Chapter 497: The Third Fated Battle (Part 20)

Within the Immortal King Battlefield
The Lord of Mountains and Rivers, facing the Supreme Immortal King, was at a disadvantage. The two had been locked in combat for countless epochs, with the Supreme Immortal King gradually depleting the Lord of Mountains and Rivers' power.
The two landed on a desolate plain, the sand beneath their feet composed of dark dust, particles from different times converging, facing these two most terrifying beings.
"Even between quasi-Immortal Emperors, there is a gap. I told you, you are no match for me,"
The Supreme Immortal King looked down at the Lord of Mountains and Rivers. Their battle would eventually be decided.
The Lord of Mountains and Rivers smiled faintly: "Indeed, I am no match for you now."
"However, in this battle, I have won."
The Supreme Immortal King frowned.
He didn't know where the Lord of Mountains and Rivers' confidence came from.
"What a joke!"
Just as the Supreme Immortal King was about to end the battle decisively,
before the Lord of Mountains and Rivers, black and white swirled, unfolding a scroll.
The Supreme Immortal King's gaze suddenly sharpened.
He was all too familiar with this aura.
"The Lord of Life and Death!"
As a figure materialized, it was none other than the Lord of Life and Death!
The Lord of Mountains and Rivers smiled slightly.
His long wait had not been in vain; reinforcements had finally arrived.
The Supreme Immortal King was well aware of his old rival's strength.
However, he quickly said, "Lord of Life and Death, you haven't yet recovered your former peak cultivation. The outcome of our battle is still uncertain."
The Lord of Mountains and Rivers replied, "Supreme King, don't forget I'm here. Now it's time for a fair fight."
The Supreme Immortal King sneered, "Don't think that just because you have help, I don't!"
"Xuan Yi, why aren't you stopping the Lord of Mountains and Rivers? What are you waiting for?"
Immortal King Xuan Yi remained unmoved. He sat cross-legged on the ground, one hand resting on his knee, his face propped up, and said listlessly, "I'm a piece of trash. How could I possibly be a match for a quasi-Immortal Emperor?"
"Supreme King, I believe you can definitely deal with these two, Life and Death and the Lord of Mountains and Rivers."
The Supreme Immortal King: "..."
"Do you intend to defy the will of 'Disaster'? You should know the consequences!"
Xuan Yi Immortal King waved his hands repeatedly: "Yu Ji, my loyalty to 'Calamity' is as clear as the sun and moon. You can't just label me like that."
Xuan Yi Immortal King suddenly remembered something. There seemed to be no sun or moon now, but it didn't matter. With a flick of his wrist, a great sun and a full moon enveloped all of space and time.
Yu Ji Immortal King: "..."
He finally saw through him. This guy was a complete slacker, with no intention of actually fighting!
Xuan Yi Immortal King said, "Lord of Life and Death, Lord of Mountains and Rivers, what are you two waiting for? Seize this opportunity to kill Yu Ji! I've disliked him for a long time!"
Almost simultaneously, the Lord of Life and Death and the Lord of Mountains and Rivers attacked Yu Ji Immortal King, the two quasi-Immortal Emperors besieging him alone.
Xuan Yi Immortal King was very satisfied with this.
"Yu Ji, Yu Ji, this is your defeat."
"I will gladly accept your Dao Fruit."
Immortal King Xuan Yi vanished from his spot, and the aura of immortal kings from various timelines gradually disappeared.
Suddenly, Dongfang Yunxiao saw a black-robed youth appear before him. He shuddered; the youth was none other than the Xuan Yi Immortal King.
The Xuan Yi Immortal King narrowed his eyes, casually pinching the head of an Immortal King fighting Dongfang Yunxiao. Then, his body split open, swallowing the Immortal King whole. Countless tentacles extended, grabbing the remaining Immortal Kings.
"These are all delicious fruits. I have waited countless eons for these fruits."
"Now they are ripe."
Dongfang Yunxiao watched as one Immortal King after another was swallowed by the Xuan Yi Immortal King, their Daos merging with his... Such methods sent chills down Dongfang Yunxiao's spine.
