Chapter 1230: Bitter Victory
"Urgh... urgh... urgh..."
"Hisss... ahhh!!"
Their roars no longer sounded human, but rather like crazed, biting beasts.
Yun Che and Luo Changsheng's consciousness was already extremely blurred, but a sliver of willpower kept their spiritual senses locked onto each other's location. Their fists, carrying all their remaining strength and will, heavily smashed against each other's bodies.
Large patches of the Feng Shen Platform were stained red, a ghastly sight. No more blood was spilling from their bodies.
Earlier in the battle, their momentum had been earth-shattering, like overturning mountains and seas. But now, it had weakened to the point of being like dying people on their last legs. In such a state, these two were still able to stand up, still grappling... With every punch thrown, their bodies would sway, but they stubbornly refused to fall, then threw another punch, and another...
Every time, the onlookers thought they would surely collapse, but they would lunge at each other again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The flow of time was terrifyingly slow. The world became eerily quiet, like a ghost realm, with only the sounds of two dying evil spirits desperately biting and tearing at each other.
"They'll die... at this rate, they'll definitely die..."
"Why isn't Quhui Zunzhe stopping them? Yun Che and Luo Changsheng have both gone mad. If this continues, their injuries will get worse and worse... The Eastern Divine Region could lose two of its most top-level talents... Stop them, quickly!"
"No... This battle has pushed them to this point. They must determine a victor, no matter what... How could anyone stop them?"
"..."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Splat...
The pungent smell of blood spread silently. Although they were like flickering candle flames, they had exchanged over a hundred punches. Still, neither was willing to fall.
Severe unconsciousness is a form of the body's self-repair and protection. To persist so stubbornly under such heavy injuries undoubtedly caused their already extreme wounds to continuously crack and worsen with every passing moment.
Both were fighting for their lives in the truest sense of the word.
He had come to the God Realm to see Mo Li. For this goal, he had cast aside everything, exerted every effort, experienced countless dangers and life-and-death situations, and even ruthlessly exposed trump cards and secrets that could bring him great calamity... Now, with only one step remaining, how could he allow himself to fail just short of success!
And he was Young Master Changsheng. His father was the Realm King of Shengyu Realm, the foremost realm among all realms in the Eastern Divine Region. His master and aunt were second only to the king realms in the Eastern Divine Region. And he himself was the foremost of the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain, known throughout the God Realm. His status was supremely noble, his talent and strength unmatched. From birth, he had lived in a world where he looked down on others... How could he be defeated!
As the two fought and time passed, the situation began to show slight changes.
Yun Che, bearing the Desolate God's Power, possessed the ability to recover automatically no matter the state. This advantage finally began to show.
Bang!!
Their fists once again smashed into each other's faces simultaneously. Yun Che's upper body tilted back, but Luo Changsheng let out a low groan, staggered backward, and then heavily fell to his knees.
A flash of scattered ferocity passed through Yun Che's pupils. Strength seemed to surge up from somewhere unknown in his body. He leaped abruptly, his blood-red right hand carrying a faint, barely perceptible trace of profound energy, striking straight at Luo Changsheng's heart.
But at that moment, Luo Changsheng, kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head. His right arm whipped out with considerable speed, and a purple cold light stabbed directly at the approaching Yun Che.
"Ah!!" This cold light made everyone from Yin Xue Realm cry out in shock.
That cold light was none other than the Holy Thunder Sword!
Yun Che vaguely sensed a blade edge rushing toward him, but his consciousness was blurry. Under the force of his violent lunge, he could no longer control his momentum. He directly impaled himself onto the Holy Thunder Sword.
Although the residual thunder force within the Holy Thunder Sword could no longer be activated by Luo Changsheng at this point, the sword was very light and extremely sharp. Even a child holding it could cut through fine steel.
Rip!!
A piercing sound of tearing fabric rang out. Luo Changsheng was knocked away by Yun Che's punch, but his chest was also stabbed directly by the Holy Thunder Sword... But even without profound energy protection, Yun Che possessed an immensely powerful Dragon God's Body. The Holy Thunder Sword did not pierce through his broken body; instead, it cut across, slashing a wound nearly a foot long on his chest.
"Urgh!"
Yun Che let out a low groan, lost his balance, and heavily collapsed sideways. But in that instant, the knocked-away Luo Changsheng suddenly erupted with an abnormal aura. With a hoarse roar, he leaped up, rising nearly ten feet high. A weak vortex of profound energy gathered in his left hand, he fiercely smashed it down toward Yun Che's head.
Bang!!
Yun Che's upper body twisted with incredible speed and strangeness. Luo Changsheng's attack, which had almost exhausted all his will, slammed heavily onto the Feng Shen Platform. Blood splattered everywhere, and the bones of his four fingers all snapped.
Yun Che's counterattack arrived instantly. His arm, carrying a flash of cold light, struck Luo Changsheng's throat.
"Guh... ah... ah..."
Luo Changsheng rolled sideways, crashing to the ground. Both hands clutched his throat, letting out sounds of extreme agony. Deep in his throat bone, a short blade was deeply embedded. The blade was shaped like a butterfly wing, glinting with icy crystal light.
"Yin... Die... Blade..." Mu Bingyun murmured in shock.
Yun Che didn't pause for even a moment to catch his breath. In an instant, he turned over again. His right fist, carrying terrifying blood energy and killing intent, along with the last trace of profound energy just generated in his body, smashed heavily onto Luo Changsheng's head.
Bang!
Luo Changsheng's already chaotic consciousness violently trembled, exploding into countless pale cracks...
Yun Che was thrown far away by the recoil force, collapsing to the ground. His arms trembled, his palms clawed desperately, but could no longer gather any strength. Only a sliver of will, unwilling to dissipate by any means, stubbornly supported his wavering consciousness.
