Chapter 445: The Death of a Demigod

Chapter 445: The Death of a Demigod

Following Gu You's guidance, Li Yuan quickly approached while concealing his aura, gradually becoming aware of the faint movement deep within the dense clouds.

"Huff!"

A faint breath caused the massive clouds to stir, as if a giant beast was sleeping soundly within.

"It's just ahead, several dozen kilometers away," Li Yuan said as he locked onto the target's location and came to a stop.

Demigods, even at the lowest level, had a consciousness range of at least a few hundred kilometers, and at the highest level, it could reach over a thousand kilometers.

Li Yuan's current consciousness range was just over five hundred kilometers.

However, being surrounded by the blood mist, Li Yuan's consciousness was limited unless he activated his domain to disperse the mist.

"This vast blood mist is an innate divine ability of Demigod-level Dragon Beasts, harnessing the unique 'Heaven and Earth Power' of the Dragon Blood Realm to guard against external enemies," Li Yuan explained with a slight smile. "Unfortunately, it's not very effective against me."

Having cultivated 'Ten Thousand Shadows Void' to the extreme of the fourth stage, Li Yuan had exceptional control over space.

When it came to stealth and infiltration, among the countless Demigods in the Divine Flame Palace, Li Yuan was undoubtedly one of the best, with few able to match his skills.

The Ninefold Star Technique became increasingly formidable the further one progressed, with each stage specializing in different aspects.

For instance, 'All Things Divine Body' excelled in head-on combat and was the most versatile.

'Heaven and Earth River' was adept at group battles, suppression, and binding.

Although 'Ten Thousand Shadows Void' was not as effective in head-on combat as 'All Things Divine Body', it was the best when it came to illusion and stealth.

"Yue Shan and Dong Pan, in terms of head-on combat, are probably even stronger than me," Li Yuan thought to himself. "But if they were to hunt down a Demigod-level Dragon Beast, they'd likely have to resort to brute force and charge in recklessly."

Charging in was dangerous, as it could easily lead to unexpected dangers.

Judging by the size of the blood mist alone wasn't entirely accurate, as some extremely powerful Dragon Beasts might have a smaller mist range... Accidentally provoking a Dragon Beast at the peak or even the limit of the Demigod realm could easily result in life-threatening consequences.

"Huff!"

Li Yuan's mind stirred, and an invisible wave swept past the massive creature several dozen kilometers away, yielding the desired result: "The target's life tier is 54, and killing it will provide spiritual nourishment."

A mid-level Demigod!

"I thought it was a Demigod at the initial stage, but it turned out to be mid-level," Li Yuan's eyes flashed with excitement. "As long as it's not at the Demigod peak, I can give it a good fight."

If the Dragon Beast was level 55, Li Yuan would have turned back.

Reaching level 55 meant that the understanding of the law had reached at least the middle stage of the eighth level, a full tier above Li Yuan's current level.

But level 54?

If this was two months ago, Li Yuan would likely not have been a match, but after two months of cultivation, he felt ready to give it a try.

"At the very least, ensuring my survival shouldn't be difficult," Li Yuan thought as he swiftly approached like an invisible entity.

He couldn't get any closer.

After all, the target was still a Demigod, and despite appearing asleep, its perception of the surroundings was astonishing.

"Buzz~"

Li Yuan immediately unleashed a soul attack, 'Mind Soul', and an invisible wave swept over the massive Dragon Beast, invading its spiritual world and attempting to entrap it.

"Boom~" The Dragon Beast's soul was powerful, but unlike the top hundred exceptional Demigods in the Divine Flame Palace, it didn't have a soul artifact for protection.

Soul artifacts were rare, and many Demigods didn't possess them, let alone a Dragon Beast living in the Dragon Blood Realm. Therefore, the Dragon Beast, while asleep, was directly affected and fell into a state of illusion.

Boom!

In the next instant, Li Yuan unleashed his power.

