Only two participants were left in the Number One Summit. One of them was the disciple of the goddess, while the other was a fifth-level death phase samsaran demonic genius. There wasn’t a disciple in the past millennium that had achieved what Yama had. In time, he would no doubt become someone on the level as Li Caiwei or Feng Qingyu.
All everyone was waiting for was Fang Taiqing's announcement, after which Tianming would have to step into the battlefield and face his ultimate foe. The snow had been falling at Taiji Peak Lake for a few months now, and the storm was at its strongest today. The winds howled like wild celestial beasts on the Dimensional Battlefield and the ubiquitous snowflakes seemed like blades in the wind, scattering all over. The amount of snow falling made it seem like the world was going to have a pure white end. Most normal people wouldn't be able to survive in such a cold environment, nor would they survive the howling winds. Many people across the continent felt a chill as they watched the snowscape from the Skyeye Formations, unable to imagine how truly cold it was. It was a primal fear of the unfathomable mother nature. No matter how bloody the battle, the bloodstained battlefield would soon be covered in snow once more.
Before the battle even started, the howling winds had already ratcheted up the tension of the audience. The strongest Nonahall disciple would soon be facing off against the disciple of the goddess. Tianming was currently standing outside the battlefield with his hands behind his back, his hair fluttering in the wind and his black robe whitened from the piling snow. Even his eyelashes had frozen solid.
"Tianming, you have to give this fight all you’ve got. Nobody could've expected Yama to make a breakthrough. Now, he stands atop all disciples on the Flameyellow Continent. Even if you aren't able to get first place, you must make sure to survive. If you live on, you'll definitely eclipse him one day. You're still young, after all," Xuanyuan Yucheng said.
"Is there anything else special about him?" Tianming asked. He had gone to the Heaven Cauldron right after emerging from the Nether Battlefield, so he hadn’t learned anything about Hei An and Yama before this, apart from how strong they apparently were. It was only after fighting Hei An that he learned they were indeed the most powerful disciples of Nonahall.
"Specialties? Well, he's definitely far more special than Hei An, alright."
"Let's hear it then." Tianming turned to look at Fang Taiqing as he spoke. Fang Taiqing met his gaze, as if to ask him if he was prepared. Tianming nodded back.
"It's said that Yama was abandoned by his parents in the Abyssal Battlefield in his youth, yet he somehow miraculously survived. Word is that he was raised by a bunch of bloodthirsty wildbeasts, which is why he has a really strong bloodlust, just like the wildbeasts of the Abyssal Battlefield. He's also a lone wolf, so to speak.
"There's no doubt he's a naturally fiendish creature. At the age of ten, he left the pack to join the Nonahall Ghost Sect and started cultivating from the Beast Vein stage. In a short decade, he reached where he is now. Had he started from Heavenly Will, he’d be even more powerful now, and in the ranks of cultivators who’re in their hundreds.
"I also heard that he was born with a ravager bloodline; he has ravager ki in his blood, which can turn him ruthless and fierce like a wildbeast. He doesn't fear death and knows nothing but slaughter. Someone who’ll fight without fear of death after suffering debilitating wounds is definitely dangerous. He’ll only get stronger when driven into a corner! Most importantly, if Hei An absorbed liferot toxin right before the final phase, Yama has definitely gotten something from his sect as well. You must be prepared for it."
Xuanyuan Yucheng told Tianming everything he knew about Yama out of worry. Everyone now considered Yama to be far stronger than he had been an hour ago. Now, he was a whole league above Hei An. Even the Archaion disciples were feeling a little hopeless about Tianming's victory after seeing Yama easily defeat Bai Rao, who was already stronger than Hei An.
Now, it seemed that the fifth-level death phase samsaran was the strongest of the four final participants. If anyone was to be given the title of number one, it would be him. Though, the rest weren't worried about Tianming not getting first place, for that was far from the worst outcome. He had already surpassed so many expectations to reach where he was. Instead, they were worried that Tianming's meteoric rise would be abruptly reversed to a meteoric fall in his clash with Yama. Given how much they loved and respected him now, losing him would no doubt crush the hopes and dreams of many.
