Chapter 1230: Chapter 1228: On the Brink of a Crushing Defeat
The first battle is most important for establishing momentum.
Each side had three Fake Sky Origin Realm masters and seven Forbidden level masters, so dispatching the Forbidden level masters at the outset would have lacked deterrence, potentially resulting in wasteful losses.
In this regard, East Victory and South Sea clearly had the same idea.
"Your Excellency, your battle was earth-shattering; you defeated Brother Xuanyuan in the land of Fate, something I have long admired. Today, I finally have the opportunity to exchange pointers."
Wind Wave Ancestor was an ordinary-looking old man, but as the master of Wind Wave Forest, he was far from ordinary. Merely being qualified to fight revealed his powerful strength.
"Let’s speak through our actions."
The blind old man said indifferently.
Bang!
A silent collision shook the entire Fate platform, and waves of psychic energy surged out. Even separated by an Array System, some Forbidden Martial Emperors felt dizzy and disoriented.
Neither were easy opponents; while still speaking, the brutal confrontation had already begun, and it had started with a psychic clash.
Bang...bang...bang...
The world suddenly brightened and dimmed as if a giant flash lit up, shocking the onlookers as tiny cracks appeared in the void.
These were psychic forces. Ordinary physical damage was understandable, but powerful enough to tear the void indicated that both fighters had begun to integrate psychic force with martial arts. Although far from successful, they were still far superior to everyone else.
"Calm the Winds and Waves!"
Seeing no advantage in psychic power, Wind Wave Ancestor’s body flickered, and from him as the center, there were whirls of forceful winds that seemed to shred everything into pieces.
This was the Wind Wave Martial Way, focusing not on the wind but on the waves; any form of pulsating force could be harnessed and turned into the sharpest attack.
The faint sound of an Erhu began to play.
The soundwave, like a sharp blade, repeatedly sliced towards the vigorous air vortices, but as soon as it approached, most of its strength was immediately consumed, and what little remained was crushed head-on.
"This is bad, it’s being countered."
The color drained from the Holy Heaven Scholar’s face.
Sound was a form of wave, naturally unable to escape the manipulation of Wind Wave Ancestor.
The blind old man was frail and white-haired, almost immediately surrounded by the vigorous air vortices, yet his hand, pulling the bowstring, remained steady and unhurried.
Hum...hum...hum...
Unbeknownst to anyone, the shattered soundwaves suddenly mingled together, forming an invisible smooth iron block that actually hindered the momentum of the vigorous air vortices.
"Silent Hidden Kill."
The blind old man suddenly plucked the bowstring hard.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A horrifying scene unfolded; the iron block-like soundwaves exploded, shattering the void into thousands of pieces, each fragment swirling around Wind Wave Ancestor, slicing at will, and effortlessly grinding the vigorous air vortices into nothingness.
The lethality of this move made Xuanyuan Lang, Sect Leader of the Demon Exorcism Sect, and another Fake Sky Origin Realm master from the Hundred Battles Tower all change their expressions. If it were them, they might not have been able to withstand it.
"Realm of Wind Wave!"
Wind Wave Ancestor’s face also changed, as he pulled with both hands to the left and right. In an instant, invisible laws of attraction and repulsion spread around him, profound and arcane. Master Xuanci’s Wind Wave Boundary, in comparison, was not even worth mentioning.
The void fragments were affected, veering off course, but a few slipped through the net and rushed towards him, cutting deep gashes that revealed bone.
The bystanders were shocked. After only a few moves, one of South Sea’s six legends had been wounded.
"Destroy the Wind Wave!"
With a roar, Wind Wave Barrier suddenly condensed into a single force, striking towards the blind old man like a fish in water, leaving a pitch-black line in its wake.
"Sea of Sound Kills!"
The blind old man’s hands moved faster, sending out wave upon wave of invisible blades to block the path. Perhaps a single blade’s power was insufficient, but their limitless waves prevailed. Xuanyuan Lang had been defeated by this very move.
Pfft...
The speed of their attacks was too fast, and though the spectators had strong perception, even slowing down tenfold, they could only see a black line pierce through numerous transparent barriers, then pierce the blind old man’s chest. At the end of the black line was a hook, sharp beyond compare.
