Everyone felt as if they were in a dream. The mighty attacks such as the sword domain and antler thrust seemingly never happened. Were they only illusions?
Confusion was understandable since they saw the antlers penetrating Li Qiye’s chest. It made them fall into a strange yet palpable mood but now, this didn’t seem to be the case. A second Li Qiye was nowhere to be found either.
There was only one of him and his four defeated enemies.
“He has control over time. A temporal reversal…” Jade-break True Emperor took a deep breath, astounded.
She realized that the actions earlier weren’t illusions. There was only one possibility - Li Qiye being able to control time. He extended it infinitely earlier.
A split second was completely trivial in the grand scheme of things, but this split second was stretched out by Li Qiye allowing him to change and control all of the events. He became the master of that minuscule period.
With that, the impossible became possible - limitless possibilities. It could have been the antlers penetrating his chest or complete domination from him - all up to a single whim of his.
“You’re only half right.” The ancient voice behind her spoke: “It is indeed time reversal. He was able to return to the past or the future of that split second, whenever in that timeline. But that isn’t because he has control over time. He doesn’t seem to have a temporal art, it’s just that he was too fast, virtually exceeding everything, nothing in this world can be faster. Because of that, his speed overwhelms time itself. That’s why in that split second, he could do whatever he wanted unopposed. Regardless of the opponents’ might, they were only ants compared to him.”
The voice became particularly solemn at this point.
The emperor composed herself after hearing this. Though that split second was immensely short, it was enough to push anyone to death and completely control their fate.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Li Qiye became a supreme overlord capable of creation within that ephemeral moment.
She understood the gap between the two of them. He could easily kill her the moment she was stuck within that time-space of his. Six palaces meant nothing.
Of course, no one else here got a better understanding than the ancestor behind the emperor. They couldn’t see through the profundities behind this exchange.
Nevertheless, they were still shaken by the aftermath.
“I can’t … believe it…” Even the Eternals felt their legs going weak. The shabbier experts trembled and couldn’t get up from the ground.
Puresword True Emperor, Venerable Deer Merchant, Tree Observer, and Four Esteemed King represented the apex of Imperial Lineage.
Alas, they were crippled within a split second. Li Qiye’s cultivation was unreal.
“How boring. Where’s the Everlasting? When are you going to play so that I can have a real warm-up?” Li Qiye yawned and said.
Everyone felt suffocated after hearing this statement. They knew who he was referring to - Solar Daoist.
Li Qiye had looked down on this daoist a while ago but many felt that he was too arrogant for doing so. He was certainly strong but not to the level of looking down on an Everlasting.
This fight earlier might have shifted everyone’s opinion. It felt natural and even understandable for him to look down on the daoist now.
An Everlasting was a terrifying existence, perhaps the number one master in Imperial. But Li Qiye was now qualified to show disdain to this existence. How could one accurately describe Li Qiye’s monstrous abilities with just words?
Li Qiye became a divine mountain with no peak in sight pressing down on everyone’s heart. As long as Li Qiye was around, he would dominate everyone else. No one would ever be able to surpass him. They could only see him by looking up.
Plenty has considered themselves to be unbeatable and mighty. They have been proven wrong by Li Qiye today. This disparity was truly soul-crushing. A lifetime of effort wasn’t enough to catch up, only a waste of time.
The crowd became deflated balloons while staring at Li Qiye.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Debris started flying as figures rushed back to the sky.
The four emerged again. Though they were beaten and crippled earlier, they still managed to stay alive.
They healed their wounds and restored their vitality in order to face Li Qiye once more. Each of them had thoughts of fleeing but they knew that this was impossible under Li Qiye’s watch.
Moreover, they were famous characters. Whether it be their own reputation or their sect’s prestige, they couldn’t actually run away.
Otherwise, they would die anyway but their sects and descendants would also fall into damnation.
Thus, their only choice was to fight to the death, if this could even be considered a choice.
They were pale while facing Li Qiye. Fear has bloomed in their mind.
Though they knew there were stronger characters around, that knowledge wasn’t enough to shake their dao heart in the past and even served as motivation. Alas, all four were shaken now. This fear was a terrible thing since it would lead to a heart devil - a dangerous taboo for cultivators at their level.
The four glanced at each other and took a deep breath to stop this fear from spreading. Only by fighting to the very end would they be able to overcome this emotion.
Leaving this place alive but not taking care of this mental weakness would leave behind a permanent problem.
Li Qiye looked at them and said: “Looks like the four of you still got some untapped potential. Okay, I’m giving you one more chance right now. Just one more move to kill you all then I can go home. Do your best to win some face back.”