# Chapter 2138: Ice Heart Nine Mysteries (Part 1)
"This poor girl was probably ordered by that old witch to make an example of you directly."
Dian Luohou said flatly: "Go ahead. No need to show mercy towards the old witch's underlings."
His referring to Shen Wuyi as a "poor girl" sounded perfectly natural to anyone. Being a Divine Successor in another divine kingdom would be an honor that brings lifelong glory. But being chosen as a Divine Successor by Shen Wuyanyu... one could only say how pitiful that was.
The previous generation Divine Maiden of Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, Shen Wuqing, no matter when one saw her, exuded a bone-chilling gloom and melancholy. The only warmth she ever experienced in this mortal world probably came from the arrogant, fearless Pan Buwang who "rose to the challenge" back then.
And now, her bones were not yet cold... oh no, in Shen Wuyanyu's eyes, she had committed a "heinous mistake" and refused to admit her fault even unto death. Whether she could even keep her corpse intact was still unknown.
Dian Jiuzhi soared into the air, as light as a feather from a wild swan, landing gracefully and elegantly within the barrier.
Although Dian Luohou had instructed him not to show mercy towards the Eternal Night woman, his ingrained refinement still made him offer a slight bow: "Dian Jiuzhi of Senluo. It is my great honor to personally experience the demeanor of the new Eternal Night Divine Maiden."
Shen Wuyi said nothing, only gently moved her jade wrist.
Ding!
A crimson dark light flashed by, and a long, slender sword had appeared in Shen Wuyi's hand.
The hilt was pitch-black, the blade four feet long, also pitch-black, engraved with dark red patterns. Red light flickered and flowed faintly, like countless blood-colored eyes silently watching the world in the dead of night.
Meng Jianxi quietly explained to Yun Che: "This sword is the Divine Son sword of the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom. Its original name was 'Crimson Eye', but after Shen Wuyanyu became the Divine Venerable, she changed it to a thoroughly vulgar name."
"The Heartsever Sword."
Yun Che: "..."
Meng Jianxi seemed to share Yun Che's speechless reaction and continued: "The Eternal Night Divine Kingdom has another Divine Son weapon called 'Void Moon Bathing', a very ornate space-piercing dagger imbued with spatial force. Now Shen Wuyanyu has renamed it the 'Heart-Shattering Dagger'."
He shook his head, a look of regret on his face.
The Grand Priest raised his hand, and a bronze-colored profound light shone in his palm: "Shen Wuyi of Eternal Night, cultivation at Divine Annihilation Realm Level 6. Dian Jiuzhi of Senluo, cultivation at Divine Annihilation Realm Level 8. In this battle, Dian Jiuzhi must receive the Xuanhuang Seal to balance his profound strength level with Shen Wuyi's."
"I beg the Grand Priest's trouble," Dian Jiuzhi turned and bowed.
But then, a cold, indifferent voice suddenly rang in his ear: "No need."
Dian Jiuzhi slightly turned his head, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then some laughed softly, others shook their heads in disbelief, while Dian Luohou burst into laughter without regard for the occasion.
"Hahaha! This girl... how interesting, hahaha!"
"Hmm? What does the Eternal Night Divine Maiden mean?" Meng Jianxi frowned deeply. "Does she intend to fight against Dian Jiuzhi without his realms being suppressed? Does she know who she's facing? Has she lost her mind?"
"...?" Yun Che's brow furrowed with doubt, and it took a long time to relax.
With a brief expression of surprise, Dian Jiuzhi neither mocked nor became angry. Instead, he calmly said: "The Eternal Night Divine Maiden has long resided in her divine kingdom, and this is our first meeting today, so naturally, you know very little about me."
"I am Dian Jiuzhi, aged fifty-two jiazi, cultivation at Divine Annihilation Realm Level 8. In terms of the profound path, I have the advantage of fifty-one jiazi of foundation and understanding. In terms of physique, I possess the Great Desolate Divine Meridian, which is highly compatible with my Senluo's Senluo Myriad Arts."
"In other words, even if my realm is suppressed to the same level as yours, I still hold a great advantage in both the profound path and physique... oh, or rather, it would be more accurate to say I hold a great benefit."
He did not hide or evade anything, but frankly and directly informed Shen Wuyi of the advantages he naturally possessed.
"Therefore, I ask the Eternal Night Divine Maiden to reconsider her words."