This was Wind Wave Ancestor’s weapon, remote-controlled with supreme Vigorous Air, and impossible to defend against.
"Unpredictable Winds and Waves!"
Taking advantage of the situation, Wind Wave Ancestor attacked swiftly, unleashing his most powerful move. Hooks carved countless black lines in the air, each like a steel wire that made souls tremble.
"Soul Snatching from the End of the World!"
What was chilling was that the blind old man didn’t block, for he couldn’t. His hands seemed slow but were swift, forcefully drawing the bow, as if this action drained all his strength, resonating mysteriously with the strings.
Dang!
Within touching distance of the ends of the earth, it all emerged in that sound; no matter how far you fled, you could not escape the sound of the lost soul.
Pfft!
A cloud of blood mist burst open; Wind Wave Ancestor was left with only a head, which rolled on the ground, still wearing an expression of utter horror.
In contrast, the blind old man was slashed by several black strands, nearly bisected, his skin barely hanging together in tatters, leading one to wonder if any movement would cause him to come apart.
The first battle ended with a Pyrrhic victory for East Victory’s blind old man.
Two forces of life energy broke through the clouds; one restored Wind Wave Ancestor, and the other was scattered by Great Battles Emperor’s intervention. No one stopped them, for it was part of the competition rules.
"Elder!"
The hearts of those from East Victory trembled.
Though brief, the battle was extremely brutal; fighting to such an extent among top-level masters had never been seen before, but it also kindled a stronger will to win among the masters of both sides.
For the masters of South Sea, the loss in the first match was wholly unexpected. If they lost two in a row, their morale would undoubtedly suffer a severe blow. Of course, with the blind old man’s current condition, winning a second match seemed nearly impossible.
"Hmph!"
The five great witches of Miaojiang, however, were not surprised. They had fought against the Three Elders of Dust multiple times and knew how difficult they were to handle. Any carelessness could flip the boat upside down in the gutter.
"Admit defeat, you cannot fight anymore!"
The second South Sea master to enter was Black White Master, holding a large halberd, shaking his head in dismay.
Shi Xiaole’s eyes flashed.
According to Murong Di’s memory, this man was one of the masterminds behind the attack on the couple Shi Xuanzhong.
"Together, to the Yellow Springs!"
The virtually powerless blind old man suddenly abandoned the erhu, his strength explosively increasing like never before, and he charged straight at the Black White Master.
"Get lost!"
The Black White Master quickly retreated, his hands drawing a sparrow’s tail, forming rings of intermingled light shields of water and fire in front of him.
Clang!
The blind old man exploded, leaving only half a head, his vital blood mixed with the force of the Vigorous Air explosion, shattering the light shields one after another. Still, twenty percent of the force remained, rushing towards the Black White Master.
The latter scrambled to teleport away, narrowly avoiding injury, but still, his face was torn apart by the force, revealing a particularly ferocious wound.
Two breaths of life energy descended, this time from Qin Elder. He shattered the force aimed at the Black White Master, and the other restored the blind old man, who shook his head: "Pity, I couldn’t drag down a second one."
’Together, to the Yellow Springs’ was a Death Without Life technique, which could only be used on the Fate Platform. If it were anywhere else, he wouldn’t dare to utilize it.
Everyone shuddered at his words, knowing if the Black White Master had been just a bit slower in reacting, the blind old man’s attempt might have succeeded.
"Leave this man to me."
The Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller entered the fray.
In comparison to the blind old man, the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller’s attack seemed somewhat weaker, but his defense was terrifyingly strong, like an unbreakable millennia-old turtle’s shell.
Don’t forget, he was the one who once alone held off the four legends from the South Sea and the five Great Witches from Miaojiang, even if it was just for a moment. If anyone else were in his shoes, they would have been turned into a sieve early on.
The usually amiable face of the Black White Master turned ugly, as no matter how many times he unleashed his deadly techniques, he could not overcome his opponent. The two engaged in a fierce battle, one on the offensive and the other on the defensive, competing to see whose reserves of Vigorous Air would hold out the longest.
"As long as those three old fellows fall, East Victory is nothing to fear!"
The Sect Leader of Demon Exorcism Sect let out a cold smile, not the least bit worried. Even if the Black White Master failed, there was still the Great Battles Emperor.
