CHAPTER 227: ABSOLUTE DOMINATION [1]

While the disciples gaped at the strange realm of nine suns, four vast figures descended into the sky, visible to everyone.

The air tightened; every person present straightened as if an invisible weight had pressed down on their shoulders.

’Ancestor, may I?’ Fang Wu sent the thought, mentally.

The Martial Ancestor nodded his head once.

Fang Wu stepped forward.

"I am Fang Wu, Peak Master of Martial Heaven Peak. Today, by the Ancestor’s will, you have been chosen by great destiny to appear and contend to inherit the Martial Ancestor’s legacy."

His words sank into the crowd.

As he had expected, over sixty percent of the disciples were from Martial Heaven Peak; excitement and greed flickered across many faces.

To be singled out by the Ancestor, even to be eligible, was a fortune many could brag about.

But Fang Wu’s next words wiped the smile from every face.

"Do not celebrate. You have been chosen only to be tested. Among you, only one will inherit the legacy. The rest... will die."

A stunned silence ripped into frantic protest.

"What!?"

"Stop joking, Senior!"

"I’m a disciple of an Elder, you can’t do this to me even if you are Peak Master!"

Voices rose, outrage and pleading tangled together.

Desire for the Ancestor’s power curdled instantly into fear; life, after all, was worth more.

Fang Wu did not flinch. With a calm sweep of his hand, nearly a hundred disciples vanished as if the world had swallowed them; shocked faces turned to ash.

"Let me be clear," Fang Wu said, his tone dangerous.

"Only one of you will live; the rest will die. The one who survives will have their life remade." His words landed like a verdict.

Cold suspicion spread among those who remained.

Old friendships and rivalries fell away; everyone eyed everyone else like prey.

"Good, first," Fang Wu continued, "we thin the numbers. Only the hundred who survive this opening purge will enter the next stage. To make this fair, all of your cultivations will be sealed to the same realm as the weakest disciple present here — the peak of Tier Two. This begins now."

[A/N: Here Tier Two represents Foundation Establishment, as many races are present and their cultivation path is different.]

At that final command the plain erupted into chaos: the disciples were thrown into a fight where only the strongest, the cunningest, or the luckiest could hope to survive.

***

As Fang Wu’s declaration ended, chaos rippled through the realm like a living tide. Disciples screamed, cursed, and unleashed techniques in every direction. Amid the frenzy, Yu Xuan stood still — calm in the eye of the storm.

He glanced around. Within a forty meter radius, no one was near. A faint smile touched his lips.

’Good. I can start without distractions.’

With a thought, a pristine white sword appeared in his hand. Its base gleamed with intricate engravings of auspicious beasts, a Heaven-Grade weapon, a gift from his father. Its aura alone made the air tremble.

Yu Xuan’s then activated his skill [Ultra Instinct].

In an instant, his perception slowed. Every hair on his body stood on end, every droplet of air pressure and motion became clear to him.

His spirit sense stretched nearly a kilometer wide. The chaotic battlefield unfolded in perfect clarity the breath, heartbeat, and intent of every disciple became threads in his vision.

Using [Telekinesis], he adjusted his position, lifting himself into the air. The gesture drew countless gazes — arrogant, greedy, and curious.

A sneer formed on one disciple’s face. The man shot forward, dagger gleaming coldly.

"Haha! Easy prey! You won’t even know who sent you to the afterlife!"

The words had barely left his mouth before he froze. Yu Xuan’s black and white gaze locked onto him, and a strange pressure seized his soul.

The next moment, Yu Xuan’s eyes flashed gold, [Immortal’s Gaze]. The disciple’s face twisted in horror.

Pop!

His head exploded like a crushed fruit. Blood splattered across the ground.

For a heartbeat, silence ruled. Then the other disciples recoiled in shock, terror flickering in their eyes.

Yu Xuan raised his sword slightly, his voice echoing across the plain, calm yet thunderous.

"Listen well and engrave this into your souls, my name is Yu Xuan, the one who will kill you. I am the Emperor."

Yu Xuan didn’t feel embarrassed at all, but a collective chill swept across the battlefield.

A deep crimson Qi surged from Yu Xuan’s body, coiling around his sword like a living flame.

The weapon thrummed, resonating with his sword intent making him absolute.

This was his [Imperial Avalon Qi], an energy exclusive to his [Magic Swordsmanship of the Avalon Imperial Family].

Within his dantian, another star ignited — dark red and massive, radiating the aura of unyielding rule. The power of Absolute Domination pulsed through him like a heartbeat.

"Emperor’s Domination."

He spoke softly and the world responded violently.

Dark red sword slashes materialized across the battlefield, dozens in number, carving through the air like divine judgment.

"Ahhh—!"

"What the—?!"

"Monster!"

Heads flew. Bodies fell. The earth quaked.

A disciple sprouted wings and bolted in panic, flying as fast as his sealed cultivation allowed.

But Yu Xuan merely extended his hand. His [Telekinesis] expanded like an invisible tide, gripping the man midair.

"Wha— what the, you monster!!" the disciple screamed, struggling as he was dragged helplessly toward Yu Xuan.

Then slyly, the man flicked two hidden weapons the size of fingers, aimed at Yu Xuan’s skull.

"Haha! Die!" he shouted.

The weapons stopped mid-flight, frozen inches from Yu Xuan’s face. His [Telekinesis] field shimmered faintly before both projectiles clattered harmlessly to the ground.

"Nooooo!" the disciple’s voice broke, just before Yu Xuan’s crimson sword pierced through his forehead. Blood splattered across Yu Xuan’s robe, stark against the white fabric.

When the light dimmed, most of the disciples were gone. Only a few remained, broken, bleeding, unable to move, their bodies shattered.

Their cultivation might have been sealed, but their physical resilience and combat skills should have given them an edge. Yet before Yu Xuan, they were lambs before a blade.

He exhaled slowly, gaze steady. His black and white eyes gleamed.

The a faint, dangerous smile crossed his face.

"It’s time to stop holding back."

And as his sword hummed in his grip, the battlefield trembled, because Yu Xuan had just decided to act in earnest.