Chapter 1963: Only Lin Feng Remains
On the empty ground beneath the Human Emperor Ranking, a group of experts from the Human Emperor Palace stared at the battle on the Human Emperor Platform, their hearts stirred with waves of emotion. This Chu Chunqiu was incredibly formidable; he had already suppressed Ji Shang.
At this moment, Chu Chunqiu seemed possessed by ancient kings, his spiritual will descending wildly upon his entire being. Every step he took seemed to contain the principles of heaven and earth. The terrifying devouring power caused Ji Shang to tremble more and more violently.
"Great Mountain River Collapsing Palm!" Chu Chunqiu struck out with a palm, and instantly, mountains and rivers seemed on the verge of overturning. In the void, ancient kings unleashed boundless divine might. Ji Shang looked up, and an azure dragon soared into the sky, its annihilating power causing the mountain and river force above to collapse and shatter. However, Chu Chunqiu once again stomped forward toward Ji Shang. The will of the ancient kings grew even more terrifying. Ji Shang's entire being was enveloped by a devouring vortex, his Dao intent unable to exert its power, swallowed whole by the devouring force.
"Kill!" Chu Chunqiu roared explosively. Those ancient kings seemed to release invincible divine might, charging toward Ji Shang to slaughter him. At the same time, Chu Chunqiu reached out and grabbed, as if the void itself were about to tear apart. He took another step forward, now not far from Ji Shang.
The pressure Ji Shang was enduring was shocking and terrifying. That devouring power seemed intent on swallowing him whole. Coupled with the spiritual will Chu Chunqiu had unleashed, it completely bridged the gap in their cultivation realms. But what truly made Ji Shang's heart tremble was Chu Chunqiu's momentum—pressing forward without hesitation, as if no one in the world could contend with him. He was the king, dominating mountains and rivers. Even though he had not yet been enfeoffed as a king, he was already an uncrowned king, one who would forcefully defeat even those who had been enfeoffed.
"When Chu Chunqiu challenged Gui Li, he was still hiding his strength, not fully releasing all his power. It seems he was waiting for a battle with someone who had been enfeoffed as a king." The crowd sensed the aura Chu Chunqiu was now emitting, silently thinking to themselves. At this moment, Chu Chunqiu was more like a king descending upon the world than Ji Shang.
The outcome of the battle seemed sealed from this point. Although Ji Shang, with his terrifying strength, continued to resist Chu Chunqiu for a long time, causing heaven and earth to crack and collapse, his momentum had weakened. In the end, he could not turn the tide and was defeated at Chu Chunqiu's hands. This battle gave people the impression that Chu Chunqiu was significantly stronger than Ji Shang. Of course, this was merely an illusion; Chu Chunqiu's strength could not possibly surpass Ji Shang by much. However, the momentum he displayed—the overwhelming kingly momentum, that aura—made his image appear more majestic than Ji Shang's in the eyes of the crowd.
A flicker of confusion appeared in the defeated Ji Shang's eyes, as if he were asking himself why he had lost. Someone who had been enfeoffed as a king had actually been defeated, and in such a setting as the Emperor Ranking Challenge. For him, this was undoubtedly a great humiliation. Not only for him, but even the War King Academy would bear a stain because of this. A king-enfeoffed figure, the second-ranked expert on the Emperor Ranking, had lost to Chu Chunqiu of the Heavenly God Academy, making the value of this enfeoffment seem somewhat insufficient.
Of course, this was not because Ji Shang was weak. Ji Shang's strength was undoubtedly a formidable existence at the Martial Emperor realm. But the martial path was like this—even at the same cultivation level, there was never an absolute limit.
"Huff..." After a long while, Ji Shang let out a long breath, his eyes regaining clarity. When faced with defeat, he needed to guard his heart even more, remaining unmoved. Wasn't this also a motivation for him? The Central Holy City was teeming with monstrous prodigies. He should be happy, for on the path of the strong, there would be companions, and he would not be alone.
Chu Chunqiu now stood in the second position on the Emperor Ranking, while Ji Shang fell to third.
"Can you continue fighting?" Pei Donglai asked Ji Shang calmly.
"Mm." Ji Shang responded softly, nodding slightly. Then, the Battle Monk stepped forward. As previously agreed, after Chu Chunqiu and Ji Shang's battle, the Battle Monk would challenge. He would first challenge Ji Shang. If he lost, there would be no need for the next battle.
Ji Shang seemed to start this battle with a completely new state, as if unaffected by the previous defeat. It must be said that the Battle Monk's strength was very formidable, exciting many from the Eternal Ancient Academy. They would also produce a king-enfeoffed figure, which was naturally a good thing. The Battle Monk had disappeared for two years, comprehending Buddhist Dao, and only reappeared in everyone's sight on the day of the Emperor Ranking Challenge. His strength was now incomparably greater than two years ago; otherwise, he would not have been able to knock Gui Li down.
At this moment, the Battle Monk gave off a feeling of boundless Buddhist power. That intent of ten thousand Buddhas paying homage was extremely powerful.
However, Ji Shang's Annihilation Dao was no longer constrained. When its power was unleashed, it was terrifying. No matter how vast the Buddha's light, how devout the Buddhist heart, how many Buddhas paid homage, Ji Shang would make it all collapse. If existence was king, then he would not bow to Buddhas or saints.
The fierce battle ultimately ended with Ji Shang defeating the Battle Monk. However, the crowd was still shocked by the Battle Monk's strength. With such combat power, the Battle Monk would not be far from being enfeoffed as a king.
