Chapter 428: Threat! Three Months Deadline

Chapter 428: Threat! Three Months Deadline

During the confrontation with Star Cicada Divine, Li Yuan suffered severe injuries, his arms even exploding into pieces.

However, when he activated the Omnipotent Divine Body Technique, his Source Energy rivaled that of a Demi-God, and his vitality was extremely robust. As time passed, his limbs quickly healed.

By the time he arrived at Nine Sounds Tower, he had fully recovered.

The only issue was the immense consumption of Source Energy, which would require a long time to refine and convert into his own energy.

Above the clouds of Nine Sounds Tower, there was another building called Divine Sound Tower, which was usually only accessible to Divine Beings.

Even someone like Jiang Shan, who possessed the strength of a Void Deity, couldn't enter this place.

But the Nine Sounds True God specifically ordered that Li Yuan could come here, but he just couldn't bring anyone else.

Outside the Divine Sound Tower.

"Sir Xu Yuan," greeted the Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity in a purple robe with a smile.

As a follower of the Nine Sounds True God, she knew from the Nine Sounds True God's command that Li Yuan held a high position in her heart, so she naturally didn't dare to be negligent.

"Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity," Li Yuan nodded slightly.

"This way, please." Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity smiled and said, "The treasures you need, I've basically prepared them all."

"Mm-hmm." Li Yuan nodded.

Just then—

"Tower Lady! Tower Lady!" A beam of light tore through the clouds, and a burly man with a tiger's back and a bear's waist rushed over.

He was about to speak when he saw Li Yuan, and his eyes widened, "Xu Yuan? You're here?"

Li Yuan couldn't help but smile.

"How dare you address him so casually? Call him Sir Xu Yuan." Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity frowned.

"Yes!" The man hurriedly responded and then respectfully said, "Sir Xu Yuan, this humble one greets you."

"It's fine." Li Yuan said.

"What's the matter?" Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity frowned and asked, "If it's not urgent, they wouldn't suddenly disturb me."

The man glanced at Li Yuan and then looked at Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity as if transmitting a message.

After just a second, Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity's face changed, and with a wave of her hand, the man quickly rushed off.

“Sir Xu Yuan, you just encountered an assassination attempt by a Divine Being?" Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity couldn't help but ask, "My subordinate said that someone personally witnessed you blocking an attack from a Law Artifact... revealing your overwhelming strength."

"I did encounter an assassination attempt just now." Li Yuan nodded. Seeing how quickly the news had spread, he knew that Nine Sounds Tower's information network was indeed remarkable.

The fact that Nine Sounds Tower could grow its business to such an extent was a testament to its impressive information channels.

"To withstand an attack from a Law Artifact at the Flying Heaven Rank is truly frightening. Law Artifacts can absolutely annihilate most Demi-Gods." Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity sighed, "Many Demi-God Peak Powerhouses might not even be able to withstand it."

After receiving the news, Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

On the one hand, she knew that Li Yuan had a good relationship with the Nine Sounds True God, and the more outstanding Li Yuan was, the more beneficial it would be for the entire Nine Sounds Tower in the future.

"You flatter me."

Li Yuan shook his head and said, "I only blocked a portion of the attack before a Void Deity arrived to suppress the Law Artifact... otherwise, I might have died."

Li Yuan was self-aware of his strengths and weaknesses. In the past few months on the Star Perception Continent, while his spear skills had improved, he knew that in terms of direct combat, he was still at a significant disadvantage compared to Demi-God Peak Powerhouses. This was an insurmountable gap.

In a head-on fight, he was probably on par with most Demi-God Peak Powerhouses.

However, his greatest advantage was his soul will, which far surpassed that of Demi-God Peak Powerhouses.

In the recent battle, if it had been another Demi-God Peak Powerhouse, they might have been directly soul-annihilated.

"Haha, no need to be humble."

"A Void Deity assassination, and they even used a Law Artifact... for you to survive at the Flying Heaven Rank is already impressive." Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity smiled and said, "If I hadn't witnessed your heroic feat of entering the Nine Sounds Realm, I might not have believed this news."

Li Yuan smiled and didn't argue further.

Soon, Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity led Li Yuan into a quiet room in the Divine Sound Tower.

"Sir Xu Yuan."

"These are the treasures you asked me to purchase. Most of them have been acquired, but there are a few that are still missing. You can inspect them now."

Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity waved her hand and handed over several storage treasures to Li Yuan.

"Mm-hmm." Li Yuan didn't dare to be careless, and with a thought, he stored the several storage treasures into the Ancient Deity Palace.

"Sister, please inspect them carefully."

Although Li Yuan knew the information about the treasures, he hadn't seen too many treasures... when it came to appraising them, Gu You was undoubtedly more skilled.

After a while—

"Most of them are here. The Omnipotent Body Technique and Earth Star Pulse True Interpretation up to the fourth stage, all the required treasures have been collected."

"But for the Heaven and Earth River and Celestial Wind Star Pulse True Interpretation, up to the fourth stage, we've only collected about eighty percent of the required treasures. They're still missing about twenty percent."

"The Ten Thousand Shadows Void, up to the third stage, has enough treasures, but for the fourth stage, we're still missing about thirty percent. Here's the detailed list..." Gu You directly transmitted a list to Li Yuan.

On the list, the various required treasures were marked, and the acquired treasures were roughly indicated, giving Li Yuan a clear overview.

This allowed Li Yuan to have a good grasp of the situation.

"Alright."

"Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity, these treasures are all what I need." Li Yuan smiled and said, "Please give me a total price, I'll take them all."

Earlier, Li Yuan had left a deposit of 3,000 Divine Crystals.

"Good, Sir Xu Yuan is indeed generous.

"The Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity smiled and said, 'I won't ask for a high price either. Just give me 1,000 Divine Crystals and it'll be enough.'"

"4,000 Divine Crystals?" Li Yuan was taken aback for a moment and shook his head. "Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity, you can just give me the regular price. There's no need to give me a discount. If everyone did this, how could the Nine Sounds Tower continue operating?"

Li Yuan was well aware that cultivating a Nine-Level Star Technique from the third stage to the peak of the fourth stage could cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand Divine Crystals, depending on the use of various treasures for rapid advancement.

For auxiliary Star Techniques like the Earth Star Pulse True Interpretation, the required treasures would be fewer.

As for the Omnipotent Divine Body Technique, cultivating it from the third stage to the peak of the fourth stage would cost Li Yuan an estimated 2,000 Divine Crystals.

These five Nine-Level Star Techniques...

Even if three of the Star Techniques lacked some treasures, the total value still far exceeded 4,000 Divine Crystals.

"How about this," Li Yuan suggested after some thought, "Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity, 5,000 Divine Crystals. I'll remember this favor."

"But you also have to consider the cost of acquiring various treasures... I can't let you take a loss, or else I won't be willing to ask for your help in purchasing treasures next time."

With a flip of his palm, Li Yuan produced a storage treasure containing 2,000 Divine Crystals and sent them flying towards the Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity.

Seeing Li Yuan's sincerity, the Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity sighed helplessly and accepted the 2,000 Divine Crystals.

After chatting for a while longer, Li Yuan took his leave.

Standing atop the pavilion, the Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity watched as Li Yuan disappeared into the clouds, and she couldn't help but sigh, "It's truly difficult to make this Sir Xu Yuan owe me a favor."

As a peak Ethereal Deity, she didn't care about a mere 1,000 or 2,000 Divine Crystals. If possible, she would even be willing to give them all to Li Yuan for free.

However, it was clear that Li Yuan didn't want to owe her such a huge favor.

"To unleash Demigod-level strength at the Sky Soarer Rank..." The Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity pondered silently, "Could it be that Xu Yuan's understanding of laws has reached the eighth stage of Law Will?"

"Regardless..."

"Indeed, an inconceivable genius has emerged in the Abyss Kingdom," the Thousand Illusions Ethereal Deity thought to herself, "But for an Ethereal Deity to risk her life to assassinate Li Yuan, I wonder which True Deity is behind this."

"It's probably the enemy of the Abyss Kingdom's ruler."

There was no doubt about it.

For someone to command an Ethereal Deity to risk her life for an assassination, the mastermind must be extraordinary...

...

In the skies above the Abyss Kingdom's capital, within the royal palace.`

"Demigod-level strength?"

Jiang Yuan True Deity looked at the information and combat footage sent by the Demon Shadow Ethereal Deity, "And to withstand a peak Ethereal Deity's soul attack?"

"This junior brother of mine is even more formidable than I anticipated," Jiang Yuan True Deity thought to himself.

He was an unparalleled existence, and no True Deity in the entire Star Perception Continent dared claim to be stronger than him.

