Chapter 649: This Is My Bai Zhenzhen’s Choice
Wen Wuya wasn’t the only one who noticed the anomaly in Kuang Tianqing’s behavior. Countless viewers watching the battle also sensed something was amiss.
“Has Kuang Tianqing lost her mind? What’s she waiting for? Finish Bai Zhenzhen off and win the match already!”
“Damn it, Kuang Tianqing! Is this a fixed fight?! I bet my entire fortune on her winning before the deadline!”
“Attack! What are you standing there for?”
As the Spirit Realm buzzed with commentary on the battle, Kuang Tianqing’s mind churned with violent internal conflict.
The moment the words left her lips, she realized something was wrong.
It was like when someone blurts out something they immediately regret.
But for Kuang Tianqing, it wasn’t just a slip of the tongue. She felt a profound error in her very thinking.
“What am I doing?”
“Letting Bai Zhenzhen prepare herself?”
“Waiting for her, allowing her to calmly unleash her final strike against me?”
“Why… why would such thoughts flood my mind?”
“Such self-destructive impulses?”
“Is this the lingering influence of that memory?”
Kuang Tianqing wanted to overcome this thought, to act immediately and end Bai Zhenzhen’s life, to conclude this battle.
But a conflicting thought arose within her, making her unwilling, resentful, even ashamed to carry out the act.
This internal conflict bred hesitation, eroding her usual decisiveness.
It was like how some people, even knowing that eating feces might be beneficial, would still hesitate when actually faced with the task.
Kuang Tianqing now felt this same overwhelming hesitation.
Unlike ordinary people, however, Kuang Tianqing, once she determined the right course of action, could quickly resolve to suppress her malicious thoughts and force herself to act.
“This is the Ten Greats League, deciding the future of the world, shaping the Immortal Dao paths of countless individuals, determining how far I can advance on the Immortal Dao.”
“How can I hesitate at such a crucial moment?”
“How can I let these backward, nonsensical, ancient malicious thoughts influence me?”
The instant Kuang Tianqing steeled her resolve, her body moved.
“No hesitation.”
“Not only must I not hesitate, I must also launch a surprise attack! A relentless assault! I must leave her absolutely no chance…”
“This is the true resolve of Kuang Tianqing.”
As Kuang Tianqing activated the Level 20 Perishing Core Technique, the light of her shattering Golden Core flickered once more within her body.
Fueled by the destructive power of her shattering Golden Core, Kuang Tianqing moved with lightning speed, appearing beside Bai Zhenzhen like a fleeting shadow. She unleashed the most devastating strike of the Netherworld Disintegration Technique, channeling terrifying force into a series of attacks aimed at Bai Zhenzhen’s vital points.
Faced with Kuang Tianqing’s lightning-fast assault, Bai Zhenzhen retaliated without hesitation.
Or perhaps… Bai Zhenzhen, who had severed her emotions through the Seven Emotions Sword Dao, had been in a state of constant combat readiness all along, never relaxing her guard against her enemy.
Now, having discarded all emotion, Bai Zhenzhen’s mind was consumed by a single purpose: to annihilate her opponent.
Driven by this singular intent, black sword qi pierced through her body, ravaging her flesh, meridians, bones… destroying every part of her being.
Yet even in this self-destructive state, even as she teetered on the brink of collapse, Bai Zhenzhen refused to yield.
At this moment, perhaps only death could extinguish her fighting spirit, her will to battle.
Amidst the violent clash, Kuang Tianqing gradually suppressed the black sword qi.
Gazing at Bai Zhenzhen before her, Kuang Tianqing sneered, “Bai Zhenzhen, your sword strike is even weaker than before.”
“As I thought, your body can’t handle the full power of the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao.”
“After the peak comes the precipice. Since even your most powerful strike couldn’t defeat me, your defeat was inevitable.”
“Now it’s my turn to reap the fruits of victory.”
Kuang Tianqing opened her mouth and spat out a crystal that shot toward Bai Zhenzhen.
In an instant, Bai Zhenzhen’s Magic Power stirred throughout her body, as if drawn to the crystal.
Had Kuang Tianqing previously waited for Bai Zhenzhen’s final strike out of respect?
