Chapter Seventy-Six: Bai Ling Faces Shangguan Wan’er, Part 1

Grand Tutor Ranlong watched in astonishment, and the crowd of King Wu’s Cheng Tang’s followers were even more surprised. Why was it that, upon meeting, the two women seemed like needle point to wheat awn—utterly incompatible, with their hostility laid bare? The opposing sides below could easily sense this tension.

Shangguan Wan’er stepped onto the wooden raft battlefield with graceful, lotus-like steps. Her delicate beauty and composed smile radiated poise and charm as she greeted, “General guarding the Undying Pass of Great Xia, Shangguan Wan’er! May I ask, what is your esteemed name?”

Xiao Bailing strode calmly onto the platform, her confidence reflected in a slight nod and a self-assured smile. “Bailing,” she replied—simple, direct, and crisp.

Seeing Bailing’s absolute confidence and striking beauty, Shangguan Wan’er smiled gently.

“This battle concerns the morale of both armies. I hope you will give your all and not disappoint me!” As she finished, Shangguan Wan’er’s bright eyes sparkled, and she playfully winked at Bailing.

Bailing, whose expression had been cool and distant, was momentarily stunned, then smiled back, replying, “Naturally, I won’t disappoint you!” With that, she exchanged a knowing look with Shangguan Wan’er.

The two women understood each other without words, while below the masses watched, cheering incessantly. The soldiers and generals seemed to lose themselves, swept up in the moment. The two women’s bearing on the platform was ethereal, transcending the mundane, dazzling all who looked upon them.

Each took a small step back, then summoned their respective magic treasures. Bailing’s eyes sharpened as a silver-white Xuantian Ribbon appeared in her delicate hands. Opposite her, Shangguan Wan’er drew forth a black-gold God-Slaying Brush from her slender waist. Witnessing this, Haodan below stood with arms folded, a sense of unease rising in his heart. He felt as if unseen enemies lurked around the Mingtao River, hidden and waiting.

The crowd below was in an uproar as the two beauties faced off atop the platform.

“Go! Xuantian Ribbon!”

Bailing leapt lightly into the air, her feet hovering above the ground, and with a wave of her hand, the silver-white ribbon flew toward Shangguan Wan’er, coiling above her head like a great white serpent, circling swiftly.

Shangguan Wan’er merely smiled, lips curling playfully as she waved her God-Slaying Brush. “Dotting the Dragon’s Eye!” At once, a golden dragon slashed through the air with a roar.

Now, on the platform, a massive golden dragon and a giant white serpent clashed. Just as Bailing landed, Shangguan Wan’er’s eyes flashed with inspiration. She chanted quickly, “Draw the Ground as a Prison!”

Instantly, a purple light enveloped Bailing’s feet, trapping her within. With her movements restricted, Bailing could not fully command her ribbon. The giant white serpent faded, transforming back into the Xuantian Ribbon, which dropped onto the raft. Sensing an opportunity, Shangguan Wan’er pressed the attack, chanting, “The Roc Spreads Its Wings!”

The golden dragon transformed again, becoming a massive golden roc that swooped low over the imprisoned Bailing, unleashing a whirling green hurricane toward her.

All this transpired in a mere instant, leaving the crowd below breathless with fear. On the side of the Merchant League, the generals cried, “Not good!” Haodan watched tensely, while King Wu’s people stared at Bailing, cold sweat beading on their brows.

Within the purple cage, Bailing’s hands formed intricate gestures. With a proud cry, she invoked, “Divine Arts of Heaven and Earth, Mystical Gateways!”

“Open the Gate, Eighth Form, Stars Shift!”

With the incantation, Bailing’s figure blurred and vanished from the glowing prison, startling Shangguan Wan’er. In the next instant, Bailing reappeared in midair and called out, “Wounding Gate, Seventh Form, Heaven’s Divine Punishment!”

Above Shangguan Wan’er, a beam of black-purple light appeared, emanating murderous intent. Shangguan’s eyes sparkled as she wielded the God-Slaying Brush, conjuring a dark vortex that devoured the deadly light with ease. Bailing’s beautiful eyes widened slightly in surprise.

The Xuantian Ribbon, resting on the raft, responded to her call, slithering into her hand like a living thing. Bailing smiled faintly. “General Shangguan, your moves just now were indeed ingenious.”

“But I’m not so easily defeated by such minor tricks,” she added with a lively smile, landing gracefully opposite Shangguan Wan’er.

At Bailing’s words, Shangguan Wan’er remained unruffled. “Your magic is indeed exquisite. Our first exchange did not see us at full strength. From here on, let us both fight without holding back.”

“With pleasure!” Bailing replied with a radiant smile.

Suddenly, strange winds began to swirl on the platform, and a chill swept over the crowd below. Whether these were demonic or uncanny winds could not be said, but their force was formidable.

From the Great Xia camp, Grand Tutor Ranlong shouted, “All squads, form up quickly!”

On the Merchant League’s side, Left Minister Zhong Hui gave similar orders.

Such phenomena were beyond mortal resistance; after all, two immortals were locked in battle above, and mortals could only suffer the consequences.

As the saying goes: “When gods fight, mortals suffer.”

