Ao Jiao looked anxious. She knew that Xiao Chen was forcing his way through. If he succeeded, he would reach the Life and Death Art’s fifth layer. If he failed, everything would be over.
Without a doubt, the further one went, the greater the chance of failure. The difficulty would increase by severalfold. Worrying was inevitable.
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, the light coming from Xiao Chen stopped flickering, and a new ring of light appeared behind him. He had succeeded in forcibly breaking into the fifth layer.
Life and death swapped positions. Xiao Chen, who was seated cross-legged, felt the vast Mental Energy in his sea of consciousness condensing formlessly at one spot.
His Mental Energy became like a metallic fluid constantly changing its shape. After five life-and-death crises, his vast Mental Energy took on a vaguely humanoid shape.
Xiao Chen felt that as long as he survived two more life-and-death crises to advance the Life and Death Art to the seventh layer, there would be a qualitative leap—an unpredictable change.
However, should he fail, his mind would shatter. As for the consequences, if the damage was light, he would turn into an idiot; if it was severe, he would be braindead.
The risk was great. Nevertheless, because of his deep-felt beliefs, he needed to persevere.
Xiao Chen gritted his teeth as he withstood the intense pressure and the agony from shuttling between life and death. Even so, he chose to continue cultivating the Life and Death Art to break through to the sixth layer.
One day passed, leaving only two more days until the closure of the Human-Demon Paradise. Xiao Chen was still working on breaking through to the Life and Death Art’s sixth layer.
Another day passed, and he successfully broke through to the sixth layer and prepared for the seventh layer. However, he had only one more day.
If Xiao Chen could not break through and the Human-Demon Paradise ejected him, he would suffer the combined attacks of eight half-step Martial Emperors.
Not only would he suffer grievous injuries, but when the Life and Death Art got interrupted, the rebound from the Cultivation Technique would also aggravate them.
However, breaking through to the sixth layer took Xiao Chen two days. No matter how one looked at it, one day would definitely not be sufficient for breaking into the seventh layer.
Heavy anxiety flared in Ao Jiao’s eyes. After she used some of the peak Medicinal Pills in the Thunder Emperor’s inheritance on Dugu Ao, who lay on the ground, she managed to stabilize his condition.
Dugu Ao’s lifeforce stopped draining away, but he was still unconscious, rejecting the healing that came from his Demon bloodline. The situation remained grave.
Both Ao Jiao and Mu Xiyan were so anxious that it showed on their faces; they could not think of any ideas.
---
Outside the stone stele, the sun set in the west, and the sky darkened. The eight foreign half-step Martial Emperors sat in the surroundings. A cold smile appeared on all of their faces.
When the sun rose once more, triggering the ejection of Xiao Chen and the others, it would be their turn to make a move.
This time, these half-step Martial Emperors would not give Xiao Chen any opportunity. It would be absolutely impossible for the Azure Emperor’s descendant to become a Martial Emperor!
In the periphery of the stone stele, a large number of Demon mixed-bloods gathered, not showing any intent to leave immediately.
Everyone knew that when day broke, that white-robed bladesman would be sent out.
Although everyone already believed that Xiao Chen would definitely die, they wanted to take one last look at him, to see this white-robed bladesman that could shock hundreds of people with a shout.
Even if such a person died, he would do so in a stylish manner.
“It would be best if he could pull down a few of those half-step Martial Emperors with him. Those bastards have gone too overboard!”
Someone could not suppress the rage in his heart, whispering curses as he looked at the eight half-step Martial Emperors.
“Damn, be quieter. Don’t let that group of people hear you. Didn’t you hear what those old folks said? These foreign half-step Martial Emperors have Primes supporting them. They should not be offended.”
“Just because Primes support them, they can randomly kill us Demon mixed-bloods?”
“What can we do? Since the Blood Sovereign Martial Emperor, there have not been any Demon mixed-blood Primes. We can survive only because of the agreement between the Blood Sword Sovereign and the five major races.”
That person who had initially cursed sighed silently. How could he not understand this? It was just that he felt dissatisfied.
“Originally, Dugu Ao probably had a very good chance of reaching the same heights as the Blood Sword Sovereign with his perfect bloodline. Now, it is questionable whether he can survive or not.”
“That might not necessarily be so. Dugu Ao might not be dead. We will naturally find out when day breaks.”
“So what if he is not dead? The moment the sun rises and the Human-Demon Paradise closes, he won’t be able to escape death when he is sent out together with that white-robed bladesman.”
The rage and helplessness of this group of Demon mixed-bloods permeated the soft sighs and the whispered discussion.
As the Demon mixed-blood cultivators looked at the eight half-step Martial Emperors, they all showed hostile expressions. However, they could not do anything about the foreigners. No matter how powerful they were, they were no match for Primes.
No matter what, nothing would change. Perhaps they really had to place all their hopes on that white-robed bladesman, to see if he could drag down some of those half-step Martial Emperors with him.
That way, they would be able to vent some of their hatred.
This night felt incredibly long. All the Demon mixed-blood cultivators here probably never experienced such a long vigil before. As they waited, they all held hope in their hearts. Maybe that white-robed bladesman would create another miracle.
The darkness slowly faded from the hazy sky; day approached.
Everyone could see a clump of flame hidden behind the dark cloud, looking like it was trying to struggle free of its final restraints and illuminate every part of the land.
Someone had said that the sunrise of every day represented new life and hope. The sunrise would forever be the world’s most magnificent and beautiful sight.
