Chapter 1103: Warm Up
The atmosphere of this gentlemanly duel suddenly became more dignified after seeing the coffins. Many people felt slightly apprehensive yet excited.
"What a pity for these two brilliant geniuses. They would shine in any generation and establish some earth-shattering accomplishments." Many people felt sad for the two.
In fact, before the fight even began, everyone knew that even though the two were strong and their combined power could beat anyone in the younger generation, this was not the case against Li Qiye.
They saw Li Qiye slaughtering God-Monarchs like pigs. No matter how strong these two might be, they wouldn't be stronger than God-Monarchs, especially without imperial weapons.
Regardless of whether this was going to be a fight to the death or not, Heavenly Emperor Lin was still carefree and at ease while Zhan Shi was as calm as a mountain. The thought of death did not affect their dao hearts.
In this aspect, both of them were worthy of admiration. It wouldn't be easy to find geniuses like them who would still choose to fight to the death despite knowing they were no match for Li Qiye.
The world was silent, even the spirited spectators who were waiting for the fight didn’t speak. Lin and Zhan Shi didn't say anything either. They stood there quietly, waiting for Li Qiye.
Moments passed by. Eventually, Li Qiye came in the sky with the girls right behind him.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing on the Skyraising Mountain. He noticed the two and their coffins and had to say: "It seems that you have made your resolve for this battle."
Heavenly Emperor Lin slowly spoke: "I know that Brother Li does not go easy, so survivors are quite rare. Brother Zhan and I also know that we aren't as strong as you, so instead of having to trouble you, we brought our own coffins."
Both Zhan Shi and Lin were indifferent to both life and death as well as the outcome of this battle. In their eyes, all that mattered was the supreme battle about to unfold, a battle in which they could exert their greatest efforts.
"Very well." Li Qiye nodded: "Geniuses are common, but true heroes are rare. On the long path for the dao, it is a great joy in life to be able to meet and fight against heroes."
Lin responded: "It is our honor to go all out against Brother Li. This battle will leave us no regrets in life."
The battle between the three great geniuses of the contemporary was about to begin. No one wanted to miss this.
Li Qiye looked at Zhan Shi and Lin and asked: "If so, do you two have anything else to say?"
"If Brother Li doesn't mind, we will try one or two moves by ourselves first before joining forces against you." Zhan Shi spoke with a powerful voice.
Li Qiye smiled and said: "I understand, you two want to test yourselves first. Okay, we can consider this a warm-up before the battle then."
"Zheng—" Li Qiye took off his imperial armor and dispersed his momentum: "No external forces or dao. Today, I will fight you with my own true power!"
With that, he slowly floated into the sky.
"Boom!" One palace jumped out after another, resulting in thirteen palaces lining up.
The extremely majestic force of the palaces engulfed the world, instantly causing Li Qiye to become supreme. At this moment, even without the imperial momentum, Li Qiye could still loom above the nine heavens.
This was not everyone's first time seeing his thirteen palaces, but they were shocked all the same. A feeling of awe would rise within while looking at the great constructs hanging in the sky.
Since the start of time, no one had ever had thirteen palaces, but Li Qiye had done so. This achievement alone was more than enough to engrave his name in the annals of history!
However, it did not end there. Next, nine stars rushed into the sky and illuminated its recesses. They turned into a boundless starry sky and poured down their light like waterfalls to protect Li Qiye.
"Nine stars…" Many were astounded to see the sky formed by the nine stars.
However, it didn't end there as another phenomenon appeared with a buzz. A supreme grand dao rushed upward. It resembled a crescent moon that hovered around Li Qiye. It appeared to be perfect without a single flaw.
"Dao Slashing Sovereign…" A God-Monarch gasped and shouted after seeing the chopped crescent moon.
"Damn! Nine mysterious stars and dao slashing on top of thirteen palaces — how are we going to live in the face of such achievements!" A descendant of a sacred ground took a big hit and fell flat on his butt. He murmured while dazed: "Geniuses are only dogshit compared to Fiercest!"
Other geniuses were out of breath after seeing this. Many were praised as geniuses, and this was a reason for pride while making them complacent at the same time.
But today, if other people called them geniuses, they would think of it as humiliating mockery. Compared to Li Qiye, they were not geniuses, they were only the feces left behind by stray dogs.
The marvelous nine stars and dao slashing were things many geniuses dreamed about, but very few could achieve them. But now, Li Qiye had all of this on top of the unique thirteen palaces.
"A perfect grand dao. How many people in history have achieved such a state?" A God-Monarch commented with emotions.
