Chapter 697: Soul Battle

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Cultivating was going against the natural order, fighting adversity. As long as one had a staunch belief, he would be able to walk his own path. That did not apply to beast thought. There could be only one beast king. When two brutal beasts met, they had to fight for a winner.

The winner was king, and the loser was banished.

The five great sacred beasts had ruled the lands together, not because of their friendly ties or rank. It was because each excelled in something that was seen with pride and made them feel like kings. Thus no one could compare with another.  

However, if two beasts fought for hegemony, the loser would never be able to raise their head, forever in the other’s shadow. This was savagery, and the winner was king. 

Humanity had followed this principle as well, but humans had some sayings, change was constant, and revenge was a dish best served cold.

That was why, to the average onlooker, the fight between him and Ye Lin didn’t have much significance. The loser would live as well and could win the next time a few years later. As long as one had a steel heart, he would get back on his feet.

This, however, did not apply to them. They were sacred beast inheritors. The nature of beasts flowed through them.

Their fight was actually a representation of Decimating Dragon Ancestor versus Soaring Qilin. If one side lost, it would never again be able to reach the other. This was the way of the beast.

But they were humans as well. Though not quite crucial, the beast way more or less affected their beliefs.

That was what the fated battle meant. The winner would have his horizon broadened by standing on the other’s shoulders and would be much closer to Dao. The loser would be like a beast, being left with a shadow in his heart, shaking at the mere sight of the other, and would find his path incredibly hard to tread. 

Zhuo Fan never thought much of it till now, only his heart pounding and telling him that he should fight. Now though, after hearing Ye Lin, he understood.

In this battle, they were betting their future. This only made it even more crucial he should not lose!

He wasn’t fighting for Soaring Qilin’s honor, only for his path, for no one to stand in his way…

Zhuo Fan’s previous desolate heart was now rekindled with a burning fire. Seeing Ye Lin coming, his eyes squinted, and he swept the Qilin leg as he roared. “If you think you’re just going to stand on my shoulders, you have another thing coming! This fight will be my win!”

“Humph, You didn’t receive Soaring Qilin’s inheritance, did you? Why else would you be using a sacred beast’s ability in such a crude way? You’ll never get to beat me by using such half-assed methods!”

Squinting, Ye Lin saw through him and faced the incoming Qilin leg, “Golden Dragon Tail, Spatial Rend!”

Roar!

With the roar echoing across the skies, Ye Lin swept his leg, and the image of a golden dragon tail took shape as it whipped at the incoming leg.

The golden flames appeared on it again and came down on the Qilin leg like a sickle. 

Bam!

The heavy collision revealed the unexpected to the crowd. The unbeatable Qilin leg was flung aside by the tail swipe.

A dark gash was left on the red leg, and fresh blood seeped out.

Whoosh!

With one last red flash, Zhuo Fan’s right hand was back to normal. In this clash, he was truly outmatched. Ye Lin’s swipe had pushed him back.

This had never happened before in Zhuo Fan’s life!

The sacred beast Qilin leg had lost in strength. It was the only reason why it would revert to its original form.

Startled, Zhuo Fan was flung backward and found it hard to believe what he saw. 

[Ye Lin is truly strong!]

[He’s just the Decimating Dragon Ancestor’s inheritor, so how can his strength…]

[Is this the difference between a true inheritance and a meshed-up one?]

Frowning, Zhuo Fan’s face was heavy. Then he recalled the matter of Danqing Shen. Looking around, he found he was flying right for Demon Scheming Sect’s disciples. This was a good chance.

So he flicked his hand and let the Thunder Ring fly off his ring, looking as if Ye Lin’s strike shook it off.

The tiny ring glittered brightly as it fell behind the Demon Scheming Sect’s disciples, where the monitoring arrays were blind.

The instant the ring touched the ground, a flash of light came out of it that was hidden by the disciples. Without the monitoring arrays, no one was the wiser when something came out.

Even the Exalted Double Dragons were entirely focused on Zhuo Fan and not on the ring.

“Heavens, it even shook his ring off. Brother Zhuo has lost this melee!” Wen Tao sighed and shook his head.

