Chapter 605: Who Won and Who Lost?
I have to break his momentum. The Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique is more powerful than I expected, Chu Chaoyun thought to himself as he watched the increasingly stronger Xiao Chen.
“Xiu!”
Suddenly, Chu Chaoyun twirled his sword. The sky filled with a solid light that turned into a heavenly sword and shot towards the scarlet maelstrom of electricity above Xiao Chen.
“Pervading Heaven and Earth is a righteous spirit, overwhelming in the world of men;
It creates the stars above and the mountains and rivers below;
Clearly Heaven and Earth exist; how could it fear the demons?”
[TL note: This is adapted from a Chinese poem called The Song of the Righteous Spirit. You can look up the title in Google to see what it actually is and what it means. It is translated into English but it is rather lengthy.]
Suddenly, resonant song rang out in the vast night. The impassioned singing voices reverberated, sounding as if there were thousands of people singing together.
In the beam of light, Chu Chaoyun directed the thousands-strong choir with quivering lips. Filled with a righteous spirit, the sword Qi gathered in the sword of light together with the singing, granting that heavenly sword a dazzling splendor.
Chu Chaoyun had a serene expression as he amassed a vast Divine Might. A divine voice echoed in all directions: “Heaven and Earth are unfair, not differentiating between good and evil. Black and white are inverted. Since that is so, what is the point of Heaven? Might as well chop it down!”
Chu Chaoyun stopped singing and shouted, “An overwhelming righteous spirit exists in the heart, magnanimous like a gentleman, not fearing the demons nor the heavens!”
He drew his finger through the air, and the dazzling, resplendent heavenly sword ripped a tear in space that was darker than the night as it flashed by.
“Xiu!”
Silent and traceless. The spatial tear that the heavenly sword tore open remained open for a long time. With a ‘shua’ sound, it ripped the horrifying maelstrom of electricity in the sky in half.
As the singing went on, Chu Chaoyun waved his hand and tore the sky, instantly extinguishing the foundation of the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique—the power of the Heavenly Dao.
Chu Chaoyun’s act of waving while encased in the beam of light containing Divine Might seemed to have become an eternal motion. He was like a heavenly deity walking on earth, holy and existing forever.
Chu Chaoyun’s words were righteous. When he said to exterminate the heavens, it was because heaven was unfair and not him being arrogant and unreasonable, offending the Heavenly Might.
Seeing this shocking scene, the crowd remained speechless for a long time. They could not think of any words to describe what they were feeling.
The shock that this final match gave them was too great. Earlier, the two were fighting equally and exchanged hundreds of moves. Between the two of them, they easily turned the Wind Cloud Platform into rubble.
A regular Inferior Grade Martial Monarch would not be able to break the Wind Cloud Barrier. However, it did not seem difficult for these two to break it.
Xiao Chen had just gained the advantage and borrowed the might of the Heavenly Dao to suppress Chu Chaoyun.
Just when the crowd felt the battle was tipping in Xiao Chen’s favor, Chu Chaoyun immediately countered. Within a moment, Chu Chaoyun managed to destroy the might of the Heavenly Dao and turn the situation around. The crowd did not even have time to react to it.
In midair, Xiao Chen’s expression immediately changed. The momentum of his saber vanished when he was just halfway through the move; not a single bit of it remained.
With the foundation destroyed, the aura in Xiao Chen’s body received damage as well. His internal organs surged, and he could not help but vomit a mouthful of blood.
“Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”
Xiao Chen immediately stopped. Then, he held his saber in front of himself and pushed off with his feet, quickly moving backwards. The friction between his body and the air produced loud sonic booms.
Chu Chaoyun revealed a gentle smile on his somewhat pale face. Then, he said, “You think you can run? Sword, come here!”
He gently extended his hand and the sword in the air immediately flew over. Pushing off the head of the dragon pillar, he leaped into the air, grasping the sword tightly with his right hand.
“Divine Might Eternal Light!”
