Death… and me

On the icy platform of the Shi Clan, Shi Cheng Yu could not sit still. He could not control the look of rage on his face!

Around 30 of the Martial Emperors who had died were from the Shi Clan!

Furthermore, they died under a situation which no one could have imagined.

How could his heart not ache?

How could he not be angry?

"He deserves it!" Ji Mo said.

"The Lì Clan is worried too," Chu Yang said plainly.

The power of the Lì Clan in the Middle Three Heavens was completely wiped out after this Martial Emperor fight. All they had left was one Martial Monarch. He was like the last tree in the forest and extremely pitiable. How could he not be worried?

His mission here was to receive the Lì Clan from the Upper Three Heavens. Now, all he would be bringing back were spirit tablets (Translator's Note: Spirit tablets are used in Chinese culture to honor deceased ancestors). Oh wait, he still had Lì Xiong Tu, who seemed neither alive nor dead…

"Lord Enforcer! I don't think this fight is fair!" Tian Bu Hui shouted. He had very few people next to him.

All he had left was seven Martial Monarchs and one Martial Saint. He was like a general without an army.

Just now, the Clan Heads of the Zhao Clan and the Li Clan both perished in the Martial Emperor fight.

"How is it unfair?" The white-bearded Enforcer asked.

"The incident of the Black Devil is a devious scheme. They arranged it beforehand and I think that this is against the rules!" Tian Bu Hui gritted his teeth as he responded.

"What a joke!" Chu Yang snorted and replied, "How is this unfair? Let's not talk about whether we have arranged this in the first. So what if we did arrange it? If you're capable enough, plant your own spies and traitors amidst us. We won't say anything. The problem is… you can't do it! You cannot achieve it! Since you aren't capable of it, shut up!"

The white-bearded Enforcer nodded his head and said, "That's right. In this battle, others cannot join the fray. Those of a higher rank cannot join the fight. However, there's no rule forbidding anyone from using tricks in this fight."

Mo Tian Ji said, "Lord Enforcer is right. Furthermore, even if it's unfair… I want to ask you one question. Where did the extra 30 Martial Emperors in your ranks come from?"

He smiled coldly, "Even if I have planned this with the Black Devil beforehand, at least he's a member of the Middle Three Heavens!"

Tian Bu Hui was stunned speechless.

This was the issue he feared the most.

The white-bearded Enforcer looked at him coldly and said nothing. Then, he uttered, "The fight between the Martial Monarchs shall commence."

Mo Tian Ji went up to Chu Yang and whispered, "It seems as if there is one more Martial Monarch on our enemy's side than we have expected."

Chu Yang nodded his head solemnly.

"We have seven Martial Monarchs and our opponent has one more than us, so they should have eight. However, the Black Devil and one of his subordinates dropped their ranks and quit the Martial Monarch tier. Hence, they should have six. Right now, however, we both seven Martial Monarchs. It seems that they have concealed one Martial Monarch before the start of this fight."

"Seven versus seven!" Chu Yang started to worry.

No matter how one looked at it, no one could predict the results of the fight among the Martial Monarchs. All they could depend on was luck.

On their enemy's die, there was one person from the Lì Clan, the Tian Clan, and the Tu Clan. Other than them, they had no one else.

However, now four more people had mysteriously appeared, it was likely that they came from the Shi Clan of the Upper Three Heavens.

These four were the most terrifying ones.

On his side, the Dong Clan had one, the Xie Clan had one, and the Ao Clan had five!

His best chance of success was from the five elders of the Ao Clan!

Mo Tian Ji did his calculations but he seemed to be unable to come up with a plan. At long last, he gritted his teeth and said, "Elder Dong, Elder Xie, once the fight starts, tie down the four people from the Shi Clan of the Upper Three Heavens with two Martial Monarchs from the Ao Clan! Then, the three elders of the Ao Clan shall fight the Tian Clan, Tu Clan, and the Lì Clan with all their might. This is our only chance of success!"

Xie Zhi Qiu and the rest nodded solemnly.

This was a workable plan!

They banked on the fact that the Martial Monarchs of the Tian Clan, the Tu Clan, and the Lì Clan had not much interaction beforehand and hence, they would not be as coordinated. The three elders of the Ao Clan had lived together for hundreds of years. The results of this battle would depend on how well-coordinated they were!

However, the four elders of the Shi Clan would be just as well-coordinated too!

Hence, the outcome of the fight was truly unpredictable!

"Are you confident?" Mo Tian Ji's face was dark as he asked the group of Martial Monarchs.

"No," said the oldest Martial Monarch of the Ao Clan as he shook his head. His cultivation was the highest among all of them. "I have no idea how powerful the leading Martial Emperor on the other side is. Hence, I think he's stronger than me."

Everyone was shocked.

If someone could be this powerful, he could definitely decide the outcome of this fight!

