Volume Twelve: Invitation to Hell, Chapter Forty-Three: Go, Jin Lin

The reaction of the crowd around us goes without saying. I heard the most synchronized gasp I have ever encountered. It was simple: a flood dragon?!

Indeed, for an animal to cultivate into such a state—the appearance of a flood dragon—it should arguably fall into the category of an immortal being. It was truly a sight that defied all expectations.

Facing these reactions, Yaoguang remained indifferent. Jinlin was someone she had carried on her back since she was a child. In Yaoguang's eyes, Jinlin was family, not some mere spiritual artifact.

Feeling bored for a moment, Yaoguang pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit it.

Just then, she heard Xuanchen shout from the front row, "Phoenix, can you please focus?"

"Let Jinlin have some fun," Yaoguang said, taking a drag.

Accompanied by Xuanchen’s shout was the sight of Du Ping’s deathly pale face.

The appearance of Jinlin caused the nine-tailed white fox to instinctively begin to retreat. It backed away slowly; biologically speaking, it was not on the same level as a flood dragon, and the aura Jinlin exuded was immensely powerful—far beyond what a spirit entity like the nine-tailed fox could contend with.

Jinlin circled in mid-air. This was the instinct of a dragon: to bide its time and strike with precision. The nine-tailed white fox retreated step by step, its eyes fixed intently on Jinlin, pouring its entire being into defense.

"Hmph! Don't get arrogant, Phoenix. What's so great about a flood dragon?" Du Ping shouted, bordering on madness.

Yaoguang took another puff of her cigarette, not bothering to respond. To try and provoke one's opponent during a duel—how could Du Ping commit such a low-level error?

Perhaps, however, this was the deepest source of his pain.

Yaoguang wanted a fair fight, so she had not added fuel to the fire to disturb his mind.

At that exact moment, a deafening roar echoed throughout the arena. With the sound, my Jinlin shot out like an arrow.

Its massive tail swept out, slamming fiercely toward the nine-tailed white fox. With nowhere left to hide, the fox finally let out a shrill cry and rushed forward to meet the dragon.

At that moment, a chorus of synchronized gasps erupted throughout the field!

This was a brutal battle between spirit entities; each collision depleted a massive amount of spiritual energy.

Du Ping chanted incantations rapidly, his voice urgent as he spurred on the nine-tailed white fox, which had tried to retreat several times. But any incantation requires intense mental focus; even without entering a meditative state, it is a tremendous drain on one's spirit.

Less than two minutes into the fight, Du Ping’s face turned ghastly pale.

Compared to Du Ping, Yaoguang was as relaxed as could be. It must be understood that Jinlin was not an entity nourished by Yaoguang, but her spirit beast. They shared a mental connection; Yaoguang did not need to command her, for Jinlin knew exactly what to do. After all, Jinlin possessed her own physical form and soul.

Moreover, she was, after all, a flood dragon; her pride and willpower fueled a boiling desire for battle. She would not stop until she had defeated her enemy.

The struggle between two powerful spirits created something akin to a storm of energy. Now, gusts of wind swirled one after another, sending sand and stones flying.

If an ordinary person were on the scene, all they would see were two massive cyclones colliding—a spectacle that words could hardly describe.

In fact, the battle as seen through the "Heavenly Eye" was equally magnificent. Jinlin soared, swung her tail, and coiled; it was as thrilling as watching a dragon hunt down a massive beast.

The stronger the opponents, the faster the outcome is decided. In these two minutes, the nine-tailed white fox had become disheveled and wretched. Its eyes, which had originally been clear and full of spirit, were now exhausted and even appeared somewhat murky.

This was clearly a sign of a weakened soul.

Halfway through, Yaoguang saw it cast a pleading look at Du Ping, but he had become completely unhinged. He ignored everything, forcibly driving the incantations, which only made the fox’s eyes flash with anger.

There was no help for it; it was essentially a contract. The fox accepted sustenance in daily life, so it was forced to submit to the spells during such moments.

The struggle was nearing its end. The nine-tailed white fox was no match for Jinlin; even its attempts to collide were weak and powerless. Jinlin, however, grew more courageous with every strike, showing no signs of mercy. In the final clash, Jinlin’s dragon tail slammed ruthlessly into the fox’s head.

With just that strike, the fox’s ethereal form dimmed significantly. After all, they were not creatures of flesh and blood; their injuries would not manifest as wounds, but rather as a fading of their existence.

At this, Jinlin let out a majestic roar and lunged, intending to bite the fox’s throat. Do not think that spirit entities cannot vanish; in truth, besides their own magnetic fields, they contain a core of energy that can even devour other souls to strengthen themselves.

Yaoguang tossed her cigarette butt away, knowing Jinlin meant to consume it. But at the final moment, Yaoguang stopped her. It was not out of excessive mercy, but because she knew that the cultivation of animal immortals was no easy feat. There was no need to annihilate it completely.

Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life.

Jinlin looked at Yaoguang and let out a low growl. She didn't bite down, but instead coiled her body around the nine-tailed white fox.

Like a cat playing with a mouse, she didn't eat it, but she wouldn't let it go either.

