Chapter 1097: Chapter 1096: Hope He Can Respond to the Challenge_1
As the battle appointment between the Martial Emperor and the master of the Ghost Carriage drew near, the entire Martial World became unprecedentedly lively.
From the north of Bei Liang to the south of Daxia, and the Western Region with its hundred nations and the West Sea’s cluster of islands, countless martial wanderers flooded into the Flying Horse Dynasty at every moment. For the first time, the vast Flying Horse Dynasty experienced the phenomenon of overcrowding.
Actually, this situation had already begun to show signs three years earlier, but it had never been as noticeable.
One year ago, the influx of people suddenly increased dramatically. In recent months, the dust raised by travelers on the major thoroughfares never settled, and the sound of horse hooves could be heard at all times. The waterways were filled with boats like woven threads, shuttling back and forth, and even in the wild countryside not suitable for travel, one could see people and horses hastening on their way everywhere.
This led to a rare scene in the Flying Horse Dynasty, where a pavilion was set up every few dozen meters along the official roads for travelers to rest and catch their breath. Many transportation gangs combined forces, setting up docks along the main tributaries and transport hubs, and they also made a tidy profit.
As for the existing inns, restaurants, and teahouses, they were even busier, with full occupancy every day. Not to mention the smaller cities, even many of the larger cities experienced a shortage of accommodations.
Therefore, the governments of various states had to increase manpower to maintain order in the cities, but the brutal and murderous behavior of the people of the Martial World still happened frequently.
Fortunately, everyone had a bottom line and would not easily disturb the common folk, otherwise, they would face retaliation and be besieged from all directions. This managed to keep the impact on the common people to a minimum.
As for those martial artists above the Dragon Gate Realm, they wouldn’t easily take action, and if they did, it would be outside the cities. Thus, weary travelers on long journeys were actually treated to many high-level martial artists’ fierce battles, which they watched with great enjoyment and discussed with relish.
In sum, the entire Martial World was in a state of unprecedented clamor and excitement, awaiting that earth-shattering battle that had captured everyone’s attention!
In Tian State, Wuwei Domain.
Two figures stood in a vast forest, ten thousand meters apart from each other.
And around these two figures, there were many others, with auras that were either vigorous, nimble, or profound, all of them Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm.
In today’s world, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was increasingly rich, Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm were no longer as rare as they once were. According to incomplete statistics, just in the last three years, several thousand Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm had emerged, far surpassing the total of the past several millennia.
The corner of a flourishing great era was slowly revealing itself.
"This Fiery Flame Child Emperor defeated the Snow Outstanding Emperor, ranking one hundred on the Emperor List, with just thirty-three moves half a year ago. Now he is facing the Falling Star Emperor, who ranks ninetieth. I wonder what the outcome will be."
"He has an eighty percent chance of winning. The only point of interest is how many moves the Fiery Flame Child Emperor will use. It’s said that he has mastered the tenth level of the Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art, surpassing all predecessors of the Secret Sect. If it weren’t for his young age and insufficient power, there would hardly be a few in the entire Martial World who could match him."
"Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?"
The surrounding crowd, gathered in groups of three or two, engaged in occasional discussions, all with serious expressions on their faces.
The saying "Generations produce new talents who lead the way for hundreds of years" can no longer describe the current state of the Martial World. No one can dominate for hundreds of years anymore—not even for a few years.
In just the last three years, sixteen high-ranking individuals on the Emperor List were pushed down, and eighty-six saw their rankings drop. The worst fall was fifty-eight places.
In contrast, there were many old and new faces with fierce momentum. The Fiery Flame Child Emperor was one of the most watched among them.
Three years ago, the Fiery Flame Child Emperor was ranked two hundred ninety-sixth on the Emperor List. Now, he has risen to one hundredth place, a staggering climb of one hundred ninety-six ranks. What’s more frightening is that almost everyone in the Martial World is certain that this is not his true rank.
"I hope Falling Star Master will try his best, otherwise, the defeat will be terrible for him."