A flurry of facial expressions appeared on Mo Tian Ji's face. At long last, he said with much difficulty, "This battle concerns all future generations. Defeat is not an option! If you have no confidence… if you really have no confidence…"

He said these two lines twice before he closed his mouth. Then, he looked at the Martial Monarchs, bowed, and said, "If you really have no confidence… the only thing you can do is take them down with you! If you die, take them with you… If we really have to use this unthinkable method, then, right at the beginning, we have to…"

He suddenly raised his head and said, "This will be a suicide mission. Elders, the moment you step forward, you will die! However, the issue is, how should you die? Will you create value through your death? If you die, you must die strategically!"

Mo Tian Ji smiled bitterly and said, "I don't want to say it but I have no other plan. If I don't say it, no one else would. Hence, we can't assess the situation properly. No one can shoulder the responsibility of that and hence, I have no choice but to speak!"

No one else spoke.

Mo Tian Ji's plan was cruel but it was also the most effective one.

No one else other than Mo Tian Ji could say these words. No one else could say it so directly! While this was the truth, it was still a harsh and cruel one!

The elder from the Ao Clan laughed and said, "We have lived so long and that's enough for us already. This battle concerns the fate of our sons and grandsons. We won't make any mistake. If we drag this fight out, we'll still die but the opponent can live. If we fight tooth-and-nail from the very start, we may be able to take them down with us. Hence, we shall pay this price! We've all thought about it already."

The seven Martial Monarchs all smiled briefly.

"From today onward, the various clans will depend on the younger generation!" Xie Zhi Qiu said as he looked at Xie Dan Qiong.

Xie Dan Qiong's heart ached as he shed a tear.

Everyone's emotions were heavy and they did not know what to say.

Like what Mo Tian Ji had said, they are signing their own death warrant by taking part in this fight! The crucial thing here was how should they die and if they should die in an appropriate manner. Their deaths must mean something!

That was it!

The fight which everyone worried about finally started.

All 14 Martial Monarchs were old men with long, flowing white beard.

Before the start of the fight, no one would have expected the fight among the Martial Monarchs to start off in such a somber but ferocious manner.

The moment the fight started, both sides rushed toward each other.

Seven versus seven. They all had their targets!

Xie Zhi Qiu smiled faintly as he sped up to meet his opponent!

His enemy was from the Tu Clan. They naturally knew each other.

This Martial Emperor from the Tu Clan seemed deeply affected. As he watched Xie Zhi Qiu running toward him, a helpless look flashed in his eyes as he said, "Old Xie…"

Before he could finish, Xie Zhi Qiu approached him at a meteoric speed!

His heart turned cold as he pointed his sword forward!

However, unlike what he had expected, Xie Zhi Qiu did not even try to dodge this probing attack of his. His sword pierced through Xie Zhi Qiu's chest seemingly without any resistance!

Xie Zhi Qiu's body crashed against him like a bolt of lightning as a thin and long sword stabbed him in the heart! At the same time, he punched and kicked him in a frenzied manner as he struck the chest of the Tu Clan Martial Emperor!

After a crackle, the two of them separated.

The Tu Clan Martial Emperor could only land two punches before he fell.

Xie Zhi Qiu only managed one line as he said, "Don't blame me. We'll fight on our way to the afterlife. I'll walk with you!" Then, he turned and left.

The Martial Emperor of the Tu Clan looked at him, surprised. Then, he smiled and closed his eyes.

He understood Xie Zhi Qiu's words. He also knew that his sword had pierced through Xie Zhi Qiu's heart!

Xie Zhi Qiu was a goner!

"Bloody old man… so despicable… I shall see you in the afterlife!"

Xie Zhi Qiu leaped into the air with the sword still in his chest. His entire body was bloodied and like a bolt of lightning, he joined the fight between the Dong Clan Martial Emperor and the Lì Clan Martial Emperor. Without even trying to dodge, he charged and was struck three times by his enemy with a sword, kicked seven times, and punched once. His sword cut half of his enemy's arm off!

The Dong Clan Martial Emperor roared in anger as he sliced the Lì Clan Martial Emperor in half! Along with Xie Zhi Qiu!

Then, he turned to leave and joined another fight.

"Old pal, don't blame me! We'll settle our debts in the afterlife!"

"It'll be my turn soon!"

Xie Zhi Qiu's attack was self-sacrificial. Like a bolt of lightning, he ended the fight in a single instance while ending his life too! Barely anyone had seen what happened before it ended!

Their side now had one more Martial Emperor!

At the same time, a Martial Emperor of the Ao Clan and one from the Shi Clan of the Upper Three Heavens laughed bitterly as they fell!

The two of them fought like Xie Zhi Qiu. The moment they went up, they sacrificed their lives to kill each other!

However, this Martial Emperor from the Ao Clan was not as lucky as Xie Zhi Qiu. He could not use the last bit of energy he had to kill one more time, but… he was able to drag someone down with him!

The other Martial Emperor from the Ao Clan fought the Martial Emperor from the Tian Clan!

Straightaway, they cut each other's sword-wielding hands off. Then, they two of them grappled with each other. Two Martial Emperors fought each other like street thugs as they kicked and punched each other.

They were truly fighting tooth-and-nail.

At last, neither of them could move. Two white-bearded old men, bloody from their fight, looked at each other as a look of mirth crossed their eyes.

Almost simultaneously, they said, "Shall we go?"