The Sun Holy Body Was Defeated, the Little Peng Emperor Fled
Before the gateway to the tenth trial, the entire area had become a battlefield.
The strongest group of holy sons and pureblood beings had arrived, and what a terrifying sight met their eyes. The void had been divided into nine battlefields, where eighteen figures fought fiercely. Every one of them was among the strongest heavenly geniuses of the Nirvana Realm. They were not merely testing each other; they were fighting to the death.
"That's the Double Pupils bearer. This physique is far too extraordinary. Every move he makes is in subtle accord with the rhythm of the Dao, unfathomably profound," a holy son murmured, shaken by the white-robed youth with two pupils in each eye.
"Su He of the Su Lineage, born with spirit roots and spirit bones." A being identified the Double Pupils bearer. He came from the Su Lineage, a secluded imperial clan, and was an imperial son in every sense of the word.
This clan belonged to the Heavenly Court Lineage. Its ancestor had been a follower of the Heavenly Emperor, a peerless fiend known as the Third Emperor Venerable. After the Heavenly Court disappeared, the clan withdrew from the world, and little news of it had been heard.
Yet in this era, it had entered the world to compete for supremacy on behalf of the Heavenly Court.
"The Su Lineage has lain dormant for too long. The Double Pupils bearer isn't its only leader," said a young man in dark robes. One of his eyes was pale white, the other deep black. He revealed that the Su Lineage also had two ancient monstrous talents in this generation, beings who had reigned supreme among those at the same realm. It was unknown whether they had severed their own cultivation realms to enter the World Road.
"Three imperial sons?" Even the pureblood ferocious beast Bi'an was appalled. A single clan actually had three beings who had once fought True Dragons as equals.
The dark-robed man's identity was recognized. Those yin-yang eyes were too conspicuous; only the current representative of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion could cultivate that art.
And the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's representative in the world in this generation was named Xuanyuzi.
"Who is his opponent? His arts and techniques are even more extraordinary." A pureblood being cried out in amazement. They were all peerless monstrous talents, and their eyes were exceedingly sharp. They had noticed something terrifying: his opponent was even more formidable. His body was shrouded in mist, his appearance impossible to make out, and he was actually suppressing the Double Pupils bearer.
Su He's Double Pupils opened and closed. Similar to Fu Yuan's blood and divine spirits, he nurtured his own spirit within his spiritual altar. The strongest beings firmly believed themselves invincible; they had no need to visualize and nurture other spirits. They sought to forge an invincible path of their own.
A nine-colored horn grew from his head, and profound principles of the Dao flowed as he moved. Golden light swirled beneath his feet. This was the Qilin Step. As he attacked, he was like a golden qilin treading across the heavens.
Yet even with such profound footwork, and even after drawing on the power of his own spirit and bloodline, Su He had his moves easily broken by Dugu Baitian, who suppressed him with ordinary methods.
There was no mysterious footwork shrouded in clouds and mist. His moves were grand and open, every stroke laid bare, everything displayed for all to see. Yet they could neither be stopped nor resisted.
What good was seeing through them if they could not be blocked?
The void rumbled. As he reached out with his great hand, he seized a corner of heaven and earth. Su He executed the Qilin Step with all his might, dodging again and again.
His Double Pupils opened and closed to their utmost, easily seeing through Dugu Baitian's arts. Yet only when he faced them did he truly understand how terrifying they were. Even he struggled.
"So this is Dugu Baitian, invincible for nine lifetimes?" Su He did not retreat in the slightest. His will to fight only grew stronger. He knew his opponent was not merely an imperial son at the Nirvana Realm, but Dugu Baitian, who had once fought a Great Emperor to the death. Even if a Great Emperor or an ancient emperor suppressed his realm to face him, it would be no more than this.
Since the Mythic Era, he was the only monster who had fought a Great Emperor to the death without a fully developed physique. If his Chaos Physique reached full development, even the reigning emperor would be suppressed, unable to dominate an era.
As his Double Pupils opened and closed, small worlds sprang into being. Su He's presence grew ever more terrifying as he unleashed the full power of his cultivation at the fourth level of the Nirvana Realm. A qilin struck, treading across the heavens. The two figures clashed ceaselessly, golden light colliding again and again as they battled across a million meters.
