"Excellent, not only will I seize your Dao today, but this Seven Star Pagoda shall also belong to my Qingyun." Endless battle intent surged within the Qingyun Immortal Emperor's divine eyes. He stood with his spear, layers of world power suppressing the void, striking fear into Immortal Emperors of lesser strength.
"Do you dare to battle me in the starry expanse?"
"What is there to not dare?"
Zhang Fan and the Qingyun Immortal Emperor transformed into two streams of light, departing the central continent and soaring directly into the starry sky.
"Quick, ever since the Qingyun Immortal Emperor fought the Hunyuan Immortal Emperor tens of thousands of years ago, we haven't seen him make a move. This battle cannot be missed." Powerful auras surged into the starry sky, unwilling to miss this earth-shattering confrontation.
"Let's go too." The Evil Buddha Immortal Emperor led the many Immortal Venerables of Yunwu City into the cold, dead, vast starry sky.
"When the Ten Absolutes Immortal Emperor was at the Master Realm, he could already suppress the Xuangui Immortal Emperor. Although he has only just entered the Immortal Emperor realm now, with his peerless talent throughout the ages, even if his strength is not comparable to peak powerhouses like the Qingyun Immortal Emperor, it would not be much weaker."
"Moreover, the Seven Star Pagoda he wields is a top-tier Immortal Emperor True Artifact. He holds a certain advantage in terms of weaponry. The outcome of this battle is hard to predict!"
"Xuanlong, what are your thoughts on this battle?" The Hunyuan Immortal Emperor, clad in white robes, turned to the gaunt man beside him and asked.
"Two-eight split!" The Xuanlong Immortal Emperor did not have absolute certainty, merely stating a possibility.
The Hunyuan Immortal Emperor nodded. Without a doubt, the Qingyun Immortal Emperor held a significant advantage in terms of cultivation realm. No matter how profound the Ten Absolutes Immortal Venerable's Dao was, he was still only newly ascended to the Immortal Emperor realm. Even with the Seven Star Pagoda, the probability of defeating the Qingyun Immortal Emperor remained small.
In the Eastern starry sky, there were four known peak Heavenly Dao realm cultivators: the Qingyun Immortal Emperor of the Xuangui Sect, the Hunyuan Immortal Emperor of the Five Elements Immortal Sect, the Puji Buddha Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall, and the Xuanlong Immortal Emperor of the Xuanlong Divine Hall.
Aside from the Puji Buddha Ancestor, three peak Heavenly Dao realm powerhouses were present today. However, the main focus was not on them, but on the Ten Absolutes Immortal Emperor, who had just broken through to the Immortal Emperor realm.
"Blood Demon, do you think the Ten Absolutes Immortal Emperor can win?" Hei Yan and Xue Mo stood in the distant starry sky. At this level of combat, their strength did not allow them to get too close.
"Rest assured, my master is no ordinary person. His Dao can stand shoulder to shoulder with heaven and earth. No matter how monstrous the Qingyun Immortal Emperor is, he cannot transcend this world." The Blood Demon Flood Dragon had blind confidence in Zhang Fan. When Hei Yan inquired, he started boasting, causing Hei Long Immortal Venerable to roll his eyes.
"The Qingyun Immortal Emperor should not be underestimated. If I were to face him with my current strength, I doubt I could even escape." The Evil Buddha Immortal Emperor's Buddha eyes were deep and solemn.
Hearing this, Zhang Xing'an and Qin Luoshui's hearts grew heavy. After all, the Qingyun Immortal Emperor was a being at the pinnacle of the universe, capable of slaying even Immortal Emperors. Even they were filled with worry about this battle.
"Qingyun Immortal Emperor, your Dao of Seven Heavens sounds impressive, but Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements, are ultimately just the foundational Daos of this world. Even if you perfectly integrate them, you are merely a part of this world, and have not forged your own path," Zhang Fan stated, gazing at the Qingyun Immortal Emperor.
The crowd held their breath. They knew that this ultimate battle had begun the moment Zhang Fan uttered these words. If the Qingyun Immortal Emperor were to doubt his Dao because of this, then the battle would be rendered pointless.
"Even so, if it is perfected, I can control destiny and forge my own path. Not all paths are necessarily correct," the Qingyun Immortal Emperor, whose Dao heart was as firm as rock after cultivating to the peak of the Heavenly Dao realm, would not show any weakness from Zhang Fan's words.
"If one only discusses correctness or error, one will ultimately fall into mediocrity. To break through the shackles of heaven and earth, one must tread paths previously untrodden," Zhang Fan said with a light smile, cupping the Seven Star Pagoda in his hand. "The Seven Star Immortal Emperor who forged the Seven Star Pagoda also perfectly integrated the Daos of Five Elements and Space-Time. He even went further than you, but what was his end?"
