The Four Great Lineages' Martial Competition (Five)
In the central arena of the Myriad Worlds Graveyard, four Void Emanation Realm envoys slowly retreated into the high void, plunging the entire world into a brief silence.
The gazes of countless cultivators were all fixed on that gigantic battle platform spanning tens of thousands of miles.
This arena was forged from the molten remains of countless shattered worlds deep within the Myriad Worlds Graveyard. Beneath the arena, layers of world fragments float in the air. The shattered ancient continent slowly swirls, the dried-up and desolate ancient ocean floats in the void, and the dilapidated and mottled ancient temple rises and falls in the endless darkness.
The main body of the battle platform is an ancient continent formed from the essence extracted and condensed from the depths of the Primordial Grave.
At the four corners of the ancient continent stand four towering stone pillars that reach straight to the sky. The pillars are engraved with dense marks, which are the Dao marks left by the Four Great Lineage Grand Competition throughout the ages.
Endless ages have passed, and this place has witnessed geniuses ascend to the pinnacle, shining brightly through the ages, as well as countless powerful figures falling in blood and returning to nothingness. In this silence, above the central battle platform, ripples spread out in layers of the void, and a massive sphere of light, tens of thousands of feet in size, slowly condensed and took shape.
The sphere was semi-transparent, containing nothing but twenty ancient, radiant runes that swam back and forth. Each rune bore the name and Fate Soul essence of a participant.
Chi Junxuan, Chi Yufeng, Chi Yi'an, Chi Mulin, Qin Yu... Shangguan Anyu, Lu Qi'an, Hua Yiyun, Ju Gongchen...
The twenty names transformed into Daoist runes of Fate Soul essence, slowly rotating within the sphere of light. Each tremor and rotation of the sphere of light stirred the hearts of millions of spectators on the outside.
"The draw has begun!" "The first round of the competition that everyone has been waiting for is finally about to be revealed!" "What kind of outcome will this draw produce?" "Twenty Eternal Silence Realm Initial Stage prodigies are vying for supremacy; any one of their battles would be enough to shake the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain!"
In the outer airspace, countless cultivators conversed in hushed tones, their sounds overlapping like a tidal wave, sweeping across all directions with a thunderous roar.
The giant sphere of light began to spin rapidly. As the sphere rotated, the void of the entire Myriad Worlds Graveyard rippled slightly. Twenty runes were drawn together by an invisible force of the Heavenly Dao, constantly intersecting, separating, and recombining.
Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed on the celestial sphere, not daring to look away for even a moment. After a short while, the first pair of battle runes froze, and two names suddenly lit up: Chi Junxuan (Chi Lineage) versus Ju Gongchen (Ju Lineage). The crowd immediately erupted in discussion.
"The first match is between the Chi Lineage and the Ju Lineage!" "The two families have always been on good terms, who could have predicted that they would meet in the first round? Although they seem to be on good terms, they belong to different clans on the arena, this battle will definitely not be easy."
The celestial sphere of light swirled ceaselessly, ancient Fate Soul runes intertwined and rose and fell, and the second duel naturally manifested. Chi Yufeng of the Chi Lineage's Daoist name glowed faintly, its runes facing off against Hua Jingmeng of the Hua Lineage from afar, and in the darkness, the battle's structure was already locked in. A duel of gentle foundations and restrained killing intent, the fateful clash between the two prodigies quietly took shape.
The runes spun again, and the third match began. Chi Yi'an, the resolute prodigy of the Chi Lineage, faced off against Shangguan Haoqian, a Shangguan Lineage known for his ruthless and decisive nature. On one side was a steadfast and indomitable foundation of Dao, and on the other was Ultimate pure and unparalleled offensive power of the sword. This duel was destined to be a head-on clash of Ultimate.
Following closely behind, the fourth group of battles came to a close. Chi Mulin, the Wenwan and talented prodigy of the Chi Lineage, faced off against Ju Ruoli, the direct descendant of the Ju Lineage. Both women were outstanding among their peers, with solid foundations and rarely suffered defeats. This peak duel between female prodigies captivated countless hearts and minds.
The moment the fifth set of Dao patterns lit up, the clamor of the entire Myriad Worlds Graveyard suddenly froze. The discussions that had been rising and falling just moments before vanished instantly, and countless gazes were fixed on the celestial sphere. The entire place was silent.
Two runes shone brightly, facing each other in mid-air. One was the name of Qin Yu, an outsider to the Chi Lineage, and the other belonged to Shangguan Jiayan, a core prodigy of the Shangguan Lineage.
After a brief silence, the entire spectator area erupted in chaos, with suppressed chatter sweeping across the area, more fervent than ever before.
"It's him! Qin Yu is facing someone from the Shangguan Lineage in the first round!" "A tough battle right from the start, there's no room for luck!" "This is really going to be a big show!"
Countless cultivators gazed with burning anticipation. Recently, Qin Yu's name had spread throughout the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain, with the legend of him defeating a peak expert with only the Eternal Silence Initial Stage Supreme a great stir, the truth of which was hard to discern. Everyone wanted to witness with their own eyes whether this extraordinary outsider was merely a figurehead or truly possessed the heaven-defying combat power to defeat his peers and shake up the power structure of major clans.
