Chapter 897 - Farewell

All the elders from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion looked worried when Yu Bu unleashed his third attack; it was too late for Mu Tianli to intervene. This strike alone could obliterate cultivators at the fifth-level True Profound Realm.

"It's the Great Cataclysm Palm!" This was Yu Bu's signature martial technique. He had spent centuries perfecting it. Most importantly, this technique was only one step away from becoming a spirit-grade martial technique with faint traces of a Dao technique.

However, they didn't know that Liu Wuxie had already comprehended several Dao techniques, and such a crude imitation of a Dao technique was insignificant in his eyes.

"Liu Wuxie, you can die now!" Yu Bu roared, unleashing his most powerful technique. He knew this was his final gamble—if it failed, death would be inevitable. This was his strongest trump card.

"Yu Bu is truly ruthless. Liu Wuxie gave him the courtesy of three moves, and he responded with a lethal technique!" many onlookers muttered, their voices filled with disapproval. They condemned Yu Bu's malicious intent.

Typically, when one was granted three moves in a duel, it was more symbolic than deadly—an opportunity to save face, not take a life. Yet Yu Bu had defied that unspoken rule and poured all his strength into a killing blow.

"You'd do the same if your life were on the line," some argued. "This is a battle to the death, honor means little when survival is at stake."

Yu Bu's Great Cataclysm Palm took form, manifesting as a massive curtain of palm prints descending from the sky. It blocked out the sun, casting the entire island in shadow.

The sheer force of the attack stirred the seas into chaos—towering waves surged from the horizon, threatening to swallow the island whole.

The onlookers who stood too close quickly retreated, unable to withstand the oppressive pressure from this strike. Only the True Profound Realm cultivators could barely discern what was happening.

At the center stood Liu Wuxie, unmoving, like a lone mountain standing firm against a raging storm. He made no attempt to dodge, choosing instead to face the overwhelming force of the Great Cataclysm Palm head-on.

"Wuxie, dodge!" the elders who supported Liu Wuxie yelled, urging him to evade the strike, or he would perish under it.

However, Liu Wuxie merely smiled in response to their well-intended warnings.

Around him, however, the air was thick with ridicule.

"Hahaha! This brat is too arrogant to think he can disregard the attack of someone at the fourth-level True Profound Realm. Let's see how he dies!" sneered an elder from the Grand Banner Gate. He was filled with hatred for Liu Wuxie and wished nothing more than to see him dead.

Alas, they were merely a group of frogs in a well. While they could be considered experts standing at the top of the pyramid in the Southern Province, they were nothing more than pitiful insects in the vast True Martial Continent.

Even cultivators at the True Profound Realm couldn't guarantee entry into the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Realm, and they could only be considered ordinary people in the Central Plains.

Yu Bu's face contorted with viciousness, as if he could already see Liu Wuxie crushed under his attack. The energy he released finally formed into a colossal palm in the sky, and he had even drawn a sliver of heaven and earth's power to empower his attack.

The surrounding rocks began to explode under the pressure, and the island was reduced to ruins.

This island, once the revered site of the Ten Grand Assembly, had now become a battlefield.

"Kill me? You're still unworthy!" Liu Wuxie said, his face devoid of emotion as he emerged unscathed from the devastating assault that rained down on him.

"What a powerful physique!" Chai Zhengbin, who had risen to his feet, was shocked. It was rare for someone to temper their physique to this extent, capable of withstanding an attack from a cultivator at the True Profound Realm and come out unscathed.

The barrage of palms descended like a relentless downpour, crashing into the battlefield with thunderous force. Any other True Profound Realm cultivator in Liu Wuxie's position would've been reduced to a bloody pulp.

Yet, Liu Wuxie stood there seemingly unfazed, almost like he was enjoying a massage. He was using Yu Bu's attack to help him temper his physique.

Every strike was like a thunderbolt that further refined his technique. A faint golden glow also appeared on the surface of Liu Wuxie's skin, enveloping him like dragon scales and protecting him from any damage, no matter how fierce the storm was.

As the Great Cataclysm Palm gradually waned, Liu Wuxie's physique grew even stronger, making Yu Bu angry.

He hadn't expected it—his strongest attack hadn't even left a scratch on Liu Wuxie. As the dust settled, Liu Wuxie simply brushed the debris off his shoulders, standing there without a single wound.

"Yu Bu, your three moves are over. It's my turn now!" Liu Wuxie said calmly. He didn't summon the Heretic Blade as he didn't see a need since Yu Bu hadn't drawn his weapon.

With those words, he slowly raised his hand. The motion seemed ordinary, but within his palm, true essence condensed into a thin thread—subtle and invisible, yet ready to explode with terrifying force.

A flash.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Wuxie vanished and reappeared in front of Yu Bu before the latter could even react. It was as though he had bypassed space itself.

"What frightening speed!" Gasps came from the surroundings, shocked by Liu Wuxie's speed.

"How can he be so fast? It's as if he had defied the very laws of space! This is unbelievable!" There was no time left for Yu Bu to ponder; he could only raise his hand in a desperate attempt to counterattack with a palm strike. Even if he were to die, he was determined to drag Liu Wuxie down with him.

