Chapter 641: I, Jiu Tianliu, Am Willing to Send You onto the Throne (Thanks to '

Chapter 641: I, Jiu Tianliu, Am Willing to Escort You to the Throne (Thanks to Alliance Leader 'JeremyGin')

Hearing Jiu Tianliu's proposal to end the battle, Zhang Yu did not agree immediately.

"Jiu Tianliu is reaching his limit."

"But his so-called proposal to end the fight is most likely a final probe."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "If I show even the slightest hint of eagerness, the faintest trace of impatience, or any desire to take the initiative in ending this battle... it would probably give him confidence instead, letting him know that I too am nearing my limit."

Feeling his nearly paralyzed body, Zhang Yu naturally wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible.

Yet he understood all the more clearly that the more critical the moment, the less he could afford to be hasty.

Not only must he avoid haste, but Zhang Yu even had to do the exact opposite...

"Jiu Tianliu!"

Zhang Yu laughed heartily and said, "I admit I truly underestimated you."

"Relying solely on my four dragon beasts to defeat you still falls a bit short."

"Then take a strike from me as well."

His grievous injuries had caused Zhang Yu's physical condition to deteriorate severely, leaving him nearly immobile at this moment.

Yet this body, pushed to the absolute worst state, was also hardened to the extreme, allowing him to ignite the flames of the Heavenly Sun Radiant God within, using explosive force to forcibly drive this dying vessel.

Boom!

Amidst the surging blaze, Zhang Yu rose abruptly, taking a single step forward as his entire being shot forth accompanied by the blazing Eternal Sun Radiant Flame, hurling a ferocious punch straight at Jiu Tianliu.

At the same time, the power of the dragon beasts, the Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Strength, the Heavenly Sun Radiant God... all the power Zhang Yu could muster was continuously channeled through the Taihao Holy Law Sword Formation, propelling this single strike.

Pouring his heart and soul into unleashing this final reserve of strength, Zhang Yu's attack collided violently with Jiu Tianliu's Formless Qi Giant Handprint.

Bang!

Zhang Yu was ultimately stopped, but the Formless Qi Giant Handprint was also torn apart by sheer force.

The surging shockwave burst against Zhang Yu's body, yet it felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze, unable to harm him in the slightest.

Watching this scene, Jiu Tianliu's heart sank.

His deliberate private message seeking a truce had indeed carried a probing intent; if Zhang Yu had shown too much eagerness, he might truly have staked everything on one final gamble.

But now, seeing Zhang Yu refuse to compromise, even dragging a body that Jiu Tianliu believed was already critically wounded to continue fighting...

Jiu Tianliu found his will to fight dwindling even further, especially as he watched his approval ratings plummet once more, feeling an immense and mounting pressure bearing down on him.

Under this ever-growing, crushing weight, Jiu Tianliu could hold on no longer and shouted outright, "We are both students of Wanfa; fighting any further will only benefit outsiders."

"Junior brother, I have felt your strength and witnessed your talent; you truly possess the qualifications to claim the championship."

"Since Brother Dao is dead, I, Jiu Tianliu, am willing to escort you to the throne."

With those words, Jiu Tianliu summoned the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Danger-Avoiding Divine Shuttle, vanishing from the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu let out a long breath in his heart, feeling his body relax so much that he seemed on the verge of collapsing the very next moment.

Yet Zhang Yu still tensed every muscle with all his might, struggling to hold himself up.

"Hold on just a little longer."

"Hold on a bit more, and the quote for the advertising fees might just go up a little."

The next moment, as beams of divine light descended, enveloping Zhang Yu's body and carrying him toward the waiting area, his mind finally relaxed.

"It's finally over."

And with this conclusion, a wave of exhaustion washed over Zhang Yu's entire being; not only were his mana and vitality near their limits, but the burden on his muscles and bones was incomparably heavy, leaving him unwilling to move even a fraction of an inch.

Amidst a series of popping sounds, the wounds he had desperately tried to keep closed suddenly burst open, dripping beads of blood that radiated a heavy, chilling cold.

When Jiu Tianliu returned to the waiting area and saw Zhang Yu lying on the ground, his body covered in wounds and bleeding incessantly, a profound look of regret involuntarily flashed across his face.

Although Jiu Tianliu had not yet reached the point of karmic backlash, his immortal dao potential had still taken a drastic plunge.

Seeing Zhang Yu in this state, Jiu Tianliu couldn't help but think, "Damn it! He was faking it all along!"

"He must have been at his absolute limit just now."

"If I had held on a little longer, if I had fought a bit harder, if I had endured for just a few more minutes..."

Jiu Tianliu could almost see himself launching a desperate counterattack, his approval ratings soaring after hitting rock bottom.

But soon, he cast such illusions aside.

"In the end, I failed to do it."

"Under the final pressure, Zhang Yu held on, and I did not, so I lost to him."

Jiu Tianliu sighed softly; though unwilling to admit it, Zhang Yu now truly possessed a greater capacity to withstand pressure in his eyes, a firmer will to fight, and a more unyielding dao heart on the path of the immortal way.

"If we are to ask who between us has a better chance of competing with Kuang Tianqing... then it is indeed him."

On the other side, after returning to the waiting area, Zhang Yu discovered that besides himself and Jiu Tianliu, Kuang Tianqing and Wen Wuya had also long since finished their battles and arrived in the waiting area.

"Kuang Tianqing and Wen Wuya... has a victor already been decided?"

Zhang Yu immediately pulled up the live broadcast replay to watch their battle.

