"Sword of the Yuan Spirit, exterminate!"
Facing Shi Xiaole, whose power had reached its limit, any swordsman would likely lack the time to react, but the Thousand Swords Emperor indeed was the Thousand Swords Emperor, and in that critical moment, his brow bulged.
An invisible sword light, faster than the "Torrential Rain Sword Silk," shot forth from his brow with tremendous speed.
Spiritual attack.
The Yin Soul Great Emperor was horrified. The Thousand Swords Emperorâs mental assault was not inferior to his own "Eye of the Yin Soul"âit was even more fierce and sharp.
It was laughable that he had previously considered the possibility of defeating the Thousand Swords Emperor in close combat. If he had truly attempted that, he wouldnât even know how he died.
"This is my ultimate trump card. I didnât expect you to force it out,"
the Thousand Swords Emperor thought coldly.
Although the "Sword of the Yuan Spirit" was somewhat weaker than the "Torrential Rain Sword Silk," it excelled in stealth. Unnoticed, its effect in close combat was actually the strongest.
Just as the sword light penetrated into Shi Xiaoleâs sea of spirituality, the Thousand Swords Emperor released a breath of relief; however, in the next moment, his expression turned to shock, as if he had seen a ghost.
Outside Shi Xiaoleâs brow, a palace made of spiritual force emerged. The sword light stabbed into it, not only failing to penetrate but was also swiftly engulfed by the palace, and together, they vanished.
This was from the "Sacred Heart Technique," the "Heavenly Palace Illusion"âoriginally an offensive method, but Shi Xiaole, with his profound spiritual attainments, easily transformed it into a defensive one.
Hisss!
A sword cleaved through the sky, and blood blossoms drifted away.
Thus, the pinnacle duel within the swordsman realm came to an end.
"The Thousand Swords Emperor lost?"
"How could this be? A peerless individual from five thousand years ago re-emerges in the Martial World, only to be defeated by a rising star?"
"From today onwards, until Shi Xiaole is defeated, he is indeed the ânumber one swordsmanâ in the world."
The South Sea has its own pride. Although the situation in the East Victory continent was still unclear, the proud martial artists of the South Sea believed that the East Victory martial world was far inferior to their own.
Naturally, if Shi Xiaole could defeat the number one swordsman of the South Sea, he would undoubtedly be regarded as the top swordsman in the world.
"Number one in the world, huh?"
With buzzing minds, Ling Cunyi, Ling Cunwei, and others first stood dumbfounded, then burst into ecstatic laughter, wishing everyone knew that Shi Xiaole was a scion of the Ling Family, their pride.
The expressions of those from Ling Wenyuâs line, however, were complicated.
If this genius came from a collateral or a neutral line, they would be celebrating with the rest, but why did he have to be from Ling Wenlongâs direct line? The two factions had long been at odds, destined for one to fall before the other.
"On our return to the Ling Family, we must either withdraw from the dispute or establish our own sect."
The Falling Sky Sword Emperor realized that nobody in the Ling Family could check Shi Xiaole now; even if two ancestors combined forces, they wouldnât stand a chance against a single sword strike from him.
Having allied with the Mist Hidden Martial Emperor to ambush Shi Xiaole, the only way out he saw now was to leave with his relatives and get as far away as possible.
Crack!
The Mist Hidden Martial Emperorâs face was ashen, his fists clenched tightly. The person he now hated the most was none other than the Falling Sky Sword Emperor. If it werenât for that scoundrel, how could he have offended Shi Xiaole?
Now, should he lead his branch to wander the Martial World? With Shi Xiaoleâs strength and methods, could he even escape?
"I lost. Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller, did you deceive me back then?"
The noise around the Thousand Swords Emperor was inaudible to him; his thoughts had already drifted back five thousand years.
Half a month before the opening of the land of Fate, that old fellow found him and advised him to suppress his aura and conserve energy for this day, five thousand years later, to seize a heaven-defying opportunity.