Even the Heaven Deity treated him with great courtesy, almost recognizing him as the next most promising candidate to become a Heaven Deity.

His vision was extremely high, and his ambitions were vast; he was unwilling to be confined to this realm.

"All strength has its reasons."

"Although Xu Yuan has an Eight-Star Meridian, he is still at the Sky Soarer Rank, and his spear technique is only be at the initial Ethereal Deity level... A True Deity weapon? No! He can use, at most, an extremely high-grade Ethereal Deity weapon." Jiang Yuan True Deity quickly analyzed, "Either he has an extremely special treasure protecting him, allowing him to survive a Law Artifact, or his Star Technique is exceptionally powerful, stronger than a typical Eight-Star Meridian. He must have cultivated more than one Nine-Level Star Technique."

Jiang Yuan True Deity performed a brief deduction and didn't delve deeper, instead becoming more certain of some of his speculations.

"It's not easy to find compatible Nine-Level Star Techniques, and if he has cultivated several of them, it's no wonder he's an unparalleled genius from the Chaos Divine Court." Jiang Yuan True Deity thought.

Then, a hint of killing intent flashed in Jiang Yuan True Deity's eyes, "Hmph! Daring to assassinate in my lair? How audacious!"

With a thought, Jiang Yuan True Deity left the divine palace and arrived at the site of the battle within seconds.

The area was in ruins.

A massive crater with a diameter of over ten kilometers had replaced what was once a well-ordered street with bustling shops, all reduced to nothingness... If not for the formation protecting the capital, the destruction would have been far more extensive.

"Still!"

"Reverse! Sense!" Jiang Yuan True Deity stood in the void, and despite the presence of the capital's guards nearby, no one could detect his existence.

The two seemed to exist in different spatial layers.

A wave of invisible energy enveloped the area, and Jiang Yuan True Deity's vision became hazy as his perception of the surroundings completely changed...

It was as if time was rewinding.

Time was being reversed!

Of course, only Jiang Yuan True Deity could witness this scene, as the nearby Demigod-level beings were completely unaware.

This spell was extremely difficult to cast, requiring either a True Deity with profound understanding of space laws or a Heaven Deity to perform... and even then, it could only reverse a short period of time.

The further back in time one wanted to reverse, the more challenging it became.

Although Li Yuan, the Demon Shadow Ethereal Deity, and the Star Cicada Ethereal Deity's battle seemed intense, it only caused minor ripples in space, which didn't affect Jiang Yuan True Deity's casting of this spell.

"Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~" As the spell was cast, Jiang Yuan True God gained a clearer understanding of the cause and effect of this battle.

This was far more detailed than a mere visual image.

"This Void Deity's strength should be at the peak of the Demigod Rank," Jiang Yuan True God said with an icy gaze, "and the Law he excels in is..."

A loud rustling sound filled the air as ten fist-sized crimson crystal spheres appeared before Jiang Yuan True God. These spheres constantly shifted in their auras until they finally stabilized. If Li Yuan and Demon Shadow Ethereal God were here, they would be shocked to discover that the soul aura emitted by the Void Deity they encountered was identical to the aura emanating from these ten spheres.

Simulating a soul aura!! If the appearance can be altered, the attire can be altered, and even the combat weapons and techniques can be changed... but the soul aura is almost impossible to modify."

To investigate the mastermind behind this, Jiang Yuan True God first needed to identify the assassin.

Not long after, a woman appeared, wearing a light purple silk dress that seemed to flow like mist. "Your Majesty."

"Nine Sounds, I need you to help me with something." Jiang Yuan True God pointed at the ten crystal spheres and said, "Find out who the owner of this soul aura is! Start by checking with the eight True Gods under Black Blade True God and Yue Chi True God."

"Is this the soul aura of the assassin who tried to kill Xu Yuan? But the assassin is dead, isn't he?" Nine Sounds True God was surprised.

She already knew that Li Yuan had been assassinated.

"No need to ask further, just go and investigate. Use the intelligence network of Perception Star City, I'll have someone arrange it. The faster, the better." Jiang Yuan True God instructed.

"Yes," Nine Sounds True God nodded.

She was well aware of the importance Jiang Yuan True God placed on Li Yuan, and now that Li Yuan had narrowly escaped death, Jiang Yuan True God was undoubtedly furious.

...

East Sea, Black Blade Island.

