“Bang—pff—”
Hu Jiaojiao descended from the sky like a war god. A violent flash of gold erupted—and by the time Fa Hua and Lan Ge could register what had happened, Tie Yiran had already been flung sideways.
They had been watching intently, yet all they caught was that single blur of golden light and shadow. When their vision cleared, Tie Yiran lay thrown aside, his otherwise sturdy tail crisscrossed with more than a dozen wounds—the deepest nearly severing it.
“I… I admit defeat.” Tie Yiran lay on the ground, his voice little more than a dying breath.
“Trash. You lasted even less than last time!” Hu Jiaojiao said disdainfully. “Who’s next?”
Under those tiger eyes, the crowd fell silent. No one dared step forward. Most kept their heads lowered, afraid of being noticed by the Princess.
This is a Martial Matchmaking? The Demon Race really is… different!
Fa Hua and Lan Ge both had second thoughts. They had never imagined their physical strength could rival Tie Yiran’s. If struck by one of Hu Jiaojiao’s tiger claws…
“What should we do?” Lan Ge asked Fa Hua in a low voice.
Before Fa Hua could answer, a chill ran through them, followed by a searing pressure that seemed to press directly on their spirits. When they looked up, Hu Jiaojiao’s tiger eyes were fixed on them with keen interest.
“Fair-skinned. Newcomers?” Hu Jiaojiao grinned. “You look so much like humans—you must be pretty strong. Come. Which one of you wants to step up?”
So they were being singled out.
Lan Ge instinctively nudged Fa Hua and took a step back.
“Scheming will help?” Fa Hua said coolly. “If she beats me, won’t you feel it too? Childish.”
“You?” Hu Jiaojiao’s gaze locked onto Fa Hua.
“Your Highness, we truly are humans,” Fa Hua said solemnly. “Isn’t this Martial Matchmaking not meant for humans? Then we would like to withdraw.”
“Your Highness?” Hu Jiaojiao froze for a heartbeat, then burst out laughing. “I like that form of address—wahahaha!”
The entire Martial Arena seemed to tremble three times.
Fa Hua and Lan Ge both felt like crying.
“Kids, since you’re here, you’ll stay,” Hu Jiaojiao said, rolling her shoulders. let this princess see how delicate you humans really are.”
She stretched her arms wide. The bones in her body let out a series of terrifying crackles.
“Wait!” Fa Hua immediately raised a hand, stopping Hu Jiaojiao just as she was about to charge.
“What?” Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes flashed, her temper flaring.
“Your Highness,” Fa Hua said calmly, “my brother and I came together out of admiration for the two Princesses. We hoped we might be chosen and ascend in a single step, and so we came to propose. We are accustomed to fighting side by side—therefore, we wish to challenge both Princesses at the same time. Would that be acceptable?”
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd. Most looked at Fa Hua as if he were a fool.
Inside his mind, Fa Hua immediately heard Lan Ge’s mix of anger and shock: Are you trying to court death? One of them is terrifying enough—now you want both?
One-on-one would be worse, Fa Hua replied calmly. Two-on-two, we have the Peerless Pearl. That gives us a chance. Besides… did you forget? We represent Humans.
At those words, Lan Ge felt a jolt. He involuntarily recalled the first time they had seen the commoners—and everything the elderly man had told them.
Humans were weak. In the Demon Domain, they were worse than livestock—enslaved by both Demons and Nymphs. Now they stood before Demon royalty bearing a Golden Bloodline. The difference was absolute. Not equals. Never equals.
Yet they represented Humans.
“All right.”
Their thoughts aligned.
Almost simultaneously, their expressions changed.
Outwardly, they were among the smallest and skinniest of the young people present. But in that instant, their eyes filled with a surging will to fight and a resolute, unyielding spirit. They were no longer intimidated by Hu Jiaojiao.
Moments earlier, in Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes, these two Humans had been no different from ants.
When Fa Hua proposed a two-on-two fight, she was first surprised, then amused, assuming it was merely a bid for attention. After all, marrying into the Tiger Demon Clan meant an immediate rise in status.
Yet he was the first to say it to her face.
What surprised her even more was the aura that suddenly erupted from Fa Hua and Lan Ge.
Once cultivation reached a certain level, spiritual intent became paramount. It determined how much strength one could unleash—and how much pressure one could impose.
The Golden Bloodline excelled at suppression through bloodline and aura. But when Fa Hua and Lan Ge steadied their gazes and stood shoulder to shoulder, they became one, emitting an unprecedented presence.
