Chapter 1229: Chapter 1127: Battle Begins
In the distant void, the chaotic flow’s power, like steel knives, ceaselessly scraped at the light screen surrounding the massive object, spurting out numerous black bubble spots.
Though these black bubble spots seemed small, they contained an extremely violent power due to the contamination with the Supreme Great Path’s aura within the light screen, and they could easily shatter the Heaven Realm Martial Emperor.
To the left and right, two other massive objects were approaching, and when the distance between the three had narrowed to just ten thousand meters, the chaotic flow’s power was torn apart with a series of cracking noises.
Outside the void, the spiritual energy of the entire East Victory world abruptly paused, verging on stillness.
South Sea.
"The battle between the three parties begins now. Gentlemen, this fight is not only for ourselves but also for the generations to come in our South Sea. We can only win, we cannot lose!"
Great Battles Emperor shouted resolutely.
By his side stood five other legends, as well as Qi Muchu, Xuanyuan Di, Heavenly Martial Emperor, and a host of unparalleled experts from the South Sea, each with a solemn expression and a resolute gaze.
"We must win!"
Disciples of top-notch powers like Hundred Battles Tower, Water and Fire Dao Manor, Wind Wave Forest, and so on, who were standing even further away, all shouted in unison, their voices, amplified by their cultivation, traveling tens of thousands of miles.
Countless warriors in the South Sea, upon hearing these words, felt their blood boiling, wishing to accompany the ten great experts heading to battle for the South Sea and cheer them on.
Miaojiang.
Five great witches stood in the void, their presence oppressive, while scores of Miaojiang experts looked up from below.
Chi Evil Great Witch held a massive bow, five zhang long and shaped like a crescent moon, pitch-black as if it could absorb everything, positioned in front of him as he declared, "I swear upon the name of the Witch God that I shall not fail the supreme honor of the Witch God Moon-drawing Bow, and bring everlasting opportunity to our Miaojiang!"
"Miaojiang will prevail!"
On this day, countless people of Miaojiang stepped out of their homes, stood among the mountains and forests, and silently prayed according to the rites of the Witch God.
In a secluded valley of the East Victory mainland.
"The day has finally come when the three lands of Fate are about to merge."
In a valley, the three dusty elders lifted their heads in unison, faces mixed with emotion.
To prepare for the battle among the three parties, the three of them had traveled extensively, inviting great masters to participate in the war and also seeking ways to increase their combat strength.
Unfortunately, their potential had long been exhausted, with no room for further advancement.
Worse still, due to a battle five years ago, along with confrontations in recent years, not only had their strength not increased, but it had actually regressed!
But this news had not been leaked, or else the already declining martial world of East Victory would lose even more confidence.
"Gentlemen, do you have confidence?"
The gaze shifted as Qin Elder looked towards Che Renzhong, Flying Horse Emperor, the master of the Demon Blade, Undying Ancestor, and others.
The Sect Leader of Holy Heaven Sect, who looked as refined as a scholar, said with a bitter smile, "We can only do our best."
The others remained silent.
According to messages from the other two sides, South Sea and Miaojiang had also gathered divine artifacts, and they were precisely the types of weapons that Great Battles Emperor and Chi Evil Great Witch were best at using. Their combined strength was almost unimaginable.
On the East Victory side, even if the Flying Horse Emperor and the master of the Demon Blade were willing to lend their divine artifacts, they weren’t the types of weapons the three elders were adept with. The already weaker East Victory mainland would suffer another major blow.
Not to mention countless martial artists, even the ten contestants themselves held a pessimistic attitude.
"It’s not about doing our best, but about giving it our all."
Just then, a deep, magnetic voice sounded.
With a swishing noise, the ten great experts looked towards the direction of the voice, and the three dusty elders’ expressions changed.
In the woods shrouded in morning mist, a tall young man in green clothes slowly emerged. He wore a long sword at his waist, and his eyes sparkled like stars. He appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, but that extraordinary, peerless character, transcending the mundane world, made the hearts of the ten onlookers miss a beat.
"Shi Xiaole!"
"Young Hero Shi, you’ve finally appeared!"
For some reason, the few who had hardly any confidence felt instantly calm at the sight of the composed and serene Shi Xiaole, as if some power was emanating from the young man, instilling calm in their hearts.
"He is Shi Xiaole?"
The master of the Demon Blade, a gaunt man dressed in a loose samurai robe with a pale complexion, had heard this name numerous times since he came to the Central Plain, but it was his first time seeing the person himself.
There was no denying the profound impact Shi Xiaole had on him.
It was not just about the charisma. More importantly, it was the composure radiating from the other party, born from countless past moments of turning the impossible into miraculous possibilities.
Thus, on seeing Shi Xiaole, everyone there, including him, seemed to be awaiting another miracle, although they knew it was nearly impossible.
The imposing Flying Horse Emperor, clad in a nine-clawed dragon robe, was also sizing up Shi Xiaole, his eyes shimmering.
"Brother Shi, we’ve been waiting for you for a long time."
The three dusty elders laughed heartily, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"Sorry, I’m late."
Walking up beside the three dusty elders, Shi Xiaole extended his hand and slapped it on Qin Elder’s back. Qin Elder was startled, about to say something, when suddenly his pupils shrank in disbelief, looking at Shi Xiaole.
Under the suction of Shi Xiaole’s palm force, the overwhelming death energy entrenched in Qin Elder’s body scurried away like mice seeing a cat, a large portion of it being absorbed.
Just half a "shi chen" later, all traces of death qi had vanished without a trace.