Li Qiye hovered in the sky and looked at Zhan Shi and Lin: "Who will go first?"
The two glanced at each other real quick. Shortly afterward, Lin took a deep breath and rose to the sky: "I will!"
"Good, I want to see your speed." Li Qiye smirked while looking at Lin.
Others couldn't see through his background, but Li Qiye did. Such a matter couldn't elude his eyes.
"Excuse me then." He cupped his fists then instantly crossed through space. His speed was too fast, only God-Monarchs would be able to keep up. As he moved through the sky, countless afterimages were left behind and lingered there for a while.
"Bang!" In an instant, he struck Li Qiye's chest with his knee and sent him flying.
In this split second, he used his supreme speed once more to catch up to Li Qiye.
"Bang!" A powerful punch landed on Li Qiye, causing him to fly straight down.
"Boom!" Li Qiye's body descended like a meteor from above. He heavily slammed into the ground, causing rocky debris to go flying while leaving a pit in the ground.
People took deep breaths after seeing this. Lin's speed and power were both impeccable. It could even be said that few in the younger generation could match him in these two aspects.
Nevertheless, Lin didn't look particularly happy while hovering in the sky.
"Clatter—" Li Qiye came out from the gravel and rushed into the air again.
"Decent speed and sufficient power." He nodded his head. This insipid action was still a great praise to Heavenly Emperor Lin.
At this time, the crowd stared at Li Qiye and, to their astonishment, noticed that he was completely unharmed!
He didn't fight back at all and didn't defend himself with any merit laws. He used his flesh to withstand two attacks from Lin and ended up unscathed!
Even God-Monarchs were moved. With their bodies alone against Lin's powerful attacks, they couldn't expect to receive no damage like this.
How could people not be astounded in the face of a heaven-defying existence like Li Qiye?
A discerning person murmured: "The mysticisms of thirteen palaces, the protection of the nine stars in the heavens, and the force of dao slashing — with just these things alone, Li Qiye does not need any defensive laws to withstand a fatal blow."
Lin couldn't help but sigh gently after seeing this. He quietly retreated back to the Skyraising Mountain.
At this time, Zhan Shi took a deep breath and rose to stand in front of Li Qiye. He was not a man of many words, but while looking at Li Qiye's palaces, he still commented: "We cannot achieve in a lifetime what you have already accomplished."
"The dao heart is the most essential aspect. With one as fortified as a rock, one will have everything, and this applies perfectly to you. Your dao heart is more precious than anything else. Countless people would be envious of your indomitable heart."
"Thank you for your praise." Zhan Shi slightly bowed.
Many people could see that although this was a battle of life and death, these geniuses had the same aspirations and appreciated the other's talents.
Chapter 1104: Mighty Spear
Zhan Shi took a calming breath with a battle spear in his hand. He pointed at Li Qiye and slowly spoke: "Brother Li, please give me pointers." 1
Li Qiye looked at his spear and smiled. He reached out and asked: "Does anyone have a spear? Let me borrow one for a bit."
"Young Noble Li, this lowly one has a spear, but it is just a vulgar piece of trash, please don't laugh." An expert immediately let Li Qiye borrow his spear.
Even though this expert called his spear a common weapon, this was an extremely humble way to put it. His spear was actually quite extraordinary. Even though it was not as strong as Zhan Shi's, it was still a treasure.
Li Qiye accepted the spear. With a buzz, his majestic and tyrannical blood energy poured into the spear. In an instant, the spear seemed to have gained its own spirit and emitted a zestful light.
Even a piece of scrap metal would become a ferocious weapon under Li Qiye's majestic energy.
"Go." He became quite domineering with the spear in his hand and resembled an overlord.
Zhan Shi prepared himself and shouted out loud. Like a true dragon roaring in the sea, his spear slightly moved. Just this little shift caused the stars to move and reversed the heaven and earth.
His technique was not overly embellished with sophisticated and beautiful variations. It was a straight stab, yet the world screamed when it came forth.
The most direct and ordinary move had absolute power. Overbearing, destructive, and powerful — this was Zhan Shi's grand dao. With just the spear in his hand, he was ready to fight continuous battles.
This spear represented his courageous will, one that would never falter.
"Good." Li Qiye voiced his praise in the face of this technique and responded with the same type of thrust. It was also ordinary without any transformations or techniques. This was the simplest and most natural of grand dao that didn't rely on an overly complicated style. It didn't carry an earth-shattering presence or a startling momentum. Nevertheless, such simplicity encompassed the power of myriad dao within.