In the center of the arena, a young lama dressed in a red and yellow monk’s robe, wearing a monk’s hat, spoke. He appeared to be only seven or eight years old, but his voice was deep, and his eyes blazed like two flames, bright, fiery, and profound.
"Such arrogance!"
Falling Star Emperor showed a look of anger; anyone would feel the same when being so blatantly belittled.
But the Falling Star Emperor had to admit that the Fiery Flame Child Emperor was putting tremendous pressure on him. The opponent’s presence was like a fire, dazzling yet nearly illusory, enigmatic.
"Since the master won’t listen, don’t blame this little monk."
The Fiery Flame Child Emperor’s eyes suddenly shone brightly, and his seemingly frail little hands, now with two clumps of red firelight, slapped towards the Falling Star Emperor.
"Falling Star Destroy Life!"
Although the firelight seemed unimpressive, Falling Star Emperor was alarmed, using his best move as the first attack. He split into countless selves, like numerous perishing meteors rushing forward, piercing through the void.
Boom, boom, boom...
The two clumps of firelight were dispersed into numerous fragments, but every fragment quickly expanded back into firelight. Regardless of size or color, they mirrored the original and rushed towards the Falling Star Emperor at incredible speed.
"Heavenly Falling Extreme Flow, annihilate!"
Hanging upside down, the Falling Star Emperor divided into innumerable parts, like a rapidly spinning kaleidoscope, each part performing a unique art. Fused into one, they burst forth with a brilliance that could destroy all things, overpowering every flicker of firelight.
As the ninetieth-ranked expert on the Emperor List, Falling Star Emperor’s heart and martial prowess had long since reached mastery. The top-level martial arts he practiced were also of this caliber; his strength was indescribably formidable.
"Ardent Heart."
The Fiery Flame Child Emperor calmly executed the second move.
This time it was a simple spark, but this spark seemed to contain countless variously colored flames. No matter the angle or position from which people looked, they would always see different visions.
But when it fell into the eyes of the Falling Star Emperor, the spark covered heaven and earth, rapidly swirling towards him. The scorching power almost instantly melted away his protective Vigorous Air.
"He’s so strong, Falling Star Splitting Strike!"
Falling Star Emperor thought they would at least be able to hold each other off for a few hundred moves, but on the third move, he was forced to use his killer technique. Suppressing the fear in his heart, the Falling Star Emperor pushed both palms forward, transforming into two intersecting comets.
Bang! Bang!
The comet turned into a fire dragon, and was immediately incinerated. The Falling Star Emperor swerved and dodged, frantically unleashing his killer moves. The fire dragons in the void were born and then extinguished, extinguished and then reborn. In the blink of an eye, thirty-two moves had passed.
"You have lost."
The spark transformed into the Fiery Flame Child Emperor, who opened his mouth and exhaled lightly, sending out a smaller ball of flame.
"Pfft!"
Depleted of strength and unable to dodge in time, the Falling Star Emperor let out a miserable scream as he was sent flying thirty thousand meters, and the slopes he passed by, touched by the sparks on his body, were burned to ashes.
"What, he lost so quickly?"
"Impossible, even the Snow Outstanding Emperor managed to withstand thirty-three moves, how could it be the same result with the even stronger Falling Star Emperor?"
The crowd couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
And some people’s eyes revealed deep fright.
Those people had witnessed the battle between the Fiery Flame Child Emperor and the Snow Outstanding Emperor half a year earlier. They found that both the process and the outcome of this battle were identical to that one, as if it had been a copy.
What did this mean? It wasn’t just that both the Snow Outstanding Emperor and the Falling Star Emperor had been simply defeated by the Fiery Flame Child Emperor, it was clear that they were being controlled, unable to escape his influence with every move they made.
This was even more terrifying than defeating them with thirty-three moves!
"What a talent, the number one genius of the Western Region, the number one genius of the Secret Sect, I think this child’s strength could possibly rank in the top eighty of the Emperor List, perhaps even higher!"
