I don't want my great-granddaughter to live as a widow.

Thump—Thump—Thump—!

Three heaven-shattering beats of the war drum echoed throughout the arena, instantly suppressing the clamor of the hundred thousand spectators.

Next, please welcome the final two chosen geniuses of this grand tournament to the stage!

Wei Zhongxian's shrill voice cracked with a somewhat mournful pitch due to his excessive excitement. On one side, we have the Saintess of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, who has crushed all opposition and met no equal—Shen Xue! On the other side, the unfathomable Saintess of the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect, who shocked the world with just three moves yesterday—Yun Meng!

Accompanied by deafening cheers, the array gates on both sides of the arena slowly opened.

On the left side, a freezing storm capable of chilling the very soul swept out. Shen Xue, clad in an ice-blue dress, stepped onto the arena step by step upon stairs formed of condensed ice crystals, looking like a haughty queen emerging from the nine nether glaciers. In the air around her, frost constantly condensed and shattered, as if even time itself had become sluggish under this freezing aura.

On the right side, Yun Meng maintained her ethereal and mysterious appearance, shrouded in clouds and mist. However, after yesterday's brutal battle, no one dared to treat her as a delicate flower untouched by the mortal world anymore. Lotus flowers bloomed with her every step, starlight twinkling beneath her feet, and her body faintly emitted a heart-palpitating sense of spatial distortion.

The two peerless geniuses confronted each other from afar. Before they even made a move, their auras clashed violently in the center of the arena. Half of the stage was a freezing hell of ice, and the other half was a distorted space of stars. The ear-piercing sound of tearing air forced the front-row audience to cover their ears and retreat.

You are strong, stronger than I anticipated. Shen Xue stared at Yun Meng with her emotionless ice-blue eyes, her voice so cold it seemed to drop ice shards. But you made a grave mistake by exposing the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox inside your body yesterday. The fusion of demonic power and the laws of stellar space is indeed hard to defend against, but because of that beast's existence, your spiritual sea of consciousness is definitely not as perfect as you make it out to be.

As a peerless genius cultivating both extreme ice and spiritual power, Shen Xue's very first words targeted Yun Meng's weakness.

This was not just tactical analysis; it was psychological warfare aimed straight at her Dao heart!

However, facing Shen Xue's exposure, Yun Meng was not angered in the slightest. Instead, she let out an ethereal chuckle.

Calling it a beast with every breath. Is this how the Saintess of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace maintains her lofty facade? Yun Meng slightly raised her chin, a purple-gold light flashing in her eyes. Your so-called extreme cold true qi is nothing but a chilly breeze that cannot even touch the corner of my clothes in the face of my folded space. You want to freeze my sea of consciousness? You can come and try. Let us see if your ice spikes pierce my soul first, or if my falling stars smash your ice sculpture first.

Sharp-tongued. Since you are so eager to seek death, I will grant your wish!

Shen Xue snorted coldly. With no intention of testing the waters, she immediately unleashed her peak combat power!

Frozen Ten Thousand Miles!!

Shen Xue slammed her hands together. In an instant, a visible white cold wave erupted frantically outward in a ring from her center! This was absolutely no ordinary ice and snow; it was a terrifying killing move containing both spiritual freezing and physical pulverization!

Under this cold wave, the black iron arena instantly let out ear-piercing cracking sounds, and even the defensive arrays at the edge of the arena began to flash with an unstable red light.

Facing this ultimate strike that was enough to instantly turn an expert of the same realm into an ice sculpture, the purple-gold light in Yun Meng's eyes flared!

You sealed my evasion space? Foolish.

Yun Meng's hands rapidly formed seals in front of her chest. Behind her, the dharma avatar of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox suddenly emerged, its nine massive, heaven-reaching tails dancing wildly in the void.

Stellar Secret Art, Reversal!

A shocking scene occurred!

At the exact moment the freezing storm was about to swallow Yun Meng, the space within a ten-meter radius in front of her was directly peeled away from the original world, like a puzzle piece being forcefully gouged out!

The violent cold wave rushed into that peeled-off space. Not only did it fail to freeze Yun Meng, but it was also forcibly distorted and compressed by the laws of space. Finally, following a bizarre spatial channel, it poured down directly from above Shen Xue's head!

Returning the favor with her own move!

A paltry trick.

Shen Xue did not even look up; she merely snapped her fingers lightly.