He saw that right at the start of the fight, Wen Wuya had already shot into the sky, hiding himself within the clouds.

Immediately after, flying swords tore through the air one after another, slashing toward Kuang Tianqing thousands of meters away.

At this moment, exquisite sword techniques surfaced one by one in Wen Wuya's mind; wherever the flying swords pierced the void, sword qi ran rampant, sword intent surged, and the sword momentum grew ever sharper and more indestructible. "These... when did I learn these sword moves?"

Feeling the myriad of exquisite sword techniques continuously welling up in his mind, a trace of bewilderment flashed across Wen Wuya's face.

Although he remembered these moves, he had absolutely no recollection of when he had learned them, nor did he remember which corporation or university's swordsmanship they belonged to.

"It doesn't feel like anything I've learned in this lifetime at all."

"It's almost like the legendary memories of a past life, the wisdom of previous incarnations; could it be that I..."

Just as Wen Wuya was pondering, his flying swords had already met the enemy.

Kuang Tianqing, currently the strongest among all the students in the Top Ten League.

That earth-shattering aura, even perceived solely through the senses of the flying swords, instantly pulled all of Wen Wuya's attention back, making him realize just how dangerous, how terrifying, and how crucial the enemy before him was!

So crucial that he had to abandon all distracting thoughts and throw his entire spirit and will into the fight with absolute devotion.

In the midst of this all-out battle, the sword techniques surging in his mind made Wen Wuya increasingly excited and thrilled with every exchange.

Every move was perfected to the pinnacle, every strike was utterly indestructible.

Heaven and earth guided his sword qi, and the spirit realm called upon his sword intent.

Every single movement of Kuang Tianqing, every slightest flaw, was seen by him with perfect clarity.

At this moment, a feeling arose in Wen Wuya's heart.

"Within the Foundation Establishment realm, I have no equal."

"In this battle, I have but one question."

"Have I truly become invincible in Foundation Establishment?"

"Kuang Tianqing... can you withstand my strike?"

The sword in his hand and the sword in his heart sought only a single answer in this moment.

When Wen Wuya's blade shattered Kuang Tianqing's myriad fierce techniques, he found his first answer.

Foundation Establishment could not stop him.

But when Kuang Tianqing pressed a single finger against his blade, shattering his flying sword inch by inch, Wen Wuya found his second answer.

Kuang Tianqing had already transcended Foundation Establishment.

The power of a shattered Golden Core was unleashed directly by Kuang Tianqing, crushing flying sword after flying sword into dust.

Wen Wuya understood that she had repeatedly broken through to the Golden Core realm only to shatter it each time, deliberately keeping herself in a state that surpassed Foundation Establishment yet never truly reached the Golden Core.

Compared to the past, when she and Dao Qiankun had pressured each other to step into the Golden Core realm, this battle tactic was clearly a tier stronger.

"She has grown even stronger."

"In this edition of the Top Ten League, it is not just us who have been tempering ourselves, absorbing investments, unleashing our immortal potential, and constantly growing stronger."

"Kuang Tianqing, standing at the very pinnacle of the strongest, has also taken another step forward, becoming even more formidable and unfathomable."

Even as these thoughts crossed Wen Wuya's mind, Kuang Tianqing was already walking through the tempest of flying swords, stepping steadily until she stood right before him.

Kuang Tianqing rubbed her slightly aching brow and said indifferently, "You have lost."

Wen Wuya sighed, for having endured this battle, he only felt the vast and growing chasm between himself and Kuang Tianqing.

"Dao Qiankun is dead; who in the world at Foundation Establishment could possibly defeat her?"

Wen Wuya could not think of anyone.

And having watched this match, Zhang Yu likewise could not fathom how to overcome Kuang Tianqing.

"The power of a shattered Golden Core..."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Is this monster actually still increasing her strength?"

Frowning slightly, Zhang Yu turned his gaze to another ongoing match.

On the arena floor, Yan Xiang of Netherworld University had conjured a massive host of corpse demons, ranging from those that flew through the skies and burrowed through the earth to those that breathed thunder and fire, and even those capable of executing profound martial arts, each bearing an advertisement link on their bodies.

When Zhang Yu tapped into one, he found it was essentially a resume of the deceased expert.

Clearly, Yan Xiang's corpse demons were all refined from the remains of powerful cultivators, subjected to a strict traceability process that allowed users to see the achievements of the expert whose organs and flesh were used, when they died, how long the parts had been in use, the degree of wear and tear, and the remaining shelf life.

Now, this legion composed of top scholars, fine-tuned on the spot by Yan Xiang, instantly erupted with astonishing combat power and swarmed in to besiege Tian Shenggong on the other side.

Yet in the face of this encirclement, the giant puppet controlled by Tian Shenggong shifted and transformed directly into a massive fortress, spewing out a multitude of low-grade puppets.

Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned by the sight, initially failing to grasp Tian Shenggong's intent, but he soon began to understand.

Within Tian Shenggong's giant fortress, various components produced by the Jihu Group were effortlessly assembled and spliced together, churning out cheap puppets tailored to the battlefield's conditions.

Meanwhile, in Yan Xiang's pool of blood, various prefabricated bodies of experts were awakened on the spot and thrown directly into the fray.

"That fellow Tian Shenggong is adapting to the shifting battlefield and the weaknesses of the corpse demons, mass-producing semi-finished puppets to wear down Yan Xiang's expensive prefabricated corpse demons."

(End of Chapter)