However, Dian Jiuzhi's well-intentioned words did not move Shen Wuyi's expression in the slightest. When she opened her lips, her words were as cold and indifferent as before: "I said, no need."
The yellow light in the Grand Priest's palm dissipated. He would not offer any advice. In a deep voice, he said: "Since that is the case, the Xuanhuang Seal will not be applied. This battle begins!"
Once the Grand Priest's words fell, there was no turning back... it seemed even the Grand Priest did not favor the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom.
Dian Jiuzhi swallowed the words he had wanted to say. Facing Shen Wuyi, he sighed inwardly, placed his right hand behind his back, and slowly raised his left hand.
"I have advantages in age, realm, and physique, so winning would not be honorable. Compared to the outcome of this battle, I would rather personally experience and witness the extraordinary grace of the Eternal Night Divine Maiden with my own eyes. That alone would make this journey worthwhile and this battle not in vain."
"Then let the Eternal Night Divine Maiden attack first for ten breaths. After ten breaths, I will switch to offense."
Ten breaths... at the Divine Annihilation Realm, attacking first for ten breaths was an extraordinarily generous concession.
If the Abyss did not know Dian Jiuzhi's character and his unaltered demeanor... if anyone else had said the same thing, it would only have been understood as utter contempt.
"Hahaha, not bad." Dian Luohou laughed again, then said to the younger generation beside him: "Jiuzhi's words not only display our Senluo's grace, leaving no handle for criticism, but also subtly humiliate the Eternal Night women thoroughly, making it hard for them to even find excuses after their defeat."
Dian Sansi, however, said: "I think that what Brother Jiuzhi said is exactly what he meant. He wants the Eternal Night Divine Maiden to fully display her grace within those ten breaths for the Abyss Emperor and everyone to see. Perhaps she can astonish everyone and make a name for herself in the Abyss. That way, even if she loses, this trip to the Pure Land won't be in vain."
After saying this, he added: "Brother Jiuzhi has always been like this. Whether it's someone familiar or someone he meets for the first time, he habitually offers kindness."
His smile froze, and Dian Luohou shook his head: "Ah, this pedantic side of his is truly hard to change."
Shen Wuyi said nothing. She slowly raised the sword in her hand, the tip pointing at Dian Jiuzhi, who had one hand behind his back and had not yet drawn his weapon. The red marks on the sword blade gradually took on a dangerous depth.
At that moment, Yun Che quietly shifted his gaze to the black palanquin shrouded in cold, oppressive silence.
From beginning to end, Shen Wuyanyu had shown no reaction at all.
Even as everyone secretly laughed, sneered, and Dian Luohou laughed heartily, the legendary terrifying temperament of the Wuming Divine Venerable remained eerily quiet.
Yun Che understood very well what the Great Desolate Divine Meridian meant.
It brought far more than just physical strength; it also made one's profound strength far more vast and heavy than ordinary people, far surpassing those of the same realm.
Even she... Divine Annihilation Realm Level 6, could she truly be capable of defeating Dian Jiuzhi, who was at Divine Annihilation Realm Level 8 and also possessed the Great Desolate Divine Meridian?
The Grand Priest's eyelids drooped slightly, as if he disdained to even look directly at the upcoming battle.
His understanding of the Great Desolate Divine Meridian far surpassed Yun Che's.
The Eternal Night Divine Maiden's absurd words in the face of the Great Desolate Divine Meridian were simply laughable.
Just then, a faint, ethereal voice reached his ear:
"Huang, watch this girl closely."
"...!" The Grand Priest's gaze suddenly sharpened.
Ding!
Shen Wuyi struck. The Heartsever Sword drew an extremely straight crimson line, carrying her figure as it stabbed straight at Dian Jiuzhi.
But in the next instant, that crimson line abruptly stopped short in front of Dian Jiuzhi.
Dian Jiuzhi's two fingers gently pinched, and between his fingers was the tip of the Heartsever Sword, radiating terrifying cold light.
It simply hovered in midair, unable to advance another inch.
At the same time, Shen Wuyi's figure was also frozen in place.
Dian Jiuzhi's expression remained unchanged. The two fingers holding the sword tip showed no profound light, not even a single scratch or drop of blood.
The young profound practitioners who were witnessing Dian Jiuzhi's strength for the first time all let out gasps of surprise.
Because the sword of Shen Wuyi carried the terrifying profound power of the Divine Annihilation Realm Level 6.
