The Ten Absolute True Immortal, Prince Wu You, and Giant Peak True Immortal were all among the top powerhouses at the war base. The appearance of any one of them was enough to draw the attention of many cultivators. Now that the three stood together, they naturally attracted many eyes.
Especially when Zhang Fan proposed to challenge Prince Wu You and Giant Peak True Immortal to a duel on the arena, the entire war base became lively. Many cultivators spread the word, and within a short time, tens of thousands of cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage had gathered around the duel arena.
They rarely had the opportunity to witness battles between cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage.
Coincidentally, True Immortal Pu Ji, along with Blood Demon Flood Dragon and his companions, returned to the war base at this moment. After a long period of adventuring, they had reaped considerable rewards and were preparing to exchange them for merits. However, they unexpectedly encountered such a lively scene.
"Master has come out of seclusion?" Blood Demon Flood Dragon's eyes lit up, and he flashed before Zhang Fan.
"Oh, in just over three years, you've reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. It seems you've made significant progress," Zhang Fan said with a smile, greeting Blood Demon Flood Dragon and Nan Zun.
"Compared to Master, I'm still far behind," Blood Demon Flood Dragon chuckled.
Zhang Fan had recently emerged from seclusion, and his cultivation had already reached the late stage of the Divine Transformation. His aura was not concealed in the slightest. Even standing beside him, Blood Demon Flood Dragon felt his bloodline being suppressed, experiencing immense pressure.
"Wait a moment, I've found two sparring partners to test my current combat strength."
"Prince Wu You and Giant Peak True Immortal?" True Immortal Pu Ji couldn't help but exclaim. In just a few years, Zhang Fan had reached this point, capable of wrestling with these two.
"What's so special about that? With my Master's talent, it's not difficult for him to break through to the Divine Transformation, grasp the Great Dao, and become a mighty figure at the Void Refinement stage," Blood Demon Flood Dragon, as always, was full of confidence in Zhang Fan.
Prince Wu You, upon hearing this, let out a contemptuous smile. The progress of the Ten Absolute True Immortal was indeed rapid, but that was only within the Divine Transformation stage. How difficult was it to grasp the Great Dao?
Countless cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage who had fully Dao-infused their physical bodies were trapped at this step, unable to cross this chasm in their lifetime.
Zhang Fan walked onto the duel arena alone, looking at Prince Wu You and Giant Peak True Immortal below, and said calmly, "Come up?"
Prince Wu You and Giant Peak True Immortal exchanged glances. Prince Wu You asked, "Who do you want to fight?"
"Both of you, one is not enough," Zhang Fan replied.
As soon as these words were spoken, the lively crowd around the arena fell silent. They had all heard that this Ten Absolute True Immortal was arrogant, but seeing him in person, they realized the rumors were false.
This wasn't just arrogant; it was outrageously so.
Although they were all at the late stage of the Divine Transformation, Zhang Fan had only just reached this level. Prince Wu You and Giant Peak True Immortal had reached it hundreds of years ago, and yet he wanted to fight them both now?
"Indeed very arrogant. I'll face you first!"
Giant Peak True Immortal's body was like an iron tower. He leaped onto the arena, causing the ground of the war base to tremble slightly. An invisible, violent force permeated the air, forming waves of energy that pushed back the surrounding cultivators. Only a few exceptionally strong cultivators could remain calm.
"I have a rule when I enter the arena: I like to set a stake. I wonder if True Immortal Juefeng has enough wealth?" Zhang Fan asked.
"You seem very confident?" Giant Peak True Immortal asked, narrowing his lantern-like eyes.
"Let's make it one hundred thousand merits as the stake for this battle, how about it?" Zhang Fan said, staring at Giant Peak True Immortal.
"It seems you've never lost before. Then, one hundred thousand merits!" Giant Peak True Immortal didn't know where Zhang Fan's confidence came from. One hundred thousand merits was not a small sum, and even he would feel heartbroken if he lost.