"Clang!" The two spears collided with the sparks flying from the collision like the eruption of a volcano. A sound wave assaulted the world like a tidal wave.
"Thump, thump, thump!" Zhan Shi's destructive thrust was not actually stopped by Li Qiye's simple strike. However, he suffered a backlash vibration that caused him to stagger several steps back and shattered the space beneath his feet!
Zhan Shi stabilized himself and took a deep breath. He had a powerful foundation from previous battles. In a direct confrontation, he had never been afraid of anyone, but today, not only did he fail to move Li Qiye, he was shaken by the first exchange instead.
"Try mine now!" Li Qiye raised the spear all the way behind him and slammed it straight down. At this moment, his spear looked just like a whip that lashed straight out. No matter how fast one might be or where they fled, they wouldn't be able to evade this blow.
Zhan Shi made up his mind and let out a battle scream before swinging his spear horizontally with both hands to resist Li Qiye's strike head-on.
"Clang!" His spear was a supreme treasure, but under the impact of Li Qiye's attack, it bent and couldn't stop the strike.
"Boom!" Although Zhan Shi still managed to stop this attack, his entire body was sent flying like a falling star straight into the ground, creating a pit.
"Boom!" Small debris shot out chaotically. Zhan Shi climbed out of the pit with a very embarrassed expression. Without a doubt, he was not a match for Li Qiye in spearmanship.
Zhan Shi stared at Li Qiye with an indescribable hint of sadness: "I thought my dao was firm with no one able to shake it, but after seeing Brother Li's dao today, I finally realize that I am but a frog at the bottom of a well."
Li Qiye smiled and gently shook his head: "From the ones I have seen in the current younger generation, none of them can compare to you in persistence."
Zhan Shi sighed softly. Even though his dao might be firmer than others, he still had a long way to go compared to Li Qiye.
The spectators were quiet at this moment. Lin's speed and power as well as Zhan Shi's determination were top notch, but they were still quite far off from Li Qiye.
Li Qiye gave the spear back to the other person. He stood in the sky and glanced at the two: "You two can come together now."
Lin and Zhan Shi looked at each other and took deep breaths. Both of them floated into the sky and stood opposite of Li Qiye with solemn expressions.
This was what the crowd was waiting for, the real fight. They were waiting for a miracle from Lin and Zhan Shi, a supreme move. These spectators didn't want to see Immortal Emperor techniques from their forefathers or destructive imperial weapons either.
All they hoped to see was a real fight between the dao that belonged to the three.
In fact, the fighters had the same idea. This fight had nothing to do with grievances or feuds. This was the purest of fights between cultivators, so they would use their own dao for this contest.
Lin and Zhan Shi were extremely unperturbed at this moment; it was like the calm before the storm.
Li Qiye, on the other hand, stood in the sky with a smile on his face while looking at the two.
"Don't worry about life and death in this battle." Lin told Li Qiye: "It is our honor to fight you, so there will be no regrets if we perish. We didn't waste our time coming to this world by having you as an opponent."
Li Qiye gently nodded: "Even though I'm a brute, I am excited to have opponents like you two."
"Brother Li, no need to hold back." Zhan Shi cupped his fists: "All I want is to see your supreme grand dao."
"Very well, you will have the opportunity to see it." Li Qiye slowly responded.
The expressions of those in the crowd darkened after hearing this. A fight between geniuses was an exciting event. The most blood-boiling climax would be the moment someone was defeated or even killed. However, the people here were sad. Some couldn't even bear to watch.
Everyone understood that without imperial weapons and other means, Lin and Zhan Shi were doomed to fail. Despite knowing so, the two still wanted to fight to the very end with wanton regard for death. They coveted a true fight that used their real power!
A bystander murmured: "Both Zhan Shi and Lin are great examples of good cultivators. It is an honor to know people like them."
"The dreary wind blows while the river freezes. The hero fords, never to return!” Someone mournfully recited this poem. 2
Li Qiye told the two: "Are you two ready? If so, then make your move."
The two combatants looked at each other, then Zhan Shi spoke: "Brother Lin, even though our time together was brief, to have had a friend like you and to be able to fight together is my greatest honor!"
"Brother Zhan, I feel the same. It is my fortune to have known you!" Lin let out an unrestrained shout and laughed.
At this time, their heroism soared to the clouds. Their open-mindedness was infecting a lot of people.
"The dreary wind blows while the river freezes. The hero fords, never to return!” Someone loudly shouted in order to send the two off!
"The dreary wind blows while the river freezes. The hero fords, never to return!” Others quickly echoed the sentiment to bid farewell.
