A World Worth Protecting

As the duo shouted, they fully unleashed their forces. A blood sea containing nine large carps that were swimming vigorously in it appeared behind Dugu Lin. Every time they leaped out of the water surface, waves of the blood sea rose and crashed.

This illusion also brought with it a genuine smell of blood that spread in all directions. This resulted in the peak beneath Dugu Lin’s feet being stained blood red!

Wang Baole was impressive as well. Large amounts of lightning appeared and spread in all directions, forming a Lightning Domain that covered a large area. The heaven and earth were discolored as the lightning and thunder arrived in waves, covering the entire mountain peak from his body!

Looking at it from a distance, the mountain peaks beneath the feet of the two of them were a Blood Peak and a Lightning Peak respectively. They were equally matched and shook the heavens and earth!

This scene gripped all the spectators who were watching the events unfold. At the same time, in the area surrounding the twin peaks, numerous trial-takers had arrived. They didn’t dare to go near, watching from thousands of feet away. It was as if the physical bodies of a cultivator were different from that of ordinary people. As such, as their gaze was focused with their cultivation, they could see everything on the battlegrounds clearly.

However, it was also this that caused them to be deeply shaken, feeling extremely pressured. Their breathing grew chaotic as Wang Baole and Dugu Lin unleashed their forces, and as the Blood Peak and Lightning Peak stood!

“The battle is about to begin!”

“This is a battle between the peaks, the battle of the top person below the Nascent Soul realm in the Dao Palace!”

“Whoever emerges victorious will be the undeniable top person below the Nascent Soul realm!”

Numerous disciples, both inside and outside the trial grounds, were focusing their attention on what was happening. That was especially so for the disciples who had bet on Dugu Lin’s victory, and they were extremely nervous.

That was the case for the Federation disciples as well. With everyone’s attention on the twin peaks, Wang Baole suddenly laughed. His laughter grew louder, and in the end, he raised his right hand and waved it hard!

He wasn’t making an attack. Instead, he was throwing all the keys he had into the valley between them. Those keys shimmered brightly, and as they landed in the valley, they were like twinkling stars!

That scene surprised all the spectators instantly. They had never thought that Wang Baole would throw out the keys, but after thinking about it, they realized that it was a logical move!

The rules of this trial had already been changed. In other words, be it Wang Baole or Dugu Lin, they could simply disregard the rules, as they each had their own rules!

That was… Only one person shall remain!

However, even so, not everyone could throw out the keys without concern like Wang Baole. Such a simple action caused a powerful force to accumulate on Wang Baole. That was an act of no return, an act of leaving no way out!

The surrounding spectators all held their breaths, and this was especially so for the disciples outside. At this moment, even though Wang Baole was a Federation cultivator, he had already gained the respect of many people everywhere!

“Such boldness… I have belittled Wang Baole in the past!”

“If I have a chance, I want to be friends with Wang Baole, regardless of whether he wins or loses!”

As the perceptions towards Wang Baole changed in the minds of numerous cultivators, Dugu Lin also felt respect towards what Wang Baole had done!

Dugu Lin also laughed heartily and raised his right hand, waving it. He threw all the keys that he had obtained into the valley as if they were trash, and he didn’t did not even bother looking at them as he did so. A single key was left behind, and as he pointed at it with his right hand, the remaining key flew out and landed on the rocks between the two peaks as it shone brightly!

The winner would take the key!

As the key was thrown out, the force from Dugu Lin’s body also intensified, shaking the sky. The disciples around them who had lost their keys were completely shocked by what Wang Baole and Dugu Lin had just done, and they held their breaths. Regardless of whether they admitted it, they felt that they were insignificant compared to the both of them.

“The both of them are the true elites!” someone mumbled, and this comment gained the agreement of others around them.

They could feel the mightiness of the both of them and could understand the purpose of why they did what they did.

This battle would end with the next round of teleportation. Before the teleportation began, the winner and loser must be determined. If not, everyone, including the both of them, would be eliminated, and everyone would fail!

No one dared to pick up the keys from the valley between them either, as it was meaningless. Rules may be rules, but with the sect watching everything, if someone really made use of the opportunity to reach the top three, that person would have a hard life in the future!

After all, all the cultivators in this trial met each other often in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. Not many would take the risk, and that was especially so for those who remained, as they were all smart.

Therefore, even though some of them were filled with regret, they controlled their greed and tidied up their thoughts!

The winner of this trial was to be determined between Wang Baole and Dugu Lin. The winner between them would be the only one eligible to pick up the shimmering key laying on the rock, and as that person held the key and watched as the others were being teleported away by the teleportation array formation, he would become number one in the trial!

“Wang Baole, don’t disappoint me!” The moment he threw out the keys, Dugu Lin bellowed as the desire for combat was unleashed in his eyes. He stepped into the air instantly as he charged towards Wang Baole. He raised his hand and grabbed, and instantly, the nine carps in the blood sea behind him all screeched and leaped out of the water surface!

In mid-air, in the blood sea, the nine carps were transformed into nine black dragons that coiled around Dugu Lin’s right arm, boosting his punch with the force of nine dragons!

Similar to when he was battling Xu Ming and Lu Yun, he charged towards Wang Baole!

Until now, in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, he had never met someone who could force him to unleash the second spell. All his opponents fell and lost against his nine dragon punch.

He had once thought that Zhou Chudao was the only one that could make him unleash the second spell. However, right now, this anticipation had turned towards Wang Baole. To a certain extent, Dugu Lin no longer cared about the Hyacinthus Tree leaf, he only cared about having a hearty battle and using the victory from this battle to accumulate his power!

With that thought, the desire to battle, and the determination to win, Dugu Lin’s force was unleashed as the blood sea behind him churned. He leaped into mid-air and punched at Wang Baole!

That punch made the heavens and earth vibrate, and it even produced a black hole. It produced a force that shook the firmament. The nine dragons screeched, and a force of unity was contained within everything!

Like an indestructible pike, it pierced straight forward!

“As you wish!” Wang Baole’s desire to fight was evident in his eyes. All the lightning in his Lightning Domain danced and was unleashed. His voice carried a level of power that was unlike before. It was decisive, and as it reverberated, Wang Baole stepped out!

Using his right hand for support, the force from his hip accumulated in his right hand the moment he neared. His cultivation was completely unleashed. His Lightning Core, Dark Core, and Heart Core all activated, forming a collective force that integrated with his consciousness, causing his power to intensify as he similarly punched his fist!

Supernova!

The resonance boosted him two-fold!

With that punch, the heavens and earth were shaken, the wind was disrupted, and the clouds and sky were being torn apart. A black hole-like existence was being forced apart, making him appear like a steady, indestructible pike. His fist was the sharp tip that pierced forcefully towards Dugu Lin!

The distance between the two of them on the peaks was a mere thousand feet. As they charged out, it looked like two extremely sharp pikes that were never before seen had made contact with each other!

The heavens and earth shook, and tremors filled the surroundings!

This was the contact between the Blood Sea and the Lightning Domain!

This was the collision between the Blood Peak and the Lightning Mountain!

This was… The ultimate battle to become the first amongst the Dao Palace disciples!