The Nine Cauldrons

Chapter 611: The Breakthrough During the Fight

Even though it was during the cold winter, the air around the Green Dragon Hill was hot as hell. Numerous cultivators and ordinary people had gathered near the hill, waiting to watch the world-shaking duel.

“Someone arrived.”

“It’s a swordlight. That must be the God of Sword, Qin Shiqi.”

A few hundred years ago, when Qin Shiqi was only seventeen-years-old, he was known by the world as the God of Sword. If the Wan Xiang Sect had not published the “Duels of the Strongest,” not only a few would know about Qin Shiqi’s past.

Whew!

The beam of swordlight shot towards the top of the Green Dragon Hill. Soon, the light dispersed and a cold-looking cultivator, dressed in plain cotton clothes and carrying a purple sword on his back, could be seen. It was indeed Qin Shiqi, the supreme cultivator of the Dao of Sword. At this moment, he was the only one standing on top of the Green Dragon Hill. His opponent Pei San had yet to arrive.

Qin Shiqi closed his eyes. He stood there quietly, blending in with the rocks on the hill.

The wind blew, yet his clothes and hair remained still.

“Pei San is here.”

While Teng Qingshan was on the cloud, he noticed a ray of greyish light piercing through the air and his eyes lit up with excitement. He was accompanied by Pei Xuelian, Li Chao, and the King of Beast Wu Hou, who all stopped halfway, allowing Pei San to fly to the Green Dragon Hill alone. Pei San continued without stopping and instantly landed on the top of the Green Dragon Hill.

Noises of excitement could be heard coming from the top of the mountains and canyons near the Green Dragon Hill. The countless inhabitants of the Land of the Nine Prefectures were extremely excited.

Pu!

Qin Shiqi suddenly opened his eyes and stared directly at Pei San, who was in the distance. His eyes were like the only source of light in the dark world.

Pei San smiled. With his eyes closed, he began walking towards Qin Shiqi. He appeared to be walking in a simple manner, but his pace just felt so strange. Each step caused the hill to quiver slightly. As he continued maintaining this rhythm, the tremor became more apparent. Soon, the entire hill began shaking.

The severe tremors caused the rocks to tumble down the hill.

Pei San continued walking and the hill shook with each step.

“Hmph!” A cold humph sounded abruptly, interrupting the strange rhythm.

Qin Shiqi stared coldly at Pei San.

Pei San was still grinning. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at Qin Shiqi. When he saw the determination in Qin Shiqi’s eyes, the smile on his face grew wider. Finally, Pei San spoke, “Qin Shiqi, of the three cultivators I have challenged, I knew that you would be the one to take this fight seriously. I knew that you would not act like Huang Tianqin, who was so scared that he did not dare to fight at all.”

“You are not powerful enough to incite fear in me.” Qin Shiqi said in an indifferent tone.

“Good.”

Pei San stretched lazily as he responded. The smile on his face grew brighter. “Actually, I have been waiting for an opponent who is willing to engage in a life-or-death fight with me. I have been waiting for you! You are the only one who will push me to my limit. When I reach my limit, I will achieve the last breakthrough and reach the Omnipotent Realm!”

“In the end…” Qin Shiqi said coldly, “I will be the one to reach the Omnipotent Realm!”

“It’s even better when you are more confident.” Pei San said with a smile, “If you can be my stepping stone to achieving the Omnipotent Realm, then I won’t have to fight Teng Qingshan. If you can’t, then I will have no choice but to fight Teng Qingshan.” With this, Pei San looked into the distance at Teng Qingshan, who was on the cloud.

Pei San remarked emotionally, “Teng Qingshan is the scariest opponent I have ever seen. He has made progress in his cultivation again.”

Qin Shiqi also turned and glanced over at Teng Qingshan.

As for Teng Qingshan, he was looking at the two who would soon begin fighting.

