Chapter 865: Chapter 864 Cruel Duel_1
Two clouds of blood mist had just risen when they were absorbed by the surface of the arena, as if they had become a part of the Wuyuan Palace. Many noticed that the names representing those two individuals on the Nine-Colored Palace Lamp were also erased at the same time.
Hiss!
Everyone couldn’t help but feel a chill.
Even the Yellow Jade Sword Emperor twitched his cheeks, for he had not noticed the reality of what had just happened. This meant that if such a technique were used on him, even if it didn’t kill him, it could still severely injure him, and it was not even executed by the Elder of Wuyuan Palace himself.
With a settled mind, the Yellow Jade Sword Emperor cast aside all distracting thoughts. If he couldn’t resist, then he would first strive to become the victor of the Eastern Arena.
Shua shua.
The Nine-Colored Palace Lamp lit up again, and two fighters appeared on the stage.
"Kill!"
This time, nobody hesitated. The two Earth Immortals charged at each other immediately, and halfway through their charge, Vigorous Air exploded forth. Both were middle-tier Eighth Tier Earth Immortals, one wielding a staff and the other swinging a whip, unleashing their ultimate skills and fighting until the heavens and earth darkened.
In the end, it was the staff-wielding Eighth Tier Earth Immortal who had more endurance. He smashed half of his opponent’s body with his staff, securing a hard-fought victory.
"Now that’s what I call a fight."
The elderly man smiled with satisfaction and shot a pill into the mouth of the staff-wielding Earth Immortal. To his surprise, he found that 40% of his injuries had recovered.
"You will participate in the next round; there’s enough time for your wounds to heal."
The staff-wielding Earth Immortal nodded, swiftly retreating to his seat to sit and meditate with closed eyes.
After merely two duels, everyone recognized the brutality of the battle for the Divine Fire Order. In the end, there would only be one winner, which meant that those remaining were either going to die or become slaves.
A sense of gloom and despair quickly enveloped the entire arena, with many contemplating resistance. But the thought of the consequences made them lose heart and confidence completely.
"To live is to have hope! Ah, I forgot to mention something. Whoever wins three rounds can leave the Wuyuan Palace, with no need to die or lose their freedom."
As he said this, the old man issued a Martial Dao Oath in public to prove he wasn’t lying.
It was like a beam of light in the darkness, and everyone on the scene became agitated. Most people were like drowning individuals who had grabbed onto their last straw, their eyes shining bright with hope.
So there was indeed a way out!
The mood of the crowd was unprecedentedly lifted as they finally focused their energy on the duels before them.
Indeed, if one were to ignore everything else, this was an unprecedented grand event in Rainbow State, where the true Chosen Ones and outstanding figures were to be directly proven.
The third pair, the fourth pair... one duel after another went on without any break. Each time the light appeared, people’s hearts rose to their throats, each time feeling disappointment and relief that it wasn’t their turn.
But the pressure on everyone grew heavier.
For the participants of the duels, the weakest were of Divine Barrier Realm Seventh Layer cultivation, with combat power almost starting at the Eighth Tier. At this level, no one could hope to defeat another easily. Every single battle was a struggle, a battle of bloodshed, where a moment’s distraction could result in death on the spot.
In a flash of light, Qu Ni from Illusion Orchid Tower appeared in the center of the stage, and her opponent was a middle-tier Eighth Tier Earth Immortal of the Divine Barrier Realm Eighth Layer.
"Slash of the Swift Blade!"
The Earth Immortal let out a fierce laugh as his blade aura slashed down like a storm, and after only a few exchanges, Qu Ni spit out blood and several bloody holes appeared on her body, incessantly oozing blood.
By now, Qu Ni’s combat power had already reached the peak of the Seventh Tier. Unfortunately, she was too young to fully realize her potential.
"Thousand Blades of Frost Cold, die!"
Like a bloodthirsty beast, the Earth Immortal swung his blade twenty times in a row, each strike aimed to kill.
