Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return Chapter 1856: So Arrogant

One priest after another took the stage, and after drawing lots, they routinely saluted the Master Priests. If the previous priests had been somewhat perfunctory in front of Han Yan, now everyone was courteous and even dared not glance at Han Yan, fearing that any slip might result in a slap flying across their face.

They could see it now; this young priest was different from the old ones, less bound by conventions. To put it nicely, she was full of youthful vigor; to put it bluntly, she was utterly reckless, behaving not like a proper priest but more like a playboy.

Relying on her status as the Huayu Chief Priest, she dared to openly slap the Young Master of the Tianyang Chief Priest and refused to acknowledge it when asked. Peculiarly, none of the Master Priests could deal with her, epitomizing the typical behavior of a rake.

It was from this day that the title of the Rake Chief Priest attached to Lady Mu began to spread, becoming an object of either disdain or envy among countless young priests. After all, reaching such a level of rakehood was indeed enviable, wasn’t it?

"I announce that the competition officially begins; the first match, Feng City Temple, Xiang Qiu, versus Qingning Temple, Wen Wei." Soon, the draw was over; the Old Priest did not dawdle but directly announced the start of the competition.

Two elders flew onto the stage, each placing one hand on their chest to salute each other, waiting only for the Old Priest’s command to simultaneously draw their longswords.

In an instant, two streams of Qi Light—one blue and one yellow—shot skyward, transforming into frosty arrow rain and a section of yellowish-brown falling stones colliding overhead, with crisp clinks and muffled sounds akin to thunder.

Compared to a sword competition, the range of divine arts’ attacks is broader, giving the two little opportunity for close combat. Instead, both primarily used Divine Sense to excite Spiritual Power, attacking and defending by harnessing the Power of Laws, creating an imposing and colorful spectacle.

However, such competitions also exhaust an enormous amount of Divine Sense and Spiritual Power. Soon, both started chanting to maximize the enhancement of their Divine Sense and consolidation of their Spiritual Power.

"Boom"—with a loud noise, the icy rain scattered like illusion and a gigantic stone, resembling a meteorite, fell heavily and struck Xiang Qiu’s chest.

"Crack!" The sound of breaking ribs followed. Xiang Qiu groaned miserably, flying out of the platform like a kite with a broken string, landing on the ground, his face pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood before fainting.

Judging by his condition, even if he could be saved, his strength would likely suffer greatly, perhaps becoming a complete cripple.

Han Yan initially thought that the priests’ competitions were less dangerous than those between swordsmen due to the larger range and distance of their attacks. Upon witnessing this scene, she realized she was wrong. The priests’ competitions were equally cruel; with just a slight misstep, one could lose their life.

Below the stage, a series of cheers erupted.

"Qingning Temple, Wen Wei wins. Next match, Tianyang Temple, Chang Yu vs. Xiafeng Temple, Qin Bailin." The Old Priest’s voice sounded again, interrupting the cheers below the stage as two elders promptly flew onto the stage.

...

Match after match proceeded, with various divine arts appearing in endless succession, and the dazzling displays left spectators dazzled.

Every participant was the most powerful priest beneath the Chief Priests of each temple. Han Yan had never faced priests of this realm before; while observing the battles, she secretly pondered the strengths and weaknesses of their divine arts, gaining much benefit. Simultaneously, she felt fortunate that Sikong Qinglan and the others did not participate, as their cultivation might not allow them to leave the competition platform alive.

In fact, every match’s loser ended in serious injury, with some completely disabled due to severed meridians. Despite their differing strengths, all were Tenth Rank Divine Priests, and the outcomes were so severe that Sikong Qinglan and Shen Yuhe could hardly escape death.

Unconsciously, as dusk approached, the first round had ended, and the second round was nearing completion. The final match was between Long Wucuo of the Tianyang Temple and Fang Donglai of the Lingyu Divine Hall.

"Mr. Fang, I am somewhat familiar with your temple’s Ou Mingzhi, so I wish to avoid damaging our relationship. Maybe we should skip this match?" The Old Priest had already announced the start of the match, yet Long Wucuo did not hasten to fight but calmly spoke to Fang Donglai.

"Mr. Long, are you admitting defeat? That might be difficult to explain to Dragon Chief Priest." Fang Donglai hesitated.

This competition was a life-or-death endeavor for the Heaven and Earth Treasures; each temple had exerted all its might. Long Wucuo admitting defeat would please Fang Donglai, yet it seemed unfair and might leave Long Wucuo unable to justify himself to Long Aoli. Long Wucuo was still young, and if this made his father unhappy, it could ruin his life.

"Mr. Fang misunderstood; I am not intending to admit defeat, I am advising you to. After all, you’ve reached an age where it’s not easy to maintain your cultivation." Long Wucuo seriously replied.

"Long Wucuo, you dare to belittle me! I have cultivated for a hundred years, yet you think I am no match for you?" Fang Donglai had been considering worrying for Long Wucuo, fearing admitting defeat wouldn’t end well, until he realized Long Wucuo was telling him to concede, which instantly enraged him.

"Mr. Fang, you misunderstood. I do not dare to underestimate you, sir. But some learn more quickly than others and have expertise in different areas; you are truly not my match, so why seek unnecessary suffering? I merely wish not to damage our harmony on account of Ou Mingzhi." Long Wucuo shook his head in reply.

"Enough talk; let’s fight!" Incensed, Fang Donglai drew his longsword fiercely and advanced towards Long Wucuo.

With a flash of brown-yellow light, numerous stone spikes shot out, oppressively filling the sky with an ear-piercing shriek.

Having cultivated the Earth Law, Fang Donglai’s strength appeared even greater than the earlier Wen Wei. The stone spikes crystallized by the Power of Law seemed substantial, leaving even the hard granite floor deeply gouged.

"Watch out, sir!" several priests from the Tianyang Temple cried out involuntarily.

Yet Long Wucuo’s face showed no hint of surprise, and his gaze bore a degree of contempt as he looked at Fang Donglai.

Only when the myriad stone spikes reached him did he swiftly draw his longsword, slashing towards them head-on.

On the dazzling sword edge, there wasn’t any striking light or peculiar color, just the stark metallic silver glow, yet it exuded a chilling sense of death.

As the longsword slashed out, a cold silver light manifested before him, resembling a massive light shield, though this shield veered from the usual circular form with a sharp point ahead, flowing backward like water.

"Boom!" The foremost stone spike burst into dust, vanishing into immateriality.

Immediately, the light shield disintegrated all stone spikes as it advanced.

In truth, Long Wucuo’s light shield was both offensive and defensive, utterly indestructible as well as incisively unstoppable.