At the highest point, within the royal city's majestic palace, Black Blade True God sat on a tall throne, surrounded by countless black mist-like blades. Upon closer inspection, these were not mere mist but countless tiny black blades floating and shifting like mist.

Suddenly, Black Blade True God opened his eyes, a hint of gravity in his gaze, "Has Star Cicada's soul lamp gone out?"

The soul lamps of his subordinates were lit, and unless in extremely special circumstances, the extinguishing of a soul lamp usually meant only one thing—death.

"Star Cicada went to assassinate Xu Yuan, and by my calculations, he should have made his move by now." Black Blade True God's heart held a thread of anticipation, "I specifically granted him a space artifact, a Flying Heaven Rank, it should be enough to kill him."

"If the assassination is successful, it will be a relief. But if not..." Black Blade True God's thoughts trailed off.

Without delay, Black Blade True God sent a communication treasure through the intelligence network of Eastern Shadow Holy Land, seeking to learn the outcome of the assassination.

Although the news of Li Yuan's assassination attempt had spread quickly, the analysis and transmission of intelligence from the Eastern Region to the East Sea naturally required time.

Half a day later, Black Blade True God received a message from the intelligence network of the holy land: "The renowned Xu Yuan from Abyss Kingdom encountered a Void Deity's assassination attempt, Li Yuan is suspected to have unleashed his peak Demigod strength and survived... The assassin is dead, and the assassin's identity is yet to be determined."

Inside the palace, Black Blade True God's anger surged, "Useless! A peak Demigod Rank assassin fails to kill a Flying Heaven Rank target! A complete waste!"

His furious voice echoed within the majestic temple, causing the few Void Deities present to feel a chill in their hearts.

This news pushed Black Blade True God's mood to its lowest point.

The failed assassination was one thing, but Li Yuan's displayed strength made him feel even more troubled.

"According to the records in Abyss Kingdom, Xu Yuan is not even forty years old, and he's already this powerful?" Black Blade True God felt a headache coming on, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, "If he's allowed to cultivate normally, I fear he'll reach the peak of the True God Rank in just a thousand or two thousand years."

"He might even become another Jiang Yuan."

"He's not dead yet."

"Such a monster, and now he's survived this assassination attempt, they will definitely protect him heavily until he joins the Star City..." Black Blade True God shook his head, having abandoned the idea of further assassination attempts.

The difficulty was too high.

The first assassination attempt was one thing, but if they tried again, even the Star City might not let it go.

"Hmph!"

"That idiot Jiang Yuan is definitely going crazy trying to investigate right now," Black Blade True God, a hint of disdain on his lips, "Go ahead and investigate, Star Cicada hasn't been active for almost a thousand years, but if you do find out, what can you do?"

"What if I do find out?"

"As long as he doesn't become a True Deity, he won't be a threat to me." Black Blade True God didn't care.

"Even if he eventually becomes a True Deity, I can just hide in the vast Star Space."

Time passed, and news of this battle spread, even reaching other intelligence networks. The fact that a peak Demigod Rank expert had died in the assassination attempt was significant.

The target of the assassination was the newly famous Xu Yuan.

The most crucial aspect, however, was Li Yuan's displayed strength, which was unparalleled among the Flying Heaven Rank across the entire Star Perception Continent.

"A Skysoarer with such strength at a young age, his future is bound to be formidable."

"No wonder he's been targeted for assassination. Who would want him to grow stronger?"

"If he continues to develop steadily, he'll reach the peak of True Deity, and there's even a slight chance he could become a Heavenly Deity." Many major powers took a genuine interest in Li Yuan and began gathering intelligence on him.

...

Illusion Marquis' Mansion.

"So powerful?" The palace-clad woman, Illusion Marquis, was shocked, and then she heaved a sigh of relief, "Haha, it's a good thing I stepped down back then. My son is indeed decisive and smart."

Sometimes, kneeling quickly isn't necessarily a bad thing.

...

Some intelligence about Li Yuan even reached Perception Star City, sparking numerous debates.

However, none of this affected Li Yuan.

Or perhaps it was because Jiang Yuan True God was secretly protecting him, preventing those with ulterior motives from getting close to Li Yuan.

Divine Flame Palace, Private Chamber.

"Phew!"

Li Yuan exhaled, a smile on his face, "After six days, I've finally cultivated Ten Thousand Shadows Void to the third-rank limit."

