1188 The Final Exchange
While Xi Mingze gathered all of her spiritual energy into her Dragon's Soul, Yuan gathered his spiritual energy in his Empyrean Overlord.
"Whenever you are ready." Xi Mingze said to him a few moments later.
"I am ready." Yuan stood there with a menacing aura around him.
"Then here I come!"
Xi Mingze stepped forward with her right foot as she propelled her spear in a thrusting motion.
"Supreme Dragon Lance!"
The Dragon's Soul released a massive golden beam of light the following second, which resembled the Heaven Splitting Sword Strike that Yuan released at the same time.
When the two massive beams of light collided with each other, the energy scattered by the impact was so powerful that it shook not just the Ancient Dragon City but the entire world, so the other cities also felt it.
As for the formation that protected Yuan and Xi Mingze, it collapsed almost instantly.
Xi Shengmo, who had prepared himself to intervene if the formation shattered, couldn't even approach them. Even if he could, he wouldn't dare to intervene, as it could make either of them lose control of their attack, which would be disastrous.
"Mother's losing…?" Xi Meili subconsciously muttered when Yuan's Heaven Splitting Sword Strike was slowly but clearly pushing back Xi Mingze's Supreme Dragon Lance.
Everyone held their breath as Yuan eventually overpowered Xi Mingze.
"Ahh… To think I'd actually lose…" Xi Mingze released a satisfied sigh as she came to her senses right before the Heaven Splitting Sword Strike consumed her body.
"DEAR!" Xi Shengmo snapped out of his daze and rushed over after seeing this.
Once the Heaven Splitting Sword Strike disappeared, Xi Mingze could be seen lying on the ground with most of her clothes reduced to ashes.
Xi Shengmo quickly checked her breath, and he sighed in relief when he could still hear her heart beating. He then quickly fed her some medicine.
"Don't worry, I made sure to hold back at the end." Yuan walked over and said.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Xi Shengmo looked at him and asked, "Who… No… What are you, really? Don't tell me you are human, because you can't be."
Yuan could only shrug with a smile, "I don't know what to tell you then."
Xi Shengmo returned his focus to Xi Mingze, covering her naked body with some clothes.
"You did not just defeat a peak Spirit Sovereign today. Not only is she a Divine Beast that is naturally superior to humans in almost every manner, but if she fought an ordinary human Cultivator, she wouldn't lose to even a Divine Ancestor. In other words, despite being only a Spirit King, you can rival those who are three entire realms above you. I don't think even the Dragon Ancestor would be capable of such a thing if he was a human."
"You are giving me too much credit." Yuan smiled.
"No, I am not. There's no need to be humble. I finally understand why my daughter likes you so much. As dragons, we are naturally attracted to the strong, so it would only make sense for her to be attracted to you. I would be too if I was in her shoes."
"..." Yuan didn't know how to respond after hearing those last few words.
"Father! Is mother okay?!" Xi Meili and the others arrived shortly after.
"She's fine. She's just exhausted."
"That's a relief…"
Xi Meili turned to look at Yuan with deep admiration that she didn't know was possible.
But before she could say anything to him, Xi Mingze woke up and stole her words, "Congratulations, Yuan. You won."
"How are you feeling, Madam?"
Xi Mingze stood up and smiled, "I've never felt better."
"That's good to hear." Yuan smiled back.
"You know, you are the first person who I can admit losing to."
"Huh? But I've defeated you plenty of times." Xi Shengmo pointed at himself with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Sure, after I married you and stopped training as intensively. You never defeated me before then, so I don't count them."
"Eh? Then why did you marry Father? I thought you were only willing to marry the person who could defeat you in a battle— at least that's what I was told." Xi Meili said.
Xi Mingze chuckled, "If I remained that stubborn, I would've remained single for the rest of my life— or until today."
She turned to look at Yuan with a seductive smile and said, "Hey, how about you forget about my daughter and marry me instead? Not only am I stronger, I am also much more experienced in several areas— unless you prefer younger ones. But if you consider my race, I am still considered to be in my prime."
"Hey… Did he beat you so badly that you forgot that you are already married?" Xi Shengmo looked at her with a look of disbelief on his face. He didn't think she'd say such a thing right in front of him.
"M-Mother! What are you talking about?! Yuan is mine!" Xi Meili became flustered even though she knew it was just a joke.
"Huh?! When did the Young Master become yours?!" Feng Yuxiang rebuked seriously.
Xi Mingze laughed, "Jokes aside, I am really glad we had that fight, Yuan. You've helped me recall the feeling of excitement. My blood is still boiling even now."
Yuan nodded, "I am glad as well. I learned a lot from our fight."
"Wanna do it again tomorrow?" Xi Mingze suddenly asked in a half joking and half serious manner.
"Do you want to destroy this place?" Xi Shengmo sighed.
Sometime later, they returned to the city.
"Let's talk more later tonight at dinner, Yuan. Get some rest for now. If you need anything, just let us know." Xi Mingze said to him.
"Alright."
Yuan went to clean his body when they returned to the palace. Afterward, he would cultivate inside his room until it was time for dinner.
Meanwhile, Xi Shengmo and Xi Mingze were having a serious conversation in their room to determine the future of their family, or more specifically, Xi Meili's future.