I Am Supreme

The blessing had no sincerity at all!

Yun Yang curled his lip and Hong Changtian rolled his eyes.

As both of them turned around and walked down the stands, Hong Changtian’s chilly voice rang out. “Sect Leader Yun, although there are always casualties in the fight, none of us will be truly wounded or killed thanks to the magical power of this realm. When this is over, we, as neighbors, should get together again.”

What he meant was that although he could not kill Yun Yang here, he could always do it later.

Yun Yang smiled warmly. “Residence of Nine Supremes is a newly established sect, and we ought to consult Sect Leader Hong for the precious experience of being a sect with a lower-class Celestial Luck Banner. After all, we have no experience in holding a Celestial Luck Banner, and we might make ourselves a laughingstock for all…”

His words were polite, but what he truly meant was that the Residence of Nine Supremes would certainly defeat Cangwu Union. Hong Changtian snorted angrily and flicked his sleeve as he walked away.

Meanwhile, Yun Yang went back to his people while laughing.

“The first match is between the pillar forces. I suggest Shi Wuchen, what do you think?” Yun Yang looked at the eight people.

Luo Dajiang cleared his throat and said, “Yi Tuo will certainly do well, but I wonder if we have the chance to fight after him…”

Shi Wuchen snorted as sword intent burst out of him, and Luo Dajiang was pushed back a few steps with a clanging noise. Then, he walked out with his sword without uttering nonsense.

“I’m Shi Wuchen, Supreme Sword of the Residence of Nine Supremes. Which one among the seniors from Cangwu Union is willing to be my opponent?” He stepped into the arena with towering sword intent, striking awe into those who saw him.

“Who is this man? He has a very strong sword intent!”

However, as soon as the crowd heard his name, they roared with laughter, their voices ringing for a long time.

“So he is Shi Wuchen, one of the Demiurge-Flawed Ten, the famous whetstones of the Bound of Universe…No wonder I found him familiar!”

With derisive laughter and cutting remarks ringing in his ears, Shi Wuchen’s face was impassive. “Yes, I am Shi Wuchen, who used to be called a whetstone. In fact, I am still a whetstone for you all here today. Now, I hope the people of Cangwu Union can show me some guidance and let me, as a whetstone, do my job. This is a rare opportunity, because when we are done here, we won’t be able to enjoy the benefit of being resurrected.”

He smiled darkly. “Please seize the opportunity.”

In the face of all the provocation and taunts that were thrown at him like an avalanche, Shi Wuchen remained calm and even seemed to be enjoying them very much.

At the sight of this, Hong Changtian’s pupils constricted for the very first time. “Third brother,” he called out in a low voice.

Someone walked out from behind him—a middle-aged man in his forties, judging from his appearance. With a cold and indifferent face, the man said, “I will not disappoint you, Senior Brother. I will win this match.”

Then, he walked out slowly. “Jiang Jingfei, the Merciless Sword of Cangwu Union, is here to experience Residence of Nine Supremes’s superiority.”

He paused for a brief moment before adding, “I’ve long heard brother Shi’s name, but I never had the chance of meeting you in person. Thanks to today’s match, I can finally fulfill my wish of sharpening my sword with the whetstone.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Shi Wuchen’s cold, impassive face. “After you.”

With a sonorous sword cry, Jiang Jingfei’s sword was drawn from the scabbard, and a bright light filled the arena as sword intent towered into the sky. The powerful sword intent soon spread across the whole place, causing the swords hanging from the waists of many to produce a clanging sound.

He actually created a scene similar to thousands of swords crying in unison!

Standing beside Yun Yang, Jiang Luoluo said, “This man is ranked the second strongest expert in Cangwu Union, but rumors have it that his cultivation base is actually above that of their sect leader, Hong Changtian. He devoted his whole life to swords, so even though he did not cultivate for many years, he has achieved mastery in the Sword Dao. He is a formidable foe!”

“What is his current level, roughly?”

“I’m not sure. Although Cangwu Union owns a Celestial Luck Banner, it is only a lower-class one, and the sect ranked the last. So, Phoenix Cry Sect has never paid too much attention to it. In fact, the reason I know some background of Jiang Jingfei is because after I came to the Residence of Nine Supremes, I’ve gone through some information when I had nothing to do…”

When she talked, the contempt of a disciple from a middle-class sect against lower-class sects could be clearly heard in her voice.

“What is the level of the strongest expert in your Phoenix Cry Sect, if I may ask?” Yun Yang asked pensively.

