Novel Full Chapter 2674 - Putting in Effort
Chapter 2674 – Putting in Effort
Close to five hundred cultivators had entered Red Pine Mountain, but only one hundred and forty-nine were participating in the Battle for Order.
Thirty had emerged victorious in the first round, while one hundred nineteen had been eliminated.
Seventeen Unfettered Realm Dao Lords had lost their lives, and eleven old monsters’ clones had been destroyed.
These casualties were shocking by the standards of the River of Destiny, enough to cause an uproar.
But this was just the first round of matches!
The second round would soon begin. It, too, would be conducted in five-man free-for-alls.
There’d be six matches in total. Su Yi would fight in the sixth match, while Xiao Jian would fight in the first.
When Xiao Jian took the stage, his four enemies glared at him, their expressions dark and unsightly.
“This time, I’ll give you a chance. Admit defeat, and I’ll let you leave unharmed,” Xiao Jian said gently.
Two of them immediately admitted defeat, inwardly celebrating that Xiao Jian had given them the opportunity.
After all, they vividly recalled what Xiao Jian had said earlier. In his eyes, admitting defeat meant accepting death!
“I am not afraid of battle!” an old man in yellow robes said gravely, voice as staunch as iron.
Many of the onlookers were impressed. The old man’s majesty had won them over.
In truth, the old man was a top expert. He’d won his first match without taking even a single injury.
Xiao Jian just said “oh” and attacked directly.
It was just one palm strike, but when it struck the old man’s head, his skull split like a watermelon.
In the last moments before his death, the old man’s eyes widened with astonishment. It seemed he’d never even considered the possibility that he wouldn’t even be able to struggle.
“You say you’re unafraid of battle, but isn’t that just because you’re a mere clone?” Xiao Jian laughed.
There’d never been a shortage of people unafraid to die, but the old man in yellow wasn’t one of them.
Xiao Jian’s last remaining opponent was originally unwilling to accept defeat, but when he saw how quickly the old man in yellow died, he laughed bitterly, gave up on all thoughts of fighting back, and admitted defeat.
Just like that, Xiao Jian won. It might have seemed like a dull match, but in truth, the outcome had long been certain.
Everyone here had watched the first round, so they knew roughly how strong the competitors were, and they knew which of them were the most dangerous.
Xiao Jian was among the most dangerous people here. Those who knew they weren’t in his league naturally wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk themselves. What egg wanted to fling itself against a rock?
“Would you believe me if I told you they were grateful to me?” Xiao Jian stepped off the Five Elements Altar and smiled at Su Yi. “After all, holding onto their lives means an opportunity to pluck fish out of turbid waters later. Had they died now, all their hopes would have come to naught.”
Su Yi said with little interest, “Had I been fighting, they’d all have had to die.”
Xiao Jian blinked. “Because of a grudge?”
Su Yi laughed. “Would they have let me live?”
Xiao Jian had nothing to say to that. Who didn’t know that the Battle for Order was also an operation targeting Su Yi?
As they conversed, the second match began. It was even duller, because as soon as the Dipankara Buddha took the stage, all four of his opponents admitted defeat.
As crisp and direct as could be.
In response, the Dipankara Buddha just said with the solemn countenance of a Buddhist statue, “Good.”
Lu Shi won the third match. In it, he displayed unbelievable power far beyond his performance in the first round. The onlookers couldn’t help but see him in a new light.
Even Huang Yanleng, who’d performed admirably in the first round, was suppressed by Lu Shi’s superior force.
But she was ruthless and stubborn, too. Even after Lu Shi’s other three opponents backed down, she stubbornly refused to admit defeat. In the end, she even went so far as to burn her clone just to injure Lu Shi.
Her ruthless determination in the face of death impressed the crowd. They were increasingly unwilling to underestimate her.
Di E emerged victorious in the fourth match. All of his opponents immediately admitted defeat, but Di E refused to let them leave. He killed them all one by one, without the slightest mercy.
As intimidating as this was, it also provoked the others’ ire. Many of them now held a grudge. Sevendeaths Court and Limitless Palace were gnashing their teeth in fury.
But Di E didn’t care in the slightest.
Su Yi wasn’t quite sure how to interpret this. Either Heavenly Sovereign E has always acted like this, or he’s hostile to Heavenly Sovereigns Wen and Yaoguang. Otherwise, why go to such lengths?
If Heavenly Sovereign E acted like this all the time, it meant he was a terrifying figure with no scruples, a totally lawless Heavenly Sovereign.
Wang Zhiwu won the fifth match. The Master of Legends’ Laws of the Great Minutiae dazzled the crowd once more.
But unlike in the first round, his opponents in the second round were quite terrifying. By the time Wang Zhiwu won, he was exhausted, an arrow at the end of its flight, and badly injured.
Still, he’d won in the end.
He staggered off the FIve Elements Altar, unsteady, but obviously thrilled. “I really mustered all of my strength!”
When the six match began, all eyes were instantly on the Five Elements Altar, or rather, on Su Yi.
