The Pinnacle Battle of Chang'an

The news spread across the land: the six prodigies of the Cultivator Realm, who had been unrivaled among their peers for months, had gathered in the ancient capital of Chang'an to fight Xiao Chen in a decisive battle that would crown the supreme young expert. Noble and commoner alike strained to witness the clash. Ten directions stirred; the city swelled with spectators, all craning skyward. The more powerful cultivators had long since taken to the air, their silhouettes crowding the distant heavens, eyes fixed on the space above Chang'an.

Who were these six? For months they had shaken the Nine Provinces, and Xiao Chen—that unorthodox renegade who dared to raise his blade against Half-Ancestors—was even more of a sensation. This battle, win or lose, would raise a storm.

Sunset came, and night descended. The great battle was about to erupt.

The six prodigies were proud; they did not wish to gang up on Xiao Chen from the start. Several who had never crossed swords with him wanted to defeat him alone.

A bell tolled, clear and deep. The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell shone translucent like crystal, its golden divine radiance piercing the heavens. It hovered above Ye Tian, vibrating unceasingly.

Clang!

The bell suddenly trembled violently, as though a god howled in the hearts of the living, making souls shudder. Ye Tian strode a hundred zhang in a single step, the golden bell atop his head surging forward. From afar, it was a blazing beam of golden light cleaving the sky, like a comet hurtling toward the earth, unstoppable.

The very sky over the ancient capital of Chang'an wavered!

“Great Virtue and Great Majesty, Imperial Heaven Undying!” Ye Tian’s entire body was shrouded within the divine bell. His voice pierced through, icy and desolate as the depths of the Nine Nether Hells.

Man and bell became one; the sound waves shattered the void, pulverizing all physical form. He drove straight at Xiao Chen, seeking to annihilate him in the terrible sonic blast.

Xiao Chen stood in the void. The primal sound syllable Om left his lips, piercing the deathly sound waves. A massive, ancient god-word materialized in the sky, cast from iron, then slammed heavily into the golden bell.

Clang!

The bell’s ring was ear-splitting, like a bolt of divine thunder crashing down. All of Chang’an shook as rolling thunder surged across ten directions.

The primal sound syllable Om had manifested visibly at Xiao Chen’s shout, hurling the golden bell away. It tore through space, flying back several hundred zhang. A deep imprint was clearly visible on the bell’s body—an ancient god-word Om.

All of Chang’an shuddered. Just this one blow made the journey worthwhile. The sound shook the heavens; a single word weighed a hundred million jun. Such a feat made Xiao Chen’s name resound across the world.

The bell tolled again. Ye Tian hovered, the divine bell revolving slowly, its majestic pressure flooding out. Blazing golden light shot into the sky, and the ancient characters on the bell’s body were erased by a powerful force.

Not far away, Xiao Chen nodded to himself. This bell was truly remarkable to have withstood the primal sound.

The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell’s golden body grew completely transparent; Ye Tian could be seen within, slowly moving his hands. With each motion, the bell shook violently. Then his eyes shot out two fierce beams of golden light. The bell trembled, shaking heaven and earth. Merging with Ye Tian, its body began to melt and fuse with him.

The translucent bell body nearly vanished, leaving only blazing golden light surrounding Ye Tian, even his long hair becoming as brilliant as a golden sun.

“Born with the bell—a natural battle body, nine deaths undying, peerless under heaven!”

Ye Tian charged again. This time he set aside all other cultivation treasures and, merging with the Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell, displayed the combat techniques of a Qi-Refiner.

The golden light flooded the sky, brilliant and dazzling, drowning the area in resplendent radiance.

Ye Tian punched through the void, appearing directly before Xiao Chen. His right leg swept horizontally toward Xiao Chen’s waist, while both hands chopped like sabers toward Xiao Chen’s throat.

Xiao Chen was as immovable as a mountain when still, as swift as the wind when moving. His form left afterimages in the sky, dodging the series of blows. He raised his Hand of the Supreme Being and struck down savagely.

A cold smile flickered on Ye Tian’s lips. Despite two previous defeats, his fighting spirit remained high. He did not evade; his palm-knife met the Hand of the Supreme Being head-on.

Clang!

Their blows clashed with a sound that shook the heavens. Ye Tian’s golden light blazed even brighter, as if his whole body had become the bell itself.

Born with the bell—truly extraordinary origins! That was the thought of those who knew the details.

“I am immortal!” Ye Tian roared, trying to fling Xiao Chen away. His golden hair whipped wildly, and two searing golden beams shot from his eyes, aiming at Xiao Chen’s.

“I can kill you once, so I can kill you ten, a hundred, a thousand times!” Xiao Chen’s black hair lashed as well, cold lightning flashing from his eyes. The four beams of light all collapsed.

