The Final Battle

The blade flashed brilliantly.

The Gatekeeper of the Ninth Layer of the Heavenly Bridge unleashed his strongest axe strike with all his might.

They clashed. The Gatekeeper was overwhelmed and vanished.

The Ninth Layer of the Heavenly Bridge had been cleared.

All the spectators had known this would happen.

Even so, many couldn't help but marvel. But no one dared shout loudly anymore. Dozens of Immortals were already gathered in the sky, including more than ten Marquis Immortals. But the powerful King Rank experts, who were usually rarely seen, had come in the greatest numbers. More than thirty of them were in attendance.

The people below couldn't hear them. In truth, the King Rank experts were already in an uproar.

Someone said, "My disciple's Law of Space comprehension is more than enough to clear the Ninth Layer alone."

Someone immediately snapped back, "Your disciple? Since when was he your disciple? You big-eared show-off, have you no shame? Huh?"

"Exactly! Big Ears, you want to claim this disciple too? You've taken more disciples than anyone else in the last hundred eras. Step aside." Another King Rank expert joined in.

The big-eared King Rank expert hadn't had a chance to fire back when someone else spoke. "What are you all thinking? Taking him as a disciple? He probably belongs to a Venerable."

"You can't put it that way. Venerables are Venerables, and we're us. It's not as if he can only have one teacher. But you Limit King Rank experts, stay out of this one. A few of us will give it a try. Venerables are too busy. We have much more free time." A powerhouse at the Invincible King Rank had spoken.

The other Invincible King Rank experts all agreed. They had been stuck at the Invincible King Rank for countless ages. Their chances of advancing through secluded cultivation alone were minuscule. If they truly wanted to set aside time to teach a disciple, they could make as much time as they needed.

King Huansha had just received an email from Venerable Meng Yu, telling her to take Li Dui to meet her as soon as possible. Now that she saw this group of King Rank experts setting their sights on Li Dui, she immediately sent another email to report it.

At the end of the Tenth Layer of the Heavenly Bridge.

The Gatekeeper took shape. Perhaps knowing he was no match for Li Dui, he struck first, going all out with the Third Blade from the Giant Axe Chaos Stele.

Mastering this strike was enough to clear the layer.

Li Dui was thrilled to find such a worthy opponent and no longer hurried to pass. He unleashed the Giant Axe Third Blade he had comprehended and battled the Gatekeeper.

There was no shortage of sharp-eyed spectators in the crowd. They could tell that Li Dui's technique matched the Gatekeeper's in power.

And in this fierce battle, Li Dui's combat skills, experience, and timing were actually inferior to the Gatekeeper's. He was constantly being suppressed.

But Li Dui's footwork was simply too... slippery. He kept dodging attacks at unbelievable moments and creating openings for himself.

As Li Dui used his footwork to gain one almost "free" opportunity after another, more and more wounds appeared on the Gatekeeper. At last, he fell, unwilling to accept defeat.

Li Dui had gotten into the rhythm of battle and couldn't wait to fight again. He sped upward.

In the plaza, all the spectators below World Lord held their breath.

Among the Five Great Powers, only a handful of core members below World Lord could clear the Tenth Layer of the Heavenly Bridge. As for those who could clear the Eleventh Layer, they could probably be counted on one hand.

Most of Li Dui's friends had calmed down. They watched the big screen, unable to hide their admiration. This man was creating a miracle and was about to become a legend.

Qianshui held Luliduo's hand tightly. Her eyes were full of pride, while Luliduo was overjoyed. The two of them really did have a good relationship with this guy. His performance made them feel proud to know him.

He had reached the end of the Eleventh Layer.

He chose the warrior. His fighting spirit was at its peak, and Li Dui charged forward with his blade.

His Third Blade was far too powerful, clearly exceeding the strength of this layer. The Eleventh Layer's Gatekeeper struggled to hold him off, but after a few moves, the blade light tore him apart.

