Chapter 1188: Chapter 1186: Raging Rain Sword Threads, Thunderous Spear_1
Round Twelve.
After the preceding exchanges, the strength levels of the participating experts became ever clearer, and whenever top-ranked experts took the stage, they always killed a vast array of eyeballs.
However, when the weakest tier of experts dueled, some people chose to contemplate on their own instead.
After all, for the Forbidden Martial Emperors who had not crossed the Fate Bridge, what they lost was only martial arts levels, not martial arts realms, and watching the fight was not as real as contemplation.
Of course, for the vast majority of people, any battle on the Fate Platform was considered immensely precious, wishing they could watch each fight twice.
Round Twelve, Fight Thirty-Six.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Sensing the aura of the contestants, everyone opened their eyes, and the atmosphere at the scene reached its peak.
Thousand Swords Emperor versus Startling Thunder Emperor.
Yes, among the nine great experts, the two who were most likely to compete for the title of Sword Master and Spear Master had met sooner than anyone had expected.
Thousand Swords Emperor, whose strength could only be described as unfathomable, had reached a level of swordsmanship that was mysterious and transcendent, a prodigy from the same era as the Hundred Battles Tower’s master, undefeated since his debut.
Startling Thunder Emperor, the supreme ruler among spearmen, the Emperor of the Thunder Path, debuted three thousand years ago, plowing through his opponents; during his peak, it was said that those who could withstand ten of his spears were rightfully called invincible heroes.
These two were among the hottest contenders for the master of this Fate assembly. Therefore, in many people’s eyes, this duel should also be the pinnacle of this season’s Fate battles.
"The younger generation is to be feared; the first time I encountered you in the Martial World, I knew there would come such a day,"
Thousand Swords Emperor lamented as he grasped the sword hilt with his right hand.
"Thousand Swords Emperor, my spear does not permit me to retreat. Avoiding battle years ago was merely the result of the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller’s calculations, instructing me to postpone to this lifetime. How laughable the world is, to think I was afraid, haha..."
Startling Thunder Emperor laughed heartily, his voice filled with disdain.
Thousand Swords Emperor was also laughing. A bunch of self-important mediocrities, how could they understand their ambitions and helplessness?
"Fight!"
A crisp sword cry echoed through the universe - it was the first time people had seen the sword in the Thousand Swords Emperor’s scabbard.
The sword was covered in pits and dents, and the blade had many nicks, but like a battle-hardened general triumphant from the battlefield, the scars did not diminish its appeal; instead, it carried the unparalleled aura of the king of a thousand swords, rolling and crushing everything in its path.
A sword shocked heaven and earth, and the entire Fate Platform exuded the sword qi that shredded everything!
"Well met!"
Cutting through the sword qi was a large spear flashing with five-colored lightning, resembling an enormous multicolored python twisting and turning, its momentum boundless.
When the sword qi collided with the spear force, it caused an eternal blast, which would have exploded many in attendance if not for the surrounding Array System’s isolation; despite that, many warriors atop the Nineteen Peaks still experienced a painful sensation in their eyes and looks of horror.
"Supreme martial arts at the mid-phase of eleven percent. Even more superior to Martial Emperor and the master of the Ghost Carriage."
The battle at Endless Risky Peak years ago was the most terrifying duel Shi Xiaole had ever seen, and today’s fight would undoubtedly surpass it. He wondered if the Martial Emperor and the master of the Ghost Carriage had progressed over the years.
"A hundred swords release!"
Without any extra probing, the Thousand Swords Emperor’s sword flew from his hand, stabbing forward at a terrifying speed, dividing into ninety-nine sword shadows in midair, making a total of a hundred swords, their sword qi connected to each other, continuously amplifying the power of this sword.
Controlling Sword with Qi Skill, and it was clear he had reached the peak of this art!
Zoom!
In the void, a pitch-black crevice appeared, looking like an unbridgeable rift; the chaotic force inside the void had actually been flattened by the sword qi, making it hard to imagine how sharp these hundred swords were!
"I can’t block it, can’t catch it."
If White Cloud Emperor still held hope before, he now knew he was far inferior to Thousand Swords Emperor.
"Thunder Pool Spear Sea!"
