Chapter 777: 777
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The eyes of everyone at the grandstands fell onto Xu Que as soon as he finished .
Xu Que challenged Zhou Yan of the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty .
Zhou You had defeated Phoenix of the Barren State in the previous battle . Xu Que had, of course, set his sights at the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty because of that battle .
However, Zhou Yan was not weak . Or rather, he could have been said to be very powerful . It was anyone's guess if Xu Que, who specialized in killing powers and the Rules of Darkness, was capable of beating Zhou Yan .
At the same time, Zhou Yan's eyes fell onto Xu Que as well . He walked, and his robe with golden phoenix designs on it billowed, making him look incredibly dashing .
The Barren State had seven ranked among the top hundred while there were only four from the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty . The two previous battles were fought between the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty and the Barren State . They were already at a disadvantage in terms of numbers at the moment, so it was not an option for Zhou Yan to lose to someone from the Barren State .
The Sky Saint looked at the sacred king on the grandstands at the Eastern State's corner . He smiled and said, "Who do you think will win this battle, Sacred King?"
The sacred king glanced the two at the forum stage with a cold expression, exuding the might of a ruler, then said calmly, "Zhou Yan, of course . "
"Is that so?" The Sky Saint smiled and added, "You're indeed confident, Sacred King . " While there were none of the Sky Saint's students participating in the event, he remained interested nonetheless .
Zhou You was the most powerful of the students from the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty participating in the Nine State Forum . He had challenged Phoenix of the Barren State right from the first battle . However, Zhou You had definitely not anticipated that the Barren State was so forceful, challenging someone from the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty in the very next battle . As such, it felt as if the previous battles had become a showdown between the students of the two major forces: the Barren State and the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty .
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It would have been fine if the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty was able to win . If they were to lose, however, it would have reflected badly on the sacred king .
Zhou You naturally had formidable powers, but then again, Xu Que was not the most powerful one from the Barren State . Yu Sheng still had not fought yet . If the showdown were to continue, it was anyone's guess how it would end up .
The Sky Saint smiled at the thought, becoming rather intrigued by the battles between the younger generations, which seemed to be getting rather amusing .
The sacred king was not the only one interested in the upcoming battle; every great figure sitting at the grandstands was just as interested, looking forward to seeing those two fight .
First the Zhisheng Cliffs and now the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty . The students of the Barren State sure are tough .
"Xu Que, of the Holy Zhi Palace . " A lazy voice was heard . Xu Que stood around nonchalantly, seeming to pose no threat to anyone . However, his previous battle had left a deep impression on those who saw it . As one capable of lurking in the shadow, disposing of his targets in silence, he might not have been the strongest, but when it came to a life and death battle, he would definitely was among the deadliest .
"Zhou Yan . " A cold yet forceful voice was heard from the man himself . Golden phoenix shadows appeared brilliantly just like with Zhou You . He was basking in the light of golden flames . As a descendant of the royalty of the sacred dynasty, his awakened blood of the golden phoenix and his natural talents made him a terrifying figure .
The golden flames swept through their surroundings . The aura bursting from Zhou Yan's body seemed capable of burning everything down . A cry of the phoenix was heard, and a shadow of the golden phoenix launched at Xu Que at blinding speed, as if to drown Xu Que right there and then with its golden flames .
Voom… An extremely ferocious aura descended in an instant and took up a corner . The phoenix came down with intimidating force . However, a grey afterimage was seen, and Xu Que's body disappeared right from where he stood .
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The eyes of the spectators followed where the afterimage went . Streaks of grey currents filled the forum stage . Xu Que's silhouette seemed to have been extended, making it seem like he was everywhere . Grey auras flowed within that space, coiling around Zhou Yan . That place gradually turned dark, as if the entire place would meld into the shadows .
"Power of Rules of Darkness . " Everyone's eyes were fixed on the battlefield, trying to discern what was happening . While the Rules of Light and Darkness had no inherent offensive capacities, they nonetheless remained one of the most terrifying rules to be found . It was especially so for those capable of manipulating such rules perfectly, enabling them to bring the power of said rules to the extreme .
At the moment, Xu Que seemed to have immersed himself within that dark space . There was not a tinge of his aura to be found . Many sage level figures who were not of very high training were not even able to tell where he had hidden .
Zhou Yan was caught in the darkness . He continued to bask in boundless golden light . The phoenix's shadow grew increasingly large, shining light in that place, attempting to penetrate the darkness . However, the dazzling bright light of the phoenix was devoured right as it touched the darkness . The light dissipated into the darkness .
The light of golden flames did not originate from the power of rules, and as such, it was only natural that it was incapable of penetrating the Rules of Darkness .
The cry of the phoenix grew even louder, and with a violent flap of its golden fiery wings, Zhou Yan gradually took to the air . Beams of golden light seemed to burst from his body, shooting at the dark space around him . The expression of the spectators changed as they saw the beams penetrate into the darkness . The attack had apparently seeped into the dark space, attempting to kill Xu Que, who was lurking within .
