Chapter 1328: A Battle like Fire, a Saber like Light
Di Xinhan showed a somewhat stunned expression. He had never seen such a scene before.
He had never seen a person who could convince all the proud Fiend Race elders to work together and fight one person.
As cultivators, they all had their pride. This was especially so for Martial Emperors; if anything, their pride would be even greater.
A junior who had not advanced to Martial Emperor saying that he wanted to fight against ten alone was a form of despisal and mockery. Under normal circumstances, no one would bother with such a person. Giving that junior attention would feel like they were lowering themselves. The pride in their hearts would not permit them to do so.
However, on this day, on this platform, Xiao Chen did it. He used his strength to prove that he was qualified to fight one against ten. This was not despisal or mockery. This was a fair battle between cultivators.
Di Feng did not say anything. In the front, Xiao Chen's aura and momentum flourished as though demanding a battle. At the back, ten elders stepped out and requested a battle as well.
"Vice Island Master Di, please agree to our request. We are willing to fight the Azure Dragon King!"
The ten Fiend Race elders kneeling on one knee declared again. Their hearts blazed with surging fighting spirit.
The reason was none other than wanting to bring glory to the Fiend Race. The Azure Dragon King Xiao Chen wanted to prove himself; they wanted to as well.
"Very well. Since you are going to battle, then we should do it grandly, with flames roaring into the sky. I, Di Feng, will personally beat the battle drum for you all!"
Di Feng extended his palm and patted the space where Xiao Chen stood.
"Boom!" The terrace immediately changed. The floor under Xiao Chen's feet soared into the air.
Four palace halls flew over from the clouds. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" They merged with the terrace under Xiao Chen's feet.
Each of the palace halls had an ancient Fiend Race lamp on them. With a 'boom,' they burst into flames. The blazing flames formed an invisible barrier encasing the high terrace.
As the flames burned, they released an intense light, like that of the sun, which scattered all the heavy clouds around the peak. This allowed the entire island to see it clearly, shocking everyone.
"A light as bright as the sun lighting up the sky, that is the Distant Ancient arena of Fiend Master Peak!"
"What's going on? This Distant Ancient arena has not appeared for several thousand years. Could it be that someone challenged the three Vice Island Masters?"
"Let's go take a look. Myriad Fiend Island has not been this lively for a long time already."
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Figures flickered. Many Fiend Race cultivators soared up, ascending the many rings of Myriad Fiend Island as they headed quickly for Fiend Master Peak.
At the corner of the arena was a war drum. Di Feng's figure flashed and arrived beside it.
Sonic booms rang out. These were the ten Fiend Race elders flying to the arena at the same time and landing in a line.
"Azure Dragon King, please kindly instruct us!"
The ten showed sharp gazes brimming with fighting intent. In this battle of great importance, they could not be careless.
Xiao Chen performed a cupped-fist salute, bowed, and took two steps back.
"Dong!"
The war drum boomed like a sudden crack of thunder, earsplitting. The sound wave spread out, and the boundless clouds vanished like smoke. This Fiend Master Peak turned completely clear.
If looking from the very bottom of Myriad Fiend Island, one would be shocked to discover an additional sun in the sky.
"It's the Azure Dragon King. He is challenging ten Supreme Elders of our Myriad Fiend Island alone!"
"Did I see wrong?!"
"You did not see wrong, and your eyes are still fine. A Vice Island Master is personally beating the war drum. That is the Heavenly Fiend Drum, which has not been beaten for several thousand years."
"This is too crazy!"
Many Fiend Race cultivators rushed over to the airspace near Fiend Master Peak. They all exchanged glances in some disbelief.
Was this crazy? Not at all.
In a one-on-one fight, Xiao Chen already displayed strength equal to a Third Heaven Martial Emperor, without exposing too many trump cards.
A peak Third Heaven Martial Emperor would not be able to fight against ten like this and would be worn down to death.
However, the Taiji Dao borrowed force to fight. It switched unpredictably between stillness and motion. Even against twice the number of opponents, Xiao Chen could still handle them and remain undefeated.
In this Kunlun Realm, Taiji was a trump card unique to Xiao Chen.
Only he could fight one against ten like that, filled with pride and confidence, revealing his sharpness.
"Dong!" The war drum boomed again, igniting the flame in everyone's heart. After three drumbeats, Di Feng quickly increased the tempo. The earsplitting drumbeats spread across the sky.
The fighting spirits of both sides soared. Not possessing a mental state like Xiao Chen's, the ten elders of the Fiend Race roared out loud and took the initiative to attack.
The moment they attacked, they executed Inferior Grade Profound Martial Techniques. They were extremely ferocious, showing no intent to hold back. Clearly, the Fiend Race elders wanted to finish this battle quickly and not give Xiao Chen a chance to drag it out. They used an overwhelming number of attacks and rained these down on Xiao Chen.
The attacks that covered the sky appeared complicated and confusing, an intense barrage. In reality, when the Fiend Race elders attacked, they did so in waves, with three people in each wave. Their assault was very orderly and not chaotic at all, wave after wave piling on the attacks. It was like the sea waves, continuous and unending.
The ten Fiend Race elders worked together perfectly, exposing no flaws at all.
Xiao Chen did not dare to underestimate these elders. He instantly spread out his Saber Domain and Taiji force field. However, he did not merge them.
"Strong Dragon Breaking Out of the Sea!"
"Wind Blowing the Nine Heavens!"
"Powerful Godly Chop!"
The first onslaught of Profound Martial Techniques surged over like a sea wave. Without drawing his saber, Xiao Chen executed the Subduing Dragon Profound Slash and clashed head-on.
