Supreme Cultivation Master

Chapter 700: Chapter 699: Both Sides Suffer

He said to Ye Fan, "You’ve finally come. I thought you wouldn’t dare!"

"There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t dare to do, let alone challenge you!" Ye Fan replied calmly.

The Little God Monarch said, "It seems you’re quite confident. I have slain no fewer than ten geniuses like you, but their ends were always miserable! Overconfidence is a prelude to a swift death!"

"That’s because you haven’t met me," Ye Fan retorted. "If you had, you wouldn’t think so."

This was a classic battle of words, and it was clear they both sought to gain the verbal upper hand.

The Little God Monarch continued, "I look forward to this battle. You are indeed worthy of me drawing my sword!"

"I want more than just to be deemed worthy!" Ye Fan laughed.

The Little God Monarch asked calmly, "Then what do you want?"

"I want to use the sword in my hand to sever your head. It’s as simple as that!" Ye Fan declared.

The crowd grew restless. Who would have thought that these two show-offs could still be posturing so expertly at a time like this? Neither was willing to yield an inch. If the spectators could give them some honest feedback, it would surely be: less talk, more action.

The Little God Monarch announced, "This sword is called the Hero Sword. It was the personal sword of the Ancestor of Tianxiong from the Ancient Times, and it was my good fortune to acquire it!

"It has slain eighty-one ordinary geniuses, ten first-rate geniuses, and five top-tier geniuses. It is a bloodthirsty and ruthless blade.

"Today, I will use this very sword to sever your head!"

Ye Fan scoffed. "This sword is called the Yuanhong Sword. It’s true that it hasn’t killed *that* many geniuses of the Divine Race.

"But in my hands, this sword is invincible and unstoppable, slaying anyone who stands in my way!

"Because of its heavy history of slaughter, it has become the king of killing swords, felling gods with its supreme might!"

With that, both men raised their weapons.

The Little God Monarch made the first move. He brandished the Hero Sword and roared, "Heroic Sword Edge!"

Instantly, the Hero Sword emitted a dazzling, powerful light. A vast wave of Sword Qi rushed toward Ye Fan—and this was just one of the blade’s techniques.

The energy it unleashed sent a chill down the spines of the Divine Generals and Divine Captains. Even the Main God Experts were visibly moved. They had seen powerful Sword Qi before, but never anything so spectacular. Though the Sword Qi came from the Little God Monarch alone, there was no doubt in their minds that the sword’s power was immeasurable, even beyond comprehension. This was because the Little God Monarch had achieved a perfect fusion of man and sword, leaving him with no discernible flaw.

In their eyes, if Ye Fan was talented enough, he might withstand two moves. If not, he would be slain. The terror of this sword was plain to see.

The Sword Qi dispersed into a sky-spanning torrent that raged toward Ye Fan, leaving no blind spots, every angle perfectly covered. Without a doubt, this was a terrifyingly perfect attack. He had clearly reached the pinnacle of integrating with his sword.

Even many masters of the Sword Dao, though perhaps higher in cultivation and raw power, would falter before this strike. It was certain that in their comprehension of the sword, those masters were no match for the Little God Monarch. Such was the perspective from the absolute peak of mastery.

Just then, Ye Fan also moved.

He shouted, "Heavenly Subduing Sword!"

The moment the Heavenly Subduing Sword appeared, the once-serene sky turned dark and dim, as if the moon had been eclipsed, and the air filled with chaos. After countless refinements and improvements by Ye Fan, the Heavenly Subduing Sword had shed its most glaring and cumbersome aspects. It charged at the Little God Monarch with unmatched momentum, intent on slaughter.

The crowd was stunned by Ye Fan’s sword technique. They hadn’t considered him a top-tier genius before, but judging by the profundity of this single strike, they now believed he might truly be a match for the Little God Monarch. Such was the impact of his power.

When Ye Fan’s blade of slaughter clashed with the Heroic Sword Edge, both men were sent flying backward, shocking the crowd who watched the two monstrous prodigies battle.

After landing, Ye Fan spat out a mouthful of blood. Although the Little God Monarch did not look as disheveled, his condition was hardly any better, as he was forcefully suppressing his internal injuries.

This outcome was entirely unexpected. The onlookers had assumed that no matter how talented Ye Fan was, he would surely fall in the first exchange. Yet, he had fought his opponent to a standstill. Without a doubt, Ye Fan’s strength was formidable, at least enough to contend with the Little God Monarch.

"Kill!" the Little God Monarch bellowed, charging Ye Fan like a madman. In that moment, he displayed all the pride of his station as the number one genius.

With the Hero Sword in hand, Ye Fan refused to show any weakness. He executed several moves from the Futian Sword Technique, countering every blow that came his way. Although his cultivation realm was still a notch below the Little God Monarch’s, under the endless assault of sword techniques, he was in no way inferior. His combat strength was nearly equal to his opponent’s, a display of explosive power that was truly astounding.

They all marveled that the Righteous Divine Lineage had produced such a remarkable person. If this man wasn’t facing the Little God Monarch now, he would surely become his ultimate rival in the future. But it was still too early to tell, as the Little God Monarch had yet to unleash his true, full strength. If he did, how many moves could Ye Fan possibly withstand?

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to Their Origin!" the Little God Monarch roared.

Instantly, his Hero Sword split into countless blades that rained down like the myriad paths of the Great Dao, merging into one. It was the most exquisite of sword techniques. The Divine Generals were deeply apprehensive. In their view, most of them would be unable to block such an unbelievably terrifying attack.

"Pure Yang Divine Sword!" Ye Fan shouted, executing his prized Pure Yang Sword Skill. The technique was ethereal and seemed to lack force, but it was, in fact, a deceptively terrifying strike.

When the attack landed, both combatants froze in place.

No one knew who had won the last exchange, for it had happened in a mere flash of light. Ye Fan and the Little God Monarch stood motionless, but it wasn’t for show—something else was happening.

Just as they thought this, Ye Fan suddenly dropped to one knee.

The Heavenly Gods of the Evil Divine Lineage were overjoyed. The Little God Monarch stood tall and aloof while Ye Fan was already kneeling. Without a doubt, Ye Fan had lost.

Ye Fan’s defeat signaled the defeat of the entire Righteous Divine Lineage. They were ecstatic. It seemed the Little God Monarch had lived up to their expectations, bearing the pressure of the Evil Divine Lineage to crush Ye Fan. Their prophecy for Ye Fan and the Righteous Gods was coming true: from this day forward, the Righteous Divine Lineage was doomed to decline. Besides Ye Fan, there were no other geniuses among the Righteous Gods who could contend with the Little God Monarch.

An air of sorrow and weakness washed over the Righteous Divine Lineage. Although they had not been optimistic, they had pinned all their hopes on Ye Fan. But in the end, he had failed to rise against the odds and had fallen to the Little God Monarch. Was their only comparable genius to have his story end here?

They couldn’t accept it. They prayed in their hearts for Ye Fan to stand up again, to defeat the Little God Monarch and restore some honor to the perennially weakened Righteous Gods.

However, just at that moment, the Little God Monarch suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body trembled uncontrollably before he, too, collapsed to one knee, his state even more dire than Ye Fan’s.

The Evil Divine Lineage was dumbfounded. They had thought the Little God Monarch had already won, never expecting him to be injured as well.

Neither had defeated the other. Neither had truly lost.