At this moment, within the ninth trial, Hun Tian's divine soul was on its last breath. In the eighth trial, he had believed that with his strength, defeating Yun Fan would be effortless.
However, reality had delivered a harsh blow. Even with the token to communicate with the power of the universe, he had failed to kill Yun Fan. Instead, Yun Fan had used the power of the universe to break through to the ninth realm. Hun Tian's defeat was utterly complete.
He had never imagined that with his own strength, he would ultimately be unable to do anything about Yun Fan. Not only had he suffered a double loss, but his physical body had also been shattered.
Now, all he possessed was a mere divine soul.
Within the ninth trial, he no longer had any competitiveness. From this point on, even self-preservation would be a problem, let alone competing for the Immortal Emperor's karma.
If he failed to obtain the Immortal Emperor's karma, then he would be utterly defeated on this cosmic journey.
Originally, he should have been the one to gain the most. But unexpectedly, Yun Fan's appearance had completely shattered this balance.
Just as he was consumed by despair and ready to give up, a beam of light tore through the void, and a phantom appeared before him.
"Father!"
Hun Tian was shocked. The person before him was none other than the Lord of the Universe. Although it was merely a phantom, it was astonishingly terrifying.
It seemed capable of piercing through the universe, instilling a sense of despair.
After all, he was the second strongest being in the universe. Even a figure on the verge of dissipating was enough to make one despair.
At this moment, the Lord of the Universe looked at Hun Tian coldly.
"You have disappointed me greatly. As my son, to be defeated so easily!"
Hearing this, Hun Tian retorted defiantly, "Father, it's all that brat from the Zhan Tian clan! If it weren't for him, I would have been king on the cosmic road!"
"Enough!"
The Lord of the Universe reprimanded, "Do not make excuses for your failure. What of the Zhan Tian clan? In the era when the Zhan Tian clan ran rampant, I was still the Lord of the Universe, and no one could ever shake my position!"
It had to be said, he was rather good at flattering himself. Was it truly that no one could shake his position?
It was merely that no one had the time to bother with him. However, to Hun Tian, his father appeared incredibly great, radiating an invincible aura.
At this moment, the Lord of the Universe said, "I will reshape your physical body for you. Do not disgrace me. Defeat him!"
"Yes!"
Although Hun Tian outwardly agreed, he had no confidence in his heart. After all, his previous physical body had been immensely powerful.
Yet, it had still been blown apart by Yun Fan. Therefore, he felt utterly powerless this time.
At this moment, the Lord of the Universe saw through Hun Tian's thoughts.
"This body is different. It is a trace of chaotic energy that I found outside the universe. In terms of power, it is no less than Zhan Tian energy! I hope you will conduct yourself wisely!"
Afterward, the Lord of the Universe directly handed this chaotic body to Hun Tian, then shattered and vanished into the heavens and earth.
It had to be said, this action by the Lord of the Universe had indeed violated the rules of the cosmic road. But there was no help for it; who else but the Lord of the Universe could do such a thing?
Especially after the disappearance of the Zhan Tian clan, he could act as arrogantly as he pleased. After all, he was the Lord of the Universe, a being unparalleled throughout eternity.
Upon receiving this chaotic body, Hun Tian was overjoyed. When he integrated his soul into it, he realized that his father had spoken the truth.
Chaotic energy permeated his body. In his perception, this chaotic energy was in no way weaker than Zhan Tian energy.
Even with Yun Fan's monstrous combat power, he would not have Yun Fan in his sights.
"Brat, now it's time for my revenge!"
Hun Tian sneered, "No one can compete with me for the Immortal Emperor's karma, not even your Zhan Tian clan!"
With that, he vanished from his spot. However, he was unaware that all of this had already been orchestrated by the Lord of the Universe.
Originally, the Lord of the Universe had expected Hun Tian to pass the trial and then bestow this body upon him.
Unexpectedly, Hun Tian had failed in the eighth trial. Thus, he had handed over the body to Hun Tian prematurely.
...
"What is the mission for the ninth trial?"
Yun Fan asked the two women curiously.
He was completely unfamiliar with the trials of the cosmic road, so at this moment, he wanted to find out clearly.
