The Blade Venerable emerged, his entire being transforming into a blade.
"Kill."
A blade once drawn, never to regret.
This was his Dao, onward and without hesitation.
Everything before him, including space, shattered and annihilated under the blade's radiance.
"Buzz."
Chen Fan's physical body glowed.
The Golden Silk Cicada Robe blocked the destructive blade radiance that tore everything apart.
The power of laws within him was rapidly depleting.
This strike was powerful.
"Hundred Dao Sword."
A sword strike, gathering the laws of a hundred paths, was unleashed.
Rumble.
The destructive space did not dissipate; instead, it expanded with this sword strike.
The scope engulfed both Chen Fan and the Blade Venerable.
I cannot bear it alone.
If there is to be suffering, we shall share it together.
The destructive storm raged, incessantly eroding their bodies and power.
Both could only rely on the power of laws to resist.
"Hmph."
Blade radiance continued to be unleashed, clashing head-on with the sword radiance.
A cold hum echoed, "Chen Fan, do you think by dragging me into this, you have a chance of victory?"
The destructive space they forged continuously collapsed.
The consequence of their combined power was something even they themselves could not withstand.
"Heh heh."
The Life and Death Ring enveloped Chen Fan's body, augmented by the protection of the Golden Silk Cicada Robe.
This made Chen Fan appear to be in a much better state than the Blade Venerable. "We'll only know by trying."
"Kill."
Clang, clang, clang.
Blades and swords met, shattering continuously.
The shattered blade radiance and sword shadows fell from the sky like corpses.
They were the manifestations of their respective laws.
With each shattered corpse, a portion of the power of laws would fall and disappear.
The two were truly fighting to the death.
...
In the sky.
"Impressive."
The will of the Immortal Realm sighed, "To fight to such a degree."
Whether it was the Blade Venerable or Chen Fan,
though they were nothing in the eyes of the Immortal Realm's will, at this moment, he had to admit, they were both formidable.
"Acceptable."
The Red Emperor also offered praise, "White Emperor has such subordinates, hmm... Not bad, far superior to mine."
The Yellow Emperor remained silent, merely watching calmly.
"Hey, old man."
The Red Emperor looked at the Yellow Emperor, "Aren't you going to offer any words of sentiment?"
"Sentiment about what?"
"That fellow's original target was you..."
"Oh."
The Yellow Emperor showed no concern.
His expression remained calm, "If you want to kill me, come then. Aren't all of you eager to see me dead?"
He was the Yellow Emperor, occupying the most prosperous and vast Central Continent.
As the strongest, it was natural for him to become the target of all.
The Red Emperor chuckled, "Indeed."
He conceded.
There was nothing to deny.
The Yellow Emperor was indeed the one they all guarded against.
The Azure Emperor, the White Emperor, the Red Emperor... except for the Black Emperor, of course.
The three of them, along with the will of the Immortal Realm, were most wary of the Yellow Emperor.
Beside them, the will of the Immortal Realm sighed, "The River of Life and Death, how wonderful it would be if it could merge with the River of Origin."
He felt a pang of envy.
The River of Origin also contained life and death, but they were mutually exclusive and could not be integrated.
The fusion of opposing forces was extremely difficult.
If it could merge with the River of Origin, he would be able to control this power.
The Red Emperor and the Yellow Emperor glanced at him and said nothing.
After all, it was just wishful thinking.
Should the River of Origin truly see a being like Chen Fan, one capable of fusing the power of two extremes, they would immediately move to eliminate him.
It was impossible for the will of the Immortal Realm to become too powerful.
...
The conversation between the three did not last long.
Meanwhile, the battlefield at the border of the Western Continent and the Central Continent had reached its climax.
The Blade Venerable was covered in blood.
He had no protection like the Golden Silk Cicada Robe, only the solitary Dao of Man and Blade becoming One.
He was in a dire state.
But he showed no fear.
"One power breaks all techniques."
The Blade Venerable raised his Great Saber above his head, his pupils turning into blades, "This strike, I cut you."
Hum.
The destructive space warped, threatening to expand further.
Before the blade even descended, the destructive space showed signs of collapse.
This strike was too much even for the destructive space.
"Your final strike?"
Chen Fan nodded, "Very well. I still need to kill others later, and I don't wish to waste more time here with you."
Zheng.
A sword's hum sounded, and laws converged.
Above their heads, their Imperial Palaces simultaneously appeared.
Within the Blade Venerable's Imperial Palace were also people, all powerful cultivators of the blade, including many half-emperors.
Each one was a master of the blade's path.
His entire Imperial Palace was a blade.
The strength of all their people surged out of the Imperial Palace, pouring into the Blade Venerable's body from the crown of his head.
His aura began to strengthen continuously.
The blade grew sharper and sharper, vibrating more violently.
This strike seemed capable of destroying the world.
In contrast, Chen Fan's Great Dao was extremely mixed and chaotic.
It contained everything: human, demonic, unknown...
Too much.
Countless threads of law power poured into his long sword; some laws were so weak they shattered on contact.
However, the Blade Venerable opposite him did not dare to underestimate him.
Because Chen Fan's sword was also growing sharper, surrounded by myriad laws.
"Slash."
Finally, the Blade Venerable struck.
One blade, cleaving the heavens.
With a 'boom,' the destructive space instantly shattered.
A blade of law, ten thousand meters long, pierced through heaven and earth, slashing towards Chen Fan.
This strike was unavoidable.
Chen Fan had been locked on.
Chen Fan's expression was grave; he felt the power of this strike.
Therefore, he also drew his sword.
"Chii."
The Sword God, surrounded by endless laws.
"Thousand Dao Sword, slash."
This sword strike had gathered over a thousand laws.
A hundred paths were no longer sufficient; he needed a stronger sword.
Whether the laws were strong or weak, they were all laws.
All the laws fused together and were directly unleashed.
Chii.
A silent sword strike.
Unlike the grand momentum of the blade radiance.
The power of this sword strike weakened progressively as it advanced, eventually... disappearing.
The sword radiance vanished.
Boom.
The blade radiance landed on Chen Fan.
The immensely powerful aura could not be blocked by the Golden Silk Cicada Robe, nearly tearing it apart.
Chen Fan's physical body was continuously torn apart and then reassembled.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Fan died nine times, yet he was reborn nine times.
Rebirth from a drop of blood.
As long as a single drop of his blood remained, he would not die.
This was something any Emperor could achieve.
With each rebirth, the blade radiance was weakened.
Finally...
Bang.
The blade radiance dissipated, and Chen Fan still existed.
"Gasp."
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth.
His body swayed; at this moment, Chen Fan was weakened to his limit.
And the sword energy he had unleashed had not even manifested.
Rumble.
The destructive space shattered.
The two stood calmly, both appearing terribly battered.
"Who won?"
At this moment, everyone held their breath, watching the two figures standing opposed.
Who had won?
They could not comprehend it, not even the Sword Venerable.
"Tsk tsk."
The Red Emperor smacked his lips, "Impressive."
This time, the Yellow Emperor nodded in agreement, "Indeed, truly impressive."
"Alas, a pity."
The will of the Immortal Realm sighed again, "How wonderful it would be if this were the power of my River of Origin."
He was truly envious.
The result that others could not discern, however, was hidden from these three.