Chapter 25: The Secret Art 'Overlapping Waves'

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

The Slovenly True Immortal's six hands were now like six venomous snakes, swift and fierce beyond compare, unleashing a storm of relentless attacks, each move a killing blow. Clearly, he wanted to take advantage of the moment to defeat the Nine Deaths True Immortal, who had lost one arm and now had only five.

"Hahaha, hahaha..." The Nine Deaths True Immortal let out triumphant laughter. Each of her palms seemed to contain life and death, making those who watched feel suffocated and distressed. She frantically fended off the Slovenly True Immortal's attacks, sometimes even using her body to block in order to gain a moment's time.

The Slovenly True Immortal attacked wildly, while the Nine Deaths True Immortal held on with all her might, enduring until her arm grew back.

"This is bad!"

Ji Ning, Yu Wei, and Yuchi Xiyue, who were watching, all felt a tightening in their hearts. Earlier, when the Nine Deaths True Immortal had only five arms, the Slovenly True Immortal had been unable to defeat her in one go. Now that she had held on until her arm grew back... it would be even harder for the Slovenly True Immortal to defeat her.

"Is this the disciple Lord Xuanwu valued?"

"He can't even defeat this rogue cultivator, the Nine Deaths True Immortal?" The Celestial Immortal patriarchs in the Heavenly Tribute Hall were puzzled. In their eyes, Lord Xuanwu was of such high status that his disciple should naturally be extraordinary; otherwise, it would be a disgrace to Lord Xuanwu.

Lü Dongbin, watching from afar, smiled and said, "This battle is interesting. This Nine Deaths True Immortal has a profound understanding of the Dao of Life and Death. I even suspect she might possess memories from several lifetimes... She is definitely extremely strong. Could this Slovenly True Immortal lose?"

"It wouldn't be surprising if he lost," said Pure Yang True Immortal Red Extreme.

"Just because someone can become a Celestial Immortal in the future, does that mean they can't lose now?" Emperor Hao shook his head.

Even these Pure Yang True Immortals felt the battle was in danger.

From their perspective, both the Slovenly True Immortal and the Nine Deaths True Immortal had put forth all their abilities. The Slovenly True Immortal's defense was at its peak, and his offense was frenzied, yet he still couldn't overcome his opponent... It was indeed very dangerous.

...

The Slovenly True Immortal's frenzied attack suddenly ceased, and he began to fight in a different rhythm.

"This is?" The Nine Deaths True Immortal's expression changed.

At this moment, the Slovenly True Immortal was very calm. His six hands were unpredictable, maintaining four hands for defense and two for attack almost all the time. It felt like waves—each wave growing more turbulent. The Slovenly True Immortal's attacks were like this too: when he defended, he seemed to gather momentum; when he attacked, he seemed to explode!

Gathering momentum and then exploding!

In a strange rhythm, the Slovenly True Immortal's attacks gradually grew fiercer, each wave of attack stacking upon the last, making the Nine Deaths True Immortal feel extremely stifled.

"What... what is going on?" The Nine Deaths True Immortal couldn't even understand.

Each wave grew more ferocious.

"Boom!"

The Slovenly True Immortal suddenly struck out with all six hands simultaneously, all forming fists, as if a massive black tortoise were crashing into a heavenly pillar. "Boom!" The Nine Deaths True Immortal, who was blocking, was sent flying, her body cracking with numerous fissures as blood flowed out.

"Whoosh." The Slovenly True Immortal took a step and was already before the Nine Deaths True Immortal, his six fists ready to strike again.

"I concede." The Nine Deaths True Immortal's unwilling voice rang out as she managed to dodge away.

The Slovenly True Immortal stopped, the tortoiseshell patterns on his body fading as he returned to normal.

The Nine Deaths True Immortal's dirty face was full of reluctance. She looked at the Slovenly True Immortal and asked, "Slovenly True Immortal, your Dao realm is clearly so high. Whether in defense or offense, I could block you. But why did your final technique make it increasingly difficult for me, until I ultimately lost?"

The Slovenly True Immortal smiled. This was a combat method he had realized after comprehending Lord Xuanwu's great divine ability. When he inherited this divine ability, he had sworn a Heavenly Dao oath not to reveal even a shred without permission. This already touched upon some secrets of the great divine ability, so naturally he couldn't disclose it.

"What is this combat method called?" the Nine Deaths True Immortal asked eagerly.

"Overlapping Waves!" the Slovenly True Immortal said.

"Overlapping Waves... waves stacking upon each other, and I, caught in them, could only face defeat. Clearly, I was not weaker than you, yet I still lost... Overlapping Waves... Overlapping Waves..." The Nine Deaths True Immortal walked away, murmuring the words 'Overlapping Waves.' She even had a feeling that if she could grasp the secret of Overlapping Waves,

she might have hope of overcoming the tribulation and becoming a Celestial Immortal!

This was an opportunity for her! But if she couldn't comprehend it, she would likely fail the tribulation in this ninth life as well.

...

In the main hall of the Heavenly Tribute Hall, nearly a thousand Celestial Immortal patriarchs frowned. Although they had high insight, they couldn't understand why, when the two were roughly equal in divine body refinement, divine abilities, and Dao comprehension—with the Nine Deaths True Immortal even having a slight edge—she ended up losing like that.

It was as if the Nine Deaths True Immortal had fallen into an endless tide, struggling in vain until she was finally submerged.

"What happened?"

"How could this be?"

"I don't understand."