Shen Wuyi's gaze did not change. Her figure turned sharply, and the Heartsever Sword drew a crimson moon afterimage. The extremely piercing sound of tearing seemed to split the space at the top of Eden.
Ding!
With a soft ring, Dian Jiuzhi's left hand appeared in front of his forehead. The extended single finger touched the tip of the sword. Without any other movement, it instantly erased the terrifying crimson line.
Shen Wuyi's figure changed again. Like a startling swan's shadow, she spun and retreated. The Heartsever Sword suddenly flashed with crimson light, instantly sending out dozens of sword traces. Each one carried the unreserved power of the Divine Annihilation Realm Level 6.
The crimson traces, some like a waning moon, some like bloody shadows, interwove into a net, completely enveloping the space around Dian Jiuzhi. The terrible power caused the space to whimper, making even the profound practitioners outside the barrier feel a chill throughout their bodies.
However, Dian Jiuzhi still stood in place, not moving an inch. His expression remained as calm as before.
His right hand was still behind his back, and only his left hand swept out blurry afterimages. His five fingers moved as fast as illusions, yet without any trace of panic, losing none of his elegance. Like a butterfly flitting among flowers, they wandered through the sword shadows.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding...
When his fingers touched the sword, they made a dense, continuous metallic collision sound. Each sound precisely corresponded to a sword shadow. The terrifying crimson traces all shattered at the sound between his fingers.
From beginning to end, let alone leaving a wound on his body, they didn't even stir his robes.
Sounds of amazement and sharp intakes of breath rose and fell throughout the field.
"Sigh..."
Meng Jianxi took a long breath and exclaimed: "I thought earlier that Shen Wuyi's cultivation at the Divine Annihilation Realm Level 6 was more than ninety percent likely forcibly pushed up by the Wuming Divine Venerable's terrible obsession, and thus just an empty shell. But now it seems she is genuinely a solid Level 6 Divine Annihilation!"
"Even through the barrier, I felt those sword shadows piercing my body."
"Comparing them like this... Dian Jiuzhi's level of terror needs to be reassessed."
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Meng Jianxi lowered his voice and said: "His Great Desolate Divine Meridian has clearly undergone an even higher level of awakening not long ago... The power of the Divine Annihilation Realm Level 6 is like a child before him."
Yun Che did not answer. He again turned his gaze to the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom.
What he saw was still only a suffocating coldness and indifference.
Ding ding ding ding ding ding...
Shen Wuyi attacked again and again, round after round, all blocked by Dian Jiuzhi with one hand... as Meng Jianxi had said, like a strong man playing with a child. The disparity was so great that the spectators gradually lost interest.
Xianyue withdrew his gaze, constantly glancing behind him.
"No need to worry," Wu Shenyue said. "Xing'er will naturally return once she has resolved her matters."
Xianyue came to his senses, thought for a moment, and couldn't help but say: "Although there has always been a friendship between Sha Xing and Pan Buwang, I always feel... something unknown and hostile happened between them."
The words "Mist Emperor" inexplicably appeared in his mind, but he quickly brushed them away and instead asked: "Master, after today, will Pan Buwang become the Xiaodie Divine Son again?"
"Absolutely impossible," Wu Shenyue's answer was exactly the same as Meng Kongchan's response to Yun Che.
"Why?" Xianyue was puzzled... what he didn't understand was the word "absolutely" in "absolutely impossible."
Wu Shenyue said faintly and calmly: "He did things too absolutely, so fear is certain. Since he is afraid, naturally he will not allow it to happen."
Wu Shenxing turned his gaze and explained: "Simply put, Pan Buzhuo did things too ruthlessly and decisively. Aside from not daring to kill Pan Buwang, he probably used every malicious method he could think of. If it were just one person, that might be fine, but to pledge allegiance to the new Divine Son, many people either willingly or unwillingly became accomplices."
"Among them, although the Qiheng Divine Venerable merely ignored and connived, he may have caused the greatest harm to Pan Buwang."
"In the end, you also know the result. If he hadn't been expelled from the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, he would have chosen soul annihilation in despair and collapse."
"Then, for someone who was treated like that and pushed to the brink of annihilation... no matter how well he is compensated later, no matter how well he behaves outwardly, who can be sure that the resentment in his heart has truly dissipated?"
"If so, if he were to return to the position of Divine Son and later inherit divine power... his deeply hidden resentment would erupt without restraint, and perhaps the first one he would crush would be Pan Yusheng."
