Beneath the glow of the golden divine tree, Bordea swept his gaze over the young human geniuses whose life force still burned bright, such as An Fuqing, Xia Zuo, and the others, then suddenly spoke.
"Head Chairman of the Primordial Council, although our two races have formed an alliance, we still don't know each other well enough. Why not let these youngsters have a friendly match to build some rapport?"
A faint smile appeared on the True King’s face. "I agree. That’s indeed a good way to learn more about each other’s power systems."
The Primordial King didn’t refuse the suggestion; in fact, he was also curious to see the Heavenly Feathered Race’s power system and the strength of their younger generation.
As a powerful civilization capable of standing firm against three great Demon God Empires, the Feathered Race possessed immense strength. The power system they mastered was surely unique in its own way.
"But since it’s a friendly match, let’s keep it simple. Each side can send three youngsters at the Ninth Heavenly Realm. Let their cultivation levels be evenly matched."
Bordea nodded. "Of course. Only by clashing at the same level can one truly test real strength."
Boom!
The Primordial King waved his hand, and the earth split open and surged upward, forming a colossal arena fifty kilometers across and a thousand meters tall.
Immediately, the scattered crowd turned their surprised gazes toward it.
Even Heavenly King Zhenwu and Heavenly King Xuanwu, who had been watching the unmanned battle-pattern mechs alongside several mythical level experts of the Feathered Race, flickered and appeared on the arena.
Then, the Primordial King's voice echoed in everyone's ears.
"Attention, everyone. We will conduct three friendly sparring matches with the Heavenly Feathered Race. Anyone at the Ninth Heavenly Realm who wishes to step onto the stage may do so.
"The main goal is to help everyone get familiar with each other's power systems, so it will be easier to coordinate once we're on the Heavenly Feathered battlefield."
Hearing about the matches, Luo Fei and the other two showed some curiosity. Sёarᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Gabriella let out a regretful sigh. "It’s a pity they require participants to be at the Ninth Realm. Otherwise, Luo Fei, you could’ve just piloted No.1 and crushed them all."
Luo Fei pressed her lips into a smile. "That would just make me a bully."
Suddenly, a powerful battle will surged in An Fuqing’s eyes. Eager and ready, she said, "I’ll go. It’s the perfect time to test the power of the sword wills I awakened after my breakthrough."
Just as Xia Zuo and the others on the side began to stir, also preparing to challenge the geniuses of the Heavenly Feathered Race, An Fuqing’s voice cut in. "I’ll go first."
With the calm and clear declaration, she turned into a streak of crimson sword light. Within moments, she crossed over ten kilometers and landed at the center of the arena, as a magnificent azure battle armor formed around her.
As An Fuqing stood there radiating the aura of someone at the beginning stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm, a young man from the Heavenly Feathered Race flew out, landing a thousand meters away in a streak of golden light.
He was three meters tall, with golden light wings that spread out behind him. Holding a five-meter-long red greatsword, the youth looked at An Fuqing and spoke politely.
"Heavenly Feathered Race, Kato. I specialize in divine scripture."
At higher levels of cultivation, cultivators could harness the power of their spiritual will. Once infused into their voice, it would ripple through the void, enabling effortless communication even between different civilizations and languages.
"Human race, An Fuqing. I specialize in the path of the sword."
After the two exchanged calm, respectful greetings, the wings on Kato's back burst into radiant light as he soared skyward, ascending a full kilometer into the air.
Boom!
Transcendent energy roared violently in response to the golden light streaming from Kato’s wings. It surged in from all directions, converging into a vast, radiant sea of gold.
Standing amid the golden ocean, the young man looked like a legendary angel. Eleven golden divine scriptures that had materialized swirled around him, exuding a sacred aura.
As the Heavenly Feathered fighter summoned his domain, a piercing sword will erupted from An Fuqing, shooting straight into the heavens.
Boom!
Red, black, azure, and gray sword qi erupted outward from her, forming a sword domain that stretched across an eight-hundred-meter radius.
Above the domain, four sword wills materialized, each exuding an overwhelming presence. They hung in the air with an invisible sharpness that could slice through space and leave behind streaks of black scars.
