Chapter 1902 - Kill
None of the mentors knew what Liu Wuxie had accomplished during the previous three days.
"I did nothing more than help them understand who they truly are," Liu Wuxie answered honestly. Lao Kaiyu was numbered among his few friends in the Azure Flame Dao Hall, leaving Liu Wuxie no reason to hide the truth from him.
"That was all it took?" Lao Kaiyu asked. He knew Liu Wuxie had spoken truthfully, but disbelief still lingered across his face.
"It really was that simple," Liu Wuxie replied with a nod. The principle sounded effortless, but turning it into reality was another matter entirely.
Understanding someone else posed little difficulty. The true challenge lay in helping a person recognize their own strengths and weaknesses, then guiding them toward the changes they needed to make.
The surrounding mentors nodded in contemplation, drawing valuable insight from Liu Wuxie's deceptively simple explanation. They too needed to understand themselves and uncover their true worth.
Meanwhile, Doom Tempest condensed into a formidable God of Magic, binding the three Celestial Moon Dao Hall students firmly in place.
Doom Tempest then transformed into a colossal magical fist and smashed into all three students. They exploded instantly, scattering chunks of flesh across the arena before any of them could scream. Du Zuo had crushed his opponents and secured victory with an overwhelming advantage.
People inhaled sharply throughout the venue. No one could accept what they had just witnessed, much less understand how Du Zuo had unleashed such terrifying power and effortlessly destroyed three opponents.
"Liu Wuxie is absolutely terrifying. The Celestial Moon Dao Hall has suffered catastrophic losses in only two hours. Once the mentor competition starts, they'll use everything they have to kill him," the surrounding spectators discussed.
The Celestial Moon Dao Hall's hall master glared at Liu Wuxie with such viciousness that he seemed eager to devour him alive. Even beneath the crushing pressure of a Divine Immortal, Liu Wuxie remained utterly composed, his expression as tranquil as an undisturbed lake.
Blackie continued to cultivate within the Desolate World. Liu Wuxie maintained a steady supply of crystals for it. Once Blackie advanced to the Divine Immortal Realm, who in Eastern Emperor City could possibly stand against him?
Liu Wuxie himself had already advanced to the third-level Spirit Immortal Realm, dramatically increasing his combat strength. Having refined the five elemental treasures, he could now unleash the Five Elemental Divine Palm as well.
"Hall Master, how should we respond? At this rate, the Celestial Moon Dao Hall will suffer devastating losses," the elder sitting beside the hall master whispered.
Every participant selected for the competition ranked among the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's finest elites. If all of them died there, the Dao Hall would suffer a crippling blow, leading to their decline.
"Send out my order. Starting now, any student who kills someone from the Azure Flame Dao Hall will receive five hundred thousand immortal stones," the hall master declared, pronouncing each word with deliberate clarity.
The war between the two Dao Halls had only begun, yet word of the bounty swept through the venue like wildfire. Everyone from the Azure Flame Dao Hall was shocked when they heard it.
"The Celestial Moon Dao Hall has completely lost its mind. If this keeps going, corpses will pile in every arena," someone murmured.
Those who remained neutral in the rivalry between the two Dao Halls now regarded the Celestial Moon Dao Hall with open disgust. After all, the Celestial Moon Dao Hall had proposed the first deathmatch and set every subsequent event into motion.
Many clans had descendants studying in both Dao Halls, so they naturally refused to watch their younger generations become sacrifices in the conflict.
"Hall Master, what do we do now?" Zuo Yang asked, rising from his seat near Gongye Zhang.
"Remain calm and let Mentor Liu handle everything," Gongye Zhang replied.
Gongye Zhang had already placed the entire matter in Liu Wuxie's hands, so he naturally intended to let him make every decision.
"Something's strange. Why hasn't the Azure Flame Dao Hall countered them?" someone asked.
Countless gazes converged upon Liu Wuxie. The Celestial Moon Dao Hall had openly declared war, yet the Azure Flame Dao Hall displayed no intention of retaliating.
"Maybe he's scared. Every match from here on could end in death. Haven't you noticed how frightened the Azure Flame Dao Hall's students look?" another person replied.
The Azure Flame Dao Hall had claimed four consecutive victories, but the competition had barely begun. When faced with the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's ruthless bounty, fear inevitably crept across the faces of the remaining ninety-six students.
One after another, they looked toward Liu Wuxie and waited for him to speak.
"The enemy has declared war. How will we answer?" Liu Wuxie asked. An indestructible will flowed through his voice and enveloped all ninety-six students, carrying the will of an Immortal Emperor.
"Kill!" Xiang Rulong, Shi Wa, and the others thundered.
"Kill them!" the remaining students answered, swept up by that momentum until the fighting spirit set their blood ablaze.
They needed no stirring speech. A single word conveyed everything they needed to hear. Whoever blocked their path would be destroyed.
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!" Even the students excluded from the competition rose to their feet and joined the cry, their blood racing with excitement. Their combined momentum rose relentlessly, as though their voices could tear straight through the heavens.
When two sides clashed, courage often decided the victor. Liu Wuxie therefore had no intention of buying their loyalty with immortal stones. He needed to ignite the fighting spirit buried inside them. A cultivator's greatest obstacle was never another person, but the fear within oneself. Only by conquering that fear could one advance without hesitation.
The surrounding spectators watched in astonishment. "What terrifying unity! How did Liu Wuxie strip away all their fear with a single sentence?" They all knew how to purchase loyalty, but none possessed Liu Wuxie's ability to inspire others to march fearlessly toward death.
Their cries lingered above the venue for a long time, rolling through the sky like endless thunder. That overwhelming momentum alone crushed the Celestial Moon Dao Hall and obliterated the small amount of morale it had finally managed to recover.