His body instantly transformed, reaching a height of a hundred meters, and a robust life force emanated from him... Having cultivated the Ninefold Refinement Technique to the fourth stage limit, Li Yuan's body could reach a height of a hundred meters while maintaining maximum combat power.

The size of his body could be adjusted at will, depending on the opponent.

"Boom~" A vast yellow-brown aura descended, enveloping a hundred-meter radius. Nine yellow dragons roared, clashing with the surrounding blood mist, constantly eradicating the abilities contained within.

The soul-entrapped Dragon Beast was also completely covered.

This Dragon Beast had four hooves and resembled a giant bull, with a single horn protruding from its head.

"Suppress!"

Li Yuan's mind stirred, and numerous divine artifact chains flew out, intertwining and binding the Demigod Dragon Beast's hooves in the blink of an eye.

"Buzz~" The divine artifact chains glowed, and the secret law patterns on them activated, unleashing their power to subdue the Dragon Beast.

These divine artifact chains were top-grade Demigod artifacts that Li Yuan had obtained from the Divine Flame Palace, costing him over a thousand divine crystals.

When combined with the 'Heaven and Earth River' domain, their effectiveness was greatly enhanced.

"Whoosh!"

Li Yuan's body expanded, and with all his might, the Dark Star God Spear grew in size, matching his body. Infused with the robust essence power of a 51-level Demigod, the spear's power surged to an alarming level, aided by the domain's might.

"Boom!"

The spear's sharp tip pierced the Dragon Beast's chest, which was no longer its weak point.

For Demigod-level beings, their soul and essence core were fused, becoming a unique 'Divine Flame'.

The Divine Flame burns, and life persists.

Even when their bodies are completely destroyed, as long as the Divine Flame remains, Void Deity experts can recover.

Therefore, Li Yuan's attack targeted the Dragon Beast's 'Divine Flame'.

"Boom!!" As if two stars collided at an incredible speed.

Despite the Dragon Beast's massive and sturdy body, it was sent flying backward by the impact of the spear, its scales shattered, leaving a massive wound with flesh and blood scattered everywhere.

"Roar~~" The soul consciousness of the Void Dragon Beast struggled to wake up in the illusion... The severe damage to its body shocked its soul, causing it to instantly break free.

In an instant, it sensed the danger to itself.

"A Demigod?"

"A human Demigod? You're dead! Dead! Dead!" The Void Dragon Beast immediately unleashed its power, its massive body bursting with layers of golden light, causing its life force to surge and its torn wound to heal rapidly.

Body Refinement Star Art!

In that moment of clarity, the Void Dragon Beast displayed its Body Refinement Star Art, and its strength soared.

A layer of black armor appeared on its body, clearly activating a defensive divine artifact.

"Rumble~" The Void Dragon Beast moved, its four massive hooves dancing in the air, each over a hundred meters long, trampling the void as it tried to break free from the divine artifact's chains.

However, if it couldn't be restrained, then it would be fine. But now, with the perfect activation of the divine artifact and the domain suppression, it wasn't that easy to break free.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

As the Void Dragon Beast struggled, the overwhelming spear shadows enveloped it once again, attacking relentlessly and forcing it to retreat, its body constantly taking damage.

"This human must have used a secret treasure for that soul attack."

"But this spear technique is definitely his own. How can a Demigod's physical attack be comparable to mine?" The Void Dragon Beast trembled inwardly. It finally felt the full terror of the long spear,

such a strong Demigod, in its thousand-year life journey, was still the first time it had encountered.

In the past.

The life of a Demigod, whether human or alien beast, or other Dragon Beasts... were all easily killed by it.

"Run!" The Void Dragon Beast felt a desire to retreat, its long life making it clear that this terrifying human Demigod probably had a powerful background, and might even possess shocking treasures that could kill it directly.

Boom~ The terrifying power within its body erupted, dragging the divine artifact's chains as it tried to escape to a more distant place.

"You want to run?"

Li Yuan's figure flickered, manipulating the divine artifact's chains, chasing after it with a howl.

