Chapter 1017: Wang Xuanji’s Humiliation!

As the quasi-immortals and Great Emperors all headed toward the Immortal Path, a large number of low-level cultivators were left behind in the immortal city. Although they could also enter the Ninth Realm of the Immortal Path, they did not dare join the excitement.

A battle between top-tier existences could reduce them to dust with the slightest aftershock. It was safer to stay far away. They all sighed with emotion. Never in the history of the cultivation world had things been this lively. It was already unprecedented for three supreme experts to appear in the same era within one cultivation world.

Now, a prodigy from the immortal realm had suddenly emerged as well. This final generation's Immortal Path was terrifyingly lively.

Originally, outsiders had believed that the Immortal Qi of this era would most likely belong to the Heavenly Emperor's heir. But now, that was no longer certain.

As for the battle between the Eight-Crowned King and the immortal realm female prodigy, most people guessed that the female prodigy would be more terrifying. After all, in her earlier clash with Hua Yunfei, she had clearly not used her full strength. And no matter how strong the Eight-Crowned King was, how much stronger could he be than Hua Yunfei? Even with the World Tree enhancing him, his chances seemed slim.

Ninth Realm of the Immortal Path.

Wang Xuanji stepped out of the teleportation array, her azure robes fluttering. She scanned her surroundings, then revealed a confident smile. Her figure turned into a streak of azure light and shot forward.

Soon after, the group of quasi-immortals arrived on the second teleportation array. But they could no longer see Wang Xuanji. They only sensed terrifying collisions coming from the depths of the starry sky in the Ninth Realm. The two had already begun fighting.

Hua Yunfei, among the crowd, raised an eyebrow and prepared to follow the flow to watch the battle. The quasi-immortal beside Hua Yunfei had a good relationship with the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land and was of the same generation as Hua Yunfei's martial granduncle. He looked at Hua Yunfei with lingering shock in his eyes.

Although Hua Yunfei was not Wang Xuanji's match, his strength was still frighteningly powerful. This kid had hidden far too deeply.

"Yunfei, this should be your true body, right?" he could not help asking.

Hua Yunfei smiled faintly. "Of course, it is my true body. I have already reached the end of my path in this realm. There is no need to hide behind avatars anymore…"

The quasi-immortal ancestor's face twitched. It was unclear whether he believed him. Just as he was about to say something more, his pupils suddenly shrank as he looked ahead. All the quasi-immortals present reacted the same way, staring forward in shock. Their divine senses had detected Wang Xuanji's aura rapidly returning.

In the next moment, Wang Xuanji appeared in their line of sight. However, she had not flown back on her own. She had been smashed back.

The proud, domineering expression that had once filled her face was gone, replaced by pure shock and disbelief… Even after flying backward such a great distance, Wang Xuanji still could not stop her body.

Under the dumbfounded gazes of the crowd, she slammed heavily into the ground of the Ninth Realm. Several sacred mountains collapsed and vanished instantly, leaving behind only a bottomless crater.

Everyone's mouths hung wide open. What had just happened? They had not even reached the battlefield, yet the battle was already over? The immortal realm female prodigy who had felled a quasi-immortal with a single glance had been smashed down like this? Had the Eight-Crowned King made a move? But how was that possible? How could the Eight-Crowned King be this terrifying?

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Doubt and disbelief filled every face.

At that moment, Wang Xuanji flew out from the deep pit. Her already fair and delicate face had turned even paler, her lips completely drained of color. The incredulity in her expression was even greater than that of the quasi-immortals around her.

Because she had seen the Eight-Crowned King. She had personally exchanged blows with him. Yet the shock the Eight-Crowned King brought her far exceeded her imagination.

At this moment, Wang Xuanji even lost her composure. "How is this possible… How is this possible? How can such a terrifying person exist in a mere lower realm? Even before my immortal root was dug out, I might not have been able to steadily defeat him!"

She had not suffered any serious injuries. After all, she possessed an immortal king bloodline, so she was not so easily wounded. But it was obvious that the Eight-Crowned King had not truly attacked either.

She still wanted to fight again, but the moment she recalled the Eight-Crowned King's overwhelming dominance and invincibility, an involuntary wave of guilt, humiliation, and confusion washed over her.

She had gone through so much hardship to descend to this lower realm, exhausting countless resources from her family and carrying the expectations of innumerable clansmen.

She should have swept through this world, seized the World Tree, ascended to immortality, restored her cultivation, and then entered secluded meditation for countless years until she finally became an Immortal King.

Yet now, she had been blocked at the very first step. She could not defeat the owner of the World Tree. This was no longer just about failing to obtain the World Tree. It had become a question of whether she could even return to the immortal realm.

The thought of being trapped in this world until her lifespan ran out, or perishing alongside the realm when it eventually collapsed, filled Wang Xuanji with bitter unwillingness.

She refused to accept such an ending. She wanted to recover her peak strength, become an immortal ancestor, and lead her entire family to stand tall across the nine heavens and ten lands.

Wang Xuanji clenched her fists tightly beneath her sleeves. But it was not hopeless… She simply lacked a suitable weapon. If she had an immortal weapon in hand, her combat power could surge once more. She might then be able to contend with the Eight-Crowned King on equal footing. If she could find helpers as well, suppressing the Eight-Crowned King would be well within reach.

As for helpers… The Hua Yunfei from earlier was not weak, and there was also the Heavenly Emperor's heir—the one everyone kept mentioning and repeatedly trying to push into the fray, seemingly quite hated by others. If she could subdue those two, everything could still turn around.

Wang Xuanji's eyes shone brightly as she looked at the crowd. "I need an immortal weapon. Grant me one, and I will impart to you a scripture of an Immortal King… At the same time, before I leave this realm, I will return the immortal weapon. I will not take it away."

The immortal weapons of this world were all low-grade. Wang Xuanji looked down on them and naturally had no intention of keeping any.

Upon hearing her words, the crowd exchanged glances. If this had been the Wang Xuanji from back in the immortal city, countless forces would have eagerly offered their immortal weapons in hopes of building a connection with this immortal realm female prodigy. Even trading for a single spot to enter the immortal realm would have been an enormous gain.

But now… Everyone hesitated. The main reason was that Wang Xuanji had been defeated far too quickly. Moreover, she had not charged back to fight again.

Everyone present was an old fox; they could all tell that she had most likely been crushed by the Eight-Crowned King. Although they did not know why, nor could they understand how the Eight-Crowned King had become so powerful, they were unwilling to speak up in public and risk drawing the resentment of the Dao One Holy Land later.

They might contact this immortal realm female prodigy in private afterward, but certainly not for any Immortal King scripture. Although such scriptures were precious and existed only in legends for most forces, the Age of Dharma's End was approaching. What use was an Immortal King scripture then? They only wanted a quota to enter the immortal realm.

Seeing that no one spoke, Wang Xuanji shook her head, unconcerned. She could simply seize one by force later. It would not be a big problem. Her gaze then turned toward Hua Yunfei. "The Eight-Crowned King is extraordinary. Are you willing to follow me and fight alongside me… In the future, aside from the World Tree and the Immortal Qi, all other treasures will belong to you! I will also impart to you a scripture of an Immortal King!"

Hua Yunfei frowned slightly. He too was shocked by the Eight-Crowned King's strength. After all, he understood Wang Xuanji's power clearly. That divine technique that directly slashed at the soul was nearly impossible to block. It could almost be said that whoever it struck would die.

Yet the Eight-Crowned King had suppressed it so easily. It was hard to imagine. Moreover, Wang Xuanji's words left him somewhat disgusted. She was simply too arrogant…