Chapter 440: The Terrifying Xu Yuan

Chapter 440: The Terrifying Xu Yuan

Li Yuan's burst of power truly shocked all the Flying Heaven Demigods.

Even those who had initially held high hopes for him, like Jing Kui and Yue Shan, never expected his killing efficiency to be so astonishing.

"How can Xu Yuan's strength be so formidable?"

"Just considering the time it took him to pass the second level, even I was only slightly faster than him," the Flying Heaven Demigod, Yue Shan, exclaimed with a shocked expression.

"Could his strength be comparable to yours?" Yang Di couldn't help but ask, "But didn't he just break through to the Demigod rank? His Origin Power cultivation should be much weaker than ours, and five years ago, his Law comprehension was only at the initial stage of the Void Deity Realm... Could his Law comprehension have reached the peak of the Void Deity Realm in such a short time?"

Just the thought of it made Yang Di Demigod feel it was impossible.

Many Void Deities struggled to cross a bottleneck for thousands of years, but Xu Yuan managed to break through in just five years?

Could there be such a monstrous genius in the world?

"It's hard to say, let's see," Yue Shan Demigod stared intently at the light screen in the void.

"This shouldn't be! How can Xu Yuan's strength be so formidable? It defies logic," Bai Feng Demigod frowned, his mind in turmoil.

Since he dared to bet, he naturally prepared for the possibility of losing.

However, even if he overestimated Li Yuan, he only thought Li Yuan had a slim chance of breaking into the top 100.

But now?

Even compared to this group of Demigod Holy Sons, Li Yuan's killing efficiency was not inferior.

...

"Interesting!"

"For the killing efficiency to be so fast, either his strength is extremely powerful, or he possesses a formidable group attack method," Jing Kui stood at the forefront of the team, looking relaxed. His eyes held a hint of anticipation, "But no matter what, Xu Yuan, you've become much stronger than five years ago."

"Such rapid growth."

"Does this mean I'll have one more opponent in the Ancestral Realm battle six years from now?" Jing Kui smiled slightly.

From a young age, he had never feared having more opponents.

Any powerful opponent or enemy was merely a part of the scenery on his path to growth.

...

On the high platform of the Divine Palace, seven True Gods could observe Li Yuan's detailed battle scenes.

"Domain!"

"Xu Yuan possesses such a powerful domain technique, and he seems to have also unleashed a powerful Divine Artifact," Yue Yang True God whispered, "The combination of the two makes his group attack methods extremely formidable."

"I suspect it's the Nine Levels Domain Star Technique, and he has cultivated it to the fourth stage's extreme," a Purple Robe True God said, "This level of domain mastery is beyond the reach of many Void Deities."

"Xu Yuan's Law comprehension isn't high enough, but in terms of domain strength alone, he can compete for the top three among the countless geniuses in the Divine Fire Palace," the Purple Robe True God spoke solemnly, "It's clear that his Star Technique is exceptional."

Apart from Li Yuan, there were only three other Eight Star Vein awakeners in the Divine Fire Palace... The rest were merely Seven Star Vein Demigods.

Therefore, among the Demigods in the Divine Fire Palace who cultivated two combat Nine Levels Star Techniques, there were very few... And not a single one cultivated the Nine Levels Domain Star Technique.

Take Jing Kui, for example, he awakened four Nine Levels Star Veins and cultivated two combat Nine Levels Star Techniques, the Body Refinement Star Technique and the Illusion Body Star Technique.

Cultivating a Nine Levels Star Technique to the fourth stage's extreme is equivalent to a 36th-level Star Technique! In comparison, a Seven Levels Star Technique cultivated to the fourth stage's extreme is only a 28th-level Star Technique, and even a Void Deity cultivating to the fifth stage's extreme is just a 35th-level Star Technique.

The higher the level of the Star Technique, the more significant the difference in power.

Li Yuan's Law comprehension might be much weaker than those Demigod Holy Sons, but with their Origin Power cultivation being similar, and with his cultivation of the 35th-level 'Heaven and Earth River' combined with the Nine Dragons Mystic Armor, his domain's killing power was unmatched, making him the top existence among the Demigods in the Divine Fire Palace.

"His Origin Power cultivation should have reached the 47th level, stronger than we anticipated," another Black Armor Vice Pavilion Master also spoke up.

Before Li Yuan's burst of power, the True Gods couldn't see clearly.

But once Li Yuan made his move, with their profound insights, they quickly analyzed Li Yuan's various techniques and details.

"Indeed, your speculations are mostly correct," Crimson Sun True God whispered, "Let's see how far Xu Yuan can go in the Divine Flame Tower."