The current Kuang Tianqing… the more she recalled those words — those self-deprecating words she had actually spoken — the more furious she became.
Now, she would neither wait nor show respect. Instead, she would ambush, crush, and drain every last ounce of Bai Zhenzhen’s power.
“The power of the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao! I claim it!”
As the crystal landed on Bai Zhenzhen’s forehead, Kuang Tianqing activated the Great Harmony of Yin and Yang Celestial Melody, preparing to extract the sword qi from Bai Zhenzhen’s body.
“Bai Zhenzhen, let me drain every last bit of your strength through dual cultivation.”
Kuang Tianqing smirked wickedly. “Enjoy this. The Extreme Emotion Sword Dao you poured your all into will ultimately become my strength, contributing to my victory in the Ten Greats League.”
In the Spirit Realm, countless spectators erupted in cheers.
“This is the true style of the Heavenly Demon academic overachiever!”
“She’s back! Kuang Tianqing is back! No more foolish mistakes — she delivered a flawless finishing blow!”
“Victory is decided! She’s devoured everything! I’m declaring Kuang Tianqing the champion right now!”
Amidst the roaring cheers of the Spirit Realm, a flicker of clarity gradually returned to Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes.
As she watched Kuang Tianqing frantically draining her power, Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself, “This woman… she even absorbed the sword qi from my Seven Emotions Sword Dao strike. That’s why my emotions have returned, pulling me out of that trance.”
But this recovery didn’t strengthen Bai Zhenzhen; it weakened her further, making her even more helpless against Kuang Tianqing’s draining.
As she felt her power being siphoned away, the image of Zhang Yu suddenly flashed through Bai Zhenzhen’s mind.
“Yu Zi should be able to defeat Tian Shengong, right?”
“I couldn’t stop Kuang Tianqing…”
“If he faces Kuang Tianqing in the finals, how can I let her… use my power against him?”
“Senior sister…” Bai Zhenzhen murmured to the Sword Spirit within the Yuhuan Sword, “Lend me your strength.”
Lian Yuhuan, daughter of the Divine Monarch Seven Emotions, had once conceived a radical idea: to transcend the boundaries between righteous and demonic paths, merging dual cultivation and the extremes of emotion into a new Extreme Emotion Sword Dao.
But she ultimately failed. Like countless practitioners of the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao, her body transformed into a flying sword.
Yet unlike other flying swords forged from Extreme Emotion Sword Dao practitioners, the Yuhuan Sword possessed a unique power — human-sword unity, a fusion of human and sword through dual cultivation. This was likely due to her mastery of Immortal Dao Technology from Joyful Union University.
This innovation sparked a trend of dual cultivation between students and Sword Spirits at Heavenly Sword University, a practice the Divine Monarch Seven Emotions deeply resented.
Now, with a series of crisp cracking sounds, Bai Zhenzhen’s body began to contort, her bones and muscles reshaping themselves.
“Kuang Tianqing’s dual cultivation technique targets the human body.”
“The best way to counter it… is to cease being human.”
Bai Zhenzhen embraced the Yuhuan Sword, her body coiling around the flying sword as she gradually transformed into a pure white, spiraling longsword.
Kuang Tianqing’s gaze sharpened as she witnessed this transformation. “Human-sword unity?”
She let out a cold snort and lunged for the flying sword. “Excellent! Bai Zhenzhen, you shall become my sword and help me reshape the world!”
But in the next instant, Bai Zhenzhen’s figure materialized behind the spiraling longsword.
Kuang Tianqing’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing with possibilities. “A Soul Cultivator? Is that Bai Zhenzhen’s soul? Has she temporarily housed her soul within the flying sword, becoming a Sword Spirit?”
Simultaneously, Bai Zhenzhen, positioned behind the spiraling longsword, flicked her sword fingers lightly. Electric arcs crackled along the blade.
Even in her Soul Body state, Bai Zhenzhen could still manipulate her physical body through the transformed Bionic, the electrical discharge from her thunder Magic Power, and the surging Spirit Realm Flow. She was wielding her flesh and blood as a vessel to command the sword with her soul.
At that very moment, pure white sword qi erupted from the void, piercing through the spiraling longsword.
