Chapter 703: Birth of Rules

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ye Futian glared at Zhan Xiao without saying much. It became obvious that only one of them could come out alive from the upcoming battle. As such, there was little else to be said.

Ye Futian felt as if golden fires were burning within him. His body gradually became encircled with golden light, with a dazzling beam shooting upwards like the essence of holiness. Ye Futian’s personal aura turned increasingly powerful as he unleashed that mystical aura about him. All powers hidden within him seemed to be burning in a frenzy. His bones, muscles, meridians, vessels, his internal organs, and even the Spiritual Qi within his Life Palace burned in a crazed manner. His spiritual will was acting similarly. Basking under sacred lights, all powers seemed to be activated at the very same time and refined to the extreme.

The aura Ye Futian unleashed was an extremely powerful one since the battle began.

Boom, boom… Beams of golden lights pierced through his body. Five of the Seven Star acupoints opened and violent resonance was heard from within. His body seemed to be undergoing changes as the Douzhan form appeared. A shadow of a divine ape stood tall in the air, encompassing Ye Futian within. Terrifying power coursed throughout.

The smirk on Zhan Xiao’s face disappeared altogether as his eyes sparkled with a tinge of unease. What kind of aura is that? The light that Ye Futian was basking in was frightening, making it seem as if he was some kind of king among gods.

Despite being only a Grade Two Noble, the aura coursing about him was absolutely that of a sage. As soon as he became able to develop matured power of rules, he was hardly any different from a sage. It was progress made in giant leaps.

“What kind of secret art is this?” Zhan Xiao glared at Ye Futian with eyes like blades. He had been taken aback by the overwhelming power Yu Sheng demonstrated with his demonic arts before, yet what Ye Futian pulled right there proved even more dazzling.

According to what he personally knew, even in Yu State, it was not to say that such secret arts allowing one to burn one’s latent potential and achieve a meteoric rise, enhancing one’s power beyond that of one’s own plane did not exist, but it was nonetheless extremely rare and the effects would have never been so overbearing and potent. Being capable of even enhancing one’s power to one plane beyond one’s current plane was already regarded as some insane work of secret arts.

When Ye Futian went unleashing his full power right there, he was but a Grade Two Noble, yet his aura was enhanced to be that of a sage. How is this even possible?

Zhan Xiao was not the only one who was surprised. Even the two magi whom Gu Dongliu was fighting sensed the changes in Ye Futian all the same, and they were completely taken aback.

The pressure Gu Dongliu put on them was immense. Both of them, one lower-level magi while the other was a mid-level magi, were of a higher plane than Gu Dongliu. One of them was even two planes higher than Gu Dongliu. However, both were barely able to hold Gu Dongliu back even working together. When that lower-level magi was caught in a lapse of judgment, their split-second oversight had almost got them severely injured.

While they were no top-notch geniuses in Zhisheng Cliffs, they were nonetheless cultivators from that sacred ground, as such their talents were by no means weak. Yet this trip of theirs to the Barren State had them reevaluate their knowledge of cultivators in Yu State.

“The fact that you’re a noble doesn’t change. You may have enhanced the aura of your plane through the use of secret arts, but it hardly matters to me. There’s only one outcome of a bug trying to stop a wheel: death.” Zhan Xiao glared at Ye Futian with cold eyes. The aura about his body burst. The ground shook as he took one step forward. A fearsome gravity rules rained from above, making Ye Futian feel as if he was being suppressed by a mountain.

“You will experience the true power of a sage,” Zhan Xiao said coldly. He lashed out with his hand at Ye Futian, and a large spectral hand went on to grab Ye Futian in the sky, smashing the young man down on the ground, attempting to end the fight right there and then.

Ye Futian activated the full potential of his powers. He punched, and every single punch seemed to be imbued with the force of an emperor, allowing his form to exude even greater powers. That shadow of divine ape struck with a palm attack, his Comet Punches launched falling stars, clashing hard with the palm Zhan Xiao thrown at him.

The stars exploded as the opposing palm came at him. But the divine ape had boundless lightning coursing about it, and the palm crumbled bit by bit as it hit its intended target. However, Ye Futian’s battle form was completely unscathed.

