Chapter 584: Darkness
As Hui Yue stood in line, his face was as clear as a lake without any ripples. Although he had just finished a battle, one could not see even the slightest change in his demeanor. He looked just as calm as before.
His eyes were still sharp and ice-cold. His hands were held firmly at his back, and his clothes were without the slightest stain. His hair was unruffled, and no traces of blood could be seen.
His opponent though was not as lucky. Although he too was not bleeding much, he had received scratches from Hui Yue's claws alongside being bruised from the physical attacks that had rained down upon him.
His clothes and hair were a mess, and a thin line of blood could be seen flowing from the corner of his lips. His hands were trembling from a lack of Ancestral Worldpower, and anyone seeing his appearance could tell that he was quite exhausted.
Even though he was in such a miserable state the expression on his face was not one of defeat, but excitement.
As the battle finished, Hui Yue walked back in line, and a couple of the Ninth King of Hell’s guards came to pick up his opponent. All of them bowed deeply to him as he was now a member of King Pingden's family. He was no longer an ordinary cultivator.
The opponent was led up behind King Pingdeng, who gave a gentle nod to the cultivator to make him understand that he was being supported.
Seeing this, the rest of the experts felt their hearts clench. Everyone apart from Hui Yue, Pei Ze, and the Nightcrawler Sect's youth now hoped that if they displayed their best abilities, even if they did not become the King of Hell, they would still be able to become someone. They would still be able to join Diyu and have an amazing future.
Pei Ze and the Nightcrawler Sect’s youth knew that they would not be able to join Diyu as they were already part of a major sect, but Hui Yue did not consider this because for him there was only one result, becoming the Second Court’s Judge of Hell.
His hands gripped tightly and his teeth clenched. His eyes shone with a deep blue light, and his entire body was ready for the next trial. He refused to give up. For Wang Ju Long he would beat them all. For Wang Ju Long he would do the impossible.
A strange air seemed to envelop Hui Yue. After getting back in line, he gave off an overwhelming and overpowering pressure that descended on the other contestants. As soon as they felt it, they all understood that Hui Yue was serious. He was here to win and become the new Judge of Hell. He was not here for the sake of training much like the other two from the major sects.
Everyone seemed to notice what was happening and a murmur could be heard from the audience. The intimidating air that Hui Yue released even after the fight was enough to make them all conscious of him and even fear him slightly especially after the display he had just shown.
As if he saw nothing Yanluo waved his hand, and two other experts were swept up and landed on the stage. The two experts were none other than Pei Ze and the young Nightcrawler Sect's youth.
Pei Ze's expression turned grave as he saw his opponent. Although Pei Ze was one of the geniuses of the younger generation, and in no way an easy target, his opponent was none other than the most peerless of all the geniuses of the younger generation. He was the one whom Pei Ze had never before been able to defeat.
"I apologize, but I cannot lose here," the Nightcrawler's youth said seriously as he looked at Hui Yue with a serious expression on his face, "I am not willing to give up to anyone before I have fought this young man who appeared out of nowhere. I need to know for sure if my rank as number one of the younger generation still stands, or if I have to work even harder in the future."
There was no arrogance in his words; it was as if he were just stating the facts. His face was straight, and his words were not masked in the least.
Hui Yue observed the stage curiously. He had felt danger the first time he saw this young man, and he understood that he was not like anyone else he had fought before. This was a true peerless genius! Someone whom he would not even dream of fighting were it not for being resurrected by the phoenix and remembering his former lives.
Hui Yue observed how everything around them turned dark. It was as if the world became black on the stage. It was black on stage in a way that varied from differing shades of light to very dark.
As the stage turned black, a black whip appeared in the hands of the Nightcrawler youth. A whip which was clearly made from the black Ancestral Worldpower which surrounded him.
An intense killing intent flashed on stage; it was so intense that everyone felt a chill run down their spines as if they were looking at death itself.
If Hui Yue was the personification of carnage, then this person was clearly the personification of death. His power was so outstanding that even before the fight began his presence was impossible to overlook. The aura of his body was as dark as the night.
'He must have some sort of connection with death,' Lan Feng's voice came from within Hui Yue’s core. 'Everything about him is permeated with the air of death, and even the aura here in Diyu is nothing compared to his aura.'
Hui Yue nodded his head as he observed the two on stage. While one was as dark as the darkest night, the other was as bright as a blazing sun. His wings shone brilliantly and stretched from his back. Although they were grand and beautiful, the audience was not too impressed after having seen Hui Yue's which were bigger and even more brilliant.