Having shed her physical form and achieved human-sword unity, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly grasped deeper mysteries of the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao.
“In the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao, a realm beyond destruction… is sacrifice.”
“Using extreme emotion to drive detachment, and from detachment, birthing extreme emotion anew…”
Bai Zhenzhen felt as if everything were like the yin and yang halves of the Taiji diagram, endlessly cycling and repeating with the diagram’s rotation, containing infinite mysteries.
Her mastery of the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao had reached an unprecedented peak, allowing her to unleash surging white sword qi with her spiritual power.
Her thoughts accelerated relentlessly, making everything around her seem to slow to a crawl.
At that moment, she lifted her head and gazed at the rising sun in the sky.
“How nostalgic…”
As she watched the sunrise, Bai Zhenzhen seemed to return to her high school days, recalling her past.
“From childhood, I possessed exceptional talent, but poverty and insufficient Immortal Dao Potential forced me to trudge through the Immortal Dao path step by muddy step. Compared to the wealthy, I was already losing at the starting line.”
“Originally, my life was destined for failure. But Zhang Yu’s assistance changed my fate.”
“Together, we passed the Foundation Establishment certification, enrolled in the Ten Greats, and achieved unprecedented results.”
“Before I knew it, Zhang Yu had become the most important person in my life.”
“Upon entering university, my Divine Spirit Root led to my being accepted as a disciple by a Spirit Transformation cultivator, greatly enhancing my Immortal Dao Potential.”
“Step by step, I pushed my cultivation to the peak of Foundation Establishment. I was confident in facing any opponent, even Kuang Tianqing today. I had no fear, only the desire to fight with all my might for that one-in-ten-thousand chance.”
Her gaze swept across Kuang Tianqing once more, and Bai Zhenzhen sighed inwardly. “But in the end, I still lost. My physical body will soon perish completely.”
“Was this defeat, this death, simply due to the disparity in wealth and resources between Kuang Tianqing and me?”
“No. If I had been willing to engage in dual cultivation, to enhance my Immortal Dao Potential through various means, perhaps my chances of victory would have been higher.”
“If I hadn’t gone all-in, if I had retreated in time, fighting with the mindset of inevitable defeat, perhaps I wouldn’t be dying now.”
“But this is my choice, my nature.”
“I simply refuse to engage in dual cultivation, to change my gender, to use those messy Second Layer methods to enhance my Immortal Dao Potential.”
“I simply refuse to give up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to abandon my pursuit of first place, to abandon my quest to perfect the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao.”
“So I fought with everything I had, burning away my last reserves of strength, my final moments of life, to reach the finish line I had chosen for myself.”
“In my final moments, I no longer fight for victory.”
“I will wager my life to pave the way for Zhang Yu, to place him upon the throne.”
“For I believe that if Zhang Yu stood where I stand today, he would make the same choice for me.”
“This is Bai Zhenzhen’s choice.”
Without realizing it, Bai Zhenzhen’s phantom had already grasped the spiral longsword. In her heart, she murmured, “It’s time…”
She turned to face Kuang Tianqing. “I shouldn’t keep my opponent waiting any longer.”
As Bai Zhenzhen, wielding the spiral longsword, slashed toward her, Kuang Tianqing felt an unprecedented sense of danger.
Within her Bionic Eye, countless Bionic systems blared alarms, forming a dense cascade of red alerts that threatened to overwhelm her vision.
Yet as Bai Zhenzhen’s blade descended inch by inch, Kuang Tianqing found herself utterly paralyzed.
“Move!”
“Move, damn it!”
Magic Power, spiritual energy, Gang Qi, vital energy… everything seemed to have fallen into a deathly stillness.
Only Bai Zhenzhen’s blade, in Kuang Tianqing’s eyes, continued its inexorable descent, drawing ever closer to her head.
Boom!
As the sword’s edge collided with Kuang Tianqing’s forehead, her Bionic activated autonomously. The Cursed Heaven Myriad Demon Throne spun at its maximum speed, and Kuang Tianqing’s figure flickered violently between solid and ethereal states.
Roar!
Kuang Tianqing’s will seemed to break through some kind of barrier, unleashing a torrent of power from within her body that shattered her Golden Core in a blinding flash.