This scene shocked many onlookers; even some of the mythical-level powerhouses from the Feathered Race couldn’t help but take notice.
Up in the sky, Kato’s expression grew serious. The sharp aura alone made his skin crawl. If I take it head on...
Before he could finish the thought, however, Kato severed the fear rising in his heart. He was a genius of the mighty Heavenly Feathered Race; he must not show weakness before an opponent of the same realm from another race.
"Kill!"
Kato roared. The divine scriptures circling him flared with brilliant light, each expanding to dozens of meters in size.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The scriptures rained down like a barrage of missiles, each one glowing as it descended from the heavens and radiating the immense energy of a cultivator at the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm.
Each scripture also contained a unique power—suppression, solidification, weakening—like a dozen slightly diluted abilities.
As the sky filled with falling scriptures, An Fuqing stood firm within her sword domain. With fingers forming a sword seal, she calmly said, "Four Swords: God-slayer."
Boom!
An endless amount of sword qi erupted from within the sword domain, merging with the four sword wills hanging in the air. In an instant, four beams of sword light, each three hundred meters long, shot into the sky.
Around the sword lights, phantoms of a red phoenix, a black tiger, an azure dragon, and a gray xuanwu[1] appeared.
The moment the phantoms of the Four Symbols took form, an even greater aura surged between the already devastating sword wills. The power infused into the sword qi soared dramatically.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The beams of sword light spiraled across the battlefield, ripping through the sky. Each golden divine scripture they struck exploded in a violent burst, and soon, even the golden domain was shattered.
Boom!
As the golden domain broke apart, the swirling multicolored sword qi burst forth like a blooming lotus, magnificent in form and brimming with destructive power.
Ack!
Amid the chaotic blast, Kato coughed up blood and plummeted from the sky, slamming into the ground.
Despite having power equivalent to the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm, Kato had been defeated in a single strike by An Fuqing. The result left many of the Heavenly Feathered Race’s powerhouses stunned.
"How is that possible? Kato couldn’t even withstand one move from that human genius?"
On the human side, Xia Zuo and the others were also amazed. After breaking through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm, An Fuqing was overwhelmingly powerful.
The four sword wills, each attuned to the laws, resonated with and strengthened one another. Even just a single one of them could rival the power of the late-stage Ninth Heavenly Realm; together, they were strong enough to challenge those at the very peak.
In the Heavenly Feathered Race’s camp, a young man wearing an ornate crown exclaimed, "This girl's four sword qi are very unusual. They seem to connect with some unknown force, forming an unstable force field.
"When that came close to Kato’s divine scriptures, it disrupted their structure, throwing their power into disarray. That’s why they were destroyed so easily. Otherwise, in a proper clash, Kato should have been able to hold out for at least three moves."
The other warriors around him fell silent. They had thought he’d discovered a weakness, but it sounded more like an explanation for Kato’s defeat.
An Fuqing didn’t step down from the arena. Instead, she turned toward the distant Heavenly Feathered camp. "Anyone else want to come up?"
Her previous opponent was far too weak. She hadn’t felt even the slightest pressure. This left An Fuqing, who had been hoping for a full-strength battle against a worthy opponent, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Seeing this unfold, the Primordial King in the sky, along with the Heavenly King Zhenwu and others, said nothing. Instead, they watched with growing interest.
Even Bordea, a Heavenly King of the Heavenly Feathered Race, grew curious. "So, Brother Xuanwu, this is the will power your human race has mastered? It’s indeed formidable."
Heavenly King Xuanwu smiled faintly. "To be honest, ordinary battle wills aren’t this strong. That power just now came mostly from the one wielding it."
Bordea nodded. "I understand what you mean. Looks like this girl is the strongest genius of your generation."
"More or less," Xuanwu replied calmly. "Aside from that little monster."
1. The xuanwu is a turtle-snake that is part of the "Four Symbols," from the classic Chinese book Yijing (The Book of Changes). The three other "symbols" in the book are a vermillion bird, a tiger, and a dragon. Together, they represent various concepts, such as the cardinal directions and the yearly seasons. ☜