Chapter 1197: Chapter 1195: The Ultimate Battle_1
"My spiritual power has been refined to 28 percent,"
For some reason, Shi Xiaole found that the speed of refining spiritual power on the Fate platform was actually faster than in the outside world. Could it be that spiritual power is related to the Supreme Martial Way?
Yuan Sword Emperor once said that the first step to achieving Sky Origin state was to refine spiritual power. After arriving at the South Sea, Shi Xiaole unexpectedly learned that only the Forbidden Martial Emperor who mastered the Supreme Martial Arts had any hope of stepping into the Sky Origin state.
And the Supreme Martial Way is the closest to the Supreme Martial Way.
In the unknown, the Spiritual Path and the Martial Way, these two utterly different paths, were connected once again.
"With my current spiritual power, I can launch three high-quality Extreme Divine Tribulations in a row. Now that’s a true ultimate move."
The high quality Shi Xiaole referred to naturally meant it could threaten the nine great experts. In fact, had his spiritual power been fully refined, just the Spiritual Path would have been enough to defeat everyone present.
But that would be too uninteresting; it’s the challenge that creates a sense of anticipation.
Inside the Fate platform’s ring.
Fan Shengnan was locked in fierce battle with the White Cloud Emperor.
"God Severing Slash!"
Her body, shaken by cloud power till skin burst and flesh split, Fan Shengnan hastily retreated. At the same time, a slash divided the void into two halves, creating a perfectly smooth surface that formed a cage trapping the White Cloud Emperor within.
"Clouds of Ages Past!"
With a face of cold resolve, the White Cloud Emperor took the clash of sword qi and chaotic forces seriously. He slapped both arms to either side, and a spherical cloud screen blocked in front of him.
The ceaseless circulation of vigorous Yang energy within repaired any breaches by immediately filling them with cloud qi.
The chaotic forces caused by the sword qi were only a very small part, but even so, they still left over a dozen bloody marks on the White Cloud Emperor’s body.
The next moment, the White Cloud Emperor broke free from the prison, and with a palm strike, a hundred-zhang-long cloud dragon wrapped around Fan Shengnan, compressing inward constantly.
It was the "Cloud God Phantom Extinction."
"Soul Crossing Death Claiming!"
Far from giving up, Fan Shengnan coughed up blood, and a thousand-zhang-long blade light slashed at the midsection of the cloud dragon, ’bang’, Fan Shengnan appeared above the White Cloud Emperor, but the next slash hit nothing but air.
"You lose,"
the White Cloud Emperor said as he struck Fan Shengnan away with a palm.
His cloud power martial way was not only powerful in attacks but also unpredictable in transformations, able to shift his position according to the force. Therefore, technique-oriented moves had little threat to the White Cloud Emperor.
Of course, if your techniques were as strong as Shi Xiaole’s, the White Cloud Emperor could only submit. In his eyes, Shi Xiaole’s techniques could no longer be called techniques but were rather akin to Dao, beyond ordinary understanding.
With Fan Shengnan’s defeat, it could be roughly inferred that none of the other Ten Prides would be a match for the White Cloud Emperor. Coupled with his previous victories over people like Master Xuanci and the Sun and Moon Emperor, few could threaten him.
Therefore, the final ranking for the White Cloud Emperor was probably between fourteenth and sixteenth.
In the same round.
Luo Zijiao faced off against Thousand Real Person.
One was a master of the combined water and fire martial way, with strong attacking power; the other had perfected a unique skill that gathered death energy and excelled in endurance battles. Their clash was like a needle against wheat, less sophisticated than the battle between Shi Xiaole and Liu Ruofei but even more brutal.
"Force like Water and Fire!"
With a broken right arm, an exploded left leg, and even a deeply dented chest, Luo Zijiao felt no pain. With a single arm in a grappling posture, red and blue lights twisted together like twisted dough, surging towards Thousand Real Person.
