When time ran out, the Number One Battlefield Formation that had enveloped the Skyorigin Battlefield and Nether Battlefield closed and everything suddenly disappeared.
Only two groups of disciples remained. The first consisted of disciples from the four major sects, headed by the Archaion Sect, with about ninety people still alive, and about thirty people in the second group that consisted of Nonahall and Heptastar disciples.
More than four hundred top geniuses had entered the battlefield, but only a hundred and twenty remained. Among them were many who had been crippled, like Jiang Wuxin. The brutality of the battle was obvious.
In fact, this had been the most ruthless Number One Summit ever held. Friends in need were friends indeed.
Tianming and Xuanyuan Yucheng hugged each other. Many disciples had tears in their eyes. They had withstood a most cruel hunt by fighting on the edge of life and death. But in the end, they had won! Not only was it their victory, they had also regained their dignity.
At this moment, the young people were embracing each other, regardless of which sect they originated from. As Xuanyuan Yucheng had said, no matter what the future holds, they would never forget this battle.
"A warrior dies for like-minded friends. Goodbye everyone.”
"I hope we’re still be friends when we meet again.”
"I hope so too!”
Zhao Tianxing, Dongfang Zichong, Lin Xixi, and the others gathered together.
"Li Tianming, we’re counting on you for the final battle! You must win! In my heart, you deserve to be number one.” Zhao Tianxing admired Tianming very much. Patting his shoulder, he condensed a thousand words into those two sentences. Tianming smiled and shook his hand.
All eyes were on him.
"You can't lose and you mustn’t die!”
This was what they believed.
On the other side, the Nonahall disciples had already returned to their elders. Ashen and boiling with rage, they gloomily left.
The elders of the Hexapath Sword Sect, Quadform Oceanic Sect, and Yinyang Demon Sect had already left after cleaning up their juniors’ corpses.
"Everyone.”
The palace lord of Deepstar Hall, Yi Xingyin, was already waiting for them.
"Congratulations. The sect is proud of all of you.”
His voice sounded rather hoarse. Under the leadership of their elders, the four sects bade farewell to each other. They knew their union didn’t necessarily mean that their respective sects were united; the future was beyond their control.
"The final battle will take place in the Heaven Branch Dimensional Battlefield three days from now. The list of the top thirty-two has already been released. When the time comes, you’ll battle from beginning to end. The one with five consecutive wins will be number one!”
As expected, Tianming was first on the list. His score in the Nether Battlefield was more than ten times that of second place. His score was unprecedented; however, all Tianming wanted was a place in the finals.
Tianming, Xuanyuan Yucheng, and Fang Chenjing had all made it onto the list.
"Tianming, we’re mostly counting on you. You’re the only one strong enough to take on the three minor ghoul kings,” said Yi Xingyin.
"Yes!”
"Let's go.”
"Where to?”
"To Soulburn Hall to see Her Eminence. You’ll have a full schedule over the next three days.”
"Alright.”
Yi Xingyin made a special trip to Soulburn Hall with Tianming. Tianming was extremely important to the Archaion Sect but perhaps his current strength wasn’t enough.
At Xuanyuan Lake, they passed the Human Branch Dimensional Battlefield. Tianming saw more than three hundred thousand disciples there; not one of them had left. His name resounded through the battlefield.
"Like a hero, your performance conquered the entire sect. Right now, they think of you as a god!” said Yi Xingyin.
"A god?”
It was no wonder he had acquired Omnisentient Will from them.
"Tianming, Her Eminence hasn’t said anything. But we all know that choosing you to conquer the world was her intention.”
“I’ll make sure to uphold her expectations,” said Tianming.
As he had expected, the better he performed, the more profound Feiling would appear. And for those who suspected she wasn’t a god? The thought must be terrifying to those with such conjectures.
...
The Heaven Divine Hall was where the guests from the other eight divine realms were staying. It was very large, so they weren’t affected by one another. Before the Nether Battle, it had been very lively, but today it was cold and cheerless.
The wind howled and heavy snow covered the grounds. In one of the courtyards, a thick layer of snow had accumulated and the pavilions were covered in white. In the evenings, the snow fell harder. Apart from the howling wind, there was only dead silence in the Heaven Divine Hall.
The Nonahall Ghost Sect occupied the northernmost Nonahall Pavilion. Within a black pavilion, three young disciples knelt on the ground. In front of them stood a man in red robes. Against the dusky sky, the man looked extremely strange, shrouded in red with a bloody peony embroidered on his chest.
Yama, Bai Rao, and Hei An stuck their foreheads to the cold ground, motionless.
"Look up,” said the man.
"Yes, Ghoul King.” The three obediently raised their heads.
