Chapter 189 - Topping the Ascension Board
The key was, Yun Xiao killed with such style and ferocity! The visual impact was like a cavalry charge crashing into infantry, sending them flying into the sky. People couldn't help but feel a chill in their chests, as if the sword had struck them personally.
"Wow, what a crash!! Did you see the speed of that Sovereign Sword?"
"Go Yun Xiao!"
"Divine Dawn reigns supreme!"
Deafening cheers once again shook the Heavenly Realm. This was the loudest it had ever been!
But in truth, the Crown Prince of the Violet Sky Immortal Empire wasn't completely dead yet. His eyes were dim, his face pale, and his hands trembled and twitched. He stared fixedly at the Violet Qi Sword lying on the ground.
He was summoning the sword! He still hoped to turn the tide! Sadly, the Violet Qi Sword lay motionless, as if dead.
Meanwhile, the Heaven Burial Sword Soul piercing his chest was slowly dismembering him with its Sword Aura and demon magic!
"Sword! Come to me, sword!" The Crown Prince coughed up black blood, stretching his hand towards the Violet Qi Sword with all his might.
"The sword doesn't want to come," Yun Xiao said, stepping on the Heaven Burial Sword Soul and the Crown Prince's head, looking down at him with an icy gaze. "To you, it's just one of many swords in your life, disposable at any moment. But to it, weren't you just one of its many masters? When you die, it will find a new master and continue its merry life. What does it have to do with you?"
"No, no! I polish it every day, the Violet Qi Sword wouldn't betray me..." The Crown Prince glared at him furiously.
"Even with polishing, it remains an external possession." Yun Xiao reached out, and the Violet Qi Sword flew into his hand, immediately wailing in submission to him.
Holding the Violet Qi Sword, Yun Xiao patted the Crown Prince's face and chuckled. "Your sword, at everyone's disposal. You call this sword cultivation? At best, it's just treasure refinement."
"Yun Xiao, I have no words for my defeat in battle, but don't you dare insult my swordsmanship!" The Crown Prince clutched the six-foot giant azure sword impaling him, his body dissolving into black blood and thick smoke under the destruction of the Heaven Burial Sword Soul.
"To defeat you, I used my feet to wield a sword, and you say I'm insulting your swordsmanship?" Yun Xiao retorted.
These words shattered the Crown Prince's heart completely. It was as if he were dying twice, both in body and spirit—quite the tragic end.
What the Crown Prince had once taken pride in became a joke before the crowd. The tale of the Crown Prince of Violet Sky, humiliated by a sword wielder who used his feet to strike a deadly blow, would spread across the Divine Continent.
"You!" The Crown Prince's tears of blood streamed as he watched Yun Xiao play with the Violet Qi Sword he had polished daily, his heart breaking into pieces.
Just then, the six-foot Sovereign Sword transformed into a Palm Sword, returning to Yun Xiao's hand.
The Crown Prince, bloody and torn, slid down the wall of the battle arena.
"Don't..." In the Crown Prince's dim and despairing eyes, he saw Yun Xiao grasp the Heaven Burial Sword Soul in one hand and the Violet Qi Sword in the other. Then, Yun Xiao swung the Heaven Burial Sword Soul fiercely, striking the Violet Qi Sword!
KLANG! The Violet Qi Sword wailed mournfully, shattering into two and clattering to the ground. And the Heaven Burial Sword Soul, like an abyss of death, devoured the soul essence of countless past masters of the Violet Qi Sword.
With this scene, the Crown Prince vomited another large mouthful of black blood. He had slid to the ground, his body going limp, slowly kneeling before Yun Xiao.
Yun Xiao glanced at him. "In your next life, you might again resort to tricks, continue to be a Sword Cultivator wielding peerless swords. Even if you possess some ancient apocalyptic divine sword, against me, you won't even have the time to unsheathe your precious blade."
A bone for a sword, as long as the sword exists, so does life!
Strengthen oneself, why depend on a sword?
The person is the sword, and the sword is the person!