Still, standing in this pitch black darkness, the light of his wings gently pervaded the darkness bringing back an array of colors. Seeing this sight, the audience sighed in praise at the sudden beauty.
"Begin!" Yanluo's voice sounded out from his seat in the audience, and the two experts turned into blurs in an instant.
Pei Ze flapped his wings taking to the sky above while the Nightcrawler youth lashed out with his whip at Pei Ze.
As soon as the whip had been sent out, it landed perfectly around Pei Ze's leg, and with one seemingly effortless flick of his wrist, Pei Ze was ripped from the sky and slammed heavily into the stage below.
Hui Yue was shocked as he saw this. To be able to grab and throw Pei Ze like this required immense physical strength. It required so much strength that one would normally require the blood of a magical beast running through their veins to accomplish such a feat, yet even so, this young man had not taken the shape of any beast. He had done so while relying fully on his human form!
'Powerful!' Lan Feng also praised within Hui Yue's core, and just like that, both Hui Yue and Lan Feng solemnly watched the fight. The title of number one genius of the younger generation was not undeserved!
"I saw you use your real strength before," the youth finally said out loud, seemingly to no one, yet Hui Yue instantly understood that this was aimed at him. "It is only fair that you see my full strength!"
After saying that the darkness which seemed to surround Pei Ze turned darker and strands of shadows started wrapping themselves around Pei Ze's body. They were wrapping him up like a cocoon.
The fight did not end as Pei Ze still had not conceded, but how could he concede when he was wrapped up in a black shadow cocoon? Minutes went by until finally, the shadows withdrew into the darkness and Pei Ze, unconscious and pale, was released.
As he fell to the ground, the fight came to an end. This fight was quicker than the previous one and much less entertaining for the audience. Though the judges all looked at the youth with approving eyes, it was clear that they were pleasantly surprised by his performance.
"It would not be bad if he won," one of them mumbled, but King Qinguang shook his head. "If we want the most talented of the bunch we would have to choose Pei Yue. Although he might not be stronger than this youth right now, his talent is heaven-defying. He has dual bloodlines, he has soulforce, and I heard that he is only fifty years old. Fifty years old and that is someone from a mortal world!"
Every word Qinguang said shocked the other judges as they looked at Hui Yue in a new light, but suddenly one of them, Pingdeng, furrowed his brows, "He is from the Celestial Sword Sect. How can he come from a mortal world?" He asked curiously, and while speaking, he made sure to speak just loud enough for Hui Yue's previous opponent, the new member of his family, to hear what he said.
Understanding what he was doing, King Qinguang just chuckled, "Haven't you heard that old man Pei Tian admits to being his father, but his mother was a mere mortal? He was born on a mortal plane less than fifty years ago, and since then he has improved by leaps and bounds. He has risen this far in less than 50 years to become a Primordial Immortal."
Hue Yue’s opponent, who was still feeling sour about the fact that he had lost, no longer had a belly full of anger but instead had an epiphany. If his opponent was this insanely skilled then was it really a disgrace to lose to him? No, not at all. From having almost hated Pei Yue, he now wholeheartedly wished for Pei Yue to win this tournament.
The darkness on the stage vanished almost as quickly as it had arrived, and the day was once more bright and filled with sunshine. The chill of death was still present on stage despite the fact that the youth had been gone for a bit already. This just showed how overwhelming the Nightcrawler Sect’s youth aura truly was for it to be able to last on its own for any amount of time in Diyu.
Unlike before, no one stepped up to adopt Pei Ze. Everyone knew he was from the Celestial Sword Sect, and thus it was impossible for them to adopt him.
'I have some tricks up my sleeve. Even if we fight him, I believe we have a seventy percent chance of victory.' Lan Feng mused after a bit of time.
Hui Yue was at first surprised to hear that their chance of victory was not higher, but afterward, he shook his head at himself. Seventy percent was already quite good.
The next battle was between two peak experts at the Primordial Immortal level, and the fight was incredibly desperate. Blood sprayed everywhere, and none of them had a real advantage. Their fight continued to go on for the better of an hour before the victor was determined.
This time the loser was also adopted into a faction of Diyu. He was adopted by King Wuguan. Although he was unhappy with the fact that he had lost, his face still lit up when he heard the offer, and he instantly accepted it.
Like the last one, he too was accompanied by a few guards and led into the seating behind the kings. His face was beaten black and blue, but even so, he held his head high, and his eyes shone with excitement. He was now a member of Wuguan's family! A family of one of the Kings of Hell!