Having reached the ninth trial, hope was within sight. He would absolutely not give up.
The two women replied to Yun Fan, "The ninth trial, we don't know either!"
"Don't know?"
Yun Fan was dumbfounded.
The two women explained, "Because too few people can pass the ninth trial, and it's not one of our predecessors, so we don't know what the ninth trial is!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan was speechless. So that was the reason.
"Then let's be very careful as we walk together!"
"Mmm, mmm!"
The three continued to walk forward.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, after a violent earth-shattering tremor, an ancient battle soul charged out.
It directly scattered the three of them.
"What's going on?"
Yun Fan got up groggily, only to find a peerless battle soul standing before him.
This battle soul, holding a long spear, spoke to Yun Fan, "Welcome to the ninth trial!"
"Are you the guardian of the ninth trial?"
Yun Fan asked doubtfully.
He replied, "That's right! But I am only one of them!"
"Then what do I need to do in the ninth trial?"
Yun Fan asked, puzzled.
"As long as you can defeat any one of the eighteen battle souls, you will pass and receive a small amount of Immortal Emperor's karma!"
"This simple?"
Yun Fan had not expected the ninth trial to be so straightforward. The eighteen battle souls were formidable, certainly, but as long as he could defeat one, it would suffice.
It was impossible that he couldn't even defeat one, right?
At least, in Yun Fan's opinion, this was impossible.
"Simple?"
He sneered at Yun Fan, "When the universe was first created, the most powerful beings did not yet exist. We eighteen sacrificed ourselves to open the cosmic road and infused our battle souls into the ninth trial. Each of us was a peerless Immortal Emperor who opened up the heavens and earth. Even as mere battle souls, we were unstoppable! And you say it's simple?"
He looked at Yun Fan with disdain. Why was this fellow so boastful?
He knew that almost none of the prodigies who had challenged the trials in the past had succeeded at this stage.
Even if some had, they were trapped for several hundred years before barely managing to defeat one battle soul. Throughout history, the two fastest prodigies were the third strongest from ten thousand years ago and the Lord of the Universe.
The Lord of the Universe had spent a hundred years to defeat one battle soul, becoming the fastest to pass in history.
However, this record lasted only ten thousand years before being broken by the third strongest.
The third strongest had taken less than forty years to pass the ninth trial, and combined with the preceding trials, it took him only fifty years.
It was worth noting that at that time, the third strongest had defeated eight battle souls, creating a new miracle in the cosmic road.
Unlike others, who were meek and only needed to defeat one, this one had defeated eight!
This had cast a shadow over all the prodigies who had challenged the trials throughout the ages.
At this moment, Yun Fan asked, "What if I fail?"
"If you fail, then cultivate on your own until you can defeat me!"
He said to Yun Fan, "What if I never succeed?"
"After a thousand years, I will give up on unsuccessful warriors!"
In Yun Fan's view, he could not wait a thousand years.
At this moment, he said to Yun Fan again, "My name is Xiao Tian Battle Soul. Unfortunately for you, you have encountered me. Under my hand, there has never been a single person who has passed since ancient times!"
"What?"
Yun Fan was instantly stunned. This was too cruel! Not a single person had passed.
But Yun Fan was in a hurry, so he said, "Less nonsense, let's begin!"
"Seeking death!"
In an instant, the Xiao Tian Battle Soul charged forward with his long spear. His strength, if not earth-shattering, was certainly peerless.
He engaged Yun Fan in a fierce battle within the ninth realm. After only a few exchanges, Yun Fan was sent flying by his spear.
"So strong!"
Yun Fan gasped. He was so powerful, no wonder he was so formidable. But at this moment, he had no intention of giving up.
Instead, he counterattacked, refusing to believe that the Xiao Tian Battle Soul was truly invincible.
After a hundred moves, Yun Fan, empowered by Zhan Tian energy, was able to match Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian was also surprised that Yun Fan's strength seemed to grow with each passing moment.
After several hundred moves, Xiao Tian Battle Soul was defeated. He realized then that he had underestimated Yun Fan.
"Is it over so soon?"
Yun Fan was extremely smug at this moment. If the battle continued like this, he was sure to win. It seemed this Xiao Tian Battle Soul was not as strong as he had imagined.
