Volume One: Femme Fatale Chapter 59: A Rival Appears

"Princess? Why are you here as well?"

Outside the immortal dwelling, seeing Jiang Hao and Nangong Yingying emerge, the arrogant young man slightly restrained his aggressive demeanor.

"Heh heh, Xu Changfeng, what wind blew you here?" Nangong Yingying asked with a smile. "Just now, Jiang Hao and I were chatting about my elder sister."

"Her Majesty the Queen?" Hearing this, Xu Changfeng slightly furrowed his brows. "It seems I guessed correctly. This brat's relationship with the Queen is indeed quite deep."

Without further ado, Xu Changfeng raised his heavy sword, pointed it directly at Jiang Hao's forehead, and shouted, "Jiang Hao, do you dare to fight me?"

"Is this guy's brain squeezed by a door? The first thing he says is that he wants to fight me?"

"It seems Vice Dean Sun was right; every single disciple on the Dragon Gate Ranking is bellicose." Feeling somewhat depressed inside, Jiang Hao stepped forward and questioned, "But why should I accept this fight?"

"Hoh, why? Just because you are the person personally designated by Her Majesty the Queen!" Xu Changfeng's face was full of disdain.

"Does that even count as a reason?" Jiang Hao frowned, turned his head, and whispered to Nangong Yingying beside him, "Nangong Yingying, just now I noticed this guy seemed a bit afraid of you?"

"What is it? Jiang Hao, if you have something to say, spit it out. Stop beating around the bush!" Nangong Yingying turned her head and gazed straight into Jiang Hao's eyes.

Hearing this, Jiang Hao said softly, "Nangong Yingying, why don't you persuade this Xu Changfeng not to come looking for a fight with me? My time is very precious, you know."

"No way!" Seeing this, Nangong Yingying instantly put on a troubled expression and quickly waved her hands in refusal. "Although this fellow won't give this princess a hard time, he is, after all, the second-ranked powerhouse on the Dragon Gate Ranking. If I anger him, even a delicate little woman like me wouldn't know how to handle it!"

"Hey! Nangong Yingying, you're a princess after all. Can you stop building up others' prestige while destroying your own spirit?" Jiang Hao whispered in protest.

"Wait!" Suddenly thinking of something, Jiang Hao was extremely astonished. "This guy's strength actually ranks second on the Dragon Gate Ranking?"

"Heh heh, anyway, he's here for you, not looking to fight this princess." Nangong Yingying chuckled softly in Jiang Hao's ear, then deliberately raised her voice and said, "Jiang Hao, as a dignified man, your love rival has come knocking at your door, and yet you still want to shrink away and avoid the fight?"

"Aren't you ashamed?" Terrified that the atmosphere wasn't heated enough, Nangong Yingying deliberately added another remark.

"Nangong Yingying! You—!" Jiang Hao's face turned livid with anger.

Ignoring Jiang Hao completely, Nangong Yingying walked toward Xu Changfeng and said calmly, "Xu Changfeng, my conversation with Jiang Hao has concluded. Do whatever you please next; you don't need to take me into consideration." With that, she purposely stepped away from their spot, preparing to watch the show from the sidelines.

"Jiang Hao, originally I was willing to hold you in higher regard, but it turns out you're just a kept man who relies on women." Faced with Jiang Hao's reluctance to fight, Xu Changfeng wore an expression of utter contempt. "It seems Her Majesty the Queen has misjudged her person this time!"

Faced with Xu Changfeng's aggressive and unrelenting pressure, a blazing fire of anger ignited within Jiang Hao's heart. He asked Feng Ling'er, "Master, what is this fellow's cultivation level? If I don't set up a spirit array, do I have any chance of winning?"

"This person's cultivation has already reached the Great Completion of the Spirit Spring Realm, and he can break through to the Spirit Sea Realm at any moment with the aid of medicinal pills," Feng Ling'er replied.

"Could it be that he deliberately suppressed his own cultivation to the Spirit Spring Realm?" Jiang Hao asked in surprise.

"You could understand it that way," Feng Ling'er acknowledged, then warned, "With your current strength, if you don't set up a spirit array, you will undoubtedly lose this battle!"

"Master, I understand." Jiang Hao frowned, a decision already made in his heart.