At this moment, the three Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts could sense the atmosphere in the Land of the Nine Prefectures turning belligerent. The three powerful cultivators, even the young Teng Qingshan, had achieved the culmination of the Insightful Emptiness Realm. The three were almost equal in strength.

…

Pei San and Qin Shiqi turned and stared at each other again.

Pei San’s eyes gradually looked different. His eyes became very cold.

Both sides became more belligerent. Their powerful Spirits disrupted the Power of the Heavens and Earth in the surroundings causing the atmosphere to tremble continuously. The wind blew fiercely and the rocks tumbled down the mountain. Many cultivators who were watching from afar became very quiet. No one wanted to miss out on this important event.

“Rumble~~” The Power of the Heavens and Earth started vibrating intensely. The image of a dragon turtle appeared behind Pei San, who had worn the white gloves that radiated a golden glow.

“Clang!” As thunder sounded and lightning flashed, Qin Shiqi held the purple sword in his hand.

The two powerful cultivators instantly transformed into two beams of light, flying towards each other.

“Ahh!”

A strange and high-pitched noise sounded suddenly. Unlike the ordinary people and Innate Experts who were incapable of seeing the fight clearly, Teng Qingshan could and knew what had happened. Pei San, whose eyes were blood-red, had emitted that peculiar roar. His arms were bent in a strange manner, appearing like the pincers of a crab. However, his hands were formed into the claws of a beast.

While maintaining this appearance, Pei San dashed towards Qin Shiqi.

Qin Shiqi’s entire body was surrounded by a black and white stream of air. Spirals of black and white light weaved around the purple sword and it felt like there were two flood dragons crisscrossing around the sword. As the black and white beams of light reached the tip of the sword, they began clashing intensely, creating waves of energy that rippled continuously through the surrounding atmosphere.

“His ability to control the Powers of Yin and Yang is impressive.” Teng Qingshan thought to himself, “Qin Shiqi cultivated the Dao of Yin and Yang, while I cultivated the Dao of LIfe and Death. Similarly, he had yet to merge the Yin and Yang. However, he was still able to use the Powers in such a marvelous way.”

Teng Qingshan had come up with his own conclusion.

After he studied the Celestial Jade Annulus and achieved a breakthrough, he became almost as powerful as Qin Shiqi.

“Clang~~~”

The earth shook and the mountain trembled again as Qin Shiqi’s powerful sword clashed with Pei San. Pei San immediately smashed his two pincer-like arms together and grabbed the terrifying sword with his claws. He started screaming crazily. His posture looked very strange as he attempted to take the sword away from Qin Shiqi.

“Let go!” Qin Shiqi’s face darkened as he roared.

“Chichi~~”

Pei San first tried to take the sword, but when that failed, he immediately rushed forward and attacked like a huge turtle. He slammed his shoulder and weirdly bent right arm into Qin Shiqi. Qin Shiqi could block with his left hand. As he tried to defend himself, the sound of bones being crushed was heard.

Bang~~

With his left hand fractured and godly armor cracked, Qin Shiqi was thrown into the air. Simultaneously, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Whew!”

Suddenly, Pei San’s aura changed. The image of the dragon turtle behind his back disappeared and was replaced by the image of a demonic fox. When the charming fox emerged, Pei San’s body appeared slightly blurry. He moved charmingly and proceeded to pursue Qin Shiqi. His fighting style changed as well, becoming more ruthless, cunning, and fierce.

“Haha…” An arrogant laughter sounded.

Qin Shiqi, who was flying out, kicked the rocks of the Green Mountain Hill, causing the rocks to crack. Qin Shiqi held his sword and transform into this beam of swordlight. For a moment, it felt as though Qin Shiqi himself had turned into a sword. Madness and desperation could be seen through his eyes. Qin Shiqi was willing to risk anything!

“Eh?” Pei San turned nimbly and tapped on the purple sword with his sharp claws, gaining momentum to dodge Qin Shiqi’s fierce attack

…

Teng Qingshan, who was watching the fight from afar, suddenly frowned. He was genuinely surprised as he thought to himself, “Pei San is now much better than me at dodging and weaving. What is this Dao of Beasts? How did he suddenly become so nimble?” Teng Qingshan was not very familiar with Pei San’s Dao.

