Chapter 426: The Final Battle

Chapter 426: The Final Battle

Cang Ya and Caixia, like two fireworks, bloomed brilliantly in the sky with their Dawn Blades.

This sight stunned everyone.

In front of the Yuan Magnet Palace, the True Dragon Clan members of the Titanium-Cobalt family were all astounded. Titanium-Cobalt Qing Wei's eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed, "How ruthless!" She also felt a strange sense of unease, feeling that Jin had taken advantage of his opponents' vulnerability.

"With his strength, he could have easily won head-on..." Titanium-Cobalt Qing Wei muttered.

Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King spoke calmly, "If he can easily eliminate his competitors, why bother with the effort of a frontal battle?"

"But..." Titanium-Cobalt Qing Wei shook her head, unable to refute.

The rules of the Apocalypse Dragon Festival dictated that one must use all means to defeat their enemies, facing destruction alongside the world, adhering to the faith of the Doomsday Dragon. Jin's actions not only broke no rules, but they also aligned perfectly with the doctrine.

"Jin has made it into the top three," someone suddenly said.

Everyone else realized this as well.

After Jin had shot down two people, there were only three left in the Mind Fantasy Realm. Even if he were eliminated now, he would still place third at worst.

Titanium-Cobalt Yanlu had lost the bet and owed Titanium-Cobalt Lan five ether crystals.

"Thank you, Seventh Aunt," Titanium-Cobalt Lan said, showing no sign of triumph. Instead, he expressed his gratitude with a junior's courtesy.

Although Titanium-Cobalt Yanlu was displeased, with so many clan members and the Dragon King watching, she couldn't back out, especially since Titanium-Cobalt Lan remained respectful, allowing her to save face. Her expression softened.

"Congratulations, Little Lan," Titanium-Cobalt Yanlu said with a smile, "As soon as the Apocalypse Dragon Festival ends, if Jin becomes the Ender, I will immediately send someone to deliver 100,000 ether crystals to you."

Titanium-Cobalt Lan thanked her again.

"I'm already very satisfied that Jin made it into the top three. Whether he becomes the Ender depends on his performance."

"Since the King believes in him, there shouldn't be any problems."

"So Seventh Aunt also thinks highly of him?"

"Of course. Otherwise, why would I have asked you for him? I saw his talent and potential and wanted to nurture him well to serve the family. Since you're unwilling to let him go, Little Lan, then forget it. Just don't hold him back."

"I will not disappoint Seventh Aunt's expectations."

The conversation between the two women seemed harmless, but to the bystanders, it felt insincere and forced.

Titanium-Cobalt Qing Wei suddenly spoke up, "Second Brother lost! Sigh..."

In the Mind Fantasy Realm, Titanium-Cobalt Zhenhe was finally overwhelmed and killed by Guxing Li.

He had held on for a long time, inflicting damage on Guxing Li's main clone and even coming close to eliminating one or two of his clones a few times. However, he was always rescued by Guxing Li's other clones and quickly recovered.

It would have taken a while longer to determine the winner.

After Ji Xinghuo shot down Cang Ya and Caixia, Lingxuan Zige aimed at the remaining two, putting immense pressure on them.

And the safe area was shrinking.

Both Guxing Li and Titanium-Cobalt Zhenhe were affected, intensifying their battle. Ultimately, Guxing Li's superior skills prevailed, and he killed Titanium-Cobalt Zhenhe.

However, Guxing Li also paid a higher price, as his star power consumption exceeded expectations.

"8 star marks, 36 star breaths."

Everyone could see the countdown in the Mind Fantasy Realm.

Lava erupted, and the sky darkened.

Huge flames streaked across the sky, causing the air to boil and temperatures to rise, as if doomsday had arrived.

The Apocalypse Blackflame Dragon loomed overhead, constantly spewing terrifying black flame dragon breath. The safe area at this time was roughly circular, with a diameter of less than 100 kilometers, and the dragon breath destroyed the earth in circles from the outside in.

Even though they knew this was just a virtual world and they wouldn't truly die.

But the scene of the world's impending destruction, playing out before their eyes, still made Ji Xinghuo's heart race.

Several dozen kilometers away.

Guxing Li had killed Titanium-Cobalt Zhenhe, and his 24 clones regrouped, facing Ji Xinghuo from a distance.

Neither wasted any time, both moving closer to the other.

Hu!

Ji Xinghuo accelerated to his fastest speed, reaching the center of the safe area first and landing on the ground.

