The Virtual Universe's Martial Arena, exclusive plane.
After hearing Xia's words, the audience erupted in an uproar. Cries of surprise and discussion filled the stands.
"She was still holding back," Zi Wu whispered to Jian Bi, unable to hide his shock. "Could she have already crossed the threshold of the Law?"
"She probably has!" Jian Bi said, his expression grave. "We've watched quite a few of Xia's Duel Live Broadcasts. In her last hundred or so matches, no matter what kind of opponent she faced, she didn't seem to get hurt even once. Clearly, every fight had been under her control..."
He looked at Zi Wu, his eyes full of understanding, as if he saw through everything. "That means she must have crossed the threshold of the Law back when she had won more than seven hundred matches in a row. That's how she could still handle increasingly powerful opponents with ease, moving freely and confidently..."
Zi Wu nodded. "You make sense. That must be it..."
He looked at Bai Muye in the arena and let out a quiet sigh. "A Universe Rank fighter who has crossed the threshold of the Law would have no trouble winning the title of Giant Axe Warrior. And when a genius like that goes all out, she can be called invincible among those of the same rank... I'm afraid Luoluobai Muye's journey through these life-and-death battles ends here..."
"Calling her invincible among those of the same rank is a bit of an exaggeration," Jian Bi said, shaking his head slightly. "But... Luoluobai Muye definitely isn't her match!"
"Do you remember the Genius Battle from thousands of years ago?" A nostalgic look appeared in his eyes. "You and I were both at the ninth level of Star Rank back then, and happened to catch the Genius Battle hosted by the Giant Axe Arena. Those monstrous geniuses were only at Star Rank, yet they possessed Domains at the seventh or eighth level and had crossed the threshold of the Law. Some had even comprehended a trace of an Upper Law... Now those were the ones who truly deserved to be called 'invincible among those of the same rank'!"
"How could I forget?" Zi Wu said bitterly. "We were both eliminated in the first stage..."
"Look, Xia's about to make her move..." Jian Bi murmured to himself as he watched the projection of the arena. "The outcome will probably be decided in an instant..."
On a desolate planet.
A trace of lingering fear stirred in Bai Muye's heart. He'd had a chance to turn his Wind-Thunder Domain into a Domain Whip just now. If he'd suddenly used it while giving chase, he might have broken through Xia's defense.
But just as he was about to put the idea into action, he'd felt an extremely dangerous premonition. His heart had tightened, and in the end, he'd abandoned the tactic.
Looking back now, Xia's gaze hadn't shown the slightest hint of panic. It was as if she'd been waiting for Bai Muye to use his trump card.
Telepathic Weapons were incredibly fast. The Nine Golden Swords had already been close to Bai Muye. With Xia's strength, having crossed the threshold of the Law, if he really did compress his Domain, the Nine Golden Swords would be freed from the suppression of the Wind-Thunder Domain. Whether his Domain Whip could kill Xia was hard to say, but he would certainly end up with nine holes in his body.
Xia's gaze grew solemn, revealing an unshakable resolve. Even Bai Muye's slightly provocative "Come on" hadn't angered her.
With a thought, threads of Lightning Secret Patterns appeared on the Nine Golden Swords in the air. The swords drew together in groups of three, combining to form three denser, more solid blades.
Once linked to the Law, the three Golden Swords were ten times faster and more powerful than they'd been before combining. Though there were fewer of them, Bai Muye found them even harder to defend against.
Each Golden Sword seemed like an opponent stronger than Bai Muye. And now there were three opponents attacking him at once, their minds in perfect sync. Bai Muye was immediately in dire straits.
Sword energy carved through his Domain. The shockwaves swept across the ground, scoring deep furrows across the entire surface.
Faced with such a hopeless predicament, Bai Muye finally unleashed his strongest Domain without holding back.
After fusing with the Light Domain, the pale green patterns of his Domain Secret Patterns grew even fainter, but its power increased by several notches. It barely managed to slow the three Golden Swords to a speed he could just about react to, but he was still running himself ragged.
Xia's gaze remained steady. Now that she was using her full strength, what was happening before her was exactly what she'd expected. In her eyes, barring any surprises, Bai Muye would inevitably fail to keep up with the attacks within a hundred moves and leave an opening.
