Chapter 866: Chapter 865: A Sword_1
In the center of the circular arena with a diameter of twenty thousand meters, two figures stood a kilometer apart.
"Young man, you are very talented, and your future achievements are boundless, but the smart choice would be to admit defeat. I don’t want to destroy you,"
the Camel Mountain Knife King said coolly as he looked at Shi Xiaole.
An extreme Ninth Tier Earth Immortal and an ordinary Ninth Tier Earth Immortal were entirely different concepts. He also didn’t believe that the opponent could increase by two tiers within a year, which was impossible.
"You should admit defeat."
Shi Xiaole heard a few sincere words from his opponent’s mouth and similarly advised.
Once a bow is drawn, the arrow must be released; all he could do was strive for victory. This had nothing to do with good or evil, but merely everyone fighting for themselves.
"Do you really have that much confidence? Unfortunately, I, who have lived so many years, cannot possibly become the slave of another,"
the Camel Mountain Knife King said as his expression turned frosty, slowly pulling out a glittering silver, extremely thin blade from his severed right sleeve. The blade had a strand of blood on it, rumored to have formed by absorbing the blood of his opponents.
"Such superficial tricks only fool the fools,"
Duan Changge laughed excitedly.
"Does he truly possess strength, or is he saying...?"
Zhan Liye raised an eyebrow.
Based on his understanding of Shi Xiaole, he didn’t seem to be one for show. But for someone like the Camel Mountain Knife King, even he would have to tread carefully. How could Shi Xiaole possibly be his match?
The thoughts of the people beside the stage varied, but the two in the center had already engaged.
Whoosh!
The Camel Mountain Knife King suddenly crouched down, and a thick cloud of smoke dust shot upwards, slashing towards Shi Xiaole. Amidst the smoke dust, the sound of countless sharp blades cutting against each other could be heard.
The Smoke Dust Blade Technique!
This was an extremely rare blade technique that not only boasted stealth effects on par with the Martial Ways of the Clouds but could also integrate various moves. To a certain extent, it could even rebound an opponent’s offensive, making it excellent for both attack and defense.
After a chop, the true body of the Camel Mountain Knife King was hidden in the smoke dust. Shi Xiaole’s response was limited to advance or retreat, yet any reaction would not evade his poised lethal move—the Chaotic Smoke Dust Blade Technique.
One could not blame him for his ruthlessness; it was merely the opponent’s ignorance of danger. In a life-and-death battle, he had no intention to probe.
A soft sigh.
Shi Xiaole drew his sword; the blade was still sheathed, yet the ringing sound preceded the actual move. Then, people saw a series of hands and red sword shadows, as if many Shi Xiaoles were simultaneously striking.
But even as the sound died down, his true body remained still.
All could only watch in amazement as the yellow smoke dust passed evenly on both sides of him, floating thousands of meters away, revealing the form of the Camel Mountain Knife King.
He was frozen mid-swing, his face still etched with fading savagery and determination.
Pfft!
A fan-shaped spurt of blood burst forth from the Camel Mountain Knife King’s abdomen as he fell face-up, lifeless, to the ground.
"What?!"
"Killed the Camel Mountain Knife King with a single sword strike?"
The crowd was dumbfounded, shocked beyond belief, accompanied by a series of sharp intakes of breath.
Duan Changge almost jumped out of his seat.
How was it possible, a single strike to kill an extreme Ninth Tier Earth Immortal? This was nearly something only an Invincible Earth Immortal could do. A year ago, the opponent couldn’t even defeat an ordinary Ninth Tier Earth Immortal. How could he come to terms with such a drastic contrast?
"You really are..."
Zhan Liye inhaled deeply, his handsome face showing an undeniable shock.
That last sword strike, he didn’t see it coming, nor could he block it, meaning that if the Camel Mountain Knife King was replaced with him, he too would not be able to withstand a single blow from Shi Xiaole.
What fortune had the opponent encountered? No, a temporary improvement might be due to fortune, but considering Shi Xiaole’s age, only a fool would believe he was merely the product of several fortuitous events.
Could one’s natural talent really be so high?
"Damn, lucky I’m smart,"
the man with the knife scar in the slave area was filled with relief, and a trace of regret also dissipated. He had said that one should not rationalize such aberrations.
Qu Ni opened her small cherry lips slightly, feeling both happy and excited. Having already been enslaved, her only hope was that Senior Sister Pei and the other sisters in different arenas, as well as Shi Xiaole, could win their three matches and leave this damned place.
Now it seemed, as long as Shi Xiaole didn’t encounter a Martial Emperor of the Void Origin Realm or the two great prodigies, he should be safe, and that was good.
"Interesting."
A young man in luxurious attire revealed a brimming desire for battle. His demeanor was gentle and affectionate; it was none other than the Sentimental Sword King, who was considered the leader among the six prodigies.
"What a pity, what a pity."
Zhan Renxiong shook his head secretly.
The more stunning Shi Xiaole’s performance, the more pity he felt. How wonderful it would have been if the opponent had been given a hundred more years. The winner of this generation, ultimately, would not be him.
Killing the Camel Mountain Knife King with one sword was actually done deliberately by Shi Xiaole; he did not want anyone to have any hope of fluke, nor did he want to kill more people unnecessarily.
Of course, how he would choose ultimately depended on his opponents to come. That was as far as he could go.
The battles proceeded in an orderly fashion. Soon after, Pei Qiuyan took the stage again. Her opponent was an Elder from the Ghost King Ruins, a mid-level Eighth Tier Earth Immortal.
After much hesitation, Pei Qiuyan gritted her teeth and still did not concede defeat. Her fighting power was at the early Eighth Tier level, and combined with the Boneless Orchid, there might be hope for victory.
