Chapter 1204: Chapter 1202: The Final Battle Against Xuanyuan Di
"There’s always someone stronger among the strong, but I never imagined there could be someone more talented than Qi Muchu in this world."
No one was foolish; from the comparison of ages, it was almost certain that Shi Xiaole’s talent surpassed that of Qi Muchu. However, when Shi Xiaole truly defeated Qi Muchu, the shock was still so surreal to everyone.
What was most unacceptable was that Shi Xiaole’s talent wasn’t just a little higher than Qi Muchu’s; it was a vast difference.
"The strongest killer move, the strongest close combat, and with Sword Realm for defense, I can’t think of any weakness in Shi Xiaole. Unless he can be worn down, but with his level of skill, how can that be achieved?"
The so-called world-class powerhouses are often strong in several key aspects—not to say that they are weak in other areas, but it’s not possible to excel in everything. But Shi Xiaole’s emergence broke this rule.
His strength lay in his comprehensive power, not just balanced strength, but power that was pushed to the extreme in every aspect, to the point of despair.
Many people looked to Xuanyuan Di. The Heavenly Martial Emperor would definitely not be a match for Shi Xiaole. Now, the only one who might have a chance to challenge Shi Xiaole was Xuanyuan Di.
But the question was, could Xuanyuan Di withstand Shi Xiaole’s "Sky-shocking Sword"?
Many people didn’t think so.
"Brother Xuanyuan, your demeanor seems quite composed, as if you’re not worried even now?"
Qi Muchu sent a telepathic message to Xuanyuan Di, asking with a hint of curiosity.
Defeat was indeed distressing, but he was never one to dwell on the past. Qi Muchu also never believed that anyone could remain undefeated forever. As long as he could grow and improve himself through battle, he considered it the greatest fortune.
"Is there any use in worrying?"
Xuanyuan Di’s eyes remained closed.
"So you’re not as calm as you appear on the surface. Xuanyuan Di, the dignity of our South Sea martial arts world now depends on you."
Qi Muchu was both puzzled and expectant.
If he hadn’t misheard, he actually felt trembling in the other’s tone—not a trembling of fear but one of excitement, which meant Xuanyuan Di had hidden cards up his sleeve.
This guy was too incredible. In the next round, he would likely face him, and Qi Muchu was keen to put him to the test.
The ninety-ninth round began.
Yet the minds of the spectators could not detach themselves from the previous battle; compared to that fight, the incredible duel unfolding before them felt like a child’s play fight.
The sixteenth match.
Shi Xiaole entered the stage once more, his opponent being the Heavenly Martial Emperor.
"Young Hero Shi, I’m no match for you, but I still want to experience your Sky-shocking Sword."
The Heavenly Martial Emperor was well aware that with Shi Xiaole’s skill, he could defeat him without resorting to the "Sky-shocking Sword," but he didn’t want to miss this opportunity. He had reached a bottleneck, and the more powerful the killer moves, the greater the inspiration for him.
Shi Xiaole obliged the Heavenly Martial Emperor and cut him down with two sword strikes.
The Heavenly Martial Emperor, now back to the peripheral ring, immediately began to meditate and reflect, not even paying attention to the battle between Xuanyuan Di and Qi Muchu.
"Brother Xuanyuan, let’s see what you’ve got up your sleeve. Heavenly Fire Melting World!"
Releasing his full power, Qi Muchu thrust his spear forward, and upon a crazy collision of forces at the spear tip, a starburst-like apocalyptic flame emerged, incinerating everything.
All eyes were glued to the scene.
If Xuanyuan Di couldn’t withstand this move, then he definitely wouldn’t stand a chance against Shi Xiaole.
If he barely managed to withstand it and then used the power of reincarnation to recover, he would most likely still not be a match for Shi Xiaole, especially since the "Sky-shocking Sword" was much stronger than "Heavenly Fire Melting World."
Unless Xuanyuan Di could handle it with ease, then there might be a battle to be had.
"Four seals unite, Reincarnation Fist Seal!"
Facing the onslaught of apocalyptic flames, Xuanyuan Di didn’t dodge or retreat. On his fist, the shadows of the Fist Seals of Suffering, Accumulation, Annihilation, and Path successively appeared, and finally, they abruptly converged into one supreme Fist Seal that shattered the heavens.
Clang!
Xuanyuan Di was victorious.
The world was silent, and the crowd around was dumbfounded, shocked to the core by this abrupt turn of events.
They had thought Xuanyuan Di might win, but they never expected him to win so decisively, so dominantly, leaving no room for doubt.
Most coincidental was that Xuanyuan Di’s ultimate move, like Shi Xiaole’s ultimate move, had a sense of mutual brilliance—an amalgamation of four into one, one being fist seals, the other being sword techniques. Was this the arrangement of fate?
The tournament of fate, which was said to have the most powerhouses and geniuses in history, would see its victor emerge from these two young legends.
Everyone’s hearts raced with anticipation for the upcoming peak of the ultimate showdown!
The hundredth and final round began.
As the duels started and ended, they signaled the completion of one’s journey in this tournament. People noticed that on the surface of the Fate Monument, names began to appear, some placed high and some low.
With one hundred and one participants, duels in pairs, there would inevitably be one warrior fighting twice in every round, but with only a hundred rounds, one person would be left out.
The penultimate match.
Liu Ruofei faced the White Cloud Emperor.
The crowd was stunned. Meanwhile, the White Cloud Emperor could only offer a wry smile; the Fate Monument truly left no stone unturned.
The previously omitted were indeed him and Liu Ruofei, and while he had already fought in this round, to ensure fairness, they were unexpectedly set to duel again.
The outcome of this fight was certain.