Holding his sword once more, Chu Chaoyun focused his gaze. In that instant, he immediately exhausted half of the remaining solidified Essence in his body.
Seizing the initiative that the opponent lost, hanging on firmly to the advantage, and expanding it slowly—this had always been Chu Chaoyun’s style.
Now that Chu Chaoyun held the advantage, he immediately made a move, executing the strengthened Eternal Light.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Nine beams of golden light descended from the sky. Each time a golden light descended, it would illuminate Chu Chaoyun, giving everyone the impression he was teleporting in the air.
Chu Chaoyun moved a hundred meters with each step and he took a total of nine steps. With every step he took, he executed an Eternal Light. He sent out 99,900 sword strikes altogether, containing them and not releasing them until he finished the nine steps.
Catching up to Xiao Chen, Chu Chaoyun gave off a resplendent light, dazzling like the sun; night turned into day.
The drawn sword revealed an eternal light, tearing through space; none could escape!
With the support of Divine Might, the nine Eternal Lights seemed to miraculously merge together. Everyone sucked in a deep breath of cold air.
One Eternal Light was already sufficient to cause severe injury to an ordinary Inferior Grade Martial Monarch. When nine Eternal Lights merged together, they would probably be enough to destroy an ordinary Inferior Grade Martial Monarch.
This is simply going overboard. You really think that I, Xiao Chen, have no means of counterattacking when you’re trying to injure me heavily in one move?
If you want to clash head-on, then I will grant your wish! Xiao Chen’s face turned serious as he quickly executed the Four Season Saber Technique’s final move—the Cycle of Seasons.
First Clap of Spring Thunder, Ten Thousand Beasts Cry Out; the blazing sun rose high in the sky, Burning to Desolation; the autumn rain drizzled, Fated Person in Autumn Waters; the winter’s white frost that looked like the moon, Grieving Frost!
In that instant, the state of seasons that belonged only to Xiao Chen alone—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—quickly materialized.
All sorts of mysterious phenomena appeared at a pace where the eyes could not keep up. The mysterious phenomena appeared and disappeared, cycling through endlessly, materializing the boundless Cycle of Seasons.
Until the end of time, even when the boundless sea turns into vast fields, or when light and dark cycle for ten thousand years, only the cycle of seasons will not change. The Heavenly Dao will not stop. Cycle of Seasons!
The force from the saber warped space. The spatial tear that Chu Chaoyun’s sword created moved back unexpectedly in a strange manner.
When the Bai Clan elders saw this scene, they all could not help but stand up. They muttered, “How can this be? How is the might of the Cycle of Seasons so great?!”
Within the Bai Clan, only the core disciples and inner elders could practice the Four Season Saber Technique. Although they were not as talented as Bai Qi, they had all gained a basic understanding of it before the age of twenty-three.
After practicing it for several decades, many of them could execute all five moves of the Four Season Saber Technique. Thus, they could execute the Cycle of Seasons as well.
However, the might of their Cycle of Seasons was like mud compared to Xiao Chen’s. Even though their cultivations were much higher than Xiao Chen’s, if they competed with their Cycle of Seasons, they would definitely lose.
This was because this state seemed too compatible with Xiao Chen. It even gave the Bai Clan elders the impression that this Four Season Saber Technique was made specially and solely for Xiao Chen.
Bai Qi’s expression became extremely unsightly. He had never felt so defeated in his life, not even when losing to Sima Lingxuan.
Unexpectedly, an outsider managed to bring out more than ten times the might of the Bai Clan’s inherited Saber Technique compared to when a Bai Clan member executed it.
“Boom!”
The Divine Might Eternal Light struck Xiao Chen’s Cycle of Seasons and produced a loud ‘boom.’ A shock wave more than three kilometers tall rushed into the clouds.
Within the shock wave, several thousand beams of light exploded. Flowing water, falling petals, ferocious thunder, blazing suns…all sorts of mysterious phenomena manifested continuously.