"...I see," Xianyue seemed to understand.
"Although he cannot be made a Divine Son again, the Qiheng Divine Venerable will definitely bring Pan Buwang back to the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom and then spare no effort to repair the relationship."
Xianyue thought for a moment and said: "Is it because of the Abyss Emperor, and... for fear of him becoming an uncontrollable disaster?"
"Those are indeed two of the reasons," Wu Shenxing narrowed his eyes slightly. "There is perhaps one more important reason..."
Wu Shenyue said faintly: "The Pan Yuan Severed Night—that is a Dark Soul Domain enough to be eternally inherited in the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom. And a perfect Dark Body... tsk, if one could uncover its mysteries, perhaps one could find a way to achieve it. This Pan Yusheng's heart probably left long ago. If not for the presence of the Abyss Emperor, he would have been unable to wait to leave the Pure Land and take Pan Buwang back personally."
Zheng!
Suddenly, a deafening cry of space came from the battlefield.
The Heartsever Sword in Shen Wuyi's hand trembled violently. The crimson light converged, then slowly gathered into a solidified, substantial crimson sword aura.
She turned her body slightly. The slender sword body bent like a bow, then suddenly shot out. A crimson streak of light appeared in the air, cleanly cutting the world in the eyes of the spectators in two.
This sword seemed to have exhausted all of Shen Wuyi's strength.
Dian Jiuzhi's gaze finally showed a very slight change. He slightly raised his left arm, but this time instead of touching with his fingers, he opened his five fingers and, under many surprised gazes, directly grabbed at the crimson sword aura approaching him.
Chi chi chi chi chi chi—
A terrible sound of tearing erupted in Dian Jiuzhi's palm, bursting into countless twisted, short red lines.
Dian Jiuzhi's expression remained calm. His five fingers slowly closed, and the red lines quickly annihilated and scattered between his fingers, gradually leaving only a few faint remnants of light.
Chii la!!
The sword aura was not yet exhausted, and Shen Wuyi's shadow suddenly appeared at the side. The sword light shining from the Heartsever Sword in her hand was even stronger than the sword aura from before.
This time, Dian Jiuzhi finally moved. His body stepped back, and his right hand, which had been behind his back, also grabbed out flatly. The movement seemed light and slow, but it precisely grasped the sword body. A flash of silver-white profound light burst from his body.
Boom!!
With a loud noise, the sword aura and sword light instantly dissipated.
Dian Jiuzhi's body flipped backward, then like a falling leaf on a gentle breeze, he lightly landed on the ground.
In front of him, Shen Wuyi retreated several miles away in an instant. Only when her sword stabbed into the ground, cutting a hundred-zhang long scar, did she finally stop her momentum.
Ten breaths had passed, and Dian Jiuzhi was unharmed.
In the eyes of the spectators, this battle would thus come to an end.
Dian Jiuzhi lowered his head, glanced at the slightly ruffled corner of his robe, and let out a heartfelt praise: "To be honest, Eternal Night Divine Maiden, I initially had doubts about your cultivation base. I thought it was hastily achieved and unstable. I didn't expect to be so mistaken. I am deeply ashamed."
"At an age of one jiazi, at the Divine Annihilation Realm Level 6... the Eternal Night Divine Maiden's talent in the profound path is far beyond my reach. If we were the same age, I wouldn't even have the qualification to face you."
"Alas." Dian Luohou covered his face and sighed heavily: "I told you, no need to be courteous to the Eternal Night witch. Alas, alas, alas!"
Dian Sansi, however, had an expression of respect and admiration: "Brother Jiuzhi's nature is like this. How could it change depending on the person?"
Suddenly, his heart twitched, and his gaze involuntarily shifted, slanting toward the direction Yun Che was in.
Such a good Brother Jiuzhi could actually be... could actually...
Dian Jiuzhi's words were undoubtedly sincere praise for Shen Wuyi, and also gave her enough face, so that even if she was utterly defeated afterwards, she would preserve her dignity to the greatest extent.
But her response to him was just four words as cold as ice: "Too much nonsense."
Dian Jiuzhi sighed softly, smiled resignedly, and raised his hand again. White light flowed between his fingers.
An invisible formidable momentum slowly spread.
Ten breaths was the kindness he had given Shen Wuyi under the certainty of his victory.
But little did he know, in Shen Wuyi's eyes, she simply disdained this "advantage" of him only defending and not attacking for ten breaths.
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