Jiang Luoluo hesitated, but then said, “I’m really not sure about this. What I do know is that the cultivation base of my master, who is also the sect leader, has reached the peak first-tier of the Supreme Saint realm. However, I can’t guarantee that my master’s cultivation base is the strongest in the sect, and that there is no one as strong or even stronger.”

“That’s enough. Thank you!”

As it was the secret information of her sect, Jiang Luoluo could not make it very clear. Nevertheless, what she said had told Yun Yang many things.

In all major sects with a long heritage, the cultivation base of the sect leader was usually not the strongest. After all, the sect leader held another responsibility, that was to manage the whole sect. So, it was hard to focus on cultivating.

But, the cultivation base of the number one expert in the sect was certainly not far apart from the sect leader. It was absolutely impossible to have a situation where there was a huge gap between them.

‘I know General Commerce League has three Supreme Saints, and they are all third-tier experts. That’s why they have the strength and confidence to fight for the superior-class Celestial Luck Banner. Jiang Luoluo’s sect doesn’t rank too high among the sects with middle-class Celestial Luck Banners, and the sect leader is a first-tier Supreme Saint…From this, I can basically conclude that most of the sects with middle-class Celestial Luck Banners do not have Saint Lords.

‘It is also highly possible that those super sects with upper-class Celestial Luck Banners but are ranked relatively lower might not have Saint Lords either.’

After pondering for some time, Yun Yang reached a conclusion that was rather positive for Residence of Nine Supremes.

Meanwhile, Shi Wuchen was slowly drawing his sword in the arena; inch by inch, the bright blade was revealed before all. Compared with Jiang Jingfei’s spectacle, the way he drew his sword was undramatic, almost boring. But, no matter how one made a show of strength before the fight, the essence of a duel always lay in the fight itself.

The first clash between them was a head-on exchange of their swords. Streaks of bright light crossed with one another as a thundering rumble burst out like the cry of a dragon or the roar of a tiger, stirring the souls of everyone present.

Even though the match had just begun, they were already fighting in such an extreme way, which was rather rare in the battle of the Celestial Luck Banners.

The match between Shi Wuchen and Jiang Jingfei was the match of pillar forces and also the first match. As the ones who fought the first match, apart from winning, both of them had another responsibility related to morale. If the challenging side won the first match, their morale would naturally be boosted, and the confidence of the following challengers would certainly be elevated.

On the contrary, if the defending side won, the situation would turn for the worse for the challenger. Therefore, both challenging and defending sides would do their best in the first match. Otherwise, Cangwu Union would not have sent Jiang Jingfei, their top expert whose actual strength was ranked in the top three within the sect, to fight the first match.

In a head-on clash like the way they fought now, one’s cultivation base was the most important because under such a combat mode, the aid provided by techniques and movements was reduced to the lowest. Once a side suffered a setback in the attack, it usually meant total defeat. Therefore, if it had not come down to the wire, rarely did anyone fight in such a way, let alone when the match had just begun.

That was the reason why the people from both sects became nervous when they saw their first exchange, some anticipating and some worrying that the outcome would be decided with just one move.

Fortunately, the match was far from over. The crowd saw Shi Wuchen stagger before bolting thirty feet backward while Jiang Jingfei’s body swayed and moved back half a step.

Both men turned to the side at the same time.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two beams of sword energy flew past both men’s throats at the same time.

On the surface, they seemed to be well-matched in strength. Even though Shi Wuchen was slightly weaker, he was by no means unable to fight. The gap between them was negligible.

The faces of Yun Yang and others grew serious, and the spectators from other sects looked shocked. Even Huo Yunfeng had his expression changed dramatically.

Ding Buke and You Buneng, on the other hand, had their eyes lit up.

In the battle of Celestial Luck, probing with divine sense was restricted. As a result, one could no longer find out the target’s actual cultivation base at a glance like usual. It might be the case for others though, but as the higher-ups of the Sacred Heart Palace, the judgment and experience of Huo Yunfeng and his two fellow brothers were far superior to that of those present, so they could still notice more details.

Even though they could not find out the actual cultivation base of both men in the match right now due to the restriction of this realm, they could tell by just looking at Shi Wuchen that his retreat of thirty feet was on purpose. Instead, Jiang Jingfei’s half-step was true, because he had lost his balance and was forced to move back.

In other words, Shi Wuchen was not as weak as he was showing! And clearly his opponent, Jiang Jingfei, did not realize that.

