Just then, Sword Emperor drew his sword, and as this first strike began to form, its sword energy surged across fourteen states. The sharpness of this energy made Emperor Shenxu sense danger.
This was merely the first strike, and it hadn't even been fully unleashed, yet it possessed such terrifying deterrent power.
Sword Emperor was definitely not as simple as he had imagined.
As expected, at this very moment, Sword Emperor's first strike descended, cleaving directly towards Emperor Shenxu.
The sword light illuminated the divine land, causing immense unease.
Yun Fan had also not expected that Sword Emperor, after his transformation, would be so formidable.
With a single move, he had severed Emperor Shenxu into two halves.
"Ah!"
Emperor Shenxu let out a piercing scream.
Although his body was healing, it was incredibly slow. It took a long while before he recovered.
At this moment, Emperor Shenxu was on the verge of collapse. This sword strike had nearly cost him his life.
Sword Emperor said, "You are quite good, to have withstood my strike!"
Although Sword Emperor was expressing admiration for Emperor Shenxu, to Emperor Shenxu's ears, it sounded incredibly grating.
Emperor Shenxu’s spirit broke.
Of course, this was the effect Sword Emperor desired. Since he had chosen to put on a show, he would see it through to the end.
This was the correct way to proceed.
"Of course, next, I will unleash my second strike. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
Sword Emperor said calmly, displaying the profound essence of the pinnacle of swordsmanship to its fullest.
Emperor Shenxu's courage had long since been shattered.
However, at this moment, his will was still holding on. In his words, Sword Emperor could not possibly maintain his peak condition indefinitely.
In his view, that previous strike had already been Sword Emperor's peak. How could there be so many peaks? Therefore, in his estimation, Sword Emperor should be starting strong and fading, with each strike being weaker than the last.
For this reason, at this moment, he no longer feared Sword Emperor.
He then said to Sword Emperor, "Come on! I don't believe you can shake the heavens!"
At this moment, Sword Emperor decisively unleashed his second strike.
This strike possessed the same power as the first one. Emperor Shenxu cursed inwardly, as this simply defied logic.
It was clear that he was about to lose half his life again.
However, it had not reached a point of complete despair. Although this strike would inflict heavy damage, it was impossible for it to kill him.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Sword Emperor amplified his sword energy.
This directly doubled the power of the second strike.
"What?"
Emperor Shenxu was so frustrated he could have vomited blood. He had never expected such a maneuver.
Before he could react, Sword Emperor's strike fell. Emperor Shenxu's body shattered, and even his soul was on the verge of disintegration.
However, Sword Emperor paid no attention to any of this. He quietly sheathed his sword.
After all, to put on a good show, one must not lose their composure.
Yun Fan was stunned. Sword Emperor, after his transformation, was in no way inferior to Sword King in any aspect.
One was sharp, the other domineering; they did not clash but were masters on different planes.
After a long while, Emperor Shenxu finally managed to repair his body, but at this moment, he was on the brink of death.
He could not possibly withstand another strike.
"Third strike, are you ready?"
Sword Emperor continued to ask.
To everyone's surprise, Emperor Shenxu immediately knelt on the ground. This display left Yun Fan and the others dumbfounded.
"I surrender, I won't fight!"
Emperor Shenxu quickly said, "Please spare my life. After all, we are beings of the same era! For the sake of our past friendship, show me mercy, won't you?"
Indeed, Emperor Shenxu had completely abandoned his dignity this time. He had no choice; if he didn't, he would surely die at Sword Emperor's hands.
Weighing the pros and cons, he dared not oppose Sword Emperor.
Because he no longer had the courage to withstand Sword Emperor's third strike.
Sword Emperor was filled with disappointment. He had not expected Emperor Shenxu's performance to be so pathetic.
After all, if Emperor Shenxu surrendered now, how could he continue to put on a show? His title as the "King of Showmanship" was not for nothing.