This wasn’t just her own power; it included the accumulated energy from the Yin Artifact, drawn from the Heavenly Demon University, Netherworld University, Joyful Union University, and White Bone University — the combined might of countless academic overachievers.
In that moment, Bai Zhenzhen and Kuang Tianqing unleashed their full potential simultaneously, their earth-shattering battle intent and power colliding in a violent, destructive clash.
There were no more hidden cards, no reserves held back. Both sides had abandoned all caution, committing to a single, all-out strike. They channeled every ounce of strength, every shred of power, every desperate measure to utterly annihilate their opponent, to achieve complete and utter victory.
When the light and shadows dissipated, the dust settled, and the earth ceased trembling, the outcome of the battle was clear.
Kuang Tianqing raised her head, her gaze fixed on the spiraling longsword embedded in the ground before her.
At the same moment, Bai Zhenzhen’s ethereal form stood beside the sword, her hands clasped behind her back, facing away from Kuang Tianqing.
Watching Bai Zhenzhen’s retreating figure, Kuang Tianqing thought to herself, “Bai Zhenzhen, if I hadn’t had the assistance of the eight Spirit Transformation experts, mastered the four academy’s ultimate techniques, and exhausted you with the combined efforts of so many academic overachievers, perhaps this battle… would have been yours.”
“And if today weren’t the battlefield of the Ten Greats League, I might have been willing to concede your victory.”
“But the Ten Greats League carries immense significance. For the stability of the world, for the prosperity of the Immortal Dao, for my own ascent to the pinnacle… I must win.”
With a slight wave of her hand, Kuang Tianqing severed Bai Zhenzhen’s connection to her flying sword. The illusory figure that had materialized from the sword dissipated into the atmosphere.
Looking toward the waiting area, Bai Zhenzhen’s shattered phantom flickered with a faint smile before vanishing completely from the material world.
At the same moment, Kuang Tianqing approached the spiraling longsword, reaching out to grasp it. But just as her hand touched the hilt, a seven-colored radiance descended from the heavens, enveloping the sword in protective light.
“Divine Monarch Seven Emotions?” Kuang Tianqing’s heart stirred. The seven-colored divine light swept the sword skyward, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
Bai Zhenzhen: “Yu Zi, the rest is up to you.”
In the waiting area, Zhang Yu had returned after defeating Tian Shengong and was watching Bai Zhenzhen’s battle against Kuang Tianqing.
Seeing Bai Zhenzhen’s final message to him, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but reply: “A-Zhen”
Zhang Yu: “A-Zhen, how are you?”
Zhang Yu: “I’m coming to get you right away.”
But no matter how many messages Zhang Yu sent, she didn’t respond. Even her avatar went dark, indicating she had logged off.
Growing increasingly anxious, Zhang Yu immediately contacted Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “How is A-Zhen?”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “She has burned herself out.”
Zhang Yu was shocked: “Burned out?!”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Her account balance is zero.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “She’s also used up all her Spirit Realm Flow.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Let her rest for now. Don’t let her strain her mind in the Spirit Realm. I’ll recharge her account later tonight.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu breathed a small sigh of relief. But when he thought of Bai Zhenzhen transforming into a coiled longsword, his anxiety returned. He quickly asked: “What’s A-Zhen’s current state? How much Spirit Coin will it cost to revive her?”
Zhang Yu knew very well that the cost of revival varied greatly depending on the individual and their circumstances.
The stronger one’s physical body and the greater their power, the more Spirit Coins were required for resurrection.
Similarly, the more severe the damage and the greater the destruction to the physical body, the more Spirit Coins were needed for resurrection.
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel that Bai Zhenzhen’s final human-sword unity strike in this battle was going to be extremely expensive.
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Don’t rush the resurrection.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Let’s talk about your next battle first.”
Zhang Yu: “What does my next battle have to do with this?”
Zhang Yu: “Whether I win or lose, I’m resurrecting A-Zhen.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Boy, Bai Zhenzhen staked her life on that final sword strike.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “If she had won, she would have won.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “But since she lost, her sword strike served as a foundation for you to claim first place.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “It was a sword strike meant to propel you to the throne of the strongest.”
