Chapter 1222: Crimson Flame (Part 1)
"It's rare to see Luo Changsheng so serious," Glazed Light Realm King Luo Changchen suddenly remarked. "It seems that although he is confident of victory, he indeed does not underestimate his opponent. Not bad."
"No," Luo Guxie shook her head. "It's Yun Che who has given him a sense of crisis."
"A sense of crisis?" Luo Shangchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you saying?"
Luo Guxie spoke slowly: "Ever since Luo Changsheng was young, he has never been defeated among his peers. He has always looked down on everyone else. Not only could no one look down on him, there wasn't even anyone who could be considered his equal. His entire life has been like this, and he has long been accustomed to this state. But Yun Che... he is younger than Luo Changsheng, and his Xuan Dao cultivation is barely at the Divine Tribulation Realm, yet he can force him to such an extent. For the first time, it has given him a 'crisis' and 'imbalance' of 'perhaps I am not as good as him'."
Luo Shangchen: "..."
"Luo Changsheng specifically asked Yun Che to release the 'Phantom God' earlier, and then immediately extinguished it. The purpose was not to dampen Yun Che's spirit, but also driven by this same 'imbalance'. Earlier, when Yun Che fought Lu Lengchuan and released the 'Phantom God', displaying astonishing power that directly turned the tide, Luo Changsheng's reaction was extremely intense... because that was a power he could not even comprehend."
"..." Luo Shangchen's brow furrowed as he murmured, "I see."
"However, Luo Changsheng may not be aware of this himself, and even if he were, he would absolutely never admit it," Luo Guxie continued. Clearly, as Luo Changsheng's master and aunt, she understood him even better than Luo Shangchen. "To balance this unprecedented negative feeling, what Luo Changsheng must do is to completely suppress Yun Che and make him lose thoroughly."
"When Yun Che is completely trampled under his feet, the negative feelings brought by Yun Che will naturally be crushed as well."
Lose? Luo Changsheng never considered losing, and he absolutely would never allow himself to lose.
Faced with Luo Changsheng's judgment-like indifferent words, Yun Che said nothing. He stepped forward, each stride covering a hundred zhang, fully releasing his Xuan Qi. The Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record was activated to its limit. The power of the sword and the power of fire perfectly merged on the Heaven-Defying Sword. The moment they erupted, the flame illuminated the sky, nearly piercing through the void.
Despite such formidable might, Luo Changsheng did not move at all, as calm as if he were watching a spectacular firework. Only the Sacred Thunder Sword traced a circular arc in the air, slanting downward.
Yun Che's attack was extremely violent, but Luo Changsheng's posture was light and graceful, as if he were strolling leisurely. As the Sacred Thunder Sword stabbed down, three thin white sword lights appeared silently, instantly piercing the void, leaving three pale traces between heaven and earth.
*Crack!*
A soft sound passed by their ears in an instant. The flame and sword might that Yun Che had unleashed were pierced through by the three thin white sword lights, then torn apart in an instant, and in the next moment turned into a scattered storm of Xuan Qi and fragments of flame.
All the spectators widened their eyes... A moment ago, they seemed to see the void completely split apart. The three sword lights had already disappeared, but on their retinas, three pale afterimages still lingered, not fading for a long time.
Yun Che used Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick to teleport. As the three white lights pierced through his sword might, they also pierced through his ice afterimage. Despite the shock in his heart, his body did not pause for an instant. He closed in on Luo Changsheng like flowing light, gathering immense sword might again, crashing down upon Luo Changsheng.
*Boom!!*
The Heaven-Defying Sword stopped three zhang in front of Luo Changsheng. Amid the clashing sound of metal and stone, a yellow barrier flashed, deeply dented, then exploded violently.
The flames and the Heaven-Defying Sword were fiercely repelled. Yun Che was blasted away as if struck by a giant mountain. He somersaulted through the air.
Luo Changsheng finally moved. His sword and axe struck together. Five sword lights, swirling with gale force, shot down like arrows. The shadow of a giant eagle flashed behind him, exuding an immensely heavy pressure.
The five sword lights locked onto Yun Che's aura and closed in instantly. Yun Che twisted his body with difficulty in midair, opening the Evil God Barrier as fast as he could.
*Sssssst—crack!*
Three sword lights were blocked by the Evil God Barrier. Under the fourth sword light, the Evil God Barrier finally shattered. The fifth sword light, carrying surging wind force, lashed heavily like a whip onto Yun Che's back.
With a loud crash, the snow-white clothes on Yun Che's back tore apart, and blood spray flew. But before he could counterattack, his entire body felt as if pressed by ten thousand mountains, plunging downward rapidly.
Luo Changsheng flew over, his body radiating dense yellow Xuan light. A heavy gravitational field firmly enveloped Yun Che.
The gravitational field—one of the high-level laws of earth-type Xuan arts. The gravitational field Luo Changsheng released was exceptionally powerful. Moreover, Yun Che was wielding a heavy weapon, so the suppression on him was immense. Sensing Luo Changsheng's power approaching, he barely managed to turn around by gathering all his Xuan force, but his sword swing speed was nearly half as slow as usual.
By the time Luo Changsheng's power crashed down, Yun Che could only barely hold the Heaven-Defying Sword horizontally in front of him.
*Bang!*
The Sacred Thunder Sword, enhanced by yellow light, carried an extremely heavy sword might, slamming heavily onto the Heaven-Defying Sword.
