This time, Xiao Fei and Emperor Guiyi, in their clear minds, unleashed their full trump cards to fight to the death.
As their duel began, the violent collisions between the two worlds started to subside.
Their battle drew the attention of numerous beings from both worlds, all eyes fixed on the two men fighting desperately.
Every slight advance or retreat in their combat gripped everyone's nerves tightly.
Both had reached the pinnacle of their worlds, possessing myriad divine abilities and methods. As they continuously revealed their hidden cards, the onlookers were dazzled beyond measure.
After one month, neither had gained the upper hand…
After three months, Xiao Fei subtly gained the advantage…
After five months, Xiao Fei’s two clones were ambushed and annihilated by Emperor Guiyi, putting him at a disadvantage and appearing to be in grave peril.
Huang Feifei and the others wanted to rush forward to help, but Xiao Fei sternly stopped them.
After six months, Xiao Fei unleashed his trump card and gradually regained the upper hand. Most of Emperor Guiyi’s clones were killed by him, leaving only one, and his body was also crippled.
Emperor Guiyi’s two sons and several of his Heavenly Generals leaped forward, intending to intervene.
“Tian Kui, Tian Ji! All of you, retreat! Today, even if we die, no one is to interfere!”
Several experts from the Guiyi Realm could only retreat helplessly.
This battle belonged only to the two artifact spirits, Xiao Fei and Emperor Guiyi.
After eight months, Xiao Fei’s spear pierced through Emperor Guiyi’s crippled body. Emperor Guiyi’s body and divine abilities exploded into dust.
Thus, apart from his main primordial spirit, which had merged with the Creation Jade Plate, all of Emperor Guiyi’s clones were slain by Xiao Fei.
“Father!”
“Great Emperor!”
“…”
Xiao Fei ignored the wails of Emperor Guiyi and his followers. If it were him who died, it would be Huang Feifei and Xiao Houzi wailing instead.
As artifact spirits, their fates were manipulated by others. What could he do?
As for resisting, he couldn't even find a trace of the mastermind.
Xiao Fei had three remaining clones, all of whom burrowed underground, preparing to devour Emperor Guiyi’s primordial spirit and seize the Creation Jade Plate and the world in his possession.
Deep beneath the ground, in utter darkness, a single point of light formed the phantom image of Emperor Guiyi before Xiao Fei.
“Fellow Daoist Xiao! You have indeed won.”
Emperor Guiyi appeared very candid about his defeat, showing no agitation one would expect when facing a mortal enemy.
“It was merely luck. I only gained a slight advantage!”
Xiao Fei felt he should remain humble, while also remaining vigilant, fearing that Emperor Guiyi might have some hidden contingency here.
“We both achieved what we have today because of the Creation Jade Plate, and we also failed because of it.
We thought we could climb to the very peak, stand above billions of beings, and be superior to all.
Unexpectedly, in the end, we were merely artifact spirits, controlled by others, without even freedom.”
Emperor Guiyi sighed deeply as he spoke, his words laced with his unwillingness and helplessness.
“Fellow Daoist Xiao, you are also a remarkable individual. Will you be content to remain an artifact spirit in the future?”
“Content or not, what does it matter? Do I have any other way out?”
Xiao Fei responded with a helpless agreement.
“Hahahaha, Fellow Daoist Xiao, you speak with your mouth but not your heart.
A true man, existing between heaven and earth, how can he be dejected under others!”
Emperor Guiyi seemed to have seen through Xiao Fei’s hidden thoughts, but he waved his hand and pointed to the sky.
“Let’s not speak of this!”
“On the verge of death, I have a gift for you, as thanks for your care of my subordinates and disciples.”
After Emperor Guiyi finished speaking, his phantom body transformed into countless specks of light that surged towards Xiao Fei.
Xiao Fei willed it, forming a light screen barrier before him to block all these specks.
He then gently extended a finger, touching one of the specks. The moment the speck touched his finger, it merged into his primordial spirit.
The speck contained a brief and incomplete piece of information.
Finding no harm, he then released the light screen barrier before him, and all the specks surged into his body.
After absorbing these specks, he discovered they contained a wealth of information.
It was all about Emperor Guiyi’s preparations over the years concerning the Creation Jade Plate and the actions of the mastermind behind the scenes.
Emperor Guiyi’s preparations might not necessarily be useful, but they offered significant inspiration and reference for Xiao Fei.
After absorbing this information, Xiao Fei mentally organized and summarized it, then paid it no further mind.
Ten years later, all the fragments of the Creation Jade Plate fused together, forming a complete, smooth jade disc.
Xiao Fei’s and Emperor Guiyi’s worlds completely merged, becoming a single, complete world.
This world had mountains and water, sun and moon, stars, changing seasons, wind, fire, thunder, and lightning…
Everything that a normal world should possess was present here.
Now, Xiao Fei had become the sole artifact spirit of the Creation Jade Plate, the supreme ruler of this world.
Everything in this world could be easily controlled by his mere thought.
But Xiao Fei felt no pride or joy in his current achievement.
The Creation Jade Plate was fully repaired, and the nine different worlds had completely merged into a new world.
The original nine artifact spirits had devoured and merged with each other, leaving only him.
All of this had unfolded according to the will of the mastermind who controlled things from behind the scenes. He should have appeared by now.
However, several hundred years passed, and the mastermind never showed himself.
Xiao Fei spent his days in seclusion, and no one knew what he was busy with.
……………………
In a palace named Creation, a hunched old man sat cross-legged in meditation.
Suddenly, his eyes opened, and starlight flickered within them.
The old man looked at a jade plate placed on the table before him, picked it up, and gently caressed it.
“Hahahaha… it’s finally repaired!”
“To repair the Creation Jade Plate, I spared no expense of my origin, creating nine different universes. After an epoch, I finally succeeded in repairing the Creation Jade Plate.”
“Holding the Creation Jade Plate, I am at least worthy of the name Creator Old Man.”
With a thought, the old man controlled the Creation Jade Plate, which floated in the air, slowly rotating.
His consciousness descended into the Creation Jade Plate and found it teeming with life, prosperous and thriving.
In the center of the world stood a towering tree, its canopy blocking out the sky. The tree had ten branches, with nine vast worlds, five of which were already populated.
Beside a gently flowing spring grew a crystal tree.
When the old man saw this crystal tree, a hint of surprise appeared on his face. The appearance of this crystal tree was entirely unexpected.
This crystal tree alone was worth the time and effort he had invested.
With another thought, the old man summoned a man, who materialized in the void.