Chapter 1185: Chapter 1183: The Battle Begins_1
"Brother Shi, I hope you’ve been well."
Even Liu Ruofei was somewhat surprised that Shi Xiaole had made it to the Fate Platform, but upon further thought, he felt relieved; he was more than eager for the other to keep up with his pace.
Perhaps, on this man, he could find the opportunity to take his swordsmanship to the next level!
With his blood heating up inside, Liu Ruofei turned his head to look at the other extraordinary experts, and his long sword unsheathed half an inch from his waist, brimming with battle intent.
"This guy is definitely too confident for his own good, isn’t he?"
Ding Yufang looked at Liu Ruofei sidelong, but it was undeniable that upon sensing the other’s battle intent, his own long blade trembled, not from fear, but excitement.
Right there on the Fate Platform, under the watchful eyes of the masses, to battle against today’s strongest experts of the Martial World, and to decide the victor, what joy!
Some sneered, others closed their eyes, and there were those who meditated on their own, each person’s aura like a torrent in the great river and sea, either booming or bursting forth with potential, clashing into invisible towering waves.
"Brother Liu."
Shi Xiaole also greeted Liu Ruofei. Other people might sense the battle intent, and naturally, he could too; his usually calm heart-lake rippled with rare waves.
Not just because of Liu Ruofei, but also due to the presence of many others, such as the unfathomable nine great experts, the solitary and outstanding Xuanyuan Di, and the seemingly gentle but actually proud and restrained Qi Muchu, and so on.
"I really want to see just how far my strength can go."
Shi Xiaole didn’t ponder what kind of achievements he would gain; he was simply enjoying the thrill and tension that came before the decisive battle.
Perhaps this was his true self, hidden deep within his heart, indifferent to victory or defeat, fearless of life and death, pursuing time after time the unforgettable moments that made his heart surge.
Because there were so few things in this world that he truly looked forward to. Was his obsession with cultivation not another way to dispel loneliness and solitude?
The Fate Platform was immense, with a diameter of ten thousand meters, divided into an inner and outer ring; the inner ring had a diameter of eight thousand meters and was raised a hundred meters above the outer ring. It emitted an arcane aura from Array Systems, likely the spot for the final battles.
The outer ring was astonishingly vast as well; a hundred and one people stood upon it, like dust settled in a bowl, utterly negligible. Each person occupied a space, finely in tune with the Dao essence of this place.
"Such a rich essence of the Supreme Sword Way!"
Not far from the Heavenly Sword Peak’s Fate Bridge, Shi Xiaole sat cross-legged.
He found that the essence of the Supreme Sword Way here was three times denser than at the Heavenly Sword Peak, and each spot of the Supreme Sword Way essence at the Heavenly Sword Peak was comparable to a Supreme Sword Way leaf.
In other words, cultivating here was like Shi Xiaole constantly holding three Supreme Sword Way leaves for perception, which was a terrifying thought. With his talent, it wasn’t impossible for him to make further progress in a short period of time.
Just for this reason alone, one could understand why so many were eager to join the battle.
"Could this place have something to do with the legendary Supreme Sword Way?"
Shi Xiaole raised his head; above him was an expanse of mist. With the 22% of his spiritual strength refined, he could only extend his perception two hundred meters, unable to discern the conditions at the peak of the Heavenly Sword Peak.
"I must take a look if I get the chance."
Withdrawing his gaze, Shi Xiaole didn’t want to waste time and immediately entered a state of perception.
Two days later.
Boom!
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, a smooth black stele, ten meters high and two meters in both length and width, plummeted from the clouds. It was like a black mirror, squarely reflecting everything before finally coming to a halt midair, precisely positioned at the center of the Fate Platform.
"The Fate Stele has appeared."
Someone took a deep breath.
The Fate Stele could record the aura of the battling martial artists, with the Array System inside recording each person’s victory count and arranging the sequence of fights based on their records.
Once all the battles were over, the Fate Stele would automatically rank everyone, reflecting their names upon the door to Fate.
The blurry inscriptions Shi Xiaole had seen on the door to Fate were actually the rankings of the strong fighters from previous battles of Fate.