Xiao Chen gave a long, fierce cry. His body bent like a primeval demon mountain, with the power to split heaven and earth. Pressing down on Ye Tian’s arms, he drove them both toward the ground with the force of a rainbow piercing the sun, unstoppable!

For a moment, Ye Tian’s heart trembled. In the end, his spirit faltered. He veered aside to avoid the edge and then launch another offensive.

But Xiao Chen’s presence overwhelmed Chang’an, having reached its peak. He gave Ye Tian no chance. Using the Eight Aspect Extreme, his form was everywhere, hemming Ye Tian in as he descended. The Hand of the Supreme Being struck, and twelve continuous blows hammered down.

The sky shook; Chang’an itself trembled!

Ye Tian was forced to receive over a dozen blows. The bell’s toll rang to heaven, golden light sweeping the cosmos, but his body quaked continuously. Finally, with a great ring, the dazzling golden light turned night into day, and the translucent bell body manifested again.

The Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell had been forced out of him by Xiao Chen; it could no longer remain merged with Ye Tian.

Xiao Chen’s battle spirit burned bright; his war-blood seemed to boil. He took a hundred-zhang step, driving Ye Tian before him.

The night sky shook. Xiao Chen chased Ye Tian into the heights, following step by step like wind and lightning. Ye Tian could not shake him off.

Boom!

After more than a dozen strikes from the Hand of the Supreme Being, a palm-sized hole was punched clean through the Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell. The consequences were dire. The divine bell could not withstand Xiao Chen’s savage assault; in moments it shattered, golden shards flying in all directions.

Xiao Chen’s fist descended. Ye Tian’s body split into four parts.

Chang’an exploded in an uproar!

The fierce battle set blood boiling. It had only just begun but already stirred the crowd’s passion. All watching shouted aloud.

Xiao Chen did not stop. The Eight Aspect Worlds materialized, sealing off the sky and trapping the shattered body fragments within.

His icy voice rang out: “Don’t you boast of being reborn from death and growing stronger each time? Today I’ll grant your wish—keep dying! I’ll beat you until nothing remains!”

Far off, the bell tolled. The golden divine bell was indeed beginning to reassemble. Xiao Chen took a thousand-zhang step in a flash, rushed over, and struck down with his palm once more. The bell shattered again.

“Ah—” A wretched scream came from within the bell.

Xiao Chen finally understood: Ye Tian’s nascent soul was fused with the divine bell. As long as the bell was not destroyed, he would not die. He put away the Eight Aspect Worlds, discarded the broken body, and waited beside the golden bell. “Every time it reassembles, I’ll smash it. Let’s see how strong your life force really is.”

Such chilling words made everyone present shiver. He was like a conquering demon king.

At that moment, heaven and earth trembled. A deathly aura billowed, sweeping the sky. Xiao Chen shot upward as a blood-red rainbow tore through the void, passing through the spot where he had just been standing.

One of the six prodigies, Shao Yi, had made his move. The arrow was like a rainbow, punching through space and carving out a spatial passage. Its oppressive pressure stole breath away; this was no mere arrow but a divine mountain hurtling through the sky.

Fierce wind howled. The divine arrow left a hundred-zhang tail of blazing light, tearing the night sky apart, shattering the surrounding space. One could imagine the terrifying power of this shot.

Xiao Chen, using the Eight Aspect Extreme, flew upward to meet Shao Yi. “You’ll die first, just the same!”

But at that moment, danger pricked his heart again. The rainbow that had passed by turned around and shot back at him.

At the same time, Shao Yi planted his left leg forward and stood firm in the void like a mountain, calm and heavy. He began to draw the bow, pulling it to a full moon, exuding an extremely fearsome aura. A second deep arrow was nocked.

In that instant, Shao Yi’s flesh-and-blood body seemed to fuse with the dark, hard bow. The ancient bow appeared to gain life. Both burst forth with ten-thousand-zhang of radiance, illuminating the entire night sky.

Dragon cries and tiger roars resounded. A second blood-red rainbow tore through the air. The whole world was shrouded in a dreadfully oppressive pressure, like a mountain pressing on the heart, making it hard to breathe.

Caught between two attacks, two blood rainbows pierced through the void. Their might was unimaginable; even the gale that emanated could destroy all physical form.

Xiao Chen strongly suspected this ancient bow was none other than the Sun-Slayer of Houyi. He had no desire to take the rainbow head-on and instead used the Eight Aspect Extreme to dodge, charging toward Shao Yi.

But the shot blood rainbows were too intelligent. The divine arrows would not cease without striking their target. After missing, they turned around and pursued relentlessly.

Worse still, Shao Yi continued to draw the bow. His spirit, energy, and will fused with the bow. Five more blood rays tore out in succession.

Seven rainbows descended like meteors striking the earth. Their power was unimaginable, as if linking heaven and earth. No one doubted that being struck would mean utter annihilation of body and soul.