As the two fought, the entire Wind Cloud Platform broke and shattered. Pieces of the platform flew up with intense force, ripping tears in space as they shot towards the spectators like a furious storm.
With such a large-scale backlash, it would be impossible for the four referees to block them all.
Zong Liang’s expression changed greatly. He said in a deep voice, “Elders Wind, Cloud, Thunder, Lightning, Autumn, Frost, Sun, and Moon, heed my call. Move quickly and ensure that none of the rubble strikes any of the spectators!”
“We obey!”
The eight old men on the grandstand emitted the strong aura of peak Martial Monarchs. They did not hold back any of their terrifying strength, disappearing in a flash.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The eight elders reappeared and the four referees immediately heaved a sigh of relief. The eight elders quickly exerted some effort, shattering all the rubble flying out with punches.
“Unexpectedly, all the Eight Great Elders under the Dragon Sealing City’s City Lord took action. What kind of monsters are these two?!”
“This is too horrifying. The quality of this Five Nation Youth Competition is probably the best in the past three thousand years. It is not likely to be surpassed within the next thousand years.”
“Sima Lingxuan’s and Bai Qi’s losses to these two people are not unjustified. These two have already gone far beyond them.”
When looking at the eight people in the air who helped out, the crowd could not help the disarray in their hearts. They could not stop sighing.
How strong exactly were these two? To think that it required eight peak Martial Monarchs working together before they could guarantee that the debris from the attacks would not pass them.
Only after a long time did the turbid shock waves vanish. The light on Chu Chaoyun and Xiao Chen completely disappeared.
Their clothes had also become very tattered. Blood leaked out the corner of their mouths; their faces were ashen.
The Wind Cloud Platform below them already vanished long ago, leaving only a black abyss; it was unknown what lurked inside.
The two leaped into the air. Although they were in sorry states, covered in injuries, their eyes gleamed with a fierce, burning fighting spirit. Their desire for victory had not run dry yet.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen started laughing loudly. He laughed very happily, laughed to his heart’s content.
Chu Chaoyun casually flourished his sword. Suspicion appeared in his eyes as he asked, “What are you laughing about?”
Xiao Chen replied, “I am laughing because heaven is really good to me. It allowed me to experience loneliness and worries, letting me taste the bitterness of the world. I do not ask to be unrivaled under the heavens but to reach the peak of the martial way, to become as heroic as the Thunder Emperor!
“No one within the same generation is a match for me. Those who defeated me before, I have defeated, leaving only you, Chu Chaoyun. Without you, how would I find the drive to motivate myself to face loneliness in this Sky Dome Realm?
“Two years ago, at the foot of Desolate City, you invited me to decide the match with one move. Two years later, I return those words to you. I only ask, do you dare settle with this with one final move?!”
Chu Chaoyun laughed loudly. His sword pulsated with light as he replied, “Why not!”
“Hu chi! Hu chi!”
Outside this Wind Cloud Platform, great flames burned on the other nine smaller Wind Cloud Platforms. The dancing flames illuminated Xiao Chen’s and Chu Chaoyun’s faces, flickering without end.
When all the cultivators in the spectator stands heard that the two wanted to settle this match in one move, they no longer dared to blink. They circulated Essence to their eyes and stared at the two people above the abyss.
“This is too intense. Even that Wind Cloud Platform was destroyed by the two. Yet, they had not decided the victor yet.”
“Chu Chaoyun still has not used the Inextinguishable Divine Light. I wonder, what other trump cards does Xiao Chen have? Could it be that he still has a Martial Technique even more terrifying than the Cycle of Seasons?”
“That should be so. Otherwise, he would not say this. However, it is hard to imagine what Martial Technique that is. That Inextinguishable Divine Light can solidify the Divine-Might-infused light. A peak Inferior Grade Martial Monarch’s attack would not be able to break it.”
“It is still hard to believe that Chu Chaoyun’s Inextinguishable Divine Light can be broken by someone under Martial Monarch.”