1216 Struggle

Li Yao was still running forward when he saw swords raining down from above, cutting his escape route right then and there.

Vast pressure swept all over, and Li Yao turned around abruptly throwing out his hand toward Ye Futian, who was charging at him. His arm was transformed into an extremely saintly five-clawed dragon that charged abruptly at Ye Futian.

It was apparent that Li Yao did not want to roll over and die. He, too, was a saint. While his powers were inferior to those of Ye Futian, he deemed it necessary to fight, nonetheless.

However, his face appeared rather twisted at that moment, displaying an expression of anger amid despair.

That look in his eyes suggested that he wanted to battle Ye Futian.

The Halberd of Time and Space was thrust out like a bolt of lightning. Rumbling noises were heard as the huge, five-clawed, golden dragon exploded and crumbled. Ye Futian did not stop charging. He continued streaking through the air and appeared right before Li Yao.

The place seemed to have frozen when the Halberd struck. Li Yao roared in anger, and the space around them trembled. He stepped forward as an extremely dazzling specter appeared above him. It did not seem to be something of his own will. Rather, it seemed to be an Imposing Renhuang shooting right out of his brain.

Ye Futian sensed looming danger ahead.

The raging will lashed out right away. He had sensed the Imposing Renhuang's shadow. While it was a construct of spiritual willpower, the hurricane of rage still sent him flying. That spiritual willpower then charged right into his mind.

That will was incredibly grand and imposing. It was a true Will of Renhuang, wiping out the existence of all other wills.

Boom! Ye Futian suffered a huge blow to his mind, and his body was sent flying, again, and crashed to the ground. Blood spilled from his mouth, and he felt rather hazy.

Li Yao's expression was extremely gloomy as he looked at Ye Futian.

The will that his father left within him enabled him to invoke this power when he was in mortal peril. It was known simply as the Will of Renhuang. He had little idea how powerful it would be, but, upon seeing the scene before him, Li Yao no longer despaired and seemed to find the light of hope. His eyes were filled with a negative, violent aura as he headed towards Ye Futian.

"Dead?"

If his father's will had crushed Ye Futian's will, it would have been possible for him to kill Ye Futian on the spot.

Seeing Ye Futian on the ground not budging even an inch, Li Yao's face became ferocious with a cruel smirk in his eyes.

He had always wanted to kill Ye Futian—the ant from the Nine States of the Lower Worlds who had been growing into an increasingly greater threat to him.

"So he's dead now, eh? And to die in such a way, how dramatic indeed."

Raging aura was unleashed from his body as he extended his hand. A terrifying, five-clawed, golden dragon appeared right above Ye Futian's head.

While Ye Futian remained slumped where he was, Li Yao nonetheless wanted to kill him one more time.

"Die." Li Yao roared, and the five-clawed, golden dragon came down blasting Ye Futian's body. The ground exploded and dust flew everywhere.

Li Yao walked up, taking one step at a time and finally smiled, which made him look rather crazy.

However, that simply lasted for an instant. His smile froze as a figure rose from the flying dust around them.

Jade-green light emanated from Ye Futian's body; it was a manifestation of the power of life, and it was tremendously thick.

He opened his eyes, and they looked deep like a bottomless abyss. It left Li Yao, who had been smiling, with a gaping jaw. Li Yao then saw Ye Futian stand up.

"How could he possibly survive?"

There was blood at the corner of Ye Futian's mouth, and he looked rather pale. The Will of Renhuang had almost killed him. If it had not been for the imperial will protecting him, he would already be dead.

Li Yao was not the most highly regarded of Emperor Li's offspring and was the weakest among his siblings in training. However, he, nonetheless, had protection provided by Emperor Li.

"Pathetic."

That was the word that Ye Futian uttered plainly as he looked at Li Yao's ferocious-looking eyes. Thunderous Light of the Great Path seemed to be glimmering on his body; it was a manifestation of the Great Path, basking in the Light of Calamity.

When he became a saint, the resilience of his constitution made his body a true body of a saint. Saintly attacks of the same level were hardly capable of doing any harm to his body.

"Pathetic."

Li Yao felt a chill all over as he heard Ye Futian's sarcastic jab at him. He was a prince of the Dali Dynasty, and Ye Futian called him "pathetic."

"Pathetic, eh?"

"Indeed I am."

The way that Ye Futian looked at him now was just like the way he had looked at Ye Futian before striking him down.

Boom! Light of Calamity bombarded Li Yao's body like a thunderous disaster of the Great Path. His soul trembled as his body was paralyzed.

However, he did not run away. He would not be able to escape this person even if he wanted to. He was indeed pathetic.

The only thing that seemed to be waiting for him was death.

A shout came from afar, and Ye Futian turned his head to look in that direction. Yan Yuan was conjuring diagrams of the Great Path and had blood all over his body. Yaya and Ji Yuan attacked at the same time, and there was no way that Yan Yuan, who had been severely injured before, could have resisted their attack. Yaya had once been a Holiness of Nirvana.

