Chapter 863: Chapter 862: Turbulent Waves_1
There was still a month left before the opening of Wuyuan Palace, and the Martial World had shifted from extreme activity to extreme stillness. This stillness was not one of desolation, but like boiling water about to explode, amassing a terrifying force.
From the various secret realms and dangerous territories, large numbers of martial artists emerged every day, some covered in blood, some with serious injuries, and some with their fighting spirit soaring.
All the major sects also had one master after another leave their seclusion to make final adjustments.
The wind rises before the storm.
Ten Sword Sect.
At Ten Sword Mountain, where the Suzerain resided.
"Liye, your mastery of the Ten Sword Arts has already surpassed your father’s. If we were to compete now, your father couldn’t withstand your three hundred moves."
Zhan Renxiong, Suzerain of the Ten Sword Sect, looked at his beloved son with satisfaction.
As a Sword Emperor of the Void Origin Realm, Zhan Renxiong had exceedingly high standards, but no matter how critical, Zhan Liye’s talent was enough to rank him in the top twenty of Rainbow State. His future achievements were destined to surpass his own.
"Of course, Wuming has not disappointed your teacher either."
By Zhan Liye’s side stood a young man of unremarkable appearance, with sparse eyebrows and not particularly deep-set eyes, standing at least three inches shorter than Zhan Liye.
But only those with discerning eyes could see the extreme sharpness he concealed. On closer inspection, he appeared even more formidable than Zhan Liye by threefold.
Qiu Wuming, the number-one genius of the Ten Sword Sect, first in talent, and his combat strength far surpassed his peers. In the entire Rainbow State, he was second only to the three titans and six young prodigies.
"Wuyuan Palace will soon appear. I really wish I didn’t have to bring you two."
Looking at his spirited son and beloved disciple, Zhan Renxiong suddenly felt a sense of detachment.
The previous Divine Fire Order battles had all been exceptionally brutal and alarming. Although this time there was no need for death, who knew what tricks were hidden? If it weren’t for the fact that both their names had been inscribed by the Spring and Autumn Brush, Zhan Renxiong would be unwilling to take them with him.
"Father, if calamity cannot be avoided, we might as well face it squarely. At least we have companionship."
Zhan Liye was pretty relaxed about it.
The martial artists of Rainbow State were actually a very small portion from the outside world. However, their descendants had an exorbitantly high rate of success. After all, those who could break through the three barriers wouldn’t be ordinary, and mating with equals would naturally result in extraordinary offspring.
Zhan Renxiong and his son were descendants of such outsiders. Only, their ancestor lived a thousand years ago. Still, they couldn’t escape the Spring and Autumn Brush, which gave Zhan Renxiong an ominous premonition.
"Meeting a gathering of heroes would be a death not regretted."
Different from Zhan Liye’s nonchalance, Qiu Wuming’s eyes were sharp.
In the last year, the people of the Martial World had realized a terrifying fact: anyone chosen by the Spring and Autumn Brush was among the most outstanding talents of Rainbow State for thousands of years, from Void Origin Martial Emperors to high-ranking Earth Immortals, from local masters to descendants of outsiders, encompassing all.
There were also some with low cultivation, but they possessed extraordinary beauty!
Considering that gathering five Divine Fire Orders could break open the fabric of this space, it could be said that this Divine Fire Order battle was the ultimate confrontation for all elite martial artists of Rainbow State, aside from the ancient person of Wuyuan and the four peerless masters!!
He wanted to see who would be invincible, who would stand above all else, and ascend to the highest throne!
Jade Pillar Peak.
This was one of Rainbow State’s forbidden places. The peak had no air, only a suffocating white energy.
Amidst this white energy, a figure not particularly burly sat cross-legged. Suddenly, an aura radiated outward, causing such great sorrow that even the white energy was disturbed, parting to create a path.
"The greatest sorrow of man lies in existence itself."
The figure was a young man with a slender blade on his back, with a bleak and desolate sadness in his brows.
This aura–not only common folk, but even routine Earth Immortals, once touched by it, would immediately seek to escape this world of despair.
Boundless Tidal Sea.
This was another of Rainbow State’s forbidden lands. No one could measure the Boundless Tidal Sea’s width and length because it seemed endless. The sea was comprised of a special liquid that would cause ordinary Earth Immortals to rot and perish with a mere touch.
In such a perilous place, there was a lone figure walking.
He walked with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, emerging from the depths. Each footprint he left seemed to have the power to suppress heaven and earth. The slightest spreading of their ripples extinguished the waves that were just starting to rise ten thousand meters away.
He was human, but he resembled a moving ocean.
"I have done all that I can. What remains is to give my all in battle, without regrets."
Miao Haihuang looked up at the sky.
Black Bat Cave.
Perpetually dark, filled only with countless bloodsucking bats on the hunt. These bats were likely mutated, large and exceedingly fast, and they bred easily. Over countless years, they had become the absolute rulers here.
In a not-too-deep area of Black Bat Cave, the sound of ear-splitting wing flapping and chaotic squeaks were heard, followed by a thunderous boom.
A multitude of bloodsucking bats fell to the ground, forming a small mountain.
A man walked out of the cave, blood seeping from every pore. Yet, his face, as resolute as steel, broke into a faint smile, eventually erupting into hearty laughter.
"The Three Forms of the Heart have been completed. I hope you can also surprise me."
He was the Iron Heart Emperor, one of the three titans.
In a bamboo forest shrouded in mist, the sunlight flickered, casting myriad intricate and fragmentary patterns of light.
