Chapter 1947 - Surrounded By Enemies

With every other option exhausted, the Hundred Blossom War Chariot and the Guardian Wings unleashed their weapons. The Hundred Blossom War Chariot launched the more devastating assault, spewing flames from its hull and melting the surrounding ice into a torrential downpour.

Liu Wuxie was far beyond their reach. Neither vessel was aiming for him, however. They were trying to shatter the ice mountains and force a passage to freedom.

"Time to move!" Liu Wuxie murmured.

The Desolate Devouring Art's circulation gradually subsided. Liu Wuxie had finished stabilizing his cultivation at the pinnacle of the first-level Profound Immortal Realm. The Twin-Winged Battle Chariot spread its sword wings, but the surrounding icy energy could no longer touch him.

"His physique is incredible!" countless spectators exclaimed, their gazes fixed on Liu Wuxie as the wings parted to reveal him.

His resistance to the icy energy alone was now comparable to that of an Origin Immortal.

With every beat of its sword wings, the Twin-Winged Battle Chariot accelerated. The ice mountains parted before it, opening an unobstructed passage.

That opening shortened Liu Wuxie's route considerably. Only two breaths passed before he reached the edge of the ice mountains, overtaking the Guardian Wings and the Hundred Blossom War Chariot on the way.

Both vessels continued attacking. Their efforts melted a substantial amount of ice, yet neither managed to break free.

"Brother Wu, that was a remarkable display," Shang Bin said, openly admiring the method that had defeated them. He acknowledged their loss to a mere Profound Immortal.

The Hundred Blossom War Chariot appeared to give up its struggle. Beautiful women leaned against the crystal window, exclaiming at the sight of Liu Wuxie.

"He's so handsome! I wish I could marry him!" the women cried, utterly captivated.

"You have my apologies, but I'll need you to remain here a little longer," Liu Wuxie said, cupping his fists toward the Guardian Wings and the Hundred Blossom War Chariot. He knew that neither faction had harbored any hostility toward him from the beginning.

"We agreed to let our abilities decide, and yours surpassed ours. We have no reason to complain," Shang Bin replied, accepting defeat without resentment. From the outset, the Twin-Winged Battle Chariot had displayed exceptional Divine Steed Art. Its countless transformations compensated for its lack of raw speed.

The Twin-Winged Battle Chariot gradually disappeared from their sight as it left the ice mountains behind.

Fresh cracks immediately raced through its frame. Components failed and broke apart, scattering fragments from the vessel. Surviving such a long journey and so many attacks had already been miraculous. Even now, the chariot accelerated, leaving Liu Wuxie alone to dominate the final huddle.

When the Twin-Winged Battle Chariot passed the finish line, the Guardian Wings and the Hundred Blossom War Chariot at last escaped the ice mountains and descended.

Its task complete, the Twin-Winged Battle Chariot began crumbling as it crossed the finish line. Liu Wuxie guided it safely down before it could disintegrate entirely.

The Divine Rainbow Road ran in a loop, returning its contestants to the starting point. Liu Wuxie had arrived back at Divine Steed Manor's gates.

Spectators already thronged the manor grounds. He landed in an open space and stored the battered divine steed.

"Manor Lord, I believe it's time to hand over the Asura Blade's fragment," Liu Wuxie said, turning his gaze toward the Divine Steed Manor and claiming his reward.

The Divine Will Gate and the Nanmen Clan stopped just short of attacking Liu Wuxie. Why kill him before he obtained the Asura Blade fragment? If they waited until the treasure was in his hands, they could seize it after killing him. Acting now would squander that opportunity.

The manor lord said nothing. His gaze shifted toward the Divine Will Gate and the Nanmen Clan. He had counted on them to kill Liu Wuxie, so the Divine Steed Manor could retain the Asura Blade fragment.

Neither side moved. The Nanmen Clan and the Divine Will Gate waited for Liu Wuxie to receive the fragment, while the Divine Steed Manor waited for them to end his life. Once the victor died, the Divine Steed Tournament would naturally become void.

Everyone could see the calculations behind that stalemate. Each side guarded its own interests, and Liu Wuxie stood between them, where one careless decision could bring his doom.

"You destroyed our Qilin War Chariot. We'll retain the Asura Blade fragment as compensation," a youth behind the manor lord declared.

The destruction of its core had inflicted severe damage upon the Qilin War Chariot. Making it operational again would require three to five years.

"What a joke. The Divine Steed Tournament allows competitors to attack one another. Your Qilin War Chariot simply wasn't good enough," Liu Wuxie sneered, openly mocking them. "Or is Divine Steed Manor incapable of accepting defeat?"

"He's right! Is Divine Steed Manor going to break its word?" surrounding cultivators demanded as they stepped forward. They knew that once Liu Wuxie obtained the Asura Blade fragment, they would have an opportunity to take it themselves.

Voices from the surrounding forces rose in his defense. Securing justice for Liu Wuxie, however, mattered far less to them than their own prospects.

Countless experts stood behind the Divine Steed Manor, making it difficult to wrest the Asura Blade fragment from their grasp. However, taking the same treasure from Liu Wuxie would be much simpler.

