Chapter 2199: No Principles
The Heartless Young Master's gaze fell upon the five individuals occupying the lowest-ranked seats: Kong Ming, Nine Spirits Emperor, Mo Luo, Zhou Rongman, and Lin Feng.
The Heartless Young Master had some understanding of Heavenly Soul Saint's strength—he was formidable, yet he hadn't even posed a threat to Kong Ming before being eliminated. Kong Ming's power was beyond doubt and could be set aside for now.
Nine Spirits Emperor had defeated Wuyazi, another of the Nine Heavens' First Lords, eliminating him.
Mo Luo was a peak King Body, and his Shadow Assassination techniques were terrifying, but his battle record wasn't as illustrious.
Zhou Rongman's record also seemed unremarkable, yet that guy was uncanny—he won every fight with ease. The Heartless Young Master understood clearly what that meant: Zhou Rongman's strength was far from as simple as it appeared. As for Lin Feng, his record was quite brilliant; he had eliminated Ni Cang, one of the Nine Heavens' First Lords. This time, the Qingxiao Continent had indeed produced several monstrous talents, with three of them among the top ten seats.
Thus, the Heartless Young Master's first battle choice was Mo Luo. On this stage, among the top ten, who among them was inferior to a King Body? They were all peerless prodigies comparable to King Bodies. Therefore, the Heartless Young Master wouldn't consider physiques. Although Mo Luo's assassination techniques were formidable, his own Three Thousand Slaughter Techniques were hardly weak.
At this moment, the ten individuals were positioned in different directions. When the Heartless Young Master, who had stepped into the center, set his gaze on Mo Luo, Mo Luo's body also rose and walked forward. A void began to form around him; the sky seemed to darken, turning into a world without light. Then, Mo Luo's figure vanished, leaving only a terrifying sense of danger crisscrossing that space.
The Heartless Young Master released an aura of heartlessness—emotionless, selfless. Beams of heartless light burst forth into the void like dazzling swords, wrapping around his body. Even the Heartless Young Master's eyes closed. Fighting Mo Luo, eyes were useless; he was the Shadow King.
That stretch of void became oppressively tense, yet no killing strike came for a long time. The Heartless Young Master stood there, eyes closed, utterly calm. Occasionally, a sliver of killing force would slash against him, but it couldn't shake his mind in the slightest. As the Heartless Young Master himself had said, a heartless person lets nothing move their heart; the path of heartlessness severs all entanglements and is the supreme path of heaven and earth. This was merely one school of thought, but the Heartless Young Master's mental fortitude was beyond doubt.
Finally, a beam of killing light descended from the darkness, aimed directly at the back of the Heartless Young Master's neck, swift as lightning.
The Heartless Young Master still stood motionless. Suddenly, a terrifying heartless will howled behind him, condensing into a brilliant sword light. A tearing sound rang out as the sword light was ripped apart. That single point of cold light shattered everything, shooting straight toward the Heartless Young Master. At that moment, the Heartless Young Master's body trembled slightly, rising upward.
But just then, the killing light accelerated, and Mo Luo's figure materialized.
"Opportunity!" A sharp gleam flashed in Mo Luo's eyes. This Heartless Young Master was far too arrogant. As an assassin, he had calculated the speed of his strike with extreme precision. He knew that this killing blow would hit the Heartless Young Master—there was no way he could avoid it.
That beam of light surged, transforming into a sword. With a soft *chi* sound, it pierced directly into the Heartless Young Master's chest. Fast—so fast that the crowd couldn't even react. A look of bewilderment appeared in their eyes. What was going on? Was the Heartless Young Master really so fragile?
The moment Mo Luo's killing force entered the Heartless Young Master's body, Mo Luo felt no joy. He hadn't miscalculated—the strike had indeed landed, but it hadn't hit a vital point. For an assassin, every strike must be a thunderous blow, a sure kill. But this time, he hadn't achieved that. His instincts told him that this sword strike had been *given* to him by the Heartless Young Master. This was the intuition of a king among assassins. Instead of joy, he felt a strong sense of crisis.
At the instant his strike hit, the Heartless Young Master let the sword pierce through him, leaning his body toward Mo Luo. Fast—so fast that even this assassin couldn't think. Yet his instincts also told him that at this moment, he could no longer retreat. Only killing was the right choice.
A terrifying heartless will surged into Mo Luo's body. Three thousand heartless threads, like three thousand swords, ravaged his mind and body.
"Die!" Mo Luo roared madly, his own Dao erupting wildly. If the Heartless Young Master was crazy, how could he not be?
A dreadful killing light struck toward Mo Luo's mind. Mo Luo's face turned pale, and he finally pulled back, but the Three Thousand Slaughter Techniques converged into a storm of slaughter, threatening to utterly destroy him.