...

The third level of the Divine Flame Tower.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" A thousand Divine Flame Warriors roared into action, their power unchanged from the first and second levels.

What had changed was their Law comprehension, which had already reached the Demigod level.

This naturally made their strength soar.

These Divine Flame Warriors were also highly intelligent, ten-man formation, charged towards Li Yuan in a sweeping attack.

"Slaughter!"

"Go!" Li Yuan's mind moved, and he unleashed his domain technique again. Nine Yellow Dragons formed the core, and the strands of earthen airflows resembled blades, madly slashing and cutting the bodies of the Divine Flame Warriors.

However, the difficulty of slaughtering them was skyrocketing.

On the second level, one Yellow Dragon could slaughter a Divine Flame Warrior, but now it could only leave faint scars.

"Relying solely on the domain isn't enough," Li Yuan's eyes flashed with determination, and a ripple spread out.

Soul attack! Directly penetrating the bodies of the Divine Flame Warriors... But these Divine Flame Warriors were unaffected, still roaring and charging towards Li Yuan.

"So that's how it is," Li Yuan instantly understood the ineffectiveness of the soul attack.

He had to rely on physical attacks to break through.

"Kill!"

Li Yuan's speed had increased significantly compared to five years ago, and his every move was unpredictable. In an instant, dozens of illusionary bodies appeared in the vast Heaven and Earth River.

Nine Levels Star Techniques, 'Ten Thousand Shadows Void'!

Although it's still only at the third stage of extremity, its power is no less than the seventh level star techniques displayed by Demigods.

In an instant, the Sacred Flame Warriors, whose speed had been greatly reduced under the suppression of the domain, immediately scattered to pursue and kill the illusionary figures.

"Annihilate!"

Li Yuan's true body was hidden among the numerous illusions, with only twenty Sacred Flame Warriors rushing forward.

Huff!

Li Yuan already held the Dark Star Divine Spear in his hand. The long spear slashed through the sky, and in a moment, his power surged, unmatched in might. He directly pierced through the bodies of three Sacred Flame Warriors.

Bodies torn! Death!

With his full burst of power, Li Yuan, under the enhancement of his domain, had already reached the attack power of a 52nd level expert.

"Roar!" "Kill!"

Even though Li Yuan's other illusions had some offensive power, the other Sacred Flame Warriors still managed to identify Li Yuan's true body and rushed over like lightning.

"These Sacred Flame Warriors can't stop me," Li Yuan said, strolling leisurely. With a flash of his body, he instantly evaded the pursuit of hundreds of Sacred Flame Warriors.

Whether it's 'Nine Shadow Clone' or 'Ten Thousand Shadows Void', the core lies in the words 'shadow' and 'illusion'.

In essence, this is an extremely high-level illusionary combat technique.

The reason 'Ten Thousand Shadows Void' is more powerful than 'Nine Shadow Clone' is that it greatly improves Li Yuan's harmony with spatial fluctuations, allowing him to form more illusions under the same law comprehension.

Illusions also have many levels.

The weaker ones can be distinguished by a sweep of divine consciousness, while the stronger ones may even contain a certain level of offensive power.

The legendary strongest illusion is almost like another true body, and that's what makes it terrifying.

At this moment, Li Yuan can easily form hundreds of illusions with a single thought.

However, to make it difficult for these Sacred Flame Warriors to distinguish his true body, he can maintain at most thirty illusions... The more illusions he maintains, the greater the consumption of Origin Power, and the greater the burden on Li Yuan's soul.

Moreover, under the cover of the Heaven and Earth River Domain, it also makes it harder for Li Yuan's illusions to be identified.

"Huff!" "Huff!"

Li Yuan's true body and illusions alternated, with his domain enveloping the surroundings, constantly slaughtering the Sacred Flame Warriors.

In the end, after quite some time, Li Yuan had annihilated all the Sacred Flame Warriors on this level.

"Fourth Layer!"

Li Yuan transformed into a stream of light and entered the fourth layer of the Sacred Flame Tower.

...

At this moment, on the ranking light curtain in the Sacred Flame Hall, Li Yuan's points ranking had soared to 412th place.

"He's entered the fourth layer."

"He's broken into the top thousand, qualifying for the second round of battles."

"Xu Yuan's speed in passing the third layer is much slower than the other Holy Sons, and his killing efficiency has clearly slowed down."

"It seems that Xu Yuan's true strength still falls short of the other Demigod Holy Sons." The Demigods discussed, while Bai Feng, Dong Pan, and Yue Shan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If Xu Yuan had just broken through to the Demigod rank and his strength caught up to theirs, it would be too terrifying.

