Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 63: Class Eight Battle II

Chapter 63: Class Eight Battle II

The Emperor brought out his other hand and declared, "Heaven’s Command..."

Nearly standing up, Rehan exclaimed, "No way! He’s seriously using Heaven’s Command!?"

"...Celestial End."

The Kangxi Emperor fell from the sky down to the ground but he did not lose. The giant red monstrosity was stopped in its tracks by the palm of the Emperor. Electricity spread and the valley smouldered, smoke rising everywhere. The ground cracked beneath him as the snout of the dragon began to dissipate, following the rest of his body.

Li Tianlu teleported to the Emperor’s exposed side and swung his sword. The blade landed and the Emperor was blasted away. The swordsman chased after him but the Emperor recovered fast. He closed the gap before Li Tianlu could and delivered a rapid barrage of punches that seemed to strike from all angles.

Bam! A hard glowing fist struck his ribs, blood spewing from his nose, and forced the momentum of the battle to stop. Li Tianlu took three steps back, holding his chest, and coughed.

The Emperor observed him. "Is that all?"

Li Tianlu laughed. "If you weren’t capable of this much, I would be disappointed, Emperor. How about this?"

In the brief seconds of conversation, he healed himself. His bent chest regained its normal shape, confirming Dasha’s theory.

’So they have done it. They have reached the Nascent Soul, where their souls have been nurtured to the point of affecting their physical bodies. This is the last stage before immortality.’

Incredible. Truly incredible. He had learned so much from this battle and he was going to continue to learn from it.

Li Tianlu took a step back and an electric surge erupted underneath his feet. The spectators were flabbergasted. From the lightning, multiple copies of himself materialized. Not two or three, but over thirty clones. The valley was filled with dancing crimson silhouettes, and the Emperor’s eyes scanned his surroundings.

"A magician’s trick?" the Emperor noted. "How disappointing."

"Don’t care! Less talking, more fighting!"

Fists struck empty air as the illusions dissipated one by one. While Li Tianlu’s clones let him come close to the Emperor, it wasn’t never definitive. With two arms, the Emperor was seemingly untouchable. A wise, otherworldly being who used his Qi to its utmost efficiency.

Li Tianlu was the same. Qi constantly surged his being. An insignificant red tint that no doubt bolstered his physicals and sword. His swings were rather reckless but done with an insurmountable amount of raw power. Judging by the Emperor’s footwork, it seemed he recognized he could not overpower Li Tianlu’s sword. Therefore, he shifted to martial arts and spacing.

Theory was becoming reality.

The illusions suddenly disappeared and combined into a single Li Tianlu, who reappeared above the Emperor with his sword gleaming. Metal met divine flesh and they clashed in close combat. The Emperor avoided his swings, coolly ducking and weaving, while Li Tianlu became a relentless blur of red metal.

Swing, swing, swing.

Swish!

Gasps came from the audience. Li Tianlu cut his crown. His precious red crown. The crown of the divine, of the great Emperor of China.

The Kangxi Emperor’s expression changed—

"Ha!"

And Li Tianlu managed to slice his elbow. Blood was drawn.

Suddenly, the world flashed white and Li Tianlu, with a single step back, carried himself twenty metres back. His grin had widened and he relished the wind lashing at him.

The Emperor was enveloped in Qi so thick and dense that everyone could see it. Magicians, martial artists, weaklings, there was no exception. Its power was akin to a tornado, throwing rocks and causing the world to crumble. The Emperor touched his elbow, the cut cloth and blood and all, and tossed it aside.

"Heavenly Command..." The Emperor’s words became a distinct echo. He breathed in, back curling and chest rising. "Roar of the Four Directions!"

Four fingers flicked up, the ring finger down, and thrust! The shockwave carved out the valley and struck Li Tianlu, freezing him in place.

He couldn’t move in time as the Emperor closed the distance and readied a stance.

"Heavenly Command: Nine-Heavens Palm!"

First, a swift and precise strike to the forehead, causing a disorienting shock. Li Tianlu’s eyes widened in pain.

Second, a powerful jab to the throat, robbing him of his voice and breath. His Qi became disconnected and wild, lashing out from the pores of his body.

Third, a palm heel strike to the solar plexus, yet the Emperor was so swift there was no time to keel over.

Fourth, a crushing blow to the ribs, driving damage directly into his lungs.

Fifth, a precise strike to the left kidney.

By this point, Li Tianlu’s Qi was utterly dismantled. Unusable. His healing factor refused to heal him, tumbling inside his body and working against him. He was left at the mercy of the Emperor.

Sixth, a vicious strike to the right kidney.

Seventh, a heel turn changing direction, delivering a sharp elbow strike to Li Tianlu’s spine.

Eighth, a relentless punch to the opponent’s liver, leaving them gasping for air.

Ninth and finally, a final, open-palm strike to the temple.

Long red hair dropped to the ground. He had lost.

The martial arts the Emperor displayed were not flashy. It focused its efforts on internal damage. And yet...

"You are ten years too early to be challenging me, welp."

The valley. It was a shell of its former self. Each strike hit his enemy and combusted the land behind him. Boulders ripped from the cliffs, falling like rain. The Emperor’s echoing words were a hollow reminder of its former state. He walked away, and as he did, the barrier dropped and the valley returned to being the grey platform it was.

The audience exploded into chatter and cheers. The commentator rambled on and on about the winner. He chanted the name of the Emperor. A chunk of the spectators followed. Li Tianlu’s female adorers wept.

Dasha kept eyeing the winner—the Emperor of Chinese martial arts.

’So this is the level of ability I’m aiming for...’

It seemed almost impossible. Becoming a natural disaster capable of causing the very to tremble, it should have been impossible. Should, because in Dasha’s view, nothing was impossible. If the Emperor could do it, so could he.

The crowd suddenly died down as they heard a sound.

...laughter?

On the ground was Li Tianlu, laughing his ass off. Arms and legs spread, blood escaping his nose and mouth, he was the epitome of the defeated. Yet here he was, laughing. Laughing as if he hadn’t lost, as if he enjoyed losing.

His laughter rang throughout the stadium for what seemed like minutes, heard by everything and everyone.