Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 106 The Qingyun Arena Reopens

Chu Ning's eyes trembled slightly, but she remained silent.

It's not that he didn't want to answer.

Rather, he knew that the path he was embarking on was not merely about going against the current, but about breaking through the entire torrent of destiny. He couldn't promise anyone who would survive to the end, and he didn't even dare to promise himself whether he could take the next step.

Therefore, he preferred to remain silent.

Xie Mingli stared at him, approaching him unwillingly, her voice so soft it was almost shattered:

"You're not telling me because you don't believe me?"

"Do you still think I'm too weak and unworthy to walk alongside you?"

"Or have you just gotten used to carrying everything on your own?"

After she finished speaking, her eyes reddened slightly, but she stubbornly refused to shed tears, instead staring intently at him.

Chu Ning looked down at her.

He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, yet incredibly gentle:

It's not that I don't believe you.

"I just couldn't bear it."

"You don't know, this road... is too bitter, too lonely, and too dangerous."

"I am not afraid of death. But I am afraid that you will die for me."

Xie Mingli was stunned.

She finally shed tears, but not in resignation, but in determination.

"Brother Ning..."

This was the first time Xie Mingli had called him that.

Her voice was as soft as the wind, yet it struck the deepest part of Chu Ning's heart.

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears, but not weak, only stubborn:

"Do you still think I can escape unscathed today?"

“From the moment you stepped out of the Qingyun Arena.”

“I knew it, I would never be able to leave this world again.”

"It's not because you're strong, it's not because you saved my brother, and it's not because you stand at the peak of wind and thunder."

"It is because of you that I will turn back to look at the crying child, and I will put down my sword, just for a stranger."

"It's because of you that you kept moving forward when everyone else had abandoned you."

She suddenly chuckled softly, her voice hoarse:

"I've already given you my life, and even my heart."

As she spoke, she gently tugged at the corner of his robe, as if grasping the back of a figure about to be swept away by the storm of fate.

"So, I beg you."

"Don't shoulder this alone anymore."

"Even if it's a calamity of fate, even if it's a heavenly tribulation..."

She chuckled softly, but tears streamed down her face.

"I'll break through with you too."

In an instant, the world fell silent.

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback, as if struck by lightning.

He slowly reached out and gently placed his hand on her head.

The wind tousled his white hair and also stirred the fine snow on her shoulders.

Then, he slowly pulled her into his arms.

It wasn't pity, but a tight embrace, a very tight embrace, as if shielding her from all the thunder, frost, and cold winds.

"Ming Li".

For the first time, formally, he called her by her name.

Each word and syllable seems to contain the power of thunder, yet it is as gentle as snow falling on the heart of a lake.

"Then let's go together."

"My fate is in my own hands; if this calamity does not end..."

He held her tightly, his icy fighting spirit slowly melting in her body heat.

"We will fight our way to a brighter future."

Xie Mingli's shoulders trembled, and then she gently hugged him.

In this desolate place after the catastrophe, where thunder still lingers and snow and frost have not yet melted.

They embraced.

Like a lamp that shines amidst the flames of calamity.

No longer is it a life-or-death struggle, no longer is it a life of wandering.

They were just a boy and a girl.

One person undergoes tribulation, while another accompanies them.

Even if we are enemies for eternity, even if heaven and earth collapse, our reliance on each other at this moment is enough for us to risk our lives for one another.

The two relied on each other and were no longer alone.

No matter how high the sky is, they stand side by side looking up.

No matter how great the calamity, they will overcome it together.

-

A solitary peak stretches across the sea of ​​clouds, its sheer cliffs rising thousands of feet, the clouds and mist rising and falling like tides in the mountain wind.

Wangjian Mountain, the summit of Forbidden Peak.

Two figures in green robes stood side by side on the cliff edge, both with white hair and youthful faces, their divine light restrained. One carried an ancient sword on his back, his long sleeves trailing to the ground, his gaze deep as he stared at the thunderclouds and blood mist that had not yet completely dissipated in the direction of Qingzhou.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke, his voice as if it had been struck from an ancient bell:

"Thunderous eyes ripped through the sky... Calamity clouds obscured the sun."

