Chapter 1031 – Today Is the Day to Fight to the Death
"Who? Me?" The million-year-old soul pointed at himself then laughed awkwardly. "If I were able to interfere in the Dao battle of Quasi-emperors, do you think the battle would've lasted this long?"
Ye Qingyu was stunned.
"After I became one with the Immortal Body, it was like I had been reborn and I had to start cultivating from the very beginning. The more complete the merging process became, the weaker I got. I've still got some way to go before I regain my previous cultivation and I can't rush this process, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to interfere in this Dao battle of Quasi-emperors," the million-year-old soul said frankly.
"But…" Ye Qingyu said in surprise. He thought back to how the million-year-old soul had once shocked Quasi-emperor Mushan with his power. The million-year-old soul's strength back then was comparable to a Quasi-emperor's.
"I know what you're thinking," the million-year-old soul said proudly. "That was a misunderstanding… I hadn't completed the merger between my spirit and the Immortal Body back then, but I was forced to halt the process in advance due to our dangerous predicament and reveal myself. I had only just entered the Immortal Body and needed large amounts of energy to sustain me, and the Immortal Body was like a black hole that could absorb all external forces. So the Immortal Body had absorbed both of Quasi-emperor Mushan's attacks to transform that energy from those attacks into an energy that I could use for the merging process… I didn't make any move to attack him. And you should also remember that this was when a strange chance had occurred within the Reincarnation Hall. This strange change was what had actually scared Quasi-emperor Mushan off. If that fellow had been more courageous, he would have killed us both."
It made sense now.
Ye Qingyu thought back to the events at that time and realized that the million-year-old soul was telling the truth. He truly had not attacked then, but instead, only took the brunt of the attacks by Quasi-emperor Mushan and absorbed the energy from them.
"What should we do?" Ye Qingyu asked anxiously.
Were they just going to stand there and watch as [Quasi-emperor Xiaofei] perished after he exhausted all his energy?
If [Quasi-emperor Xiaofei] perished, it would mark the rise of the Four Stars Sect. Then, the Heaven Wasteland Domain would immediately be doomed. There would be no way he would be able to turn the situation around because his life would also be in danger. After all, the Four Stars Sect now had a Quasi-emperor on their side who was able to have full oversight of the heavens and was powerful enough to dominate everywhere they went, so they would become the few supreme forces of the Vast Thousand Domains.
"If you want to help Li Xiaofei, you must make sure that you survive," the million-year-old soul said as he suddenly transformed into a ray of flowing light with a flash. "Be careful, you're now in the state of your [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger], and if you perish in the cosmic vacuum, your physical body at Capital Sky Peak would also die… I'm going to save myself first," he shouted out a warning.
Then, the million-year-old soul disappeared into the black Void.
Huh?
Ye Qingyu raised his hand thoughtlessly, at a complete loss for words.
He was not exactly able to put his finger on it, but after the million-year-old soul had merged with the Immortal Body, the million-year-old soul's temperament seemed to have undergone some sort of change. He had changed from an aloof ancient spirit to become friendlier and more welcoming. He even reminded Ye Qingyu of his old friends Hu Bugui and Wen Wan.
Was the [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger] his current form in this space?
Realization dawned.
No wonder he sensed his [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger] suddenly disappearing from his dantian world when he meditated earlier at the top of Capital Sky Peak. That must have been the handiwork of a Quasi-emperor, and they must have carved out a Void in space to send their [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger] into the cosmic vacuum to battle. If the martial artist's comprehension and cultivation were strong enough after they entered the Quasi-emperor's force field, they could also make use of this opportunity to send their [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger] into the cosmic vacuum.
This meant that the majestic bodies of the Quasi-emperors he witnessed earlier were the [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger]s of all three Quasi-emperors, and this was also his current form.
This would also explain why he found it odd that these planets were merely like giant balls with a radius of ten thousand meters because his [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger] was indeed also as large as a giant.
But what did the million-year-old soul mean by the first part of his sentence?
Was he telling him to be careful not to get hit by the residual energy waves from the Dao battle of Quasi-emperors?
The more he thought about it, the warier he became. He started to retreat to avoid getting caught in the battle. All of a sudden, killing intent appeared without warning in the Void and hurtled straight toward his back. He immediately felt all his hair stand on end and sensed imminent danger.
"Sword!"
As he shouted, a protective sword qi immediately appeared like a divine light column to shield his body within it.
Boom!
The bright sword light shuddered.
He was sent flying thousands of meters away.
At his mental command, layers of ice swords appeared around him and interlocked themselves like silver feathers to instantly transform into a pair of gigantic sword fingers that trembled slightly in the Void. Then, he finally managed to steady himself. Cold light flashed in his hands and a pair of huge ice swords appeared. He crossed them together in the shape of an 'X' and hacked at the oncoming attack, which charged toward him like a shadow.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Thin shock waves reverberated out and clusters of sparks flew everywhere.
"Deputy Spokesperson Ye Qingyu's sword skills are matchless, just as I thought. You must be a master swordsman of our generation." His attacker did not continue to attack after her first attack failed, but immediately floated away. Nonetheless, her voice was extremely familiar and he knew that it was Four Stars holy girl.
He knew that this woman would be here.
However, he did not chase after her.
He remained floating in midair, looking contemplative.
After their sudden exchange of blows, he immediately discovered the advantages of battling with his [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger]. His heart and body had already merged together perfectly without any sign of stagnation, so his doppelganger executed his martial arts moves even more perfectly than his physical self could. It was an excellent state to be battling in, as though all his worldly shackles had fallen off and he could move as freely as he liked.
The experts who were able to attain such a form were definitely the most highly skilled experts.
