Chapter 2923 - The Combat Emperor
In a void-like world shrouded in darkness, Su Yi clutched his chest and sat on the ground, his face pallid.
He’d just lost. The second disciple of Fangchun Mountain, Zhong Qiu, had defeated him in just the time it took to brew a cup of tea.
But Su Yi was thrilled about it. He wasn’t afraid of being surrounded by enemies on all sides; he was afraid of looking around him and finding no one left who could put up a fight!
But finding opponents capable of holding their own against him in a clash of the Grand Dao was a real challenge for Su Yi.
Losing to Zhong Qiu was far more meaningful to Su Yi than beating him would have been.
Over the course of their battle, Su Yi gained an all-new understanding of his Silent Realm cultivation base and the application of his Laws of the Grand Dao. His heart gave rise to countless revelations.
Admittedly, he’d been injured, and he looked utterly wretched, but his setbacks were nothing in light of all that he had gained.
Zhong Qiu really is impressive, Su Yi sighed to himself. Zhong Qiu’s Grand Dao was fit to serve as the foundation of a new sect all his own. Even a mere avatar was extraordinarily terrifying.
Chi Jun and Ling Xuanzi were strong too, but both of them lacked Zhong Qiu’s air of “one fit to establish his own sect.”
Before long, Su Yi set the matter aside, calmed his heart, and began treating his wounds.
Off in the distance, Ling Xuanzi grinned, overcome with delight. “He finally lost a match! You didn’t see how arrogant he was earlier. Even just watching from a distance, seeing him blast through our apprentice siblings was incredibly frustrating.”
A man in wide-sleeved black robes stood to the side with his hands behind his back. He had youthful features, but his temples were graying, and his eyes were as deep and dark as the night sky. They shone with the vicissitudes of countless years.
This was the second disciple of Fangchun Mountain, Zhong Qiu, the ruler-like existence who’d presided over the Ancient Nebula Underworld.
The Eldest and Second Senior Brothers of Fangchun Mountain were both incredibly strong and almost evenly matched.
Many of the younger apprentice siblings had enjoyed their teaching and guidance.
It was only when their Little Junior Brother, Lin Xun, entered the stage that someone finally outshone the Combat Emperor and Zhong Qiu.
“You’re mistaken. Senior Su still has cards hidden in reserve.” Zhong Qiu shook his head slightly. Otherwise, I would likely have been the one to lose.”
Ling Xuanzi laughed dryly. “Senior Brother, you needn’t be modest. He might still have cards up his sleeve, but you do too!”
Zhong Qiu was instantly solemn. “That doesn’t mean anything. Don’t forget that I fought with Immeasurable Realm cultivation. I was a full realm above him!”
Ling Xuanzi instantly clamped his jaw shut.
It was true. If this were a true clash at the same level of cultivation, Zhong Qiu would have had no hope of victory.
“Argh. I just find it a bit frustrating is all.” Ling Xuanzi sighed.
Zhong Qiu said softly, “Senior Su is the same sort of person as Little Junior Brother, a true anomaly. You can count people like him on your fingers. Otherwise, how could he earn Little Junior Brother’s admiration and Master’s respect?”
His gaze was suddenly a bit strange. “But that’s not the part I admire most. No, what really impresses me is that Senior Su’s first incarnation had already reached the pinnacle of the Grand Dao. He was unsurpassed even on the Far Shore of Destiny, and he even used a sword seal to suppress Alpha Origin in the heart of the All-Wonder Dominion! But...”
He paused, then sighed before continuing. Every word came straight from the heart. “Who could have imagined that such an expert would decisively cast away a lifetime of cultivation and enter the cycle of reincarnation? When it comes to sheer spirit and strength of will, who else can compare?
“I cannot help but feel ashamed by comparison. It’s as if I’m gazing up at an incomparably lofty mountain.” Zhong Qiu glanced over at Su Yi, who was meditating in the distance, and whispered, “Now that I’ve seen his current incarnation’s strength for myself, I’m certain that he’ll one day reach the pinnacle of the Dao of the Sword once more, and moreover, that he’ll surpass his first incarnation!”
Ling Xuanzi couldn’t help but be moved. Waves of emotion coursed through his heart.
Three days passed before Su Yi awakened from his meditation. His wounds had already healed, and he’d further tempered and stabilized his Silent Realm foundations in the Grand Dao.
Then, he rose, looked at Zhong Qiu, who was waiting in the distance, and said, “How’d you like to fight again?”
Zhong Qiu inclined his head. “This junior was waiting for you to say that.”
Su Yi smiled. Zhong Qiu might seem polite, but when he fights, he’s far more ruthless than the other Fangchun Mountain disciples!
But that was exactly what Su Yi was most eager for.
Soon, the two of them were locked in an incomparably fierce battle once more.
It was over in less than ten minutes. Su Yi had yet again been defeated, and he’d taken heavy injuries.
“Let’s fight again once I’ve recovered,” Su Yi said with a smile. An opponent like this was far too rare, and fighting him was a delight.
But much to his dismay, Zhong Qiu shook his head and smiled bitterly. “I won’t lie to you, Senior Su. This avatar of mine won’t last another battle.”
Su Yi was stunned, and he couldn’t help but find it a pity, but Zhong Qiu just smiled and clasped his fist. “Disciple Zhong Qiu of Fangchun Mountain is willing to accept your leadership!”
Ling Xuanzi stood to the side in silence. By now, his impression of Su Yi had changed completely.
