Imperial Scions Are Merely Worthy of Meeting Me!
The heaven-burning flames, the crying Golden Crows, and the vision of a great sun spanning the sky were unquestionably signs of a battle between imperial scions.
"Sun Holy Body, Huo Lingxiao!" Su He's eyes flickered as he recognized one of them: the successor of Radiance Hall, an ancient holy land of the Heavenly World. His physique was extraordinary. Though he had yet to make a move, many thought highly of him, believing he would be a leading figure in the struggles of this era.
Even the elders of Su He's clan paid Huo Lingxiao great attention, considering him a fearsome opponent who could contend with the undefeated Double Pupils wielder.
"What majestic sword intent, what immense Sword Qi." After watching for only a few breaths, Su He was stunned. "An imperial sword unrivaled beneath the heavens!"
The Spirit Fire Pearl's raging flames and three great suns erupted with a boom, striking in every direction. The ultimate art of slaughter was unleashed, covering an entire stretch of heaven and earth in fire as the raging flames swept up to burn the sky.
The man in golden robes stood above the void, utterly calm. He merely moved forward, and his imperial sword intent moved with him, effortlessly dissolving Huo Lingxiao's assault into nothing. Magnificent, boundless Sword Qi howled as countless golden sword lights flashed.
What sword intent that was! It far surpassed this realm, surpassed life and death. Even the heaven-burning suns seemed small before it.
One sword to cover the starry river, one sword to shatter the great sun-that was what it meant.
"Jian Wushuang of the Sword Emperor Hall?" Su He stood ready for battle. He was the current successor of the Sword World's foremost lineage. When he was born, his visions shook the heavens, the swords across an entire star region trembled, and their cries rang out without pause for three days.
Even the holy weapons of the sword path had rejoiced, as though welcoming the descent of an emperor among swords. The Wushuang Sword, the supreme imperial weapon of the Sword Emperor Hall and the sword of the Sword Emperor, the human race's foremost champion in the Imperial Dao Era, had awakened of its own accord and appeared after tearing through the void.
The newborn had not cried. He had looked at the Wushuang Sword and giggled. The ancient ancestor of the Sword Emperor Hall had awakened and was overjoyed: this was the successor chosen by the imperial weapon, destined to inherit the Sword Emperor's mantle.
One of the clan's grand elders was a friend bound by life and death to the old pavilion master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. During a conversation, the old pavilion master had mentioned the peerless heavenly prodigies of the current age.
Jian Wushuang of the Sword Emperor Hall, Ao Jue of the Dragon Clan, and Ji Changsheng of the Ji Clan were, in his words, the three with the potential to become Great Emperors and the strongest bloodlines and foundations of the age.
Whether it was the Sun Holy Body, the Lunar Holy Body, the Zhoutian Star Physique, or the Double Pupils, the old pavilion master had said they all fell short by three parts.
"No, that isn't Jian Wushuang." His Double Pupils opened and closed, and Su He's expression grew increasingly grave. The man in golden robes clearly revealed no imposing presence, yet he was like an emperor and sovereign standing above all things and all Daos.
"Chaos Physique!" He saw that physique clearly. It was the Chaos Physique, unparalleled through the ages. Even his Double Pupils, said to see through everything, strained slightly when faced with the man in golden robes.
"His Qi and blood are too terrifying, his bloodline too extraordinary." Su He's expression was solemn as he recalled a terrifying existence the grand elder had mentioned, who also possessed the Chaos Physique.
"In this most glorious era, ancient monstrous geniuses and supreme freaks will emerge one after another. The bloodlines of Great Emperors and ancient emperors will be terrifying."
The old pavilion master had revealed much that would shock even Saints. Several monsters who had stood above all others across many eras had already awakened. There was even a being who had been invincible for nine lifetimes, suppressing Holy Bodies and Divine Bodies, with countless imperial scions defeated at his hands.
So-called invincible imperial scions were merely qualified to meet him.
The Heavenly Emperor's own son, the Chaos Physique, Dugu Baitian!
"So it's him!" Even Su He's voice trembled. Dugu Baitian's fame surged through ancient history. On the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's list of peerless heavenly prodigies who had not become emperors, he ranked first, without dispute!