Having completely mastered the "Breaking Extreme Killing Sword," Liu Ruofei’s swordsmanship was now third in the South Sea, second only to Shi Xiaole and the Thousand Swords Emperor—well beyond the White Cloud Emperor’s ability to withstand.
When all other duels concluded, the identical ninety-nine names appeared on the four facets of the Fate Monument, arrayed in order.
Qi Muchu.
Heavenly Martial Emperor.
Thousand Swords Emperor.
Startling Thunder Emperor.
Five Elements Axe Emperor.
...
And lastly, the Cloud Tower Great Emperor.
Above these ninety-nine names, there were two blurred inscriptions. Everyone understood its meaning; these were the final rankings of this Fate Battle, with only first and second place not yet determined.
The fifty-first battle.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Two figures landed in the inner circle of the Fate platform.
The Heavenly Martial Emperor suddenly opened his eyes; this battle could not be missed. All eyes were gathered on the two in the inner circle—either excited, expectant, anxious, or solemn—emotions varied greatly.
Before the battle, who could have imagined that these two would be the ones standing there at the end.
"Shi Xiaole."
The master of Illusion Orchid Tower clasped her hands, and even with her calm and peaceful disposition, she couldn’t help feeling apprehensive.
No one there understood Shi Xiaole better than she did, so no one knew better how long it had taken the young man to make such a significant leap from when they first met.
Those who don’t understand Shi Xiaole’s experiences can never comprehend his true terror!
A person not even a hundred, no, not even sixty years old, would he reach the top in the most intense Fate Battle in history?
Just thinking of this possibility made the master of Illusion Orchid Tower’s heart pound fiercely.
"You are the strongest, earn some prestige for our Xuanyuan Clan."
Xuanyuan Dao watched Xuanyuan Di, silently chanting in his heart.
The inner circle of the Fate platform.
Xuanyuan Di, with his aura of cold solitude, was for the first time truly facing Shi Xiaole. He found that the other was of the same kind as himself, which filled him with excitement.
A supreme battle intent never felt before rose from inside Xuanyuan Di, causing the void to twist violently.
Clang!
Without any superfluous words, the Cleansing Evil Sword left its scabbard. Shi Xiaole’s sword struck towards Xuanyuan Di, his hand and sword merging into the void, then vanishing. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Xuanyuan Di.
Lightning Startling Swan!
A layer of dense invisible barrier appeared around Xuanyuan Di. The long sword only penetrated half an inch before it was brought to a standstill. This was the defensive form of the "Suffering Fist Seal."
The four great fist seals, each had an additional effect, the "Suffering Fist Seal" could attack or defend, while the "Gathering Fist Seal" could maximize offensive potency.
In an instant, Xuanyuan Di struck out lightning-fast with three punches, so quick that it caused even the Heavenly Martial Emperor to change color. No one expected the physically domineering Xuanyuan Di to also possess such a speed advantage.
With roaring fist light reaching its extreme, Shi Xiaole was forced to dodge to the side. His swordplay was faster, but unlike the "Gathering Fist Seal," it couldn’t accumulate power.
Thump, thump, thump.
One punch followed another from Xuanyuan Di. Moving with his legs, countless fist shadows filled the void. Most of them were ordinary fist techniques, but with his strength, even these ordinary techniques possessed great lethality.
Shi Xiaole’s sword techniques were also of the ordinary sort, piercing and erasing one punch shadow after another. Both were vying for time, clearly not wanting to give the other a chance to execute a lethal move.
In Shi Xiaole’s eyes, Xuanyuan Dao’s ultimate move was no less formidable than the Sky-shocking Sword. To resolve the fight with a killer move was a last resort.
His sword speed grew faster and the angles of his strikes grew more tricky. Gradually, the area occupied by the fist shadows was being overrun by sword shadows.
A streak of blood trailed in the air.
Xuanyuan Di’s right arm was slashed by a sword.
"This child’s swordsmanship and combat skills are truly unparalleled."
Time and time again, witnessing all that Shi Xiaole could do, people were still inevitably moved.
Wounds kept appearing on Xuanyuan Di, but at a certain moment, the aura of reincarnation pervaded, and those wounds would immediately heal, not affecting his condition at all.
"I get it, Xuanyuan Di wants to fight a war of attrition, using the Reincarnation Martial Way to wear down Shi Xiaole."
Someone contemplated, gaining the agreement of others.
It was a viable strategy, but while Xuanyuan Di was wearing down Shi Xiaole, Shi Xiaole was also wearing down Xuanyuan Di. And don’t forget, Shi Xiaole’s Vigorous Air was extraordinarily robust, even more so than that of Xuanyuan Di.
A quarter of an hour.
Two quarters of an hour.
...
In the blink of an eye, the two had been fighting for over three quarters of an hour, and Xuanyuan Di’s expression became even more solemn than before.
He had thought that in ten exchanges, even if he got injured three times by Shi Xiaole, he could at least inflict a wound on his opponent once.
Thus, by exchanging wound for wound, he could grind down Shi Xiaole’s strength. When it came time to battle with their killing moves, he would have a better chance of winning. But Xuanyuan Di didn’t anticipate Shi Xiaole’s skill to be so outstanding that, over such a long time, he hadn’t revealed a single flaw.
"Defeating such a person is what truly gives battle meaning."
With a change in momentum, Xuanyuan Di stepped forward. The fist power that had not yet dissipated around him suddenly converged in a particular trajectory, forming a ring of bizarre power. It made Shi Xiaole feel as if he were in a quagmire, the void like an iron plate, continuously compressing towards him.
An Enchantment!
Xuanyuan Di also masterfully wielded an enchantment, and it clearly reached a startlingly profound level. The previous war of attrition was only one aspect; his real intent was to trap Shi Xiaole within the enchantment.