The Celestial Immortal patriarchs felt that there seemed to be some subtle mystery hidden within, a kind of combat secret art, but they simply couldn't comprehend it.

"As expected of Lord Xuanwu's disciple," they could only think.

...

"Overlapping Waves!" The nine Pure Yang True Immortals, including the Xia Emperor, showed expressions of amazement.

"Truly breathtaking, truly breathtaking," sighed the Northern Earth Immortal Elder, shaking his head. "This Slovenly True Immortal has astonishing comprehension, able to grasp some essence of Lord Xuanwu's profound secret art... Watching his battle just now, I was reminded of the time when I listened to the Dao under the Grand Emperor."

"Extraordinary!" Lü Dongbin exclaimed in admiration.

"Impressive." The Xia Emperor showed a hint of envy.

"Lord Xuanwu is truly a great power!" Pure Yang True Immortal Red Extreme's eyes were full of admiration.

At their level, they actually understood the mystery of the Slovenly True Immortal's 'Overlapping Waves' technique. It was a method of continuously gathering momentum, and the longer the momentum built, the more terrifying the eruption. But even if one obtained this secret art and fully understood it, that didn't mean one could execute it—it depended on one's nature and comprehension...

They understood some of the mystery, but as the saying goes, 'knowing is easy, doing is hard'! Knowing was one thing; being able to do it was another.

"We can understand the Slovenly True Immortal's Overlapping Waves technique, but when the Grand Emperor himself performs it, it is billions of times more profound and complex," Lü Dongbin sighed. "The true essence of Lord Xuanwu's great divine ability lies in this single word: 'overlap.'"

...

Ji Ning also frowned as he watched. He vaguely felt that the Slovenly True Immortal's final combat secret art contained a profound mystery, and he even sensed the flavor of the 'Dao of the Taiji' within it. But since he hadn't walked the Dao of the Taiji, he couldn't comprehend it at all.

"Yu Wei, what do you think?" Ji Ning asked Yu Wei beside him, who also walked the Dao of the Taiji.

"I don't understand. It's very mysterious, unfathomable. I vaguely feel that the essence of the Dao of the Taiji is only a part of this secret art. Senior apprentice-brother has probably only grasped a tiny bit of it," Yu Wei said, completely unable to fathom even a trace of the secret art.

...

Amid the confusion of the Celestial Immortal patriarchs and the bewilderment of Ji Ning and the others, the battle came to an end.

The first choice for the top six had been decided—the Slovenly True Immortal!

"Hum—"

Suddenly, a wave of Dao energy descended in the main hall of the Heavenly Tribute Hall.

"Hm?"

All eyes turned in unison to where the wave had descended. Behind a Celestial Immortal patriarch of the Cangwu clan, the seated Cangwu Jiu seemed to be surrounded by faint black winds.

"Comprehending the Dao?"

"He's comprehended another complete Dao?"

"Comprehending a complete Dao just by watching?"

For a moment, everyone present was stunned. It was common for breakthroughs to occur during life-and-death battles, but Cangwu Jiu, who was merely watching from the sidelines in such a tense atmosphere, had suddenly comprehended a complete Dao.

Ji Ning, Xiamang Zishan, Shaoyan Xuan, Blackstone, Woodchild, White Dragon, Golden Crow, and the other Wanxiang Adepts in the top twelve all felt threatened.

Cangwu Jiu had already been very strong.

Now that he had comprehended another complete Dao, he immediately became a formidable enemy!

"This, this..." The Grand Xia Emperor, seated high above, shook his head with a wry smile and looked at the other eight Pure Yang True Immortals. "Gentlemen, what do you suggest I do about the matchups now? With this breakthrough, he has comprehended a total of five Daos. Moreover, the Dao he comprehended is one of the 'Wind' category. He was already skilled in speed, and now he will be even more formidable."

He had already planned the matchups.

But Cangwu Jiu's sudden comprehension of another Dao, given his already great strength, made him even more astonishing.

"I have high hopes for this Cangwu Jiu," Lü Dongbin said with a smile. "To break through while watching a battle shows that his fortune is not low. He was already formidable and had never truly unleashed his full power. Now, with this breakthrough, his strength might even be comparable to the Nine Deaths True Immortal."

"Troublesome." The Xia Emperor pondered for a moment.

He then slightly adjusted the matchups in his mind. Originally, he had ranked Cangwu Jiu around eighth or ninth among the twelve, but now he felt he could be ranked third or fourth.

...

The sudden breakthrough in the main hall of the Heavenly Tribute Hall naturally attracted attention. The Celestial Immortal patriarch of the Cangwu clan, who had long eyebrows, was extremely excited. Seeing his clansman Cangwu Jiu open his eyes, the long-browed Celestial Immortal patriarch quickly said, "Excellent, excellent, Jiu! Your breakthrough is wonderful! To break through here in the Heavenly Tribute Hall at this moment is surely a sign of heaven's favor. You will definitely make it into the top three."

This Celestial Immortal patriarch could already envision the future glory of the Cangwu clan.

Why must the Cangwu clan always submit to the Xiamang clan?

With the support of Patriarch Crimsonbright, the Cangwu clan could one day rise to equal the Xiamang clan.

"The second match of the fourth round will be between White Dragon of the Divine Dragon Mountain and Cangwu Jiu of the Cangwu clan." The Xia Emperor's voice suddenly resounded throughout the main hall of the Heavenly Tribute Hall and echoed across the vast imperial city square below.

...