Chapter 1229: Edge of Death
The fifth realm of the Evil God, "Yama King," was something Mo Li had told him about long ago. According to the memories engraved in the Evil God's Indestructible Blood, it represented the ultimate boundary, the absolute limit that a human body could endure. As for the unknown sixth and seventh realms, they were simply beyond the reach of any human—even the pinnacle of human achievement, the Divine Lord Realm, could not withstand or control them.
Yun Che, still in the Divine Tribulation Realm, forcefully activated "Yama King." It was a complete gamble with his life… even if only for an instant.
He couldn't predict the consequences of forcibly opening "Yama King." He might drop dead on the spot, or he might be instantly crippled. But with Luo Changsheng pushing him to this dead end, he had no other choice.
Boom!
The moment "Yama King" activated, a thick burst of blood light exploded from Yun Che's body, followed by a terrifying wave of energy. Under this surge, the storm around Luo Changsheng and the power he had just gathered were instantly annihilated. He was struck as if by a massive hammer, let out a miserable scream, and was sent flying sideways.
The sudden change shocked everyone present. Even the various Realm Kings were visibly shaken… because accompanying that blood light was a wild, violent aura so terrifyingly immense that they simply couldn't believe it.
Yun Che's arms were torn open, flesh flayed, and countless scarlet cracks burst across his entire body. The moment "Yama King" was activated, both his body and the depths of his soul erupted in chaos. He felt as if his body, internal organs, and even his soul had been shattered by the madly surging power. His world of consciousness turned into an endless expanse of blood red. He could no longer feel pain, nor could he sense Luo Changsheng… or the existence of anything else.
Only the last shred of will drove the desperate power of a demon god awakened, and he swung his sword forward.
Boom!
A blood-colored sword beam burst from the Heaven-Defying Sword, piercing through space in an instant. It collided with the barrier at the edge of the Feng Shen Platform, leaving a blood-red scar nearly two hundred miles long across the platform's space.
Wherever the blood-colored sword beam passed, the space twisted violently, then collapsed layer by layer.
This was the space of the God Realm, yet under that single sword strike, it crumbled like thin paper… This was also the first time Yun Che had truly shattered space since arriving in the God Realm. Unfortunately, he couldn't witness this scene he had once dreamed of.
But the moment Yun Che activated "Yama King," his consciousness collapsed as well. The desperate blow he had staked his life on missed Luo Changsheng's position by a huge margin.
Only a faint remnant of blood-colored energy gently brushed against Luo Changsheng.
"Wuaaaaaaaaaah!!"
A cry of endless agony, like something from the abyss of despair, echoed across the sky above the Feng Shen Platform. The moment that faint blood-colored ripple touched Luo Changsheng, he burst like a blood bag suddenly shattered, spraying a torrent of blood into the air as he was hurled into the distant sky…
Clang!
The Heaven-Defying Sword slipped from Yun Che's hand and fell heavily to the ground.
Yun Che's body froze in mid-air for a brief moment. The blood light that had flared on him for that instant vanished along with all his profound energy. Only his eyes still glowed with an unnatural crimson… but they were completely empty, utterly unfocused.
Then, like an empty puppet, he fell straight down and crashed onto the ground.
No… mustn't… lose consciousness…
Otherwise… I'll be judged as defeated…
I'm still… alive… I can still… feel pain… can't pass out… wake up…
The viewing stands were dead silent. Everyone witnessing this battle simply couldn't believe their eyes or their spiritual senses.
"What… was that just now?"
"I… I don't know…"
"Yun Che suddenly… and that… s-such terrifying power just now… is Luo Changsheng… dead?"
"Look at Yun Che… that move was terrifying, but the price was clearly horrific… My god! What exactly happened just now? Sect Master, even you… don't know?"
"What kind of monster is Yun Che?!"
The Yin Xue Realm, Yan Shen Realm, and Shengyu Realm all had faces ashen white, hearts clenched tight. They stared blankly, unable to speak, unable to breathe.
Quhui Zunzhe's brow twitched repeatedly, but he never forgot his duty. His aura remained locked firmly on Yun Che and Luo Changsheng. As Yun Che fell, he was about to confirm whether he had lost consciousness, but he noticed that Yun Che's body, lying in a pool of blood, was trembling slightly. His fingers kept curling and struggling. Then, both wrists scraped against the ground, clearly trying to perceive the world's existence, desperately holding on to keep his consciousness from sinking.
Quhui Zunzhe: "…"
In the air, a whooshing sound came as Luo Changsheng, blasted dozens of miles into the sky, finally fell, accompanied by a thick rain of blood, slamming heavily onto the Feng Shen Platform.
Clang!
The Minlong Blade also fell from the sky, landing incredibly close to his hand by pure chance.
"Chang… sheng…"
Luo Guxie's body swayed, his face a sickly pale. Those two words were so trembling they were almost inaudible.
Luo Changsheng was already heavily injured. Now he was even more indescribably miserable. His entire body was completely broken, as if he had been dismembered, thrown into a pool of blood, and then fished out to be exposed.
In that state, an ordinary profound practitioner would have been dead beyond dead. But Quhui Zunzhe could see at a glance that Luo Changsheng's body was twitching slightly, and faint, weak groans could be heard.