No fear. No panic. Only an unyielding will.
Though their aura could not rival hers, for a brief instant Hu Jiaojiao seemed to glimpse something different—an iron-blooded spirit her Golden Bloodline could not suppress.
This was the first time she had ever encountered such a thing.
How could she not be interested?
“They’ve got backbone—much better than those spineless ones!” Hu Jiaojiao roared. “Second sister, come! Grant them this honor!”
Tie Yiran, barely back on his feet, was retreating toward the edge of the Martial Arena. Hearing Hu Jiaojiao’s words, his face twitched—who was she calling spineless?
On the high platform, Hu Rourou—clearly eager to join—leapt down and landed heavily beside her sister. She clenched her massive hands, and the bones of her entire body crackled.
As the Princesses stood shoulder to shoulder, their auras surged. A layer of golden luster spread across their bodies.
Fa Hua took a deep breath, spread his left hand forward, and cried in a deep voice, “God’s Gift!”
A flash of golden light erupted as a Divine Codex appeared in his palm. Upon it were three large characters—Ju-d-ge—the first two glowing brightly, displaying his Eighth-Rank cultivation.
A blue light flashed around Lan Ge. Eight clouds of light floated behind his head, and without hesitation his entire body burst into blue radiance. Dozens of Wind Blades fanned out like a peacock’s tail, slicing toward the Tiger Demon Princesses.
Since arriving in the Demon Domain, their spirits had been suppressed. They had witnessed the might of the Demon Race and the suffering of the commoners. As Humans, a smoldering fire burned in their hearts.
This battle was no longer merely for experience.
It was for dignity.
For the dignity of Humans.
No matter how powerful their opponents, they would never retreat.
Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Rourou moved at the same time, charging forward like a raging gale. Facing the incoming Wind Blades, they raised their tiger claws and struck.
At that moment, Lan Ge’s precise control over Elemental power revealed itself. The Wind Blades split midair into thinner streams, slipping past the tiger palms and drilling toward vital points from tricky angles.
The two sisters reacted identically. They merely raised their arms to shield their eyes, ignoring the rest.
A series of hissing sounds rang out as the Wind Blades left only shallow marks on their golden-glinting skin.
They caused no real injury.
Then Fa Hua and Lan Ge felt the air turn scorching. The temperature of the entire Martial Arena seemed to rise by dozens of degrees in an instant.
The golden King character appeared on the foreheads of Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Rourou. Their overwhelming Bloodline Aura thickened the air, making Fa Hua and Lan Ge feel as though they were trapped in a swamp.
Lan Ge thrust his left hand forward and grabbed Fa Hua’s shoulder. Instantly, their auras surged violently.
Fa Hua’s Divine Codex flipped to the Fifth Page, and a golden halo appeared beneath Hu Rourou’s feet.
Hu Rourou felt her body seize up. Mid-lunge, she was yanked toward the ground, unable to move.
Imprison the World!
“What is this?” Hu Rourou was stunned for a split second.
Her Bloodline Aura exploded, shaking the Martial Arena. She tore at the binding with all her strength, and the golden halo beneath her feet shattered almost immediately.
But it had held her for more than a full second.
The two Princesses had charged together. With Hu Rourou delayed, Hu Jiaojiao naturally reached Fa Hua first.
Hu Jiaojiao did not know retreat. She never considered that she alone might not be a match for the two Humans. Ignoring her sister, she charged straight ahead.
At that moment, a white haze bloomed around Fa Hua and Lan Ge, instantly nullifying the oppressive influence of the Golden Bloodline and restoring their freedom of movement.
A powerful aura surged forth—no weaker than the Golden Bloodline, and even overriding it—suppressing Hu Jiaojiao’s dominance and causing her to hesitate.
Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes flashed with surprise.
In the next instant, Fa Hua charged forward.
The Golden Wisdom Shield slammed head-on into Hu Jiaojiao’s tiger claw.
Because of the earlier delay, her momentum was reduced—but even so, the impact was ferocious.
Fa Hua’s Golden Wisdom Shield nearly shattered on contact. Yet in that instant, the broken shield dispersed into dozens of smaller shields, each pressing against the joints of Hu Jiaojiao’s body.
For Hu Jiaojiao, the effect was minimal—only a brief delay.
But for Fa Hua, it was enough.
It bought him time.
And opportunity.