Retreat!
On the first contact, Xiao Chen was sent back one hundred meters. The difference in strength was clear. Facing three Profound Martial Techniques alone was too much. Without the obstruction of the Taiji force field, he would have moved back even further.
"Merciless Great Sea!"
"Dragon Roaming the Four Seas!"
"Soaring in Rage!"
The first wave of attacks just passed when the second came like an even more ferocious wave, pushing over ruthlessly.
Xiao Chen spun around in the air, and numerous lightning bolts plunged down from the sky. He brought out his peak will of thunder, using the Thunder Dragon Chop to clash head-on.
Retreat!
Waves drowned the lightning dragon. Leaking blood from the corner of his lips, Xiao Chen moved back another one hundred meters.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!" The war drum that was even more resonant than thunder boomed nonstop. The third and strongest wave of attacks charged over at lightning speed amid the rumbling drum sounds, attacking in a berserk burst.
Xiao Chen still did not draw his saber. Instead, he swept his cold gaze in all directions. Three waves of attacks with three people attacking in each wave, there was still one person missing.
If Xiao Chen was right, the last person would deal the most powerful and final blow.
"Bellowing Squall!"
"Merciless Snow!"
"Soaring Raging Flame!"
The third wave comprised three entirely different attacks. With three different attributes raised to the peak and merging with each other, the result produced the strongest onslaught yet.
Xiao Chen turned and moved back three steps. With each step, his body spun thousands of times, layering countless afterimages over each other.
When he could no longer retreat, he used Thousand Frost Battle Snow, a Profound Martial Technique, to continue clashing head-on.
"Bang!"
Xiao Chen vomited a mouthful of blood. This time, after moving back one hundred meters, he paled, clearly significantly injured.
"Again!"
The Fiend Race elders shouted together and launched another cycle of attacks.
Each wave consisted of three people attacking. By the time the third wave was done, the people from the first wave were already ready. Under such a continuous stream of attacks, even a Fourth Heaven Martial Emperor would have to submit.
Wave after wave of attacks cycled a countless number of times amid the booming of the war drum in the bright sunlike arena.
Suddenly, before Xiao Chen landed after taking on a wave of attacks, he saw a sword light silently and suddenly appear. By the time he discovered it, it was already at his side and would pierce through him in the next moment.
This sword light was not only fast and accurate but also came at a strange angle. The attacker waited for him to be exhausted. After Xiao Chen endured multiple waves of attacks and his mind was extremely fatigued, this attacker instantly sent out a sword strike. This was truly an extremely brilliant strategy.
"What's going on? Why has one person suddenly attacked?"
When Di Xinhan saw this sword strike suddenly appear, it startled him. His mind was already immersed in the battle. Each wave was stronger than the wave before. Amid the waves of attacks, he had already forgotten that there was one person who had yet to appear.
Di Xinhan was not the only one. Many people did not expect this sword strike that suddenly came from the side. It startled them, catching them off guard. Their hearts leaped to their throats.
The endless surging waves of attacks were already very difficult to handle. Now, there was a killing move like this. How was one to deal with this?
"I was just waiting for you!"
Xiao Chen, who had been suppressed for a long time, revealed a bright sharpness in his eyes instead. Thousands of afterimages immediately merged, and he instantly drew the Lunar Shadow Saber.
At the same time, he ignited one of the sunlike spots of Saber Energy in his sea of consciousness.
This light was too bright, sending everything into darkness. When light reappeared, only Xiao Chen's attack could be seen.
After shattering the sword of his attacker, the saber light remained resplendent, and its might did not decrease at all as it continued on its path.
The swordsman who attacked not only failed in his sneak attack but was also sent flying by Xiao Chen's counterattack. The powerful saber intent shattered all his armor and riddled his body with wounds as he tumbled across the floor.
This turn of events was the very definition of shocking the soul.
Everyone had thought that the powerful sword strike would reduce Xiao Chen to a sorry state, disrupting his rhythm and possibly even defeating him immediately.
However, at the very climax, the person who attacked was countered. The onlookers were flabbergasted and dumbfounded.
"This… Could it be that Xiao Chen always kept some strength in reserve when facing those overwhelming waves of attacks, waiting for the last person?"
Di Xinhan's heart pounded heavily, racing and thumping loudly. "Damn it! I really shouldn't watch this fellow's battles. That nearly made my heart jump out of my mouth."
Di Xinhan was not alone. The countless Fiend Race cultivators who had rushed over all felt the same way.
The two junior Vice Island Masters, who had somewhat changed their opinions of Xiao Chen, were so shocked that they stood up involuntarily in complete disbelief.
"This is a cooperative skill of my Fiend Race. If I did not know this and suffered attacks repeatedly, it would be hard for me to bear. How did this fellow remain so calm?!"
"Such a mental state is somewhat horrifying."
There was a saying, "The laymen watch for excitement, the experts watch for skill." The two junior Vice Island Masters saw in a glance that this reversal was somehow related to Xiao Chen's frighteningly calm mental state.
In fact, his mental state could even be said to be a direct cause of the reversal.
Di Feng, who was beating the war drum, had been splitting his attention to watch the battle. He was not surprised at this sudden turn of events.
"The show is just beginning. This little fellow has a complete Dao that is extremely suitable for fighting against many. After seeing it, perhaps I might gain something."
As a Sovereign Martial Emperor, Di Feng looked even further. His eyesight was unfathomably strong; he saw and remembered every move Xiao Chen made.
At the same time, he continuously simulated Xiao Chen's actions in his mind.