Seeing that Jiang Hao still remained unmoved, Xu Changfeng hollered once more, "Jiang Hao, if you don't dare to fight me, then get out of here!"

"Get back to wherever you crawled from!" Xu Changfeng pointed his sword toward the exit of the back mountain's forbidden grounds.

"No way? Xu Changfeng is bullying him to this extent, and Jiang Hao can actually endure it?" Beside them, Nangong Yingying stared fixedly at Jiang Hao without blinking.

Only to see Jiang Hao slowly raise his head, glare furiously at Xu Changfeng, and say coldly, "Xu Changfeng, shouldn't the one getting lost be you?"

"Oh?" Xu Changfeng narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does that mean you've decided to accept the challenge?"

"That's right! Just now, I was pondering a certain matter," Jiang Hao replied.

"What matter?" Xu Changfeng pursued.

"I was thinking about how best to beat you until you're rolling around on the ground!"

The moment his voice fell, Jiang Hao had already drawn the Zhuxian Sword, gripped it tightly in his hand, and launched a ferocious charge straight at Xu Changfeng!

"Humph! Overestimating your own capabilities!"

Faced with Jiang Hao's swift and violent assault, Xu Changfeng seemed entirely prepared, showing not a trace of panic as he raised his sword to meet him.

"They're fighting! They're finally fighting!"

On the side, Nangong Yingying clenched both hands into fists, stood excitedly on tiptoes, and—like a spectator thrilled by the escalation of drama—watched the magnificent duel without blinking.

The battle erupted abruptly. Sword lights flashed, and a tense aura permeated the air. Grasping the Zhuxian Sword, Jiang Hao pressed straight toward Xu Changfeng, the sharp edge cleaving through the air and emitting a piercing whistle.

Without the slightest fear, Xu Changfeng swung his blade, steadily parrying this unstoppable assault, and the two immediately locked in fierce combat.

As the battle wore on, Jiang Hao's momentum was gradually suppressed. Xu Changfeng's swordsmanship grew increasingly effortless and at ease, as if everything remained firmly within his control.

Xu Changfeng's sword momentum carried a majestic and overwhelming force, making Jiang Hao feel an invisible pressure crashing down upon him like a tidal wave.

Anxiety stirred secretly within Jiang Hao's heart. Although he exerted himself to the utmost, Xu Changfeng's attacks surged forward relentlessly like turbulent waves, overlapping in endless succession.

With every single clash, Jiang Hao felt a powerful shockwave. His spiritual power was continuously depleted, and fatigue gradually began to show.

"As expected of the second-ranked powerhouse on the Dragon Gate Ranking!" Jiang Hao thought to himself. Seeing Xu Changfeng's sword momentum bear down upon him like a violent storm, he had no choice but to respond with extreme caution, gradually falling into a disadvantageous position.

"It seems you are nothing much after all! I even suspect whether you resorted to some underhanded tricks earlier to fluke a victory over the Liu brothers." Xu Changfeng smiled coldly, his sword momentum shifting and suddenly accelerating. The sword light flashed like lightning, stabbing directly toward Jiang Hao's chest.

Jiang Hao's heart tightened. He hurriedly sidestepped to evade, yet the sword light still grazed his shoulder, and fresh blood immediately seeped out, staining the collar of his robe.

"If this is the extent of your strength, then this battle ends here!" Seizing the momentum, Xu Changfeng pressed his attack, his sword momentum growing increasingly fierce, as if he intended to crush Jiang Hao completely.

"You're pushing me too far! You aren't even looking at the vast disparity in our cultivation levels!" Anger burned fiercely in Jiang Hao's chest. Yet, facing Xu Changfeng's formidable offensive, he found himself powerless to counterattack, forced to block with every ounce of his remaining strength.

"This fellow clearly can't win against him, yet he was still so impulsive just now!"

Witnessing this, Nangong Yingying, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat for Jiang Hao. The excitement on her face was gradually replaced by worry, and she silently prayed that Jiang Hao could find an opening to turn this unfavorable situation around.

However, the tide of battle grew increasingly grim, and Jiang Hao was plunged into a grueling struggle under Xu Changfeng's oppressive onslaught.