The celestial orb never stopped, the runes rapidly reorganized and rotated, and the remaining five battle formations manifested one after another in the heavens.
Ju Mohan, a cold-blooded genius of the Ju Lineage, possesses a chilling Daoist aura hidden within him. This time, he encounters Hua Luoyuan, a highly aggressive and berserk genius of the Hua Lineage. One is cold and the other is fierce; one is defensive and the other is offensive. Their Dao principles are incompatible, and their battle is bound to be Ultimate brutal.
Ju Zhenyue is calm and Wenwan, with a steadfast Dao heart, yet she faces off against Hua Xizhi, a cold and beautiful prodigy from the Hua Lineage who cultivates the ruthless Dao. Ruthlessness versus tranquility, the flawless Dao versus a steady foundation—this battle is fraught with danger and unpredictable, and the outcome is uncertain.
Ju Miaoting, the last prodigy of the Ju Lineage, faces off against Shangguan Mobai Jingdao sect from the Shangguan Lineage. Still waters conceal killing intent, and extreme silence breeds might; beneath the gentlest exterior often lies the most deadly weapon.
Hua Yiyun, the peerless female prodigy of the Hua Lineage, possesses unparalleled mastery of the art of flower arrangement among her peers. This time, she will face off against Shangguan Anyu, the core direct descendant of the Shangguan Lineage family. The head-on clash between the top direct descendants of two great clans represents the Ultimate foundation of the new generation of both families, making it a truly formidable contest.
The final matchup ignited the entire stadium! Hua Lineage's foreign aid Jiang Hanning faced off against Shangguan Lineage's foreign aid Lu Qi'an.
These two powerful beings from beyond the realm, unbound by the direct lineage of their respective clans, possess extremely pure combat strength. Their fateful clash in the first round is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated showdowns of this round.
With this, all ten first-round matches have concluded, and the overall structure of the Heavenly Dao is locked in place, with no further changes expected.
Outside the Myriad Worlds Graveyard, trillions of cultivators were in a frenzy, their voices echoing through the void. Some were watching Qin Yu, the biggest dark horse, closely waiting for him to reveal his true strength; others were focusing on the clash of the foundations of the various direct descendants' geniuses, trying to gauge the depth of the foundations accumulated by the four races over ten thousand years; and many more held their breath, anticipating the ultimate battle between the two external aids, eager to witness the unparalleled prowess of the extraterrestrial powerhouses.
Everyone knew that this Four Great Lineage Grand Competition was never just a simple contest between the rising stars. Behind the battles on the arena lay a contest of the accumulated strength of the four Ancient Clan over countless eras.
As the murmurs of discussion spread through the void, Nangong Xingyun, high above, slowly raised his hand, his movements calm and composed, without unleashing any violent power. Yet, in an instant, all the commotion within the Myriad Worlds Graveyard vanished.
The unique Source Dao of the Void Emanation Realm slowly unfolded, Emptiness and formless in its manifestation. All clamor, distracting thoughts, and distinctions of existence and non-existence vanished into silence under this immense power.
Nangong Xingyun's gaze slowly swept over the twenty participating cultivators below, and his calm Dao voice traversed tens of thousands of miles of void, resounding throughout the entire Primordial Grave.
"This grand competition aims to allow the rising stars of all races to exchange skills and techniques." "Fighting should be limited to a point; intentionally killing an opponent or destroying their Fate Soul essence is strictly prohibited."
"This grand gathering aims to witness your profound understanding of your own Fate Soul, the Great Dao, your origin, and even the logic and rules of heaven and earth." At this point, his gaze sharpened slightly, and his tone gained a chilling authority. "Anyone who dares to transgress these rules— Annihilation."
As those two words fell, the world seemed to freeze. Hundreds of millions of cultivators trembled, and no one doubted them. With four powerful Void Emanation Realm personally presiding, the fate of anyone who dared to break the rules was already sealed.
Nangong Xingyun immediately turned around, his gaze falling on the central battle stage. "First round, first match." "Chi Junxuan, Chi Lineage." "A duel." "Ju Gongchen, Ju Lineage." "Please both sides step onto the stage!"
Boom!!! The moment the words fell, a deafening cheer erupted from the outer perimeter of the Myriad Worlds Graveyard. Countless cultivators rose to their feet, all eyes focused on the central Eternal Battle Platform.
Within the Chi Lineage's battle zone, Chi Junxuan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and walked on air, with ancient Chi Lineage Source Dao patterns slowly emerging behind him. His expression was solemn and dignified, showing no sign of underestimating his opponent. He was well aware that standing on the arena at this moment represented not only himself, but the entire Chi Lineage.
On the other side, in the Ju Lineage camp, Ju Gongchen slowly stepped out of the ranks, his face calm, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit, and the essence of his Fate Soul slowly flowing within him, ready to unleash his power.
Two figures, one on the left and one on the right, steadily moved towards the central battle stage. At this moment, the first match of the Four Great Lineage Grand Competition officially began.