Gathering his true essence, he materialized it into a giant palm to clash with Liu Wuxie's attack head-on.

"What a pitiful struggle!" Liu Wuxie sneered. If Yu Bu had chosen to take his own life, he would have been able to die with some dignity.

The audience held their breath, afraid to blink, unwilling to miss even a single heartbeat of the battle.

For years, Liu Wuxie had proven himself the undisputed prodigy of the Southern Province. He had created groundbreaking pills, claimed first place in the Ten Grand Ceremony, and elevated the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to the pinnacle of the ten major sects. Beyond that, the influence of the Heavenly Dao Society—founded by him—had spread like wildfire. From pills to spiritual talismans, its mark was everywhere. There was no corner of the Southern Province untouched by his presence.

Before such overwhelming achievements, the other sects could only watch with envy burning in their eyes.

The island quaked violently as the two palms collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the earth like an earthquake.

A horrifying scene unfolded next as tidal waves continued to roar in the surroundings, but they couldn't breach the island's shores.

When Yu Bu's attack clashed with Liu Wuxie's, he knew he had made a grave mistake. He wasn't fighting a man but a god—one possessing destructive force capable of obliterating everything.

Yu Bu could feel Liu Wuxie's true essence burrowing into his arm, slowly spreading through his body. Within moments, his internal organs ruptured under the overwhelming force, yet externally, his body remained untouched—no wounds, no blood, no signs of trauma.

Yet, nothing remained in his body, which was now an empty shell.

Yu Bu stood there motionless. No one knew what had happened or who had won in the exchange.

Only Chai Zhengbin knew that Yu Bu's body was only an empty shell, and his brain was intact. With Liu Wuxie sealing the surrounding space, there was no point for him to escape with his primordial spirit. If Yu Bu dared to flee with his primordial spirit, he would be killed by Liu Wuxie.

Though Yu Bu wouldn't die immediately, survival was impossible for him. Without a physical body's nourishment, his primordial spirit would slowly wither and perish unless he could find a new vessel to rebuild a physical body.

"What's going on? Why did the battle stop so abruptly?" Many onlookers were bewildered. They couldn't comprehend what had transpired and turned to their fellow onlookers around them for answers.

No one responded, as everyone waited in tense silence—anticipating the first voice that would break the stillness and reveal the victor.

A frail cough escaped Yu Bu's lips. Oddly enough, there was no blood from his cough, as though his body had been completely hollowed out, leaving behind a skeletal frame.

At that moment, everyone finally extended their divine senses into Yu Bu's body before a collective gasp echoed from the surroundings. Everyone was deeply shocked by the scene before them.

"How could this be?!" They couldn't fathom it. Despite being at the fourth-level True Profound Realm, Liu Wuxie had destroyed Yu Bu's internal body with one punch.

"This is impossible! This must be an illusion!" Many refused to believe what they saw. Liu Wuxie had only left the Southern Province for a year and reached a height far surpassing everyone else's, standing at the Southern Province's summit.

Yu Bu ranked among the top twenty experts, even among those present—yet he couldn't withstand a single strike from Liu Wuxie. It was no wonder everyone struggled to accept what they had just witnessed.

"Hahaha! I've lost!" Yu Bu let out a bitter smile after coughing.

Liu Wuxie could have easily destroyed his physical body with a single punch, yet chose not to. That, too, was a mercy.

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion fell into silence. No one spoke, and the people didn't know whether to feel relieved or sorrowful.

The elders should have felt joy at Liu Wuxie's meteoric rise. After all, their chances of surviving the looming crisis had increased significantly with his strength. But that joy was tainted.

They knew they couldn't resent Liu Wuxie or his actions as Yu Bu had taken it too far. But they still felt a sense of melancholy to see their previous sect master perish before them.

"Gao Gu, we've been fighting all these years," Yu Bu said, his voice softening as the light in his eyes began to fade. "Though it seemed like I won and took the seat of sect master... looking at it now, I was the one who truly lost..."

Regret weighed heavily on his final words, the kind that comes too late.

He had resorted to every scheme imaginable to defeat Gao Gu and claim the position of sect master. Yet, after seizing control, he accomplished nothing of worth. Under his leadership, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion continued to decline.

It was only after Mu Tianli took over that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's decline was halted, and it even reclaimed its former glory.

"It's all in the past now," Gao Gu sighed. He didn't know what to say. They had spent centuries fighting each other, but their lives would ultimately end in the future.

"I was wrong, and I deserve this outcome. I only hope that my death can wake you all up. We can only stand against all odds by uniting and reaching the peak!" Yu Bu said solemnly as he gazed over all the elders from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

He only hoped his death could serve as a wake-up call to unite everyone, as internal conflict would only lead to destruction.

A heavy silence fell on the island, with sorrow rising in everyone's hearts. Then again, it was commendable for Yu Bu to realize his mistakes before his death.

"Farewell!" Mu Tianli said, raising his hand to unleash an invisible force upon Yu Bu.