Under the dual suppression of the Heaven and Earth River domain and the divine artifact's chains, the Void Dragon Beast was not allowed to escape, its speed pitifully slow.

"Human!"

"You can hurt me, but you can't kill me." The Void Dragon Beast transmitted its anger: "If we continue fighting, when my other brothers arrive, your death is certain."

"Then call your brothers, and I'll kill them all, saving me the trouble of finding them one by one." Li Yuan transmitted his response, and the Dark Star Divine Spear in his hand was unaffected as it attacked once more.

"Damn it!!"

"Foolish human." The Void Dragon Beast felt anger in its heart, and a sense of brutality emerged from its bloodline: "Then kill! Kill! I want to see how a Demigod like you can kill me."

Whoosh! The Void Dragon Beast stopped dodging, spreading its terrifying aura as it charged forward.

Even though the divine artifact's power had been perfectly unleashed, it only restricted the Void Dragon Beast's movements and couldn't completely bind it.

After all, Li Yuan's Origin Power was significantly weaker than that of the Void Dragon Beast.

The two massive figures collided in an instant.

"Rumble!"

The long spear and the massive hoof-like claws clashed in the void, causing Li Yuan to retreat only one step, while the Void Dragon Beast stumbled backward several steps.

"Damn it."

"This divine artifact's chains and domain suppress my strength too much." The Void Dragon Beast felt so frustrated it wanted to vomit blood: "I can't even display half of my strength, otherwise, how could I be suppressed by a Demigod?"

Living in the Dragon Blood Realm, the Void Dragon Beast was quite ordinary in terms of Star Arts and divine artifacts, and could even be considered the weakest among its peers. However, its Origin Power cultivation and understanding of Laws were solid.

Moreover, over the long years, it had created many combat secrets, making its strength truly terrifying.

"A 54th-rank Void Deity is indeed hard to kill."

"Even if it's just a Dragon Blood Realm Dragon Beast, its attacks can probably match those of a 53rd-rank human Void Deity."

"My frontal physical attack is only slightly stronger than his." Li Yuan sighed inwardly: "Even if I seize the initiative with a soul attack, it would still be difficult to kill it through brute force."

This battle was different from the Ranking Battle.

That was just a friendly competition, and to prevent either side from falling, once the protective soul light was exhausted, the battle would be considered a loss.

Therefore, Li Yuan was able to defeat Dong Pan's Demigod with a single domain attack, and he was also defeated by Yan Dong's Demigod after a few moves.

But in a life-or-death battle, one must kill! Moreover, the survival capabilities of Void Deity experts far surpass those of Demigods.

Dong Pan, a Demigod, and his peers seem to possess the combat strength of a 54th-level being, but that's solely in terms of offensive capabilities.

When compared to a true 54th-level Demigod, a Demigod's ability to safeguard their life is significantly weaker.

"No wonder," Li Yuan mused, "the trial mission in the Dragon Blood Realm involves slaying ten Demigods. Even if they are ten 50th or 51st-level Demigod Dragon Beasts, the reward is still a whopping ten thousand Perception Stars."

Defeating a Demigod is easy, but killing one is difficult.

"Human," the Demigod Dragon Beast roared, "face reality. You cannot kill me."

"Is that so?" Li Yuan smiled enigmatically. "The test of strength is over. It's time to end this battle."

"Mind Soul!" Li Yuan's eyes narrowed, and a subtle vibration reverberated through the air as an invisible soul wave descended once more, invading the Demigod Dragon Beast's spiritual world.

"What?" The Demigod Dragon Beast was shocked. "How can a human Demigod use this soul technique? Is it not reliant on a secret treasure? Is this his own ability? How can a Demigod's soul cultivation be so powerful?" The Demigod Dragon Beast was taken aback and had no time to think further. It desperately tried to resist the encroaching soul attack.

All soul attacks leave traces, so the more a technique is used against any powerful being, the weaker its effect often becomes.