If it were anyone else, the Thousand Swords Emperor would have scoffed, but the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller was one of his few friends who saved him more than once, and whose prophecies had never failed.
The Thousand Swords Emperor chose to believe. But when he reappeared, finding that the Heavenly Martial Emperor and the Startling Thunder Emperor had made the same choice, unease took hold of his heart.
Now defeated by Shi Xiaole, his invincible momentum stolen in a moment and seeing the rising presence of Xuanyuan Di and Qi Muchu, his beliefs were thoroughly shaken.
These old-timers re-entering the world seemed to ultimately benefit the few young people present?!
With Shi Xiaoleâs victory over the Thousand Swords Emperor, his support surged past what had been the highest for the Heavenly Martial Emperor and Xuanyuan Di, making him the leading contender as the master of this cycle of Fate.
This outcome was unexpected for everyone beforehand.
In this round, the Heavenly Martial Emperor, Xuanyuan Di, and Qi Muchu each overcame their adversaries again. Together with Shi Xiaole, the four maintained their undefeated records and, barring any surprises, the master of Fate would emerge from among them.
The ninety-fourth round.
The ninety-fifth round.
The duel reached the ninety-sixth round.
The Heavenly Martial Emperor faced Xuanyuan Di.
"Heavenly Extinction Meteor!"
Above the Fate platform, stars clustered densely, a spark of light flashing into existence from oblivion, like a colossal meteor hurtling from the endless void, descending upon the mortal world, igniting a soul-destroying flame that barrelled toward Xuanyuan Di.
This was the Heavenly Martial Emperorâs strongest move.
At this moment, Xuanyuan Di finally abandoned his calm demeanor, covered in blood, his left arm bearing a deep gash that exposed flesh and white bone beneath, shredded and blurred by the force, a chilling sight.
"Fist Imprint of the Way!"
Advancing towards the meteor, with each step Xuanyuan Di took, his momentum grew stronger. His Reincarnation Martial Way combined with his fourth fist imprint, making his punch shine with an eternal light beyond the mundane, thrown with full force.
Boom!
The sound wave broke beyond what ears could endure, and suddenly the world fell silent, the dragon-tiger struggle on the Fate platform unfurling as a silent, yet dreadful film before the audienceâs eyes.
The light of reincarnation shone, and Xuanyuan Diâs wounds healed at an extremely fast rate. While parrying the attack with his right arm, his healed left arm struck like lightning, piercing through the chest of the Heavenly Martial Emperor.
"Can it still be like this?"
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of reincarnation; doesnât âbirthâ exactly represent hope and vitality?"
Everyone sharply inhaled in shock.
With such injuries recoverable, how could one fight against this? It meant he was naturally unbeatable from the start, and coupled with Xuanyuan Diâs own martial strength, who could compete against him?
"I yearn for someone to defeat, but that person will definitely not be you."
Under the stifling and shocked gaze of the Heavenly Martial Emperor, Xuanyuan Di blasted away most of his body with a punch, securing victory.
"Hahaha, who is the top expert beneath the six legends, who will become the master of fate? In a few more rounds, all of you will see."
The expert from the Xuanyuan Clan laughed out loud, filled with impatient longing.
All understood the meaning of his words; indeed, after revealing his healing ability, who else could defeat Xuanyuan Di? Even if someone possessed greater martial strength, they couldnât outlast him.
This was much stronger and more complete than the special skill of Thousand Real Person, not even in the same league.
In the same round, Qi Muchu faced off against the Thousand Swords Emperor.
The intensity of this battle was in no way inferior to the previous one.
The two fought until the sky dimmed, the sun and moon lost their light, and even the blood that splattered had incredible piercing power under the influence of their Qi, creating ripples on the surface of the array system.
"Sword Rain Silk, kill!"
As the battle raged, the Thousand Swords Emperorâs eyes were bloodshot, his hair was disheveled, and he unleashed a torrential downpour with one sword, furiously attacking Qi Muchu.