A vortex a force appeared around Thousand Real Person, constantly weakening the red and blue lights. Still, a big part of the force hit him, the death energy produced was transferred to his back and expelled through his pores.
"Thousand Mechanisms Ultimate Killing Technique!"
Liver fragments leaking from the corners of his mouth, Thousand Real Person glared fiercely, his hands swiftly forming seals. Light beams crisscrossed, forming a web-like pattern of fate that entrapped Luo Zijiao with a vow to exterminate.
His signature move could significantly reduce his injuries, but he couldn’t cope with the too many attacks he faced, bringing him to his last leg. Luo Zijiao was in a slightly better condition, but still covered in wounds, and his endurance was not as good as Thousand Real Person’s.
Bang!
This time, Luo Zijiao’s right leg was also blasted apart, but he took the opportunity to rush towards Thousand Real Person. With his remaining strength, he executed "Water and Fire Coexistence" mid-air.
Spurt!
Thousand Real Person’s chest was pierced through. He laughed heartily, his teeth stained blood-red. A stream of blood shot out from his mouth, striking at Luo Zijiao’s brow at close range.
As though anticipating this, Luo Zijiao turned his head. But due to the severe injuries, he was half a beat slower, and most of his cheek, along with the bone and flesh, was ground away by the blood arrow.
Bang, bang, bang...
In this battle, the two great talents gave their all.
They both represented the hopes of their respective sects, carrying the expectations of many, and their pride wouldn’t allow them to take even a half step back. The only option was to fight to the death.
In the end, both bloodied and bruised, Thousand Real Person relied on "Life and Death Grand Transference" to hold on for a breath longer before collapsing to the ground, securing a hard-fought victory.
"Master, I lost,"
Luo Zijiao said painfully outside the ring of the Fate platform.
The Sun and Moon Emperor replied with a smile, "No, you did very well, and you didn’t lose face for our Water and Fire Dao Manor. Besides, what does a momentary defeat matter?"
It was also in this round.
The Skywalking Sword Emperor, previously ranked sixteenth, encountered a youth with a strange appearance.
"Die!"
Before Shi Xiaole and Liu Ruofei rose to prominence, the Skywalking Sword Emperor was publicly acknowledged as the leading swordsman of the martial world, and even now, he still ranks fourth. With a stab of his sword, the light emitted was like reality mixing with illusion, swift yet retaining its sharpness.
The bizarre youth named Fu Shuijing chuckled, allowing the Sword Qi to slice into him, but at the same time, he stretched out a claw. His empty shadow of a claw passed through the sword light, cutting open a wound on the Skywalking Sword Emperor.
"You want to exchange blow for blow?"
Though he didn’t understand the reason, the Skywalking Sword Emperor was certainly not about to show mercy, unleashing his killing moves in rapid succession.
Hissss Hissss Hissss.
Fu Shuijing was chopped into dozens of pieces, nearly dying a tragic death, but nobody noticed that the blood from the Skywalking Sword Emperor, which stained his palms, integrated into his body as he returned to the outer ring.
"With my current strength, I can at best rank around number sixty. Normally speaking, I should have no chance of collecting the blood essence of these individuals, hence the blow for blow strategy."
Fu Shuijing remained impassive, yet a vicious smile crept into his heart.
With his constitution, the blood essence of these masters entering his body would automatically transform into strength. It may seem insignificant, but do not forget that his "Blood Essence Secret Scripture" was only one step away from major success.
Soon, when that time comes, his strength would surge dramatically. As long as he defeated a powerful enemy, he might indeed have the opportunity to become the lord of a peak.
Here is something to note: the final ranking of a martial artist is not based on the total number of victories, but rather on the ranking of the strongest opponent that one has defeated.
This is because there are some prodigious talents who start off weak but catch up later on, surpassing many in actual combat strength.
Fu Shuijing deliberately chose to enter through Divine Rake Peak, which had the fewest number of people, hoping to become the master of Divine Rake Peak and thereafter ascend to higher positions among the Nineteen Peaks.
