Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 443 - 439: Showdown with the Iron Blood Emperor

Chapter 443: Chapter 439: Showdown with the Iron Blood Emperor

At the ancient peak’s summit, Xiao Ye suppressed all doubts, elevating his spirit to the peak, with dazzling divine patterns interwoven in his eyes, staring at the Iron Blood Emperor opposite him.

It’s a name that could crush aeons, a Great Emperor with true invincible strength worldwide, and even in his youth, he could not be taken lightly.

Boom!

Behind Xiao Ye rose a Three-in-One Fusion Cave Heaven, bursting forth with ten thousand feet of golden light, as Xiao Ye threw his punches, unleashing the Perfect Realm’s Infinite Radiant Sun Fist, directing his attack towards the Iron Blood Emperor.

The youthful Iron Blood Emperor, dressed in simple robes, watched Xiao Ye with a smile. He merely extended a hand lightly towards Xiao Ye, not exuding any earth-shattering aura; it was just an ordinary palm.

Instantly—

Boom!

It was like a vast world pressing down; even the void was imprisoned, pinning Xiao Ye completely immobile, only able to watch helplessly as the palm came close, stopping three inches from his forehead.

"What... what technique is this?" Sweat rolled down Xiao Ye’s forehead as his face showed disbelief.

He felt that if the Iron Blood Emperor wanted to kill him, it would only take one move—and this was terrifying!

One must know, the strength Xiao Ye possessed now placed him at the absolute pinnacle of the youth in the Southeast, Northwest, and the Four Great States—only those Heavenly Prides of Central State could compete with him.

But now, it seemed he was still too naive.

The youthful Iron Blood Emperor was still in the Void Martial Realm, not having ascended to King Martial, yet he could trap him with a single maneuver.

"Youngster, although I have not ascended to King Martial yet, you need to use all your strength, otherwise you cannot even get within ten steps of me," said the Iron Blood Emperor, retracting his hand with a faint smile.

Xiao Ye suddenly felt lighter, the feeling of being restricted disappeared, and he could move again.

"Alright!"

Xiao Ye nodded, a glint in his eye, as an intense war intent surged forth like never before.

Even the Human Race Four Emperors were mortals who had progressed through cultivation. Why should others have such power in their youth and not him?

Besides, he cultivated the Four Emperor Skills, and with the Time Tower in hand, even if temporary defeat was certain against the youthful Iron Blood Emperor, it shouldn’t be such a devastating loss.

In an instant—

Boom!

A wild wind swept across the mountain peak’s summit, the sky darkened, clouds gathering swiftly above Xiao Ye’s head, with flashing lightning, as if something terrible was about to happen.

"Ahh!"

Xiao Ye clenched his fists and howled, his Three-in-One Cave Heaven splitting behind him into Three Single Cave Heavens swallowing endless divine light.

Yet it didn’t end there. A Fourth Water Cave Heaven emerged from the void, rising behind Xiao Ye.

Surrounded in the middle by four Cave Heavens with towering divine light, Xiao Ye’s black hair danced wildly, his eyes gleaming, as if a divine being had awakened.

Xiao Ye, feeling the surge in power, had unmatched confidence in his heart.

This was his first time unveiling the Four Cave Heavens since his cultivation had greatly advanced, and even he could not guess to what extent his power had reached.

"Not bad, to cultivate such an unrivaled technique to this level; it seems her judgment was indeed not wrong. Now, attack me," laughed the Iron Blood Emperor, his face filled with gratification.

"Lord Emperor, don’t rush; this is not my full strength yet!"

Xiao Ye spoke, his body once again unleashing boundless killing intent, dense blood-red light tumbling in the air, then transforming into one solid and one intangible huge Slaughter Lotus exuding a pressure that subdued the heavens.

Third-level Slaughter Principle!

"Oh? Slaughter Principle, able to comprehend it to such a realm while also cultivating an unparalleled technique; it seems I have underestimated you. It looks like Jue Dai has indeed selected a worthy successor for us," the Iron Blood Emperor murmured softly, a fiery light flashing in his eyes.

At the same time, a boundless windstorm arose from the Iron Blood Emperor, and instantly, the world became a world of fierce wind.

Moreover, above the Iron Blood Emperor’s head appeared five Profound Mysterious Lotuses formed from the wild wind, each incredibly condensed, making the Iron Blood Emperor appear even more heroic.

Wind Profoundness, Fifth Realm!

The Iron Blood Emperor’s insight into the Mysterious had already equaled that of a King Martial Realm Expert.

"Indeed formidable enough!" Xiao Ye showed no surprise but instead had an intensified intent to fight. Only by facing off against the strongest of the ancient youth could one feel the blood boiling.

Even in defeat, he would have no regrets!

Boom!

Xiao Ye made his move!

After opening his Four Cave Heavens, the power of his Ten Thousand Refinement Golden Body Second Layer skyrocketed to a terrifying degree, with a billion paths of golden light propping up a vast Golden Domain.

With his Physical Body driving the Death Slash, he transformed into a Supreme Divine Blade and burst forth towards the Iron Blood Emperor, the void along the way vibrating and splitting neatly open, and entire mountains trembling, with cracks sprawling out and rapidly covering the mountain body.