Yan Yuan turned around at that moment and looked at Ye Futian whose eyes seemed rather dull.

Sword Wills whooshed around Ye Futian, and the Sword of Kasyapa penetrated Li Yao's body in an instant. Blood spilled all over him and Sword Wills raged throughout his body. Blood was still spilling from his mouth, and he struggled to stand.

However, he did not die.

He looked up at Ye Futian and said, "Give me a quick one."

He thought that Ye Futian was about to torture him and make things hellish for him while he was still alive.

Boom! A hand clapped down and lifted Li Yao. Ye Futian's eyes reddened from the incredible intent to kill he felt.

"I wanted to give you a quick one, as well." Ye Futian's voice croaked as if he was struggling to speak.

Li Yao had killed Ye Futian's wife back in the Empty Realm, and he had almost killed Ye Futian's kin as well. There was no way that Ye Futian did not hate Li Yao.

He wanted nothing more than to see Li Yao's heart pierced by thousands of swords.

However, when he saw the determination in Yan Yuan's eyes and the implications of the fight between the Eight Holinesses of Nirvana, he refrained from dealing the killing blow.

If Li Yao died, it would be extremely possible that a war would break out between the Dali Dynasty and Emperor Xia's Realm.

Then Ye Futian questioned if he would be able to shoulder the responsibility of a war breaking out between those two imperial realms.

He questioned his right to do so.

That was why he was struggling.

Boom! A hand lifted Li Yao's body and Ye Futian walked away, heading to the other battlefield.

Lu Chuan, who saw Ye Futian still grabbing Li Yao from afar, chased after him. Many who had been fighting around them stopped.

The space quieted down again.

Ye Futian headed straight for the battlefield where Yan Yuan was and called, "Yaya."

Yaya and the others turned around when they heard his voice. The swords were rescinded, and she came to Ye Futian's side. Ji Yuan stopped fighting, as well.

Yan Yuan then looked at Ye Futian. Despite being covered in blood, he still looked resilient, standing tall and proud.

A smile suddenly appeared on his face but a sad one.

"I didn't think we would actually lose to you," Yan Yuan said. His expression was an extremely complicated one, filled with emotions that he was unable to place.

He did not resent Ye Futian although they were on opposing sides.

Naturally, he still admired Ye Futian.

That day when they had parted at the Nine States, those words had come true.

Yan Yuan knew that he had prepared for this battle, yet Ye Futian still ended up taking down Li Yao.

"There are no winners or losers here," Ye Futian sighed and continued, "Let's head to Qianye City."

Yaya waved her hands about and then a sword appeared in the air. Several of them stepped onto it, and the sword streaked away.

Lu Chuan walked to Yan Yuan's side, and Yan Yuan then mumbled, "No wonder our teacher liked him so much."

"He might not kill the prince, brother," Lu Chuan said. Yan Yuan turned to look at him as he continued, "He was here to avenge his wife. If he was going to cut down the prince, he would have done it already."

Yan Yuan looked at Ye Futian disappearing in the distance and said, "Let's go."

He then stepped forward.

Lu Chuan stood at Yan Yuan's side and looked at his eldest brother while sighing deeply.

Li Yao was lost in his eldest brother's hands.

If Ye Futian were to kill Li Yao, blame would first fall onto Yan Yuan's shoulders. However, Lu Chuan thought, at the moment, that his eldest brother was, instead, more concerned for their teacher.

***

The battle was still raging in Qianye City, and the place looked like a mess.

The mighty ones were fighting close to each other.

The Swordmaster of Lihen had injured Cao Kong before, yet Cao Kong's demonic powers were overwhelming. He was extremely resilient, refusing to back away. He went all the way to the battlefield where the imperial advisor of Dali and the Great Shaman were fighting.

The Prince Regent managed to fight off Lu You and pushed the battle all the way to the central region of Qianye City.

The six figures at the Holiness of Nirvana level were fighting earth-shattering battles high in the air. Many throughout Qianye City looked up at the battles, their hearts racing.

Many saints perished on that battlefield.

The imperial advisor had no intention of fighting any longer when Yaya, who had returned, opened the ancient path of the sword with a single stroke then headed far away. She definitely had gone to Li City. The imperial advisor had no idea how Yan Yuan would have fared and if his student would have been able to block her attack.

"Li Yao has been taken. Stop fighting immediately," a voice came from nowhere. The mighty ones who had been fighting were, at first, dumbfounded and then turned to see who had spoken. It was none other than a demonic beast.

"My master has taken Li Yao and is heading back here," the Black Wind Condor continued saying. The imperial advisor shouted and, throughout the battlefield, countless soldiers felt their brains rattling.

There were mighty ones throughout the vast battlefield, but they were unable to help and backed away from each other. That shout had made them all cease fighting.

The imperial advisor scanned the battlefield. He had not wanted to see a fight happen, but he had no choice.

"So Ye Futian has taken Li Yao, eh?"

"Yan Yuan had been there to guard him. I wonder how he is doing now."