Li Dui's fighting spirit burned even brighter. Though he could only use the level of Law of Space comprehension required for the Ninth Layer of the Heavenly Bridge, his true Law Comprehension was at the eighteenth layer.

At that moment, all kinds of insights welled up in Li Dui, who had remained connected to the Ring the whole time.

He had fought quite a few battles in Xueluo World. But his opponents had been too weak to put any real pressure on him. They were nothing like the last two opponents, whose oppressive presence had been on an entirely different level.

He reached the end of the Twelfth Layer at the fastest speed he could manage.

He chose the warrior.

Gripping the hilt tightly, he charged the instant the Gatekeeper took shape and assumed a fighting stance.

Battling a Gatekeeper on the Heavenly Bridge was supposed to be a process of testing and learning. At the start, Gatekeepers usually faced opponents who had just reached that layer. So under normal circumstances, they would begin by using only the most basic power available at that level. Then they would gradually increase the intensity until the challenger was defeated or managed to defeat them.

But Li Dui was no ordinary challenger. Starting from the Fifth Layer, he had cleared seven layers in a row to reach the Twelfth.

Thus, the Twelfth Layer's Gatekeeper unleashed nearly his full power from the very start. His battleaxe whirled in his hands, every move carrying the power to tear through space.

Li Dui fought desperately to hold him off, exhilaration filling his heart. This was what a real battle felt like. Everything before had been child's play.

The two fought fiercely at the bridgehead. Their figures crossed, blades flashed, and axe strikes swept across the battlefield.

After dozens of exchanges, the Gatekeeper suddenly said with a smile, "Young man, you're exceptional. It's been countless years since I last faced a Universe Rank opponent on this layer. But today is not the day you'll defeat me. Fall! I look forward to seeing you again."

As he spoke, he began to unleash his full power in earnest.

Even the Universe Rank spectators below could see that Li Dui was at a disadvantage on this layer. It looked as though he wouldn't be able to clear it.

Li Dui's friends and many unrelated spectators alike felt deeply disappointed. After all, clearing this layer would make him the benchmark for the entire Human Race's prodigies.

Li Dui himself knew that he wouldn't clear this layer if he kept fighting this way. He would have to reveal more of his strength.

But there was no need for that.

He displayed his talent to gain certain benefits: a higher status, greater authority, more freedom and independence, and so on. He had shown enough. Revealing more would only bring trouble, and might even affect some of his important plans.

Losing was acceptable, but that didn't mean he would give up easily. Li Dui roared and swung his blade with all his might, fighting the Gatekeeper head-on.

Dozens more exchanges passed.

His technique was less powerful than his opponent's, leaving him at a disadvantage in both offense and defense. If he hadn't managed to dodge the lethal attacks by the narrowest of margins time and again, the Gatekeeper would have cut him down long ago.

Even so, Li Dui had sustained wounds in several places. The Gatekeeper's footwork was no joke either. As time passed, his repeated assaults and relentless suppression left Li Dui with more and more injuries.

There was no helping it. At this level of combat, the body of a ninth-level Universe Rank expert was simply too fragile. A direct hit was fatal, and even a glancing blow that landed with a little too much force would be enough to kill him.

To last through the next hundred moves, Li Dui paid a terrible price. A huge gash stretched across his waist, nearly splitting him in two. His left arm was gone, and half of his left shoulder had been sliced off. The rest of his body was covered in wounds, leaving him looking like a tattered sack. Blood sprayed from him as he moved.

The discerning spectators were deeply shaken. It wasn't the injuries themselves that mattered. The key was that even now, Li Dui's attacks and evasive footwork showed no clear decline. He was almost as capable as he had been uninjured. He had only fallen into this state because he simply couldn't win.

That showed how strong his will was as well.

How had such a monster come out of the Battle Axe Secret Realm? His talent for Law Comprehension, combining laws, cultivating techniques, and sheer willpower were all exceptional. Did he have no weaknesses at all?