Ice of Illusion Breaking!

Crack!

The cold wave descending from the sky did not harm Shen Xue in the slightest. Instead, it transformed into countless invisible spiritual ice needles, directly traveling in reverse along that spatial channel and piercing into Yun Meng's peeled-off space!

You fold space? I will directly freeze your spatial nodes! You reflect physical attacks? I will pierce your illusions with spiritual attacks!

Ugh!

Yun Meng let out an extremely faint muffled groan, and the spatial peeling array violently shook. Clearly, Shen Xue's highly targeted spiritual counterattack had accurately hit the weak point in her body where the violent demonic power and human true qi combined.

Caught you!

Murderous intent flashed wildly in Shen Xue's eyes. Her figure instantly turned into sky-filling ice and snow, dissipating from her original spot. In the next second, she appeared beside Yun Meng like a phantom. A freezing ice sword radiating a faint blue light had formed in her hand at some unknown time, and she slashed it mercilessly toward Yun Meng's neck!

You think you have won?!

Yun Meng whipped her head around, her originally aloof face looking extremely demonic at this moment. She did not dodge the sword at all, instead allowing the ice sword to pierce into her shoulder.

The moment the blade entered her body, Yun Meng's hand, as fair and pristine as mutton-fat jade, death-gripped Shen Xue's sword-wielding wrist.

Stellar Meteor Ultimate Killing Array! Detonate!

Boom!

Centered on their clash, an extremely complex purple-gold stellar grand array instantly rose up, enveloping both of them at the same time. The violent destructive power of the stars frantically compressed within the array. This was a suicidal, mutually assured destruction tactic!

These two crazy women! To think they would go all-in right from the start!

Even the dozen or so old monsters hiding in the dark to watch the show could not help but gasp in shock.

At this time, however, Wang Hao had not placed all his attention on this world-shocking duel.

He sat on the dragon throne, holding a teacup in his hand, seemingly enjoying the battle. However, his system-enhanced perception, along with the artifact spirit of the New Son of Heaven's Sword hidden in his sleeve, were frantically warning him!

Main body... just a moment ago, during the instant when those two clashed with their ultimate moves and the array energy in the entire arena was at its most chaotic, the spatial nodes outside the VIP box were sealed.

The artifact spirit's sinister voice echoed in Wang Hao's mind. Three extremely concealed auras, yet far surpassing the Sky-Soaring Realm, have already infiltrated within a hundred paces of the main viewing platform. Nine peak Sky-Soaring Realm experts have taken up positions in eight directions of the arena, sealing off all avenues of retreat. Tsk tsk, what a professional decapitation formation. Those guys have already put their blades to our necks.

Wang Hao merely lifted his teacup and took a light sip, speaking plainly in a voice that only the group of old monsters behind him could hear:

Great-grandfather, various ancestors, get ready to work.

The fish of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion... have entered the net.

Just as his voice fell!

BOOM—!!!

It did not come from the arena, but from directly in front of the colosseum!

A terrifying sword light, brilliant to the extreme and seemingly capable of severing the cycle of the Heavenly Dao, tore through the rostrum's defensive array without any warning—an array that was claimed to be able to withstand a full-force strike from a Demigod realm expert!

The entire dome of the rostrum instantly shattered into pieces!

Three masked old men in black robes appeared out of thin air directly in front of the rostrum, like three blazing suns judging the mortal realm.

"The tyrant is ruthless and disrupts the heavenly secrets! Today, we shall sever your head to rectify the Heavenly Dao!"

The leading Demigod old man issued a judgment decree that echoed like a massive bronze bell. That terrifying sword light, capable of obliterating any peak Sky Soaring realm expert, shot straight for the spot between Wang Hao's eyebrows!

Its speed was so incredibly fast that even the air was forcefully crushed into nothingness by this power!

The hundred thousand people in the audience collectively lost their voices at this moment; no one could react to this sudden turn of events.

However, facing this certain-death strike, Wang Hao, who was sitting on the dragon throne, didn't even shift his posture. He simply put down his teacup, looked up, and gave the three aloof, god-like Demigod assassins in the sky a look of pity, as if he were looking at fools.

Right at the instant the sword light was a mere ten meters away from Wang Hao's forehead!

"Rectify your fucking head!!"

An extremely vulgar and violently furious roar suddenly exploded from the group of "eunuchs" beside Wang Hao!