Xiao Tian Battle Soul was enraged. He was the seventh battle soul! The seventh-ranked among the battle souls, and he couldn't defeat Yun Fan.
Just as Yun Fan was about to deliver the final blow to decisively defeat the Xiao Tian Battle Soul, he was suddenly stopped by Xiao Tian Battle Soul.
"Wait!"
He said to Yun Fan.
"What? Do you want to surrender?"
Yun Fan asked dismissively. This kind of battle soul would take decades to defeat? In his opinion, it would take at most a day.
It seemed the enemy was not too weak, but rather he was too strong. Having broken through to the ninth realm, he was almost the strongest being below Immortal Emperor.
However, at this moment, Xiao Tian Battle Soul said, "Of course not, but I need to add a little more difficulty for you!"
"Difficulty?"
Yun Fan was confused. He didn't understand what Xiao Tian Battle Soul meant.
At this moment, Xiao Tian Battle Soul suddenly grew stronger at a visible rate, revealing himself to Yun Fan as a half-step Immortal Emperor!
"Damn it!"
Yun Fan was utterly surprised. The Xiao Tian Battle Soul was cheating! He was increasing his strength after being unable to win.
He had never encountered such a shameless being.
"You're cheating!"
Yun Fan cursed, "This method of yours is completely unfair!"
At this moment, Xiao Tian Battle Soul was also feeling guilty, as according to the rules, he should not have suppressed Yun Fan by exceeding his realm.
But Yun Fan had been too arrogant earlier, so at this moment, he disregarded the rules.
After all, he was the seventh-ranked being! To be defeated in a day, did he, Xiao Tian Battle Soul, have no pride?
Thus, he said to Yun Fan, "The rules are set by me, so I decide everything!"
"Damn!"
Yun Fan said, "I protest! I object!"
"Objection overruled!"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul sneered, "Cultivate well for a few decades! Perhaps then you might have a chance to defeat me!"
With that, he turned to leave. After all, he had now controlled his realm to half-step Immortal Emperor, and Yun Fan, being no match for him, would surely give up.
Unexpectedly, Yun Fan directly said, "Wait!"
"What else do you want to say?"
Yun Fan said, "Of course, I want to continue fighting you!"
"Are you sure?"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul was surprised. Yun Fan was so arrogant, daring to fight him, a half-step Immortal Emperor, with only the ninth realm cultivation? Wasn't that seeking death?
"I am absolutely sure!"
Yun Fan said, "But I want you to swear an oath!"
"What oath?"
He asked curiously.
Yun Fan said, "I want you to swear that you will not increase your realm again. If you increase your realm again, you will be struck by lightning and die a terrible death!"
"Alright! I swear!"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul swore without hesitation. This time, he had no intention of increasing his realm further.
He couldn't possibly fight Yun Fan with the realm of an Immortal Emperor. If he won, he would have no face.
Therefore, at this moment, he fought Yun Fan with the strength of a half-step Immortal Emperor.
Although Yun Fan was grinding his teeth in hatred, he was helpless. Some shameless battle souls insisted on being despicable, and he could do nothing about it.
Instantly, an astonishing power erupted from Xiao Tian Battle Soul. This invincible power was the power of an Immortal Emperor.
That's right, it was the invincible power of an Immortal Emperor. Even as a mere half-step Immortal Emperor, he already possessed the aura of an Immortal Emperor.
Under this aura, Yun Fan became very weak, as he was only in the ninth realm of Immortal Emperor.
They said that everyone was equal in this trial, but upon arriving here, he had been treated unfairly. Yun Fan decided to break this unfair treatment with his own fists.
At this moment, Yun Fan, gritting his teeth, charged forward. Although Zhan Tian energy was invincible at the same level, it was still a stretch to deal with a half-step Immortal Emperor.
At this moment, a wave of Immortal Emperor's power descended, nearly cleaving Yun Fan in two. However, due to the reinforcement of Zhan Tian energy, Yun Fan could recover quickly.
"Hmm?"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul was surprised by Yun Fan's rapid recovery speed.
After all, in his era, there was no Zhan Tian clan, so he did not know the monstrous nature of Zhan Tian energy.
