The warriors of the Giant Bear Tribe had always excelled at fierce assaults. When this "fortress of war" roared skyward and charged toward Wu Zhouzi, the entire arena seemed to tremble faintly under the sheer force.
What exactly was Wu Zhouzi's ability? Mu Anqi hadn't discerned it directly. As the Giant Bear warrior launched his charge, the deputy general on the stage merely smiled faintly, instantly raising his Fangtian Halberd horizontally. Planting his feet firmly, he steadily halted the onslaught!
Watching the two figures on stage—a study in stark contrast—Mu Anqi found the scene no less dramatic than "a mantis trying to stop a chariot." The catch? This "mantis" had actually stood its ground against the "chariot" and forced it to a dead stop! "His ability… is it related to strength?"
Besides innate Herculean power, Mu Anqi couldn't think of any other explanation. And in the moments that followed, Wu Zhouzi proceeded to give the wide-eyed Giant Bear warrior a masterclass in skill and artistry.
With the Fangtian Halberd in hand—though not facing multiple opponents this time—his fluid and precise halberd techniques relentlessly drove the Giant Bear warrior back, step by step. Raw power? Technical skill? Agility? It was a comprehensive, overwhelming domination.
A flash of cold gleam. Wu Zhouzi, gripping the halberd with both hands, thrust its tip squarely against the iron-hard bear paws. He pushed off from his stance, leveraging his strength to forcibly shift the "mountain" that was the Giant Bear warrior back by over a meter. Just as the Giant Bear mustered all its strength to resist, the Fangtian Halberd in Wu Zhouzi's hands suddenly vanished! Unable to retract his force in time, the Giant Bear lost his balance and stumbled forward. In that instant, Wu Zhouzi materialized another spear. With exceptional agility, he leaped into the air, delivering a powerful kick to the spear's end, executed a graceful mid-air flip, and landed smoothly—with his back turned to his Giant Bear opponent. He didn't look back.
There was no need. The spear was already embedded in the Giant Bear's chest.
The match was over. Money Tree emerged victorious.
Having put on a spectacular show, Wu Zhouzi left the stage with flair and returned to the private box. He was thoroughly pleased with this performance. Encountering a Giant Bear opponent had been perfect—allowing him to showcase both his immense strength and his halberd skills. It was truly ideal.
Today's Feast of Extreme Bliss had clearly become a stage for the three deputy generals to shine.
As a newcomer to the Shattered Mirror Continent, how could Mu Anqi possibly know the abilities of these three deputies? Some audience members who had seen the previous Feast might have been familiar, but for Mu Anqi, it was utterly thrilling.
Then came Zhao Fanluo, who exuded the aura of a heroic woman. Taking the stage for the next match after Wu Zhouzi, she was equally composed. Off-stage, she seemed like a kind, understanding older sister, but the moment the match began… her opponent's shadow began to subtly distort. As for Zhao Fanluo? She cast no shadow.
To be honest, her opponent in this match wasn't weak. The Shadow Wolf Tribe possessed considerable innate talent for shadow manipulation. But facing Zhao Fanluo, it became clear that not everyone could fully master the power of shadows.
Black mist, shadows, annihilation!
While the opponent's own shadow restrained his movements, Zhao Fanluo's form instantly dissolved into black mist, closing in. The moment the mist made contact, she emerged from within the opponent's own shadow to strike, plunging a simple, unadorned dagger into the Shadow Wolf contestant's chest.
The Shadow Wolf hadn't even had a chance to utilize any abilities. This completely oppressive, lightning-fast approach nearly reduced the formidable wolf to a whimpering pup.
"Zhao Fanluo specializes in decapitation strikes and assassination," Ji Huaichu explained.
"I can see that," Mu Anqi replied, looking at Ji Huaichu. 'So, not all the ghosts under General Ji are at Xia Fenghua's level', she thought. 'There are truly powerful ones here!'
With two colleagues having already flaunted their skills spectacularly, Deputy General Li Bolian was also holding back a competitive fire. As regulars who never missed a Feast of Extreme Bliss, they rarely elicited gasps of surprise from the audience anymore—they were familiar faces, after all. But now? A stunning performance on stage guaranteed Mu Anqi's astonished and admiring reactions. Who wouldn't want to seize another moment in the spotlight under those circumstances?
Mu Anqi began to look forward to Deputy General Li's ability.
In this round—who knows if it was Deputy General Li's luck, or perhaps Xia Fenghua's poor luck in drawing the lots—but in any case, Deputy General Li drew the "Blood Feather" faction.
Fortunately, if it had been Brocade Rivers or Illusionary Dreamland, Deputy General Li might have gone to have a "chat" with Xia Fenghua before the match even started.
Just from the name and their abilities, one could tell that the Blood Feather faction was, to some extent, also a bane for the ghosts and monsters of the Mingdu. After all… what blood do ghosts like those in the Taiyin have? Even if they did, having it all drained wouldn't stop them from being lively and vigorous.
Li Bolian stepped onto the stage calmly. As long as Blood Feather didn't directly send their BOSS, she was certain to win this match. It was just… a pity. If she were fighting against the Mingdu, she could have shown off her skills, as her blade technique was quite excellent. But now, facing the Blood Feather faction, and to be on the safe side…
The moment the match began, Li Bolian stared directly at her opponent. The color of her pupils instantly shifted to an extremely pale gray; if you didn't look carefully, you might even think only the whites of her eyes remained. "Look at me!—"
A sharp shout exploded through the air. The ghost from the Blood Feather faction instinctively looked up and met Li Bolian's eyes. In that instant, time on the arena seemed to freeze solid.