"Kill!" Huo Lingxiao roared, his body transforming into countless flames. This was the Nirvana Spirit Body, unique to beings of the Nirvana Realm and difficult to extinguish.
That was why Profound Opening cultivators found it hard to defeat those in Nirvana. The life essence of beings at that realm rose greatly; even holy sons struggled to defeat ordinary Nirvana cultivators. Only an imperial scion could cross that heavenly chasm.
Huo Lingxiao unleashed one method after another. Any other imperial scion would have been overwhelmed, driven to fight desperately. But his opponent was Dugu Baitian; before him, Holy Bodies and Divine Bodies were like paper.
No matter how many methods you had, he needed only to thrust out one sword.
Wherever his Sword Qi went, nothing remained unbroken.
"Double Pupils, an interesting physique!" Dugu Baitian waved his right hand, and Sword Qi filled the sky, howling as it suppressed Huo Lingxiao. It easily suppressed the great suns, slashed apart his body again and again, and wore away his life essence again and again.
The gateway between heaven and earth on the tenth floor rippled once more, and two figures stepped out.
The youth in blue robes was handsome and graceful. Three thousand points of light flickered across his body, and three thousand stars revolved around him as though he were the center of a starry river. He was the Zhou Clan's imperial scion of the current age, the Zhoutian Star Physique, Zhou Jingyun.
Golden light shone as a golden Peng bird spread its wings, covering a thousand miles in an instant. It was a pure-blooded being famed for its unmatched speed, a Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird.
Everyone who could reach the tenth stage at this time was among the strongest heavenly prodigies of the age.
"A battle between imperial scions!" The two newly arrived imperial scions were horrified. Huo Lingxiao was already fighting in earnest, leaving them shaken.
"A Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird. That lineage is formidable." As Dugu Baitian battled Huo Lingxiao, his thoughts drifted into the past. In the immemorial era, he had fought a Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird at full maturity, one who had reached the Saint Emperor Realm.
That battle had put him under considerable pressure. In the end, Saint King Dugu, at the seventh level of the Saint Realm, had crossed realms to slay the Golden Peng Emperor, shocking that age.
Breaking the limits of the Saint Realm, one became a Saint Emperor at the tenth level. How vast was the gap between those three minor realms? Yet he had crossed it, and not merely to win, but to kill his opponent. What a feat that was!
"A Zhoutian Star Physique, though-I've never fought one." For the first time since the battle began, fighting spirit surged in Dugu Baitian. The next moment, his body became four, and three Dugu Baitians appeared.
A clone surging with powerful Qi and blood strode forward, heading straight for the Zhoutian Star Physique.
Another clone was wreathed in profound Dao principles, Chaos Qi surging around him, transcendent and unworldly, as he flew toward Su He, the Double Pupils wielder.
A third clone manifested a supreme art, transforming into a Kunpeng to meet the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird.
It was not simply one against four. He had divided himself into four selves, each following a different Dao, to face his opponents.
For one man to fight four imperial scions-what madness!
Yet because he was Dugu Baitian, it all made sense.
The battle at the tenth stage raged fiercely, the greatest battle between heavenly prodigies of the age. At the ninth stage, Fu Yuan was still cultivating the Emperor Sword Art.
Imperial Dao sword light and domineering sword intent clashed in the void. In only a single day, the domineering sword intent had gone from holding complete sway to being evenly matched.
[Ding! The sign-in location has refreshed. Host, please proceed to the Heaven-Ascending Tower (World Road, tenth stage) to sign in!]
As Fu Yuan climbed Sword Heart Mountain, he stopped several times to comprehend sword intent and the sword path.
When Fu Yuan descended the mountain, all manner of sword intents bowed before him, and all the Sword Qi on the mountain made way for him. He was like an emperor among swords.
When he reached the foot of the mountain, there was still no sign of Nangong Mengzhu. Fu Yuan was not disappointed and continued onward.
His heart burned. The true clash was finally approaching.
He would go and see what the heavenly prodigies of this world and the methods of its imperial scions were like, and whether they could let this young master enjoy himself.