Everyone understood that from the moment the fight starts, their wish would be granted and they would certainly die!
"Rumble!" At this time, Lin's and Zhan Shi's blood energies erupted. The world was covered by their power. Each of their steps caused the earth to tremble. These were their most powerful states, capable of shaking the world.
Heavenly Emperor Lin explained: "Brother Li, Brother Zhan and I meditated and created a new heavenly dao that specializes in a combination attack. We gave it the name Divine Ascension War Emperor! Please give us pointers!"
"Divine Ascension War Emperor Dao, good name." Li Qiye praised: "I'm waiting for your supreme heavenly dao!"
This dao contained the names of both Lin and Zhan Shi. 3
"Divine Ascension War Emperor Dao!" Some people murmured and tried to memorize the name of this grand dao.
Perhaps this grand dao was the beautiful but short-lived night-blooming cactus that only blossoms once. After today's battle, the world might not be able to see this supreme heavenly dao again.
In an instant, many people watched with bated breaths without daring to blink. They wanted to see the level of this heavenly dao the two created.
Across the millions of years, many people had created heavenly dao before. However, a combination attack dao was quite rare!
This phrase, 请赐教, is harder to translate. It is a very common phrase in Wuxia; it is a polite phrase to say before combat. Zhan Shi isn't being overly respectful here with this sentence, even though it sounds like it. People will say this to each other before fighting. ↩ This is a poem/song for Jing Ke, an assassin who tried to kill the Qin Emperor despite knowing how hopeless it was. The popular movie, Hero, is loosely based on this story. It is an extremely well-known tale. ↩ Zhan = War, the Di in Lin Tiandi = Emperor. Divine Ascension Zhan Di Dao. ↩Chapter 1105: Divine Ascension War Emperor Dao
"Start!" Lin and Zhan Shi began at the same time. At this moment, Lin began to circle around Zhan Shi while increasing his speed. In the blink of an eye, Lin disappeared completely.
Li Qiye was their enemy, so logically, Lin should be spinning around Li Qiye, but he was spinning around Zhan Shi instead.
"Buzz!" In an instant, Zhan Shi's position was full of light. Strands of heavenly dao laws emerged and turned into a supreme grand dao in the form of a huge domain.
"Rumble!" As this supreme dao began to spread, a door seemed to be opening above the firmament. With great explosions, a dao power like the primordial flood poured down.
It instantly blotted out the world. It was extremely new and bountiful, as if no one had ever used it before. This was the most primal source of the dao.
With it permeating the surroundings, the majority of the spectators here felt their own dao resonating with it. In fact, their dao were happily dancing as they gave their power to Zhan Shi.
It was not the forceful process of stripping someone else's dao power for one's own. This process of borrowing was a mutual resonance. The dao from other people here were willing to help this brand new dao.
"A completely new high heavens dao that belongs to these two." Amidst the rumbling explosions, the crowd felt their own dao resonating with Zhan Shi's dao and became quite surprised.
When a genius creates their own heavenly dao, they will have embarked on the path towards the high heavens. This was a road that led to the acceptance of the Heaven's Will, the throne of the Immortal Emperor.
"Buzz!" Zhan Shi's domain instantly expanded. This dark field engulfed the entire sky, including Li Qiye.
One could only see darkness inside. Even Lin disappeared and only Zhan Shi stood in the center of the domain.
Zhan Shi was immersed in his supreme grand dao. He was sacred and mighty as if he was the tyrant and ultimate existence in this domain.
This was the two's grand dao, allowing them to be the masters within this domain. No matter how powerful one might be, they would have a hard time escaping this domain.
"A terrific heavenly dao." Li Qiye smiled while standing in the dark domain and commented with feelings.
At the center, Zhan Shi held his battle spear once more and pointed it at Li Qiye: "Brother Li, please give a few pointers."
"Good." Li Qiye did not act reserved. He shouted: "Taste my fist!"
Having said that, he jumped into the sky and unleashed a punch.
Myriad Dao Fists, Hell Suppressing Godly Fist. This punch carried the might of immeasurable mountains and headed straight for Zhan Shi. Under this attack, the space of this dark domain greatly trembled as if it was about to cave in.
The power of this fist could destroy all things and suppress gods and devils.
"Clang!" Zhan Shi shouted and thrusted his dragon-like spear through the sky again. The spear screamed with a powerful annihilative power.
However, the spear was not the only thing attacking. Along with the force of this spear, the sound of a fist roaring through the wind emerged as well all of a sudden. The combination of the spear and fist could suppress all things. The spear seemed to be much heavier and capable of collapsing the heavens.