Qin Elder felt an unprecedented state of well-being. Although his lifespan had not increased, his injuries had almost fully recovered, and his strength had been restored to its peak level.
"Brother Shi, you..."
The Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller and the blind old man were equally shocked as they looked at Shi Xiaole. They knew he must have had a fortunate encounter, but it was beyond their expectations that his fortunes were of such magnitude.
Five years ago, his life and death martial arts were at the peak of ten stages, and now it had reached the middle phase of eleven stages—an achievement other peerless geniuses could only dream of without hundreds, if not thousands, of years of effort.
At this moment, even the three Elders of Dust felt a shudder of awe.
"I’ve had some slight gains, that’s all."
Without pausing, Shi Xiaole slapped out two more palms, drawing out the death qi from the bodies of the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller and the blind old man.
The three Elders had risked their lives for him, and Shi Xiaole remembered it clearly; he did not know why the Elders valued him so much, but that did not change the principle of repaying kindness.
The other seven people were not as perceptive as the Elders of Dust, but by the looks of it, they could guess that Shi Xiaole must have made another breakthrough, and they were all amazed.
Once the three Elders had fully recovered, the Sect Leader of Holy Heaven Sect said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we must dispatch our strongest lineup for this battle. Let me step down and have Young Hero Shi take my place."
It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the honor of participating in the battle; it was just that the Sect Leader knew all too well that since Shi Xiaole had returned, he would certainly fight. Among those remaining, his own strength was the weakest. It was better to volunteer to step down rather than be persuaded to do so by others.
"The Holy Heaven Scholar is profoundly aware of the greater good; on behalf of East Victory, I extend our thanks," said Qin Elder with a nod, scanning the crowd, "Now that we are all here, let us set off. Whether as warriors we leave behind a good name or a bad one, we aim to give this battle our all, so we may face our conscience without shame!"
With hearty laughter, the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller formed hand seals, and five Fate Stones flew out. Under his manipulation, they emitted strands of pure qi, which faintly triggered three enormous entities in the void.
In two other directions, there were similar movements of summoning.
Boom boom boom!
At some point, warriors from all three regions heard a loud bang simultaneously, followed swiftly by three streaks of qi flashing across the sky and disappearing.
On the eve of the merger, the rifts in the Land of Fate were wider, allowing each force to bring a small number of people into the Land of Fate with the help of the Fate Stones.
Of course, since it wasn’t the bi-centennial opening, they couldn’t reach the peak, at most making it to the Fate Platform.
Of the three Fate Platforms, the one in the South Sea was by far the largest, so this triple-sided battle had been set to take place on the South Sea Fate Platform.
Above the Fate Platform, when three beams of light dissipated, it revealed figures from all three sides.
"Gentlemen, it’s been a long time," said the Great Battles Emperor with a smile stretching across his face.
With a cold snicker and without a response, the Chi Evil Great Witch’s gaze turned to the East Victory group, sweeping over them with a deep and eerie darkness.
And he was not the only one; the gaze of many experts from both the South Sea and Miaojiang lingered on those from East Victory, especially on the three Elders of Dust. No one had forgotten the fighting of years past.
Some also noticed Shi Xiaole in the crowd, showing expressions of surprise.
"Good, the kid has shown up after all."
Xuanyuan Lang clenched his fist tightly, suddenly breaking into a malevolent grin.
He had appeared as a spectator this time, with the sole purpose of witnessing the East Victory experts being crushed, especially the Dust Elders and Shi Xiaole. Were it not for them, how could he have fallen to his current predicament?
"This battle, I will reinstate my honor," said Xuanyuan Di. There was no hatred in his eyes, only the pure desire of a warrior to win. He had a premonition that after defeating Shi Xiaole, he would surpass his past self.
"You’d best hope you don’t encounter me on the Fate Platform," the Black Abyss Elder said, staring intently at Shi Xiaole.
Since he had already offended them to death, he did not mind being a bit harsher. He would prefer to beat Shi Xiaole to the point of inducing a heart demon, stalling his progress forever and thus eliminating a threat.
Hehe, chuckling, Qin Elder said, "Let’s settle our grievances in the ring. Stares can’t kill anyone, after all."
Nodding, the Great Battles Emperor said, "Let us not waste time, everyone. All parties are present, so let’s begin at once."
There were seventeen masters of Fate on site, hence seventeen Fate Stones, all activating simultaneously. The clouds above ripped open, and the quadrilateral Shape of Fate monument reappeared.
The Great Battles Emperor of the South Sea, the Chi Evil Great Witch of Miaojiang, and Qin Elder of East Victory each flicked a drop of blood.
The next moment, the monument shot out two beams of light, enveloping the Great Battles Emperor and Qin Elder respectively.
First round, South Sea versus East Victory!
According to the rules agreed upon in advance, each side would have ten experts fight, with the order of appearance arranged by their own party. Once on stage, they couldn’t withdraw arbitrarily, unless they were defeated or unable to continue fighting.
Once all ten of one side were defeated and off the stage, it would signify the loss of the match.
"Through this battle, we will be able to discern the level of both sides," said the Miaojiang group, seated high on the wall, observing. Their expressions ranged from sneers to anticipation, with different thoughts racing through their minds.
Swish swish.
The two sides had already agreed upon the order of appearance in advance, so there was no delay, and two figures instantly took to the stage.
From East Victory, it was the blind old man, and from the South Sea, it was the Wind Wave Ancestor. The first match of both sides was a battle between titans!
