Chapter 523: Who Will Be The Victor?

Chapter 523: Who Will Be The Victor?

Jiang Qingyao was a whirlwind of activity, dropping items while swiftly picking others up. Her movements were quick and elegant, and masterfully covert. Qi Tian, despite his immense power, was fully engaged in a fierce battle with Wang Xuan and initially paid no heed to her antics. But his keen senses soon picked up on something amiss. A casual glance revealed his carefully laid trap being dismantled. The Sword Immortal was expertly "cleaning house," quickly gathering the array materials he had scattered, including array flags and divine gold platforms. Qi Tian felt like a fool, having thrown out treasures only to have them eagerly collected.

"This is outrageous!" he exclaimed, slashing his Ascension Banner towards Jiang Qingyao.

At the same time, he erupted in menacing dark light, unleashing wave after wave of phoenixes that, bolstered by his artifact, swooped in all directions to disrupt Wang Xuan's formation and spread chaos.

"Attack!" In this critical moment, Wang Xuan, bloodied from battle, had to admit the Celestial Immortal's strength was formidable, akin to shaking a mountain.

He invoked the Human Clan’s True Form Scripture, materializing it into his own likeness. Initially, six true forms appeared, then nine, and finally fourteen, each mirroring his unprecedented step into the fourteenth realm. Each form, while mostly vivid and lifelike, varied from supremely indifferent to fiercely wrathful, divine and majestic, or fierce like a wrathful deity.

Despite the unwieldiness of the Life Essence Furnace, it still lent him the power of rules to augment his true forms, though the fourteenth was notably less distinct.

Fourteen Wang Xuans moved in unison, their expressions ranging from cold indifference to roaring fury, spreading out to capture the dark phoenixes and assault the divine birds.

The two were locked in close combat, blending physical strikes with spells.

Some of the dark phoenixes fell to Wang Xuan's blows, their feathers withering and fire exploding, while others attacked his true forms, causing them to dim.

Now, Wang Xuan and Qi Tian were locked in desperate combat, their treasures tangled together, each trying to bind the other within the deadly reach of their formations. Clearly, both had immense confidence in their arrays, casting each other curious glances during the fray.

Wang Xuan pondered if the Evil Dragon had also acquired the schematic for the first murder array. A quick survey suggested their formations were distinct. Qi Tian, too, was struck by a thought: how could his opponent remain so composed, matching his intent to confine him here? Did he truly believe he could surpass the terrifying array laid out by him?

To Qi Tian’s chagrin, all his painstakingly collected exotic treasures were being spirited away by the Sword Immortal, who not only stole a portion but also seamlessly integrated it into Wang Xuan’s array to compensate for any shortcomings.

This masterstroke exasperated the scheming dragon, his killing intent surging as he swung his Ascension Banner repeatedly towards the Sword Immortal. The unleashed power of the treasure was terrifying, causing the uninhabited cosmos to tremble. The void itself was cleaved by the long fan, cutting a chilling black rift through space.

The Sword Immortal, as if walking a tightrope over the gates of hell, didn't stop. She countered with her Purple Celestial Dao Sword, her blade sending out endless streams of sword light while she continued her "treasure hunting."

“Qingyao, stop taking risks!” Wang Xuan yelled, as he pushed himself to the limit. His body glowed despite the blood gushing from his wounds, some bone-deep, yet he still erupted in power, manipulating his treasure to unleash a variety of spells.

With a thunderous crash, he wielded the Life Essence Furnace repeatedly against Qi Tian’s Ascension Banner, hindering his ability to effectively target the Sword Immortal.

Wang Xuan was acutely aware of Qi Tian’s lethal prowess, particularly as his intent to kill soared, indicating his resolve to eliminate Jiang Qingyao first.

At this point, the central combatants no longer bothered to conceal their actions; each swung their treasures, quickly and efficiently refining their respective killing arrays like casting beans to summon an army.

Sword Immortal clashed fiercely with her opponent using the Purple Celestial Dao Sword, snatching up rare materials and rapidly setting up her array. She understood the First Murder Array, aiding Wang Xuan in its construction to hasten its completion. Now, parts of the array glowed brilliantly as they became active.

Qi Tian’s advantage lay in his superior strength. Radiating with the divine luminescence of a Celestial Immortal, he wielded the boundless power of cosmic laws. In the distance, a grand curtain seemed to unfurl over a transcendent planet, bolstering his formidable presence.