This would be the last place to be destroyed.

Guxing Li had many clones, and to synchronize their actions, his speed was inevitably slower. Realizing he couldn't beat Ji Xinghuo, he stopped ten kilometers away, carefully observing his final opponent.

Ji Xinghuo was also observing them.

The 24 pseudo-dragon men had identical features, with curved dragon horns on their foreheads, dragon scales on their necks, and vertical pupils. However, their builds and skin colors varied due to the different dragon warrior species they had fused with.

They were grouped in threes, with one clone and two shadow clones.

"His shadow clones are definitely not just level one."

"To maintain shadow clones for so long, they must be at least level three, and they might even be level four like mine."

Ji Xinghuo was certain.

Level one "Shadow Clone" could create two clones, and level two created four. Given Guxing Li's talent and potential, it wouldn't be difficult for him to raise his shadow clones to level two or even three.

The reason he hadn't created more shadow clones was that he didn't want to weaken his clones' star power.

Not wanting to didn't mean he couldn't.

When it was time to unleash his full power, Guxing Li would definitely create more shadow clones, regardless of the star power cost, to gain an overwhelming numerical advantage and enhance the "Legion" amplification effect.

This was surely one of Guxing Li's trump cards.

As for whether he had any other tricks up his sleeve, Ji Xinghuo couldn't guess.

On the other side.

A hint of wariness and confusion appeared in the eyes of the Guxing Li clones.

Before the Apocalypse Dragon Festival began, he had never heard of the name "Jin," and even after it started, he hadn't paid attention until the end was near and Jin suddenly entered the top ten on the kill list. That was when he realized someone was rising as a dark horse.

Then, Jin shot down two more opponents, leaving Gu Xingli unable to react in the midst of battle.

Until now.

Guxing Li never anticipated that his opponent would be an unknown Vagrant. This opponent gave him a feeling of unfathomable depth.

His intuition told Guxing Li that this wasteland warrior was more formidable than Titanium-Cobalt Zhenhe! However, due to the scarcity of information, he couldn't discern the warrior's true strength and make an accurate judgment.

At this moment, Guxing Li looked up at the Apocalypse Blackflame Dragon, realizing that there wasn't much time left for their final battle.

24 clones bowed simultaneously, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Each clone wore an identical expression, cold and proud, as they said in unison, "I am Guxing Li, Legend Second Stage. Pleased to meet you!"

With a distance of tens of thousands of meters between them, it took over 40 seconds for their voices to reach each other.

Ji Xinghuo guessed what Guxing Li had said based on his lip movements. He gave a cold nod and replied with a single word, "Jin."

At this moment, the gazes of hundreds of millions of people were fixed on these two top Legend powerhouses. Under the terrifying aura of the Apocalypse Blackflame Dragon, the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Even though they were merely spectators, the immersive nature of the Mind Fantasy Realm made many of them more nervous than the actual combatants, causing them to unconsciously hold their breath.

"Finally, it begins!"

"There are still 8 star marks left. Soon we will know who the final victor will be!"

"This is the moment of glory that the Endbringer has been striving for all his life!"

"If I could battle on such a stage, even if it meant true death, it would still be a glorious and honorable end..." Countless believers of the Doomsday Dragon shouted in fanaticism. Amidst the attention of countless onlookers, the two combatants made their moves.

Ji Xinghuo leaped forward, transforming into a bolt of lightning that rushed towards Guxing Li.

A few seconds passed.

When the distance between them narrowed to about eight kilometers, Ji Xinghuo's figure suddenly halted, transitioning from extreme motion to absolute stillness as if inertia had no effect on him. He descended from the lightning and landed on the ground, creating eight shadow clones that lined up in a row.

The nine Ji Xinghuos simultaneously pulled their spiritual strings, locking onto one of Guxing Li's clones and releasing a torrent of electric arc arrows.

Boom!

Thunderous explosions rang out, and electric lights blossomed.

Ji Xinghuo entered a state of hyper-frequency thinking, and with the control of his Ten Thousand Spirit Body, he shot five rounds of splitting arrows in a single second, resulting in over two hundred electric arc arrows trailing lightning trails and forming a spectacular arrow rain.

Guxing Li's clones maintained low-altitude flight, reducing Ji Xinghuo's shooting angle.

Three towering Tungsten Dragon Warriors charged at the forefront, acting as the front line to shield the other clones behind them from the incoming attack.