However, when they looked up at the light curtain and saw the constantly changing numbers of Xu Yuan's ranking, they couldn't help but sigh.

"312th place."

"291st."

Even though Xu Yuan's ranking increase speed had slowed down, it couldn't conceal his brilliance. In the end, he had made it.

"It seems that Xu Yuan won't be able to pass the fourth layer," Yue Shan Demigod said with a heavy tone. "I estimate that reaching around 200th place is his limit."

"It's already terrifying enough," Yang Di shook his head and sighed. "This is only his first attempt."

"But if he only made it to 200th place in the Sacred Flame Tower, it will be extremely difficult for him to break into the top 100 in the second round of battles," Yue Shan Demigod frowned. "Won't he lose the bet?"

Yang Di was taken aback and glanced at Bai Feng in the distance.

There was no joy on Bai Feng's face.

On the high platform of the hall, seven True Gods had been paying close attention to Li Yuan's situation.

"It will be very difficult for Xu Yuan to pass the fourth layer," Yue Yi True God said.

"His law comprehension has greatly improved compared to five years ago, which is already exaggerated for his age... But compared to Dong Pan and Yue Shan, there's still a huge gap." Yue Yang True God said, his eyes sharp. "His spear techniques and moves are at the mid-stage of the Void Deity realm."

"The techniques of those Demigod Holy Sons are all profound, each at the peak of the Void Deity realm. Dong Pan and Jing Kui have even reached the limit of the Void Deity realm," Yue Yang True God added, his gaze piercing.

"Xu Yuan's strength is approximately equivalent to a 52nd level expert, but his domain is extremely powerful."

"Mmm."

"Give Xu Yuan a few more decades, and he'll be truly terrifying. But for now, his law comprehension isn't enough. The reason he passed the first and second layers so quickly is because his domain is strong enough... But the stronger the enemy, the weaker the effect of the domain." Zi Yi True God added.

"Relying on his domain's power, he can reach around 200th place. But when it comes to actual battles, his final ranking might drop to around 400th place," Hei Jia True God said.

"When it comes to life-and-death battles with other Demigods, Xu Yuan might rank around 300th on the Demigod list," the True Gods discussed.

Passing the Sacred Flame Tower isn't entirely fair.

For example, soul attacks can't be used, mainly because Demigods generally don't deliberately research soul techniques, and the trials will be more complex. Perception Star City didn't set it up.

In a sense, the Perception Star City higher-ups don't encourage Demigods to research the path of the soul... After all, for Demigods, improving their law comprehension and awakening their Life Stars is the most important task.

After becoming True Gods, they'll have plenty of time to explore the path of the soul.

Next, those skilled in area-of-effect attacks will also have an advantage in the top five floors of the Divine Flame Tower.

Only upon reaching the sixth floor of the Divine Flame Tower will the strongest Divine Flame Warriors be born, requiring absolute power to pass through.

...

At the fourth floor of the Divine Flame Tower, Li Yuan was exerting all his strength in a fierce battle.

"Kill!"

"Kill!" "Kill!" Li Yuan's fighting spirit soared, yet his heart remained absolutely calm.

The six desires flowed through his heart, but his inner peace remained absolute. This was the pursuit of the Heart Illusion Six Realms, a tempering of the spirit and will.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thirty-six phantom bodies alternated in flashes, helping Li Yuan's true body hide among them, avoiding attacks from the Divine Flame Warriors.

The spear technique was fierce!

The figure was ghostly!

"Boom! Boom!" The Divine Flame Warriors launched a relentless assault, their auras were robust, and each could already manipulate the mysteries of the laws, making their weapon attacks overwhelmingly powerful.

At this moment, the strength of each Divine Flame Warrior had surpassed the limits of Demigods, approaching the realm of Void Deities.

Under the joint attack of a large number of Divine Flame Warriors, their powers influenced each other, causing Li Yuan's Heaven and Earth River domain to weaken rapidly. He had to constantly shrink it, focusing all his efforts on suppressing the nearby Divine Flame Warriors.

The Nine Yellow Dragons had been scattered by the combined attacks of the Divine Flame Warriors several times.

The most crucial thing was...

The entire hall had a maximum diameter of only 100 kilometers, leaving Li Yuan with too little space to dodge.

"If my Origin Power reaches level 49.9! My strength will increase significantly, and I should be able to pass the fourth floor." Li Yuan thought to himself, "But now, I'm afraid I can't make it."

The difficulty of each floor in the Divine Flame Tower kept soaring.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Hundreds of Divine Flame Warriors continued their assault. Even with Li Yuan's incredible agility, he couldn't avoid being hit... A single mistake would lead to consecutive attacks.

