Free Web NovelThe next day, the elder from the Water God Palace died. He had charged the demon rampart in a fit of rage, only to be torn apart by the great array. His death was absolute.
Grief and fury deepened among the people of the Azure Nether Dao Domain.
The second match began.
Faced with a crowd of indignant cultivators clamoring to fight, Su Chen personally selected one from among them.
The first battle could be lost. It served to teach them a hard lesson: the prodigies of the Black Nether Demon Domain did not rely solely on trickery. Underestimating them meant a brutal death.
But the second battle could not be lost.
"Yuwen Wushuang, you will fight the second match."
All eyes turned to a man lounging lazily on a bluestone slab behind them. He seemed mildly surprised to hear his name called.
Still, he rose, stretched, and sauntered forward. A long saber hung at his waist beside a wine gourd; his brownish hair stirred in the wind.
"You're putting that much faith in me?" Yuwen Wushuang asked Su Chen.
The Yuwen Clan ranked among the supreme powers of the Azure Nether Dao Domain—no weaker than the Nangong Clan to which Su Chen belonged.
Yet the Nangong and Yuwen clans had always been bitter rivals. Nangong Chen and Yuwen Wushuang had clashed before. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Nangong Chen had won.
Three moves. That was all it took to defeat Yuwen Wushuang.
After that day, Yuwen Wushuang became the laughingstock of the Azure Nether Dao Domain. He had sunk into obscurity ever since.
Doubt lingered in the eyes of the others.
"Young Master Nangong, let me take the second match instead."
"This battle is too important—we absolutely cannot lose!"
Heirs of ancient lineages stepped forward to plead their case.
Su Chen glanced at one of them.
"You would not win."
The blunt words drained the color from the prodigy's face. He clenched his jaw in cold resentment. "Nangong Chen, I respect you as the leader of our generation in the Azure Nether Dao Domain, but that does not give you the right to humiliate me at will!"
Su Chen raised a single finger.
"One move? Nangong Chen, are you saying you could defeat me in a single strike?"
The prodigy felt the sting of profound insult.
Then… he was slammed face-down into the ground, pinned there, unable to move.
The crowd gasped in shock. Anyone bold enough to challenge Su Chen could not possibly be weak. Yet he had been suppressed without the slightest warning. How terrifying was this power?
Ji Changkong, meanwhile, looked completely unsurprised.
"Daring to provoke Senior Brother—commendable courage, I suppose."
He genuinely admired the foolhardiness. He had personally witnessed the entire younger generation of the Purple Firmament Dao Sect—along with ancient monstrous prodigies who had reawakened—being effortlessly crushed by Senior Brother.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Su Chen turned to Yuwen Wushuang. "You will not lose. What you need is a battle to prove yourself."
Yuwen Wushuang's eyelids twitched. He gave a slow nod. "Fine. I'll fight this one for the Azure Nether Dao Domain."
A wry, bitter smile curved his lips. "Never thought the one who understands me best would turn out to be you."
Atop the demon rampart, Zhu Huangtian dragged forward another bronze pillar. Once again, a Azure Nether Dao Domain prodigy was bound to it.
Soon, the second battle commenced.
The Black Nether Demon Domain sent forth a prodigy with the bloodline of the Six-Winged Demon Peng. Demonic qi surged around him like a storm.
Beside him, Yuwen Wushuang appeared tiny—little more than a small boat adrift on a raging sea, ready to capsize at any moment in the tempest.
Yuwen Wushuang drew his saber.
The blade moved with blinding speed, slicing through space itself and leaving a deep gash across the Six-Winged Demon Peng prodigy.
Just as the second slash aimed for the neck, the demon finally struck back. He clearly had not expected Yuwen Wushuang to be so fast… yet the Six-Winged Demon Peng Clan was renowned above all for speed. Legend claimed their ancient ancestor could race against time itself and rival the speed of the ancient Great Emperors.
In midair, man and peng clashed at incomprehensible velocity. Both sides traded wounds for wounds, tearing into each other without reserve.
"Yuwen Wushuang is actually this strong!"