The arrival of the Fate Stele signified that the Nineteen Peaks would soon close, and the Battle of Fate was about to begin. In two days, as the land of Fate shrank, all the great experts who should have arrived did, and those who failed to make it could blame no one but themselves.
Sst!
Among the nine figures, the Heavenly Martial Emperor from Divine Martial Peak flicked a drop of blood from his fingertip towards the Fate Stele suspended in the air, then etched his name into it while floating.
Instantly, the name Heavenly Martial Emperor materialized on the surface of the Fate Stele, shining brightly, exuding an unlimited tyrannical charm, vaguely carrying the aura of the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s martial way.
The names faded after a moment.
The other eight figures followed suit, each dropping blood and inscribing their names.
For a time, the essences of nine Supreme Martial Ways seemed to come to life, entangling and suppressing each other, making the heavens and the earth thunder with their clashes, which were all absorbed by the Fate Stele in the end.
"Blood inevitably carries a martial way essence; I must control it a little."
Shi Xiaole had exposed his dual martial ways on Bee Island, but he was not yet ready to reveal his dual Supreme Martial Ways. Controlling his mind carefully, he flicked out his blood.
Hum.
An aura emerged that was wildly sharp and yet produced a potent hallucinatory effect, spreading from the name Shi Xiaole, drawing glances from many toward his direction.
"Dual martial ways?"
Many were taken aback at first, then shook their heads.
In their view, dual martial ways sounded daunting, but in terms of future achievements, they were far from matching the Supreme Martial Way. If Shi Xiaole could merge the two into a Supreme Martial Way, they would take note.
Unfortunately, Shi Xiaole had achieved the Void Origin, thereby missing the opportunity forever and inevitably unable to be mentioned in the same breath as the proud ten.
"I still have a chance; I will definitely catch up with this kid."
On the Heavenly Sword Peak cliff, Ling Jianming’s eyes gleamed as he ground his teeth in secret.
In no time, every participant had left their marks. The next moment, two entirely different lights shot out from the Fate Stele, covering two of them.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
One clearly had experience in the Battle of Fate, flashing forward and smoothly landing on the raised inner ring of the Fate Platform. The other, understanding what to do, followed suit.
"Yuanhua Great Emperor."
"Nine Destruction Sword Emperor."
They announced each other’s names and soon a big battle erupted.
In the distant Nineteen Peaks, nearly everyone had their eyes wide open.
For them, comprehending the Supreme Martial Way was important, but so was watching battles. Sometimes, witnessing a high-level fight could save them many detours or provide useful insights.
Both Yuanhua Great Emperor and Nine Destruction Sword Emperor were legendary figures from a previous era, and their first battle was exceedingly brutal. Ultimate moves were deployed one after another, with lethal techniques continuously executed.
In the end, after tens of thousands of moves, Nine Destruction Sword Emperor secured a hard-fought victory.
The moment the battle concluded, two life-imbued auras suddenly descended from the misty sky above, quickly healing the injuries of the two combatants.
"The Martial Way of Life?"
Shi Xiaole abruptly looked up.
As soon as those two life forces appeared, the Life and Death Martial Way within his body started operating at a speed that exceeded its limits. If he could assimilate their essence, it would undoubtedly cause his stagnant Life and Death Martial Way to advance by leaps and bounds!
What exactly exists at the very pinnacle of the Nineteen Peaks?
It is said that only the Lord of Fate has the opportunity to ascend and gain that chance.
Shi Xiaole’s blood began to circulate rapidly. He realized this was an opportunity that came once in a blue moon. Missing it meant not knowing when he’d be able to elevate his Supreme Martial Arts to the next level.
The second battle.
The third battle.
...
Battle after battle ensued without any gaps; with the nourishment from the Martial Way of Life, as long as a fighter had a breath left in them, they could recover quickly. Everyone cast aside all reservations, fighting solely for victory.
After all, one’s ranking was linked to the final reward. The Lord of Fate could ascend to the highest peak, while the second place could be just a few dozen meters lower, and the third even lower...
Just halfway up the mountain, there was such a rich presence of the Supreme Essence, and the higher one went, the more incredible it would be. Nobody wanted to give up.
The ninth battle.
Luo Zijiao of the Ten Arrogants took the stage.