“Power of rules.” Zhan Xiao glared at Ye Futian’s shadow. It became obvious to him that Ye Futian had developed powers of rules. He would not have defeated Qin Zhong that day otherwise. Even though the rules Ye Futian developed were far from mature, they still possessed great power, being boosted by all manner of abilities.

Ye Futian was able to sense Zhan Xiao’s power level with that one hit. Despite his current enhanced form, it was still difficult to move Zhan Xiao.

His spiritual will entered his Life Palace and found the place burning. The World Tree swayed about and Ye Futian felt his senses grew even more powerful as he attacked with Fist of Emperors. The Spiritual Qi around his surroundings became very clear to him as it gushed into his battle form. Thunderous rumble was heard as his battle form turned increasingly huge. His Douzhan battle form seemed to be evolving into a demon god.

Ye Futian closed his eyes and felt himself becoming one with his surroundings. His Life Spirit melded with his battle form and soon, it shone with lights of all elements. No noble would have been able to do anything to harm him at the moment.

Tremendous will power of rules burst and covered the entire space, swallowing even Zhan Xiao within. Zhan felt a terrifying pressure on him. It was as if his body was bearing the weight of countless stars.

“The power of rules actually matured.” Zhan Xiao glanced at Ye Futian, whose aura was still growing.

“Sky Freezing.” Ye Futian attempted to freeze the space. Zhan Xiao was first dumbfounded but then smirked at him. Noble will can’t be used as rules, after all.

Doom. Zhan Xiao took to the air with one step on the ground. He extended his hand and slapped at Ye Futian once again. Appalling aura was unleashed and rumble was heard. It was as if mountains had fallen from above, and every one of them seemed to be imbued with freezing rules.

Starlight coursed throughout the surface of Ye Futian’s body and it seemed to begin to take tangible form. When the mountains fell onto him, the screen of starlight cracked and shattered. However, he was able to tell that the true defenses of rules had taken form.

Zhan Xiao glanced at Ye Futian with cold eyes, finding it unbelievable that he was unable to kill a noble right there and then. Even if Ye Futian had begun to develop the use of rules, It was still an insult to Zhan Xiao to be unable to end Ye Futian right away.

A shadow of a thunder god seemed to have appeared behind him, holding a thunder blade in its hand and swung at the space before it. Zhan Xiao was not known to be one of the Nine Warriors of Zhisheng Cliffs for nothing. He relied on more than one type of power of rules to get where he was.

“Cut him,” Zhan Xiao uttered coldly. Countless flashes of the thunder god’s blade appeared in the air and slashed downward. The star defenses around Ye Futian were broken right there and then. There was no way he could have defended against attacks using rules of that potency.

Ye Futian’s senses were unleashed to their limits. His spiritual will melded with the heavens and the earth, controlling the will of the world around him and intending to totally freeze the space they were in. He found himself still unable to do so. The slashes possessed rules of cutting the void, enabling them to break all types of defenses, even those conjured using rules.

Zhan Xiao took one step forward and dealt a lightning-imbued slash, cutting everything in its path downward.

Voom. A tower appeared on top of Ye Futian, and it stopped the blade. The tower spun around in the air ringing, emanating a powerful aura of rules.

“A top class sage ritual implement?” Zhan Xiao glanced at the tower. It was a pity that Ye Futian was the one using it, as he had no way of using its true power.

The tower was unleashed upon Zhan Xiao’s head. Ye Futian’s spiritual will was cranked to the fullest, controlling the tower’s power. Starlight gushed out from it in a frenzy. At the same time, the divine ape conjured a staff and began gathering force.

“Ritual implement eh? You’re not the only one with something like that.” Zhan Xiao extended his arm. A mountain flew from his palm and countless shadows of the mountain appeared, heading for the tower. The two top-class ritual implements clashed in the air.

Zhan Xiao took old of the blade and dealt yet another slash; an overwhelming and direct move.

The divine ape burst forth with its staff, clashing hard with the flashes of the blade. The slashes that were cutting the space tore through the shadows of the staff. Ye Futian unleashed a second attack with the staff. The air around them was shaken and the move affected even the clouds above.

Zhan Xiao, however, hardly felt anything. Regardless of how powerful Ye Futian’s art with the staff proved to be, he deemed it all the same as Ye Futian would die that very day. There was nothing his Void-tearing Blade Techniques was unable to break.

