Shi Jue Zhen Xian, Prince Wu You, and Ju Feng Zhen Xian were all among the top tier of powerhouses at the war base. The appearance of any one of them was enough to draw the attention of many cultivators. Now, with the three of them standing together, countless eyes were naturally drawn to them.
Especially when Zhang Fan proposed to duel Prince Wu You and Ju Feng Zhen Xian on the challenge arena, the entire war base became abuzz. Many cultivators spread the word, and within a short time, tens of thousands of Nascent Soul cultivators gathered around the challenge arena.
They rarely had the opportunity to witness battles between cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage.
Just then, Pu Ji Zhen Xian, leading Xue Mo Jiao and his group, returned to the war base. Their long period of adventuring had yielded significant gains, and they were preparing to exchange their spoils for war merits. However, they stumbled upon such a lively scene.
"Master has come out of seclusion?" Xue Mo Jiao's eyes lit up, and with a flash, he appeared before Zhang Fan.
"Oh, in just over three years, you've reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. You've made considerable progress," Zhang Fan said with a smile, greeting Xue Mo Jiao, Nan Zun, and the others.
"Compared to Master, I'm still far behind," Xue Mo Jiao chuckled.
Zhang Fan, having recently emerged from seclusion, had already reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. His aura was completely unrestrained, and even standing beside him, Xue Mo Jiao felt his bloodline suppressed and immense pressure.
"Wait for me for a moment. I've found two sparring partners to test my current combat strength."
"Prince Wu You and Ju Feng Zhen Xian?" Pu Ji Zhen Xian couldn't help but marvel. In just a few years, Zhang Fan had reached this level, capable of matching these two.
"What is that? With my Master's talent, breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, mastering the Great Dao, and becoming a powerful being at the Void Refinement stage wouldn't be difficult," Xue Mo Jiao said, as confident in Zhang Fan as ever.
Prince Wu You, upon hearing this, let out a dismissive chuckle. While Shi Jue Zhen Xian's progress was indeed rapid, it was only within the Nascent Soul stage. How difficult was it to master the Great Dao?
Countless Nascent Soul cultivators who had fully Daoized their physical bodies were trapped at this step, unable to cross this chasm in their entire lives.
Zhang Fan walked alone onto the challenge arena, looking at Prince Wu You and Ju Feng Zhen Xian below. He said calmly, "Come up?"
Prince Wu You and Ju Feng Zhen Xian exchanged glances. Prince Wu You asked, "Who do you wish to fight?"
"Both of you, at once. One is not enough," Zhang Fan replied.
As soon as these words were spoken, the bustling arena fell silent. They had all heard that this Shi Jue Zhen Xian was arrogant, but seeing him in person, they realized the rumors were all false.
He wasn't just arrogant; he was supremely so.
Although they were all in the late Nascent Soul stage, Zhang Fan had only just reached this level, while Prince Wu You and Ju Feng Zhen Xian had achieved it hundreds of years ago. Yet, he now wanted to fight them both?
"Indeed, he is arrogant. I shall be the first to face you!"
Ju Feng Zhen Xian's physique was like an iron tower. He leaped onto the arena, causing the ground of the war base to tremble slightly. An invisible force of rage permeated the air, forming shockwaves that pushed back the surrounding cultivators. Only a few extremely powerful cultivators remained unfazed.
"I have a rule when I step onto the arena: I like to set a stake. I wonder if Ju Feng Zhen Xian has enough wealth to cover it?" Zhang Fan asked.
"It seems you are very confident?" Ju Feng Zhen Xian narrowed his lantern-like eyes and asked.
"Let's stake one hundred thousand war merits on this battle, what do you say?" Zhang Fan said, looking at Ju Feng Zhen Xian.
"It appears you truly have never lost. Then it's one hundred thousand war merits!" Ju Feng Zhen Xian didn't know where Zhang Fan's confidence came from. One hundred thousand war merits was no small sum; even he would feel immense heartache if he lost.