Liu Wuxie was well aware of their intentions but chose not to voice his opinion. Their support served his purpose, increasing the pressure upon the Divine Steed Manor.

The manor lord's face darkened as the demands mounted. He knew that withholding the Asura Blade fragment would place him at odds with everyone.

"Manor Lord, a man must keep his word. We agreed to these rules beforehand, and we ought to honor them," Nanmen Qing proclaimed in Liu Wuxie's defense, prompting eye rolls from the crowd.

"Shameless!" spectators spat, disgusted by a display of hypocrisy more brazen than any they had witnessed before.

Almost anyone else could have spoken in defense of Liu Wuxie. The Nanmen Clan and the Divine Will Gate, however, were driven by hatred for him and had no right to do so.

"Manor Lord, surrender the Asura Blade fragment," an elder of the Divine Will Gate demanded, stepping from the crowd. Like Nanmen Qing, he had suddenly become Liu Wuxie's advocate.

Unable to endure the charade, many Divine Steed Manor disciples stepped forward and exposed the motives behind it. "How despicable! You're pretending to uphold justice so you can steal the fragment!"

"You're mistaken. Yes, we have a feud with him, but we haven't reached the point of settling it. Right now, we're discussing who rightfully owns the Asura Blade fragment," Nanmen Qing asserted with righteous composure. Their grievance against Liu Wuxie and the ownership of the fragment were separate issues. He insisted that no one should confuse the two.

Beset by demands from every direction, the manor lord knew that refusing to produce the treasure would unite the entire gathering against Divine Steed Manor.

The manor could not withstand their combined strength. That predicament had driven it to organize the Divine Steed Tournament in the first place. Now, after everything, it faced the same confrontation again.

Hatred filled the eyes of every Divine Steed Manor member, from its elders to its disciples, as they stared at Liu Wuxie. Without his interference, they would have won.

Powerful cultivators from numerous forces surrounded Liu Wuxie. Some harbored malicious intentions, others waited for an opening, and the remaining hoped to profit from the coming chaos. Despite those differing motives, they all shared the same objective. The moment Liu Wuxie received the Asura Blade fragment, they would strike.

Many Divine Steed Manor members watched him just as intently, ready to charge as soon as the treasure changed hands.

Liu Wuxie summoned the Bloodthirst Blade and quietly mobilized his immortal energy. Blade force radiated from the weapon, pushing back those cultivators who could not endure its suppression.

The Profound Immortals were horrified. "Such terrifying blade force!" Though they were at the same realm, Liu Wuxie was dozens of times stronger. None could understand how such a disparity existed.

"Hand it over," the manor lord finally ordered. An elder approached from his right with a purple box.

The box measured roughly thirty centimeters long and fifteen centimeters wide. Its walls could not conceal the powerful energy stirring within, and everyone could sense it.

Ghost Pupil pierced the restrictions covering the box as though they were absent. The sight of the Asura Blade fragment sent a tremor through Liu Wuxie's body.

The fragment twitched as it sensed its master. Roughly the size of an infant's palm, it had broken from the blade's body rather than its tip. A piece of the tip would have been worth even more.

Liu Wuxie condensed his immortal energy into a massive hand in the air and seized the box. The moment it reached his grasp, he placed it inside his interspatial ring.

As soon as Liu Wuxie secured the fragment, a Divine Immortal from the Nanmen Clan shouted, "Wu Xie, you destroyed our Nanmen Clan's Skybreaker Wasp! There's no room in this world for both of us!" He attacked with astonishing speed without hesitation.

"That brat damaged our Cloudbreaker Warship. We have every right to take the fragment!" an expert of the Divine Will Gate declared, thrusting his palm at Liu Wuxie.

Either opponent could kill Liu Wuxie with ease. Though his breakthrough to the Profound Immortal Realm had made him strong enough to defeat enemies at the ninth-level Origin Immortal Realm, these two were beyond that level.

Fortune had played a role in his victory against Chen Kun. That battle had exhausted every trump card at his disposal and left him completely drained. Escaping now, with so many experts surrounding him, would be more difficult.

"Blackie, attack!" Liu Wuxie commanded.

After Liu Wuxie's breakthrough, Blackie had consumed several Primal Chaos Shards and grown stronger. This was the perfect opportunity to put that increased power to work.

Liu Wuxie slashed downward with the Bloodthirst Blade, seeking to carve an opening in the encirclement. Should every other measure fail, he could withdraw into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron and leave Blackie to find another path to safety.

With the Asura Blade fragment, he could repair the Bloodthirst Blade and further strengthen his blade techniques in the future.

Without warning, a black staff materialized. Neither the Nanmen Clan nor the Divine Will Gate understood what was happening, and its sudden appearance caught them off guard.

Blackie's combat strength already matched the high levels of the Divine Immortal Realm. Combined with its indestructible physique, even a peak Divine Immortal couldn't contend with it.

Terrifying heat rolled outward from the staff in waves.

Back in the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm, Liu Wuxie had burned his hand merely by touching the staff. Blackie could wield it without suffering any harm.

Before either Divine Immortal could react, Blackie's attack struck them both.