In the face of this game of life and death, who cared about the opponent’s identity? Any opponent was an enemy, and winning just one round was already a victory. In this survival game, every person unleashed their inner beast instinct, fierce and cruel.
Just as Qu Ni was about to meet her death, she clenched her teeth and pulled out an orchid from her sleeve, crushing it.
Boom!
The orchid expanded a hundred times in size, swallowing the Earth Immortal in the blink of an eye and digesting him.
"That’s the Boneless Orchid of Illusion Orchid Tower!"
"Fair competition, and they’re using secret weapons?"
Many people, especially the independent martial artists, cried out in outrage.
The elderly man by the arena said, "Victory is everything, the method doesn’t matter."
Qu Ni returned to her seat, and Pei Qiuyan beside her said, "We were each given only three Boneless Orchids, Junior Sister. If it’s impossible to win, surrender immediately. To live is to have hope."
"Senior Sister, I understand."
Qu Ni’s pretty face was pale, still shaken, and she nodded subconsciously.
Although the Boneless Orchid was powerful enough to kill any Earth Immortal, it needed time to be activated. To be honest, if the opponent hadn’t been unguarded just now, it would have completely prevented Qu Ni from unleashing the Boneless Orchid, so her victory was truly fortunate.
But now that everyone knew her last resort, they would undoubtedly be more cautious. Catching them off guard again would be difficult. It could only be said that there were too many strong people in the Martial World. Even with an exceptional secret weapon, one couldn’t necessarily win every battle.
As the duels continued, more and more people died because Earth Immortals had too many methods at their disposal. Having higher cultivation didn’t mean having stronger combat power, and being powerful didn’t guarantee a win.
Unless the opponent was a renowned figure, clearly much stronger than oneself, there was always hope for victory. Who would willingly admit defeat and become a slave?
But seeing one master after another die brutally before them, everyone still felt heavy-hearted. Was freedom truly worth defending with one’s life?
The wait was even more agonizing than the decisive battle itself.
In the oppressive atmosphere, one of the six peerless talents, the Sentimental Sword King, made his appearance. His opponent was a Ninth Tier Earth Immortal from the Divine Barrier Realm. After a long silence, the Earth Immortal said with difficulty and bitterness, "I surrender."
An elder from the Wuyuan Palace waved his hand, and the Earth Immortal was sent to the other side of the arena, where several other masters who had previously surrendered were standing.
"There’s no need to be discouraged. Our companions will only increase in number. How many can truly walk away victorious?"
Someone snorted.
Naturally, those who had become slaves didn’t wish for others to fare any better, which is a common human sentiment.
Moreover, as he had said, while winning three matches seemed few, the opponents were not ordinary people. The challenge was much greater than one might imagine. Furthermore, who knew if the Nine-Colored Palace Lamp was randomly selecting opponents? It was quite possible that everyone was exerting their utmost effort only to be toyed with by the Wuyuan Palace.
Shi Xiaole watched with a cold eye, but even he couldn’t help feeling somewhat desperate at this point. He didn’t believe he could defeat a Martial Emperor from the Void Origin Realm. For now, he could only take it one step at a time.
In an atmosphere that was both suffocating and maddening, Shi Xiaole saw Pei Qiuyan.
She was fortunate to come up against a Seventh Tier Earth Immortal and, after nearly a thousand moves, emerged with difficulty as the victor. In terms of strength, Pei Qiuyan was actually at a slight disadvantage, but she won by being steady and not letting the environment affect her performance.
In fact, many had met their gruesome end precisely because of their poor performance. At the critical moment between life and death, those who could bear the immense pressure and press on with gritted teeth were the victors.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Two beams of light shone onto the spectator seats, one landing on a man with a scar on his face, and the other on a figure in azure clothes, dust-free, with graying temples—it was Shi Xiaole.
Both men simultaneously streaked toward the center of the arena.
"You’re the Azure-clothed Sword King?"