The Tungsten Dragon is one of the largest true dragons, and this is reflected in the size of the dragon warriors. Guxing Li's Tungsten Dragon Warrior clones stood at three meters tall, their skin shimmering with a dark silver luster and possessing unparalleled hardness. However, their speed was the slowest among all the clones.

Even with the boost of the Skyfeather Dragon Warrior clones' "Feather Flight," they still appeared somewhat clumsy compared to Ji Xinghuo.

And they couldn't match the speed of the electric arc arrows.

In the blink of an eye, the arrow rain reached them. However, just as the arrows were about to hit their targets, they suddenly changed direction.

In the flash of electric light, the arrows veered around the three Tungsten Dragon Warriors and shot towards the one behind them.

There was only one target.

It was a Crimsonflame Dragon Warrior shadow clone, not a clone.

For the Legion's clones, there was no distinction between them; each one was an independent entity. As for the shadow clones, the clones were their creators and thus had slightly weaker abilities, making them more expendable.

However, Guxing Li didn't want to lose a single clone in the first exchange. For the Legion, the loss of any clone would weaken their overall strength.

In this critical moment.

The shadow clone instantly transformed, replaced by a Tungsten Dragon Warrior clone, not a shadow clone.

Meanwhile, the Crimsonflame Dragon shadow clone appeared at the front of the formation.

A shift in positions!

At the same time, the Saintblood Dragon clone and the Greenthorn Dragon clone released their abilities to provide advanced recovery for the Tungsten Dragon clone. The Tungsten Dragon clone's eyes narrowed, and the metallic luster on his skin intensified, merging with his super-ability armor to enhance his defense.

Boom!

All the electric arc arrows struck him, like a flood of lightning, engulfing the Tungsten Dragon Warrior.

After the burst of electricity, the Tungsten Dragon Warrior's skin was charred black, and his armor shattered. The damage he sustained was shared among the eight clones, reducing the severity of the injury to a minor level, and he recovered to his original state in an instant.

"Hiss..."

Countless spectators couldn't help but gasp in shock.

They had personally witnessed the terrifying power of Jin's focused assault when he instantly slew Cang Ya and Caixia.

Yet, he couldn't even take down one of Guxing Li's clones.

Guxing Li's clone formation continued to advance, maintaining its integrity and showing almost no signs of being affected by Ji Xinghuo's arrow rain.

Boom!

Another thunderous explosion rang out as Ji Xinghuo unleashed a second round of arrow rain.

This time, he divided the arrow rain into two groups, each targeting one of Guxing Li's shadow clones.

Many people immediately guessed Ji Xinghuo's tactical intention.

Only eight clones could share the damage, and among them, the Tungsten Dragon Warrior clone had the strongest defense. However, there was only one such clone, and even with the shift in positions, they could only swap out one targeted clone at a time.

The other targeted clone would have to bear a more significant amount of damage.

The two arrow rains struck their targets.

As expected, Guxing Li was prepared. Four of his clones shifted positions, including the Tungsten Dragon Warrior clone and a Whalebone Dragon Warrior clone, both of which took the brunt of the two arrow rains.

With healing, the injuries of the two incarnations were immediately healed.

The Legion continued to advance.

Ji Xinghuo stood in place and fired five rounds of arrow rain, trying to focus his fire on different targets, dividing them into two, three, or four groups while causing damage. However, the killing power of the arrow rain had an overall limit, and when the road was divided, the power decreased.

For more than four groups, it was difficult to pose a threat to Gu Xingli's shadow clones, and they were easily offset.

Soon, the two were within five kilometers of each other.

Gu Xingli's legion was almost unscathed, only consuming some stellar power.

And Ji Xinghuo's super strong archery seemed to have no threat to Gu Xingli. He seemed unable to come up with a solution for the time being.

Seeing this, the audience talked in whispers.

"Jin is in danger."

"If he gets caught in the legion's siege, even if Jin's close-quarters combat strength is strong, it's still no match for Titanium-Cobalt Zhenhe."

"I think it's hard to predict a winner. Jin must still have some tricks up his sleeve."

"That's right!"

"He must have something else planned."

Most people favored Gu Xingli, but a small number of people, because Ji Xinghuo had repeatedly turned the tide in times of crisis during the Apocalypse Dragon Festival and eventually rose to the top two rankings, had high expectations of him.

Since he was a dark horse, it would be even more exciting and legendary for him to keep surprising everyone, fulfilling people's fantasies.

In front of the Yuan Magnet Palace.