With a furious roar, Startling Thunder Emperor’s body erupted with five-colored lightning, red, orange, yellow, green, and cyan, each as thick as a human arm, twisting and breaking into a thunder pool.
In the thunder pool, countless spear shadows stood erect to the sky, only fourty-nine in number, but each entwined with the bursting light of thunder, combined with the domineering natural spear force, they emitted a terrorizing power that could shatter souls.
Boom...
Heavenly Collapse and Earth Shattering.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sword shadows and spear images continuously exploded, finally converging into a single scarred sword, shooting forward like a meteor, only to be smashed by dozens of thick lightning bolts, bouncing back.
"Rainstorm Sword Silk!"
Springing into action, Thousand Swords Emperor grabbed the long sword, sweeping forward, and a torrential downpour suddenly covered the Fate Platform, growing more intense until it formed a thin mist of rain, obscuring everyone’s line of sight.
This was not an actual rainstorm but a phenomenon created by the extreme condensation and sharpness of the sword qi.
In the heavy mist, a speck of blood appeared only to be shattered immediately.
"Startling Thunder Emperor is injured."
With his spiritual power refined to twenty-two percent, Qi Muchu could perceive the real-time details of the fight.
"Thunder Breaks Nine Heavens!"
In the torrential sword rain, countless thunderbolts forcefully ripped it apart, revealing the scene within.
The originally smooth surface of the Fate Platform was now covered in cracks; considering the material of the Fate Platform was extremely hard, and previous top experts had failed to leave marks on it, one could grasp the intensity of the battle just now.
Startling Thunder Emperor, with his hair loose, was drenched all over, covered with mottled sword wounds, no less than several hundred, and from tens of thousands of meters away, many could sense a sharpness emanating from the sword wounds that could blind people.
No one could imagine how powerful the barrage from the Thousand Swords Emperor had been just moments ago.
The Startling Thunder Emperor stood opposite, the Thousand Swords Emperor stood with his sword pointing downwards, and if one moved closer, one could see his right hand trembling slightly, with a trickle of fresh blood slowly flowing down from his sleeve.
From the looks of the battle, the Thousand Swords Emperor undoubtedly had the upper hand in the previous duel, but it wasn’t an overwhelming advantage.
"Thousand Swords Emperor, I have a spear technique that has been cultivated for a full two thousand years. Please, allow me to present it."
The Startling Thunder Emperor spoke calmly, with faint flashes of lightning streaking through the depths of his eyes.
"Please proceed."
Elevating both his cultivation energy and mental focus to the peak, the expression of the Thousand Swords Emperor was extremely grave.
The "Torrential Sword Threads" was one of his most potent secret techniques, consuming a full forty percent of his energy, and since it had only injured the Startling Thunder Emperor, it must be admitted that the Thousand Swords Emperor still regarded him with considerable wariness, realizing he couldn’t afford to take anything for granted.
The outwardly projecting aura suddenly retracted, and above the Fate Platform, a layer of dark clouds had formed at an unknown time, pressing down so heavily that the numerous experts around the platform felt their spirits suppressed and breathing became difficult.
It was unusually quiet all around.
The breathing of the Startling Thunder Emperor seemed to merge with the dark clouds above, and the long spear entwined with five-colored lightning was held out in front, as he stepped through the air and suddenly thrust the spear towards the Thousand Swords Emperor at this moment.
"Thunderstrike Spear, to kill!"
Sizzle sizzle sizzle...
An astonishing scene unfolded, as the immensely explosive five-colored lightning was forcefully condensed by the Startling Thunder Emperor into a three-foot diameter sphere, appearing at the tip of the spear.
The Startling Thunder Emperor’s energy plummeted at a cliff-diving pace, yet in contrast, the spear tip emanated an earth-shattering, horror-inducing force.
"Torrential Sword Threads, to bind with threads!"
His pupils contracting to the size of pinholes, the Thousand Swords Emperor reacted without thinking, his long sword casting down a torrential downpour that this time wasn’t offensive, but transformed into layers of rain curtains shielding his front.
Clang...
The darkness of night continuously shattered, with some parts exploding before they could even appear, as streaks of lightning, like venomous snakes emerging from their holes, were unstoppable and kept piercing through the barriers in front, attacking the retreating Thousand Swords Emperor.
