What's this phrase "the blink of an eye turns an old hen into a duck" all about? This is exactly it.
It might not be entirely accurate to say an old hen turned into a duck. But when a cooked duck has flown the coop, only to be replaced by a fresh, spicy Tyrannosaurus Rex, Tianshi'ao found it hard to accept this shocking reality.
Reality, after all, is reality; he had no choice but to accept it, whether he liked it or not. Rather, while he was extremely unwilling to admit it, he accepted the outcome almost immediately. Then he turned around and left.
The Art of War states, "Retreat is not dishonorable…" Although the original saying didn't quite mean this, the Five Wheels Book states clearly: If you know there's trouble and still charge in recklessly, that's not fighting, that's serving yourself up on a platter.
Even the Yaksha Shizhou of old never fought a battle he wasn't sure of winning.
The enemy leveled up in the blink of an eye? What kind of damned logic was that?
The events unfolding before his eyes were too fantastical. It was hard to tell whether Tianshi'ao was naturally cautious or if the shadow Ye Xueya had left in the past was so immense that even now, with the Miracle Imprint in hand, Tianshi'ao had no intention of fighting to the death. He turned to leave, swift as the wind.
He spread his great wings and, with a couple of flaps, was about to flee, only to realize it was too late.
As Ye Xueya completed her advancement, the gloomy clouds over Ginza were slashed apart by piercing starlight and vanished without a trace. In their place, the North Dipper hung high, shedding its cold, iron-like light.
"Is the Dongxia Genealogy so sure of defeating us?"
Tianshi'ao turned back, his cold gaze fixed on Ye Xueya, unable to resist scoffing, "For the great Heavenly Court to resort to such despicable means over a piece of Hell... truly a disgrace."
By now, how could he not understand the Dongxia Genealogy's plan?
Even if I hadn't come, this trap was likely set for the Deer's Sing Hall. One could imagine: the people from the Yingzhou Phylogeny would fight tooth and nail to break in here, hoping to foil the Social Security Bureau's plans, only to despairingly find an unscathed Third Stage at Grand Completion lying in wait. Then, after they had played all their trump cards, they'd have the pleasure of facing Ye Xueya's power-up.
The only Fourth Stage in a competition with restricted entry!
At that point, whether Xiematai descended into chaos or not would be entirely her decision, wouldn't it?
"Speaking of underhandedness, isn't it a case of the pot calling the kettle black?"
Ye Xueya, hearing this, immediately began to mock, "I didn't ask you to come serve yourselves up on a platter. Besides, the competition rules are clear, and everyone started on the same footing. It wasn't us who broke the rules and brought in a Fourth Stage. Do you lot even have the nerve to call others despicable?"
Her words sounded magnificent and righteous, but every character practically screamed 'predator.' On Tianshi'ao's crow-like mask, his red eyes narrowed as he gave an enraged sneer.
"—I am nothing but a barbarian too!"
Even if the Chinese Nobility were incompetent and devoid of virtue, their upbringing from childhood was nonetheless of the strictest, highest caliber. His reply was a direct quote from an ancient Dongxia text.
It was unclear if his reply was aimed at Ye Xueya or was a mockery of the Dongxia Genealogy.
In the thirty-fifth year, Chu attacked Sui. Sui proclaimed, "I am without guilt!" Chu retorted, "I am but a barbarian!"
If you're determined to condemn someone, you'll never lack a pretext, will you? Beneath the veneer of splendor and integrity, who was truly cleaner than anyone else?
"Well said!"
Ye Xueya applauded in admiration. "I only discovered today that you, Stone Boat, actually have some backbone. But no matter how much you argue, might still makes right. I, however, prefer a different saying."
She paused for a moment, then spoke earnestly,
"—In e-sports, being a noob is the original sin!"
At that instant, the North Dipper hung high. Its harsh starlight burst forth from Ye Xueya's fingertips. The Soul Ability, having undergone a Metamorphosis after integrating two Stigmas, was ignited by the power of the North Dipper.
If her former power was 'Li,' the separation of all things, then this was 'Can Shang,' the fated impossibility of meeting!
The flames of the Ten Grip Sword surged, and it swung down in a flash.
From Ye Xueya's fingertips to Tianshi'ao's feet, a straight fissure silently appeared. This mark, as if it had been there from the dawn of time, slowly widened, spreading past Tianshi'ao's location and continuing backward, in an instant covering all of Ginza.
A straight fissure silently spread, and an unsettlingly cold wind erupted from within. But before the chilling breeze could sweep through, Tianshi'ao had already fiercely launched an Offensive!
The Crow Tengu's speed was fully unleashed, complemented by the Ten Grip Sword's indomitable, fierce might. Yet, for a time, he couldn't get the better of the newly advanced Ye Xueya.
The Miracle Imprint placed an immense drain on the Stigma. Even though he didn't need to invest any Source Substance, this excessively vast Divine Nature was not a weapon a Sublimator could wield lightly.
For Ye Xueya, it was still an undeniable threat!
Even if one couldn't see the originally earth-shattering columns of fire, if struck by this sword, imbued with endless lightning and raging fire, the consequences would undoubtedly be dire.
Alright then, the key is not to get hit.
Ye Xueya raised her hand, still performing 'Can Shang'!
The stars in the Sky Dome turned, their light cascading down. An immense repulsive force instantly surged between her and Tianshi'ao. No matter how Tianshi'ao struggled, he couldn't close the distance.
The North Dipper, pivot of creation itself!
Under the control of Tian Shu, the two were projected into the domains of the Shen and Shang Mansions, fated never to meet again!
Tianshi'ao roared, his hands lifting the Sword Blade towards the sky.
The flames blazed like a torch as he slashed!
A scorching bolt of lightning streaked across the celestial sphere where the constellations moved, causing the North Dipper's rotation to pause for an instant. The impact of the divine power smashed a brutal fissure into the starry sky.
Most of the repelling force dissipated.
However, Ye Xueya had already closed in, smiling.
"So cautious, aren't we?"
She said, "Don't worry, this version of the North Dipper has been nerfed. It's not strong."
But her fingers, following her words, had already swept forward, carrying the fate of separation, the sundering of all existence.
One of Tianshi'ao's arms suddenly flew off, yet the stump showed no wound, no trace of blood, as if it had been severed from birth.