"Kill!"
Instantly, Yun Fan unleashed a powerful punch. Even though his opponent was a half-step Immortal Emperor, he showed no fear.
Instead, he fought with a fearless attitude.
It had to be said that with the amplification of fearless energy, Yun Fan's strength increased very rapidly, second only to a half-step Immortal Emperor.
Although he was thoroughly defeated by Xiao Tian Battle Soul during the process, Yun Fan became more courageous with each battle. Gradually, from being far behind Xiao Tian Battle Soul,
he gradually reached parity with Xiao Tian Battle Soul, and finally, he began to suppress Xiao Tian Battle Soul.
"How is this possible?"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul was dumbfounded. He had not been bullied by the one from ten thousand years ago, and now, he was being bullied by Yun Fan.
His battle soul was almost shattered by Yun Fan.
"Wait a moment!"
He quickly stopped Yun Fan.
"I'll wait for your mother!"
At this moment, Yun Fan showed no hesitation and charged at Xiao Tian Battle Soul. If he waited any longer, what if Xiao Tian Battle Soul increased his strength to its peak again?
Having suffered before, Yun Fan knew that if he wanted to defeat Xiao Tian Battle Soul, he absolutely could not wait. Once he waited, the one who would fail would be him.
Finally, under Yun Fan's relentless assault, Xiao Tian Battle Soul was defeated. He was utterly vanquished, and even his spear was broken by Yun Fan.
At this moment, Xiao Tian Battle Soul desperately wanted to curse Yun Fan's entire family, but he feared that Yun Fan would continue to attack.
"Do you admit defeat?"
Yun Fan asked coldly.
"I admit defeat!"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul said directly. There was no other way; facing such a brutal Yun Fan, he had no choice but to admit defeat.
"Hmph!"
Yun Fan snorted and said, "That's more like it!"
Even if he encountered unfairness, what of it? He could always break through that unfairness with his own strength.
At this moment, Yun Fan asked him again, "By the way, what were you going to say just now?"
"I wanted to say I surrender!"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul had no good feelings towards Yun Fan at all. Before being thoroughly defeated by Yun Fan, he had considered surrendering.
But Yun Fan had not given him a chance to speak and had continued to relentlessly attack him, leading to his tragic fate.
It could only be said that Yun Fan did not play by the rules at all.
Upon learning the situation, Yun Fan said disdainfully, "You should have said so earlier!"
"Did you give me a chance to speak?"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul wanted to curse his mother. He had not expected that even as a half-step Immortal Emperor, he could not defeat Yun Fan. He had no idea how monstrous Yun Fan's strength was.
Judging by the battle just now, unless he fought as an Immortal Emperor, he would never be able to defeat Yun Fan in advance.
Otherwise, he would never win, because Yun Fan's strength had destined him to be an invincible being.
At this moment, Yun Fan said, "Have I passed the trial?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul said, "If you wish, I can teleport you out of the ninth trial now, making you the fastest person to pass in history!"
"I have no intention of leaving for now!"
Yun Fan said directly.
"What?"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul was speechless, not understanding what Yun Fan still intended to do.
Yun Fan said, "Teleport me to the next battle soul. I want to defeat all eighteen battle souls!"
This was Yun Fan's true objective. It seemed a bit arrogant, but his strength did not allow him to be modest. He could not help it.
"Seeking death!"
Xiao Tian Battle Soul was surprised that Yun Fan dared to be so arrogant. But this was for the best. Since Yun Fan wanted to seek death, he had no reason not to oblige him.
The next moment, he directly teleported Yun Fan to the next battle soul.
As soon as he arrived here, Yun Fan felt a suffocating pressure. It was not for any other reason than that Xiao Tian Battle Soul, harboring resentment, had directly made Yun Fan face the third-ranked battle soul.
At this moment, the third battle soul appeared. "Brat, congratulations, you have become the biggest victim of this ninth trial!"
The next moment, a figure appeared. Yun Fan felt that the opponent's strength was extremely terrifying, especially his physical strength, which was unfathomable.
In any case, in Yun Fan's opinion, even he did not have the confidence to defeat the opponent, as the opponent appeared as a half-step Immortal Emperor.