The hunched Wang Wudi fiercely tore off his eunuch uniform, his vitality and blood exploding outward like a bottomless abyss or a vast ocean! He clenched his right hand into a fist, disdaining to even use a martial skill, and directly punched the terrifying sword light head-on!

Crack—Bang!!!

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master's long-premeditated, sure-kill sword strike shattered into pieces under Wang Wudi's punch, like a fragile glass rod!

Not only that, but the violent rebound force directly caused the vitality and blood of the three Heavenly Secret Pavilion Demigods in mid-air to churn, forcing them to retreat again and again!

"What?!" The leading Demigod old man's pupils shrank drastically, looking down with eyes full of horror at the Great Zhou old man who looked like a bandit.

Before he could even react, on the rostrum, those previously submissive "eunuchs," "maids," "guards," and even the "old man" pouring tea in the corner, all tore off their disguises at this moment!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A full twenty-four terrifying pillars of aura shot into the sky, instantly tearing apart the firmament above the colosseum!

Five Demigod realm experts! Nineteen Peak Sky Soaring realm experts! Even Wang Hao's imperial grandfather, Wang Jingyuan, along with his six Sky Soaring realm brothers, landed beside Wang Hao.

A group of the Eastern Wasteland's top, greediest, and most shameless old monsters were now staring intently at the completely dumbfounded Heavenly Secret Pavilion assassins in mid-air, their eyes glowing green as if looking at peerless treasures.

Wang Wudi rolled his wrists, pointed at the three Demigods in the sky, and grinned at his old brothers behind him, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth:

"Old pals, these three Demigod realm experts, and those nine Sky Soaring realm ones next to them, are all walking treasures! Whoever grabs them gets to keep them!"

Sitting on the dragon throne and hearing his great-grandfather's words, Wang Hao felt completely at ease. Holding the Thunder Abyss Demon Suppressing Pagoda in his left hand and the "New Son of Heaven's Sword" in his right, he smiled at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master in the sky, who was already pale with fright, and mocked:

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

He even used the New Son of Heaven's Sword to count the Heavenly Secret Pavilion assassins, then pointed at the Pavilion Master with an extremely arrogant tone: "12 to 30, the advantage is mine. Old thing, tell me, how can I lose?"

One of Wang Wudi's Demigod realm old pals, Old Man Ren, quietly approached. "Old Wang, does your great-grandson always talk like this? He's so punchable."

Wang Wudi's face darkened with embarrassment. "He used to be fine. He was led astray by his dad."

No matter the fault, it was all the late emperor's fault. It was definitely the right move to let Wang Hao's dead father take the blame for this.

"You mean he was led astray by that incom... cough cough, that legitimate grandson of yours who was sucked into a mummy by evil spirits?"

Wang Wudi's old face immediately flushed red, feeling a bit unable to maintain his dignity.

Seeing Wang Wudi's expression change drastically, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master and his group thought this old bastard was going to disregard martial virtue and launch an ultimate attack in a sneak ambush, scaring them into collectively taking a step back.

"Old Wang, about that marriage alliance you mentioned, let's put it on hold for now. Seeing the behavioral style of this Qilin son of the Wang family that you praised to the heavens, I don't think he'll live long. I don't want my great-granddaughter to be a widow."

Hearing this, Wang Wudi's flushed face instantly turned as black as charcoal. Unable to scold or hit Old Man Ren, he could only let out a furious roar at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master and his group:

"Thieves, come here and die for me!!!"

Accompanied by Wang Wudi's roar—which erupted like a primordial behemoth to cover up his embarrassment—the air above the entire Royal Colosseum seemed to be instantly drained. The terrifying coercion of the Demigod realm, like a hundred thousand mountains collapsing simultaneously, pressed down ruthlessly on the shoulders of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master, Xie Wujiu, and the other two.

Wang Wudi was truly enraged. This was not just because the Heavenly Secret Pavilion dared to come and assassinate his precious great-grandson. More importantly, Old Man Ren's comments about him "not living long" and making her a "widow" had precisely stepped on and detonated his highly sensitive, face-saving nerves! As the dignified stabilizing pillar of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a man who had lived for nearly two hundred years, he had boasted in front of his old buddy to arrange a marriage for his great-grandson, only to be slapped in the face on the spot by his own great-grandson's highly punchable personality. Unable to vent this foul anger on Old Man Ren, he could only take it all out on these three blind assassins in the sky.