211: Chapter 211 The Final Battle Begins

Eighth Prince Zhou Daoyi stood upon the high platform, his gaze sweeping across the entire arena as he solemnly announced:

"Xuanyang Sect's Baili Yunche wins!"

As his voice trailed off, he paused slightly, intending to conventionally announce a period of rest and recuperation for both finalists, only to see that Baili Yunche on the stage had already turned around to face him.

"Eighth Prince, there is no need to rest."

Baili Yunche held the burning heaven sword, its tip pointing obliquely at the ground.

"Killing Liang Hong just now consumed less than ten percent of my cultivation power."

"Let's proceed with the match quickly; do not waste the time of all the Fellow Daoists present."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire arena fell silent for a fleeting moment before erupting into an overwhelming uproar.

"What?! Baili Yunche is actually being this arrogant? Who does he think he is? The Seventh Prince is at the Peak of the Fourth Layer of Nascent Soul, with a Major Achievement in the Heavenly Thunder Battle Body, yet he dares to claim it only consumed ten percent of his power?"

"Arrogant! Too arrogant! This is simply showing complete disrespect to the Seventh Prince! He is merely at the First Layer of Nascent Soul; does he really think defeating Liang Hong allows him to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Seventh Prince?"

"Idiot! The Seventh Prince's Heavenly Thunder Battle Body, combined with the jinglei spear, gives him a combat prowess comparable to the Sixth Layer of Nascent Soul! He is simply rushing to his death!"

Above the spectator stands, countless Cultivators stood up, pointing and gesturing at Baili Yunche with gazes full of mockery and disdain.

In their eyes, strong though Baili Yunche might be, he was ultimately only at the First Layer of Nascent Soul.

Meanwhile, Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu was publicly acknowledged as the undisputed number one of the younger generation in the Cangxuan Empire. There was a full gap of three minor Realms between them, an uncrossable chasm.

However, there were also a few sharp-eyed individuals who looked at that tall, upright figure on the stage, a trace of solemnity flashing in their eyes.

"Baili Yunche... is too calm. Since he dares to utter such words, he likely has genuine confidence."

"This person has fought his way up all the way from the Ninth Layer of Golden Core without a single defeat. Every time it seemed like a narrow victory, he was actually handling it with ease. Perhaps... he truly still holds hidden trump cards."

"Baili Yunche..."

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's voice came from the other side of the stage, low and cold like a jiuyou cold wind.

He leaped forward, landing on the arena stage like a golden meteor.

Within Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's starry eyes, however, two clusters of purple lightning were burning, and arcs of electricity faintly crackled around his entire body.

"You are far too arrogant!"

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu slowly raised his right hand, and that twelve-foot-long jinglei spear materialized out of thin air in his palm.

"If it were before, back when you were at the Ninth Layer of Golden Core, I could have crushed you to death with a single hand."

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu pointed the tip of his spear obliquely at Baili Yunche, his tone carrying innate arrogance and contempt.

"Yet now, even though you have broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, you are still only at the First Layer of Nascent Soul."

"In my eyes, you remain merely a stumbling block on my path to success, nothing more than a slightly sturdier ant."

Hearing this, Baili Yunche suddenly smiled.

He raised the burning heaven sword, and the earth fire essence upon the blade suddenly surged, its crimson flames casting a glow over his features that made him look like a flaming god of war.

"If it were before, I naturally would not have dared to contend with you."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze carrying undisguised arrogance, his voice not loud yet clearly cutting through the noisy commotion of the entire arena.

"Yet now, I have already broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

"You, Zhou Changyu, will only be the final stepping stone for me to ascend to the pinnacle of the rankings."

"With the jiuyou cold flame in my hands, you... will never be able to take it back!"

Baili Yunche slowly raised his left hand, spreading his five fingers before suddenly clenching them into a fist, as if crushing something within his palm.

His gaze swept across Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's gloomy face like the edge of a blade, his tone cold and overbearing.

"Today's battle will decide both victory and defeat, as well as life and death. Well then, do you dare to accept?"

Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu's pupils constricted slightly, and then he threw his head back and laughed aloud.

That laughter carried monstrous fury and mad killing intent, shaking the clouds above the arena into turmoil.

"What is there not to dare?!"