"In the end, someone still... tried to take that step."

The disciple beside him also stared intently, a look of horror appearing in his eyes:

"Master, could it really be... the tribulation of ascension?"

The old man nodded slightly, but his expression grew increasingly solemn.
"After reaching the first rank, one falls into the taboo of the Heavenly Dao."

"For hundreds of years, there has been no sign of ascension in China. The reappearance of this phenomenon now is no coincidence."

He turned to look at his disciple, his gaze as cold as frost:

"Once someone shakes this thousand-year-old, stagnant order... all the world's power structures, patriarchal authority, and imperial power will be thrown into turmoil."

The disciple murmured softly:

"Can the imperial court still suppress Qingzhou?"

The old man sneered, his sleeves trembling slightly.

"If the laws of Heaven were to rise again, what would become of the law?"

"The real unease in the world lies not in natural disasters, but in people's hearts."

After a long silence, the disciple asked again:

"Then...should I, Wangjian Mountain, intervene in this matter?" The old man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky where the thunderous aura had not yet dissipated, his tone low yet resounding like a bell:
"Our sect has been in seclusion for a hundred years, avoiding weapons and focusing on the way of the sword."

"If this calamity were to occur, heaven and earth would truly be opened."

“Then I, the disciples of Wangjian Mountain, will respond with my sword, not for worldly strife, not for power, but only to prove my sword heart and the Great Dao.”

Clouds moved and winds rose, robes fluttered, and on the snow-covered cliffs thousands of feet high, thunderclouds surged, as if the heavens were about to unleash their fury once more.

-

As dusk settled, the firelight shone like blood.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the capital, hundreds of candles shone brightly, casting shadows on the golden bricks.

An elderly official, dressed in court robes, knelt before the steps of the palace. His voice was aged yet steady, yet every word carried a weight that shook the very soul.
"Your Majesty..."

"I read through the thirty-two volumes of the 'Secret Records of Celestial Phenomena' at night and examined the ancient maps. Recently, there have been unusual celestial phenomena in Qingzhou, with thunder eyes appearing in the world, clouds splitting like blood, and thunder patterns hanging upside down."

"It is highly likely that this is an omen of the tribulation clouds of ascension."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold, as if the air currents had solidified into a layer of frost.

Behind the curtain, on the dragon throne, a gaze slowly descended, peering through the gauze curtain, carrying a judgmental chill.

"...You mean, ascension?"

The voice was neither fast nor slow, yet it was like an ice blade moving through the hall, capable of slicing through a throat without drawing blood.

The old minister, however, remained bowed and replied in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, I have consulted the 'Hun Yuan Tu Zhi' from a thousand years ago, which records that on the day when the Hun Yuan Master attempted to break through to the next realm and ascend to immortality, the signs of 'thunderous eyes hanging in the sky, the heavenly net collapsing, and blood-red clouds sinking to the ground' also appeared."

"The reappearance of this calamity in Qingzhou today is no ordinary phenomenon."

He paused slightly, his eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice:
"Moreover, Qingzhou is a place where various sects gather and foreign vassals stand in great numbers."

"And Prince Duan... is currently stationed in Qingzhou."

The courtiers in the hall were terrified. The air seemed to have been cleaved by lightning.

That deep, unfathomable gaze suddenly darkened.

"You mean..."

"If this person ascends to heaven, it will not only be the attainment of the Dao."

"Will even the overall structure of China collapse?"

The old minister prostrated himself on the ground, his words as firm as iron:
"Yes."

"If the Heavenly Gate truly opens, the old power will collapse, and a new emperor will be established."

"On that day, Prince Duan was not just Prince Duan, and the sect was not just a sect."

"Imperial power... will no longer be the sole mandate of heaven."

In the silence, only the faint crackling of the golden lamp and oil candle could be heard, as if destiny were about to crumble.

half an hour.