"Please... please don't die."
"As long as you survive, there's hope. You're still young, so you won’t necessarily be weaker than him in the long run."
"All he had was a head start!"
"Li Tianming, you've turned everything around. Losing at this stage is by no means humiliating."
"So long as the forest survives, there’ll be firewood to burn. Don't let yourself be completely uprooted and exterminated."
Lin Xixi, Zhao Tianxing, and many others kept throwing advice Tianming’s way, all concerned for him after seeing Yama fight. However, he didn't have the slightest intention of surrendering. He was fighting with Feiling supporting him, and didn't fear death in the slightest.
Closing his eyes, he waited for Fang Taiqing to announce the start of the battle.
"The final battle of the Number One Summit starts now! From the Archaion Sect, Li Tianming. From the Nonahall Ghost Sect, Yama. Take your positions. The victor shall earn the title of number one and obtain the five ultimate tribulation manna of the Kilostar Domain!"
The announcement shook the entire realm and fervent cheers erupted all throughout the Flameyellow Continent. Those in the Biritual, Quadform, Hexapath, Heptastar, and Nonahall Divine Realms all cried, "Yama, kill him!"
The sheer volume of those cries seeped through every corner of the continent. "Kill him!"
Their rage and determination made it feel like billions of eyes were furiously staring at Tianming at the same time. The gazes endlessly mocked Tianming as they made Yama the vessel of their remaining pride and dignity.
Amidst the fervent curses, Tianming adjusted his clothes and stepped onto the battlefield’s snowy ground, watched by everyone. His clothes and hair fluttered in the harsh winds, painting a picture of a demon waiting in a blizzard. Not only had he chosen to fight, but he’d brought out all of his lifebound beasts from the very start; they surrounded him and took control of the battlefield. He wasn't alone either—Feiling was supporting him from within.
"Everyone’s together now." Not a single piece was missing. Tianming had never been more fearless than he was now.
The blizzard seemed to be a reflection of the nervous palpitation experienced by everyone watching the battle. Strong as it was, Tianming remained firmly rooted where he stood, dominating the battlefield.
As the winds continued furiously howling, Yama emerged, a thin boy who stood only as tall as Tianming's chest. His skin was pale and grey, covering his slender physique. The grey tones of his hair made him out to be the antithesis of all things living. His eyes glowed as crimson as the most fearsome of wildbeasts, though they were filled with no emotion aside from killing intent. He was bestial in the truest sense of the word.
"This is a most special day in my otherwise meaningless life. I shall feast on your flesh and drink your blood to celebrate the brightest moment of my life before an audience made up of everyone on the continent," Yama growled in a hoarse, animalistic voice. He was so cold and ruthless that the blizzard almost seemed to be a manifestation of his mood. His frosty killing intent seemed to seal up the entire area.
"Is that so? It's a shame that I have to go through the trouble of adding your name to my ever-growing list of boring people that I’ve killed." The only thing that was out of the ordinary for Tianming today was Dugu Jin's assassination attempt. But at the end of the day, the Nonahall Divine Realm deserved all the blame for it. Feiling was one of the two most important women in his life, and the recent affront to her safety fueled his murderous wrath.
The moment he set his eyes on Yama, he exuded boundless killing intent as the Grand-Orient Sword appeared in his hand. Each step he took in the snow, his golden eye flashed with a domineering light of authority.
Yama stopped speaking as Tianming sped up. A bloody stench began enveloping—ravager ki. The greyish-crimson ki caused his body to twitch as he began moving more and more like a beast. The ki mingled with his death tribulation force and grew even more explosive. Now he wasn’t fighting with human awareness. He had turned into a beast who saw Tianming as nothing more than prey. He lost himself in the abilities granted to him by his ravager bloodline, becoming the ultimate fiend and cracking a smile when his prey charged toward him of his own accord.
At the same time, the roars from his four lifebound beasts shook the entire arena. His signature lifebound beasts were all also raised by wildbeasts.