After noon, the second round of competition began. The two-person collaborative battle was less a test of Yuan Power and more a test of trust and cooperation. Chu He and Fan Yao had been partners since the selection meeting in Muxing City. They understood each other well and harbored no ulterior motives, so their journey across the rocky terrain and streams had been relatively smooth.
Ming Yi was observing their Yuan Power habits when someone suddenly approached her and whispered, “Consort Yan wishes to see you.”
Instinctively tensing, Ming Yi frowned and leaned toward Ji Bozai. He immediately sensed something was amiss and raised his head, coldly eyeing the newcomer.
It was one of Consort Yan’s attendants, smiling warmly. “Don’t worry, miss. The Consort can’t do anything in such a public setting. She just wants to talk to you.”
“She’s not going,” Ji Bozai answered for Ming Yi, his arm around her waist.
The attendant smiled wryly. “Please, just a short visit. Otherwise, this servant will suffer.”
Still trying this tactic? Ji Bozai’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Fine, then I’ll go with her.”
As the center of attention, even if he wasn’t competing, many eyes were on him. If he went to Consort Yan’s side so openly, she wouldn’t be able to speak freely.
The attendant sighed deeply, bowed to them both, and left dejectedly.
Ming Yi was puzzled. “Why does she want to see me now?”
“Since she can’t use force, she’s trying a gentler approach,” Ji Bozai said dismissively.
“But given her rank as a consort, she shouldn’t be able to attend the Six-City Tournament,” she frowned. “Only the Chief Judge could bring her here.”
Why would the Chief Judge bring her and allow her to speak with Ming Yi?
“The Six-City Tournament is about winning and losing, not about personal favors. You know this better than I do,” Ji Bozai said. “I don’t care what they’re planning, but I intend to win every competition these next few days.”
He thought this way, and surely the other cities did too. If the initial competitions weren’t clean, the later ones certainly wouldn’t be. There were no limits to what others might do, only to what they could imagine.
Ming Yi refocused her attention on the mirror.
As she watched, she realized Fan Yao and Chu He were also being targeted. The team from Xincao City, who had been ahead of them, suddenly changed direction to block their path up the mountain.
Fan Yao and Chu He panicked slightly, instinctively trying to avoid them, only to find themselves surrounded by people from Chaoyang City.
“This doesn’t look good,” Qin Shangwu frowned.
Ji Bozai had been too impressive in the previous round, and now these people were blatantly targeting Muxing City. Who could withstand being surrounded by so many?
Fan Yao and Chu He began to dodge awkwardly. At one point, they were separated by a burst of Yuan Power, only to regroup at another location.
Others on the field began to notice the unfairness. “Is it allowed for multiple cities to target one city like this in the Six-City Tournament?”
“Of course not, but since the other cities haven’t encountered each other, there’s no evidence of targeting.”
If the other two cities met without engaging, it would be suspicious, and the Chief Judge from Yuyue City would intervene. But as it stood, it only appeared that Muxing City was being surrounded, with the other cities too far apart to confirm any collusion.
Ming Yi turned to Qin Shangwu. “Are you ready?”
To save lives, the team leader could forfeit on behalf of their team members.
Qin Shangwu nodded. As Fan Yao was about to give in, he stood up to speak to the Yuyue cultivators controlling the Void Domain: “Muxing forfeits.”
Typically, upon hearing this, the cultivators would lower the elimination Void Domain and extract the participants. However, as soon as he spoke, the Yuyue cultivators controlling the Void Domain appeared strained. Someone nearby wiped the sweat from his brow and said, “Apologies, Team Leader. Please wait a moment. There’s been an issue with the Void Domain due to excessive impacts. Our cultivators need to stabilize it first.”
Qin Shangwu inhaled sharply. “What issue? People are about to die in there, and you’re talking about problems now?”
“Please, remain calm,” several people urged, seating him.
Qin Shangwu looked up to see cultivators from three cities successfully surrounding Chu He. Six streams of purple Yuan Power shot towards him – even Ji Bozai couldn’t have dodged that, let alone Chu He.
His chest and abdomen were pierced simultaneously. Chu He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
Qin Shangwu stood up angrily. “Even after this, where’s the elimination Void Domain?”
A small bubble slowly formed on the massive Void Domain, as if struggling to create the elimination zone. But it was too slow – in the time it took, a second wave of attacks had already begun.
Chu He closed his eyes. Fan Yao suddenly rushed out from the side, roaring as he used a shield to protect him. However, he was no match for so many opponents. His shield shattered, and he was thrown back, landing by a small stream.
Ming Yi stood up, her face cold. Ji Bozai strode towards the platform where Yuyue City’s Chief Judge sat. “What is the meaning of this?”
The people from Yuyue City appeared busy and flustered. Only a small attendant came to bow to him. “The cultivator guarding the northern Void Domain has fallen ill. We’re urgently seeking a replacement.”
“Who will be held responsible if someone dies?” he asked, his face dark.
“We… we deeply apologize.”
“Where is your Chief Judge?”
“I don’t know. I’m just a servant.”
Ji Bozai laughed coldly, looking at the high beacon tower flying the flags of the six cities. “If this is how you want to play, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Fan Yao and Chu He still hadn’t been extracted by the elimination Void Domain. They sensed something was wrong. Fan Yao was desperately protecting Chu He, both of them bloodied and motionless on the ground. The other cities showed no signs of stopping.
The scene was so brutal that many young women in the audience began to cry. Ming Yi quickly located the northern Void Domain’s guardian position. She saw a cultivator clutching his chest, appearing genuinely ill. She approached with a smile. “May I substitute for you?”
The older cultivator glanced at her and snorted. “Do you know how much Yuan Power it takes to maintain such a large Void Domain?”
“I do. It requires the combined power of a hundred top-tier cultivators to create this sky.”
“And you still dare to speak so boldly?”
Glancing at the situation inside, Ming Yi smiled without further argument. She took action directly.
The cultivator who had seemed on the verge of collapse moments ago now fought back as if nothing was wrong.
“How dirty,” Ming Yi remarked. She caught his attack and countered with a stream of purple Yuan Power, binding the cultivator tightly. She then channeled her own Yuan Power into the Void Domain.
But as soon as she filled the gap, another cultivator in a different position suddenly “fell ill” and stopped providing Yuan Power.
Since the Void Domain was formed by the power of a hundred people, it required all hundred to lower the elimination zone. Not one could be missing.