Forge oneself into a supreme sword of the world, capable of piercing heavens and obliterating lands, a thought to kill with the sword!
Don't wait for the sword to reach your throat, life approaching the netherworld, to then seek an external sword!
When a person dies, how can the sword come?
"Besides, my Sword Soul is the embryo of an infinite universe! You, with your external possessions, trying to outdo me?"
"Y-you..." The light in the Crown Prince''s eyes dimmed in utter despair and collapse. His head and hands slowly drooped, kneeling dead before Yun Xiao.
"Worthless trash!" Yun Xiao casually kicked the broken Violet Qi Sword towards the Crown Prince. "Such a sword, even in death, you can't take to your grave."
Having said that, he took over three hundred War of Immortals Jade tokens from the Crown Prince's body.
HUM! His rank on the Ascension Board instantly soared to fifth place!
This was the accumulation of the War of Immortal Jade tokens from two of the strongest participants in the Cycle Battle.
Yun Xiao then collected the War of Immortal Jade tokens from the remaining two princes and princesses of the Violet Sky Immortal Empire, boosting his rank on the Ascension Board to fourth place!
Without the golden War of Immortals Jade tokens, he had forcefully made his way to the top among humans!
In terms of efficiency, he had already won his wager with Chen Xi.
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At the Ascension Gate, the Supreme Marshal turned, facing the group of human powerhouses behind him.
"Well, if it isn't the Violet Emperor?" the Supreme Marshal remarked in surprise.
Before him, the Violet Emperor's visage was as dark as still waters, his handsome face veiled in a deep bloodiness. He recalled the earth-shattering cheers from the first square and the sight of the Crown Prince's shattered Violet Qi Sword and kneeling demise... It was like a thousand swords piercing his heart, blood dripping profusely!
As anticipated, the War of Immortals was a brutal struggle for life and death. Whether human, demon, or false demon, no mercy was shown. Beneath the Ascension Gate, rivers of blood had already formed! As it stood, the demons had lost. The false demons had suffered the most grievous defeat.
"Congratulations to Marshal Chen on acquiring such a heaven-defying talent," the Violet Emperor spoke faintly, glancing at Yun Xiao. "With such a son-in-law, your chances of ascending the throne are significant."
"The Violet Emperor jokes. Even if my Empress ascends to immortality, with Master Ye in place, it wouldn't be my turn," the Supreme Marshal said with a smile, looking towards Ye Qingtian. "Besides, with the support of the Violet Emperor, you three are almost ready to clear the imperial side. How dare I?"
"Child's play, nothing for Marshal Chen to concern himself with," You Fengya added.
"Indeed! With this mischievous child You Qing gone to heaven, I am indeed at ease." the Supreme Marshal laughed. He was practically giddy with delight! With his daughter and son-in-law wreaking havoc below, he stood firm against four adversaries, standing tall.
And these four leaders of the false demons, amidst the agony of a thousand swords, had to contain their raging fury!
The battle, which had begun at midnight, continued until dawn. Yet, the Cycle Battle and the Arena Champion Battle would persist until the afternoon!
"I hear Marshal Chen has deployed the Nine Heavens Immortal Army to patrol the entire Heavenly Realm day and night?" the Violet Emperor remarked, glancing at the rising sun.
"Can't help it, our demon friends are too enthusiastic; worried they might get lost in the Heavenly Realm," the Supreme Marshal replied.
"Oh? Marshal Chen is indeed considerate," the Violet Emperor said, his eyes like deep abysses, "Just that at night, when you can't see your own hand in front of your face, please ensure the safety of your troops, Supreme Marshal. Wouldn't want them falling into pits and all dying."
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With the death of the Crown Prince of the Violet Sky Immortal Empire, Yun Xiao's sword soared to the heavens!
A single name shook both the Divine and Demon Continents. But this was just the beginning! Following that, Yun Xiao fully unleashed his power. Each time the wall for the next battle opened, Yun Xiao needed only a glance.
If it was a demon, he eliminated them in an instant. If they were from the Violet Sky or Azure Leaf faction of the human race, they were also extinguished with a single sword strike. Others were defeated with ease.
