Facing the entire city of Heaven's Pride whose blood was now boiling even more fiercely than before, the fourteen strongest geniuses immediately paled. Even for the fourteen of them, it was absolutely a case of being outnumbered.
Moreover, the young geniuses gathered within the Ancient Divine City numbered in the thousands upon thousands, if not more, and not a single one was weak. As powerful as the fourteen of them were, it was impossible for them to kill all the young geniuses.
Furthermore, these geniuses each represented their own major forces. Generally speaking, these forces naturally wouldn't be taken seriously by the nine great imperial dynasties, but when all the countless forces of the entire Ancient Divine Continent were combined, they were far more powerful than the nine imperial dynasties.
To seize the final crown, if these people decided to act, it would basically require killing them all.
If one succeeded in obtaining the final crown, that would be one thing, as they would have the Ancient Divine Palace's backing. But if they failed and didn't die, they would become enemies with all those forces. That was an immensely powerful force, one that even a Heavenly King would absolutely have to avoid confronting.
The Ancient Divine Palace's rules were truly too ruthless. How could they allow such a move? It was utterly intimidating.
The fourteen strongest geniuses wanted to dissuade them, but Li Xuan indifferently uttered a sentence that struck them like a sudden enlightenment: "To become a successor of the Ancient Divine Palace, one must walk the path from being an enemy of the entire world to becoming invincible to the entire world. Otherwise, one is unqualified to become the future master of the Ancient Divine Palace, let alone command the Ancient Divine Continent."
An enemy of the entire world, invincible to the entire world!
The fourteen strongest geniuses instantly comprehended. Their spiritual platforms radiated, and they no longer felt anxious. On the contrary, their blood boiled, and they fully unleashed waves of overwhelming Saint might that swept across the entire Divine City, far more powerful than before. For a time, they actually managed to suppress the excitement in the hearts of all the geniuses.
The fourteen of them were like fourteen deities, lofty and aloof, wreathed in divine radiance as they looked down upon the geniuses of the Divine City, speaking without emotion: "If you choose to act, we fear nothing. We will show no mercy!"
Their words rang out, resonating like a great bell.
As the last word fell, within the vast Saint might, a soaring killing intent surged and boiled, sweeping through the clouds and churning over the entire Divine City. A murderous aura covered the whole city, directly dousing the fervor of more than half the geniuses like a bucket of cold water.
Because failure meant death.
They finally awoke from their blood-boiling fervor, calming down. A chill also crept up their spines, and expressions of fear appeared.
The intimidation from the fourteen strongest geniuses clearly had a great effect. Immediately, the boiling blood within many people subsided, and they calmed down.
Even if other geniuses still harbored the desire to compete, it was at least not as intense as before.
However, quite a few still chose to stay, especially the successors of those super forces second only to the imperial dynasties.
For them, this was absolutely an excellent opportunity not to be missed.
Although their strength was inferior to the strongest geniuses, the gap between them wasn't enormous. Some were even in the Saint Treasury Realm, just not as powerful as those top figures.
Moreover, the fourteen strongest geniuses would inevitably be targeted and attacked by all the young powerhouses, seen as the common enemy of everyone. Therefore, this was a very good opportunity not to be missed.
And even if they lost, they had a high degree of confidence in preserving their lives. Considering all the above factors, they decided to act.
As for the other younger generation members who chose to withdraw or hadn't reached the qualification, they retreated to safe positions to observe from afar.
Seeing that at least over a thousand young geniuses remained on the scene—a result even greater than anticipated—Li Xuan nodded with some satisfaction. Finally, he warned: "A final reminder to all of you: in this melee, regardless of life or death, no one is to blame the other if someone dies. Anyone who seeks revenge afterwards will face the severest punishment from our Ancient Divine Palace."
His voice was calm, but it served as a warning to everyone, including those from the various major forces who came to spectate, intimidating them against seeking revenge later, which would be tantamount to challenging the Ancient Divine Palace.
Finally, Li Xuan flicked his sleeve, tearing through the void. A majestic arena appeared before everyone's eyes.
This was less an arena and more like a small world. Upon appearing, it manifested a landscape of mountains, forests, and earth, complete with rivers and towering trees. Numerous floating islands drifted within it, a very peculiar sight.
"It's the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage! To think the Ancient Divine Palace would actually use the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage for this young generation's battle for supremacy."
Within the Divine City, some exclaimed in amazement. They were older generation figures, quite aged, at least Saints of over a thousand years. Naturally, they knew what treasure this martial arts arena Li Xuan summoned with a flick of his sleeve was.
The Heaven and Earth Battle Stage, as the name implied, was a martial battle stage capable of manifesting a small world. It was forged from precious Void Stone and fragments of worlds, inscribed with array patterns from the Dao of formations, and also opened up by a Heavenly King, thus creating this Heaven and Earth Battle Stage.
Throughout the ages, the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage had been extremely renowned, always serving as the stage for true powerhouses to duel. Many Saint Lord-level figures had fought and clashed upon it, spilling blood and meeting their ends, leaving behind many battle scars within it, making it extraordinary.
The world hadn't expected the Ancient Divine Palace to take out such a battle stage for the geniuses to decide the final outcome this time.
But considering it was to select a successor for the Ancient Divine Palace, it all made sense.
"All participants, enter the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage. Engage in a melee where life and death are irrelevant. Anyone who leaves the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage forfeits their right to compete for first place," Li Xuan declared.
Naturally, no one objected, and all agreed.
All those participating in the final battle charged into the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage. The fourteen strongest geniuses were naturally the first to plunge into it.
Ye Chen also transformed into a streak of light and silently rushed in. Not many noticed his entry, not even the Tian Xu Crown Prince.
Moreover, within the heavens and earth, several other mysterious figures also dashed inside.
In the end, a total of one thousand and nineteen geniuses entered to participate in the final battle.
All participants readied themselves, elevating their essence, energy, and spirit to their peak, poised to unleash their strongest attacks at any moment.
The entire city watched with bated breath, closely observing.
The final battle that held the attention of the entire world was about to begin!
Li Xuan swept his gaze over the geniuses within the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage and said, "Enough talk. The ultimate battle for supremacy—begins now!"
The moment his words fell, the over a thousand young geniuses within the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage almost simultaneously made their move.
Boom—
Countless divine abilities and laws, endless attacks, appeared in an instant. Surging divine radiance flooded the thousand-mile small world manifested within the Heaven and Earth Battle Stage in the blink of an eye, obscuring everything inside from view.