Chapter 94: The Final Blow

“Hiss…”
All around, the crowd drew sharp breaths.
Only now did they realize that Hua Wuhen not only possessed the terrifying Wheel of Years Blossoms, but his own speed was equally frightening.
“Donggong Qianxue, at the very beginning, that young master Chen already warned you. My peach tree is the Wheel of Years Blossom—each blossom that withers, you age one year.”
Hua Wuhen smiled faintly. “Now, your life is entirely in my hands. You can see for yourself how many Wheel of Years Blossoms remain on my tree.
I’m quite curious to see whether you can kill me before you die of old age.”
As he spoke, another Wheel of Years Blossom withered from the tree.
Donggong Qianxue unfurled her broad wings, beating them fiercely. The massive seven-colored phoenix body became a blurry afterimage, instantly darting before Hua Wuhen. Her enormous talons struck at him with force.
Yet the scene remained as before: Hua Wuhen’s form silently dissolved, without a drop of blood.
What she grasped was still only his shadow.
“Donggong Qianxue, keep trying.”
Hua Wuhen’s faint laughter echoed from behind.
Donggong Qianxue spun around quickly, only to see Hua Wuhen still hovering in the distance, a gentle smile on his face.
In his hands, the Wheel of Years Tree now bore only twenty blossoms.
In the blink of an eye, six or seven blossoms had already faded.
In other words, Donggong Qianxue had but twenty years left; the seven-colored divine radiance emanating from her finally dimmed markedly.
If she were in her human form, she would already appear impossibly old.
The arena fell utterly silent; everyone’s hearts seemed lodged in their throats.
This prince of the Baidan Sacred Kingdom was truly terrifying beyond compare.
Donggong Qianxue beat her broad wings with all her might. The enormous phoenix body turned into a seven-colored blur, streaking at Hua Wuhen at breathtaking speed. Her huge talons seized him once more.
Hua Wuhen’s form dissipated again, with no blood to be seen.
She had only caught his shadow.
And so it continued: each time Donggong Qianxue captured him, it was only his shadow.
Meanwhile, the Wheel of Years Blossoms in Hua Wuhen’s hand kept withering.
Moments later, only five blossoms remained.

Donggong Qianxue’s lifespan had dwindled to five years.
By now, she could no longer fully transform into a phoenix; the massive seven-colored body had become blurred and indistinct.
Her true form appeared: a hunched, white-haired elder, her skin wrinkled like aged pine bark.
“Donggong Qianxue, keep trying.”
Hua Wuhen remained floating in the air, holding the Wheel of Years Tree with its mere five blossoms. On his handsome face, a satisfied smile blossomed. With only five years left, Donggong Qianxue had no hope of reversal; she was destined to die of old age at his hands.
Exhilaration surged through him!
He turned his gaze to the Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom’s section, where Chen Changsheng sat upon the Black Ice steps.
This young master Chen must die as well!
In the next instant, another blossom fell silently.
“Four left.”
Donggong Qianxue stared fixedly at the Wheel of Years Blossoms in Hua Wuhen’s hand, bitterness and anger mingling in her heart. Hua Wuhen was simply too terrifying.
Four blossoms remained, blooming poetically upon the Wheel of Years Tree.
Around the Black Ice battle platform, silence reigned; not a single sound could be heard.
All held their breath, eyes wide, staring at Donggong Qianxue and Hua Wuhen in the center of the stage.
Donggong Qianxue would not resign herself to fate; she became a blur, streaking toward Hua Wuhen, arriving beside him in an instant. Her talons seized him fiercely.
Hua Wuhen’s body dissipated once again, still without blood.
She had only caught his shadow.
Hua Wuhen’s speed was truly monstrous.
Throughout this ferocious battle, with the Baidan Sacred Kingdom’s national treasure and his own speed, he had always held the advantage; Donggong Qianxue could do nothing to him.
“Three left.”
A pleasant laugh sounded from behind.
Donggong Qianxue turned furiously, only to see Hua Wuhen hovering in the air, holding the Wheel of Years Tree. One blossom was silently withering.
Wasting no time, Donggong Qianxue darted to him once more, her talons grasping him.
But again, she caught only his shadow.
Hua Wuhen’s speed was breathtaking.
“Two left.”

Victory was already written on Hua Wuhen’s face; only two Wheel of Years Blossoms remained on the tree in his hand.
Donggong Qianxue had but two years left; she was about to die of old age.
Hua Wuhen saw endless hope ahead.
“Only two remain…”
Donggong Qianxue steeled herself, eyes locked on the blossoms left on Hua Wuhen’s tree. She drew a deep breath. “Burn the Divine Phoenix blood essence—it's the only chance to survive…”
Burning the Divine Phoenix blood essence would double her speed.
Yet only one drop of Divine Phoenix blood essence existed in her lineage, and burning it would last but a moment.
Once consumed, her Divine Phoenix bloodline would vanish forever. This was why she had not used it before; but now, she had no choice but to try.
With a sudden bite, she ignited the blood essence. The seven-colored phoenix shadow that had grown faint now blazed with clarity. Wild flames exploded from her body, sweeping across the Black Ice battle platform, transforming it into a sea of fire.
The heat surged; the crowd around the platform felt as if they might vaporize, gasping in shock.
“That wretch, Donggong Qianxue!”
Hua Wuhen was furious and alarmed, clutching the Wheel of Years Blossoms as he fled the raging inferno at full speed.
At the moment he soared upward, another blossom drifted from the tree, falling into the sea of flames.
Only one remains!
The last Wheel of Years Blossom bloomed on the tree, as if it were the sole flower in all the world, its beauty almost unnatural.
From the blazing flames, Donggong Qianxue’s colossal phoenix body became a streak of pure speed, soaring upward, arriving before Hua Wuhen in an instant.
“Damn it!”
Hua Wuhen’s expression changed dramatically, his body flickering with speed, but just as he moved, Donggong Qianxue’s massive talons seized him.
“Ah—”
A wave of pain tore through him, forcing a scream, his face instantly pale as death.
Donggong Qianxue’s final strike, burning her Divine Phoenix blood essence, was so fast he had no time to evade.