Chapter 2123 (Raw 2228): Many Changes in an Instant
The tragic slaughter reached such a state already. The most crucial test now was for mental state.
Mental state had always been important. It was just that its effects were not as apparent as cultivation. Hence, it was not focused on.
However, all of the Heavenly Alliance powerhouses were powerful experts with extraordinary mental states. Naturally, they knew its importance.
The reason this stage was so cruel, continuously reducing the space, was to pick out participants with extraordinary mental states.
Compared to truly desperate situations, this was nothing.
If these participants could not handle such a desperate situation, they would not be able to handle the grander scenes that they would see in the future.
In reality, the thirty-odd people remaining were of similar strength, likewise their combat prowess.
Everyone had their trump cards. It might be a Dao Domain, grasping a peak Secret Technique, or an unusual killing move.
All of these people held the possibility of defeating their opponents. However, once their mental state showed problems, they could not bring out their usual strength.
They only ended up dying miserably or getting rescued by the Realm Spirit.
At this point, luck was no longer a factor in the Heavenly Alliance’s test. Their mental state influenced their fate.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The continent under everyone’s feet shrank continuously, reducing the space that they had.
The killing intensified further. A bloody stench spread in the air. Everyone felt fatigued and drained. The pressure in their hearts grew infinitely large, preventing them from stabilizing their emotions.
Xiao Chen’s heart, however, remained calm, his eyes like still water, showing no fluctuations.
Amid the tragic slaughter, Xiao Chen’s heart did not get affected. His clear eyes always showed calm and persistence.
“Whoosh!”
A figure appeared before Xiao Chen’s vision. He did not think as he swung his Tyrant Saber, executing the Heartbreaking Stance.
“Dang!”
A saber and a sword clashed, producing powerful shock waves. However, neither moved back.
The ground below them had already shrunk to a small area; they could not afford to move back. Everyone knew that the moment one did so, the ground would crumble under them.
“Dang! Dang! Dang!”
Xiao Chen and this person exchanged one hundred moves in mere moments, not taking a step back. Their auras materialized countless mysterious phenomena that clashed wildly. They both wanted to push the other back.
However, neither moved back even after one hundred moves, appearing equal.
The rhythm of the battle accelerated. For the first time, Xiao Chen found his opponent somewhat tricky to deal with. The other party should be someone within the overall top one hundred of the first stage.
The two fought relentlessly, bringing out their respective Sword Dao and Saber Dao to the limits.
The two were on equal footing; neither exposed an obvious opening. The other party had the Wind Dao Domain, but Xiao Chen had the Thunder Dao Domain.
While the other party’s cultivation was higher, Xiao Chen’s Saber Dao was stronger.
---
“It’s Lin Xi!”
The many Sovereign Emperors in Desolate City’s Starry Heavens recognized Xiao Chen’s opponent.
They inhaled sharply. This was a person second only to Gong Liangyu in Secret Realm 8.
For these two to run into each other, who knew whether Xiao Chen or Lin Xi was the unlucky one?
In any case, the happiest person would have to be Gong Liangyu.
---
If Lin Xi could choose again, he would definitely not choose to fight Xiao Chen. He had intended to select an opponent that was relatively easy to handle.
However, after five hundred moves, the two still appeared equal, unable to suppress their opponent.
“Damn it! How did I end up fighting someone so terrifying by casually choosing an opponent? Even if I defeat him, how am I going to fight Gong Liangyu? Am I destined not to enter the Heavenly Alliance?”
Frustration appeared in Lin Xi’s heart. When he thought of the possible results, his frustration was inevitable.
Indeed, even if Lin Xi defeated Xiao Chen, he would have to pay a hefty price that would put him in a sorry state.
An opening!
Xiao Chen sensed some fluctuations in the other party’s mental state that created openings.
Instantly, thousands of thoughts flashed in Xiao Chen’s mind. Is it an actual opening or a trap laid by my opponent? Should I try?
Fight!
Xiao Chen showed practically no hesitation. The instant fluctuations appeared in his opponent’s mental state, he decided to launch a killing move.
Dharmic World!
Xiao Chen’s figure trembled slightly, and he turned into a three-kilometer-tall giant. The Tyrant Saber in his hand enlarged one thousand times.
Without thinking, Xiao Chen executed his Flawless Saber Technique in his giant state.
“Void Breaking Stance!”
“Ah!”
Lin Xi’s expression changed when he saw Xiao Chen suddenly gigantify. He immediately felt his aura crumbling at a shocking speed. The countless mysterious phenomena that his Wind Dao Domain materialized shattered.
After Xiao Chen executed Dharmic World, the pressure he gave off suddenly increased explosively.
He seized the unremarkable gap and pried it wide open, past the point of no return.