"Here are three different treasures. Go back and refine them. They’ll help you grow stronger. It’s such a waste to use such excellent treasures on you, so you should know what you’re supposed to do after using them,” said the man.
"Yes. Kill Li Tianming, take first place, and win the Kilostar Domain,” Hei An solemnly replied.
"If something goes wrong and the sect's plan is ruined, you know what’ll happen to you, don’t you?” asked the man.
"We’ll die and never be reincarnated.” Bai Rao’s voice trembled, sweat dotting her forehead.
"Relax. These treasures have different uses, but they’ll give you a lethality beyond your abilities. And they’re all allowed, according to regulations. If you use them well, you’ll be rewarded.”
The man in the red robe gave each of them a jade box. Coincidentally, the boxes also came in three colors—gray, black and white. Obviously, these treasures had long been prepared for them.
"We thank you and the sect, Ghoul King.” The three carefully put away their treasures, their eyes fiery.
These treasures were items they desired.
"Judging by the strength Tianming showed in dealing with Chu Xiaoqi and the others, you’re all strong enough. However, the Kilostar Domain is of great importance, so it’s better to be on the safe side. According to the rules of the final battle, no matter which of you runs into him, you must win. Do you understand?” asked the man.
"Yes!”
“Here are three spatial rings which are connected to mine. Once you’ve killed him, you must immediately place his sword and tower into your spatial ring.”
The man handed out the items.
Spatial ring in hand, the three looked at one another.
"Ghoul King, are we allowed to openly take his possessions on the Dimensional Battlefield?” Yama asked curiously.
"We’ll deal with that. Just take the sword and tower.” The man in red smiled.
"Yes!”
It was obvious how domineering their sect was, and their confidence grew.
"Yama, Bai Rao, and Hei An, you lost so miserably in the Nether Battle. Despite stripping the sect of dignity and causing a dip in morale, we haven’t held you accountable, but given you treasures and placed our hope in you. This is a chance to atone for your sins. If you fail, your life, your parents’ lives, and your elders’ lives will be finished. Do you understand?” asked the man.
"Yes!” the three responded. Their hearts raged; their path was one of no retreat.
...
At the same time, a man dressed in green sat cross-legged on the grounds of a courtyard within the Hexapath Pavilion, where the Hexapath Sword Sect resided. Hands clasped together, he closed his eyes as strands of sword ki roiled around him, as many as tens of millions. Each of the strands was as fine as a hair.
There was only silence. Suddenly, a shadow descended outside the windows. This shadow was attached to the window paper, as if they had merged together.
"Ying'er, what is it?” Feng Qingyu asked.
"Give me your disciple. He has our sacred blood.” The shadow's voice was female and sounded very cold.
"What sacred blood?” Feng Qingyu kept his eyes closed, as if playing with the sword ki around his body.
"That’s not something you need to know. Just know that it’s Nonahall’s divine artifact,” said Ying Zi.
"He’s crippled and lost his lifebound beast. Are you going to take him back and remove the sacred blood?” asked Feng Qingyu.
"No. The sacred blood chose him and bestowed its inheritance. We can't take it from him. But we can help him tap into the power of the sacred blood and turn him into a peerless powerhouse without a lifebound beast. It won’t take much time at all,” said Ying Zi.
"A peerless powerhouse?”
"Yes, one equal to you,” said Ying Zi.
"A peerless powerhouse, or a puppet, a killing machine?” Feng Qingyu retorted.
"Is there a difference? Anyway, he’ll be better than he is now. What’s the difference between his current situation and being dead?” said Ying Zi.
"But I can't give you a peerless powerhouse for nothing,” asked Feng Qingyu.
"Then get straight to the point. Let’s negotiate the terms.”
“And your words represent the Nonahall Ghost Sect?”
"At the moment, yes.”
"Alright, since you’re sincere about this, then let’s be honest with each other. First of all, there’s no such thing as sacred blood in this world. The drop of blood that fused with my disciple comes from the Nonahall Specter. The Nonahall Specter is very mysterious. However, I happen to have cultivated in the Nonahall Ghost Sect for a period of time, and even visited his tomb. I know about Fiendgodmorphize,” said Feng Qingyu.
"So, you already knew he had the blood of the specter?” Ying Zi seemed surprised.
"Yes, and I know the blood can’t be taken away. I know you speak the truth, and above all, I know you’re capable of unearthing its potential,” asked Feng Qingyu.
"And what about that?”
"You should show some sincerity when negotiating terms. My disciple can help you. If you want to take him away, don't try fooling me with useless promises,” said Feng Qingyu.
"What do you want?” asked Ying Zi.