Therefore, before agreeing, Sword Emperor began to act.
"Ouch!"
Sword Emperor staggered and nearly fell. Fortunately, Yun Fan caught him at the crucial moment.
Although Yun Fan was also injured, he couldn't possibly let Emperor Xi help him.
At this moment, Yun Fan knew exactly what Sword Emperor was up to. Did this guy need to put on a show every day just to feel right?
However, he would naturally cooperate with Sword Emperor's act.
"Senior, what's wrong?"
Yun Fan asked, feigning panic.
Sword Emperor quickly said, "Young friend, I have unleashed two strikes already. For this final strike, I fear I have the will but not the strength!"
"Will but not the strength?"
Emperor Shenxu, who had been utterly cowardly, suddenly became interested.
He had thought Sword Emperor would continue to be formidable!
To his surprise, this old fellow was also past his prime. He had said it earlier, Sword Emperor couldn't possibly maintain such a high level of power indefinitely.
Therefore, at this moment, he began to mock Sword Emperor.
"Sword Emperor, there's still one strike left. When will you unleash it? If you don't, then this wager is void!"
Emperor Shenxu sneered.
Now, it seemed he could not only escape Sword Emperor's clutches but possibly even kill all three of them.
Although he was on the verge of death, as long as the threat of Sword Emperor was gone, what were Yun Fan and Emperor Xi to him?
Putting on a show required building tension before the grand reveal. Sword Emperor had mastered this art perfectly, making it look effortless.
Therefore, Sword Emperor angrily cursed, "Shenxu, don't get arrogant! When I recover, it will be your death day!"
Yun Fan was speechless. This old rascal had truly gotten addicted to acting.
But at this moment, he could only indulge him.
"Then, when will you recover?"
Emperor Shenxu sneered, as he believed he had gained the upper hand. He thought Sword Emperor was definitely past his prime now.
Otherwise, he would be acting even more arrogantly.
Sword Emperor was putting on a show, and he was doing the same.
"What do you intend to do?"
Yun Fan cooperatively asked.
Sword Emperor gave Yun Fan full marks for his acting; it was simply perfect.
Emperor Shenxu disdainfully said, "Of course, I'll wait for this old fellow to unleash his third strike, and then I'll settle the score with you all!"
"Earlier, you were kneeling on the ground like a dog. Do you want to go back on your word now?"
Emperor Xi also cooperated and asked.
However, her acting skills were somewhat lacking compared to Yun Fan and Sword Emperor; she still had room for improvement.
Emperor Shenxu contemptuously said, "Earlier, I was merely feigning weakness. I didn't expect you to take it seriously. You are truly naive!"
Now, he had the capital to be arrogant. Therefore, at this moment, he appeared to look down on everything.
"Insolent!"
Yun Fan said indignantly, "Senior, stop being so low-key! Attack him! No matter what, you must unleash that third strike and kill him!"
Upon hearing this, Sword Emperor shook his pale head. "Young friend, how can I kill him with this third strike?"
"Old man, will you unleash the third strike or not? If you don't, I will!"
Emperor Shenxu had lost his nerve.
At this moment, he wanted to appear utterly arrogant. Otherwise, it would be a disservice to his earlier humiliation.
"Since you are being so aggressive, I will certainly not let you off easily!"
With that, Sword Emperor pushed Yun Fan away, nearly falling to the ground.
"Senior!"
Yun Fan put on an expression of heartbroken grief.
His acting was incredibly convincing.
Emperor Xi was speechless. Were these two not done yet?
Poor Emperor Shenxu, he was likely still in the dark.
Seeing Sword Emperor's sword-wielding hand tremble, Emperor Shenxu disdainfully asked, "Old man, can you still hold your sword?"
"Watch this!"
At this moment, Sword Emperor swung his sword. In Emperor Shenxu's eyes, this strike was not even enough to tickle him.
But the next moment, he could no longer remain calm.