Xuan Yi Immortal King licked his lips, seemingly still wanting more. He turned to Dongfang Yunxiao and said, "Don't worry, little fellow, you're poisonous to me. I won't eat you indiscriminately."
Dongfang Yunxiao asked in a deep voice, "What do you want?"
Based on his understanding of Xuan Yi Immortal King, he knew the king's purpose wasn't to help them; he must have a greater scheme. This was why Xuan Yi Immortal King hadn't made a move yet, and now that scheme was about to surface.
Xuan Yi Immortal King smiled, "After all, I'm another master of yours, and I taught you, little fellow, for a while."
Dongfang Yunxiao's vigilance increased. Before the witnesses turned against Xuan Yi Immortal King, the king had indeed taught him for a period.
However, this also made him realize how terrifying the young man before him was.
Xuan Yi Immortal King spoke: "To realize a certain idea in my heart, I need your grandmaster's cooperation; he is the only variable."
"Fortunately, your grandmaster did not disappoint me."
Dongfang Yunxiao said: "So you want your grandmaster to help you create pressure, causing the unconscious 'Calamity' to use more power to create more Immortal Kings, and those Immortal Kings will be your resources. You want to devour them all, thereby controlling the power of 'Calamity'?"
Dongfang Yunxiao was horrified. The young man before him dared to scheme against 'Calamity'.
Xuan Yi Immortal King did not deny it, because this was indeed one of his goals. His smile was sinister, and he then said: "I am actually the same as your grandmaster. I admire him; he is the same kind of person as me. If your grandmaster were in my position, he would make the same choice as me."
"No one knows what the final future will be like, but before that predetermined future arrives, we are all fish swimming upstream. I am, your grandmaster is, and you are too. We are all trying countless possibilities."
Dongfang Yunxiao was puzzled.
Xuan Yi Immortal King didn't elaborate. He sensed the power gradually awakening. He needed to travel elsewhere to reap the 'fruits,' completing his transformation before that power fully manifested. Just before leaving, Xuan Yi Immortal King glanced back at Dongfang Yunxiao: "As for you, little fellow, you can stay here for now. Neither outcome is something you can interfere with."
Dongfang Yunxiao was stunned, but Xuan Yi Immortal King had already vanished.
What would be the outcome of this battle, this calculated scheme?
Would it be the end of a good show, or the curtain falling on a bad one?
Dongfang Yunxiao raised his head.
There had to be a result!
...
The Supreme Immortal King sensed that the aura of his fellow Immortal Kings was gradually fading.
"That damned Xuan Yi!"
The Supreme Immortal King hadn't expected Xuan Yi to be so audacious, daring to scheme against 'Calamity'.
Xuan Yi wasn't incapable of eliminating everyone; rather, he had been using them to pressure 'Calamity,' forcing 'Calamity' to use more power to create more Immortal Kings, even correcting his own past and bringing him to the present—all thanks to 'Calamity's' power.
The Supreme Immortal King considered this power as his reward.
The Supreme Immortal King, currently engaged in battle with the Lord of Mountains and Rivers and the Lord of Life and Death, suddenly changed his expression.
A hand suddenly pierced through the Supreme Immortal King's chest.
A fair, jade-like hand crushed one of the Yuji Immortal King's avatars. The Yuji Immortal King was furious, but Xuan Yi Immortal King said indifferently, "Yuji, you are no longer of any use. You have repeatedly caused Lord 'Disaster' to lose the battle. Now you have no chance. I have already gained 'Disaster's' approval and will inherit your Dao Fruit."
The Yuji Immortal King's tiger's mouth trembled, his eyes blazing with anger, but he couldn't utter a word.
He desperately wanted to curse.
Was this mess of a battle his doing?
However, Xuan Yi Immortal King clearly didn't intend to give the Yuji Immortal King a chance to argue. With 'Disaster's' approval, Xuan Yi Immortal King easily continued to merge with the Yuji Immortal King's Dao Fruit.
A beam of obsidian-colored light pierced through from the beginning of time to its end.
The Lord of Mountains and Rivers and the Lord of Life and Death simultaneously looked upwards.
That was the ultimate power.
A gentle voice rang in the ears of the Lord of Mountains and Rivers and the Lord of Life and Death:
"Thank you. The rest is in my hands."