At the same time, the earth-shaking thunderous sounds made all the experts, who failed to ascend the Nineteen Peaks, experience piercing pain in their eardrums. Following this, they saw thick beams of light rise from the center of the Nineteen Peaks, looking like an infinitely large porcupine, leaving them all dumbfounded.
Inner ring of the Fate Platform.
The mist was evaporated by the lightning.
All saw the Thousand Swords Emperor kneeling on the ground, riddled with bloody holes, no less than several tens, some oozing blood, some exposing white bone, and others plainly revealing internal organs, making everyone draw a sharp breath.
The Startling Thunder Emperor on the other side, while not looking as tragic, lay on the ground, his complexion deathly pale.
"I’ve lost."
After a moment of silence, the Startling Thunder Emperor said unwillingly.
The "Thunderstrike Spear" was an extremely lethal move, it was a matter of either the enemy dies or one’s own demise, and having utilized it, the Startling Thunder Emperor’s cultivation energy was utterly drained. He could now be killed even by a Dragon Gate Realm warrior, let alone the Thousand Swords Emperor.
The Thousand Swords Emperor silently let out a sigh of relief, his own cultivation energy less than twenty percent remaining. Had the Startling Thunder Emperor held on a bit longer, the outcome might have been different.
The peak battle concluded with a narrow victory for the Thousand Swords Emperor. Everyone remained speechless for a long time, still immersed in the shock of the duel they had witnessed.
The other seven top fighters, each with a colder expression than the last, clearly felt the immense pressure.
"Compressing the power of thunder with spear force and exploding in an instant, the principle of this spear move is quite similar to Zhuge Divine Marquis’s astonishing spear technique."
In Shi Xiaole’s view, the Startling Thunder Emperor’s "Thunderstrike Spear" lacked refinement; if the sphere could be compressed further, the lethality would undoubtedly increase.
Of course, easier said than done, both the power of thunder and spear force are among the most formidable forces in the world. To successfully blend and compress them is no easy feat.
"With my current cultivation, I stand no chance against these two, but..."
Upon inner vision of his spiritual power, and after about half an incense stick’s time, the green sword in his sea of consciousness suddenly vibrated, with the green wind threads swirling around its surface becoming even more fierce, as if numerous swords were slashing back and forth.
Shi Xiaole’s Wind Sword Way finally progressed from the late stage of elevenfold strength to the peak of elevenfold!
The Wind Sword Way at elevenfold peak was on the same level as the Supreme Martial Arts at tenfold peak, but in terms of power, certainly not as strong—though that depended on who was using it.
Shi Xiaole had never been bound by convention, after all, martial arts had never been his strong suit; his realm in martial studies and the Heart Sword were what mattered.
With no time for joy, Shi Xiaole continued to immerse himself in cultivation, comprehending the "Sky-shocking Sword," the fusion of the Four Great Sword Techniques.
Due to the spectacular battle between the Thousand Swords Emperor and the Startling Thunder Emperor, the subsequent matches seemed dull by comparison, until Thousand Real Person from the Ten Prides faced off against the Tianya Martial Emperor.
Both had attained the tenfold peak of Supreme Martial Arts, and each excelled far beyond ordinary men.
What differed was that the Tianya Martial Emperor had reached the limit of his life’s potential, and without some incredible destiny, it would be difficult for him to improve further, so his Vigorous Air was more profound, and his body techniques were also far superior, so generally speaking, his chances of winning were considered higher.
The fight kept to the pace of the Tianya Martial Emperor.
However.
After being struck repeatedly, the spectators realized that Thousand Real Person’s state didn’t seem to be much affected. In contrast, the Tianya Martial Emperor’s deep Vigorous Air also had its dwindling moments, gradually beginning to falter.
"Is this, converting the entirety of the opponent’s offensive momentum and concentrating it into a part of the body?"
The Heavenly Martial Emperor narrowed his eyes.
"You’ve lost."
Struck again by the Tianya Martial Emperor, Thousand Real Person’s body showed a layer of swirling Qi, which absorbed most of the Palm Qi into an artificially created sea of Qi within him, reducing the impact on himself to just a fraction.
The next moment.
He flicked the Tianya Martial Emperor away with a finger.
The crowd was in an uproar.