His opponents included Yu Chiyang from the Court of the Southern Heavens, Cang Lingzi from Sevendeaths Court, Ancestor Hun Yun from the Central Divine Continent, and an Unfettered Realm Dao Lord called Tao Li.
Tao Li was from another faction of the River of Destiny. That he’d made it to the second round was proof of his strength.
Still, when he saw who he was up against, he waved and said exasperatedly, yet staunchly, “I admit defeat. Please grant me the opportunity to leave.”
He smiled and clasped his fist at Su Yi and the others.
“Tao Li, if word gets out, your clan ancestor is going to scold you harshly, “Yu Chiyang said coldly. “Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
Tao Li sighed. “I’m here in the flesh. If my true body dies, my clan ancestor will be even more upset. Please, grant me this request, if only for his sake.”
“I agree,” said Su Yi.
Tao Li smiled. “Thank you!”
When the others saw this, there was nothing else they could say. They let Tao Li withdraw.
“Do you want to back out too?” Su Yi glanced at Ancestor Hun Yun. He remembered that this old man was Zhao Baihou’s martial uncle, and that he still held a grudge.
Ancestor Hun Yun sighed. “I’d originally planned to risk it, but… I know that it’s unlikely to end well for me.”
He had a complicated look on his face, and he was obviously unwilling.
He was someone who’d proven his Dao in the Central Divine Continent, yet he’d made it to the second round. His strength was incontrovertible.
But he wasn’t at all confident that he could defeat Su Yi.
“You should go,” said Su Yi. He didn’t seize this opportunity to make fun of him.
Ancestor Hun Yun looked at Yu Chiyang and Cang Lingzi. “What do you two say?”
The two of them exchanged glances, then nodded. There was really no other choice; if they refused, they’d provoke Ancestor Hun Yun. If the old-timer joined forces with Su Yi, it would be nothing but trouble.
Now, just three people remained on stage: Su Yi, Cang Lingzi, and Yu Chiyang.
Yu Chiyang and Cang Lingzi’s expressions were as unsightly as if they’d just swallowed dead flies.
It seemed they hadn’t anticipated that they’d be up against Su Yi, much less that their two potential allies would back out immediately.
“Yu Chiyang, I seem to recall that you’ve already lost two clones. If you lose this one too, your true body is sure to face a karmic tribulation!” Wang Zhiwu said with a laugh. “It seems you’re inwardly cursing your bad luck. In that case, why not heed my advice? Kneel and kowtow three times. Submit completely and utterly, and Fellow Daoist Su might well spare your life.”
This was more than just harsh; it was blatantly humiliating. Many of the onlookers were startled. Isn’t Wang Zhiwu taking this a bit too far? Isn’t he afraid that the Court of the Southern Heavens will hold a grudge?
Yu Chiyang glowered murderously at him. “Only you could do something so shameless, Wang Zhiwu. Just you wait! I’ll be sure to find you and ‘request your guidance’ another day!”
In truth, Wang Zhiwu had hit Yu Chiyang right where it hurt.
If his clone was destroyed, his true body was sure to suffer a Karmic Tribulation. That was why his expression was so unsightly now that he’d crossed paths with Su Yi.
He couldn’t retreat. There was no way Su Yi would agree to that!
“So long as you don’t use the Court of the Southern Heavens to oppress me, I’ll come whenever you need me on the River of Destiny,” Wang Zhiwu said with a grin. He looked like he needed a good whalloping.
“You…” Yu Chiyang was just about to say something when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Su Yi had vanished in place.
Yu Chiyang retreated explosively.
Boom!
A streak of sword qi exploded into being, enveloping the spot he’d stood in just moments prior. Terrifying sword force swept outward, making Yu Chiyang’s skin prickle in pain.
He circulated the full extent of his cultivation base, not daring to hesitate. He’d decided to go all out.
Meanwhile, Su Yi appeared directly in front of him and swung his fist.
Bang!!!
An avalanche of sword qi burst forth.
Yu Chiyang staggered several steps back on impact, his face alternating white and green.
The crowd initially thought Yu Chiyang had blocked successfully, but then, something strange happened.
He’d only just steadied himself when countless cracks appeared over his body, which fell apart, like paint peeling off a wall.
His eyes widened, and he said hoarsely, “My… my Dao Heart…”
But before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed like cracked porcelain. Even his Eternal Source collapsed and vanished!
A single punch had blasted an old monster’s clone to bits, quick and direct.
The crowd was stunned. They couldn’t help but replay what Yu Chiyang had just said.
His heart? Don’t tell me that Su Yi managed to kill Yu Chiyang by shattering his Dao Heart?
When they thought back to how he’d killed Ping Gu and Song Jue, they realized that that might indeed be the reality of the situation!
Su Yi couldn’t seize Eternals’ powers of the Grand Dao, so he broke the barrier separating the Eternal and Undying by targeting his opponents’ hearts!
“How is that possible? When someone steps into Eternity, their heart is nourished in Eternal Dao Light. Only a Karmic Tribulation can shatter an Eternal’s heart. Don’t tell me that Su Yi’s fist is imbued with the power of a Karmic Tribulation?”
The crowd was bewildered. They found it hard to believe.