This was already Xiao Ye’s limit in strength, and it’s feared that even a Half-step King Martial Realm Expert hit by this strike would be injured. Now he was using his limit strength to challenge the Iron Blood Emperor during his youth to a decisive battle!

Faced with Xiao Ye’s terrifying strike, the Iron Blood Emperor appeared very calm. With a wave of his palm, the five Mysterious Lotuses spun out and blasted towards Xiao Ye.

One was the Iron Blood Emperor in his youth, and the other was the foremost among the younger generation in the Four Great States. Two great powerhouses crossed the river of time to duel, unfortunately without an audience to appreciate such a peerless and pinnacle battle.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The attacks of the two young powerhouses slammed fiercely into each other, and in a moment, the earth-shattering roar echoed through the void. The energy storm actually sheared a whole mountain by about ten feet, and the riddling cracks finally caused the mountain to no longer withstand the pressure and it collapsed thunderously.

More than ten thousand young men and women, who were seated cross-legged at the foot of the mountain, heard the tremendous noise, looked up, and their pupils constricted. They quickly scattered to avoid being hit.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Huge rocks fell like rain from the sky, stone chips flew in all directions, and dust filled the air.

Those young men and women who had barely escaped were all shocked, their faces colored with disbelief.

This time, the challenger was so powerful that even the mountain where the Iron Blood Emperor had been cultivating was destroyed. This had never happened before.

At this moment, an embarrassed figure, like a shooting meteor, smashed down fiercely and crashed into the pile of rubble, billowing dust, forming a huge crater in the ground.

"It’s that challenger!"

"Hmph, no matter how strong his power is, he can’t possibly be a match for our Lord!"

"That’s natural. When have you ever seen our Lord need a second move when dealing with his peers?"

...

Among the more than ten thousand young men and women, some sharp-eyed ones coldly ridiculed, eliciting a chorus of agreement.

"Iron Blood Emperor is too strong." Xiao Ye smiled bitterly as he walked out of the ruins, his robes torn and tattered, his body extremely weak, unable to muster any more strength.

Recalling the peak duel with the Iron Blood Emperor, his heart was still full of shock.

He had deployed his utmost attack, but it had only managed to hold for about a dozen breaths before he was blasted away, suffering a miserable defeat. He even felt that the Iron Blood Emperor had not used his full strength.

Xiao Ye felt emotional. It was no wonder that the Iron Blood Emperor was one of the strongest four on the True Spirit Continent since it came into existence. He was already so terrifying during his youth, surpassing him by too much.

Fortunately, the Iron Blood Emperor did not harbor any malice. He had promptly withdrawn his strength, which spared him from injury but left him weakened due to overexertion. With his foundation, he would recover soon enough.

"However, one day, I, Xiao Ye, will certainly reach and surpass the Realm of the Human Race Four Emperors!" Xiao Ye’s eyes sparkled with determination as he clenched his fists.

At this moment, the Iron Blood Emperor, with his robe fluttering and eyes deep, stepped on the void and landed in front of Xiao Ye.

"You all may leave now," said the Iron Blood Emperor, his hands behind his back, speaking indifferently.

"Yes, Lord!"

The moment they saw the Iron Blood Emperor, over ten thousand young men and women looked on with fervent gazes, bowed respectfully, and then turned and left, not daring to linger for a moment longer.

"Youngster, are you alright?" It was only then that the Iron Blood Emperor looked towards Xiao Ye and spoke with a smile.

If those young men and women could see this, they would be so surprised that their jaws might drop. They had followed the Iron Blood Emperor for a long time. When had they ever seen the cold Iron Blood Emperor treat a peer with such an attitude?

"The Emperor’s strength is indeed extraordinary, Xiao admits defeat," replied Xiao Ye with a smile, cupping his hands together.

"You don’t need to belittle yourself. Your current strength, except for in Central State, is enough to be proud among your peers. The reason for your certain defeat when encountering me is due to my profound understanding in the Mysterious Law, which allows me to stand shoulder to shoulder with King Martial Realm Experts," the Iron Blood Emperor said lightly.

Listening to the Iron Blood Emperor’s comforting words, Xiao Ye nodded, but bitterness lingered in his heart.

After all, he had been defeated in one move, a significant blow to him. It also dissolved the slight pride swelled up in his heart due to his recent increase in strength.

The fact that the Iron Blood Emperor could defeat him meant that in this world, there were many peer geniuses who were not much inferior to him. After all, he was only supreme among the younger generation in the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern States; it was Central State where the real monsters roamed.

The Martial Arts path is fraught with difficulties and obstacles. He must tread carefully to have the chance of reaching the Other Shore and shining in this life.

"Normally, challengers who fail are immediately blasted out of this illusionary world. But, since you are a chosen successor by Jue Dai and have now earned my recognition, I want to make a few suggestions to you in Martial Arts that will save you a lot of detours," the Iron Blood Emperor said slowly.

The Iron Blood Emperor wanted to guide him?

Xiao Ye felt an immense excitement in his heart. This was indeed a rare opportunity, and besides, he was filled with questions awaiting to be asked.