The battle between the two erupted on the stage, with terrifying attacks and collisions surging across the arena, creating a tremendous commotion.
The shockwaves, even if only slightly spilling out, were enough to reduce surrounding buildings to ashes.
However, this stage was built specifically for Immortals to fight, so the attacks from both sides did not overflow beyond the arena.
“The battles between Immortals are truly extraordinary,” Lin Yun remarked, watching the fight on the stage with a quiet gasp of admiration.
This was Lin Yun’s first time witnessing a battle between two Immortals.
The speed of Immortals was far, far greater than that of the Tribulation Realm.
Moreover, the quality of an Immortal’s internal energy was vastly different from that of the Tribulation Realm, resulting in a completely different level of unleashed power.
“Both are at the Third Eternal Realm,” Lin Yun observed, gazing at the stage.
Being in the same realm did not mean equal strength, as many factors influenced one’s power even within the same realm, such as physical body cultivation, divine sense, and the varying mastery of secret techniques.
Thus, even within the same realm, rankings on the Heavenly God List could differ significantly.
For instance, collateral branch Immortals, even at the same realm, were generally weaker than those from the main lineage.
Since both fighters were in the Third Eternal Realm, the battle did not initially show a significant gap.
Both sides unleashed a relentless barrage of techniques, their exchanges fiercely intense, with blade and sword skills erupting in full force.
Lin Yun watched, utterly engrossed, as it was his first time seeing two Immortals truly fight.
“Cao Jun ranks slightly below Bing Yi on the Heavenly God List, but now he’s holding his own against Bing Yi, even suppressing him slightly with his blade technique. It seems he’s made significant progress over the years,” an Immortal in the audience remarked.
“Cao Jun must have some confidence to challenge Bing Yi, but to completely defeat him, he’d need to overwhelmingly surpass Bing Yi’s strength. Right now, it’s hard to say who will win, as their strengths are too close to call.”
“Indeed, this battle’s outcome is hard to predict. Cao Jun’s blade technique has improved greatly, but it’s not enough to establish an absolute advantage.”
The Immortals in attendance discussed the fight as they watched.
“Xingwu, your disciple Cao Jun’s boldness in challenging must come from significant improvements in his blade technique. He’s even managing to suppress Bing Yi to some extent, but it’s still not enough to secure victory,” the master of Xiaoyao Tower commented, leaning back in his chair.
“Don’t be impatient, Tower Master. The real show is yet to come,” Emperor Xingwu replied with a faint smile.
No sooner had Emperor Xingwu spoken than the situation on the stage shifted dramatically!
Cao Jun’s power suddenly surged, his attacks becoming ferocious.
“What’s going on? Cao Jun’s physical body cultivation seems to have improved significantly!”
“It appears he’s reached the Vientiane Body. No wonder he dared to challenge Bing Yi. Bing Yi’s body refinement is quite mediocre, only at the late stage of the Pure Yang Body. He used to rely on his swordsmanship to stay ahead, but now Cao Jun’s blade technique has surpassed him, and with the advantage in physical body cultivation, he’s completely overtaken him.”
The crowd exclaimed in amazement.
Amid the discussions of the spectators, Bing Yi was forced to retreat repeatedly.
With superior blade technique and physical body cultivation, Cao Jun firmly held the upper hand.
On the stage.
“Haha, Bing Yi, just admit defeat!”
Cao Jun’s ferocious attacks overwhelmed Bing Yi like a tidal wave, his confident laughter echoing across the arena.
Bing Yi’s expression was grim. Despite resisting with all his might, he continued to lose ground, pushed back to the edge of the stage.
Boom!
With another attack landing, Bing Yi could no longer hold on and fell off the stage.
The victor was decided!
“Haha, well done!” Emperor Xingwu let out a hearty laugh.
Ever since Lin Yun stepped into the Immortal Realm, Emperor Xingwu had been feeling quite stifled. This time, he finally felt a satisfying release, his pent-up frustrations swept away.
Then, Emperor Xingwu looked up at Emperor Huoyun.
“Huoyun, you lost! The disciple I trained is no worse than yours, is he? Cao Jun entered the Immortal Realm later than Bing Yi, yet Bing Yi still isn’t his match,” Emperor Xingwu said with a smile.
Emperor Huoyun’s expression shifted slightly, but he didn’t respond.
Instead, the master of Xiaoyao Tower, seated nearby, spoke up, “Xingwu, that’s not entirely fair. It’s just that Cao Jun’s talent is slightly better than Bing Yi’s. While cultivation time matters, talent and effort are equally important.”
“I won’t argue with that. The result speaks for itself. Huoyun, hand over the thousand Haoyue Crystals,” Emperor Xingwu said, grinning broadly.
At this moment, the defeated Bing Yi returned to Emperor Huoyun’s side.
“Your Majesty, I was incompetent. I lost the challenge and a thousand Haoyue Crystals,” Bing Yi said, head lowered, filled with self-reproach.
His defeat today had not only cost him face but also Emperor Huoyun’s, not to mention the stake of a thousand Haoyue Crystals!
“No matter, Bing Yi. Victory and defeat are common in battle. No one can guarantee they’ll remain undefeated. Keep training hard and aim to surpass Cao Jun soon,” Emperor Huoyun consoled.
Then, Huoyun looked up at Emperor Xingwu, “It’s just one challenge. No need to get so excited.”
With that, Emperor Huoyun waved his hand, producing a thousand Haoyue Crystals to hand over to Emperor Xingwu.
Each Haoyue Crystal was hard-won, and Emperor Huoyun clearly felt the sting, but a loss was a loss.
“Wait, Master!”
Lin Yun suddenly stopped Emperor Xingwu’s hand and stood up.
“What is it, disciple?” Emperor Huoyun asked, looking at Lin Yun with confusion.
“Bing Yi lost. I want to give it a try,” Lin Yun said.
Though his voice was soft, everyone present was an Immortal and could hear him clearly.
Lin Yun’s words stunned all the Immortals in attendance.
“What did he say? He wants to give it a try? Does he mean to fight Cao Jun?”
“That’s Lin Yun, right? How long has he been in the Immortal Realm? Less than a month, isn’t it? And he wants to challenge Cao Jun, a Third Eternal Realm?”
The crowd erupted in astonishment.
The master of Xiaoyao Tower, Emperor Xingwu, and even Emperor Huoyun, seated beside Lin Yun, were taken aback.
“Disciple, you said you want to try? You mean…?” Emperor Huoyun couldn’t help but ask.
Though he knew Lin Yun meant to challenge Cao Jun on the stage, he still couldn’t believe it and sought confirmation.
“I mean to go up on the stage and fight Cao Jun,” Lin Yun said calmly.
