Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 111 - 109: Time is Like a Knife

Chapter 111: Chapter 109: Time is Like a Knife

"It has begun!".

The Inner Sect Disciples who came to watch perked up with excitement, curiously watching the top ten of the Inner Sect sit down cross-legged on the White Jade Stone Platform.

In an instant, the White Jade Stone Platform bloomed with intense light, and strange Runes emerged in the void, writhing as if alive, rushing towards the ten figures.

Boom!

Xiao Ye’s body shook, feeling darkness before his eyes, and as he opened them, he suddenly found himself in an endlessly vast expanse of Heaven and Earth.

Whoosh whoosh—

A cold wind howled past, the air filled with a desolate air.

"Is this... the Illusion Realm?" Xiao Ye was startled, carefully surveying his surroundings.

Tap tap tap!

At that moment, one after another, emaciated elders with drained Blood Qi, dragged their decrepit bodies from a distance, walking towards him.

Rumble!

These elders with disheveled white hair, their shocking Energy fluctuations engulfing the sky, created a powerful Suppression that even shook the Heaven.

"So powerful!" Xiao Ye’s pupils severely constricted, his face filled with shock.

The Energy fluctuations on these elders were at least at the Innate Limit level, some of which Xiao Ye could not even fathom, emanating an aura of splitting the Heavens.

There were a vast number of these elders, too many to see the end of. Their eyes were void of light, slowly stepping forward, as if they had lost their conviction and didn’t even know their destination.

"Give up, to reach the Xuanwu Realm is too difficult; better to enjoy life while it lasts, and not to live in vain," sighed a long breath from an elder with Innate Limit Cultivation who stepped out of line, walking towards another direction.

There lay a glorious Great Hall, with fine wines and delicacies set upon the banquet tables, numerous beauties singing and dancing, their enticing bodies partially concealed, filled with endless temptation.

The elder walked step by step onto the throne of the Great Hall, surrounded by men and women, threw back his head and laughed, sinking into the silence.

Following that, more elders at the Innate Limit detached from the group.

Some returned to their birthplace, united with generations of descendants, abandoning Martial Arts to enjoy their twilight years, a fallen leaf returning to its roots.

Others went to seek old friends and lovers, retracing the paths of their youth, chasing the gone but cherished memories.

Xiao Ye’s complexion turned pale, the impact of these scenes was too great for him, profoundly feeling the emotions of these elders.

"Even though I, Nangong Lie, have reached the Xuanwu Realm, I have no hope of breaking through to the Void Martial Realm. Knowing it is impossible, why should I keep struggling?"

At this time, an elder surging with an intense Martial Arts True Intent paused, eyes filled with confusion, no longer moving forward.

"Full completeness of Martial Arts True Intent, a Xuanwu Realm master!" Xiao Ye was utterly horrified as the complete Martial Arts True Intent immobilized him, unable to move.

Even, with just a slight lift of his hand, the opponent could kill him.

This elder of the Xuanwu Realm turned and entered a desolate area. With his own power, he swept across the world, establishing a strong kingdom, ruling thousands of miles of territory, becoming a revered King.

Give up!

Give up!

Give up!

More elders left the group, starting another kind of lifestyle.

"Even the Xuanwu Realm masters have given up on Martial Arts?" A hint of confusion appeared in Xiao Ye’s eyes.

The Illusion Realm felt real, as real as the Illusion Realm, blurring the lines for Xiao Ye.

The originally huge group gradually shrunk, leaving less than ten percent of the people still persisting forward, pursuing the endpoint of Martial Arts.

But the confusion in their eyes grew stronger. With each step they took forward, their bodies stooped more, rapidly aging, white hair fluttering like snow, imbuing the air with desolation.

Thud!

A persevering elder of the Xuanwu Realm, now horribly aged, stumbled and fell to the ground, never to rise again, turned into a handful of dust, scattering in this Heaven and Earth.

Time is like a knife, cutting down Heaven’s Chosen Sons; nobody can withstand it.

Xiao Ye followed silently behind this group, watching one by one the powerful elders fall, while his originally oceanic Blood Qi also rapidly declined.

His originally black hair gradually became dry, and wrinkles etched by Time appeared on his youthful face. His steps grew heavier, and his speed slower.

"Where exactly is the end of Martial Arts? Do I still have a chance?" Xiao Ye’s eyes filled with confusion as he looked ahead.

At this moment, in front of him, there was only one elder in Golden Armor left. He remained silent, his full Martial Arts True Intent forming a vast Domain, resisting the pressure of Time, persisting step by step.

Finally, the elder stopped, his murky eyes looking towards the Martial Path, filled with despair.

He could not hold on any longer. Time had deprived him of his vitality, leaving him no time to complete what he wanted to do if he continued forward.

"For the pursue of Martial Arts perfection, I’ve made countless enemies, my wife and children were killed, my parents died badly. I wanted revenge but lacked the strength."

"Then what use was my Martial Cultivation!" The elder laughed staggering, his Golden Armor breaking apart inch by inch, just as his crumbling beliefs.

The elder’s body trembled as he walked toward another direction.

There lay two lonely graves covered in wild grass, swaying in the cold wind.