“Qin Shiqi, this is bad for you.” Teng Qingshan could see the fight very clearly.

……

It was just as he had expected. The moment Pei San dodged Qin Shiqi’s attack, he moved and went after Qin Shiqi again.

“Rumble~~”

The people in the Land of the Nine Prefectures could only see lights sparking and flashing above the Green Dragon Hill. They could also see the Power of the World rippling recklessly through the atmosphere and the rocks tumbling down the hill or breaking into pieces or dust. It was as though the heavens and earth were being torn apart. Many people were so excited that their eyes lit up.

“So powerful… How could someone be this powerful?” Teng Yongfan, who was on the clouds, felt terrified. He could not believe that his son Teng Qingshan would soon compete against an opponent this powerful.

Teng Qingshan remained very calm as he stared at the Green Dragon Hill in the distance.

“Qin Shiqi is still slightly weaker than Pei San.” Teng Qingshan shook his head.

“Although Qin Shiqi can continue fighting for a while, he would only be able to injure Pei San.” Teng Qingshan sighed to himself. He could tell that Qin Shiqi had no intention of backing down.

…

It has only been around twenty seconds. The millions of people watching the fight held their breath. No one dared to make any sounds. They all paid close attention to the fight between the two Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts. This was the best duel in the Land of the Nine Prefectures! Anyone who had the chance to watch a duel like this could die without any regrets.

“Qin Shiqi, you disappoint me.” Pei San’s voice sounded in Qin Shiqi’s ears.

Pei San’s eyes were blood red. The image of a dragon turtle hovered behind him. With his claw-like hands, he tried to tear Qin Shiqi apart.

“Heh~~”

Qin Shiqi’s eyes were bloodshot as well. There were quite a few cracks on his godly armor, which was covered with blood. His left arm had become almost useless, but his right hand was still in good condition. As he wielded the sword with his right hand, Qin Shiqi knew that he was still capable of fighting!

“If I don’t achieve a breakthrough, then I will die!!!” Qin Shiqi roared internally.

“Clang!”

Once again, the fight between Qin Shiqi and the ferocious Pei San started.

“Sizzle~~” The black and white powers of his world swirled around the edge of Qin Shiqi’s purple sword. It was as though the black and white powers shared a familial bond with the sword. Some of the black and white colors were infused together, producing a greyish colored power.

This time, Pei San could not grab Qin Shiqi’s sword.

As the earth shook and the mountain trembled, the clashing sounds diminished and the flying dust dissipated. The Green Dragon Hill had regained its calmness. Simultaneously, millions of people could see two extremely powerful cultivators encircled by their own powers. Pei San was surrounded by a greyish power with sparks of lightning As for Qin Shiqi, his power was grey with the shades of black and white.

The two stared at each other quietly.

“Haha…”

Suddenly, Pei San burst out in laughter. “Nice! Awesome! Qin Shiqi, you did not disappoint me. This will make things more interesting. If I can feel more intimidation, I will be closer to death. This will bring me closer to the Omnipotent Realm. Haha…” Pei San said excitedly.

“I said that I will be the Omnipotent Expert!” Qin Shiqi’s voice sounded cold. He was also slightly agitated.

He could sense that…he was literally one step away from the Omnipotent Realm. He could even feel the aura of the Omnipotent Expert. Clearly, he had become as powerful as Pei San and had reached the cultivation level closest to the Omnipotent Realm.

“He made a breakthrough.” Teng Qingshan stood on the cloud and watched the fight carefully. He thought to himself, “Qin Shiqi is much stronger than me now. He is now on the same level as Pei San. Who will win now?”

This is a fight of life or death.

There is only one goal:

To reach the Omnipotent Realm in this fiercest fight! If one failed, then death awaits!