The latter, equipped with a divine artifact, couldn’t use many techniques, but he was more than enough to crush the already exhausted Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller and Qin Elder, and then sweep away a few more forbidden masters. After that, South Sea could win no matter what.
"Turn water into life!"
As his Vigorous Air was greatly depleted, the Black White Master suddenly grasped at the void, drawing a force into his body that somehow restored some of his Vigorous Air.
This was the water molecules in the void, converted into his energy through his water-fire martial path.
With a sneer, the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller also applied an Array System technique, drawing in the power of the void.
The two demonstrated their magical abilities, dazzling all onlookers. Unfortunately, they consumed too fast, and even with additional replenishment, it was not enough. The duel quickly approached its climax.
"Yin and Yang Show No Mercy!"
"Heavenly Destiny Profound Escape!"
The whole Fate Platform was enveloped by the power of black and white, a cloud of blood mist spreading throughout.
Constrained by the Array System, the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller could not avoid, his body was pierced through, but he still had ten percent of his power left. As his limbs and lower body exploded, he controlled the divination disk and fiercely pressed it towards the Black White Master.
Bang!
The Black White Master didn’t manage to dodge in time, his head was smashed to pieces.
The second fight, East Victory once again achieved a pyrrhic victory.
Without the blind old man’s technique, the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller was unable to practice it either, but facing the Great Battles Emperor who wielded the Shark Tooth Whip, he still refused to admit defeat.
"If I can deplete even a little of your power, it’s still good," said the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller, prostrate on the ground with only his upper body intact, chuckling.
Boom!
Great Battles Emperor dispelled the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller with a hand wave as if sweeping trash away. This scene was deeply ingrained in the eyes of the combatants from East Victory.
Not just Shi Xiaole, but even the masters of the Demon Blade and Flying Horse Emperor, all felt an unprecedented sense of shared hatred. Here, they represented East Victory, and for their own and their descendants’ benefits, no one could afford to be weak!
South Sea and Miaojiang felt the same way.
The expressions of the masters from both sides were exceptionally solemn, all aware that the three-way battle would be brutal but hadn’t anticipated such savagery. Anyone still harboring any hopes of holding back, of keeping their trump cards, wouldn’t even know how they lost.
The third East Victory master to enter the fight was Qin Elder.
Upon entering, he once again activated the life-draining secret technique and struck the sixth string to deploy the ’Life-Death Zheng Domain’.
Yet the Great Battles Emperor, wielding a divine artifact, was too powerful. A swing of his whip shattered the void like dust, directly dissolving the zheng’s power for the first time and severely injuring Qin Elder.
The second whip.
Qin Elder’s body was smashed to pieces, his organs spilling out, but he propped himself up, dodging everywhere, simply hoping to consume as much of the Great Battles Emperor’s strength as possible.
Without using the whip again, the Great Battles Emperor smashed Qin Elder with a palm strike. Everyone almost forgot, even without divine artifacts, he was still one of the top figures among the sixteen giants.
"Indeed, this man is the great enemy of Miaojiang!"
The Chi Evil Great Witch took a deep breath, clutching the black bow tightly in his hand.
"Old fellow, it’s dire," whispered the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller to Qin Elder.
Excluding the Great Battles Emperor, the remaining South Sea Masters were still very strong. And now, the key question was, how much would their side have to sacrifice to take down the Great Battles Emperor?
If Shi Xiaole and Che Renzhong could enter the battle at ease, they still had a chance to win. But if even they were exhausted fighting just one, things would be difficult.
The three elders of Wind Wave Forest watched the field with serious expressions, not blinking an eye.
The fourth East Victory master to take the stage was the Flying Horse Emperor.
He didn’t hold back, activating his divine artifact with full power from the start.
Bang!
With a loud thud, Flying Horse Emperor was severely wounded and vomiting blood. Following another whip strike, he met a tragic defeat.
The fifth battle.
Still it was two whips, and the master of the Demon Blade was brutally defeated.
With their skills, the two were still able to wield divine artifacts, launching five lethal moves, but given the strength of the Great Battles Emperor, it was at least eight or more.
Having unleashed six already, there were at least two more left. The problem was, the next people up might not compel the Great Battles Emperor to resort to the divine artifact.
Suddenly, East Victory was on the brink of a devastating defeat.