*Whoosh!* Suddenly, Mo Luo's body vanished back into the darkness. But the next moment, a thunderous *crack* exploded. Mo Luo's figure reappeared, drenched in blood, his body riddled with countless bloody holes. His face was deathly pale as he collapsed to the ground. The Heartless Young Master coughed, his own body stained with blood. This brief exchange left everyone shaken. This Heartless Young Master was truly heartless—even toward himself.
"Mo Luo excels at stealth assassination to the highest degree, but in a direct confrontation, he's clearly no match for the Heartless Young Master's heartless slaughter techniques," the crowd sighed inwardly. Too crazy. The Heartless Young Master knew that defeating Mo Luo in the shadows was difficult, so he took a massive risk, letting Mo Luo strike his body. The destructive killing force rampaged through him. Even with preparation, it must have been a severe injury.
The Heartless Young Master flickered, appearing before Mo Luo, and asked, "Still fighting?"
Mo Luo's face was pale. He looked at the Heartless Young Master's bleeding body and said coldly, "You're ruthless. I lose this battle."
The Heartless Young Master turned silently, returned to his spot, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. That cold, heartless demeanor inspired deep wariness.
The first battle of the top ten lasted only an instant, yet it left an indelible impression.
"Mo Luo, Nine Heavens Gathering, tenth seat!" The crowd's gaze fell on Mo Luo. His ranking was now set. He was the first to be eliminated, so his rank was tenth.
According to the agreement, the second battle should be initiated by Chu Chunqiu, who held the fourth seat.
Chu Chunqiu stepped forward. In the previous round, Chu Chunqiu hadn't fought even once—no one had challenged him.
"This Chu Chunqiu is a descendant of the Chu King. I've heard that the Chu family has two most outstanding figures. One is Chu Fengzi from a thousand years ago, who devoured too many experts, violated major taboos, and was besieged by countless strong practitioners. Everyone thought he was dead, but rumors say he appeared at Guang Han Palace. After Chu Fengzi comes this Chu Chunqiu. He used to keep a low profile, only beginning to show his edge after reaching the High-rank Emperor realm. But unlike Chu Fengzi, Chu Chunqiu is smarter, more patient, and his achievements will surpass Chu Fengzi's. He's a fearsome figure."
Someone in Shen Xiao City spoke. By now, the backgrounds of the top ten were known to all. News spread too fast. Everyone in Shen Xiao City knew of any major deeds any of them had accomplished, including that Chu Chunqiu was from the Holy City Central Continent's Divine Academy of the Qingxiao Continent, and Lin Feng was from War King Academy.
"I wonder who Chu Chunqiu will choose to fight. With his strength, he should be able to eliminate one person," the crowd murmured.
As Chu Chunqiu walked forward, his gaze swept over the crowd. Then, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. His eyes landed on the Heartless Young Master. This sight made everyone pause. Hua Qingfeng had just said that those in the top five seats would challenge those in the bottom five.
But now, Chu Chunqiu was looking at the Nine Heavens' First Lord, the Heartless Young Master.
Even the Heartless Young Master sensed it. He opened his eyes, stopped regulating his breathing, and a flash of heartless light passed through his gaze.
"This battle, I think, is unnecessary. Heartless Young Master of the Nine Heavens' First Lords, ninth seat. Of course, from today onward, your title as the Nine Heavens' First Lord will be stripped away," Chu Chunqiu said calmly, startling countless people. This Chu Chunqiu was disregarding the rules.
The Heartless Young Master had just fought, risking injury to defeat and eliminate Mo Luo. But Chu Chunqiu was trying to pick up an easy win from behind.
Hua Qingfeng's gaze hardened, and he said, "He's injured. Challenging him now is an unworthy victory."
"This is the Nine Heavens Gathering. Whoever is eliminated gets a lower rank. That was *your* rule just now, not mine," Chu Chunqiu said, looking at Hua Qingfeng calmly. "You may hold the first seat for now, but your rules don't dictate my thoughts. When it's your turn to act, you're welcome to challenge me."
Chu Chunqiu's calm voice carried a hint of domineering intent. Why should he follow Hua Qingfeng's rules? He wanted an easy victory. No one would think Chu Chunqiu was afraid to fight, because at this moment, he was sending a message to Hua Qingfeng: when it's your turn, feel free to challenge me.
"This is a man with no rules, no principles," the crowd thought as they watched Chu Chunqiu. But no one doubted his strength. This was Chu Chunqiu's nature.
"Will you fight?" Chu Chunqiu asked the Heartless Young Master again.
The Heartless Young Master's expression remained unruffled as he looked at Chu Chunqiu. Just as the crowd expected him to be angry, the Heartless Young Master said calmly, "I'm out."
With that, he closed his eyes. A heartless person wouldn't fight out of anger. Chu Chunqiu's actions didn't even make him angry. All ten people here were extraordinary figures, each with their own principles. His elimination was due to his own carelessness. But losing was losing. At the Nine Heavens Gathering, no matter what rank he got, it wouldn't affect his state of mind.
Two were eliminated from the top ten. Mo Luo took the tenth seat, and the Heartless Young Master took the ninth.