A barely perceptible cold snort came from behind the gauze curtain, carrying a chilling sarcasm.

"……absurd."

"I have ruled the Central Plains for thirty years. How can I allow one person, one clan, or one calamity to shake the nation?"

The voice instantly turned fierce:

"Immediately seal off Qingzhou."

"Move 100,000 iron cavalry from the Northwest Garrison Command, seal off three passes, and prohibit people from entering or leaving."

"If a strange monster appears out of nowhere, it is better to kill an innocent city than to leave such a calamity unpunished."

When those last words were uttered, it was as if the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony had been struck by lightning; the officials' scalps tingled, and they all kowtowed in unison.
"Follow the Holy Orders."

Behind the dragon throne, the emperor slowly rose, his fingertips brushing against the "Illustrated Record of Heavenly Mandate" on the table, his eyes gleaming coldly:

"Ascension...that's something only gods can do."

"This world can only have one ruler."

……

Three days passed in a blink of an eye.

The thirty-day deadline for the Primordial Calamity has now arrived.

Above the city, a blood-red cloud silently appeared, resembling neither thunder nor an eye, as if the heavens were opening an eye that was preparing judgment.

It was silent, yet it made all the martial artists' hearts tighten, and even their breath caught in their throats.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the newly paved bluestone on the arena gleamed with a cold light, the repair marks on the cracks winding like centipedes.

The wind came from the north, stirring up dust and banners. The mist over the distant mountains had not yet dissipated, and the sky was as dark as if it were just before nightfall.

Below the Qingyun Arena, once again a sea of ​​people surged forth, their energy surging like a tidal wave.

Today, not only have the leaders and elders of various sects gathered, but also the powerful figures and martial arts families of the city have been circling the stands like dragons.

Even those neutral sects that were originally just observing have now shown up, all because of today's battle.

On the high platform, Prince Duan, wearing a python robe with gold thread embroidered with dragon patterns, lightly tapped the gilded armrest with his fingertips, his gaze locked on the black-robed figure below the platform like that of a hawk.

In just a few days, Chu Ning achieved a winning streak of 121 games without a single defeat, topping the leaderboard and almost single-handedly reshaping the rules of the Qingyun Arena.

The whole place was excited!

"Here he comes! He's here!"

"Lei Ji Dao Jun, how many more victories will you achieve today?"

I'm betting on ten games!

"Ten games? I bet he can break 150 wins today."

The sound of voices was like a sea, the thunder like a tide, and the sound waves exploded out.

But at the very front of the bustling crowd, Xie Mingli's expression was unusually solemn. She gripped her sword tightly, her beautiful eyes narrowed, and she whispered a warning:

"Brother Ning, be careful... things are different today."

Chu Ning nodded slightly, the sharpness of the lightning in his eyes subsided, leaving only an unfathomable calm, as if the mountains were still and the sea was calm.

But just as he slowly lifted his foot to step onto the ring...

"boom--"

A deep, resonant thunderclap, like that of a divine bell, exploded from within him.

In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth suddenly trembled, and a terrifying surge of spiritual power spread out from his body like a raging storm.

Suddenly, lightning patterns lit up the bluestone surrounding the arena, and the air twisted like raging flames. The expressions of the surrounding martial artists changed drastically, and some were forced to retreat by the explosive lightning.

The next moment, the nine layers of clouds in the sky suddenly surged like a tide.

Azure lightning bolts, like a waterfall of stars, poured down onto Chu Ning's body.

Chu Ning's cultivation level suddenly surged from the lower tenth grade to the middle eighth grade.

"How can this be!"

"He's hiding his true level?"

Almost all the sect elders stood up, their eyes filled with shock.

"Was it him... who just broke through?"

"No...this is not a breakthrough...this is a forced release."

“His level was never limited to this, but... now, he no longer suppresses it.”

Countless eyes stared in awe at the figure on the arena, shrouded in lightning and resembling both a god and a demon.

(End of this chapter)