For a moment, the celestials at the gate were silent. Though Fu Ling had defected to the demon clan, Tian Yu’s reasoning was hard to dispute.
Before Jin Yao could respond, Jing Lei spoke up, “There’s no need. Fu Ling, at the battle in the Raksha Grounds years ago, though we four fought together, it was I who struck the fatal blow to your mother. If you seek vengeance today, it should be against me alone.”
“Jing Lei!” Yan Huo frowned, about to interject, but Yu Feng stopped him with a shake of the head.
In that past battle, they fought for the celestial clan and had no regrets. Fu Ling, as Chao Hui’s daughter, had the right to seek vengeance. But if the four of them fought together, Fu Ling would have no chance of survival. As Jin Yao’s daughter, they could not simply take her life.
However, Fu Ling was now a Supreme Lord among the demons, and Cold Spring Palace was at the peak of its power. With three demigods, the demon clan already held an edge over the celestials. If Fu Ling issued a challenge to all four and they refused, it would be a disgrace for the Celestial Palace across the Three Realms.
Now, only by one of them defeating Fu Ling honorably could they both resolve the current impasse and preserve the reputation of the Celestial Palace.
“Celestial Lord, though this is a personal feud, it seems today’s confrontation cannot be avoided,” Jing Lei said to Jin Yao, bowing slightly. “I ask for your permission to fight.”
Jin Yao, understanding Jing Lei’s intentions, looked solemnly at Fu Ling and spoke slowly, “Fu Ling, if you truly seek vengeance for your mother today, I will not stop you. However, you must agree to one condition.”
“What condition?”
“If you cannot defeat Supreme Celestial Jing Lei within one incense stick’s time, then for the next hundred years, you are not to raise this matter again.”
“You!” Fu Ling was furious.
“Very well! I agree on her behalf!” Before Fu Ling could object, Tian Yu raised his voice, giving her a calm look. “This is Phoenix Island, after all.”
Fu Ling felt a chill run through her. She understood that today, Tian Yu had already been as tolerant as he could be of her recklessness.
“An incense stick’s time it is.” Fu Ling spoke no further, coldly looking at Jing Lei. “Jing Lei, give me back my mother’s life!”
With those words, Fu Ling transformed the demonic flower in her hand into a sword and charged toward Jing Lei.
Jing Lei showed no sign of panic. Before her flower sword could reach him, he moved, disappearing into the air above. Seeing her attack fail, Fu Ling’s demonic flower disintegrated into a blood mist that rained down from above, forcing Jing Lei to descend. With no other choice, he summoned his celestial sword to engage her in close combat.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged a hundred blows at the gate of Phoenix Island, with no clear victor in sight.
"When she left the Celestial Palace, she had only just reached the Supreme Lord stage. It’s surprising that in just a few years, she’s managed to reach the peak. Fu Ling is indeed better suited for cultivating demon power," remarked Yu Feng, observing the fierce exchange between the two with a hint of admiration.
“What do you mean? Are you saying Old Lei might lose?” Yan Huo’s expression shifted in alarm.
Yu Feng shook his head. “Even with exceptional talent, true mastery takes time. Jing Lei has been at the peak for a thousand years. Fu Ling won’t be able to defeat him, and the time of one incense stick is almost up. He’s about to make his move…”
As soon as Yu Feng finished speaking, Jing Lei suddenly leapt into the air, and his celestial sword transformed into a half-meter stone drum, which he struck with his hand as a hammer.
“The Drum of Heaven’s Might!”
A celestial disciple watching from the gate gasped in shock. As master of celestial thunder punishment, it was said that Jing Lei’s drum could rival divine lightning itself.
The stone drum sounded with a resounding boom, and a flash of lightning accompanied by thunder shot out from the drum, heading straight for Fu Ling. Her blood-dance flower sword was shattered instantly, and she spat blood, half-kneeling on the ground. If not for her Yun Huo Bow absorbing half the power of the thunder strike, she would have been utterly defeated.
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