"Boom!" Li Qiye's punch and Zhan Shi's spear finally met directly.
This time, Li Qiye was the one who staggered backward because Zhan Shi's spear also carried the heaven-suppressing power of Li Qiye's own Myriad Dao Fist.
In a sense, Li Qiye was repelled by his own fist.
"Clang!" Zhan Shi didn't stop there. His momentum continued on with another swing of the spear. This attack still contained the Hell Suppressing Godly Fist just like before.
"Open!" Li Qiye shouted against this fierce momentum and unleashed another fist with endless power. It could flip over all things in its wrath.
"Boom!" The power of this fist was too great. Space immediately shattered into little pieces and the dark domain of Zhan Shi sunk as well.
Sky Destroyer Fist, the most destructive punch in the world.
"Pop!" The fist met the spear once more, causing fiery sparks to fly all the way into the firmament and the stars to explode.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!" However, in the second direct confrontation, Li Qiye was still the one who was repelled. He thought that Zhan Shi's spear would contain the power of the Hell Suppressing Fist again.
However, at the moment of impact, the power of the Sky Destroyer Fist was added on top of everything.
Without a doubt, Zhan Shi and Lin's grand dao was absorbing Li Qiye's power. This direct exchange pushed Li Qiye back quite far.
"Brother Li, try this!" Zhan Shi cried out and chopped down with his spear that contained his own power and the two previous fists; one destructive and one suppressive.
In an instant, Li Qiye's speed was faster than lightning. One punch crossed through the void, bypassing Zhan Shi's spear and heading straight for Zhan Shi's chest.
Soaring Immortal Fist — this attack reached the limit of speed. Even if Zhan Shi was faster, he wouldn't be faster than Li Qiye.
However, in this split second, the unthinkable happened. Zhan Shi's spear frantically accelerated and actually managed to stop this attack. Moreover, this defensive maneuver contained all the characteristics and powers from the Hell Suppressing, Sky Destroyer, and Soaring Immortal Fists.
"Boom!" Even though it was just a horizontal sweeping motion from Zhan Shi's spear to stop Li Qiye's attack, it instantly blew Li Qiye away due to all the different powers encompassed within.
To the dismay of the spectators, Li Qiye actually spat out a mouthful of blood from the blow. Everyone thought that this was impossible, but it actually happened.
They assumed that even if Zhan Shi and Lin fought together, they still wouldn't be a match for Li Qiye. But now, the two had drawn blood and shocked the crowd.
Someone murmured: "How can this be? Fiercest can actually be injured?"
Recently, Li Qiye's showing had been heaven-defying to an invincible level. Everyone thought that no one could match him, so his injury today was astonishing.
"Not bad." Li Qiye wiped away the blood at the corners of his mouth and smiled inside the dark domain: "Divine Ascension Dao is just like its name. So Lin acts as the dao foundation while you act as the dao weapon. Your heavenly dao accumulates all the enemy's attacks and in the blink of an eye turns them into your own. In order to have such a great effect, Lin's speed must be the basis while your firm dao serves as the activator."
Zhan Shi admiringly stated: "Brother Li's knowledge is amazing, truly a marvelous thing. You're actually spot on."
"Very well, I want to see what level the two of you have reached." Li Qiye smiled and flew to the sky. He formed a heavenly seal that instantly came crashing down. The sun and moon were annihilated while the dark domain was shaking from this suppression. This seal aimed to destroy Zhan Shi's heavenly dao.
"Activate!" Zhan Shi shouted again and directly attacked with his spear once more.
The result was clear. Li Qiye was still at a disadvantage in this exchange. The Divine Ascension Dao stacked up all of Li Qiye's attacks again, making it the same as Li Qiye facing himself and all of his prior attacks as well.
"Bang!" Li Qiye was blown away once more as he vomited more blood.
"Clang." The sound of the spear resounded across the sky. Zhan Shi carefully walked towards Li Qiye and unleashed an incomparable onslaught. Each of his moves was watertight; no one could shake his momentum at all.
Anyone who met such a firm opponent would find it quite difficult. Zhan Shi's offense and defense were without fault. This type of opponent would give one an extremely annoying headache.
Li Qiye's attack was the culmination of the grand dao. Each technique was profound and mysterious. Even the most simple gesture contained the mysticisms of the grand dao. However, despite his destructive power, he was still only a punching bag under the Divine Ascension Dao and was continuously forced to retreat.
Moreover, as Lin and Zhan Shi's Divine Ascension Dao stacked up even more attacks from Li Qiye, the two became increasingly powerful.