Furthermore, when prepared, any powerful being's spiritual will becomes more refined, and their resistance naturally strengthens.

However, as long as the soul attack is powerful enough, it can still have a significant impact.

"Boom~" The Demigod Dragon Beast felt its spiritual world shake, as if it were about to succumb once more.

"Break! Break! Break!"

"Wake up!" The Demigod Dragon Beast roared internally, maintaining a degree of consciousness. Its peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a terrifying spear shadow carrying an awe-inspiring might.

"Huff!" The Demigod Dragon Beast waved its hooves and claws in an attempt to block, but its might had already weakened significantly.

When subjected to a soul attack and not completely freed from its influence, even if one remains conscious, their ability to exert their full strength is still somewhat hindered.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The terrifying spear that descended from the void suddenly transformed into two, three... ten... thirty...

"Ten Thousand Shadows Void!" In an instant, Li Yuan unleashed his full power. Dozens of phantoms flickered in rapid succession, making it impossible for the Demigod Dragon Beast to discern Li Yuan's true body, let alone pinpoint the actual location of the Darkstar Divine Spear.

Moreover, each of the thirty-six phantoms possessed a certain degree of offensive capability.

A rain of spears descended from above! Combined with the invisible force of the soul attack, the Demigod Dragon Beast was momentarily at a loss for how to defend itself and could only endure the onslaught of terrifying spears piercing through it.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" In a short span of time, the Demigod Dragon Beast was pierced by dozens of divine spears thousands of times.

It was completely dazed, feeling wave after wave of terrifying attacks penetrating its divine armor and entering its body, driving it deeper and deeper into the ground. The more it was struck, the deeper it sank, and the terrifying might destroyed everything in its path.

The terrifying aftermath spread in all directions, causing clouds and mist to dissipate within a thousand-kilometer radius. Mountains collapsed, countless boulders turned to dust, and the area experienced what seemed like a massive earthquake.

The Demigod Dragon Beast was left completely powerless to resist.

Indeed, in terms of offensive capabilities, Li Yuan was only slightly stronger than the Demigod Dragon Beast, and his understanding of the laws might even be slightly inferior.

But in a life-and-death struggle, offense is just one aspect.

Possessing three nine-fold star techniques, coupled with an exceptionally powerful soul secret technique... Li Yuan's true strength far surpassed that of the Demigod Dragon Beast.

If Dong Pan or Yue Shan, both Demigods, had been in Li Yuan's place, even with stronger attacks, they would have most likely been unable to defeat this Demigod Dragon Beast.

For a full ten seconds, the Demigod Dragon Beast struggled desperately, charging and fleeing over a thousand kilometers, leaving a deep chasm in the ground, but it still couldn't escape its fate of defeat.

Its scales shattered, hooves and claws broke, and its divine body shattered layer by layer.

"Destroy!"

As the last divine spear struck, unimpeded, it penetrated deep into the Demigod Dragon Beast's body, directly sweeping away the flame that emanated a surging vitality.

Divine Fire!

"Pfft~" The spear's radiance swept across everything, eradicating the Demigod's soul within the divine fire, and its aura quickly dissipated.

"Sizzle~" A large amount of residual divine fire converged and rapidly condensed into a dazzling flame crystal.

Dragon Crystal of the Demigod rank! Only by slaying the Demigod Dragon Beast and eradicating its soul could its divine crystal be formed.

The area fell into complete silence.

"Huff!"

With a thought, Li Yuan extracted the divine crystal from the remains of the Demigod Dragon Beast.

"A treasure refined from the essence of a Demigod's life!" Li Yuan marveled, a smile tugging at his lips. "I, Li Yuan, fought face-to-face and managed to kill a mid-level Demigod while in the body of a Demigod."

Li Yuan's gaze involuntarily shifted to the Soul Palace panel.

"【Slayed a fifth-rank life, broke free from the shackles of life, obtained spiritual nourishment, and achieved a 90% spiritual awakening. Gained one instance of origin power entering the body.】"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end