He suddenly understood why the three Quasi-emperors chose to battle with their doppelgangers. They must have wanted to clearly determine who lived or perished when they were in their most powerful form.
"Battling in this form would be a great opportunity for any martial artist because he would no longer be suppressed by the laws of the world and could comfortably and freely experience the mysteries of his martial arts techniques. He could also display them to their fullest potential without any hindrances!"
It all made sense to him now.
He carefully retreated, avoiding the major battle of the three Quasi-emperors in the distance. His silvery-white sword wings looked like the wings of a War God when he extended them, and the pair of giant ice swords in his hands made him seem extremely authoritative and heroic. He released his consciousness power in the surroundings and carefully observed the situation.
Since the million-year-old soul and Four Stars holy girl had appeared one after another, this meant that everyone else who was in a motionless state at the top of Capital Sky Peak would also be here. He searched urgently for Nan Tieyi.
Once his consciousness power was released, it could immediately extend to a distance of millions of kilometers.
His consciousness power was so frighteningly powerful when released by his current form that even he was shocked.
The boundless Void of the universe seemed to have no end, so the reach of his consciousness power was not terribly significant in such surroundings. His figure continually flashed as he kept switching locations, carefully avoiding the heart of the Quasi-emperor battlefield while searching for the others.
"Hmm? Isn't that the successor of the Sky Meteor Sect… Who is he battling?"
He discovered two huge figures and one of these doppelgangers was a three-headed giant with six arms that wielded six different divine weapons in his hands. This giant was currently battling a one-eyed green wolf that swirled with green radiance and was extremely savage. This wolf was probably a [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger] of some Demon Race expert and it was that expert's true form. It was also incredibly huge.
The three-headed, six-armed doppelganger was probably the true appearance of the successor of the Sky Meteor Sect. This meant that despite taking on the appearance of humans, the experts of the Sky Meteor Sect were not actually from the current Human Race but from an ancient Human Race with three heads and six arms.
He did not interfere in their battle.
Instead, he drew away from them and continued his search.
Fifteen minutes later—
"Hmm? I've found him…" He had finally encountered Nan Tieyi.
Nan Tieyi was in the middle of a fierce battle.
His opponent was the person who launched a sneak attack on Ye Qingyu earlier—Four Stars holy girl.
Things were not looking good for Nan Tieyi either. Despite his tremendous surge in strength, he was injured. He wielded a huge long spear that Ye Qingyu had not seen before and stirred up boundless killing intent with it. Nonetheless, he still was no match for Four Stars holy girl and several injuries could be seen on his body while his blood splattered into space…
"Brother Nan Tieyi." Ye Qingyu flapped his sword wings and instantly rushed over.
The Four Stars holy girl's expression changed slightly when she noticed Ye Qingyu and her attacks grew even more urgent and fierce. Every move she made with her sword was deadly and she attacked ceaselessly, clearly wanting to kill Nan Tieyi before dealing with Ye Qingyu.
Swish!
Sword light flashed.
Nan Tieyi groaned. His arm had been hacked off and was sent flying.
"Bitch, are you courting death?" Ye Qingyu bellowed angrily. The sword wings on his back transformed into silver light that filled the sky and slithered wildly like a silver snake as it ruthlessly ripped through the air. Its momentum was as forceful as a hurricane and immediately engulfed Four Stars holy girl in its storm. Then, rays of intense energy waves reverberated out continually.
"Brother Ye Qingyu." Nan Tieyi greeted him with a smile.
Ye Qingyu drew closer and asked, "Brother Nan Tieyi, are you alright?"
He realized that the "blood" that he saw flowing out of Nan Tieyi's body was, in fact, the purest form of energy. It looked like liquid as it spilled out from his body into the cosmic vacuum. This was what it was like when the [Yuan Qi True-Self Doppelganger] was injured because the doppelganger was merely a manifestation of the energy one cultivated, so it did not have any blood.
"I'm fine," Nan Tieyi said with a shake of his head.
His expression looked a little strange.
Soon afterward, a new arm grew out from his arm socket to replace the arm that had been hacked off and all his injuries instantly healed. But his doppelganger had shrunk significantly—the loss of the doppelganger's energy was similar to the loss of blood qi. If one's doppelganger lost too much energy, it would shrink, and once all its energy was exhausted, one's doppelganger would no longer be able to maintain its form. This was when it would vanish and die.
"Back at the [Seven Elements Relief Palace], Brother Nan Tieyi…" Ye Qingyu could not help asking.
Nan Tieyi had a strange expression on his face as he answered, "I'll tell you more about that later. We've got to deal with this first…"
Before he could finish his sentence—
Boom!
A terrifying force mushroomed from the distance and caused all the ice swords in the sky to disappear.
The Four Stars holy girl held the [Four Stars Sword] in her hand as she approached them. Her face hardened as she said, "Deputy Spokesperson Ye Qingyu, I've shown you mercy on many occasions and have also attempted to attract talent such as yourself to our [Camp], but you have taken advantage of my admiration for you and you lack the awareness to retreat when it is time to do so. Not only that, but you have also ruined my plans many times, killed my subordinates, destroyed my doppelgangers… Don't you think you've gone too far? Do you really think that I'll never stop you?"
Ye Qingyu glanced at Nan Tieyi and suppressed the shred of doubt he had. Then, he turned to face Four Stars holy girl and said coldly, "Stop me? Haha… I can't believe you dared to say that you've shown me mercy… Alright, it's pointless talking to you. If not for the fact that you've been so evasive, we should have battled a long time ago. Why don't we have a life and death battle today?"
All the grudges and enmity they had toward each other could not be expressed in words.
He had long wanted to kill Four Stars holy girl for both official and personal reasons.
Today would be the day that they fought to the death.