"Ying Cheng, Ji Shang, Chu Chunqiu, Battle Monk. In the same era of the Central Holy City, it seems four king-enfeoffed figures will emerge." The crowd thought to themselves, a ripple stirring in their hearts. When everyone returned to their positions on the Human Emperor Heavenly Pillars, the Emperor Ranking hanging high in the void changed once again.
The current ranking was: Ying Cheng, Chu Chunqiu, Ji Shang, Battle Monk, Gui Li, Shi Yunfeng, Lin Feng, Xue Shenfeng, Yin Gutian, Wang Zhong.
Because the Battle Monk had not defeated Ji Shang, he remained in his original position, and Gui Li could no longer challenge those ranked above the Battle Monk. Now, this Emperor Ranking was almost finalized, with only two variables remaining. First, would Chu Chunqiu fight Ying Cheng? Second, Lin Feng. Lin Feng had not yet lost a challenge, and Pei Donglai had always given him the opportunity to challenge the person directly above him. Lin Feng had not given up his chance, so it was not necessary for him to be ranked behind anyone. Lin Feng still had the opportunity to continue moving up, provided he had sufficient strength. The people ahead of him were no weaklings; all were extremely formidable figures.
"Chu Chunqiu, do you still wish to challenge Ying Cheng?" Pei Donglai asked Chu Chunqiu. Chu Chunqiu glanced at Ying Cheng, who was sitting cross-legged on the Human Emperor Heavenly Pillar with his eyes closed. Above his head, wisps of auspicious light appeared, as if signifying the omen of becoming an emperor.
"Since he is about to attain the emperor position, I will not challenge him," Chu Chunqiu said calmly. Ying Cheng was not far from becoming a Great Emperor. Once Ying Cheng achieved the emperor position, the first place on the Emperor Ranking would naturally fall to Chu Chunqiu. Whether he fought for it or not, it would be his. Moreover, Ying Cheng probably had no interest in fighting at this moment, so Chu Chunqiu would give up challenging him.
With Chu Chunqiu giving up, the Emperor Ranking was almost settled, leaving only Lin Feng.
Instantly, everyone's gaze focused entirely on Lin Feng, silently thinking that this Emperor Ranking Challenge was probably coming to an end.
Pei Donglai also looked at Lin Feng, his eyes flickering. He thought to himself that if he let Lin Feng challenge the person ahead of him, Lin Feng might just give up directly.
"Gui Li is ranked fifth and has lost both his battles. He cultivates the Ghost Spirit Scripture, so he must be filled with resentment. If Lin Feng challenges him now, Gui Li will certainly strike ruthlessly." Pei Donglai pondered. Lin Feng's strength was quite impressive; he had defeated Xue Shenfeng of the Snow Clan. The person ranked above him, the stone man Shi Yunfeng, should be able to handle Lin Feng. However, Shi Yunfeng lacked resentment. Gui Li was more suitable as Lin Feng's opponent.
Pei Donglai thought to himself. Gui Li was ranked fifth on the Emperor Ranking, only two positions above Lin Feng. Lin Feng couldn't possibly give up, could he? If he gave up, he would only have to fight Shi Yunfeng for the sixth position, which wasn't much different from seventh. Pei Donglai believed that Lin Feng would definitely agree to challenge Gui Li.
"Lin Feng, you are now the last one. I do not wish to have you challenge someone too strong. Gui Li has lost both his battles and is probably the weakest among those ranked above you. I will let you challenge him. Do you accept?" Pei Donglai said calmly, causing a cold, sinister light to flash in Gui Li's eyes.
Lost both battles, the weakest? How harsh these words sounded in Gui Li's ears. Everyone understood the truth: Gui Li's strength was not weak at all; on the contrary, it was very formidable. However, in his first battle, he encountered Chu Chunqiu, and in his second, the Battle Monk. The strength of these two was evident to all. Even though Gui Li had lost, it did not deny his power. Pei Donglai was deliberately belittling Gui Li, though his intentions were unclear.
Lin Feng glanced at Pei Donglai, his heart as clear as a mirror. Then, he stepped forward. How could he not fight Gui Li, ranked fifth on the Emperor Ranking?
A powerful, cold, and sinister aura emanated from Gui Li. He descended before Lin Feng like a ghost, saying, "Are you ready?"
Looking at those pupils, Lin Feng dared not be careless. Because of Pei Donglai's words, Gui Li would certainly not show any mercy when attacking him.
"Mm." Lin Feng nodded calmly.
"Kill!" A hoarse voice suddenly rang out. Instantly, a pair of illusory netherworld ghost claws appeared directly in front of Lin Feng, exuding a bloody aura, crimson and fierce, as if they could tear the void apart. This ghost claw attack could directly tear apart and kill a powerful Martial Emperor.
Lin Feng struck out with a palm. The Floating World Seal carried no elemental attributes, but it directly tore apart and shattered the ghost claws. Although he had many techniques, he was still a realm below these opponents, making it difficult for his divine abilities to clash head-on with theirs. Only this Floating World Seal possessed terrifying power.
"Over here!" Gui Li said coldly and contemptuously. Lin Feng's gaze followed him, and instantly, he felt a host of ghostly deities charging toward him to kill. This was Gui Li's Dao, the mysterious Ghost Dao intent.
Swords of Death appeared in the void, shooting out, slaughtering toward those demonic apparitions. At the same time, Gui Li's eyes seemed to pierce through Lin Feng's pupils. A ghost king directly stepped into Lin Feng's mind, intending to slay his soul.
In the past, Lin Feng had often used such methods against others. Now, Gui Li was using them against him.