At this moment, Yun Fan said, "Less nonsense. I have already defeated Xiao Tian Battle Soul. Now it's your turn!"
Upon hearing this, the third battle soul was shocked. He hadn't expected Xiao Tian Battle Soul to be defeated by Yun Fan.
It seemed Yun Fan's strength was indeed immense. However, he did not take it seriously. Instead, he said to Yun Fan, "So, you want to challenge multiple battle souls!"
"That's right!"
Although Yun Fan had been beaten black and blue, at this moment, he showed no fear.
At this moment, the third battle soul said, "Your tone is not small. Defeating Xiao Tian was your luck. But here, you have no luck to speak of!"
"No problem!"
Yun Fan said, "But before we fight, we must sign an agreement!"
Seeing that this third battle soul did not seem very cunning, but to be on the safe side, Yun Fan decided to sign the agreement first.
Then the third battle soul would not temporarily increase his strength.
The third battle soul asked, "What agreement?"
Afterward, Yun Fan told him the agreement that he was not allowed to increase his strength. The third battle soul showed a playful smile.
"Brat, do you look down on me too much? Do I need to increase my strength to deal with you?"
"Let's fight!"
The next moment, the third battle soul and Yun Fan collided with a punch.
Instantly, Yun Fan's body was almost shattered. There was no help for it, as the third battle soul's physical body was too strong.
Even Yun Fan could not directly clash with him.
The third battle soul found Yun Fan's weakness and did not hesitate, constantly attacking Yun Fan with his physical body.
He wanted to smash Yun Fan into pieces. Although Yun Fan would not die, he would certainly be defeated and would not recover for several years.
This was also why he said Yun Fan was the most unfortunate.
No prodigy who challenged him had ever left alive in one piece.
At this moment, Yun Fan, empowered by Zhan Tian energy, barely managed to resist the third battle soul's onslaught.
However, the third battle soul was unstoppable, much stronger than Xiao Tian Battle Soul.
The two fought for no less than several hundred rounds.
After several hundred rounds, Yun Fan, still at a disadvantage, directly burned his Devouring Flame, raising Zhan Tian energy to its peak state.
Then, seizing an opportunity, he defeated the third battle soul with a single punch.
"Whew!"
Yun Fan exhaled. Only he knew how difficult that battle had been. If not for luck, they would still be in a fierce struggle.
"Damn it!"
The third battle soul was enraged. He had almost defeated Yun Fan, and yet Yun Fan had seized an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Otherwise, he would absolutely not have lost.
But as it stood now, even if he was unwilling, he had to admit it, because Yun Fan's final blow could indeed kill him.
At this moment, Yun Fan asked, "Did I win?"
To prevent the third battle soul from going back on his word, Yun Fan added, "You're not going to break your promise like Xiao Tian Zhan Huan and go back on your word, are you?"
"Hmph!"
The third battle soul snorted, "Of course, I am a battle soul of my word. If I lose, I lose. There is nothing more to say!"
Hearing this, Yun Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brat, you only won by playing dirty tricks. There's nothing to be proud of!"
Facing the third battle soul's continuous scolding, Yun Fan remained unmoved. Using dirty tricks to win was also a skill, wasn't it!
If playing dirty tricks could lead to victory, he would never hesitate.
At this moment, Yun Fan got up and said to the third battle soul, "Then please help me teleport to the next battle soul's territory. I'm in a hurry, so I won't go looking for it myself!"
The third battle soul was furious and was about to teach Yun Fan a lesson, directly teleporting Yun Fan to the second battle soul.
Upon arriving at the second battle soul's location, Yun Fan felt an invincible sword intent. It seemed this battle soul used a sword.
Facing such an existence, he had to be extremely cautious, because such an existence, once it acted, meant invincibility.
Yun Fan was about to explain the rules to him, but the second battle soul said, "Attack!"
"What?"
Yun Fan was stunned. According to the rules, shouldn't they exchange some words before fighting? Why was he being told to attack directly? Was this speed too fast?
"I'm telling you not to waste time, attack!"
He said to Yun Fan again.
However, before the reactivated Yun Fan could even make a move, the second battle soul decisively attacked, wielding his sword towards Yun Fan.
"Holy crap!"