Flashes of the blade rained down like purplish lightning bolts. Shadows of the blade filled the air. Ye Futian continued to unleash two strikes, yet the terrifying flashes of the blades remained potent enough to cut through everything, tearing through his staff and landed right onto the star defenses. Some of the slashes even managed to land on his battle form. The mountain ranges that they were at right then were cracked in multiple places as if the place was to be cut up soon. However, Ye Futian seemed to have no awareness of his own predicament. He remained astute, wielding his staff. The fourth and fifth attack of the staff shook the earth. The divine ape roared and starlight filled the air.

Zhan Xiao unleashed yet another slash. However, nine slashes were dealt this time. The nine slashes worked as one, cutting up everything in their path. Ye Futian’s battle form was all battered and it seemed to break any time soon.

Despite what had just happened, Ye Futian walked towards Zhan Xiao instead, unleashing even more potent destructive force.

“Die already.” Zhan Xiao dealt cuts at Ye Futian who was coming at him. However, Ye Futian did not even attempt to defend this time, as if he had given up. He crossed the space in one step, appearing right before Zhan Xiao and unleashing the devastating sixth attack.

Zhan Xiao’s pupils dilated somewhat and he was all dumbfounded. Is he trying to throw away his life?

The slashes cut right through Ye Futian’s battle form and the staff attack was brought onto Zhan Xiao. Shadows of the blade appeared around Zhan Xiao and a tremendously huge golem shadow appeared.

When the attacks of both sides landed, Ye Futian’s battle form crumbled thunderously. The remaining force of the blade cut right through his defenses and reached his physical body. An appalling wound was found on Ye Futian’s body.

On the other hand, Zhan Xiao was severely shaken as he fell to the ground. He grunted and found blood at the corner of his mouth. He wiped the blood off while glaring at Ye Futian with ferocious eyes. If he had not been equipped with defensive Life Spirit and rules, that one strike might not have gravely injured him. Is he trying to drag me along in death?

“You can die now.” Zhan Xiao walked forward but saw a dazzling figure.

It was Hua Jieyu. She walked up to Ye Futian, cradling his arm. There was no fear in her eyes. That battle was fought between people capable of wielding sage level powers, and the enemy was an upper-level sage. She was helpless in a fight like this, but she allowed herself to die alongside Ye Futian.

“You two are quite a couple indeed. In that case, I guess I’ll just send you on your way then.” Zhan Xiao walked in their direction. Elsewhere, Gu Dongliu rampaged and severely injured one of his opponents, but the other refused to let him off, resulting in him being incapable of rushing to Ye Futian’s side.

The devastating power of rules encompassed Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu. Death was upon them, and even the burning will of emperors would not have made much difference in this case.

Zhan Xiao held a cold blade in his hand and walked up. Ye Futian looked at Hua Jieyu, feeling immense pain inside. He turned to face Zhan Xiao, unleashing his spiritual will, but it did not help with his case.

“Pathetic. It would do you some good if it were imbued with rules,” Zhan Xiao uttered coldly. Death was really upon them. The Tree Life Spirit whooshed in the wind. Ye Futian had never experienced the powers of the world in such clarity. Ye Futian felt that if he was given just a bit more time, his rules might have truly matured. But Zhan Xiao had no intentions of giving him more time. His blade was held high and then brought down on him. It was the blade of a reaper.

Ye Futian glared at the devastating blade coming at him. The attack happened in slow motion in his mind. The clarity was such that he was able to sense the power of rules imbued within it.

Everything around him grew increasingly clear. The clarity was beyond anything he had experienced. His spiritual will felt as if he had completely left the body, becoming one with the Spiritual Qi of the world.

Everything in the world continued to be made slow. In his senses, he found the blade moving very, very slow. He turned around to look at Hua Jieyu. A tear streaked on her face, falling just as slowly.

Ye Futian closed his eyes at that moment. His spiritual will seemed to no longer be his, belonging to the world around him instead.

Aura of the world melded and a mystical power was being born.

Ye Futian opened his eyes and looked at the blade that was coming down very slowly at him. He then uttered, “My will is that of the heavens. Rules, Space-freezing.” As soon as he finished his words. Everything in the world seemed to have almost slowed to a halt. At that moment, Zhan Xiao felt his blade turning sluggish. It was as if he had difficulty bringing the blade down. Even his arm felt as if it had stopped moving altogether.

Everything went still!