Seven arrows overshadowed the sun and moon, unstoppable!

Xiao Chen’s Hand of the Supreme Being struck out repeatedly. Although he shattered the blood rainbows several times, they re-formed in an instant and flew back as if indestructible.

He tore open the void, severing space! Xiao Chen decisively sent the blood rainbows into a subspace, but they were trapped only for a moment before the seven rainbows burst out again—undying, ceaseless until their target was destroyed.

The most terrifying thing was that Shao Yi had also fired the last two arrows from his quiver. Nine world-shaking rainbows crisscrossed heaven and earth, forming a cocoon of light around Xiao Chen.

Subspace was not stable enough. Xiao Chen suddenly smashed through the void, trying to divert the nine rainbows toward the World of Immortality. But as if sensing his intent, the nine arrows turned back, refusing to go in that direction.

Just as everyone thought Xiao Chen was doomed, he suddenly halted in the void. Eighty-one black holes appeared around his body. The nine rainbows plunged into them in an instant.

The crowd gasped. What they saw was startling: Xiao Chen stood unharmed in the sky like a demon god.

“Keep shooting.”

Such words left everyone stunned. Shao Yi’s mind quaked as he stared at Xiao Chen in disbelief.

Xiao Chen had taken a risk, using his divinely transformed acupoint spaces to absorb the nine rainbows, sending them cycling through eighty-one spaces so they could no longer threaten him.

Whoosh!

Like a meteor streaking across the sky, Xiao Chen rushed over in an instant.

Shao Yi felt death approaching. He made his own body into an arrow, nocked himself onto the bowstring, and shot. A seven-colored rainbow illuminated heaven and earth, its dazzling light brightening the night sky.

“I don’t believe that after I shatter you, you can also re-form like those rainbows!” Xiao Chen’s voice was cold. His long hair lashed as his Hand of the Supreme Being rose high and slammed down ruthlessly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A dozen consecutive blows rang out, as if striking the pillars of heaven. Heaven and earth shook; terrifying pressure swept ten directions. The seven-colored rainbow was forced back to its original form. Shao Yi coughed blood and flew backward.

Xiao Chen took a hundred-zhang step, closing in. His palm-knife slashed down diagonally.

In the distance, Fang Tianqi, Ye Tian, and the others all moved. They were proud enough to let each challenge Xiao Chen alone, but if anyone truly faced mortal peril, the others would certainly intervene.

But this time, the little beast Keke was prepared. With a huff, she drew a line across the sky, and the Lost Paradise space cut off the void, blocking everyone’s way.

On the other side, Xiao Chen’s palm-knife fell. A scream rang out as Shao Yi’s arm was severed. Blood rained down. Then Xiao Chen grabbed Shao Yi’s body with both hands and, with a great shout, tore him apart in midair.

A single palm strike shattered the escaping nascent soul. Shao Yi was utterly annihilated, body and soul.

Under the night sky, the crowd erupted. Chang’an roared with noise.

“Shao Yi!” The other five prodigies cried out in grief and fury.

Only then did Keke glide aside. The five charged at once.

“The one who killed must die!” Xia Ding was incandescent with rage. Nine bronze tripods loomed before him, ancient and grand, emitting a faint chaotic aura.

“Finally dropping the pretense and coming together?” Xiao Chen gazed at the five. “Come on, all of you. None of you will leave alive today. My friend Yizhen fought to the death, exhausted. But today, I will beat every single one of you to death.”

Xia Ding strode forward in the void. “Though I want to kill you now, I would regret it forever if I didn’t face you alone first.”

“What’s there to regret? Let’s go together,” said Ye Tian. After his body reassembled, his face was pale, but he once again drove the Undying Imperial Heaven Divine Bell forward.

Ling Xuyan manifested the Asura Precious Umbrella above his head, its ten-thousand rays shedding chaotic light. He too strode forward. Fang Tianqi and the other unknown master approached as well, surrounding Xiao Chen.

“In my eyes, you are already dead.” Xiao Chen pointed at Ye Tian. “You claim nine deaths rebirth, growing stronger each time, but to me, it’s a joke. You will never be able to defeat me. Your heart has long been in fear. For me, killing you is as easy as taking something out of my pocket. You are already a walking corpse.”

“I said, I want to fight him alone. Step back, all of you.” Xia Ding, surrounded by his nine bronze tripods, was as imposing as a mountain, solemn and heavy. The aura of the nine tripods enveloped the entire sky over Chang’an.

“I don’t care how many of you come. Right now, I only want to kill him first.” Xiao Chen was overwhelmingly domineering, ignoring everyone else as he strode through the void toward Ye Tian, his voice cold as ice: “You claim to be undying, but today I will let you know utter extinction.”

“You—” Ye Tian was furious. “Arrogant and crazy!”

“To be modest,” Xiao Chen replied, “killing you is like slaughtering a dog.”