The Divine Monarch gently stroked the coiled longsword before her, sighed, and replied, “She wanted to fight alongside you.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “She hoped you would use her to defeat Kuang Tianqing and ascend to the throne of the Ten Greats.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Have you forgotten her will? Half of this sword belongs to you.”
Zhang Yu was slightly stunned by Divine Monarch Seven Emotions’ reply. The image of the white, spiraling longsword flashed through his mind, and he thought to himself, “A-Zhen… wants to fight alongside me?”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions sent another message: “Boy, I won’t comment on Bai Zhenzhen’s choice.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “But since my disciple has staked her life on this decision…”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “…I will respect her resolve.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “Therefore, I will temporarily grant you ownership of the other half of her remains.”
Zhang Yu: “I understand.”
Zhang Yu took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Kuang Tianqing, who was being carried back to the waiting area enveloped in layers of divine light. His fighting spirit burned higher than ever before.
As if sensing Zhang Yu’s gaze, Kuang Tianqing turned to meet his eyes, a playful smile spreading across her face.
Kuang Tianqing thought to herself, “I will never allow Myriad Laws to choose for me. I refuse to let the Dharma Realm destroy my cultivation. I will use Longevity Technology to reach the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “A-Zhen, in the next battle… we’ll defeat her together.”
Sensing the undercurrent of clashing auras between the two, Tian Shengong secretly rejoiced, thinking, “Excellent! Zhang Yu seems to have temporarily forgotten our agreement.”
Before the battle, Tian Shengong and Zhang Yu had made a verbal wager.
According to the wager, if Tian Shengong lost to Zhang Yu, he would no longer be allowed to equip the Extreme Tiger Bionic.
After his defeat, Tian Shengong was constantly troubled by this. Although they hadn’t signed a contract and it was merely a verbal agreement, going back on his word would bring him a world of trouble.
Especially since he had just lost, if Zhang Yu were to humiliate him on a live broadcast, he would have no way to retaliate.
However, Tian Shengong hadn’t anticipated that after returning to the waiting area, Zhang Yu would become completely absorbed in the battle between Kuang Tianqing and Bai Zhenzhen.
The intensity of that battle far exceeded everyone’s expectations, drawing away much of the attention that might have been directed at Tian Shengong.
Tian Shengong thought to himself, “At least until I leave the waiting area, please don’t remember!”
After a brief clash of gazes with Kuang Tianqing, Zhang Yu received a new message from Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “I’m taking Zhenzhen back to recuperate for the next seven days.”
Divine Monarch Seven Emotions: “I’ll lend her to you for the finals in seven days.”
Zhang Yu’s mind flashed back to Bai Zhenzhen’s request and the contents of her will. He quickly replied, “Can I see A-Zhen one more time?”
The other party didn’t respond. Zhang Yu was still pondering how to retrieve his True Spirit Root when the match ended, and he was transported out along with the others by waves of divine light.
At the same time, True Monarch Tranquility sent Zhang Yu a message: “Prepare yourself. The principal wants to see you.”
Zhang Yu’s heart jolted. Which principal?
True Monarch Tranquility: “Divine Monarch Celestial Evolution.”
Zhang Yu: “When?”
True Monarch Tranquility: “Now. The principal is already waiting for you in the Spirit Realm. Hurry and prepare.”
Zhang Yu: “I have some urgent matters to attend to. Could I postpone the meeting slightly?”
True Monarch Tranquility: “Make the principal wait? What are you thinking?”
True Monarch Tranquility: “Deal with your matters later. Come with me to pay respects to the principal first.”
True Monarch Tranquility: “This concerns your upcoming match arrangements.”
Seeing the Spirit Realm connection request, Zhang Yu sighed helplessly. He retrieved his Spirit Realm Mask, put it on, and accepted the connection.
In an instant, his consciousness traversed the layers of the Spirit Realm.
Amidst swirling streams of light and shadow, Zhang Yu found himself in a place resembling an immortal realm.
Emerald peaks soared into the clouds, their slopes draped in billowing white mists that surged like ocean waves.
A youth-like figure stood before Zhang Yu, smiling slightly. “Zhang Yu,” he asked, “if you could choose any Immortal Sect Technique, which would you select?”