At a certain moment, the light streaks moved chaotically, coalescing into a force that shot out a hundred thousand meters, with each person at both ends smiling as if looking into a mirror.
"I, Fu Shuijing, am a man of destiny, naturally favored by the heavens. This journey will certainly not end in disappointment," he said.
The young man had an eerie appearance, an eeriness that penetrated to the bone. Compared to him, the malevolence of Young Master Evil was merely superficial.
He was none other than Fu Shuijing, who had absorbed the essence blood of Kuang Jinxiong, the leader of the Water Shark Gang, and had caught the attention of a disciple of the Vast Air Mysterious Gate, Zhou Ziheng.
"With my current strength, it’s impossible for me to obtain the Divine Fire Order, and none of my peers can either, most likely it will fall into the hands of a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor. However, as long as I can kill one or two chosen by destiny, or severely wound them, my goal will be achieved," he murmured.
Fu Shuijing stood up, surrounded by a myriad of corpses, each drained dry.
He remembered Zhou Ziheng’s words: the opportunity in Rainbow State is the beginning of a once-in-an-eon chance. Accordingly, once seized, one would become the target of many arrows, never to have a day of peace. Therefore, it was enough to just bask in some of the light.
"Thinking too much won’t help. Even the twelve chosen by destiny can’t compete with the veteran Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors for now," he chuckled to himself.
Fu Shuijing smiled.
Next to a torrential riverbank, stood a few simple thatched cottages.
"Rise."
Suddenly, a force like a colossal hand lifted the tens of thousands of meters of river as if it were a cake, halting it mid-air, above the river, a middle-aged man hovering cross-legged let go of his grip.
Boom...
Mountains collapsed, rocks shattered the sky, and the river roared down, causing a cataclysmic flood that obliterated a town of hundreds of thousands downstream, filled with screams and wails.
"I’ve finally mastered the Grand Palm, now let’s see who dares to compete with the Asura Martial Emperor!" the man snorted coldly, not even glancing at the tragedy he had wrought as he vanished in the blink of an eye to a place far away.
The Asura Martial Emperor, one of the strongest Martial Emperors in Rainbow State, only second to the Old Man of Void Origin and the four invincible experts.
Above the sea of clouds.
Numerous sword lights bobbed and weaved, each one cleaving the clouds in twain. Within a few breaths, the sky cleared to a spotless blue, the clouds tried to reform but were shredded anew by the lingering Sword Qi.
In the center sat a middle-aged swordsman with a bamboo hat, wielding an outline-less yellow jade sword, yet it was precisely this yellow jade that made the Martial World of Rainbow State tremble at the mere mention.
The Yellow Jade Sword Emperor, proclaimed the number one swordsman of Rainbow State, on par with the Asura Martial Emperor.
On the official road.
Swift horses raced, kicking up clouds of dust, which strangely parted around a nearby teashop, repelled by an invisible force.
Inside the teashop, the patrons, many from the Martial World, discussed the upcoming battle at Wuyuan Palace. As their excitement mounted, they spoke passionately, spitting and pounding tables and chairs.
"I missed out this time, I actually overlooked the Enlightenment Fruit of the Mirage Mountain Range," someone lamented.
To the east, sat a striking couple, clearly Zhang Xiangfeng and Zhong Lingsui.
After arriving in Rainbow State, Zhang Xiangfeng had first sought out Zhong Lingsui and realized that the spatial rules here were just as complete as the outside world. He immediately went into seclusion to address the flaws in his breakthrough to the Void Origin Realm, only emerging recently.
Thus, the people of Rainbow State were oblivious to the rise of yet another titanic figure within the Martial World, a figure much younger than the three great titans.
"To you, the Enlightenment Fruit is optional. If it’s for me, you are a thousand times more precious than the fruit," Zhong Lingsui said, pouring wine for Zhang Xiangfeng, her eyes brimming with affection.
"No matter what we encounter, we will never be apart," Zhang Xiangfeng said, smiling as he took her hand.
Below the ghostly mist of the Ghost Ruins, two abyssal figures sat opposite each other, their mere presence raising the atmospheric pressure in the room to terrifying levels, ensuring any Earth Immortal entering would explode on the spot.
"Ghost Emperor, what urgent matter required my presence?" the figure on the left, enshrouded in surging blood and countless blood flowers, asked.
"Floating Blood Palace Master, why feign ignorance? Wuyuan Palace is about to open, heh heh, those two will not sit idly by. And the Old Man of Void Origin, with his inscrutable intentions—no one knows what he’s plotting. We must join forces," the Ghost Emperor said darkly.
His divination skills were indeed formidable, but not without limits. For example, divining peers of the same level would demand a significant price, and with a major battle forthcoming, the Ghost Emperor dared not risk it.
"I’m willing to join forces, but we must swear a martial oath, neither to harm the other, and if successful, we’ll split the opportunities fifty-fifty," said the Floating Blood Palace Master, whose solo presence already indicated his intentions. Battles of that level could not be won alone, so an alliance with the Ghost Emperor was the best option.
"Agreed," the Ghost Emperor said.
Neither the Floating Blood Palace Master nor the Ghost Emperor trusted the other, but bound by the oath, they began to formulate their plans.
Meanwhile, in the Four Directions City Lord’s Hall.
Unexpectedly, the master of the Illusion Orchid Tower, renowned throughout the land for its magnificence, was here. Gazing at the lofty figure opposite, she said in a deep tone, "How are you prepared?"
The man in blue turned around, his golden mask concealing his face while his eyes sparkled like stars: "We will win," he declared, his voice soothing and brimming with confidence—seemingly the most assured voice the master of the Illusion Orchid Tower had ever heard.