Even if they couldnât vie for first place, no one would give up the competition, for a higher ranking meant reaching a higher peak, and the difference in opportunities was significant.
"Wildfire Spreading Vastly!"
Qi Muchuâs martial way was not the way of fire, but the way of strength.
However, this spear thrust was so overwhelmingly powerful that the Qi it shook up from its tip rubbed against the void, spreading like numerous wild fires in the void, burning the heavens and boiling the earth, shattering everything in its path.
This peerless genius, who was said to have better innate talent than Xuanyuan Di, had clearly decided to fight seriously, resolved to defeat his powerful enemy.
The collision of rain silk and wildfire was like a cluster of exploding stars, stirring up void vortices that could easily inflict heavy injuries on several Forbidden Martial Emperors.
Both were badly wounded and spitting blood, but they charged at each other immediately, engaging in a frenzied battle to the death.
"Thousand Swords Emperor, I must thank you, for your assistance has led me to comprehend a new killing move, âHeavenly Fire Melting World!â"
In another head-on confrontation, Qi Muchu, while flying backward, suddenly flashed a grin and thrust his spear forward with his right arm.
This spear thrust was incredibly fast and focused, and a massive flame was born at its tip, like the destructive fire of a starâs explosion. However, to the few individuals like Shi Xiaole, it appeared as a terrifying phenomenon resulting from the high concentration of power colliding.
From this spear thrust, people saw a shadow of the Heavenly Martial Emperorâs killing move.
Whoosh!
Without enough time to forcefully activate "Sword Rain Silk," the Thousand Swords Emperor was almost burned to ashes and was defeated on the spot.
"What an outstanding Young Master, borrowing the unique skills of others, integrating them into himself, breaking through on the battlefield, truly deserving of the reputation of being the top talent."
"This spear thrust is certainly far superior to Sword Rain Silk, itâs something not even the Thousand Swords Emperor at his peak could take, no, not even Shi Xiaole at full strength."
Many masters couldnât help but exclaimed.
No matter the combat power, at least in the talent and grace exhibited by Qi Muchu, he was truly one of a kind.
And his killing move "Heavenly Fire Melting World," judging by everyoneâs sight, was much stronger than Xuanyuan Diâs four fist imprints. Was there a possibility that he could defeat the opponent before he recovered?
Initially, Shi Xiaole was the hottest candidate for the master of fate, but he was overshadowed by Xuanyuan Di, and now Xuanyuan Di was overshadowed by Qi Muchu. Wave after wave, this stirred up everyoneâs emotions, making them yearn to immediately witness the clash of the three great young warriors.
In this round, Shi Xiaole easily defeated Anatman Mountain Man.
The ninety-seventh round.
Xuanyuan Di came up against the Thousand Swords Emperor and won.
Qi Muchu faced the Heavenly Martial Emperor.
This time Qi Muchu had returned to his peak condition, and in the clash of killing moves, "Heavenly Fire Melting World" unleashed power beyond everyoneâs imagination, severely injuring the Heavenly Martial Emperor head-on, once again affirming Qi Muchuâs peerless talent.
"In terms of frontal attack power, this tournament should place Qi Muchu at the top."
"It remains to be seen whether Shi Xiaole and Xuanyuan Di can withstand it."
In this round, Shi Xiaoleâs opponent was the Spring Thunder Emperor, whom he defeated with three sword strikes.
Finally.
The duels reached the last three rounds, which were also the most breathtaking.
The atmosphere of the entire Nineteen Peaks stiffened. Under this tense atmosphere, the duels of the others seemed like mere appetizers. Even the supposed peak battle between the Thousand Swords Emperor and the Heavenly Martial Emperor dimmed somewhat.
This battle ended with a narrow victory for the Heavenly Martial Emperor by a single move.
The last fight of this round.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Two extremely powerful auras shot out from the fate monument.
Shi Xiaole versus Qi Muchu.