"Idiot!" The Ghost King of Blood Feather couldn't help but curse aloud. He had just reminded them—if the opponent sent Li Bolian, under no circumstances should they make eye contact! "Imbecile!" One curse wasn't enough; he added another for good measure.
Intimidation! Illusion!
The moment the Blood Feather ghost was stunned, he experienced just a brief daze. Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in his back. With great difficulty, he turned his head to find Li Bolian somehow standing behind him, her long blade ruthlessly carving a path down his spine as if she were skinning him alive.
In the next moment after his scream, the scene changed again. He watched helplessly as a long blade swept down, cleanly severing his arm, then chopping off his legs! He couldn't understand how Li Bolian possessed such immense strength, nor why this blade was so sharp. He tried to use his ability, but was ultimately overwhelmed and eroded by heart-piercing agony.
And all of this, in reality, happened in just an instant.
Therefore, when the real next second arrived and Li Bolian lunged forward to close the distance, the Blood Feather ghost, "waking" from the illusion, couldn't distinguish illusion from reality at all. He stood there dumbly, staring blankly at his charging opponent like a broken puppet, rooted to the spot like a complete fool.
"Ah—"
Even when excruciating pain assaulted him again, he still couldn't tell which wave of agony was truly inflicted by the real match.
He hadn't even managed to utilize one percent of his own ability. Such was the terror of ghosts specializing in mental and illusionary attacks.
The match was over. Money Tree emerged victorious.
From the audience's perspective, this match wasn't particularly thrilling. After all, the Blood Feather ghost had basically stood there like a wooden post from the moment he stepped on stage, completely defenseless. Those unaware might think he was throwing the match, delivering himself as a kill so blatantly he couldn't even be bothered to pretend. But for those in the know…
Mu Anqi offered up a fresh wave of astonished admiration! So General Ji also had talent specializing in illusions under her command! In that moment, Mu Anqi suddenly felt a surge of pride. Her understanding of their faction's strength had risen to a whole new level.
As for the Illusionary Dreamland side? Ghost King Yu Chuhan felt somewhat helpless. After all, she had tried to recruit Li Bolian back in the day, but… who knows what kind of bewitching potion Ji Huaichu had fed her? She had managed to rope Li Bolian in, making her work for her all these years.
Li Bolian's special abilities all lay in her unique, extraordinary eyes. And what she could accomplish wasn't limited to just creating illusions to instantly restrain opponents; causing direct mental damage was also within her power. If it truly came down to a life-or-death moment, Li Bolian's combat effectiveness would skyrocket even further!
To think she was such a promising and potential-filled general… Yu Chuhan was deeply pained.
As time passed, the various factions stopped holding back, deploying their trump cards into the matches. The Mingdu side also buckled down, pulling out all the stops and preparing for the matches with utmost seriousness.
In stark contrast to the intensely tense atmosphere among the other factions, things on Mu Anqi's side…
Were quite relaxed.
He Guxia's inclusion had significantly alleviated the pressure on Ji Huaichu. With the three deputy generals still in the running, plus Ji Huaichu and He Guxia themselves, the Money Tree faction was clearly positioned to go much further.
It was just that the Illusionary Dreamland side was particularly tricky. Fighting them was truly mentally exhausting. One couldn't relax their focus for a single moment during the entire match, or the tables would turn instantly. At times like these, the value of Wu Sansheng's "Absolute Rationality" became increasingly apparent.
"I'm starting to look forward to seeing you take the stage, General," Mu Anqi couldn't help but whisper as the competition heated up. "Facing Lady Red, or other Ghost Kings… that would be amazing."
Whether Ji Huaichu fought fiercely against Lady Red or clashed with the Ghost Kings of Blood Feather, Illusionary Dreamland, or the "Can't-Think-of-a-Name" faction, Mu Anqi felt it would undoubtedly be spectacular.
"…We won't be fighting to the death," Ji Huaichu replied, sounding somewhat resigned. As for facing Lady Red…? Last Feast of Extreme Bliss, Ji Huaichu had narrowly lost to her, but this time was different. Her strength had improved further. Combined with the boost from her little money tree's anticipation, Ji Huaichu thought, this time… she absolutely had to win.
This past year, Ji Huaichu's life had undergone earth-shaking changes. Her cold, quiet general's manor had gained a new master. The abandoned games had been rebuilt. Clearing the Black Mirror Vortices was no longer dull and tedious… Even she herself had changed profoundly.
Ji Huaichu looked at Mu Anqi beside her, her gaze growing increasingly tender. As a Ghost King, whether in her previous life or this one, Ji Huaichu had never imagined she would encounter a partner like this. If she considered the heavens' first mercy was allowing her to take revenge as a ghost and enter the Shattered Mirror Continent, then she thought, their second mercy was probably that performance at the Taiyin Circus. To have reached today… how incredibly fortunate she, Ji Huaichu, was.
Calming her emotions, Ji Huaichu glanced at Mu Anqi, who was watching the match intently, then secretly looked towards Zhao Qianluo, giving her deputy a meaningful look. It was at that moment that both Wu Zhouzi and Zhao Qianluo subtly nodded back at Ji Huaichu.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.