The Final Battle

"The ship will now initiate a cosmic shuttle in three, two, one... Shuttle complete."

The ship's central control intelligence sounded in the Main Control Room.

"Do you see it?" Bastian pointed to a massive celestial body in the distant starfield, a full five hundred thousand kilometers in diameter. "That is Purple Crown Planet, one of the eight administrative planets of the Wild Peak Universe Kingdom..."

Bai Muye looked at the planet with its purple atmosphere, a spark of fervor kindling deep in his eyes. He would fight his final battle to the death on this planet. If he survived, he would regain his freedom.

He was in the Main Control Room because Bastian had arranged it, of course. This was where he would have his final conversation with Bai Muye.

"By tradition, every contestant in a battle to the death fights their final match in the arena on Purple Crown Planet. The winner receives the Giant Axe Warrior medal." A smile tugged at Bastian's plump face. "Luoluobai Muye, after this battle, you will be free."

The feelers on his forehead began to redden. A trace of expectation colored his gaze as he looked at Bai Muye. "I've treated you pretty well over these past hundred years, haven't I? You could say I never treated you as a slave. Now that you're about to gain your freedom, have you made plans for the future?"

In truth, over the past hundred years, Bastian had been using his connections at the Giant Axe Arena to arrange increasingly powerful opponents for him, hoping that a "chosen one" would emerge and kill the man before him. Unfortunately, it had never happened.

"I haven't decided yet." Bai Muye's offhand reply made the feelers on Bastian's forehead turn rapidly red. His breathing quickened. This wasn't the answer he wanted.

Bai Muye knew exactly what answer Bastian wanted. If he were dealing with someone else, he might have said something he didn't mean when his life was in another's hands. But the deep memories in his mind made that impossible.

Even if he had tried, it wouldn't have worked. The Bio-chip in his brain wasn't there for show. It couldn't detect his true thoughts or retaliate, but it could tell whether he was being truthful.

That was why Bastian wasn't afraid he was an "Oscar-winning actor." The Bio-chip's response made it easy to judge Bai Muye's attitude toward him.

Bastian took a deep breath. The crimson in the feelers on his forehead began to fade. He looked up at Bai Muye and said slowly, "If you haven't decided, then don't worry about it. Go get ready to fight!"

Watching Bai Muye walk away, he raised his wrist and made a call.

The arena was immense, over a hundred kilometers long and wide. For someone at Universe Rank, that distance could be crossed in a single stride, but it was more than enough for a fight.

The arena floor was made of D5 Grade material. Even Universe Rank attacks could hardly damage such a high-grade surface. The transparent energy barrier surrounding and covering the arena was D9-class.

This decisive battle was being broadcast live both in the real world and in the Virtual Universe. Countless people were watching online, while the tiered stands around the arena were packed with millions of spectators.

If Bai Muye could make out every face, he would have spotted a man in one corner who looked remarkably like Xia. The man watched him with an indifferent expression.

"Dear viewers, this is the ultimate showdown. Two contestants with 999 victories each will fight to the death today. The last one standing will earn the prestigious Giant Axe Warrior medal."

The host's powerful voice rang through the air.

"Today, the Giant Axe Warrior medal will be presented to the winner in person by Lord Samao of the Giant Axe Arena!"

"Without further ado, please welcome our two contestants: Luoluobai Muye and Ye Yunqing."

The contestants' detailed profiles had been common knowledge for some time, so there was no need to introduce them further.

The two entered through a "door" that opened in the energy barrier, which then closed behind them.

Facing his opponent across the arena, Bai Muye stood as still as a mountain, Thunder Staff in hand.

Ye Yunqing had long, dark green hair and matching green eyes that gave him an uncanny look. He gripped a long weapon resembling a Trident.

"The decisive battle..." The host drew out the words. "Begins!"

Boom!

Both men unleashed their domains at once. Ye Yunqing's Gold Domain was actually at the ninth level; he had clearly been hiding his true strength, since his publicly available profile listed him at the eighth level.

But his Ninefold Domain was quickly suppressed. At first, each domain covered an area fifty kilometers across. Under the pressure of Bai Muye's domain, Ye Yunqing's pale golden domain was soon forced back to an area less than ten kilometers around him.

"Luoluobai Muye has taken the advantage right from the start. Ye Yunqing is clearly a little weaker when it comes to their domains..." The host's commentary rang out from outside the arena.

Samao, seated in the main position, nodded slightly. He had followed Bai Muye's matches for over a hundred years. Even when he didn't have time to watch the live broadcast, he would watch the replay afterward.

He knew Bai Muye's strength very well. Ye Yunqing was powerful too, but in Samao's view, he had no chance unless he made a breakthrough in the middle of the fight.

Rather than hold his ground, Ye Yunqing attacked as his domain came under pressure. He raised his Trident, pushed off with one foot, and shot forward dozens of kilometers in an instant.

Although Bai Muye's Mixed Domain had significantly slowed him down, a hundred kilometers was nothing under the explosive force of someone at Universe Rank. It would take less than half a second.

Bai Muye had no intention of standing in a corner and waiting for him. He took one stride, covering sixty kilometers and cutting Ye Yunqing off in his half of the arena.

"Die!"

A flash of gold lit the Trident in Ye Yunqing's hand as he thrust it at Bai Muye. It moved as fast as Meteor Across the Sky. The air compressed around its prongs, erupting in a violent gust. With a piercing shriek, the gale surged into the energy barrier, making ripples shudder across it.

Bai Muye's eyes narrowed. The Trident's power was clearly abnormal!

He swung his staff diagonally, striking the forward half of the Trident.

Clang!

A thunderous crash rang out. The force behind the strike far exceeded what a Universe Level 7 fighter should have been capable of. Bai Muye's staff shuddered violently, releasing wave after wave of force, yet all he managed was to shift the Trident's angle slightly. It skimmed past his shoulder.

"Force Amplitude of a hundred times? It has to be a hundred times to hit this hard..."

Bai Muye was taken aback. Over the past hundred years, he had integrated the cultivation insights of more than seventy Universe Rank fighters, some with Force Amplitudes of around fifty. He had continued to improve after combining their insights, yet his own Force Amplitude had only just reached sixty-eight times.

That level of Force Amplitude had made him stand out among all his previous opponents. He hadn't expected to face someone with a hundredfold Force Amplitude in this final battle.

One of the requirements for breaking through from World Master to Undying was perfect control over oneself, with a Force Amplitude of one hundred. Clearly, even some World Masters couldn't reach that perfect hundred, let alone those at Universe Rank.

When his strike failed to kill Bai Muye, Ye Yunqing thought, This is bad. He had unleashed his full power from the start, hoping to defeat his opponent in a single blow. His advantage was the perfect Force Amplitude he had never revealed in any of his previous battles to the death.

But this tactic only worked by catching an opponent off guard. He had to land a decisive blow on the first strike. Once Bai Muye was ready for it, it would be useless.

He hadn't expected Bai Muye's Force Amplitude to be so high. If it had been below fifty, Ye Yunqing's force, more than twice as powerful, would have broken through the suppression of Bai Muye's domain and overwhelmed him. Perhaps a single move would have gravely wounded or even killed him.

After knocking the Trident aside, Bai Muye launched into a staff technique. At times his attacks were ferocious and unstoppable, like thunder bursting forth; at others, his movements twisted like a dragon, swift and nimble as a serpent striking.

Ye Yunqing's Trident technique was sweeping and forceful, yet also delicate and agile. With his perfect Force Amplitude bolstering him, he managed to hold his own for the time being.