The two dying beasts that had been desperately biting and tearing at each other finally fell. For a long time, neither stood up.
"Gulp... uh... uh..."
Luo Changsheng's eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth corners were all overflowing with thick, bloody foam. The turbid light in his pupils flickered weakly. His chest heaved convulsively. Slowly, his stiff arm lifted inch by inch, then lifted again... The dim light in his pupils trembled more and more violently, struggling with immense unwillingness...
But in the end, his arm did not fully lift. As the light in his pupils finally froze, the arm he had raised with his last vestige of will heavily dropped to the ground.
Luo Changsheng's aura finally fell completely silent. His eyes remained wide open, his pupils a gray, despairing, and unwilling color.
As for Yun Che, his arms still tightly gripped the ground. In his blood-stained eyes, a light flickered that refused to dissipate.
Quhui Zunzhe felt as if a ten-thousand-jun steel plate had fallen from his chest. He raised his arm high and shouted loudly: "Luo Changsheng is unconscious. The first match of the Battle for Supremacy, Yun Che wins!"
"Luo Changsheng loses. Since his record is tied with Yun Che, there will be an additional match for the Battle for Supremacy. The time is three days from now!"
In the past, whenever Quhui Zunzhe announced the battle results, the spectator seats would either erupt in thunderous noise or burst into uproar. But this time, long after Quhui Zunzhe's declaration, the entire venue remained silent. Everyone had a dazed expression, as if they couldn't snap out of it for a long time.
Until a woman's shout rang out, piercing the ears.
"Changsheng!"
Luo Guxie cried out, her voice trembling as she swooped down from above. Her emotions were clearly out of control. This shout carried uncontrolled profound energy, causing a large number of profound practitioners' ears to ring and almost making them spit blood.
"Yun Che!" Mu Bingyun also rose into the air at the same time, flying swiftly toward the Feng Shen Platform.
Quhui Zunzhe had presided over many editions of the Feng Shen Tournament, but he had never seen such a tragic scene. He had never imagined that a conflict between two juniors could make him feel such a heavy suffocation.
Seeing the people from Shengyu Realm and Yin Xue Realm rushing over recklessly, Quhui Zunzhe sighed inwardly, waved his hand, and removed the isolation barrier of the Feng Shen Platform.
"Changsheng!"
Luo Guxie landed beside Luo Changsheng. The Yin Die Blade stuck in his throat was instantly pulled out and flung far away. An extremely gentle profound light carefully and cautiously covered Luo Changsheng's body... This person, second only to the king realms in the Eastern Divine Region, now had hands, body, and pupils trembling violently. From her eyes, one could even see tears she was desperately holding back.
When the gentle white light completely covered Luo Changsheng's body, Luo Guxie lifted him and flew away swiftly, disappearing into the horizon in an instant without saying a word to anyone. Soon, Luo Shangchen followed closely behind.
"Yun Che!"
"Brother Yun..."
"Quick! Quickly suppress his injuries!"
"No, don't move him recklessly. His injuries are simply... too severe..."
Mu Bingyun lifted Yun Che's upper body, letting him rest against her soft chest, despite the thick blood staining her pure white clothes. Her jade hand hovered over Yun Che's chest, a blue light flickering softly, but she dared not press down for a long time. It only trembled continuously.
Because Yun Che's injuries were truly terrifying. From head to toe, inside and out, there wasn't a single intact spot. Such injuries, on any other Divine Tribulation Realm profound practitioner, would have made survival impossible.
"Brother Yun... Brother Yun... he... definitely... will be fine, right?" The Yin Xue disciples carefully gathered around, looking at Yun Che's blood-soaked, tragic appearance. Their hearts clenched, and tears glistened in their eyes.
Mu Huanzhi, Mu Tanzhi, and others crouched down, squatting in front of Yun Che. But like Mu Bingyun, they dared not make a move to suppress his injuries. In his current state, if any profound energy entered his body and there was even the slightest mistake, it would...
"Did... I... win..."
His lips parted slightly, emitting a voice so faint that even from nearby, it was almost inaudible.
Under his blurred consciousness, he hadn't even heard Quhui Zunzhe's earth-shaking declaration.
"Yes, you won. You defeated Luo Changsheng." Mu Bingyun lowered her head, whispering softly into his ear.
The corner of Yun Che's mouth twitched slightly. It was a smile of immense satisfaction: "That's... great..."
"Don't... worry... I... won't... die... just..."
"So... tired..."
His voice was as weak as a mosquito's hum. At this moment, Mu Bingyun's hand finally pressed down slowly, letting a layer of extremely gentle blue light spread over his body: "If you're tired, then get a good sleep."
Her voice was very soft, very gentle, like soothing a drowsy baby. Under her whisper, Yun Che's eyes finally closed slowly.
"..." Mu Bingyun raised her head, her gaze a blur of mist.
Tiansha Xingshen, I don't know what you once did for him, or what great kindness you showed him, that he would be willing to fight to the death for you like this. I don't care about your noble status or your reasons... Please, no matter what, grant this wish he would at all costs to fulfill. Even if it's just to see you.
The reason Yun Che came to the God Realm, she was the first to know. Everything Yun Che had done over the years, she had witnessed. Today, on the Feng Shen Platform, he fought Luo Changsheng to the death. Everyone thought he was fighting for supremacy, for victory. Only she knew that Yun Che was fighting so desperately, not for the top spot in the Feng Shen Tournament, not for fame across the Eastern Divine Region, not for the generous rewards, and certainly not to defeat Luo Changsheng...
He was only fighting to see one person.
Outside the Feng Shen Platform, in the distant sky above, a small red figure was moving far away.
On the cloud layer where she had previously stood, a few drops of brilliant, sorrowful starlight glistened.