The energy within Li Yuan's protective spiritual aura diminished sharply.

"Whoosh!" Unable to dodge in time, a fierce strike grazed Li Yuan's true body, and his protective spiritual aura completely dissipated. Li Yuan instantly vanished from the fourth floor of the Divine Flame Tower.

Li Yuan's final score was 3488 points.

Ranked 214th!

...

Huff!

Li Yuan felt his vision blur, and he slowly descended from the space vortex filled with fiery currents, returning to the ground.

"Hmm?" Li Yuan immediately sensed the gazes in the hall, filled with envy, jealousy, and admiration.

"Truly formidable!"

"No wonder he could be on par with Jing Kui, reaching 214th place as a newly formed Demigod is indeed impressive."

"It's indeed astonishing."

"His strength has improved too quickly; I wonder how he cultivates." Numerous Demigod Flying Heavens discussed through sound transmission.

Although Li Yuan's 214th place was still some distance from Bai Feng's bet of 'top 100', it was already a remarkable achievement.

No one expected Li Yuan to win, especially not reaching the top 1000.

214th place was already awe-inspiring.

Li Yuan returned to Yue Shan and Yang Di's location, where the strong members of the Yuan Country gathered.

"Well done, Xu Yuan." Yue Shan smiled, "I was worried, but your strength is truly formidable. Reaching 214th place on your first try is incredible. In the next ranking battle in five years, you will surely break into the top 100."

"Hmm."

"Although we didn't win the bet, no one dares to underestimate you now." Yang Di added, "Look, even Bai Feng is speechless."

In their eyes, if Li Yuan couldn't even make it into the top 1000, it would have been embarrassing.

But 214th place was an acceptable loss.

"Brother Yue Shan, Brother Yang Di," Li Yuan smiled, "You're already assuming I'll lose in the second stage?"

Yue Shan and Yang Di were taken aback.

From Li Yuan's words, it seemed he had the confidence to break into the top 100.

Before they could ask more...

"The Demigod ranking battle's first stage is now complete." A deep voice resounded from the high platform, echoing throughout the hall, instantly quieting everyone.

Crimson Sun True God's gaze swept across the entire hall as he slowly spoke, "Those ranked within the top 1000 will advance to the second round."

"The battle rules are simple. Based on the ranking points, participants will be randomly divided into ten groups, with 100 people in each group."

"Within each group of 100, they will battle in sequence. A victory earns 1 point, and a loss earns none. In the end, the top thirty in each group will be ranked in the top 300 of the Demigod list."

"The top ten in each group will be ranked in the top 100 of the Demigod list."

"The first and second in each group will advance to the top twenty, determining the final top ten." Crimson Sun True God spoke in a deep voice.

Everyone who made it into the top 1000 felt their hearts tighten.

Round-robin battles were the most brutal! But also the fairest! To enter the top 100, or even the top twenty of the Demigod list? Then defeat most of the Demigods in your group.

Whoosh!

Crimson Sun True God waved his hand, and the giant space vortex in the void dissipated, replaced by a dense array of one hundred void arenas.

Enough for two groups of Demigod warriors to battle simultaneously.

"Huff!"

Crimson Sun True God waved his hand again, and the giant light screen in the void flashed, quickly dividing into ten groups, each with one hundred names.

Each name had a score of 0.

"Jing Kui is in the first group."

"Dong Pan is in the second group."

...

"Bai Feng is ranked in the teens and is also in the second group."

"The top ten scorers in the Divine Flame Tower have been randomly distributed among the ten groups, and those ranked eleventh to twentieth have also been randomly dispersed among the ten groups..." Numerous Flying Heaven Demigods looked up.

Based on the ranking points, each group's strength was well-balanced, ensuring fairness.

On average, each group had 1-2 Demi-God Sons.

"I'm number 214, and I was randomly assigned to Group Two." Li Yuan's gaze swept across the massive light screen, "My ranking within Group Two is 22nd... If I want to make it into the top two of my group and compete for the final top ten, I'll have to give it my all and not lose."

Only by winning every match could one guarantee absolute success.

However, Group Two, which Li Yuan was in, included Dong Pan and Bai Feng, both Demi-God Sons, making the challenge of winning all matches daunting.

"Bai Feng," Li Yuan thought to himself as he turned to look in the direction of Bai Feng, who happened to meet his gaze at the same moment.

Their eyes met, and both understood what the other was thinking.

...

"The 200 Demi-God candidates from Groups One and Two, do not resist. Prepare to enter the Void Arena," Crimson Sun True God spoke in a low voice, "The rules are the same as when we entered the Sacred Flame Tower. I emphasize again that the use of Law Secret Treasures and other external objects is prohibited. Anyone found violating this will be directly eliminated."

