Chapter 247 - 145: The Finals Begin, a Duel of the Strong

This tournament format,

might not be fair.

At this final stage, every participant was a prodigy among prodigies.

Every one of them possessed incredible strength; even some of the Sect’s Steward Elders might not be their match.

And in this final stage,

when two powerhouses clash,

unless there was an enormous gap in strength,

creating a one-sided stomp,

otherwise, in a battle between titans,

even the eventual victor could not possibly emerge completely unscathed.

This wear and tear would become apparent in continuous combat, where even the slightest bit could affect the final outcome.

A format like this

was perhaps not fair,

but in the Cultivation Realm, who was going to talk to you about absolute fairness?

The truly powerful who could tread upon a mountain of bones to reach the peak—

which one of them didn’t possess Heaven-Reaching strength? Which one wasn’t a person blessed by immense fortune?

...

Soon,

the Elder on the high platform in charge of organizing the event had prepared the schedule for the upcoming matches.

"Group One’s Xuanyuan Hong versus Group Five’s Xin Wuhen."

"Group Two’s Lin Tianyi versus Group Ten’s Xiahou Yuan."

...

"Group Four’s Shen Kai versus Group Nine’s Gu Yun!"

RUMBLE!

Five massive arenas suddenly rose from below, levitating in the center of the Vast Square.

At the same time, they were inscribed with extremely profound Array Inscriptions, sufficient to withstand attacks from the Tongxuan Realm!

Clearly, the Sect had put a great deal of effort into this.

Gu Yun’s figure flickered.

He transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot across the sky.

Like a thunderbolt falling from the nine heavens, he landed abruptly on one of the huge arenas.

For a moment, he kicked up a gale that sent his robes fluttering.

Just as Gu Yun took the stage,

BANG!

A massive shadow, like a falling star, smashed down from high above onto the opposite side.

The hard surface of the arena fractured into a spiderweb of cracks, and the entire ground shook violently. The subsequent shockwave blasted away the rising dust, revealing a young man in a Fiery Red Battle Robe. His face was resolute, his presence domineering, and his aura was terrifying to the extreme.

"I never thought my opponent in these final matches would be you." Shen Kai took a few steps forward and then stood his ground.

His eyes, scorching like the sun, stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar prodigy across from him.

A hint of surprise appeared on his face, followed by a sigh of admiration.

’He’s familiar because his reputation is truly immense. Within the Sect, if not a household name, his fame is certainly deafening. They call him the strongest monster among the new generation of disciples.’

’He’s unfamiliar because this is the first time I’ve ever actually met him.’

"Hello."

Gu Yun said, his expression as calm as still water.

At the same time,

beyond the vast arena, a huge cheer rose from all around like a tsunami, wave after wave, seemingly without end.

The roars of countless spectators rose and fell. Across the Vast Square, which spanned for miles and held nearly a million Cultivators, the sound wave shot into the sky. Its frenzied energy felt as if it could be perceived from thousands of miles away.

At this moment, on the immensely vast arena that measured dozens of miles across, the two figures were like two tiny ants, looking as if they could be swept away by the monstrous wave of sound at any moment.

Yet, they were also like reefs that had withstood the erosion of ages, standing unmoving against wind and rain, unshakable between heaven and earth.

"Hahaha!

I, Shen Kai, am very pleased to have this battle with you.

I hope you won’t disappoint me!"

Standing on one side of the arena, his robes fluttering in the wind, Shen Kai grinned and laughed heartily.

"Don’t worry.

You’ll get more than you can handle.

I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"

A corner of Gu Yun’s mouth curled up. His words and actions overflowed with confidence, and a flash of lightning crossed his eyes, like a bolt striking through a dark world, shining with unprecedented brilliance.

"I hope so."

Hearing this, Shen Kai said no more.

Time slowly passed.

After the Deacon Referee confirmed everything was in order, he shouted,

"Match, begin!"

The moment his voice fell,

BOOM!!

Shen Kai erupted with an incredibly vast and heavy might. In an instant, an endless torrent of blood-qi burst forth like a volcanic eruption. A terrifying, scarlet momentum shot into the sky, its seemingly tangible power nearly blasting through the clouds high above. From a distance, it looked as if he had pierced through heaven and earth.

The entire sky was shattered by that incomparably tyrannical aura. Huge swathes of the void shattered like a mirror, and a terrifying bloody light instantly filled half the sky.

The display of power was utterly terrifying!

At the same time,

swept up by the terrifying pressure of his aura, which seemed to penetrate the Array’s defenses, the spectators in all directions suddenly felt a crushing weight, as if they were shouldering nine great mountains. Some with lower Cultivation were nearly gravely injured by the sheer momentum.