Titanium-Cobalt Lan's hand clenched involuntarily, and the other True Dragon Clan members also stared intently at the battlefield, with inexplicable expectations for Ji Xinghuo.

No matter how strong Gu Xingli was, he was not a subject of the Yuan Magnet Domain.

They naturally hoped that Jin would win, even if he was a Vagrant.

As the crowd watched, they secretly paid attention to the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King's expression, noticing that the king's face was calm, yet he exuded an air of ease, as if he already had the outcome of the battle in the bag.

"Who will win?"

Just as the spectators were tense, the battle situation changed abruptly.

Gu Xingli was still five kilometers away, a distance far beyond the legion's attack range. However, Ji Xinghuo stopped shooting and no longer attempted long-range attacks.

He put away his spiritual string and changed his weapon to the Electric War Blade.

At the same time, the eight shadow clones merged back into his body, recovering his stellar power, and Ji Xinghuo's body expanded to a height of five meters. His eyes sparkled with electric light, his body surrounded by swirling currents, and his explosive power filled his entire being, extending a thousand-meter electromagnetic field around him!

"He's going for close-quarters combat!"

"That's not a wise choice. He should have kept shooting arrow rains to weaken Gu Xingli from a distance. With Jin's speed, he could have maintained the distance and worn down Gu Xingli's stellar power." This was what many people were thinking.

Immediately, someone refuted, "Time and space don't allow him to drag it out."

"Going for close-quarters combat is even less likely to turn the tables. It would be better to drag it out until the Apocalypse Dragon Festival ends. At worst, he'd be tied for second place."

"In that case, neither of them would be the Ender, and there would be no winner."

"That's still better than losing!"

Just as the spectators were arguing, a thunderous roar sounded, and Ji Xinghuo's body erupted with light. Everyone thought he was going to use the electromagnetic field to boost his speed and rush towards Gu Xingli, and Gu Xingli thought so too. But Ji Xinghuo disappeared.

"Star Realm Leap."

In front of the platform at the Yuan Magnet Palace, everyone heard the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King exclaim in surprise.

Although the Mind Fantasy Realm simulated Dragon Guard Seven, the rules followed those of the Star Realm, allowing the use of space-type abilities.

In the next moment.

Ji Xinghuo instantly appeared in the middle of Gu Xingli's legion formation, as if he had walked into a trap.

Gu Xingli reacted swiftly. In the blink of an eye, three Tungsten Dragon Warrior clones swapped positions with the clones closest to Ji Xinghuo, and the other clones synchronously adjusted their formation. In the blink of an eye, they had completed their tactical shift.

Six Tungsten Dragon Warrior clones and a Whale Dragon Warrior clone stood at the front line, fully armed, bracing themselves to withstand Ji Xinghuo's attack;

The Crimsonflame Dragon Warrior clones formed the second line, their bodies engulfed in scorching flames, their spear tips glowing red, ready to unleash their most powerful attacks;

The Shadowthorn Dragon Warrior clones melted into the shadows, daggers in hand, poised to strike from ambush;

The Skyfeather Dragon Warrior clones hovered behind Ji Xinghuo, their weapons a combination of a star rifle and a single-handed sword, skilled in both swordsmanship and marksmanship;

The Saintblood Dragon, Greenthorn Dragon, and Stinger Dragon Warrior clones took up positions at the outermost layer, responsible for healing, support, and controlling the battlefield.

When necessary, they could also step up to take damage.

24 clones worked like a complex and precise machine, operating in perfect unison.

24 pairs of eyes were calm and focused, each clone knowing its role.

Gu Xingli had experienced hundreds, even thousands of battles. He had faced all types of enemies, regardless of their strength, talents, advantages, or shortcomings. Yet, once they fell into his legion's encirclement, they ultimately ended up as losers.

The renowned Titanium-Cobalt Zhenhe had also just met his demise at Gu Xingli's hands.

This Vagrant would be no exception.

However, before Gu Xingli could finish his thought, all his clones were enveloped by the electromagnetic field, and countless spiritual lightning bolts exploded, forming countless magnetic lines that numbered in the millions, controlling everything within a thousand-meter radius.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down, and the world fell silent.

Ji Xinghuo's figure shifted within the electromagnetic field, his massive war blade slicing through the air with a blinding flash of lightning.

Boom!

Thunder roared, and the terrifying electric light tore through the air.

One of Gu Xingli's shadow clones was sliced through, instantly reduced to dust and vanishing without a trace.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end