He wasn't dead. He even retained some consciousness.
The stench of blood spread quickly across the Feng Shen Platform. The viewing stands grew quieter and quieter. All eyes were locked on the two blood-soaked figures collapsed on the ground, not daring to blink for an instant.
Both bodies were struggling, twitching desperately. Neither was willing to sink into unconsciousness, because their remaining will told them: whoever passed out first would lose.
Yun Che's fingers slowly clawed at the ground… He could sense Luo Changsheng's aura.
Luo Changsheng… he shouldn't… why is he still alive… why… is his life force still so strong that even I in this state can sense it…
Could it be… that sword strike just now… didn't hit him…
Under the forced activation of "Yama King," the power Yun Che had unleashed far exceeded the level he and Luo Changsheng were at. Luo Changsheng was already heavily injured. If he had been hit, even his body tempered by the Primordial Divine Water would have been smashed to pieces.
He had fought Luo Changsheng bitterly to this point. In a desperate situation, using a life-risking move to kill him shouldn't have been judged as "malicious intent." At least there was a 90% chance it wouldn't be considered a violation. And if Luo Changsheng died, there would be no need for a tie-breaking match. He could claim first place directly.
As for the consequences of killing Luo Changsheng… compared to his "promise" with Mo Li, it was utterly insignificant in his mind.
But fate was cruel. The strike he had bought with his life missed because his consciousness collapsed.
"Urgh… guh… urgh…"
Painful, hoarse groans, like the desperate death rattle of a wild beast. Luo Changsheng's body twitched more and more violently, then suddenly stopped at some point.
Just as Quhui Zunzhe thought he had finally lost consciousness, he saw his arm move. Then, slowly… he raised his head, his blood-caked eyes opening bit by bit.
Then, his blood-stained arm slowly lifted, reaching for the Minlong Blade right beside him. After fumbling for a moment, his trembling hand grasped the hilt.
"Ah!" Huo Poyun let out a terrified cry.
But a long time passed. No matter how hard Luo Changsheng tried, the Minlong Blade didn't budge. In his current state, just barely being alive was a miracle. There was no way he could wield the Minlong Blade.
His hand finally left the Minlong Blade. His eyes were bleeding, his vision blurry, but they still locked firmly onto Yun Che's location. Then, he propped himself up with his arms, little by little… incredibly slowly, incredibly painfully, he slowly stood up.
"Ah… aah…" The disciples of Yin Xue Realm and Yan Shen Realm felt as if their hearts were bound by steel wire; hoarse screams escaped their throats.
Luo Changsheng stepped forward. One step, one wobble, each step spilling blood, moving closer to Yun Che. Although he was so weak he was on the verge of death, the murderous aura he exuded was so heavy that even Quhui Zunzhe felt a chill in his heart.
And at that moment, Yun Che, who had been lying in a pool of blood for a long time, also propped himself up with his arms and stood up unsteadily.
When he sensed Luo Changsheng's life force, when he sensed him standing, his will drove his body to stand up as well… He hadn't thought he could still stand, but he had to.
His unique Dragon God's Marrow had made his bones extremely tough. Otherwise, they would have been shattered by the unbearable power of "Yama King." If that had happened, no matter how strong his will, he could never have stood up.
Perhaps it was a final burst of vitality, or perhaps it was the desperate eruption of his will. Or maybe it was the continuous recovery effect of the Great Dao Pagoda Art. He stood up… and surprisingly, he could even feel a faint trace of power within him.
Both of them were covered in blood, their bodies mangled, like two evil ghosts crawling out of a blood pool. That scene, along with the faint but terrifying murderous aura, sent a deep, cold chill into everyone's hearts.
They faced each other briefly, without a word. Then, at the same instant, they both lunged at each other.
Bang!
Bang!
Their fists struck each other's faces simultaneously. But the force they exerted was less than that of a first-step Divine Origin profound practitioner… no, it wasn't even comparable to a mortal profound practitioner. Under normal circumstances, even tens of thousands of such blows wouldn't have scratched a single hair on their heads.
But in this moment, both of them had blood erupting from their seven orifices. They staggered, nearly falling.
Then, with another strange cry, they lunged at each other again, pounding the power they had desperately squeezed from their bodies and wills onto the other.
Bang… bang… bang…
The sound of fists hitting flesh, and the force behind them, seemed as weak and laughable as a child's fight to Divine Realm profound practitioners. But in the entire Eastern Divine Region, not a single profound practitioner could laugh. Only their pupils shrank and their souls trembled.
Both were covered in blood, with similar builds. If one only looked with the eyes, it was impossible to tell who was Yun Che and who was Luo Changsheng. Their injuries were so horrifying that even these powerful profound practitioners felt a shiver of fear just looking at them. As they fought madly, large swaths of bloodstains spread across the Feng Shen Platform, making people doubt whether either of them had any blood left in their bodies.
But Yun Che and Luo Changsheng paid no attention.
These two men, already standing on the edge of death, seemed to have completely disregarded their own lives. They only sought to use every last bit of their remaining strength to push the other into the abyss of death first.
Yun Che's intense desire for victory;
Luo Changsheng's morbid obsession with invincibility;
These two things had given birth to two terrifying beasts that, even on the brink of death and with blurred consciousness, would tear each other apart until nothing remained.