Of course, this choice also came with a price. Since he entered from Divine Rake Peak, Fu Shuijing could only remain within the range enveloped by the Supreme Vigorous Air of the Rake Dao, which greatly hindered his martial path cultivation.
Fortunately, the "Blood Essence Secret Scripture" itself focused on the power of bloodlines and was less concerned with the martial path. Anyone else in his place might find the trade to be not worth the cost.
Duels continued round after round.
In the process, Shi Xiaole encountered Ding Yufang, the Skywalking Sword Emperor, Luo Zijiao, among others. Given his reluctance to waste time, the results of the subsequent matches were self-evident.
All were soundly defeated.
Liu Ruofei was also invincible, with the exception of the top eleven experts of the first rank and Shi Xiaole, he was unmatched.
Of the top ten from the previous ranking, six participated in this competition. The White Cloud Emperor advanced triumphantly. After a tough victory over five reclusive old monsters, including Elder Tiancan, he basically secured his ranking.
Others such as Master Xuanci, the Sun and Moon Emperor, and the Tianya Martial Emperor, however, faced clear setbacks and were defeated by the old monsters respectively.
On the other hand, Xuanyuan Dao, who was over eight hundred years old and had made significant progress, won two out of three matches against the old monsters, closely pursuing the White Cloud Emperor.
By this time, the rankings of the top masters of the second rank were basically clear. And under such circumstances, the grand battle between the masters of the first rank also kicked off in full swing.
The eighty-eighth round.
Two soul-thrilling auras shot out from the Fate Monument.
The combatants were Xuanyuan Di and the Five Elements Axe Emperor.
"Kid, just forfeit. It will save me the effort and be better for everyone."
The Five Elements Axe Emperor, one of the nine great masters, was not very tall, yet he was immensely robust, his body entwined with a perfect aura of the five elements.
"Nonsense."
Xuanyuan Di replied indifferently, his eyelids slightly raised, his gaze emitting a solitary coldness.
This high and lonely chill, when observed by the Five Elements Axe Emperor, was taken as stark contempt. Furious at heart, he sneered, "You’re overestimating yourself, Five Elements Mountain Splitter!"
His arm swelled in size. The Axe Emperor swung his axe forward and, amidst the cracking sounds, a crack emerged from beneath his feet and extended outward like a snake leaving its hole.
What was more shocking was the aura of the five elements that leaked out from the axe, which actually reached the mid-phase of eleven percent.
"The Fist Print of Suffering!"
Xuanyuan Di, who had always finished his opponents with a single punch, once again swung his fist, but the power unleashed far surpassed his previous bouts.
Boom!
The void above the Fate Platform turned from white to black in an instant. The shockwaves spread out, pushing the light screen of the Array System outward by at least fifteen meters—twice as much as the clash between Shi Xiaole and Liu Ruofei.
"Such vigorous energy and such strong heart of martial spirit!"
Xuanyuan Di’s martial path was at the early stage of eleven percent, yet he managed to withstand the powerful attack of the Five Elements Axe Emperor. That was the power of talent, and the crowd watched in amazement.
"Five Elements Endless Flow!"
Without a moment’s respite, a gigantic axe shadow descended from the sky, its massive pressure like a mountain crushing down on Xuanyuan Di, the thick earthy aura spreading wildly.
As the axe shadow descended, the void erupted with sizzling burning sounds, holes appearing everywhere. This was the aura of fire.
In the midst of the heat, the axe blade aiming at Xuanyuan Di became as thin as a silk thread, its edge well-defined, filled with the rich aura of metal, yet the force of the blade was extremely prolonged, which was the aura of water.
"The Fist Print of Gathering!"
The power condensed to its limit, Xuanyuan Di stood still like a war deity, his punch causing the axe shadow to tremble violently.
Just as the axe shadow was about to shatter, it was held together by the invisible aura of wood. The balanced five elements’ power continuously eroded Xuanyuan Di’s fist print.