An elder couldn’t help but sigh. Many recognized him as the Hundred Waves Blade Emperor who was ranked one hundred twenty-sixth on the Emperor List.
"Impossible, every ten ranks in the Emperor List represents a huge gap, not to mention, don’t forget that the Kirin Sword Emperor is only ranked eighty-seventh."
Someone immediately objected.
"Do you think the Strange Ape Strong Man ranked eightieth can defeat the Snow Outstanding Emperor and Falling Star Emperor with the same moves, the same method?"
The Hundred Waves Blade Emperor countered, silencing the latter.
Indeed, controlling an opponent’s actions and defeating an opponent were two different things. The latter only needed to be one level stronger than the opponent, while the former had to be at least two levels stronger.
"So, in elder Hundred Waves’ view, the Fiery Flame Child Emperor is stronger than the Kirin?"
Someone asked.
"No, this old man didn’t say that."
The Hundred Waves Blade Emperor quickly denied.
With a series of battle achievements and miracles, the Kirin had long been universally acknowledged as the number one talent. Although he had been silent and inactive for the past two years, no one dared to underestimate him.
The Hundred Waves Blade Emperor would bet that if he dared to acknowledge today that the Kirin was inferior to the Fiery Flame Child Emperor, once the news spread, he would be condemned to death by the public.
At this moment, a person with a golden face and lips as if gilded said with a smile, "You all should have heard that more than two years ago, I personally saw the Kirin defeat the Thri-Color Great Emperor. His martial skills were far inferior to that of the Fiery Flame Child Emperor today."
This distinct appearance allowed many to guess the identity of the person immediately—the Golden Face Great Emperor.
Two years ago, the battle in which the Kirin defeated the Thri-Color Great Emperor had also caused a sensation. It was that battle that made the Kirin’s rank skyrocket to eighty-seventh on the Emperor List.
"The Kirin of today is not the Kirin of two years ago. Although I do not know his current level of skill, given the Kirin’s pace of progress, he would definitely not be slower than the Fiery Flame Child Emperor,"
a Sword Emperor from the Heaven and Earth Surprised Swan Castle, who was from the Void Origin Realm, said with a cold laugh.
The crowd either nodded or remained silent.
"You may not know yet, but the Fiery Flame Child Emperor has not only mastered the Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art, on the day he achieved mastery, he also received the gift of Vigorous Air from two dying masters of the Secret Sect. His strength is unimaginable to outsiders. I just happen to have some connections with the Secret Sect, so I know the inside story,"
the Golden Face Great Emperor said indifferently.
Whoosh!
Everyone present was taken aback.
No one had heard this news before, and if it were true, then the Fiery Flame Child Emperor was truly unfathomable! There were many who claimed to be masters in the Western Region, but everyone knew that in the Secret Sect, those who could be called masters were at least Heaven Realm Martial Emperors, and possibly even stronger.
With the Fiery Flame Child Emperor already so formidable, having received the life’s work of two masters, then...
At this point, even the Void Origin Realm Sword Emperor who spoke on behalf of Shi Xiaole’s behalf changed his expression and fell silent.
No matter how fast a person progresses, it cannot compare to the empowerment of skills, and who can guarantee that Shi Xiaole can continue to progress at such a godlike speed as before?
Not to mention, there were rumors that Shi Xiaole had mistakenly entered the Colorless Realm and could never walk out again. If that were the case, even the question of strength or weakness lost its meaning.
"Is this the source of pride you Central Plain people boast of? The Kirin, should he dare to appear, is destined to be nothing more than a stepping stone for our Fiery Flame Senior Brother. Just wait and see."
From a distance, several lamas who had been watching the show from the beginning, and wearing disdainful smiles, spoke out loud only now.
"The next person I want to challenge is the Kirin. I hope he will face the challenge and show up."
The lama’s loud voice had not yet faded when the calm and confident voice of the Fiery Flame Child Emperor sounded. Without waiting for everyone to react, he swiftly swept away toward the distance, followed by several lamas laughing heartily behind him.
