Chapter 878 - 497: Will Win?

BANG!

As soon as Gongyang Tianrou made her assertion, the "ropes" wrapping around Xu Xiongda exploded on cue. The white Exotic Fire was consequently blown away and scattered. However, Xu Xiongda, who had finally broken free, did not look disheveled as the spectators had expected. Instead, he wore a look of utter satisfaction! He wasn’t forcing a brave front or faking it. After all, anyone could sense that the aura surrounding him showed absolutely no signs of weakening compared to before. This anomaly caused the smile on Gongyang Yunlan’s lips to freeze instantly; she couldn’t quite comprehend what had just happened.

"Yunlan, I didn’t expect you to be so considerate...

"Did you know I like to take a hot bath before doing the deed, so you specially prepared all that for me?

"Very well. Then now... it’s my turn to reward you!"

Before his voice even faded, Xu Xiongda abruptly appeared behind Gongyang Yunlan. Then, with a face full of doting affection, he stretched out his arms to give her a loving embrace.

Gongyang Yunlan’s expression changed drastically, her eyes widening as if she had just seen a ghost. What made her so horrified was that Xu Xiongda’s speed in slipping behind her couldn’t even be described as mere teleportation. It was as if he had been standing behind her all along, and she had only just noticed him. Or perhaps time itself had been paused, and Xu Xiongda, the only one capable of moving in the frozen time, had leisurely strolled to her back. Whichever it was, the spectators found it completely unfathomable.

"Get away from me!" Gongyang Yunlan, though shocked and uncertain, managed to react immediately. Dazzling, multicolored radiance erupted from her as she pushed the power of her Small Thousand World to its absolute limit.

Xu Xiongda’s attempt to wrap his arms around her was met with heavy resistance, clearly preventing him from pulling her any closer. At the same time, the radiance continued to assault his body. Yet, Xu Xiongda remained completely unfazed. The sinister grin still lingering on his lips, he applied even more force. "Don’t be shy. I will love you very, very well..."

CRACK CRACK CRACK...

The next moment, a dense series of crisp shattering sounds rang out. The radiance Gongyang Yunlan had unleashed was crushed by Xu Xiongda like fragile glass. Then, under her incredulous gaze, he finally locked her in a tight embrace.

"Let... let go... Get your hands off me!" she screamed. "I command you to let go!"

Gongyang Yunlan’s cries grew increasingly desperate. Xu Xiongda’s relentless squeezing was not only on the verge of crushing her physical body, but it also threatened to shatter her Small Thousand World right along with it. Of course, Gongyang Yunlan didn’t give up resisting. She unleashed every single one of her Divine Skills all at once. But it was entirely useless. Xu Xiongda’s arms were like the eternal Rules of Heaven and Earth, firmly welded to her body. Terrified out of her mind, she remained completely helpless.

"Stop your futile struggles. It’s not just me holding you right now—it’s an entire world!"

As soon as he said this, Gongyang Yunlan instantly understood what Xu Xiongda meant. Xu Xiongda’s extreme Body Refinement had caused the Small Thousand World he created to completely merge with him. Earlier, when Gongyang Yunlan attacked, she still had to actively channel the power of her Small Thousand World. But Xu Xiongda’s physical body was a Small Thousand World in itself.

Could the pinnacle of a Body Refining Cultivator actually reach such a stage?! Gongyang Yunlan truly had no idea this was possible. After all, despite having lived for thousands of years, she had never encountered a Body Cultivator like him. But now she finally understood why the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect would let such a brute become their Vice Sect Leader. When one’s raw power reached such terrifying levels, brains were no longer a requirement.

However, she had no time to ponder any further. If this continued, she was quite literally going to merge into one with Xu Xiongda...

"Could it be you’re still thinking of using the Heaven-Flipping Seal to fight a round two with me?" Xu Xiongda said nonchalantly. "But you should clearly understand by now that it’s nothing but a futile effort!

"No matter how many times you restart, your fate won’t be any different!

"Your only chance is to bear my child. Do that, and you just might live..." He let out an incessant string of sinister cackles.