Xie Tianshang felt somewhat disappointed. “Next will be a battle of souls.”

“Soul Battle?”

Wen Tao sighed and said, “Zhuo Fan is a freak, but Ye Lin is freakier. Zhuo Fan is only in the Radiant Stage, while Ye Lin is in the Ethereal Stage. Does he have any chance at all?”

Xie Tianshang was startled for a long time.

Wen Tao’s eyes flashed, and he sighed, “Ever since the fight started, brother Zhuo rested his hopes on winning in melee. If he lost in close combat, that means it’s only a matter of time before it ended.”

Xie Tianshang shook, looking at Zhuo Fan as he sighed.

It wasn’t just Sword God Sect; Hellion Flame and Demon Soul Sect were reaching the same conclusion.

Chu Qingcheng couldn’t sit still and stood up, staring intently at Zhuo Fan. Her eyes scrunched up in worry, “When he showed that look, was it because he put all his confidence in melee? But when he discovered that the other has a much stronger body, he no longer had any hope of winning…”

Chu Qingcheng’s eyes were filled with tears. “He went all out knowing he had to do it, even knowing it didn’t work?”

“Sister Qingcheng, doesn’t he have the strongest soul, heaven dragon soul? He might still win!” Dan’er tried cheering her up.

Chu Qingcheng shook her head, “If he could win with his soul, he would’ve done it from the start. Why drag it out? He must know the other’s soul is far better than his, so he went for a close-quarter battle. But…”

“But he got completely crushed, he-he-he…” Xuan Shaoyu spoke with incredible joy.

The girls glared at him, and Chu Qingcheng ignored him. She only had eyes for Zhuo Fan, “You, who never faltered once, what are you going to do now…”

Chu Qingcheng was asking him and herself, trying to think of a way to help Zhuo Fan. That deep emotion only made Xuan Shaoyu’s hatred burn hotter.

The Exalted Double Dragons stared intently at the fight, then shook their heads.

“It seems Zhuo Fan must know something about Ye Lin’s soul that we don’t. That’s why he didn’t go for a soul battle. Otherwise, just when he lost in melee, switching for a soul attack would’ve caught the adversary off-guard.” Exalted Hei Ran spoke.

Exalted Bai Mei nodded. “Now that melee is a dead end, and he’s not going for a soul battle, the outcome is clear. There’s no point in fighting now. Zhuo Fan has lost.”

“All that’s left is for him to admit it or fight to his last drop of energy.” Exalted Hei Ran’s eyes glinted.

[Though I hope he’ll fight till the very end…]

In the corner of the valley, Danqing Shen slipped out of the ring and did not rush for the sacred weapon. He closely observed the fight, feeling his chin with his rough hand, “Boy, the melee was but a test. Have you found all you need for the soul battle? I want to see if your meshed-up dragon soul can turn it around. I hope you won’t let me down…” 

Whoosh!

Stopping himself from flying backward, he also spat blood. After wiping his mouth, his eyes took on a hard gaze. 

“Zhuo Fan, your greatest asset, strength, has been trumped. Qilin’s disciple had just lost to the Decimating Dragon Ancestor’s disciple. Admit your defeat! I’ll take you under my wing as my right-hand. With me, your path won’t be so affected. We will both make our way to the Sacred Domain!”

Ye Lin flashed in front of him with a smile, “After all, on this wide green earth, there’s only us who are half-human, half-beast.”

Zhuo Fan snickered. “The winner lords over the loser. For the loser to swear allegiance to the winner is the best path. So that the loser can attain Dao by following the winner. Otherwise, his path would be cut from the pain in his heart!”

“It’s good you realize it. Who had it, so we become sacred beast inheritors? To gain their power and inherit their path? So admit defeat. It’s for your own good.”

“Ha-ha-ha, sorry, I’ve gotten used to always calling the shots. Being the little guy doesn’t suit me!”

Zhuo Fan sneered, his eyes flashed, and he roared, “You won in close quarters, but I’ll win in soul. The final victory will be mine!”

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