If she lost her courage due to timidity, her path in martial arts was destined to be short-lived.
"Ghost King Shattering Spirit Hand!"
The Elder of Ghost King Ruins snarled, his hand fiercely reaching toward Pei Qiuyan, his palm filled with drifting ghostly shadows.
"Desolate Love Magnolia Sword!"
With graceful agility, Pei Qiuyan dodged left and right, calmly swinging her sword, flower petals hurling toward the weak spots on the hand, seeking to break through. Yet, the disparity in their power was evident. As soon as they approached, they were torn apart by the ghostly shadows.
"Heaven Supporting Lone Tree Kill!"
As Pei Qiuyan’s long sword danced, the sword momentum suddenly changed greatly, strands of Sword Qi branching out and transforming into a giant tree enveloping the Elder of Ghost King Ruins, An Rumei’s signature move.
In Shi Xiaole’s eyes, Pei Qiuyan’s talent was one level below An Rumei. Not accounting for power, she also failed to display the true essence of the move, but this was also related to the fact that she wasn’t the creator.
"Trifling trickery, Ghost Hand of Heaven and Earth!"
The Elder’s immense power shattered the giant tree illusion, but he himself sustained many cuts from the stray Sword Qi, his face growing even more fierce. With a clap of his palms, layers of black hand shadows submerged Pei Qiuyan, coinciding with her moment of weakness, blocking all her escape routes.
"Senior Sister Pei..."
Qu Ni’s face drained of color as she screamed in anguish.
At the critical moment, a huge orchid that spanned one hundred feet appeared, blocking all the attacks for Pei Qiuyan.
"Hahaha, with that used up, I’d like to see what else you have to rely on."
The Elder of Ghost King Ruins was on guard at all times. As soon as the orchid appeared, he had already retreated thousands of feet in a flash. It turned out this move was a feint – its strength not yet expended.
But at that moment, to everyone’s surprise, Pei Qiuyan leapt on top of the orchid’s blossom, propelling herself forward with the blossom’s blasting force. Turning herself into a sword, she charged towards the Elder of Ghost King Ruins; in an instant, she bridged the gap between them.
Now, the situation reversed. The Elder was at the point of exhaustion. Seeing this, he summoned his strength and glared with rage, shouting, "You dare..."
"Orchid Stab!"
Holding the sword with both hands, Pei Qiuyan’s eyes showed determination. She spent all her power on that one pinnacle sword strike of her life.
This strike, much like Shi Xiaole’s Star Stab, was a technique Pei Qiuyan and An Rumei created together, drawing inspiration from Star Stab. It might not possess the profundity of Star Stab, but it was their own creation.
Rip.
The two figures crossed paths.
The Elder of Ghost King Ruins howled unwillingly, a streak of blood appearing on his neck, and with a thud, his head rolled to the ground.
But Pei Qiuyan was not in a good state either. In a last act of desperation, the Elder had struck her on the back, fracturing her heart meridians. Her life force was now rapidly leaving her, with only a single breath remaining.
Lying on the ground, Pei Qiuyan’s mouth was bloody, smiling with both pride and regret. She had not lost to her own fear after all, but it was a pity. If it had been Shi Xiaole’s Star Stab, she might have emerged unscathed.
A pill shot into her mouth, and her broken heart meridians began to slowly heal.
"As long as you win, you won’t die."
The elder from the Wuyuan Palace smiled arrogantly.
Qu Ni, while wiping her tears, cursed fiercely, "Senior Sister Pei, you’re really annoying. If you take risks like this again, I will never forgive you."
"Alright."
Pei Qiuyan answered softly, then glanced at Shi Xiaole unconsciously, noticing his thumbs-up. Despite the desperate struggle for survival, there was a brief sense of contentment in this joyless slaughter.
Indeed, Pei Qiuyan was not to be underestimated. In this round, those who advanced were mostly from the Void Origin Realm and Ninth Tier Earth Immortals, with very few Eighth Tier Earth Immortals; these were primarily the elite of the Eighth Tier.
This also meant that, in the third round, it would be hard for Eighth Tier Earth Immortals to stand out.
As the new round began, many people felt their hearts lurch.
This was because, according to the elder from the Wuyuan Palace, as long as they could endure this round, everyone could leave safely.
The first match was an ordinary Ninth Tier Earth Immortal against a top-tier Eighth Tier Earth Immortal.
Without any surprises, the ordinary Ninth Tier Earth Immortal achieved victory, then looked nervously at the elder from the Wuyuan Palace. Many others sweated in their palms, hearts pounding.
"You have won three consecutive battles, you can now leave. Of course, you can also stay to watch the fights and leave afterward," the elder from the Wuyuan Palace said with a smile.
"Thank you, senior."
The ordinary Ninth Tier Earth Immortal bowed and then soared away, wishing he had another pair of wings. No matter how thrilling the battle of the century was, it was not as important as life itself. It was better to leave this ghastly place at once.
In everyone’s sight, he passed through the opening of the arena, over the path, and successfully left the Wuyuan Palace. From the other three directions, people left as well – clearly the strong ones from the other three arenas.
At this point, everyone let out a sigh of relief and was filled with boundless fighting spirit and motivation. Whoever stood opposite them next would be an enemy, with whom they would fight to the death!
By the third round, the number of participants had greatly diminished, but each one was incredibly powerful. Therefore, the few surviving Eighth Tier Earth Immortals, including Pei Qiuyan and Duan Changge, could only admit defeat with frustration, becoming slaves.
The remaining Ninth Tier Earth Immortals, on the other hand, engaged in bouts of life-and-death struggle.
