Being mocked to look in the mirror? That's something female cultivators generally cannot tolerate. Yet, Li Feihuang merely laughed it off. Her true visage, one of regal and opulent beauty, was beyond An Yuyi's wildest imagination.

Just a jester, she thought.

Li Feihuang, uninterested in further dialogue with An Yuyi, simply raised her eyes and smiled lightly at Ye Chen.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, what do you say?"

An Yuyi, irritated by Li Feihuang's demeanor, also looked up at Ye Chen, waiting for him to speak and crush Li Feng's hopes.

...

Both women were exceedingly confident, each believing that Ye Chen would undoubtedly bestow the phoenix blood upon her. Their attitudes only reinforced Ye Chen's resolve. He knew the phoenix blood needed to be gifted, but it couldn't be given away so casually. Especially not with Li Feihuang's presumptuous confidence, taking it for granted. If it were given away so easily, it might not achieve the critical hit he was hoping for.

So, faced with the expectant gazes of both women, Ye Chen showed a hint of difficulty. Looking from one to the other, he hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "The Divine Will Cave Heaven was opened early, and the phoenix blood has not yet fully condensed. There are still five days left. The ownership of the phoenix blood can be discussed then!"

Ye Chen's response was clearly evasive, not willing to commit to a stance. This left both women somewhat disappointed.

Li Feihuang shook her head secretly as she observed Ye Chen. She had thought that Ye Chen would firmly stand behind her, robustly supporting her. That he would become her true and reliable Golden Dragon King in the future. But just the presence of An Yuyi had made Ye Chen waver.

How could someone she regarded as a loyal subject be so indecisive because of romantic entanglements? This was a profound disappointment to her!

An Yuyi could hardly accept the situation. What status did Li Feng have to be compared to her? If Ye Chen truly cared for her, he should have supported her wholeheartedly. Now, he hesitated because of someone like Li Feng? What a joke!

An Yuyi's anger surged. Remembering Ye Chen's pettiness—how he had refused to forgive her despite numerous apologies—she restrained herself from lashing out at him. Instead, she turned her ire towards Li Feng.

"I've disliked you for a while now. Let's settle this!" An Yuyi declared a challenge. She intended to suppress Li Feng, to beat her thoroughly, and vent her frustrations.

Upon hearing this, Li Feng just laughed. Even with her ordinary appearance, she spoke with a grandeur, "You are hardly worthy to be my opponent, but since you ask for a battle, I shall indulge you. Let you understand the difference between a sparrow and a phoenix. Some things are not yours to claim, no matter how hard you fight!"

An Yuyi's eyes narrowed at these words. This woman truly wanted to compete with her for Ye Chen? But did she even qualify?

In the next moment, An Yuyi, fueled by rage, launched her attack. A stream of starlight shot from her hands towards Li Feng.

Li Feng remained calm, countering with a large fireball, seemingly unconcerned about An Yuyi's abilities. However, her expression changed slightly the moment the two spells met. An Yuyi's starlight not only extinguished her fireball but continued towards her with overwhelming force.

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"Black Water power?" Li Feng dodged, a trace of surprise in her expression.

An Yuyi smiled confidently. Her aunt had prepared the mystical Black Water for her well in advance for the contest over the phoenix blood. After refining it, her attacks carried a hint of Black Water's power, which was particularly effective against fire-based techniques. It was proving effective now.

An Yuyi was ready to give Li Feng a harsh lesson. But Li Feng was only slightly taken aback. She smiled confidently again. "So what if you have Black Water?"

Her Fire Phoenix Spiritual Body, accompanied by the Southern Radiant Fire, was not suppressed by Black Water. The next moment, a golden light shimmered in Li Feng's eyes...

…

The grand hall echoed with the sounds of magical spells colliding, creating a relentless din. Ye Chen, sitting at a distance, watched the two women battle with great interest. Indeed, it seemed just a matter of time before two women in the same place would end up fighting.

An Yuyi's magic was intriguing. Her starforce intermingled with divine thunder, making for a formidable display. She also incorporated a trace of Black Water, which naturally suppressed fire-based spells.

However, Li Feng appeared unfazed despite the elemental disadvantage. Her mastery over fire spells was effortless, each one tinged with a bit of Southern Radiant Fire, which easily evaporated the Black Water.

Thus, within mere moments, An Yuyi found herself at a disadvantage. A few breaths later, she was blasted back, crashing heavily against the hall's wall.

Ye Chen shook his head, unable to contain his amusement. He had suspected An Yuyi wouldn't last long, but her quick defeat confirmed she was both incompetent and overconfident.

Li Feng hovered in midair, a flame dancing in her open palm, and spoke disdainfully, "Pathetic!"

Frustrated by Li Feng's demeaning gaze, An Yuyi's pride swelled.

Seeing Ye Chen shaking his head in disappointment was more than she could bear.

"I possess a Stellar Spiritual Root, which is naturally at a disadvantage here in the hall," she protested. "Do you dare to face me outside in a proper battle?"

Li Feng smiled lightly, "Sure, why not? The phoenix blood will take a few more days to condense. I might as well spend the time giving you a proper thrashing."

With that, Li Feng gracefully flew out of the hall.

An Yuyi, grinding her teeth in anger, swallowed a healing pill, quickly tidied her hair and face, and followed swiftly after…

…

The sudden exit of the two women from the grand hall, commencing their battle right outside, left the onlooking direct disciples in stunned silence.

It was deep into the night. The Cave Heaven could channel starlight, and under its glow, An Yuyi seemed to regain some of her lost ground, her confidence visibly bolstered.

Qiao Ciguang and Shi Wanli, having recovered from their injuries, had not left the scene. Apart from wanting to discover the identity of the mysterious direct disciple, there was a part of them that could not accept their failure. They had entered the Divine Will Cave Heaven with high hopes, only to be barred from even the main hall. Wouldn't that turn them into a laughingstock?

Now that the women had left the hall, it indicated that the phoenix blood had likely been taken. They needed to enter the hall at least once to see who it was. Exchanging a glance, they burst forward, charging back into the hall.

But the next moment, both were once again sent flying out, creating another massive crater on impact. This time, they truly did not want to get up.

Shi Wanli lay in the crater, his eyes red with frustration. As a genius, he had always had a smooth sailing cultivation journey and had never suffered such indignity…

You're strong, so be it. But why on earth am I not even allowed to enter the hall? It was just too much!

High above in the sky, after hundreds of breaths, An Yuyi, bathed in starlight like a celestial maiden from the moon, was blasted back once more, crashing onto the peak.

Li Feihuang tilted her chin slightly, a smirk curling her lips. "Recognized your place yet? Back off on your own."

In Li Feihuang's eyes, An Yuyi couldn't even match Ye Chen's strength—she was nowhere near worthy of being her rival. With that, Li Feihuang glided effortlessly back into the hall.

An Yuyi, having been defeated twice, could no longer deny the gap in their power. But she wasn't ready to admit defeat. So what if Li Feng is strong? She's still so plain-looking! To An Yuyi, Ye Chen's special attention to Li Feng was just a matter of mutual respect between powerhouses, nothing more. It definitely wasn't love.

Ye Chen likes me, she thought. He'll make the right choice in the end. The Phoenix Blood is destined to be mine.

Casting a quick cleansing spell on herself, An Yuyi straightened her robes and marched back into the hall with determined strides.

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