"Is that the Sun Holy Body?" A holy son from the Heavenly World forced out the words, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Huo Lingxiao, the Sun Holy Body, staggered. The spirit of the Golden Crow wailed, the nine-colored great sun had faded, the manifestation of the great sun spanning the heavens had already dispersed, and the Spirit Fire Pearl teetered on the verge of falling.
Streaks of golden sword light slashed toward him. Huo Lingxiao retreated again and again, stumbling, unable even to stand steadily. His strength was spent, his Spiritual Qi was nearly exhausted, and even his Nirvana Spirit Body had been broken.
"Huo Lingxiao of the Radiance Hall is going to lose!" the holy sons of the Heavenly World growled, suspecting that they had fallen into some kind of illusion.
"I am the Sun Holy Body! I am Huo Lingxiao, Radiance Son! How could I fall here?" Huo Lingxiao roared. His future should have been to bring his Holy Body to full development, attain the Great Dao, and reign supreme for an era. He should not have suffered such a humiliating defeat.
But his injuries were too severe, and his strength was spent. Less than a tenth of his combat power remained, leaving him unable to fight on.
"This will do. When your Holy Body reaches full development, we'll fight again!" The Sword Qi filling the sky dispersed as Dugu Baitian spoke. His golden robes stirred in the wind, every bit the dashing figure.
"I'll repay today's humiliation sooner or later!"
Huo Lingxiao threw back his head and roared again and again in resentment. His cries became a long howl, and at last he dragged his battered body away.
"The Sun Holy Body was defeated? How is that possible?" More and more heavenly geniuses arrived from the ninth trial. Witnessing the scene, they felt a touch of desolation in their hearts.
What an age this was. How long had the World Road been open? Yet a Holy Body had already been defeated, beaten by an unknown being.
More tragic still, his opponent could clearly have killed him with ease, yet had chosen not to, letting him go.
Some were sorrowful, while others were excited. Several old monsters who had severed their own cultivation realms could scarcely conceal their eagerness as they pursued Huo Lingxiao in the direction he had fled.
That was the Sun Holy Body. If they could seize his body, it would be better than living another lifetime.
"That's the Little Peng Emperor of the Five Emperors' Grotto, a Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird whose bloodline has reverted to its ancestral form."
"Who is his opponent? The Little Peng Emperor is about to be killed!" More and more cries of alarm rang out as everyone looked toward another battlefield.
Two streaks of light fought between heaven and earth. They were too fast, leaving countless afterimages in the air, making it impossible to see clearly.
But the golden Peng blood constantly scattering everywhere and the golden Peng feathers drifting down showed just how fierce the battle was.
"How could there be a monster like this?" The Little Peng Emperor's hair stood on end. He, who was said to possess the greatest speed in the world, unleashed all his power and even awakened his bloodline, yet he could not shake off his opponent. He was suppressed in clash after clash, his spirit body had long since been destroyed, and he did not know how many bones had broken or how much blood he had shed.
Most shameful of all, the feathers all over his body were almost gone. He was about to become a featherless bird.
"If that is all you have, then die here." This avatar of Dugu Baitian spoke in a cold voice. This lineage bore a deep grudge against the Heavenly Court. After his father disappeared, the canopy he had held open contracted, and the Heavenly Court's strongest beings either withdrew from the world or went far away.
The Five Emperors' Grotto had been the first to make its move, attacking the Heavenly Court. Many of the uncles who had watched him grow up had fallen in that battle. A feud as deep as a sea of blood could be no worse than this.
I have even killed a Golden-Winged Great Peng Emperor who had reached perfection in the Saint Emperor Realm, let alone a mere Little Peng Emperor. What did he amount to?
The Little Peng Emperor shuddered. The shadow of death swept over him, and endless darkness enveloped him.
I'll die. I'll really die here!
"Run! Run! Run!" He completely cast aside his bloodline as one of the strongest divine beasts and the dignity of the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird lineage. Burning what remained of his blood Qi for a momentary burst of power, he fled toward the gateway to the tenth trial.