The scar-faced man’s pupils constricted.
With Ninth Tier combat strength, it was natural to be called a king, and the title Azure-clothed Sword King was what the Martial World of Rainbow State had bestowed upon Shi Xiaole. Who didn’t know the name of the Azure-clothed Sword King these days?
The scar-faced man was conflicted because his combat strength was that of an average Ninth Tier warrior. And Shi Xiaole a year ago was said to be only half a step behind an average Ninth Tier Earth Immortal.
A person couldn’t possibly progress rapidly forever. Even for a genius, it wasn’t likely to be much advancement in a year’s time.
But the scar-faced man was genuinely wary of Shi Xiaole’s talent; hence, he was unsure about the latter’s actual strength. On one hand, he feared defeat, while on the other hand, he was reluctant to surrender.
"You’d better surrender. I’m not deceiving you," Shi Xiaole said earnestly.
Until one party surrenders, the other is not allowed to deliberately reveal their aura or use their ultimate moves, so as not to overawe the opponent. Otherwise, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t mind giving a reminder. Now it was up to the other man’s decision.
The scar-faced man struggled for a very long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "You think you can deceive me, but I...surrender."
In the end, the scar-faced man followed his instincts. He felt that Shi Xiaole’s calm was genuine. But no sooner had the words left his mouth than he began to regret them, ending up with no choice but to be sent to the ’slave area’.
"Shi Xiaole."
In the spectator seats, Zhan Liye was filled with an inexplicable sense of emotion. He didn’t wish to come up against Shi Xiaole, nor did he wish to lay a hand on this young man, who was brimming with talent and a strong sense of justice.
In the subsequent matches, the Unparalleled Halberd King, one of the six peerless talents, appeared and likewise won without a fight, followed by Zhan Liye, Qin Zheng, and other powerful Earth Immortals who took to the stage and passed their matches.
As for the Yellow Jade Sword Emperor, Zhan Renxiong, and other Martial Emperors from the Void Origin Realm, their opponents surrendered immediately once the light shone on them.
The first round ended quickly.
The second round commenced immediately.
This round was even more brutal because after the first elimination, what remained were the elites of the elites. The gaps in strength were closer, the tactics more diverse. Hardly anyone voluntarily surrendered, resulting in nine out of ten battles ending in death.
Unfortunately, Qu Ni came up against the brother of the Unparalleled Halberd King, who was Duan Changge, the same person who had attempted to kill Shi Xiaole several times in the Mirage Mountain Range.
Duan Changge was a genius in his own right, no less talented than Qu Ni, with his combat strength reaching the lower Eighth Tier. Moreover, being the legitimate son of the Duan family, no one believed he was without life-saving tricks.
"Junior Sister, forfeit!"
Seeing Qu Ni’s indecision, Pei Qiuyan was so anxious she nearly stood up.
Qu Ni bit her lip, her eyes glistening with moisture, as she instinctively looked towards the spectator seats behind Duan Changge, to that captivating figure who haunted her dreams. It might have been her imagination, but she felt as if she could sense the worry emanating from him.
"I, I surrender," Qu Ni said, as if emboldened.
"How boring. A woman too timid and cowardly," Duan Changge sneered.
Qu Ni’s face turned pale, but upon seeing the gentle and comforting smile on Shi Xiaole’s face, her heart was set. As long as he didn’t look at her like that, what did other people’s thoughts matter?
No sooner had Qu Ni entered the ’slave area’ than she heard an uproar from the crowd. Turning her head, she immediately saw Shi Xiaole bathed in light.
The other person shrouded in light was an old man with a hunched body and missing a right arm. Seeing him, Qu Ni’s face turned deathly pale.
"There are things I don’t wish to do, but I have no choice. Don’t blame this old man."
The old man, known as the Camel Mountain Knife King, was a genuine limit Ninth Tier Earth Immortal. His Hell’s Three Knives inspired fear even among other warriors of the same tier.
