Chapter 747 748: Grand Battle at the Martial Arena

News that the Silver Mist Guard and the Calamity Guard were about to clash spread through the Universe Sect like a storm.

The explosive announcement stirred waves of uproar throughout the sect.

In recent years, the Calamity Guard's reputation had grown ever stronger; overall, they were widely ranked among the top three corps within the Universe Sect.

By contrast, the Silver Mist Guard had always been seen as scraping the bottom.

To most eyes, the two armies did not even belong on the same level.

As soon as the news broke, doubts flooded in from all sides.

People could not understand why Silver Mist Palace would accept such a wager, no matter how tempting the Calamity King's stake was.

No matter how sweet the honey, it still masked deadly poison.

To many, Silver Mist Palace seemed blinded by the offered prize, gambling on a single desperate throw—with no escape if they lost.

In that case, the palace might truly never recover.

Even with the Great Elder's support, they would find it hard to maintain their foothold.

After all, even he had to follow the rules, and the Universe Sect sheltered many powerful vassal forces.

These groups never stopped eyeing the Nine Kings' seats.

Claim one, and a faction would become part of the sect's true inner circle—enjoying resources and protection far beyond what any vassal could hope for.

For Silver Mist Palace, this was a battle they could not afford to lose.

…

While the sect boiled with speculation and excitement, Silver Mist Palace remained strangely quiet.

No word leaked from within; defenses only grew tighter, smothering all attempts to spy.

Deep within the palace, in the heart of a mountain.

Within its lush slopes lay a broad, flat clearing.

There, dozens of silver-armored figures sat in silence.

Their bodies were as still as stone.

Above them, Lin Langtian sat cross-legged in midair.

Light flickered in his hand as a bloodstained crimson scroll appeared, and he pressed it gently to his brow.

Lines of light spread from the scroll and sank into his mind.

In an instant, a flood of iron-blooded aura roared into his consciousness.

The sound of endless battle rose around him.

It was as though he had fallen into an ancient battlefield.

Old, blood-drenched scenes flickered before his eyes.

Armies filled heaven and earth like a living storm.

They marched in perfect step, like some grand victory parade.

With each unified stride, even the world seemed to tremble.

No force could stand before that tide.

Lin Langtian watched solemnly as his gaze moved to the army's center.

There, a lone, indistinct figure stood.

Not especially tall or imposing, yet every glance declared him the army's unquestioned commander.

As Lin Langtian stared, that shadowed figure slowly raised a hand.

"War."

The army erupted in a deafening roar.

A torrent of battle will surged skyward, and the space above them shattered in an instant.

Roar!

The vast will condensed into something almost solid, rising as a giant dragon with eagle's wings that unleashed a sky-shaking cry.

Within a hundred thousand kilometers, space itself broke apart.

The dragon's jaws opened and a light beam tens of thousands of meters thick burst forth.

Boom!

The blinding ray shot through space faster than thought, tearing across a million kilometers before slamming into a lower plane's world.

There was no grand explosion.

The world simply twisted out of shape—and vanished, erased from existence.

One strike to annihilate an entire lower plane.

The ancient scene crumbled, then shattered like glass before fading away entirely.

In their wake, a stream of archaic insights rose in Lin Langtian's heart.

"The way of battle formations: to control by force is the lowest path.

"To control by heart is the highest."

…

He sank into those mysterious lines for hours before opening his eyes again.

Thoughts churned behind his calm gaze.

He lowered his head to look at the Silver Mist Guard below, then flicked his wrist.

In response, the thousand soldiers let out a low shout as a column of battle will roared into the sky.

Lin Langtian sat back down amid the surging sea of will, eyes closed in silent meditation.

The mighty battle intent flooded the land like a tide, and he let himself drift within it, sinking and rising.

Each time he tried to sink his own will into the torrent, he met fierce resistance.

He could guide their combined will, but true fusion—heart to heart—remained out of reach.

Without that, the "path of the heart" was nothing more than empty words.

Even so, he did not grow frustrated.

Battle will was a subtle thing.

Born from human hearts, its strength came from the fusion of will and spiritual power.

And every strand of will carried something uniquely its own.

Perfectly merging with so many at once would never be simple.

Fortunately, as a top-tier Symbol Master back on the Tianxuan Continent, Lin Langtian's spiritual power was formidable.

In many ways, will and spirit overlapped.

In this field, he had a built-in advantage.

He steadied his breathing as the cryptic phrases from the bloodstained scroll continued to flash through his mind.

Bit by bit, he tried to grasp their essence.

Boom!

The flood of battle will surged through him like water through a broken dam, and he made no attempt to block it.

He let it rage.

As time passed, the tide began to corrode his consciousness.

Yet he clung stubbornly to a single thread of clarity, holding his mind on the razor's edge between lucidity and oblivion.

Roars of bloodlust seemed to echo all around him.

His will cautiously reached out, testing each of the countless wills hidden within the guard's battle intent.

Only by blending his heart with theirs could he call himself a true battle formation master.

Time blurred.

Three days slipped by almost unnoticed.

During those three days, word of the wager between Silver Mist and Calamity Guards spread like wildfire across the sect.