These words sent Gongyang Yunlan into an utter panic. Abandoning any remaining thoughts of physical resistance, she decisively connected with the Heaven-Flipping Seal. The seal, always at the ready, waited to respond to the Divine Realm Empress’s command. Less than a breath after receiving the instruction, Time Reversal was activated.

Time across the entire Dubhe Divine Domain began to spin backward. Not long after the temporal reversal began, Gongyang Yunlan materialized within a bleak, empty space of nothingness. Still shaken, she scanned her surroundings. Only upon confirming that Xu Xiongda was nowhere in sight did she finally start panting heavily. However, it was obvious she had lost all courage to initiate a second round of combat. After all, just as Xu Xiongda had said, she had zero chance of winning.

She had to escape. She had to run away immediately. In any case, a great tribulation was impending for the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect. All she needed to do was take her subordinates, find a place to hide, and bide her time.

"You cannot flee!" a cold voice rang out from the void.

Immediately after, the faceless Wuxiang Emperor strode briskly up to Gongyang Yunlan. She stared at him without blinking, remaining silent for a long moment before saying, "Give me a reason."

"Because you can’t escape!" the Wuxiang Emperor replied decisively. "The Heaven-Flipping Seal’s Time Reversal can only go back thirty minutes into the past. We wouldn’t get very far at all!"

Gongyang Yunlan was naturally well aware of this fact. Her previous estimates had merely been overly optimistic wishful thinking.

"If we don’t flee, what then? Wait for death?!" Gongyang Yunlan shouted hysterically.

The Wuxiang Emperor’s tone remained unchanged. "You won’t die. We can win."

Stunned by his words, Gongyang Yunlan’s gaze burned as she looked at him again. If anyone else had said this, she would have assumed they were just spouting total crap, but she knew very well that the Wuxiang Emperor was absolutely not that type of person.

"How do we win?"

"In a head-on fight, of course we can’t win," the Wuxiang Emperor said quickly. "So it would be better... to let him have his way!"

Gongyang Yunlan’s eyes went cold. "Are you saying I should let myself be..."

He nodded. "Xu Xiongda clearly plans to humiliate you in public. Just let him do it. This is actually a godsend opportunity!"

As the Wuxiang Emperor detailed his upcoming plan, the sheer terror Gongyang Yunlan had previously felt diminished significantly. She realized that while his method was incredibly sinister and underhanded, it genuinely offered a massive chance to turn the tables and secure a victory.

"But if we do this, won’t I ultimately end up..." Though she left the sentence unfinished, she clearly meant to say she would be publicly humiliated and lose all her imperial majesty.

"Those destined for greatness are not bound by trivialities!" the Wuxiang Emperor stated coldly.

After pondering for a brief moment, Gongyang Yunlan finally gritted her teeth and nodded. She had no other choice. If they took the risk with his plan, they had a rather high certainty of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. But if she chose to flee, her hopes of survival were genuinely slim to none.

***

"Oh? Not bad, kid. You drank the Dragon Marrow Wine and you’re actually perfectly fine?"

Aboard the Fallen God, Xu Xiongda stared at Zou Feng in utter surprise.

Zou Feng bowed and replied, "I’ve always had a high tolerance for alcohol since I was young..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a bizarre sense of familiarity washed over him. Why did it feel like he had already said this exact sentence before? But as Xu Xiongda continued his teasing remarks, Zou Feng quickly pushed the thought aside. Soon, exuding heroic vigor, Xu Xiongda stood up and walked on thin air, instantaneously appearing ten miles away.

Zou Feng’s attention, meanwhile, was once again drawn to the Ancient Sacred Beast Hide draped over the chair. Clearly, no one present had realized that time had already been reversed. Even when Zou Feng found himself grappling with this question again, Elder Wang still confidently swore that Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators like them should be able to perceive some subtle clues after a temporal reversal. But just like the last time, Zou Feng thought about it for a moment and concluded that Wang Yu’s claim was highly unreliable.

He thought, "Right, don’t I possess a Divine Object like the List of Gods as well? It shouldn’t be any inferior to the Heaven-Flipping Seal!"

"Elder Wang, can you quickly teach me a simple and easy-to-learn Skill? Anything will do!"