Upon hearing their conversation, the cultivators surrounding the arena were all stunned. To them, this was practically a gamble, and one hundred thousand war merits was enough to make them fight to the death.
"Ju Feng Zhen Xian is bound to lose. If I had my Master's strength, I'd also go to the challenge arena and play a few rounds," Xue Mo Jiao said enviously.
Nan Zun nodded with a faint smile beside him. In their eyes, Ju Feng Zhen Xian was simply a walking treasury. They couldn't understand why he would provoke Zhang Fan.
Prince Wu You felt a pang of regret. He hadn't expected this Shi Jue Zhen Xian to be so bold as to wager one hundred thousand war merits. If he had been more proactive and less reserved, wouldn't those one hundred thousand war merits have fallen into his hands?
On the challenge arena, Ju Feng Zhen Xian's aura grew stronger. He had no weapon, as he had cultivated his physical body to be no less than a high-grade immortal treasure. With the strength of his physique alone, he was capable of sweeping aside all opposition.
Zhang Fan, intending to test his lightning swordplay, took out his Blood Refining Divine Weapon. This iron sword, after his second refinement, now rivaled top-grade immortal treasures. Its invisible sword aura emanated, causing everyone's skin to prickle.
"What a sharp immortal sword. It probably possesses such power only a top-grade immortal treasure can?"
Just by revealing its aura, it instilled fear in many Nascent Soul cultivators. Ju Feng Zhen Xian, who had remained calm until now, also narrowed his eyes. He sensed a threat from that blood-colored immortal sword.
"No matter what divine weapon you have, I shall break it with a single punch." Ju Feng Zhen Xian struck first. His fists were incredibly heavy, and with a single punch, it was as if a mountain fell. Even the stable space rippled, sending waves towards Zhang Fan.
"The Giant Spirit race indeed has a great advantage in the path of strength, but to achieve the feat of using brute force to break through the sea of laws is far too difficult!" As Zhang Fan's immortal sword danced, thousands of sword shadows transformed into a sea of swords, rushing towards Ju Feng Zhen Xian.
Invisible forces collided on the challenge arena. The sword shadows and fist shadows, imbued with the true essence of the Great Dao, clashed. Rules resonated, making the void tremble.
"Go!"
Zhang Fan invoked the power of his Daoized body and unleashed a full-force sword strike, sending Ju Feng Zhen Xian's colossal physique tumbling backward.
Zhang Fan's Daoized body contained nearly two million rules of the Great Dao, double that of Ju Feng Zhen Xian. However, its power was far more than double. Every move he made summoned immense power from heaven and earth. As he closed in, Ju Feng Zhen Xian's heart was filled with overwhelming pressure. He felt as if he were facing an opponent far beyond his own level.
As his swordplay flowed, Ju Feng Zhen Xian's proud physique proved not as formidable as he believed. With each descending sword strike, a three-inch-deep bloody gash would appear on his body. Scarlet blood scattered in the air, astounding the crowd below.
"The gap between Ju Feng Zhen Xian and Shi Jue Zhen Xian is too great. They are not in the same league. Shi Jue Zhen Xian's strength is undoubtedly top-tier among the Nine-Star Marquisates," commented a spectator from below.
Seeing this, Xue Mo Jiao cheered loudly. Pu Ji Zhen Xian, however, stared intently at each of Zhang Fan's sword movements. Having touched the threshold of the true essence of the Great Dao, he felt this was the most beautiful swordplay in the world. If he could comprehend it, let alone the true essence of the Great Dao, he might even master the Great Dao of the Sword.
"How can he be so strong?" Prince Wu You, who had been looking calm, could no longer contain himself as he saw Ju Feng Zhen Xian being utterly crushed by Zhang Fan.
He was well aware of Ju Feng Zhen Xian's strength. He was only a step away from fully Daoizing his physical body and entering the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Even facing a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, he wouldn't have suffered such a devastating defeat.
But the facts were before him, and he had no choice but to believe.
...