Lin Xi had no time to think. He could only tamely execute his killing move to clash with Xiao Chen’s Void Breaking Stance, which Xiao Chen unleashed in his giant form.
“Ka ca!”
After fighting for so long, Lin Xi vomited a mouthful of blood, finally knocked back by Xiao Chen.
“Whoosh!”
Xiao Chen’s body reverted to normal in the time it took for a spark to fly. However, he stabbed his Tyrant Saber into Lin Xi’s chest at the same time.
“Clang!” Lin Xi’s sword fell to the ground. He felt his lifeforce quickly ebbing as he paled.
“Many thanks.”
Xiao Chen retracted his Tyrant Saber, and blood spurted out of Lin Xi’s chest. His saber intent destroyed Lin Xi’s internal organs at a terrifying speed.
However, Xiao Chen had already shown mercy, not destroying the other party in an instant. Before Lin Xi died, the Realm Spirit managed to send him out.
The originally balanced battle ended in the blink of an eye.
This was the difference in mental states.
Lin Xi got distracted during a life-and-death battle, thinking only about how to deal with Gong Liangyu later and not his current situation.
He did not realize he had exposed an opening to his opponent.
This was the result of insufficient mental state cultivation. While he thought nothing of it, he had actually given his opponent a chance.
The battle ended within one breath of time. It happened so quickly that Lin Xi did not have any opportunity to recover from the situation.
Typically, even if Xiao Chen executed Dharmic World, as long as Lin Xi did not show any openings, Dharmic World could not have broken his aura. On the contrary, Xiao Chen would have ended up showing openings due to executing an ineffective killing move.
However, there were no ifs in this world.
During a life-and-death battle, Lin Xi thought about how to deal with Gong Liangyu instead of Xiao Chen.
This ended up giving Xiao Chen a chance. Otherwise, if even if he won, it would have been a miserable victory.
“Many thanks…I really should thank you deeply…”
Lin Xi’s body slowly immaterialized as he showed a self-mocking, bitter smile. He had learned a lot of things in this battle.
Even though he failed to enter the Heavenly Alliance, he would not make the same mistake again after this lesson.
If he paid attention to this, he might end up saving his own life in the future.
After all, this was only the Heavenly Alliance’s test. Xiao Chen was not Lin Xi’s enemy, so he did not kill Lin Xi.
Once Lin Xi finished speaking, the Realm Spirit sent him out. No matter how dissatisfied he was, he had lost the qualifications to enter the Heavenly Alliance.
Xiao Chen turned and looked around. Gong Liangyu had yet to finish off his opponent, still engaged in a bitter battle.
Gong Liangyu’s opponent was not weak at all.
Gong Liangyu did not have an easier time than Xiao Chen or Lin Xi. Had Lin Xi seen this, he would feel immense regret.
In reality, this was to be expected.
After the many fights, how could any of the final four be weak? Everyone possessed about the same strength; they only differed somewhat in mental state.
However, Xiao Chen did not get distracted when fighting Lin Xi.
All he thought of was how to defeat Lin Xi and not show any openings. He thought of how to grab hold of his opponent’s opening, and he eventually succeeded.
“Whoosh!”
Gong Liangyu and his opponent, who were engaged in a bitter fight, both turned their heads and looked at Xiao Chen.
Surprise flashed in the two’s eyes. Clearly, they had not expected Xiao Chen to win.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen won with such ease, not paying much of a price to win.
It looks like they are planning to work together to attack me.
Xiao Chen instantly figured out what would happen next.
These two who were currently fighting would not want Xiao Chen just watching them. It would worry them.
Xiao Chen thought to himself, The situation is a little different from what I planned. However, this might be an opportunity.
While it looked like there was no chance of winning if Xiao Chen fought against the two together, which would be perilous, there would always be a way out. While it looked like a path to death, it was the best chance.
Gong Liangyu and his opponent stopped at the same time. The two did not communicate at all, tacitly locking their auras on Xiao Chen.
“What are you thinking of doing?”
Xiao Chen’s expression changed drastically. A barely perceptible unease flashed on his face as he slowly moved back.
Noticing Xiao Chen’s fluster, Gong Liangyu smiled coldly and said, “You are really surprising. Unexpectedly, you managed to comprehend a Dao Domain in a few short days. However, luck is just as important as strength in many situations. It looks like luck is on my side this time.
“You can leave in peace.”
“Whoosh!”
---
Gong Liangyu and his opponent were fighting to the death earlier. Now, they suddenly joined hands and attacked Xiao Chen.
This scene stunned all the Sovereign Emperors in Desolate City’s Starry Heavens, who had already shown some joy on their faces earlier.
The Sovereign Emperors could not adapt to the sudden change in the situation.