Upon hearing this, the Hunyuan Immortal Emperor, who was observing from the side, subtly changed his expression. After realizing the implication, he secretly thought, "Impressive." Even he, as an observer, was affected. How could the Qingyun Immortal Emperor remain unfazed?
After all, the perfection of Dao was their lifelong pursuit, but what lay beyond Dao perfection?
*Clang!*
The Qingyun Divine Spear swung, emitting a pleasing resonance. The Qingyun Immortal Emperor held the spear with both hands and struck at Zhang Fan with the power of creation.
He had indeed lost this debate of Dao, so he could no longer engage with Zhang Fan's words. As long as he could crush him with sheer power, his Dao heart would naturally be perfected.
The Seven Star Pagoda transformed into a long shuttle shape, and Zhang Fan grasped it in his hand, wielding it like a sword and thrusting it out fiercely, colliding with the Qingyun Divine Spear.
The residual power from the clash of these two Immortal Emperor True Artifacts was terrifying. Countless stars and living beings were in the surroundings. Fortunately, the Hunyuan Immortal Emperor and the Xuanlong Immortal Emperor and others used their Daos to seal off this space. Otherwise, after this battle, stars within thousands of light-years would have been annihilated, and countless beings would have perished.
The Seven Star Pagoda contained seven worlds, similar in concept to the Qingyun Immortal Emperor's Dao of Seven Heavens. However, the Qingyun Immortal Emperor's Dao of Seven Heavens was not yet perfected, and he could not forge the Qingyun Divine Spear into an Immortal Emperor True Artifact as perfect as the Seven Star Pagoda.
With a single blow, Zhang Fan actually repelled the Qingyun Immortal Emperor. The immense power caused his divine body to tremble, and as he looked at Zhang Fan again, his eyes were filled with solemnity.
"This Ten Absolutes Immortal Emperor did not achieve the Immortal Emperor position through his physical body, but why is his strength so immense?" The Qingyun Immortal Emperor was puzzled. Little did he know, Zhang Fan's strength originated from his inner universe.
The inner universes of other cultivators rarely exceeded ten thousand light-years in diameter, even for the Qingyun Immortal Emperor. However, Zhang Fan's inner universe had a diameter of a million light-years. In terms of strength, he was ten thousand times that of cultivators at the same level. Even though he was only in the middle stage of the Great Dao realm, he could still suppress the peak Heavenly Dao realm Qingyun Immortal Emperor with his strength.
"The battle between Immortal Emperors is not solely reliant on power!" The Qingyun Immortal Emperor enveloped the void with his Dao of Seven Heavens, then unleashed the ultimate attack of his Immortal Emperor True Artifact, locking onto Zhang Fan with Yin and Yang, and Five Elements to strike.
"Extreme Point Swordplay, Chaos Yin Yang, Sever Karma!" The unseen threat made Zhang Fan realize that the Qingyun Immortal Emperor was utilizing the Dao of Karma. Once karma locked onto him, no matter where this attack landed, it would feel as if it struck him directly.
However, in terms of utilizing karma, Zhang Fan was even more profound. With the Extreme Point Swordplay, the infinite Daos of the myriad realms were at his command. He tossed out the Seven Star Pagoda, and the seven worlds materialized above the Qingyun Immortal Emperor's head, descending upon him with immense cosmic power.
"The Qingyun Immortal Emperor's Dao of Seven Heavens can already initially mobilize the power of the universe's origin, attacking the enemy with the Dao of Karma. In just tens of thousands of years, I did not expect him to reach this stage," the Hunyuan Immortal Emperor lamented with emotion.
Tens of thousands of years ago, after reaching the peak of the Heavenly Dao realm, the Qingyun Immortal Emperor had fought him. However, at that time, the Qingyun Immortal Emperor had not yet mastered such methods.
"The Qingyun Immortal Emperor is indeed exceptionally talented, but this Ten Absolutes Immortal Emperor is the true prodigy. I find it difficult to predict the outcome of this battle now," the Xuanlong Immortal Emperor had originally believed the battle was a two-eight split, but now, if he were to re-evaluate, he felt it was fifty-fifty.
The two combatants in the arena unleashed their full might. Every move and every strike could plunge an Immortal Emperor into a perilous situation. The space within the battlefield had long since become chaotic with rules. If a cultivator at the Returning Void realm were to intrude, they would likely become as ordinary as anyone else, unable to even mobilize their spiritual power.
...