He abruptly shook the jinglei spear, pointing its tip straight at Baili Yunche as purple lightning burst forth, transforming into rings of electrical arcs that spread outward.

"Baili Yunche, you seized my jiuyou cold flame and damaged my Dao Heart! Today, I shall use your blood to consecrate my spiritual fire!"

"I will blast your Physical Body into smithereens and extract your Primordial Spirit, roasting it day and night with heavenly thunder so that you will wish for death and find no release!"

As these words fell, the arena erupted into an uproar once again.

"What?! The Seventh Prince actually wants to fight a battle to the death with Baili Yunche? Isn't it supposed to be a finals match where victory is decided without taking lives?"

"Of course not! I heard that two months ago at the Burial Heaven Abyss, Baili Yunche snatched away the Opportunity that rightfully belonged to the Seventh Prince! The Seventh Prince is utterly furious; this grudge is irreconcilable!"

"What Opportunity? Could make the Seventh Prince lose his composure like this?"

"It is said to be the ninety-ninth ranked spiritual fire of heaven and earth—the jiuyou cold flame! That was a supreme treasure the Seventh Prince had planned for months, yet it was snatched away by Baili Yunche!"

"What?! It's actually a spiritual fire of heaven and earth! No wonder the Seventh Prince is so furious! This Baili Yunche is truly audacious, even daring to snatch an imperial prince's Opportunity!"

"Damn that Baili Yunche, daring to seize the Seventh Prince's Opportunity! He is merely a Disciple of a remote border sect; how could he possibly be worthy of a spiritual fire of heaven and earth?"

Above the spectator stands, several female Cultivators dressed in lavish robes, clearly imperial family supporters, stood up one after another, pointing at Baili Yunche and cursing vehemently, their pretty faces flushed red with anger.

In the VIP seating, a look of gloating flashed across the rugged face of Beast Taming Sect Sect Master Lin Batian.

He cast a sidelong glance at Sect Master Xuanyangzi beside him and said in a rumbling voice: "Sect Master Xuanyangzi, look at the fine Disciple you have taught! It's one thing to wantonly slaughter fellow practitioners on the stage, but he even dares to seize the Seventh Prince's Opportunity... How is such a despicable act any different from the Demonic Path?"

As he spoke, he glanced from time to time toward Cangxuan Emperor Zhou Daoyan.

He was clearly attempting to kill with a borrowed knife, using the imperial family's hands to eliminate Baili Yunche.

Cangxuan Emperor Zhou Daoyan sat upright upon the Nine-Dragon Golden Throne, his expression as steady as a mountain, revealing neither joy nor anger.

His gaze fell upon that dark cyan figure on the stage, and he spoke indifferently:

"Sect Master Xuanyangzi, the Baili Yunche of your sect is indeed an outstanding talent."

"To be able to snatch a treasure from Seventh Prince's hands certainly takes some skill; I have underestimated him after all."

Sect Master Xuanyangzi stood up and bowed respectfully, though his heart felt somewhat uneasy.

Unable to fathom this monarch's thoughts, he could only reply modestly:

"Your Majesty flatters him. Baili Yunche was merely lucky and does not deserve such high praise from Your Majesty."

Cangxuan Emperor Zhou Daoyan nodded slightly and continued:

"However, in this final battle, if he wishes to defeat Seventh Prince, it is likely going to be rather precarious."

"Seventh Prince's Heavenly Thunder Battle Body, combined with the Thunder Spirit Transformation secret technique, is something even I might not have easily gained the upper hand against back when I was at the same Realm."

Not only Cangxuan Emperor, but the other Soul Transformation Old Ancestors present, including Tiandao Sect Sect Master Zhao Wuyang and Hehuan Sect Sect Master Shen Miaoyi, shared this exact thought.

Prodigy though Baili Yunche was, the gap between the First Layer of Nascent Soul and the Peak of the Fourth Layer of Nascent Soul was simply too vast.

Furthermore, Seventh Prince Zhou Changyu possessed a Heaven-Defying Physique like the Heavenly Thunder Battle Body, making defeat almost impossible for him.

Only Sect Master Xuanyangzi sat stroking his beard, his gaze carrying a trace of anticipation that others found difficult to perceive.

He looked at that figure on the stage, a quiet sense of anticipation rising in his heart.

This brat managed to bring monumental surprises every single time.

This time, perhaps, would be no exception.