At this point, deafening cheers erupted from the crowd, celebrating Jinlin’s magnificent performance.

Yaoguang couldn't be bothered with them. She spoke directly to the pale-faced Du Ping, "You’ve lost. Let it go back."

Du Ping glared at Yaoguang with hatred but said nothing. Instead, he viciously began to chant another spell.

In that instant, Yaoguang saw a flash of despair in the nine-tailed white fox’s eyes. The next moment, driven by the incantation, it broke free from Jinlin’s grip. Its ethereal form dimmed to the point of near-invisibility, and the field was suddenly filled with thick mist!

One must know that immortals possess divine arts, and the fox’s specialty was creating illusions for bewitchment.

Yaoguang had never expected Du Ping to be this insane. While the fox was so weak, he had disregarded everything for the sake of victory, forcing it to unleash its charm technique. This was the fox’s final resort; if not careful, the creature would be destroyed, and Du Ping himself would suffer a violent backlash.

After unleashing the charm, the nine-tailed white fox collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

It lay there in such a state of exhaustion that, in reality, its soul was too weak to function.

For the fox to survive this ordeal after Du Ping took such a risk was a stroke of incredible luck.

But Yaoguang had no mind to worry about the fox now. Being trapped in an illusion is the most dangerous state for a spirit entity; one wrong step and it could lose its true nature or fall into eternal confusion.

While Jinlin’s physical form was trapped in the illusion, she could not be communicated with. At this moment, Yaoguang began to chant.

Yaoguang’s voice rang out: "Jinlin!"

Jinlin let out a dragon’s roar and soared into the sky. *Swish, swish—* a torrential rain poured down from the heavens. Without any earth-shattering noise, the mist was washed away by the downpour. Jinlin’s momentum remained undiminished, and she lunged toward the fox in a rage, only to be stopped short by Yaoguang’s sharp command. She forced the dragon to pivot and head straight for Du Ping.

In that instant, Yaoguang shouted, "Du Ping, do you concede?"

At the same time, Jinlin’s tail was less than three inches from Du Ping’s forehead!

Du Ping roared with bloodshot eyes, "Phoenix, I concede this round, but do you dare to fight me again?"

Jinlin’s aura clearly exerted immense pressure on him; his expression showed fear, and his face grew even paler.

Technically, since he had conceded, I should have recalled Jinlin, but Yaoguang was doing it on purpose. She despised Du Ping. "What did you say?"

Du Ping was so angered by Yaoguang that his expression shifted. In the next moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood and shouted even louder, "I concede, but do you dare to wager on another duel with me?"

As soon as his words fell, a wave of jeers erupted from the crowd.

Yet Yaoguang ignored them and asked, "Why?" But in her heart, she had already made up her mind. Yes, she had her eyes on that nine-tailed fox of his.

"Because you are relying on the power of a flood dragon; it proves nothing about your own abilities. You don't even need to chant or exert your own power to drive it. Do you dare to have a fair wager?" Du Ping shouted.

"Give me a stake that can convince me," Yaoguang tilted her head.

"Don't worry, the stake will satisfy you. I’m taking it back first; if I don't nourish it, its soul might dissipate." Du Ping was referring to the nine-tailed white fox. Yaoguang nodded. In truth, these grievances had nothing to do with the fox itself; for it to end up in this state without dying was the best of a bad situation. As they spoke, Du Ping began to weave a hand seal to recall the fox.

Yaoguang also recalled Jinlin, who transformed back into her slender form and coiled around Yaoguang’s arm.

Du Ping retrieved the fox and the soul-nourishing jar as well.

Having finished these trivial matters, Du Ping turned to Yaoguang and said, "Phoenix, what is done today is finished today. I will give you your stake now."

As he spoke, Du Ping reached for his life-bound sword.

"Wait, keep it for now. We’ll settle everything after the next round. For the next match, I want your nine-tailed white fox. And the next round will be a fight to the death." Yaoguang paused, then continued, "A duel of pure skill and power, no external objects or artifacts allowed. What do you think?"

Du Ping was stunned for a moment, then said, "Fine, I agree. If you win, I will give you my life-bound sword, the nine-tailed white fox, and my life."

"I have no interest in your life. A fight to the death means until one of us is finished. You’ve misunderstood," Yaoguang shook her head.

Du Ping was clearly taken aback; he didn't understand why Yaoguang wanted a death match. But after a moment of shock, he wore a smile and said, "Fine. See you in an hour."

There was nothing left to say. Yaoguang turned and walked away. An hour, plenty of time to grab a meal.

Once off the field, Yaoguang asked, "Did you guys bet on me to win?"

"Needless to say!" Jiang Yun replied.

"How much did you bet, and how much did you make?"

"Hmm, we each bet ten thousand, and each made two thousand," Jiang Yun said solemnly.

"Great! That’s enough for hotpot," Yaoguang laughed.

This duel had also brought in some income for the two organizations. After all, not to mention the ticket sales, they were the ones running the stalls, and one could tell from their expressions that they had made a tidy profit. Thus, they turned on their loudspeakers to advertise the next duel.