So, the efficiency of their five-person squad in switching opponents depended on how quickly the wall separating the two squares was removed.
Just as Yun Xiao had said at the beginning, as long as he killed fast enough, most teams in the Cycle Battle would ultimately face him. He crushed them effortlessly!
"The later the teams encounter him, the more War of Immortals Jade tokens they have."
So the rate at which Yun Xiao's collection of War of Immortal Jade tokens grew also increased significantly.
There were a total of five thousand War of Immortal Jade tokens in the Cycle Battle!
His collection steadily grew, and by the afternoon, he had amassed three thousand tokens!
"As long as you're strong enough, the efficiency of the Cycle Battle even surpasses that of the Arena Champion Battle!"
In the Arena Champion Battle, one waited for challengers one by one, the speed dependent on others.
In the Cycle Battle, you only needed to defeat a batch of opponents, then switch to another, the speed depending on oneself.
Yun Xiao's swordplay in slaying enemies was astoundingly fast.
"Sword Cultivators are all about speed!"
"A master of the quick sword!"
People were awestruck. Their understanding of Sword Cultivators was redefined!
By the end of the first day of the War of Immortals, Yun Xiao had already reached the top of the Ascension Board, leading the second place by over a thousand tokens!
The second place was Chen Xi! Using her human identity, she attracted many demon challengers, overtaking many talents from the Demon Continent along the way.
First and second place, for the time being, belonged to the Divine Dawn Immortal Empire.
The initial rankings of the battle were beyond any betting house's predictions.
By the time anyone thought to bet on Yun Xiao, it was already too late.
"I declare the first day of the War of Immortals concluded!"
"Tonight at midnight, the Grand Melee begins, lasting half an hour, to determine the top Immortal in the human world!" You Fengya announced.
The Divine Dawn Immortal Empire's momentum was soaring. But as the Prime Minister of Divine Dawn, his tone wasn't very pleasant. Such an attitude only made it clearer to the people of the Heavenly Realm the true nature of these hypocritical Saints and Demon Continent lapdogs!
After the announcement, the Violet Emperor, Ye Qingtian, Mutianshi, and You Fengya left with cold expressions.
Ye Qingtian glanced towards the direction of the Sword Dao Monument, his eyes ghostly and sinister.
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"Hey." Just as Yun Xiao and his four teammates were leaving the first square, someone called out to him. Turning around, he saw a girl in a white dress standing in the twilight. Her dress was stained with some demon blood, but her complexion looked quite good, like a lotus rising unsoiled from the mud.
"We'll go ahead!" Chen Jin and the others quickly left upon seeing this. They were true brothers!
Under the setting sun, this envied couple walked side by side towards home. On the Ascension Board, their names at the very front shone brightly together.
"I won the bet today," Yun Xiao suddenly said.
"So?" Chen Xi's face was slightly lowered, her expression hidden, her voice calm.
Yun Xiao smiled faintly, not answering her question but instead saying regretfully. "Things are getting a bit messy."
"What do you mean?" Chen Xi glanced at him.
"Going on like this, I'm likely to become the top Immortal and marry the Divine Dawn Empress. You're about to be heartbroken," Yun Xiao said.
Chen Xi huffed, retorting, "You're already married, and you have me as a wife. Stop daydreaming."
"A daydream, huh? The War of the Immortals, the death of Eternal Joy, the wedding... everything so far has felt like one big daydream, hasn't it?" Yun Xiao nodded with a thoughtful expression. Then, he turned to her with a teasing smile. "Speaking of the wedding, you never did pay me that dowry."
"..." Chen Xi looked at him, stunned.
"Hey, let's lay out all our cards on the table. I think it's about time we both stop pretending." Yun Xiao suddenly stopped, his eyes burning as he looked at her.
"What?" Chen Xi bit her lip, looking at him.
"Aren't you meeting me tomorrow night after the War of Immortals ends?" Yun Xiao took her hand, looking down with a slight smile. "If you wear the dragon robe and the crown, I might get a bit excited..."
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