"It appears that the massive gap between realms still cannot be bridged by a Zhuxian Sword alone," Jiang Hao pondered inwardly.

"Brat, it's over!" Unwilling to entangle himself with Jiang Hao any longer, Xu Changfeng prepared to settle the outcome with a single decisive strike.

Seeing this, Jiang Hao swiftly regulated his breathing. With a single thought, he mobilized his spiritual power and began condensing spirit talismans. As the spiritual energy surged, the two spirit talismans Jiang Hao condensed rapidly linked together.

In the blink of an eye, a rock array imbued with potent spiritual power rose from the ground, intersecting to form a sturdy barrier that blocked Xu Changfeng's path.

"This is... a spirit array?" Xu Changfeng looked slightly surprised, but his sword momentum did not slacken as he charged forward directly.

However, the rock array was already formed and possessed astonishing durability. Xu Changfeng's sword light crashed against the boulders, producing a deafening roar and sending sparks flying in all directions, yet the rock array remained completely unshaken, standing firm like a towering mountain.

"How is this possible?" Xu Changfeng stared in disbelief as his assault was repeatedly repelled by the spirit array, a trace of shock welling up in his heart.

"As expected of a Tier-2 spirit array!" A surge of joy warmed Jiang Hao's heart. Seizing the opportunity to steady his mind, he rapidly adjusted his battle strategy.

He understood that while the rock array could temporarily block Xu Changfeng's attacks, turning the tide completely required seizing an opportunity to counterattack.

"This fellow Jiang Hao actually knows how to set up spirit arrays?" Outside the combat circle, Nangong Yingying widened her eyes, staring fixedly at Jiang Hao.

"Hmph! I refuse to believe that I, Xu Changfeng, cannot break your spirit array today!" At this moment, fueled by grievance and fury, Xu Changfeng blazed with wrath.

"Gale Slash!"

In the next instant, the sharp sword in Xu Changfeng's hand seemed to awaken a roaring tempest. His sword momentum blossomed like a rainbow, bearing down fiercely upon Jiang Hao.

"Such a powerful strike! But right after this move will be the absolute best moment for my counterattack!" Jiang Hao chanted inwardly. With spiritual energy surging and utilizing the rock array as cover, he began gathering his strength, preparing to stake everything on a single decisive effort.

Jiang Hao's gaze blazed like torches as he locked his eyes on Xu Changfeng, waiting for that fleeting instant to arrive.

"Break for me!"

With an angry roar from Xu Changfeng, his sword momentum turned into a rainbow, carrying the fury of a tempest as it fiercely shattered the rock array. In an instant, the boulders fractured, gravel scattered, and dust filled the air as if heaven and earth were trembling.

However, following the execution of this ultimate technique, his spiritual energy was also rapidly depleting. Fatigued, beads of fine sweat dotted his forehead, and his complexion grew increasingly pale.

"As expected of a Tier-3 spell. Fortunately, Xu Changfeng has only cultivated it to the realm of minor accomplishment." Gripping the Zhuxian Sword, whose blade gleamed with a chilling frost, Jiang Hao advanced directly toward Xu Changfeng. "Take my sword!"

"Bang!"

Jiang Hao's strike was actually parried by Xu Changfeng.

Just as Xu Changfeng let out a sigh of relief, Jiang Hao had already condensed a "Mountain-Splitting Palm." The palm momentum surged like a rainbow, carrying the might to shake mountains, and slammed relentlessly toward Xu Changfeng.

"Pfft..." Before he could react, Xu Changfeng was struck by the palm and instantly spewed a mouthful of blood.

"Puff!" Due to the continuous consumption of spiritual power combined with his earlier injuries, Jiang Hao also coughed up a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, Jiang Hao and Xu Changfeng stood merely a few paces apart. Both had sustained injuries, yet an intense aura of a battle to the finish faintly saturated the air.

"Exhilarating! Jiang Hao, you are the second person in the academy to wound me to this extent!" Xu Changfeng shouted aloud.

"Cough!" Jiang Hao let out a cough, then responded loudly, "Come again!"

"..." On the side, Nangong Yingying was completely dumbfounded, staring with her mouth agape, momentarily forgetting all about stepping in to break up the fight.