The void vibrated, a chaotic expanse where destruction mingled with rebirth, their struggle engulfing the Supreme Arena. All vision blurred into chaos, leaving only the palpable, terrifying auras radiating from Li Xiaotian and Yan Yu. A fierce battle raged, both combatants fighting with their all. After an immeasurable time, a deafening roar echoed as Yan Yu shot upwards, his sword energy piercing the heavens. However, in the next instant, he could not help but cough up a mouthful of blood. He was injured, his projection exhibiting the vitality of a living being.
A flicker of recollection crossed his eyes. When had he last been injured? It seemed he had long forgotten.
He looked across the void. Li Xiaotian stood still, unscathed, his blood energy churning like a furnace. Yet, his expression was grave; this formidable opponent was far more terrifying than he had imagined. Li Xiaotian was uninjured not because he was unharmed, but due to his Indestructible Physique. While his appearance remained normal, internally, he was in dire straits, his condition not much better than Yan Yu’s. Yan Yu hailed from the third epoch, possibly the most powerful of that era at the same cultivation level, possessing boundless techniques. Without Li Xiaotian’s fusion of various races’ innate powers and his heaven-defying Devouring Great Dao, he would have been no match for Yan Yu. "Latercomer," Yan Yu spoke, his voice still calm and steady, "I truly wish to have a genuine battle with you." He harbored regret; his current self was ultimately not his true form. Some techniques he had forgotten, perhaps a heaven-defying inheritance that could no longer be reproduced after death.
Thus, he regretted that having finally found an opponent who commanded his full attention, he was unable to fight with his utmost strength. "That is precisely what I desire," Li Xiaotian declared, pressing forward step by step. Behind him, the Devouring Great Dao manifested, radiating terrifying might. He too, had held back, invading another's Great Dao space being his trump card.
Yet, he had not employed it, for the opponent before him deserved his respect. "Let this be the final battle. I hope you can surprise me!" Yan Yu's aura intensified, becoming overwhelmingly fierce. The void then returned to calm, with terrifying energy converging upon him, which he voraciously absorbed. "Boom!" Yan Yu attacked proactively, charging towards Li Xiaotian, wielding formless luminescence interwoven with fearsome void power, immensely robust.
His sword was shattered, but he could still wield a sword. Vast swathes of dazzling light, like a sky-high tsunami, boundless and unending, submerged the Li Xiaotian before him. The radiant light was infinite, without end. In this moment, Yan Yu appeared as a sovereign. "Kill!" Li Xiaotian’s hands moved, conjuring various phenomena that suppressed heaven and earth, resisting the endless sword light. His steps were firm, advancing steadily. "Swish." Beside Yan Yu, a night sky reappeared, another world bathed in the brilliance of countless stars. A vast river of stars surged down, magnificent and majestic, like countless silver waterfalls cascading! He seemed to be the sole sovereign of heaven and earth, encircled by majestic waterfalls, bathed in resplendent light, capable of wielding immeasurable power with every gesture. Furthermore, at his brow, a miniature world materialized, dazzling and brilliant, like the Eye of a deity capable of piercing all things. His attacks were potent, ferociously fierce, each blow immense, causing the void to collapse. Li Xiaotian met him head-on, engaging him in a frenzied exchange, the sounds ceaseless, light erupting, colors blending, and fissures in the void continuously spreading. This place was churned into a frenzy, filled with light, spatial rifts, and terrifying energies, all interwoven like a nine-layered hell. The killing intent was palpable, causing the surrounding arenas to tremble once more.
One must remember, this was the Supreme Arena, the most formidable arena in Hundred Battles City. Even Yan Yu in his prime had not triggered its full terror, a testament to its formidable nature.
Yet, now, amidst their fierce engagement, the arena quaked as if it might shatter at any moment. Yan Yu fought with increasing vigor, his combat skills inexhaustible. He tossed chaos with a flick of his wrist, formed myriad things with clasped hands, and wielded destruction and rebirth with a turn of his palm, his techniques profound and never repeating. "Buzz!"
Endless light surged towards Li Xiaotian, like a rampaging flood, aiming to tear him asunder instantly. Li Xiaotian's expression was grave, his eyes radiating piercing divine light. He met the onslaught with a direct punch, shattering the chaos and obliterating all of Yan Yu's attacks. He knew that compared to Yan Yu, he held no advantage in combat techniques. However, he possessed the Indestructible Physique and a heart that embraced death in battle, firmly believing in breaking all techniques with sheer force. The battle grew more intense, the two men truly at the brink of a life-and-death struggle. A single misstep by either would lead to their demise!
Here, the invincibility of powerful beings would offer no protection; if Li Xiaotian were to perish once, it would be permanent.
Yet, he had never feared any opponent, always daring to fight and contend. Even facing an overwhelmingly powerful foe this time, he held an unwavering conviction of victory.
"Boom!"
Finally, Li Xiaotian roared, his fist striking Yan Yu's chest. Yan Yu roared back in retaliation, but his energy faltered immediately, his aura rapidly weakening.
The terrifying Devouring power was unleashed with its greatest might.
"This move again, Devouring, like the end of the universe, destroying and consuming all. Latercomer, I truly wish we were from the same era."
Yan Yu spoke with a smile as his body dissolved into motes of light.
He had perished completely.
Engaged in a full-fledged battle with Li Xiaotian, he was merely a projection. Having endured Li Xiaotian's attacks multiple times, Li Xiaotian's final punch acted as a fuse, igniting everything.
Yan Yu felt regret, and Li Xiaotian felt regret as well. One regretted not being at his peak state, the other regretted his opponent not being at his strongest.
At their level, finding a true peer was rare. Having finally encountered one, perfection was marred by imperfection.
"Third epoch, Yan Yu, I hope you are still alive." Li Xiaotian's gaze flickered. Even knowing that no being could survive the succession of epochs, he believed that as beings strived for strength to defy heaven, miracles could occur.
Just as this Hundred Battles City, a city not belonging to this epoch, had survived. Though inanimate, it proved a miracle.
With the change of epochs and the destruction of the universe, powerful beings could still find a sliver of hope!