Moreover, as they clashed in such an extreme way, no matter what was their strength, they would have to endure the impact. By retreating thirty feet, it was more than enough for Shi Wuchen to cancel out the impact. But Jiang Jingfei had forcibly taken the impact, and it was only when he could no longer hold it that he moved back half a step. As a consequence, the pressure he suffered was greater. As a conclusion, after the first exchange, not only did Shi Wuchen not fall into a disadvantaged position, but he actually gained a slight upper hand.

The two men in the arena fought fiercely, exchanging strikes without stopping. Shi Wuchen continued his initial posture and fall into a complete disadvantage. Whenever their weapons clashed, his body swayed. At the sight of that, his opponent seized the opportunity by raining him with blows— swinging and cutting and slashing the sword as if it were a chopping knife— forcing Shi Wuchen to counter the attacks with force. It was clear that he wished to end the match as quickly as possible.

Jiang Jingfei’s intention was obvious—he wanted to suppress and kill Shi Wuchen with absolute force! He wanted to declare that Cangwu Union could never be defeated with that domineering attitude!

Shi Wuchen kept retreating, and after several exchanges, he had moved back at least four to five hundred feet, from the center of the arena to almost the edge.

When they saw their man gain the upper hand, the thirty-odd people of Cangwu Union cheered at the top of their lungs, and the atmosphere grew warmer. Over on the Residence of Nine Supremes side, the disciples were also cheering loudly, their palms wet with sweat and their expressions extremely nervous. They looked as though they wished they could run into the arena and fight.

At that moment, another loud clanging noise rang out.

Like before, Shi Wuchen was weaker in strength, so he staggered and then quickly moved back three steps, his body swaying and his face turning pale. But this time Jiang Jingfei’s face was bloodless as well, and he was drenched in sweat. Despite that, his spirit was unusually high and his eyes burned with excitement. He pressed on, unwilling to relax. It was clear that he felt he had the upper hand and was anxious for success.

Until now, both men had fought for over ten minutes.

In the arena, Shi Wuchen’s condition was getting worse. He was breathing rapidly, and his dodging grew messier. Suddenly, he let out a muffled grunt and staggered, losing his balance. Even his sword was moved to the side, exposing his chest.

Jiang Jingfei saw the opportunity he was waiting for. He laughed hideously and exercised an extremely fast movement technique as he dashed across a hundred feet like a bolt of lightning. The sword in his grip flickered with a captivating gleam as he roared and thrust its tip straight toward Shi Wuchen’s chest!

His intention to kill his opponent was evident.

It seemed the killing strike was unavoidable. Was the match about to over?

Cries of alarm rang out from among the people of Residence of Nine Supremes. Although they knew that the dead would be resurrected and the wounded would be healed in the main arena for the battle of the Celestial Luck Banners, as it was the first time they had come here, it was normal for them to feel shocked and horrified in the face of life and death.

But then, Shi Wuchen, who had lost his balance and was about to fall to the ground, suddenly reversed his declining condition. In the blink of an eye, he performed a rolling action which seemed impossible to the others and shifted himself three feet to the side.

As a result, Jiang Jingfei’s sword flew past Shi Wuchen.

It was a killing strike, so he had put all his strength in it, and it had passed the point of turning back.

At this moment, Jiang Jingfei’s face fell. But, he had no time to react.

After avoiding the killing strike, Shi Wuchen launched a fierce counterattack. He spun, and his sword thrust out like a venomous dragon darting out of its lair! The strike was extremely fast, its speed almost exceeding that of light.

Even as the light had just reflected off its blade, it had reached its target.

A soft wet sound rang out, signifying that the sword had accurately hit the target!

Jiang Jingfei shrieked and his incredulous eyes moved to his chest. He saw a sword standing there, glinting coldly while streams of blood were gushing out. The sword came too fast, so fast that it had stabbed into the ground as soon as its tip pierced the chest!

Roaring, he mustered all his remaining strength and wanted to jump to his feet, but he had forgotten that his body was pinned to the ground by the sword. As he leaped, his body was torn apart. But at this moment, he was so determined that he ignored his broken body and reached both hands out to grab Shi Wuchen’s neck.

A gust of strong wind blew over.

“You…cheated!”

With a kick, Shi Wuchen ripped Jiang Jingfei’s already broken body into pieces.

“What matters in a match is victory, and the rest is only trifles. Yes, I cheated, but so what? Don’t you know that there can never be too much deception in war? I can’t lose this match and I will not lose,” said Shi Wuchen indifferently.

His voice was not loud, but the people present all had sharp ears and eyes, so they heard him clearly. They learned a lesson from his words and each had their own understanding.

Jiang Jingfei’s body broke into pieces in mid-air and scattered everywhere, blood spilling all over the place.