"As expected, the higher the comprehension of the Laws, the faster one can cultivate Star Techniques."

On the first day after returning from Nine Sounds Tower, Li Yuan began to erase the third-rank Star Marks affiliated with Nine Shadows Clone from his Star Veins, using the preparations he had made in advance.

Then, he started cultivating Ten Thousand Shadows Void from scratch.

If it had been when Li Yuan first became a Skysoarer, this entire process would have taken several months... But now, with his terrifyingly high cultivation and stronger soul and will, his perception of the Life Star was much clearer.

In the end, erasing the Star Marks and cultivating the new Star Technique took approximately eight days.

As a result, all five Star Techniques Li Yuan cultivated were Ninth-Rank Star Techniques.

He no longer had any weaknesses.

"Normally, a Seven Star Vein cultivator would awaken two to three Ninth-Rank Star Veins and cultivate three Ninth-Rank Star Techniques." Li Yuan thought to himself, "Among the three Star Techniques they cultivate, there's usually one for auxiliary cultivation, allowing them to comprehend the intricacies faster... Only then can they cultivate combat Ninth-Rank Star Techniques."

For example, Gu Ju Divine Being had only one Ninth-Rank Star Technique for combat—Omnipotent Divine Body Technique.

As for Eight Star Vein cultivators, they would typically awaken three or four Ninth-Rank Star Veins.

"This is also why Domain and Escape Ninth-Rank Star Techniques are rare." Li Yuan mused.

With fewer cultivators, naturally, there would be fewer powerful Star Techniques developed.

For supreme cultivators, the first choice for cultivating Ninth-Rank Star Techniques is body-refining techniques, followed by auxiliary cultivation techniques.

In aspects like domains and escape, cultivators usually rely on Seventh-Rank Star Techniques and artifacts, which are far inferior to the power of Ninth-Rank Star Techniques.

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!" With a thought, dozens of shadow clones appeared silently in the chamber.

Each shadow clone had incredibly lifelike auras, making it difficult for ordinary Demi-Gods to distinguish the real from the fake.

"Ten Thousand Shadows Void is indeed much stronger than Nine Shadows Clone." Li Yuan sighed inwardly, "In the future, if I can cultivate it to the fourth-rank limit, the gap will only widen."

"Now..."

"I control three combat Ninth-Rank Star Techniques. Once I reach the Demi-God realm, I can cultivate another Star Technique." Li Yuan smiled, "By then, I'll further narrow the gap in fundamentals with Void Deities."

The advantages of powerful Star Veins continued to manifest.

"Let's continue cultivating." Li Yuan closed his eyes lightly and began to ponder spear techniques.

There were only two days left before their departure for Star City.

...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

"Xu Yuan, come to the main hall of the Divine Flame Palace immediately. We're about to depart." Li Yuan received a communication from Sha Xi Ethereal God.

"Finally, we're going to Star City?" Li Yuan stood up, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.

Star City was the cultivation holy land of this realm, with Heavenly Deities presiding over each generation.

Although it couldn't compare to the top powers in the Divine Realm, it was undoubtedly on par with powerful forces like the Sky Serpent Clan.

Li Yuan was naturally filled with excitement.

After giving a few instructions to Ren Qing, he swiftly flew out of the mansion and arrived at a central palace within the Divine Flame Palace.

Upon entering the hall, nearly twenty figures had already gathered, some Skysoarers and some Demi-Gods.

M

But there were even more people whom Li Yuan didn't recognize.

"Xu Yuan is here."

"Is that Xu Yuan? He doesn't seem special." Many people observed Xu Yuan discreetly, and even though they hadn't met Li Yuan before, they had heard numerous rumors about him over the past few months.

Naturally, a group of people parted to make way, tacitly acknowledging that Li Yuan should stand at the front.

"Xu Yuan, come stand by me." Jiang Shan, who was at the front, smiled.

"Mm." Li Yuan didn't hesitate; as the first on the Skysoarer Ranking, he had the right to do so.

"Big Brother Xu," Princess Jiang Xuan said excitedly.

Time passed, and more people arrived, including Wu Beihong. Finally, when the number of people in the hall reached twenty-five—

A formless wave rippled through the hall, and Sha Xi Ethereal God appeared at the highest point of the hall.

He scanned the hall, pausing briefly on Li Yuan, and then said, "Everyone is here. Let's depart!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end