His opponent was the Gentle Fairy, one of the Six Forbidden Martial Emperors of the Hundred Battles Tower, whose tender-hearted Martial Way had reached the late stages of perfection.
This battle ended unexpectedly with Luo Zijiao’s victory. His Water and Fire Martial Way had astonishingly reached the pinnacle of perfection, overpowering the Gentle Fairy throughout the fight.
"That little guy from Water and Fire Dao Manor is somewhat interesting."
Several experts from the Hundred Battles Tower, including the White Cloud Emperor, couldn’t help but express their surprise.
The Gentle Fairy’s talent was only slightly behind Luo Zijiao’s. Given her advantage in cultivation time, it was hard to imagine her losing.
"A slight edge in talent, in this grand era, is as good as a chasm. Any significantly great opportunity can max out that gap. This is the most turbulent, the most merciless, and also the most thrilling era."
The Heavenly Martial Emperor muttered to himself. He was far behind those six individuals, but it was all worth it. His avoidance of combat in years past was not out of cowardice but to wait for this era to suddenly emerge.
Now that the land of fate had been completely perfected, the rewards for becoming the Lord of Fate would exceed those of the past, and he would catch up sooner or later.
The first round, thirteenth battle.
Thousand Swords Emperor took the stage.
Opposite him was the Forbidden Martial Emperor from the South Sea, known far and wide, the Tianya Martial Emperor, whose carefree Martial Way had reached the pinnacle of perfection and ranked ninth in the last Fate Battle.
One sword.
Thousand Swords Emperor defeated Tianya Martial Emperor in an instant, with virtually no one able to see how he made his move.
Hisss...
A collective gasp was heard.
Before, everyone only knew the nine masters were powerful, but they had no clear concept of just how strong they were. Now they knew, and they suspected that even the White Cloud Emperor, who placed second in the last battle, would not easily defeat Tianya Martial Emperor.
As for the first place in the prior event, that was the youngest among the six Great Fake Sky Origin Realm masters.
The first round, twenty-eighth battle.
Xuanyuan Di entered the fray.
One punch.
His opponent, the Fan Family Ancestor, almost exploded into a blood mist, narrowly managing to hold onto a breath of life.
"Terrifying!"
Outside the Fate Arena, the Fan Family Ancestor’s face was ashen, and he was still shaken. He felt that Xuanyuan Di had not been serious; if Xuanyuan Di had truly intended to kill, he was uncertain whether he could have avoided it.
Fan Shengnan’s expression was grim. After all, it was her own great-grandfather who had nearly been killed. On the other hand, she had to admit she had underestimated Xuanyuan Di. His strength was far beyond her imagination.
Indeed, it wasn’t just the Fan Family members who felt this way; even individuals at the level of Thousand Swords Emperor looked towards Xuanyuan Di after he struck.
Afterward, Startling Thunder Emperor, Heavenly Martial Emperor, and the other eight great masters, including Qi Muchu, successively completed their instant kills.
The White Cloud Emperor, along with the top ten masters from the previous event, also made their appearances. Though they seemed to lag slightly behind the aforementioned few, they were still clearly superior to the rest.
Liu Ruofei, Ding Yufang, and other dazzling figures among the Ten Arrogants, with the exception of ’Exiled Immortal’ Lu Caili, Phoenix Eye Goddess, and Abbot Nannan, all had their Supreme Martial Way reach the pinnacle of perfection; they were basically able to crush their opponents.
Up to this point in the battle, the power disparity between people of different tiers had left everyone dumbfounded.
It was mainly because of the Martial Way of Life that everybody didn’t want to waste time probing too much. Usually, they would deploy their ultimate moves right from the start. After all, the longer you drag out a fight, the more you reveal your trump cards, which is not advantageous for subsequent encounters.
In the outside world, such scenarios wouldn’t happen; if you couldn’t beat someone, at least you could run.
The first round, sixty-ninth battle.
Finally, it was Shi Xiaole’s turn.
Liu Ruofei, Ding Yufang, and others couldn’t help but open their eyes and look towards the inner ring of the battlefield.
Shi Xiaole’s opponent was a Forbidden Martial Emperor from eight hundred years ago.
Szzt!
A flash of white light!
Shi Xiaole spun and dashed forward. Behind him, the Forbidden Martial Emperor was nearly sliced in two.