Not for any other reason, but because this third strike had suddenly become incredibly powerful, stronger than the first and second strikes combined.
"How is this possible?"
Emperor Shenxu was bewildered. Only now did he realize that he was the clown.
Sword Emperor disdainfully said, "Shenxu, you are pathetic. Did you really think I would enter a weakened state? You underestimated me. I was merely toying with you earlier, and you actually took it seriously!"
Sword Emperor sneered, inwardly chuckling. The feeling of putting on a show was incredibly satisfying.
At this moment, the more pain Emperor Shenxu felt, the more delighted he was.
"Damn you! You actually humiliated me!"
Emperor Shenxu was furious.
"Live a better next life and don't offend me!"
With that, Sword Emperor said apologetically, "Oh, right! It seems you won't have a next life!"
As expected, after the third strike fell, Emperor Shenxu died in despair and unwillingness.
Even he had not expected to be tormented by these two demons before his death.
Thus, Emperor Shenxu met his end easily at Sword Emperor's blade.
"Senior, you are amazing!"
Yun Fan praised, "I didn't expect that after reaching your peak, you would be so formidable!"
"Naturally!"
Sword Emperor said domineeringly, "What is Sword King to me? He's just a junior compared to me!"
It must be said that Sword Emperor was truly carried away by his triumph.
Unexpectedly, at the very next moment, a blood-stained saber directly pierced between Sword Emperor's legs.
It was a close call; Sword Emperor was nearly crippled.
"Insolent!"
Sword Emperor angrily cursed, "Sword King, get out here!"
He was in the process of concluding his grand finale. After all, a perfect conclusion was needed after a show, to be a worthy King of Showmanship.
To his surprise, Sword King had such poor manners, directly disrupting his staged masterpiece.
Sword Emperor wished he could strangle Sword King.
"It's not good to speak ill of someone behind their back!"
The next moment, Sword King appeared. This time, he was covered in wounds, clearly having endured a fierce battle.
Of course, the rewards were great. He carried a head with him.
"King Qiongqi!"
Sword Emperor was shocked. Emperor Xi was even more moved. It was known that although King Qiongqi was not among the Ten Great Clans, he was the divine beast worshipped by the Ten Great Clans. To think that Sword King had killed him. No wonder Sword King was so heavily injured.
So, he had killed King Qiongqi.
Who else could contend with King Qiongqi?
Considering this, Sword Emperor's showmanship seemed quite low-level, while Sword King's silent appearance had directly stolen Sword Emperor's thunder.
"Hmph!"
Sword Emperor snorted, "What's there to be proud of? I could do it too!"
To be honest, Sword Emperor, who had just broken through to his peak and hadn't even stabilized his cultivation, might not have been able to.
At this moment, Yun Fan quickly said, "Senior, you've worked hard!"
"It's nothing!"
Sword King said, "It's what I should do. I didn't expect anyone else to arrive!"
From the scene, Sword King could tell that someone else had arrived and a fierce battle had taken place.
Yun Fan was covered in injuries, so it was likely Sword Emperor who had dealt with the enemy.
"It was that brat Shenxu, but I've already slayed him!"
Sword Emperor mentioned Emperor Shenxu, merely trying to regain some ground, but it didn't seem significant enough.
After all, Emperor Shenxu was in a different league compared to King Qiongqi.
Sword King said, "Isn't that normal? If you couldn't even defeat him, then you've wasted your years!"
"Old scoundrel!"
Sword Emperor angrily cursed, "Are you looking for a one-on-one fight? I'll teach you how to behave!"
"Bring it on! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Sword King was about to engage in a fight with Sword Emperor.
Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Yun Fan and Emperor Xi intervened and stopped them. Otherwise, the two would have surely caused chaos.
At this moment, Yun Fan said, "Shenxu wanted to usurp my position, so he intended to kill me. Fortunately, Senior Sword Emperor intervened in time!"