The first strike: Yun Che's entire body shook violently. The energy within several li of space was completely expelled by the suddenly erupting terrifying airwave.
*Boom!!!*
The second strike: blood sprayed from Yun Che's arms, staining his white clothes. His internal organs churned violently.
*Rumble—*
The third strike: The Heaven-Defying Sword was completely knocked away. Yun Che felt as if struck by a heaven-upholding hammer. His mind buzzed, and he was sent flying backward heavily.
Luo Changsheng's face was indifferent. His Xuan Qi suddenly changed from yellow to green. The Divine Wind Axe flew out of his hand, instantly stirring up a terrifying storm that changed the heavens and earth. It chased after Yun Che at several times his retreating speed, mercilessly striking his back.
"Yun Che!" Mu Bingyun abruptly stood up, her face turning pale.
*Boom—crash!*
The sound of the storm at that moment was like a volcanic eruption. The entire Feng Shen Platform shook and trembled faintly. Yun Che was flung in another direction, trailing a long mist of blood. He flew horizontally for dozens of li before crashing heavily to the ground.
The Heaven-Defying Sword also flew out of his hand, landing far away.
"Sigh, it's over." Huo Rulie closed his eyes. The initial stalemate had still given him a shred of hope, but after Luo Changsheng truly exerted his full strength, Yun Che was completely suppressed. Except for the unexpected strike from his Phantom God that had burned Luo Changsheng, he could hardly even get close.
"After all, he is Luo Changsheng." Yan Juehai also sighed. "It is already incredibly remarkable that Yun Che could force him to go all out. Entering the final battle is already a miracle. No one has the right to demand more of him."
"Brother Yun... is he all right?" Huo Poyun asked nervously. The outcome was already decided; victory or defeat no longer mattered. But... that last terrifying attack from Luo Changsheng had hit Yun Che squarely in the back!
The back contains the spine. It had already been injured by the sword lights, and now, while his strength was exhausted, it suffered such a terrible attack... No one doubted that Yun Che's spine had likely been cruelly broken.
And no matter how powerful a Xuan master, if the spine shatters, they would collapse completely, with no combat strength left.
A myth is ultimately a myth. How easily could it be overturned? Even though Yun Che had shaken the Eastern Divine Region time and again, he still could not shake this true number one of the younger generation of the Eastern Divine Region.
Luo Changsheng stopped, and even his Xuan Qi gradually subsided. Clearly, in his view, there was no need to pursue further. No one knew better than him how immense the force of the strike that hit Yun Che's spine truly was.
His mentality toward Yun Che was exactly as Luo Guxie had described. He was the undefeated Young Master Luo Changsheng. Over the years, he had become completely accustomed to being undefeated, to looking down on all. But as Yun Che revealed his prominence, his heart and soul began to stir like never before, and the feeling grew stronger.
Although he was very certain that his strength far surpassed Yun Che's... when he was at the ninth level of the Divine Tribulation Realm, he could never have displayed combat power like Yun Che's, let alone wield the power of the "Phantom God." Moreover, Yun Che could control multiple different attributes of Xuan arts and possessed multiple divine blood inheritances.
A feeling of "inferiority" uncontrollably sprouted in his heart. For him, the eternal "First Divine Son," this feeling was undoubtedly unbearable and unendurable.
But now, under his true full strength, Yun Che was completely suppressed. Even when he released the Phantom God, he had no power to resist, repeatedly struck down with ease. Now, there was no possibility of turning the tables.
Yun Che lay heavily wounded in a pool of blood, while Luo Changsheng looked down upon him like an emperor. The "discomfort" that had persisted for several days quickly faded, and his gaze became more serene.
Everything seemed settled. In everyone's eyes, this final battle was coming to an end. Before the Xuan God Convention even began, Luo Changsheng was already the recognized champion. In the end, no surprises occurred...
But at this moment, Yun Che, lying in the pool of blood, slowly stood up.
His back was a bloody mess, his arms completely stained red, yet he stood straight, with no sign of a broken spine. As he turned, his eyes gleamed with a somber fierceness, but not a trace of fear or trembling.
"He... can still stand?" Many exclaimed in shock.
"What an astonishing body! Even if his spine isn't broken, his internal and external injuries are severe. But the way he looks... is he going to keep fighting?"
Luo Changsheng's brow twitched, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. Then he smiled. "Still able to stand. It seems your bones and tendons have also undergone special tempering."
Yun Che: "..."
"I suppose you won't choose to admit defeat just like that." Luo Changsheng extended his hand. "Then continue. Let me see how long you can hold on."
*Hah... hah... hah... hah...*
Yun Che's breathing was incredibly heavy. His chest heaved violently, as if it might burst at any moment. He slowly extended his hand. When everyone thought he was going to recall the Heaven-Defying Sword for another round, a flash of flame appeared, and he withdrew the Golden Crow Phantom God.
"Oh?" Luo Changsheng frowned slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. "You're not planning to admit defeat like this, are you?"
The watching crowd also showed looks of disappointment. Although Yun Che was being crushed by Luo Changsheng at full strength with no chance of victory, as a top Xuan master of the Eastern Divine Region coming to the finals watched by the entire Eastern Divine Region, even if he was destined to lose, he should at least fight to the very end. Otherwise, wouldn't he be looked down upon?
Yun Che said nothing, but slowly closed his eyes.