On the platform, Shangguan Wan’er’s God-Slaying Brush whirled in the air. Before her words had faded, she tossed the brush skyward, chanting, “Eightfold Phantom Gate, Gather the Winds and Spirits!”

This technique, drawn from the West Queen Mother’s Jade Pool, called upon the laws of nature through spiritual power. In ancient times, the West Queen Mother, even from her distant Jade Pool, could deploy this Eightfold Phantom Gate to battle gods and immortals across the world, none able to match her.

Shangguan Wan’er had mastered the basics of this art, and now, wielding it in battle, she appeared truly formidable.

As chilling winds rose, Bailing faced them with calm composure. The moment she summoned the Xuantian Ribbon, Shangguan Wan’er moved—her agile form flashing in a blur until, with a resounding “Bang!” Bailing was struck hard. Though she used her ribbon to defend, the force drove her back dozens of meters.

Within the great wind array, Bailing found herself at a disadvantage. The fiercely chaotic energy field concealed a cyclone barrier encircling the platform—an immense matrix of heaven, earth, man, and spirit. Whoever commanded this array could draw upon the natural laws of wind, granting Shangguan Wan’er overwhelming speed and strength. Though Bailing’s cultivation and magic were no less profound, her offensive spells were fewer, better suited for support. If she fought alongside Haodan, she could assist him in overcoming powerful foes, but alone against Shangguan Wan’er—a direct disciple of the West Queen Mother—she was hard-pressed.

This was no time for restraint. Steeling herself, Bailing rose, her hands weaving arcane signs as she chanted, “Divine Arts of Heaven and Earth, Mystical Gateways!”

“Wounding Gate, Fourth Form, Frost Over Nine Heavens.”

As the spell took effect, the great matrix froze. An intense cold surged from beneath Bailing’s feet, then rapidly spread. In moments, frost crept across the ground, visibly overtaking the cyclone barrier outside the platform, instantly freezing the green tornadoes in place. The sight was spectacular, as if an ancient glacier had suddenly descended upon mortal lands, dazzlingly bright.

But the armies below suffered for it. Haodan, protected by his supreme body, was immune to the cold, but the soldiers and generals—mere mortals—shivered uncontrollably in the biting April chill, their teeth chattering.

Grand Tutor Ranlong called for cloaks to be brought, wrapping himself up, for even he struggled to withstand such a fearsome icy wind.

Haodan, seeing King Wu and his men huddled for warmth, cast a spell to erect a barrier shielding them from the immortal magic leaking from above.

Within the platform, the two graceful figures clashed in a flurry of movement, neither gaining the upper hand.

The battle raged on. Bailing, having just invoked several Wounding Gate techniques, now employed the Fifth Form, “Shifting Shadows,” to conceal herself in the air, becoming as insubstantial as mist. Simultaneously, she unleashed the Sixth Form, “Hundred Phoenixes Return to the Mountain,” multiplying herself into hundreds of invisible doppelgängers. Though Shangguan Wan’er moved like a phantom within the array, swift and elusive, she found herself beset by countless unseen foes, unable to dodge them all.

Suddenly, Bailing’s true form appeared with a mysterious, enchanting smile. The Xuantian Ribbon in her hand struck at Shangguan Wan’er’s lower body. Preoccupied by the swarm of doppelgängers, Shangguan had no time to react as the ribbon—fast as lightning—snaked around her long, beautiful legs.

With a sharp tug, Bailing yanked Shangguan Wan’er toward her, then unleashed, “Divine Arts of Heaven and Earth, Frightening Gate, First Form, Azure Dragon’s Roar.”

The ribbon transformed into a colossal azure dragon that coiled around Shangguan Wan’er, its mighty roar shaking the sky. The dragon twisted its head, glaring with fierce eyes, and opened its maw to devour her.

Yet Shangguan Wan’er did not panic. Her willow brows arched as, at the critical moment, her God-Slaying Brush erupted in golden light, striking at the dragon’s gaping jaws. In that instant, another immense azure dragon appeared in the sky, meeting Bailing’s conjured beast head-on. The two dragons crashed together, and both women sprang back.

A thunderous explosion echoed across the sky.

The outer matrix shattered beneath the dragons’ impact, shards of ice scattering, snowflakes swirling down in a blizzard that heralded an early winter over Mingtao.

Meanwhile, the raft platform was utterly destroyed, leaving no footing and no place for the battle to continue.

Now both women hovered in midair, exchanging smiles. In perfect unison, they laughed and declared, “Today’s battle has been truly exhilarating!”

Bailing’s eyes danced with amusement. “If I am not mistaken, you must be none other than the personal disciple of the West Queen Mother of the Celestial Music Lands. It’s said she has two disciples: the elder, Celestial Lady Xuanji, who never treads the mortal realm, and the second, Celestial Lady Suwan. You must be Suwan, who fought in the Dragon Court War five centuries past!”

As if recalling something, Bailing’s gaze sharpened, her tone growing gentle. “And your beloved—are they well?”

At the mention of “beloved,” Shangguan Wan’er’s mind grew hazy. She replied in confusion, “Beloved? I was born in the Western Marquis’s household. Though I have fragments of memories from a past life, they are incomplete and hard to recall.”

At this, the two women—like long-lost friends—stood suspended in the air, chatting as if nothing else mattered.

What will happen next? Stay tuned for the next chapter!