Voom . A huge dark current lashed out at Zhou Yan like a dark shadow, exuding terrifying killing aura . Zhou Yan turned around and the wings of his phoenix vibrated and flapped forward . Wisps of golden fire feathers imbued with immense devastating power burst forth, penetrating the dark current heading for him . The dark current exploded . Slivers of killing aura extended from within, but Xu Que was nowhere to be found .
At the same time, in the surrounding dark spaces, an intense sense of danger emanated and slivers of killing aura wandered in the darkness, coalescing into a killing storm .
Zhou Yan took a look at the space around him that grew increasingly dark . He frowned as the dark currently seemed intent on drowning him . If he was further caught in the darkness, his defeat would be inevitable .
The brilliant wings flapped harder and faster . A hurricane whipped up, and golden lightning burst . A golden phoenix appeared on the battlefield and headed straight for the darkness . Terrifying golden flames burned the darkness, intending to burst out of it . Zhou Yan's eyes seemed to have failed him at the very moment he burst into the darkness . There was nothing but pitch black darkness before him, and not even his spiritual will was able to pierce through it . Being able to only sense his immediate surroundings, his only choice was to go forward .
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An intense sense of danger loomed as thousands of killing aura descended upon him . The phoenix's wings flapped . Intense golden light burst from it, clashing with the incoming killing aura .
Yet, at that very moment, the hairs on Zhou Yan's body all stood up, and he felt a bone-chilling cold . It was an intuition like no other . An incredibly cold sword fell above him in the dark . Zhou Yan seemed to have been clad in phoenix armor, yet the sword was still able to burst with the most powerful killing intent without making a sound . All the killing aura within the darkness seemed to coalesce into a single sword, which burst through the armor and shattered it .
Zhou Yan felt himself freezing to the bone as he sensed the killing aura seeping into his body .
"I yield . " Zhou Yan's reaction was incredibly fast, and he was able to yell in time . Regardless, if Xu Que dared continue his course, Zhou Yan dared not make the gamble .
The dark current dissipated right as soon Zhou Yan's voice was heard . He fell from the sky and dropped to the ground in an unceremonious manner . He was clouded in a layer of dark aura, losing all the brilliance about him from before .
"Cough . . . " Zhou Yan spat up black blood with a slight cough . He lifted his head and stared at the silhouette that just made it to the ground .
Xu Que returned to looking lazy and nonchalant, making it appear as if he did not care about what just happened .
"While Zhou Yan is powerful, but he was completely overwhelmed in this battle . He was unable to bring his powers to bear at all . " Many who watched the battle were trembling . So this is the Rules of Darkness, and it seems that Xu Que has developed matured use of it .
The Sky Saint smiled as he glanced at the sacred king at the grandstands . At the moment, the sacred king was staring at the battlefield as well . His eyes were on Xu Que .
A descendant of the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty's royalty was defeated in that battle . Worse still, it was a crushing defeat .
While Zhou You had indeed been able to overwhelm Phoenix, he had been injured by her nonetheless . On the other hand, Zhou Yan was unable to even touch Xu Que .
Furthermore, Zhou You had been the most powerful of the ones from the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty participating in the event . When compared in this wat, the sacred dynasty looked rather awkward .
Xu Que returned to his corner at the Barren State after the elder announced the outcome . He lifted his head and took a look at Phoenix, who was near Ye Futian at the grandstands . He smirked, looking rather pleased with himself . Phoenix looked at him and smiled while covering her mouth .
"Show off," Ye Futian chuckled and said . Regardless, Xu Que had been able to avenge Phoenix in that battle .
"Continue . " The elder's voice was heard, and another figure was seen walking out . Many looked on with amused expression . The one who walked out was also from the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty .
His eyes were still on the remaining six from the Barren State .
"This . . . " Many looked at the scene puzzled . Both sides already seemed to be at each other's throats while the battle for the top hundred just began . None seemed to yield to each other in terms of show of force . But then again, it was very normal . The Nine State Forum had always been a battlefield fought between sacred grounds . It was inevitable to have sacred grounds go tit-for-tat with each other . All from sacred grounds were proud people, after all .
"I challenge Hua Jieyu of the Barren State . " A voice was heard . This time, the one from the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty challenged the wife of the Palace Lord of the Holy Zhi Palace of the Barren State .
Hua Jieyu walked out calmly . The other five glanced at her would-be opponent coldly . Their eyes were a clear indication that the battle was still being fought between the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty and the Barren State . Furthermore, if Yu Sheng were to battle in the next round, the Sacred Dynasty's defeat was almost inevitable .
As such, it was imperative for the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty to win that battle . It would have been three losses out of four battles for them, completely overwhelmed by the Barren State . Worse still, if the outcome were to be such, there would be only one from the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty left in the top 50—Zhou You . On the other hand, there would be at least three from the Barren State remaining in the top 50 .