The onlookers were stunned. They looked at him with renewed respect. But it was not enough. In a contest of trading injuries, Yuwen Wushuang could never outlast the Six-Winged Demon Peng prodigy.
Yet just as Su Chen had said, Yuwen Wushuang needed this battle to prove himself.
Losing to Su Chen in three moves was no disgrace.
Blood stained the sky.
The clash shook countless hearts.
Then, white flames suddenly bloomed along the edge of Yuwen Wushuang's saber, wrapping the blade in flickering light.
"He… he has comprehended the Yuwen Clan's Secret of Time?"
The white flames danced.
Yuwen Wushuang swung once more.
Space was split from a single point.
The demon peng fell.
Yuwen Wushuang retrieved the demon peng crystal core. He divided the corpse among the gathered cultivators of the Azure Nether Dao Domain, who began openly discussing recipes right in front of the stunned Black Nether Demon Domain forces.
The sight sent the prodigies of the Black Nether Demon Domain into a furious rage.
"Lord, we absolutely cannot return any of the Azure Nether Dao Domain people!"
Zhu Huangtian's face remained expressionless. His eight arms moved in a blur, tearing the outspoken demon prodigy limb from limb.
"Trash. Take him away. This round, I, Zhu Huangtian, can afford to play. Second time you got lucky. The third time won't be so fortunate!"
Zhu Huangtian gazed coldly down at the Azure Nether Dao Domain cultivators who were carving up and devouring the Six-Winged Demon Peng right in front of them.
The third day arrived.
Zhu Huangtian dragged yet another bronze pillar forward.
Bound to it was a young woman.
The moment Ji Changkong saw her, he trembled with excitement.
"It's my little sister! Senior Brother, we absolutely cannot lose this one!"
Su Chen fixed his gaze on Ji Changkong.
Ji Changkong suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Senior Brother, I'm only at the peak of the ninth layer of Void Refining—I haven't even reached the Nirvana Realm yet…"
Su Chen looked at him steadily. "Junior Brother Ji, I believe you can win."
Ji Changkong swallowed hard. "Senior Brother, I really can't do this."
Su Chen shook his head. "You can. If I remember correctly, you've been stuck at the ninth layer of Void Refining for thirty years."
Ji Changkong muttered, "Your junior brother is simply too dull-witted."
Su Chen gave him a long, deep look.
"Junior Brother Ji, you have no choice but to fight now."
With that, Su Chen hoisted Ji Changkong up and tossed him straight into the arena.
As the heir of both Falling Emperor Mountain and the ancient Ji Clan, how could his talent possibly be weak?
Ji Changkong was afraid.
Su Chen wasn't entirely sure whether the fear came from the prospect of dying in battle or from some deeper secret. One thing he knew for certain: Ji Changkong's talent was extraordinary. The bottleneck of the Nirvana Realm could never trap him for thirty years.
From the Black Nether Demon Domain side, the moment they saw an opponent who hadn't even reached the Nirvana Realm step forward, mocking laughter erupted.
They thought the Azure Nether Dao Domain had gone mad. The woman bound to the bronze pillar looked up and saw her own brother entering the arena. Despair washed over her face.
It was over.
Not just the Black Nether demons—even the Azure Nether Dao Domain prodigies fell into despair.
"Has the Azure Nether Dao Domain run out of people? Sending someone who hasn't even reached Nirvana Realm?"
The Black Nether prodigy chosen for the fight grinned wickedly. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Ji Changkong edged forward cautiously. "How about we settle this peacefully? You release the hostage, and I surrender?"
The Black Nether prodigy sneered. "I'll eat you piece by piece. But I'll keep just enough of your consciousness alive so you can watch me devour her the same way—one bite at a time."
Ji Changkong let out a helpless sigh.
"In that case… you'll have to die."
Ji Changkong's body suddenly turned snow-white and crystalline, radiating boundless immortal radiance. Countless law runes descended from the sky, transforming into chains that locked the heavens themselves.
"A Holy Spirit… an Innate Holy Spirit!"