Everyone now knew that if the Silver Mist Guard lost, Silver Mist Palace would bow to Calamity Palace.

It was nothing less than a death sentence for their standing.

Should they fail, the palace's name would sink into the mud, never to rise again.

At that point, no matter how hard the Great Elder tried, Jiang Yinlan would not be able to keep her seat among the Nine Kings.

Many shook their heads in private.

For all her strength, the Silver Mist King was still too young.

Against a seasoned schemer like the Calamity King, she lacked experience.

Yet no matter how feverish the sect became, Silver Mist Palace remained calm.

No hint of panic leaked from its walls.

This only deepened the sense of mystery.

Were they truly not afraid?

Was their faith in the Silver Mist Guard—and their new Commander—really so absolute?

As speculation spiraled ever higher, the third day finally arrived.

When dawn light tore through the clouds and spilled across the land, every gaze in the Universe Sect turned toward the still-silent Silver Mist Palace.

Calamity Palace.

The Calamity King lounged upon his throne, a rare broad smile on his shadowed face.

His eyes gleamed with mockery as he looked in Silver Mist Palace's direction.

Whatever Silver Mist Palace chose to do, he was certain of the outcome.

He could not wait to see what expression that proud, icy woman would wear once her palace fell.

Elsewhere, the other Eight Kings also turned their attention toward Silver Mist Palace.

If the palace remained sealed today, the wager would become a farce.

Which, of course, was exactly what Calamity Palace hoped to see.

Deep in the mountains behind Silver Mist Palace.

Jiang Yinlan stood atop a peak, dressed in fitted silver garments.

Her long pants traced every line of her legs, silver hair fluttering lightly as her frosty face remained perfectly calm.

Behind her, Mu Honglian was anything but calm.

Her pretty features were tight with worry, eyes fixed on the distant sky where Lin Langtian had remained motionless for three full days.

And the battle was about to begin.

"Elder Sister Yinlan," she finally blurted, "should we wake him by force? Even if we lose, it's better than being accused of cowardice."

Jiang Yinlan fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"We wait."

No sooner had the word left her lips than her expression shifted slightly.

She turned toward the forest below.

The seated Silver Mist Guard suddenly opened their eyes in unison.

Boom!

The battle will coiling above them roared upward like a storm-driven flood, spiraling into towering tornadoes of killing intent.

The sight left both Jiang Yinlan and Mu Honglian briefly stunned.

Then they saw him.

Within that boiling sea of power, the tall figure who had sat unmoving for three days slowly rose to his feet.

It was still the same man in green—but now, an unshakable battle aura radiated from him in waves.

A moment later, Lin Langtian vanished and reappeared before the two women.

A faint smile played across his handsome features, but beneath it burned a fierce and unwavering will to fight.

"Sorry to keep you waiting.

"Let's go claim what's ours."

Looking at his calm, confident smile, both women felt the tension ease from their hearts.

This mysterious, beautiful man from a lower plane had already created too many miracles to count.

There was no reason this could not be one more.

After a brief word with Jiang Yinlan, Lin Langtian glanced up, sensing the countless gazes turning their way.

His lips curled into a cold smile.

"Silver Mist Guard!" he called.

"Here!"

The shout reverberated like a thunderclap as a colossal pillar of battle will exploded into the sky above Silver Mist Palace.

All eyes turned at once.

Silver light poured into the heavens, coalescing into the thousand-strong Silver Mist Guard.

At their head stood a single tall figure, straight as a spear, his presence sharp enough to pierce the sky.

"Calamity Guard, the Silver Mist Guard awaits you at the Martial Arena," Lin Langtian's easy voice rang out, carried by spiritual power to every corner of the sect.

Whoosh!

As his words faded, the Silver Mist Guard turned into a streak of silver and shot across the sky toward the Martial Arena.

An uproar rippled through the heavens of the Universe Sect.

Silver Mist Palace had finally moved.

And they were meeting Calamity Palace head-on.

Things were about to get interesting.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Streams of light erupted from all directions as countless figures took to the skies, racing toward the same destination.

Crack.

In Calamity Palace, the stone beneath the Calamity King's feet shattered under the pressure of his leaking aura the moment Lin Langtian's voice reached him.

Murderous light flashed in his black eyes, his lips twisting into a cruel smile.

"Dong Kui."

"Here!"

Dong Kui stepped forward at once.

"Take the Calamity Guard.

"After today, I don't want to see that man anywhere in the sect," the Calamity King said coldly.

"Yes!"

Savage delight flashed in Dong Kui's eyes as he bowed and swept from the hall.

A moment later, a wave of black radiance erupted from Calamity Palace.

The Calamity Guard rose as one.

The Martial Arena lay in the southeast of the sect's territory, the broadest expanse in all the heavens.

It was built for this very purpose: not duels between individuals, but battles between armies.

Countless corps under the Universe Sect had crossed blades here over the years.

The land itself had been shaped into a battlefield, steeped in the aura of slaughter.

And today, more than any other, it seethed with life and anticipation.

For this time, the Silver Mist Guard and the Calamity Guard would meet head-on—

In a clash that would set all of the Universe Sect ablaze.

(END CHAPTER)