"That guy? How could he be worthy?"
Sword King scoffed dismissively.
At this moment, Sword Emperor proudly boasted, "It only took me three strikes to deal with that coward Shenxu!"
"Killing him is nothing to boast about!"
Sword King stated directly, completely unimpressed by Sword Emperor's boasting. This was how the two of them were, having quarreled and fought for so many years, neither willing to concede to the other.
"You..."
Sword Emperor was almost infuriated to death. This time, his showmanship had been a complete failure.
"So, you just killed a King Qiongqi?"
Sword Emperor vowed, "Just you wait, I will also make a move. However, I will kill King Suanni!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan and Emperor Xi gasped.
King Qiongqi and King Suanni were the divine beasts worshipped by the Ten Great Clans, both possessing immense power.
They were on par with Sword King and Sword King.
Such beings were meant to guard the Ten Great Clans. To think that Sword Emperor intended to challenge King Suanni.
This was truly terrifying.
"Senior, perhaps we should slow down?"
Yun Fan quickly reminded them, as this was not something to be trifled with. For example, Sword King had been heavily injured after killing King Qiongqi.
Emperor Xi also reminded him from the side, "Senior, please do not act rashly!"
Upon hearing this, Sword Emperor became even more annoyed.
He said, "Don't worry, I merely want to prove that what he can do, I can do too. Don't try to persuade me. I will not rest until I bring back King Suanni's head!"
With that, he arrogantly departed.
In his opinion, a King of Showmanship could not back down or lose face.
Sword King reminded him, "Don't forget to bring back the divine pill!"
"I know! Do I need you to remind me!"
Sword Emperor retorted dismissively.
Then, he vanished from the spot.
"Senior, isn't this too risky?"
Yun Fan asked Sword King with concern.
Sword King said, "It is certainly dangerous, but only in such danger can his sword heart be tempered. We shouldn't worry about him!"
"Yes!"
Yun Fan nodded.
At this moment, Sword King split open King Qiongqi's head with a saber, revealing the divine pill. Although this divine pill was not large, the power contained within it was chilling. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Young friend, I know that for you, refining this divine pill should not be too difficult. Take it and refine it!"
Sword King advised Yun Fan.
Yun Fan naturally knew that this divine pill was priceless.
"Senior, how can I take what belongs to you?"
Yun Fan repeatedly persuaded him.
But Sword King said, "This is not taking what belongs to you. It's just that apart from you, no one else can refine it! Therefore, you must refine it!"
"Alright!"
Yun Fan accepted the divine pill without hesitation. Perhaps by refining the divine pill of Qiongqi, his strength could advance further.
Of course, this was merely his speculation.
Whether he could actually become stronger was still unknown, but in any case, he would cherish it greatly.
He would definitely not let down Sword King's efforts.
As expected, under Emperor Xi's arrangement, Yun Fan began to refine the divine pill, while Sword King needed to recover his strength.
After all, Sword King was severely injured after his battle with King Qiongqi.
Thus, year after year, day after day, Yun Fan refined the divine pill of King Qiongqi.
After the divine pill was refined by him, his strength increased exponentially.
A look of excitement appeared on Yun Fan's face. He had initially thought there would be no effect, but unexpectedly, the effect was astonishingly good.
It directly raised his strength to a level just below that of Sword King and Sword Emperor. Of course, reaching their level of cultivation was impossible.
It had to be said that his efforts in this life were far less than theirs. Yun Fan harbored no envy regarding this matter.
This period of seclusion was another breakthrough for Yun Fan after his confrontation with Saintess Taihua. This breakthrough meant he was gradually gaining the strength to contend with Saintess Taihua.
On this day, Sword Emperor returned.
He was bruised and battered, looking quite miserable. His injuries were not as severe as Sword King's, but he was several times more disheveled than Sword King.
It couldn't be helped. Although he had gone to the stronghold of the Ten Great Clans and ambushed King Suanni, King Suanni was too powerful.
