

Xiao Ning's pupils constricted. The peak Entering Profound Realm source energy erupted from her like a volcano, a phoenix spread its wings, and its piercing cry echoed across the firmament. The blazing flames caused the night sky to collapse and distort.

The firelight gradually transformed into profound energy, golden and resplendent, while ancient scriptures danced and spun around the phoenix, radiating a tide of heaven and earth energy.

Xiao Ning's icy voice rang out: "Phoenix Nirvana—Fighting the Nine Heavens Nirvana Art Alone!"

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

In a fraction of a second, two torrential streams tore through the night sky, colliding with a cataclysmic impact. They burst forth with dazzling auroras while simultaneously dissolving one another.

The phoenix roared, and sword Qi filled the heavens.

The profound energy was massive and vast, while the sacred might was formidable yet thin. The two forces mutually devoured and consumed each other, sending shockwaves rippling outward with a continuous chain of sonic booms.

At that moment, a pair of eyes resembling the Othershore Flower materialized in the void. With a gentle blink, they swallowed up all the rampaging energy fluctuations clean.

Shocked, Xiao Ning immediately retreated, staring at Li Xuan with astonishment.

Instead, Li Xuan roared, "Get lost!"

Yet, that pair of eyes remained indifferent, vanishing only after completely devouring the turbulent energy fluctuations.

Xiao Ning was not overly surprised by this, having already witnessed that pair of eyes during her trip to Fog Shadow Mountain. She advised, "Li Xuan, source-inscription arrays will summon ominous portents. I suggest you—"

However, bearing an arrogant expression, Li Xuan glared at Xiao Ning like a wild beast and declared, "As long as I can defeat you, it doesn't matter what I become!"

A trace of unusual emotion flickered across Xiao Ning's apricot eyes, only to vanish without a trace the next instant.

Unable to catch his breath, Li Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious.

Figures from all walks of life immediately rushed forward, only to be blocked by Mo Qianqiu, Elder Xingxiu, and members of the Tang family.

"Honored friends, Li Xuan is, after all, a student of our Holy Path Academy. Whatever you have to say, please wait until he wakes up!"

Headmaster Mo Qianqiu stood tall, a massive wave of source energy washing outward like a tide as he cast a cold, indifferent gaze upon the various factions.

Simultaneously, Elder Xingxiu, Tang Mingchen, and the others unleashed their overwhelming source energy. In particular, Elder Xingxiu—having lived out his second lifetime—unleashed the full might of the Spirit Communication Realm, temporarily holding the miscellaneous factions at bay and allowing Li Xuan to be safely carried into Tang Ruoxian's secluded courtyard to rest.