The elderly man staggered as he sat in front of the graves, gently caressing the two tombstones, with tears streaming from his eyes, filled with guilt.

He spent the last of his remaining days in front of the graves, ultimately turning to dry bones.

All of this realistically presented itself in front of Xiao Ye, causing his emotions to violently surge.

"Now am I the only one left?" Xiao Ye looked up at the path before him, standing still, as a sense of despair spread throughout his body, causing slight cracks to form in his Martial Arts Heart.

"Everyone has given up, why should I keep going?"

It was as if he had fallen into an abyss, struggling to climb out.

Boom!

At that moment, the tower-shaped seal on his chest suddenly emitted a faint glow, a sensation of coolness surged into Xiao Ye’s mind, snapping him back to alertness.

"Time Tower!"

Xiao Ye looked down at the tower-shaped seal on his chest, stunned.

"I still have the Time Tower!" The despair and confusion in Xiao Ye’s eyes quickly diminished.

"I was once a nobody with no hope of pursuing Martial Arts, yet now I stand at the peak of the Inner Sect. Why should I give up!" Xiao Ye’s eyes were rimmed with Divine Light as he looked straight ahead.

The Time Tower, with its Third Layer, Fourth Layer, and Fifth Layer, that he had yet to set foot on—why should he give up?

"If others cannot do it, I, Xiao Ye, certainly can! I will definitely reach the pinnacle of Martial Arts and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Human Race Four Emperors!" Xiao Ye took a determined step forward.

The path of Martial Arts has no known end, time is like a knife, cutting into Xiao Ye, making him grow increasingly older, yet he continued to advance, filled with determination.

"My goal is to become a Great Emperor, sweeping through all rivals in All Heavens!" Xiao Ye roared, displaying his defiance, his roar shaking the void, as if challenging Heaven through the river of time.

At that moment, the Power of Time grew stronger, turning him into an elderly figure with a stooped body and white hair, but the determination in Xiao Ye’s eyes intensified.

The more difficult it was, the more unwilling he was!

Even if Time obstructs me, then I shall tread on Time itself.

At this instant, Xiao Ye’s Martial Arts Heart was pure and Wuchen, growing even stronger, resisting the Power of Time and stopping his aging.

...

Outside the Illusion Realm.

Bang!

Within a few breaths after ten youths sat down, a figure was ejected out, sitting on the ground covered in dust.

"It’s Zhang Huwei!" exclaimed an Inner Sect Disciple who was watching the excitement.

Zhang Huwei sat on the ground, his eyes filled with confusion, still engrossed in the environment of just moments before.

"Wake up!" the Great Elder spoke, his voice filled with a strange power, which shot straight into Zhang Huwei’s heart, waking him.

"Great Elder." Zhang Huwei, wearing a look of guilt, quickly got up.

Having gone through this trial, he knew well that being ejected early on signified a weaker Martial Arts Heart. If one couldn’t even hold onto their Martial Arts Heart, how could they pursue Martial Arts?

The Great Elder naturally understood what Zhang Huwei was thinking and said indifferently, "The three of us choosing disciples are not necessarily looking for the strongest Martial Arts Hearts. If you perform excellently in the next two trials, you still have a chance."

Although Zhang Huwei heard these words, he still felt aggrieved in his heart.

He was ranked third in the Inner Sect but was the first to be ejected. It was truly embarrassing.

Bang!

Bang!

The next moment, two more figures were simultaneously ejected from the White Jade Stone Platform, just like Zhang Huwei, their faces filled with confusion before being awakened by the Great Elder.

In less than a day, from the ten youths, only two remained—Xiao Ye and Leng Feng.

"Third Junior Sister, it seems this Xiao Ye is not as bad as you said." The Great Elder looking at the two figures on the White Jade Stone Platform with approval in his eyes.

"Hmph, it’s only been one day. He will be ensnared by the Illusion Realm before Leng Feng tomorrow and get ejected." The Third Elder coldly stated.

"I actually quite like the kid. In our Sect, there are only a handful who can last more than a day on the White Jade Stone Platform. As long as his performance in the next two trials is not bad, I’ll take him as my Direct Disciple. As for Leng Feng, I won’t compete with my Senior Brother." The slightly plump Second Elder rarely showed a hint of a smile.

The Third Elder frowned upon hearing this but said no more.

Soon, five days passed, but the two figures on the White Jade Stone Platform still sat cross-legged.

"Our Sect’s Heaven’s Chosen Son, Zhao Qian, managed to last eight days on the White Jade Stone Platform; can these two lads possibly compare with Zhao Qian?" asked the Great Elder, his eyes filled with anticipation.

It had been a very long time since the Chongyang Sect had seen a disciple with such a strong Martial Arts Heart.

After seven and a half days had passed, there was a sudden change on the White Jade Stone Platform as one figure trembled and was ejected.

"Who will it be?" The many Inner Sect Disciples eagerly opened their eyes wide to see.

They had come to understand, the longer one could persist on the White Jade Stone Platform, the stronger their Martial Arts Heart.

Of the two top geniuses of the Inner Sect, Xiao Ye and Leng Feng, who would last a bit longer?

(End of Chapter One, Chapter Two in the evening.)