However, for some reason, this sunrise felt like it was heralding impending death. What it was doing was killing everyone’s hopes.
After a long time, that moment of sunrise would always arrive, regardless of one’s reluctance.
Night would eventually pass.
Thousands of Demon mixed-blood cultivators on the desert island all focused on the east, counting in their hearts.
The eight half-step Martial Emperors opened their eyes at an appropriate moment. They stared at the area above the stone stele, waiting for the morning sun to appear. Then, they would attack quickly.
Life or death, the answer would soon be known.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three…
Before the countdown finished, the long-awaited morning sun leaped out from the distant east in a rush.
The glorious sun announced to everyone its presence, sweeping away all the darkness.
That large sun looked extremely beautiful. Everyone felt intoxicated and entranced by it; no one would tire of looking at it.
“It’s coming!”
Some people sighed silently. Everyone knew what the appearance of this rising sun meant.
It meant that the genius with the perfect bloodline, someone rarely seen, appearing only once every ten thousand years, would meet his end here. It meant that the boundlessly graceful white-robed bladesman would die here.
The moment the sun rose, it would take away not only all the darkness of the world but also two powerful outstanding talents.
A strong wind blew, swirling sand everywhere. The eight half-step Martial Emperors all stood up at the same time.
Their accumulated energy was overly vast, causing the sky to change color, the winds to surge, and the clouds to churn. As the wind blew, sand and dust spread everywhere, forming countless storms.
The auras were overwhelming, causing everyone’s breath to become labored. No one would dare to say that they could survive such a formation.
“Whoosh!”
The moment the morning sun appeared, all those still in the Human-Demon Paradise, including Xiao Chen and Dugu Ao, were immediately ejected.
Everyone saw six layers of light rings behind Xiao Chen—scarlet, orange, red, green, azure, and blue. Each ring represented a breakthrough that resulted from a brush with death.
Under the illumination of the multicolored lights, the six rings appeared glamorous and gorgeous. This was the most beautiful sight after one broke through life and death.
With one look, one would be dazzled, entranced with this dreamy sight.
However, Xiao Chen’s two sides were not so dreamy anymore. One side was a scene of hell. Darkness filled the sky, and all sorts of aggrieved spirits and evil ghosts moved about, displaying a horrifying spectacle.
Anyone who saw it was shocked and felt dread, trembling at the sight of it.
The other side was a scene replete with life, where hundreds of flowers bloomed and the four seasons cycled endlessly. It looked like heaven or even the missing Immortal Realm, fascinating everyone.
Between these vast scenes of life and death, Xiao Chen sat cross-legged atop the stone stele. Each one of the six layers of magnificent light rings was larger than the one before it. Amid the multicolored lights, he was like an enlightened bodhisattva.
Holy, dignified, and serene.
The appearance of such a boundless and magnificent mysterious phenomenon exceeded everyone’s expectations. No one had anticipated that after ten days, Xiao Chen would appear in such a manner.
Even the eight half-step Martial Emperors did not immediately make a move. Instead, they became temporarily distracted.
When the half-step Martial Emperors reacted, their expressions changed. They knew that Xiao Chen had used the Flower of Life and was currently anxiously making a breakthrough.
If these half-step Martial Emperors still did not take action, Xiao Chen could very well break through. By then, it would be hard to predict how things would turn out.
“Attack. Don’t let this brat succeed in his breakthrough. Otherwise, we will all be finished,” a Deity Race half-step Martial Emperor shouted and initiated the attack.
The other seven half-step Martial Emperors quickly followed suit, launching strong killing moves that they had stored up power so long for. The instant they executed their attacks, they charged towards Xiao Chen.
Without exception, the eight killing moves were Inferior Grade Profound Martial Techniques. Furthermore, they were all Inferior Grade Profound Martial Techniques practiced to Great Perfection. They were far from something that regular quasi-Emperors and half-step Martial Emperors could match.
“That’s not good. The white-robed bladesman is going to die.”
Upon seeing so many Inferior Grade Profound Martial Techniques, several people could not help crying out. Even someone like the Old Black Iron Monster would retreat in the face of such attacks, not daring to clash head-on.
What more a Great Perfection quasi-Emperor in the middle of anxiously making his breakthrough? If he clashed head-on with these moves, he would die without a doubt. There was no other possible outcome.
Mu Xiyan carried Dugu Ao, not knowing what she should do.
Sweat appeared on Ao Jiao’s pretty face. Her tiny hands trembled as anxiety filled her entire face.
However, her look of determination did not waver at all. There was currently only one thought in her head: she absolutely could not let Xiao Chen fall here.
Absolutely not!
As the eight Profound Martial Techniques neared, Ao Jiao rushed over and stretched out her hand to grab the Lunar Shadow Saber beside Xiao Chen.
Then, she drew the saber, and purple Divine Lightning tore through the sky.
This was the same bolt of lightning that had appeared at Xiao Chen’s King conferral ceremony. This Divine Lightning contained the might and Dao that the Thunder Emperor, Sang Mu, had left behind.
This saber strike incited the Divine Lightning that the Thunder Emperor left behind, allowing Ao Jiao to use her petite body to block the combined attacks of the eight half-step Martial Emperors.
However, the Divine Lightning was still insufficient to block eight half-step Martial Emperors at the same time. Ao Jiao had used the Divine Lightning before. Now that she wielded it again, its might was significantly weaker.