Under the attacks of the Golden Swords, linked to the Law Secret Patterns, leaving an opening was the same as giving up on defense. And giving up on defense meant facing death head-on!
The clang of metal rang out without pause. Bai Muye unleashed his strongest Domain and did everything he could to wield a staff technique fused with the Nan Qi Spear Technique, keeping the three Golden Swords at bay.
But the circle of Golden Swords kept closing in—from five meters to three, from three to two and a half, from two and a half to two, until they were just one meter away!
The situation had reached its most perilous point. The Thunder Staff had a fixed length, after all. Once the Golden Swords came within a meter, their speed meant Bai Muye had only one possible fate: to be pierced through!
Bai Muye could already see how it would end.
But he didn't give up. In his previous life, he hadn't given up when faced with the torment of illness. Instead, he'd met each day with optimism and determination. After fusing with Luoluobai Muye's memories, he'd gained even more calm and resilience. And when all of that came together—
At that very moment, Bai Muye cast aside every distracting thought. He stopped considering the consequences of failure and even threw away the desire for freedom that had constantly lingered in his mind!
He gathered his entire focus and devoted himself completely to using his Domain and staff technique.
"Faster!"
"Even faster!"
"Suppress them with the Domain!"
"Hold them off..."
After swinging the Thunder Staff countless times and knocking the Golden Swords aside, it felt as if everything had fallen into place. His consciousness went BOOM, and he seemed to touch the very essence of lightning—
Xia's eyes suddenly widened behind her mask!
The power behind Bai Muye's staff suddenly made an incredible leap. He knocked one Golden Sword flying, and the other two were knocked away the instant they made contact with the Thunder Staff!
In the Virtual Universe, a World Lord Rank expert was also watching this life-and-death battle: Samao, the Giant Axe Arena's supervisor. His eyes widened too!
"No way..."
He'd picked the two fighters at random, originally just hoping to draw more attention. He hadn't expected one of them to have already crossed the threshold of the Law, while the other would cross it at the brink of life and death!
He himself had crossed the threshold of the Law long ago and had even gained the acknowledgment of the Origin Law. His strength was formidable; otherwise, he couldn't have served as the Giant Axe Arena's supervisor.
But he'd only crossed the threshold of the Law when he was already at the ninth level of Domain Lord Rank.
"These two..." A trace of regret welled up in his heart. "If they hadn't run into each other, perhaps they could both have earned the title of 'Giant Axe Warrior'..."
Every fighter who earned the title of "Giant Axe Warrior" naturally improved his performance record. But there was one situation that could earn him even more valuable contribution points: a fighter crossing the threshold of the Law during a thousand life-and-death battles.
The more fighters who did so, the better his performance record.
But it was too late for any regrets now.
After crossing the threshold of the Lightning Law and driving back all three Golden Swords, Bai Muye finally succeeded in fusing with the Light Domain. He'd tried countless times before but had never managed to fully integrate it. Now, guided by the Law, he did it in an instant. The pale green Secret Patterns of his Wind-Thunder Domain turned almost transparent.
The power of Bai Muye's Domain surged to an astonishing degree, slowing the three Golden Swords to a speed even lower than that of the nine Golden Swords before.
Bai Muye looked up and met Xia's gaze. Lightning seemed to crackle through the air between them!
Xia rode the Dark Thunder Shuttle backward, while the three Golden Swords abandoned their attack and flew back to her side at tremendous speed.
A thunderclap exploded. Bai Muye's figure seemed to Teleport, combining lightning's explosive force, light's speed, and wind's grace. In an instant, he was right in front of Xia—
His staff came crashing down!
The three Golden Swords rose together to block him, while the blade in Xia's hand flashed.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The three Golden Swords flew in different directions. The blade in Xia's hand was knocked away!
The Thunder Staff thrust forward, transforming into a long spear without a spearhead. It smashed through the protection of Xia's battle suit and pierced into her chest!
His force erupted. Starting from the chest, Xia's curvaceous figure was torn apart by the savage force, exploding piece by piece!
A rain of blood fell from the sky!
Her mask flew off, revealing Xia's face to the hundreds of millions of viewers in the Virtual Universe. Then—
Her delicate features, like fine porcelain smashed by a merciless blow—
shattered apart!
Before you continue