Whoosh!

Instantly, an invisible force enveloped the 200 Demi-Gods, transforming them into light and sending them into the various Void Arenas.

Quickly, all the spectators could clearly see the participants in the hundred Void Arenas, and one particular arena immediately drew the attention of most onlookers.

"It's Xu Yuan and Bai Feng!"

"Haha, they're both from Group Two, and they met in the very first match. How interesting."

"Xu Yuan stood out in the Sacred Flame Tower, but who would've thought he'd face such a tragedy so soon."

"He's only ranked 214th. He's bound to lose."

"Let's see if Bai Feng will trample Xu Yuan." The Flying Heaven Demi-Gods exchanged thoughts among themselves.

Compared to this match, even Jing Kui's battle didn't attract much attention.

All the spectators unanimously believed that Xu Yuan had no chance against Bai Feng, as the vast difference in their rankings clearly indicated a significant gap in strength.

"Xu Yuan, with his domain, should be able to hold out for a while."

"Indeed, Bai Feng may be arrogant, but his strength is impressive. Defeating Xu Yuan in his current state shouldn't be difficult." This was the consensus among the seven True Gods, including Crimson Sun True God.

...

In one of the Void Arenas.

"Hmm? Xu Yuan?" Bai Feng was also taken aback upon seeing Li Yuan.

Li Yuan was equally surprised.

Were they going to face each other in the first match? Both had a feeling that it might have been Crimson Sun True God's intention.

"Brother Xu Yuan, your strength is formidable, and I take back my previous words. I admit I underestimated you," Bai Feng, the Demi-God, said slowly, "However, you are not my match right now."

Even with the belief that he would win, Bai Feng no longer showed arrogance, nor did he ridicule Li Yuan.

"Is that so?"

"Brother Bai Feng," Li Yuan revealed a hint of a smile, "To be honest, I'm not sure if I can win either, but it's best if you make the first move, or you might not get the chance."

"I might not get the chance?" Bai Feng was taken aback for a moment, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. "Xu Yuan, I've already shown you respect."

Respect?

"Brother Bai Feng, I didn't mean to say that," Li Yuan shook his head, "I'm speaking from the heart."

Li Yuan was indeed sincere.

After all, he had never used a soul attack before, and he wasn't sure how powerful it would be if he unleashed it.

"Good!"

"Brother Xu Yuan, then please make the first move and let me experience what you mean by 'no chance to make a move.'" Bai Feng's expression turned grim, and he was thoroughly enraged.

Even Jing Kui wouldn't dare speak to him like this.

"Are you sure?" Li Yuan asked with a smile.

"I'm sure." Bai Feng's eyes turned cold, "Brother Xu Yuan, show me everything you've got."

"Alright."

Li Yuan nodded, and with a thought, the Heaven and Earth River Domain erupted with a thunderous roar, instantly enveloping the entire Void Arena.

"What a powerful domain! No wonder he could advance so quickly in the Sacred Flame Tower," Bai Feng's eyes flashed with surprise, but then they turned cold, "But to defeat me with just this domain... Hmm? Not good!"

"It's a soul attack..."

Infinite bewilderment flashed in Bai Feng's eyes, and he felt his consciousness plunging into endless darkness.

In the instant Li Yuan unleashed the Heaven and Earth River Domain, he also directly executed the second layer of Mind Soul, 'Life and Death Illusion'.

One dream for life, one illusion for death; between life and death, all are illusions.

In an instant.

With Li Yuan's 54th-level soul and 59th-level will as the foundation and the support of Heart Illusion Six Realms, the terrifying illusion technique directly caused Bai Feng's consciousness to fall completely.

Roar!

Under the domain's cover, nine yellow dragons roared as they soared through the sky, engulfing Bai Feng.

In just a second, Bai Feng disappeared from the arena.

Li Yuan, victorious!

"It seems my soul attack has a significant impact on Demi-Gods, as even Bai Feng couldn't recover quickly," Li Yuan suddenly realized the power of his soul attack.

...

In the Sacred Flame Hall, thousands of Flying Heaven Demi-Gods watched in shock as Li Yuan stood alone in the Void Arena.

The entire hall fell silent.

"It's an illusion!"

"What a terrifying soul attack!" Crimson Sun True God's eyes were filled with shock, "Even a peak Void Deity might fall into his illusion."

---

PS: There will be another chapter later, which will hopefully complete this plot, but it might be quite late by the time it's posted. See you tomorrow, everyone!

(End of Chapter)

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