Disciples from the surrounding clans rubbed their hands eagerly, desperate for a chance to display their abilities. "My blood is boiling too! I almost want to enter the arena myself!"
The soul art category followed. The Azure Flame Dao Hall sent three representatives led by Ning Zhou, and all three entered the arena together. Opposite them, the Celestial Moon Dao Hall dispatched five students.
Unlike poison art, the soul art category consisted of only one match, making it exceptionally dangerous. Both teams could attack solely with soul energy, while martial cultivation and artifacts remained strictly prohibited.
All eight students quickly spread out across the stage. The Azure Flame Dao Hall's representatives formed a triangle, with the other two students positioned behind Ning Zhou.
The five Celestial Moon Dao Hall students arranged themselves into a pentagon and surrounded Ning Zhou's group. With five opponents against three, the Azure Flame Dao Hall appeared to possess frighteningly little hope of victory.
"Liu Wuxie, I'm betting one of your arms on this match," roared one of the opponents.
The Celestial Moon Dao Hall had abandoned its pursuit of resources and altered its strategy, making Liu Wuxie the primary target. Its members believed that the Azure Flame Dao Hall would inevitably collapse once he died. When that happened, they could harvest enormous benefits from the remaining matches, so there was no need to rush for immediate rewards.
Those words ignited an uproar throughout the audience. Everyone understood that the Celestial Moon Dao Hall had finally bared its fangs. Using a match between students to kill a mentor was unprecedented, yet the wager had forcibly dragged Liu Wuxie into the conflict.
Countless gazes settled upon Liu Wuxie, while Ye Guhai looked deeply concerned. He repeatedly signaled for Liu Wuxie to reject the wager.
Ye Linghan moved closer as well and stood beside Liu Wuxie, gripping his arm tightly.
This remained a competition between two dao halls, with Liu Wuxie serving only as a mentor. He therefore possessed every right to refuse such an unreasonable demand.
"What's wrong, Mentor Liu? Have you lost your nerve?" Sun Xuan mocked, hatred burning in his eyes. He had once served as a mentor in the Azure Flame Dao Hall, but Liu Wuxie's ascent had ultimately driven him away.
The Celestial Moon Dao Hall's hall master had also offered a reward of two million immortal stones and a sixth-grade immortal pill to whoever killed Liu Wuxie.
"Fine. Then I'll wager one of your arms," Liu Wuxie replied calmly, fixing Sun Xuan with an icy gaze.
If the Azure Flame Dao Hall prevailed, Sun Xuan would have to sever his arm. If the Celestial Moon Dao Hall won, Liu Wuxie would sacrifice one of his instead.
Even Divine Immortals couldn't regenerate a severed limb. Only after reaching the Immortal King Realm could a cultivator regrow a lost arm. For everyone below that realm, losing an arm amounted to losing nearly half their overall combat strength.
After settling the terms, both men signed a soul contract that prevented either from breaking the agreement. Once completed, the contract summoned two mysterious forces that descended upon Liu Wuxie and Sun Xuan. If the loser violated the wager, he would face a backlash from the Heavenly Dao. However, Sun Xuan had no idea that since refining the Heavenly Derivation Codex, Liu Wuxie could no longer be harmed even by a heavenly oath.
"We have to give this everything we possess. We cannot disgrace Mentor Liu," Ning Zhou told his two companions, unwavering resolve hardening his gaze.
The other two students nodded, fierce determination blazing in their eyes.
"Begin! You have until one incense stick burns out to decide the match," Qian Yao announced. No one requested a deathmatch this time because everyone already understood that every match from this point forward would effectively become a battle to the death.
Invisible currents of soul energy spread across the arena at once.
Ning Zhou's gaze turned razor-sharp. His soul energy condensed into a sword and shot toward the woman standing opposite him.
Four men and one woman represented the Celestial Moon Dao Hall. The woman radiated exceptionally powerful soul energy, making her the obvious leader.
The two students behind Ning Zhou immediately condensed their soul energy into shields and adopted defensive positions. Soul energy battles looked simple from the outside, but they were extraordinarily intricate and dangerous.
A team couldn't devote every member to attacking, since someone needed to defend against the enemy's assaults. Ning Zhou accepted responsibility for offense while his companions concentrated solely on defense, ensuring that their formation revealed no openings.
The female student formed her own soul sword and launched it to intercept Ning Zhou's attack. At the same time, the other four students released their soul energy and assaulted his soul sea directly.
Four soul spears streaked forward at terrifying speed, completely hidden from ordinary sight. The naked eye couldn't perceive such attacks. Only soul energy perception could detect them and distinguish the attackers from the defenders.
"Shields up!" The two students behind Ning Zhou raised their soul shields and intercepted the incoming assault, allowing Ning Zhou to escape entirely unharmed.
Liu Wuxie had already activated the Ghost Pupil and Divine Tribulation Pupil, enabling him to observe every exchange of soul energy with perfect clarity. Even so, not a trace of concern disturbed his expression.
Ning Zhou held his ground and fought with a steady, unbroken rhythm. His two companions remained equally composed, refusing to attack as they devoted their full attention to maintaining their defense.
The five Celestial Moon Dao Hall students attacked at a horrifying pace and unleashed dozens of assaults within only a few breaths. The soul shields blocked every single one.
The battle soon settled into a stalemate, with victory hinging on which side could sustain its soul energy longer.
"How strange. Ning Zhou's soul energy has become far stronger than it used to be," a Celestial Moon Dao Hall mentor remarked. Before defecting from the Azure Flame Dao Hall several months earlier, he had been Ning Zhou's mentor and knew his former abilities exceptionally well.