Despite his resistance, he still inflicted considerable damage on Sword Emperor.
When he appeared before the three, without a closer look, none of them would have recognized this pathetic figure as the renowned Sword Emperor.
"Senior, did you go begging?"
The straightforward Emperor Xi couldn't help but blurt out this sentence.
Sword Emperor was almost angered to death. Did he, the dignified Sword Emperor, need to beg for food?
"Don't be displeased. You really look like you're begging!"
Sword King couldn't help but retort.
Sword Emperor rolled his eyes. These guys were truly heartless. But at this moment, what else could he say?
After all, he had truly lost face this time.
"Hmph!"
Sword Emperor snorted, "Even at my worst, I'm still better than you!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Yun Fan immediately intervened, preventing them from quarreling.
Having these two living treasures around added a lot of amusement to Yun Fan's life.
At this moment, Sword Emperor handed the divine pill of Suanni to Yun Fan.
"Young friend, after refining this divine pill, you will become as strong as me!"
Sword Emperor couldn't help but praise.
Although Yun Fan's start in this life was slow, there was no denying that Yun Fan had a solid foundation.
This was something no one could envy.
Soon, Yun Fan would be able to rise against the trend.
However, they were also very worried. Once Yun Fan rose, would Saintess Taihua notice him?
And then would she attack Yun Fan?
Everything was possible.
Therefore, they could only scheme and consider if Yun Fan could go into hiding for a while.
But all this would have to wait until Yun Fan had refined the divine pill.
Next, Yun Fan began to refine the divine pill of Suanni. After the divine pill reached completion, Yun Fan's strength further increased.
When he reappeared before Sword King and Sword Emperor, he was already their equal.
"Young friend, congratulations on reaching our level. Of course, don't be arrogant, your path is still long!"
Sword King reminded Yun Fan.
Yun Fan smiled, "My current position is all thanks to the support of you two seniors. Without you, I might have already restarted!"
These were Yun Fan's sincere words, because since he had left this world, Sword King and Sword Emperor had shielded him from harm more than once.
He remembered their kindness, for he was not an ungrateful person.
The two said with satisfaction, "Young friend, we cannot accept this great gift. Because back then, your help to us was more than this. If we were to truly calculate our debts, we owe you too much!"
This was also the truth of the two.
In that chaotic era, if Yun Fan had not protected humanity, they would not have been able to carry the banner.
Yun Fan said, "What's past is past. From now on, let us join hands to create new glory. We are one of our own!"
"Yes!"
Sword King and Sword King clasped Yun Fan's hands. Their alliance began to take shape at this moment.
Emperor Xi knew this was the friendship of men.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the air suddenly fell silent. The three exchanged glances, all understanding each other's intentions.
That's right, at this moment, the three were filled with fighting spirit. It was clear they wanted to spar, of course, this was only a spar, not a fight to the death.
"Young friend, you understand what I mean, right!"
Sword King spoke first, after all, he was the King of Showmanship.
As for Sword King, he was a fighter, and he also wanted to know how much stronger Yun Fan had become after reaching their level.
Yun Fan said, "I understand. Next, I will challenge both seniors!"
Upon hearing this, the two were displeased. Especially Sword King, this grand statement should have been his to say, but to have it snatched away by Yun Fan, he absolutely could not tolerate it.
Therefore, he immediately said to Yun Fan, "Since young friend wants to play, we will play with you!"
"Very good!"
Sword King said, "Young friend has such great confidence. I also want to see how strong you are!"
For them, if Yun Fan could withstand their attacks, it would prove that Yun Fan's potential would surpass previous expectations.
Conversely, it meant he still needed good tempering. Thus, the three abided by the rules, exuding powerful auras.
"I really don't understand you men!"
Emperor Xi was very speechless. One moment they were smiling joyfully, and the next they were about to fight. She was very confused.