Wang Xuan coughed blood profusely under Qi Tian's assault and saw Sword Immortal wounded as Qi Tian rapidly arranged his own deadly array. "Command the Swords of the World!" Wang Xuan bellowed, activating the First Murder Array.

Gravely injured, he pondered if he might perish in battle, his external old spirit potentially obliterated. He would prefer not to be driven to such an extremity by an enemy; his path was his to tread, fraught with immense danger.

The Shadow Couple stepped forward, positioning themselves before Fang Yuzhu, facing off against the Sword Lunatic. Not typically cold-hearted, they could not let Fang Yuzhu engage in a fatal duel under these conditions, where she might suffer greatly.

Aware of Jiang Siyuan's past sacrifices, saving Fang Yuzhu twice at the cost of his own life, they empathized deeply. If they were in her shoes, they would spare no expense to save their lifesaver, no matter the cost.

Wang Xuan, who was in the distance, was too far away to intervene in time. The Shadow Couple didn't want Fang Yuzhu to risk a deadly battle with the Sword Lunatic that might cost her own life.

"It's alright, saving Siyuan and defeating Shang Yi can go hand in hand. I am not troubled!" Fang Yuzhu insisted, motioning the couple to step back as she locked eyes with the Sword Lunatic.

"Is that so?" Shang Yi responded coldly, his demeanor as imperious as ever. His sword, known for its invincibility, had met few throughout the ages who dared to confront him directly.

Now, his urge to kill surged, eager to settle the score with this woman who stood as his equal.

Qi Tian intervened, "Let's not rush to combat. We should first see what has transpired in the depths of space. The battle there should be drawing to a close. I've said before, Wang Xuan will not die; we will ensure his survival. The immediate priority is to bring him back safely. If you engage in a bloody battle here and delay, with his origin damaged, he truly might face mortal peril."

"Give me precise coordinates, connect with the spaceship in deep space!" the Shadow Couple, pained and frustrated, held back their outburst, clinging to a thread of hope to see the outcome there.

"No need to contact the spaceship, it’s unnecessary trouble. The two divine treasures just now vibrated violently, and residual waves are still emanating through the veil. We have enough divine treasures here; if we work together, we should be able to project the scene from there," Qi Tian suggested, his understanding of divine treasures apparently far surpassing everyone present.

Qi Tian chuckled and added, "I learned from an ancient tome left by a vanished civilization. When six or more divine treasures are gathered and synchronized, they can capture the location and project the real scene of other resonating divine treasures."

Instantly, everyone sprang into action, even the Sword Lunatic, curious to see the unfolding events. Life Pool, Immortal Umbrella, Divine Palace, Sauntering Boat, Heaven-Screening Bracelet, and Mortal World Sword—these transcendent relics were activated by the gathered beings of supreme power. They vibrated in unison, tracing the afterwaves from the Ascension Banner and the Nurturing Furnace. Astonishingly, they formed a luminous screen like a mirror, revealing the ongoing epic battle.

"Those aren't mere afterwaves; the real tremor is still happening!" someone exclaimed, watching the cosmic duel unfold.

"Qi Tian, you haven't subdued your opponent yet!" sneered the founder of the Supreme Palace.

"And that is..." others gasped, fixated on the grand battle displayed in the mirror light.

There, Wang Xuan was wielding the 'Heaven-Suppressing Myriad Swords,' tearing through the light barrier created by the Ascension Banner. Qi Tian was bloodied and heavily wounded by countless sword slashes.

A massive wall of swords, as imposing as a mountain range and humming intensely, was embedded with innumerable divine blades radiating dazzling light. Not only did the dense array of ancient swords strike towards Qi Tian, but the entire mountainous sword wall itself surged forward in a mighty slam.

Amid the endless celestial swords, a particularly striking purple broken sword nearly cleaved Qi Tian in half, leaving gruesome wounds deep enough to expose bone on his forehead and chest, only to be parried in the nick of time by the Ascension Banner.

"That is... the Purple Dawn Harmonious Sword!" someone recognized the legendary blade, nearly a true divine treasure.

"Wang Xuan is not defeated; he's slaying the dragon!"

No one had anticipated witnessing such a scene; even Qi Tian himself was stunned, frozen in place, his gaze locked on the colossal conflict playing out in the depths of space.

"Rule the Heavens with a Thousand Blades!" In the battlefield, a blood-drenched Wang Xuan bellowed, channeling the supreme killing array in a bid to slay the dragon.