"The Human Emperor's Dragonhide?" Tianming was overwhelmed at the sight of the five-colored dragonscale armor formed from millions of individual pieces. It spanned his entire body, containing a complete set including a helmet, gorget, pauldrons, breastplate, robes, war skirt, boots, and even a five-colored cape. To say it looked imposing would be an understatement. The parts near the head, hands and legs looked like parts of a dragon, complete with horns and claws, each having distinct colors of gold, green, blue, red and brown.
Currently, he stood tall and mighty and was filled with a draconic aura, making him look like an incarnation of the emperor of all humans himself. He felt his defensive capabilities increase as the armor formed around him, especially with the dragonforce it contained. It boosted his powers even more, much like the Grand-Orient Vortex in his sword in terms of speed, defense, power, and explosiveness. Tianming felt it was not unlike the effects of Spiritual Attachment.
"Impressive!" He was shocked at the seemingly boundless power of dragons. Just like the Grand-Orient Vortex, however, the amount of power that flowed through his body was actually only a small part of it. He gripped his left fist and punched the air, causing a sonic boom.
But after some time, he felt a little fatigued. "Perhaps it's because I haven't taken full control of the Dragonhide yet, so it’s really draining on my soul. I guess I can only use it during crucial times for an explosive burst in power. No matter, I can practice with it when I get more time in the future."
If he hadn't even mastered the Prime Tower yet, there was no way he could master this armor in the time that he had. Not to mention, he felt that his connection with the armor was only very minute at best. When he willed it, the armor began receding into his heart, seemingly making it stronger and causing dragon blood to be pumped into his body. "It's stored in my heart? How can I summon it then?"
As he thought that, the armor gave him the answer. He smacked his chest heavily and caused the armor to manifest in an instant, imbuing him with the glory of an ultimate fiendgod. With Dragonhide on, his abilities would all be boosted, especially his defense, though he wouldn't be able to wear it for long. He took a deep breath and willed the armor to return to his heart.
"Was this divine artifact given to me by Great Emperor Xuanyuan?" He looked up and was shocked to see that the five dragons no longer had scales. All of them had gone into making the Dragonhide.
"They must’ve ascended to godhood as well!" How impressive would the armor be, formed from a million of their scales? He had a feeling that the benefits he had noticed were just a small drop in a wide ocean. The whole time he was there, the emperor kept his eyes shut. Finally, everything began calming down.
"Progenitor, I will not let you down." He knelt and kowtowed to show his respect. Back then, all he wanted was to ensure Feiling's survival. But now, his fate and the Archaion Sect's were bound together.
"I will definitely not allow your descendants to be exterminated by others! So I will fight, and emerge victorious in the summit!" Since he’d received their aid, he would definitely repay them. When he calmed down, the door above him opened. The day of the final phase was finally here.
"Tianming, it's time," Xuanyuan Dao said.
"Yes!"
Tianming bade the emperor goodbye and flew upward, after which the door was sealed once more. The interior of the Heaven Cauldron resumed its eternal silence.
……
The snowstorm was brewing strong outside, to the point that there was barely any daylight. Any snow that approached Xuanyuan Dao and Ouyang Jianwang vaporized into steam.
"How is it?" Xuanyuan Dao asked.
"The Human Emperor's Dragonhide," Tianming said plainly.
The other two looked each other in the eye, then Ouyang Jianwang laughed uncontrollably as he shot him a thumbs up. "Brilliant. You've made history. The only other person to be able to obtain the Dragonhide was the goddess herself." In other words, Xuanyuan Xi from a hundred thousand years ago.
"This is the best possible outcome, Tianming. I find it hard to believe that you really aren't a descendant of the Xuanyuan house. Why don't you just marry into our family then?" Xuanyuan Dao said.
Tianming chuckled, wanting to ask if he could marry their precious goddess. The cheers of everyone in the sect could be heard coming from all over. Even the strongest of blizzards couldn't cool down their burning passion.
"Has it begun?" Tianming asked.
"It will right away. Come with me to the Heaven Branch Dimensional Battlefield."
"Okay!"
The three of them hurried there and arrived in due time. The commotion was mostly coming from the Dimensional Battlefield in the human branch; the one in the Heaven Branch was actually rather quiet, as none of the seniors there were speaking.
When Tianming entered, he saw that they were at least tribulation elders and above. The only others there were the final thirty-two participants, including Xuanyuan Yucheng, Fang Chenjing, and the geniuses from the other divine realms.
The surrounding tension seemed to freeze over on the eve of the final battle. Like before, everyone would be able to see everything through the Skyeye Formations, but only those in the Heaven Branch's Dimensional Battlefield could witness it live. All the others in the Archaion Sect were watching from the Human Branch, a total of more than 4.5 million people. Their cries even reached the Heaven Branch.
Meanwhile, there was an audience at the Hexapath Sword Sect's Swordsoul Mountains, the Heptastar Aerial Sect's Heptastar Cavern, and the Nonahall Ghost Sect's Specter Mountains. They were all watching in fervent anticipation. It was the ultimate showdown between the disciples of these sects. It wasn't just a fight for the ultimate tribulation manna; their lives, pride, and dignity were also on the line!
Tianming seemed able to hear the cries from those all around the continent. He had killed far too many and formed too many grudges. There were at least millions in the other divine realms cursing his name.
"Die, Li Tianming!"
"May the Monorigin Sect be eradicated!"
Their combined will was so powerful that he could feel the pressure. There were far too many watching who were unhappy with him, scheming to take the position of number one for themselves.
"Tianming," Fang Taiqing called out.
"Sect Master."
"You’re aware that just because we obtained victory in the Nether Battle, that doesn't mean we've won the whole thing, right? Everything still depends on the final phase. Additionally, the ultimate tribulation mana from the Kilostar Domain is key. Rumor has it that it’s the key to the secrets of the Kilostar Domain. If you obtain it, our situation will change greatly."
"I understand."
"We are now facing pressure on many fronts. Hopefully, you’ll be able to fight for all of us in the Archaion Divine Realm to rise back to prominence."
Tianming nodded. He knew that people like Fang Taiqing would willingly hand over Feiling to the other sects once the pressure began mounting on them. While he had done well in the Nether Battle, the final phase was the most important one. It was a desperate fight, and only the winner would have the last laugh. If he won, there would be more weight to Xuanyuan Dao's words, which in turn meant that others in the sect would hold Fang Taiqing with less regard. To ensure Feiling and the sect's survival, he had to ensure they were united.
"I will bring hope to Archaion no matter the cost."
His heart bubbled with hot-blooded passion. There was a miniature formation floating above the Dimensional Battlefield: it was Number One Battlefield, and its main function was to randomly assign matches for the participants.
The entire area was covered in pure white snow. Tianming figured that even the slightest drop of blood would stand out against the landscape. The lightning in Ignispolis, the rain in the Divine Capital, and now the blizzard in the Archaion Sect were all unforgettable sights. Now, he stood amidst the blizzard and let his hair and robes bask in the snow, feeling the frost on him. His enemies were right before him, and everyone across the continent was intently watching them.
Fang Taiqing rose and announced in a clear voice, "The final phase of the Number One Summit shall commence!"
Though it wasn't particularly loud, it was heard all over Taiji Peak Lake and even Soulburn Hall. Countless disciples cheered with passion.
"Li Tianming!" The chants from the Human Branch were heard echoing throughout the entire Archaion Sect as the formation in mid-air began flashing and randomly assigned matches for the upcoming battles.