’This power...’

Gu Yun’s pupils shrank slightly.

’Is this the strength of a Half-Step Tongxuan Realm expert, one of the top ten of the Inner Sect, ranked seventh on the Profound Celestial List?’

’It’s truly terrifying!!’

The next instant,

Shen Kai took a fierce step forward. Under the terrifying force, the stone slabs of the arena beneath his feet instantly shattered, and a spiderweb of cracks spread outward.

His figure then shot forward like a bolt of blood-red lightning, tearing through layers of space. He clenched his hand into a fist, gathering a terrifying and domineering flame that burned through space as he blasted it toward Gu Yun!!

’Hmph!’

It was as if he were being battered by a fierce gale.

Gu Yun’s robes flapped wildly, his long hair danced, and the calm, watery look in his eyes had long since vanished.

In its place was a look of unprecedented gravity.

His opponent’s fist smashed through the void, seemingly carrying the tyrannical power to shatter nine great mountains.

Like a comet falling from outer space, it smashed down toward him.

’An attack of this level...’

’If I’m not careful for even a moment, I’m afraid I’ll be forced to leave the stage in defeat.’

But Gu Yun just laughed heartily.

"Bring it on!!"

A bolt of lightning flashed through Gu Yun’s eyes.

As he raised his hand, he gathered ten thousand bolts of lightning.

The roar of thunder shook heaven and earth in an instant.

Dancing serpents of lightning tore through space, emitting a terrifying aura.

The next moment,

he clenched his five fingers into a fist. With the force of a thousand thunderbolts, he tore through space and instantly smashed it into the approaching, comet-like Flame Fist.

BANG!!

Fist met fist.

The two incomparably tyrannical fists collided in the void.

Instantly, it was like a halo containing endless, majestic light contracted, expanded, and then exploded!

The surrounding space immediately shattered like a glass mirror. Faintly, one could see the chaotic airflow from the abyssal void leaking a terrifying aura.

At the same time,

a vast area of land beneath the two was instantly annihilated by the terrifying shockwave, with endless rubble turning to dust and vanishing into thin air.

Immediately after,

since neither could send their opponent flying with unstoppable momentum, they were locked in a stalemate.

A storm of seemingly tangible shockwaves instantly swept out.

Then, the two of them shot backward in opposite directions at extreme speed.

Shen Kai broke through layer after layer of air, retreating over eight hundred yards.

Gu Yun broke through the air and retreated five hundred yards.

At first glance, five hundred yards versus eight hundred, it seemed Gu Yun had the upper hand.

But Gu Yun’s expression showed no hint of joy, because on the fist he had struck with the force of a thousand thunderbolts, a terrifying, inextinguishable flame now faintly clung to it.

’Is this... Fiery Flame True Intent?’

’It won’t go out on its own.’

Feeling the searing, unceasing flame on his fist, which felt as if it was burning down to his very bones, Gu Yun’s expression darkened.

’It seems normal methods can’t get rid of it.’

’Since it’s a True Intent, then... It takes a Mental Realm to destroy a Mental Realm.’

In an instant,

a terrifying Sword Intent that seemed capable of pulverizing space rose from within Gu Yun.

As soon as the Sword Intent appeared, it instantly sliced away the flame that was gnawing to the bone.

’Truly, a great reputation is not without merit.’

’Anyone who can make it this far truly cannot be underestimated.’

On the other side, Shen Kai felt the lightning on his fist, which contained a pure Power of Destruction.

His expression couldn’t help but turn grim.

However,

no matter how monstrous his opponent was,

he had no reason to fail.

Besides,

’I am Half-Step Tongxuan,’

’and he is at the Eighth Layer Peak.’

’No matter how you look at it, he is weak and I am strong.’

’Even if, taking a step back, he is so monstrous that he can fight me on equal footing,’

’the purity and depth of his True Yuan definitely can’t match mine.’

’Furthermore, the reason a Half-Step Tongxuan is called a Half-Step Tongxuan,’

’is because we have comprehended a sliver of the Heaven and Earth Dao Rhythm that belongs to the Tongxuan Level!!’

He...

had no reason to lose!

And he absolutely would not lose!!

"Gu Yun, come and fight!"

BOOM!!

Shen Kai’s terrifying might erupted once more.

A pillar of scarlet light burst from his body, blanketing the area as it shot into the clouds and reached for the heavens.

At the same time, the space for miles around trembled violently. A terrifying flame instantly swept across the sky, dyeing half the firmament scarlet.

Under the terrifying heat of the blaze, the entire world became like a furnace. The raging flames seemed as if they would completely annihilate space itself.