Hearing their conversation, the numerous cultivators around the arena were shocked. For them, this was practically a gamble, and one hundred thousand merits was worth risking their lives for.
"Giant Peak True Immortal is bound to lose. If I had my Master's strength, I'd also go to the duel arena and play a few rounds," Blood Demon Flood Dragon said with envy.
Nan Zun nodded with a faint smile beside him. In their eyes, Giant Peak True Immortal was merely a money-bag. They had no idea why he would provoke Zhang Fan.
Prince Wu You felt a pang of regret. He hadn't expected this Ten Absolute True Immortal to be so audacious, daring to wager one hundred thousand merits. If he had been more proactive and less reserved, wouldn't those one hundred thousand merits have been his?
On the duel arena, Giant Peak True Immortal's aura surged. He wielded no weapon, as he had cultivated his physical body to be no less formidable than a high-grade immortal treasure. With the power of his physique alone, he was confident of sweeping aside all opposition.
Zhang Fan intended to test his Lightning Sword Dao. He flipped his hand and took out the Blood Refinement Divine Weapon. This iron sword, after his second refinement, was now comparable to a top-grade immortal treasure. An invisible sword gleam emanated from it, causing everyone present to feel a stinging sensation on their skin.
"What a sharp immortal sword. It must be a top-grade immortal treasure to possess such power, right?"
Merely revealing its edge caused many cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage to feel fear. Even the usually calm Giant Peak True Immortal couldn't help but narrow his eyes. He sensed a threat from that blood-colored immortal sword.
"No matter what divine weapon you possess, I will break it with a single punch." Giant Peak True Immortal attacked first. His fists were immensely heavy, and with one punch, it was as if a mountain was falling. The stable space rippled, like waves, heading towards Zhang Fan.
"The Giant Spirit race indeed has a great advantage in the path of strength, but to achieve a 'strength breaks all' state is still far from enough! As Zhang Fan's immortal sword danced, countless sword shadows transformed into a sea of swords, charging towards Giant Peak True Immortal in unison.
Invisible forces clashed on the duel arena. Sword shadows imbued with the true meaning of the Great Dao collided with fist shadows, causing rules to resonate and the void to tremble.
"Go!"
Zhang Fan invoked the power of his Dao body and unleashed a full-force sword strike, sending Giant Peak True Immortal's massive physique tumbling backward.
Zhang Fan's Dao-infused physical body contained nearly two million rules of the Dao, twice that of Giant Peak True Immortal. However, its power far exceeded double. Every move he made invoked immense power from heaven and earth. As he closed in, Giant Peak True Immortal's heart was filled with an overwhelming pressure. He felt as if he was facing an opponent not of the same level.
As the sword techniques flowed, Giant Peak True Immortal's proud physical body proved to be not as formidable as before. Each sword strike left a bloodstain three inches deep on his body. Scarlet blood scattered in the air, stunning the onlookers below.
"The gap between Giant Peak True Immortal and the Ten Absolute True Immortal is too great; they are not even on the same level. The Ten Absolute True Immortal's strength is definitely among the top in the Nine Star Marquis category," one of the onlookers commented.
Seeing this, Blood Demon Flood Dragon cheered loudly. True Immortal Pu Ji, on the other hand, intently watched Zhang Fan's every sword move. Having touched the threshold of the true meaning of the Great Dao, he felt this was the most beautiful swordplay in the world. If he could comprehend it, let alone the true meaning of the Great Dao, perhaps he could even master the Great Dao of the Sword.
"How can he be so strong?" Prince Wu You, who had been looking composed, could no longer maintain his demeanor as he watched Giant Peak True Immortal being utterly dominated by Zhang Fan.
He was well aware of Giant Peak True Immortal's strength. He was only one step away from fully Dao-infusing his physical body and entering the peak of the Divine Transformation stage. Even when facing a peak Divine Transformation stage expert, he wouldn't have been so thoroughly defeated.
But the facts were before him, and he had no choice but to believe them.
...