“Many thanks.” Su Yi returned the polite gesture. After all, Zhong Qiu was an opponent worthy of respect.
He then sat down, crossed his legs, and started tending to his wounds.
When Su Yi rose just three days later, his wounds had knit back together. More than that, his cultivation base had advanced!
This was the true meaning of a clash of the Grand Dao.
“Fourth Senior Brother, bring Su Yi to see Eldest Senior Brother,” ordered Zhong Qiu.
“Got it!” Ling Xuanzi promptly led Su Yi to a barren, dilapidated stretch of heaven and earth. Yellow sands rode in on the wind. All was desolate and bleak.
A grand figure sat cross-legged on a towering cliff, his eyes shut. He just stood there, but when Su Yi looked over, he felt as if he were gazing at the pillar holding up the heavens!
“Eldest Senior Brother, Senior Su has arrived,” said Ling Xuanzi. He was uncharacteristically reserved to the point of averting his gaze.
Whoosh!
The grand figure seated on the cliff suddenly rose. It was a simple movement, but heaven and earth shook, and the sky broke as easily as paper window paneling.
An austere, murderous aura swept forth like a tidal wave or avalanche. Countless stars fell, and all Daos collapsed and broke. Everything descended into a state of withering and destruction.
The man’s mere aura was enough to create strange phenomena of heaven and earth. Su Yi couldn’t help but take another look at him, his heart instantly solemn.
On their way here, Ling Xuanzi said that the Eldest Senior Brother of Fangchun Mountain was a battle maniac. He’d always been unrestrained, to the point that not even Grandmaster Bodhi could suppress his ferocity.
Seeing him now, he indeed lived up to his reputation.
It was only when that grand figure steadied himself on his feet that Su Yi saw him clearly. He was dressed in warrior robes. His hair and beard were disheveled, but his eyes shone with intense light, and he was more than ten feet tall. His whole body emanated surging murderous intent as hot and intense as lava.
It was like gazing upon the ruler of combat itself, someone capable of shattering the firmament beneath their feet and destroying both heaven and earth!
This was the eldest senior brother of Fangchun Mountain, the Combat Emperor, a living legend famed for his strength and ferocity in battle.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Please instruct me!” The Combat Emperor’s eyes lit up, but before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he vanished.
A moment later, heaven and earth caved in around Su Yi. Boiling hot murderous intent condensed into fist force and slammed into him.
The Combat Emperor had attacked directly!
Su Yi neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he clashed with his opponent head-on.
Bang!!!
Everything within one hundred thousand feet disintegrated into powder. The sky shattered, and heaven and earth were thrown into chaos.
Su Yi was forced back on impact, but it wasn’t over yet. The Combat Emperor launched his next attack before Su Yi could even steady himself on his feet.
The Combat Emperor was like a beam of flowing light. He struck with unstoppable, tyrannical force. Every strike had the power to destroy both heaven and earth.
Ling Xuanzi had long since moved further away. When he saw that Eldest Senior Brother was using Immeasurable Realm cultivation just as Zhong Qiu had, he inwardly sighed in relief.
Had the Combat Emperor unleashed his full strength, this battle would have been pointless.
Still, Ling Xuanzi wouldn’t have expected the Combat Emperor to use cultivation a realm beyond Su Yi’s right from the start.
To think a combat-hungry maniac like Eldest Senior Brother would decide against a clash of the Grand Dao at the same cultivation level... Does this mean that he isn’t confident that he can beat Su Yi if they fight on a level playing field?
Ling Xuanzi was stunned. His Eldest Senior Brother had proven his Dao through combat, and he was absolutely the Fangchun Mountain disciple most skilled at combat. Moreover, he was so perceptive that he had no need to probe his opponents’ strength; he could see through them at a glance!
This scene was unquestionable proof of that.
“Senior, if you want to temper yourself, don’t think, and don’t second-guess yourself. Just attack with everything you’ve got!” The Combat Emperor’s voice rang out. “Don’t worry about life and death, victory and defeat, or anyone’s intentions... none of that matters!
“Combat is a goal in itself! We become stronger by facing the strong, overcoming everything in our paths, and fighting to the very end!
“If the heavens stand in our way, we shatter them. If the earth blocks our path, we crush it. No matter what lies ahead, we force our way through it all!”
His voice echoed throughout heaven and earth.
Su Yi threw back his head and laughed. “Excellent!”
But the Combat Emperor’s words nonetheless stirred and ignited his will to fight. He cast aside his scattered thoughts and attacked with all his might.
He forgot heaven and earth, himself, and all of creation, save for his burning will to fight.
Ling Xuanzi watched this all from afar. He felt as if he were witnessing a legendary battle sufficient to dazzle the ages.
A full hour later...
Bang!!
Su Yi slammed into the dirt, his body battered and broken. Much of his flesh had been pulped, and his bones had snapped or shattered. His long hair was disheveled, and his robes were thoroughly drenched with blood.
He looked incomparably wretched, but the damage went beyond that. Even his soul was severely wounded.
He’d lost track of how many times he’d been suppressed. His heart and body were numb, his mind was blank, and his awareness was muddled.
Only his will to fight still burned.
He tried to get up, but he barely managed to raise his head before everything went black. He’d finally hit his limit, and soon, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
His body, heart, soul, and cultivation base were completely drained!
The Combat Emperor stood in the distance, watching all of this play out. He couldn’t help but nod slightly.
He finally understood why his master was so insistent that they entrusted their ancestral grounds to this reincarnated swordsman.
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