Chapter 461: Unbeaten! Top of the Leaderboard

Chapter 461: Unbeaten! Top of the Leaderboard

Li Yuan's battle against Yu Ting and Dao Ying was a challenging one for both sides, as they were evenly matched. Thus, they didn't push each other to the brink of life and death, and the ranking points remained unchanged.

Naturally, the other Demigod geniuses were still unaware of this battle.

This was a common occurrence in the Ancestral Realm Battle, where Demigod powerhouses of similar strength would often hold back to prevent others from taking advantage.

Only when one side had absolute confidence would they engage in a prolonged and relentless pursuit.

However, the eleven Heaven Gods observing from above had a clear view of the entire battle.

"Fighting two opponents alone, Xu Yuan still manages to hold the upper hand!"

"Yu Ting is understandable, being in the top ten of the leaderboard, but Dao Ying is only ranked twenty-eighth. How can he be so powerful?"

"Both of them are stronger than Jing Kui and Lian Yun's Demigod forms." The Heaven Gods couldn't help but marvel.

Previously, Yu Ting's displayed strength was on par with Jing Kui's, and perhaps even slightly weaker.

Dao Ying had only shown the strength of a 54th-level expert, comparable to Xia Ju, He Feng, and the others.

But what happened? When faced with a formidable opponent like Li Yuan, how could they unleash such terrifying power?

The Heaven Gods didn't know that Yu Ting and Dao Ying were only this powerful because they had unleashed their Primal Divine Armaments.

However, the Heaven Gods were merely observing from a distance and couldn't see the details clearly.

Although the Primal Divine Armaments were powerful, from the outside, they didn't appear much different from ordinary divine artifacts.

"The truly remarkable one is Xu Yuan!"

Yue Xia Heaven God sighed, "In terms of domain, speed, illusory techniques, attacks, and various other aspects, he is exceptionally strong... Judging from the final battle situation, his soul attack must have been affecting Dao Ying and Yu Ting continuously."

"He's strong in every aspect."

"Based on the strength he's displayed, Xu Yuan is undoubtedly the strongest." Yue Xia Heaven God turned to Tai You Heaven God, "He should be a Nine-Star Vein Demigod, right?"

These words caused the other Heaven Gods to look towards the three Heaven Gods from Jue Xing Ancient City.

Previously, due to the distance, these Heaven Gods couldn't observe Li Yuan's inner strength closely, making it difficult to judge.

But through Li Yuan's battle with Dao Ying and Yu Ting, they had already caught a glimpse of his true power.

Without a strong foundation in Star Techniques, how could he be proficient in so many areas? Other Demigod powerhouses, even with high comprehension of principles, usually excelled in only one or two aspects.

"Xu Yuan has merely awakened an additional Nine-Star Vein." Tai You Heaven God directly denied the speculation.

Even though he knew the other Heaven Gods were guessing, he wouldn't admit it outright.

Awakened an additional Nine-Star Vein? The Heaven Gods exchanged glances, and two words came to mind—ridiculous!

They were convinced that Xu Yuan was a Nine-Star Vein Demigod with a 90% probability.

"A Nine-Star Vein Demigod?" Dong You's eyes flashed with a hint of jealousy.

Such an exceptional and rare talent.

Why wasn't he from the Eastern Abyss Sacred Land?

"Tai You, there's no need to deny it. Even if Xu Yuan isn't a Nine-Star Vein, the difference wouldn't be significant."

"A Nine-Star Vein Demigod is even rarer than a Holy Blood Sky Serpent." Qing Hong Heaven God smiled, "Tai You, Zhuang Hong, Jiang Yuan, congratulations in advance. Jue Xing Ancient City will soon have another Heaven God."

In the history of this realm, anyone who awakened a Nine-Star Vein eventually became a Heaven God.

"I hope you'll go easy on him." Tai You Heaven God didn't argue further, knowing it was pointless.

The other Heaven Gods were speechless.

Even if he's a Nine-Star Vein, it's still incredible that he's come this far." Bei Fu Heaven God suddenly spoke, "From what I've seen of Xu Yuan's spear techniques, I'd estimate he's not far from the High Stage Eighth Rank (Void Deity Apex) level."

"In terms of principle comprehension alone, he's far behind the other top Demigod powerhouses." Bei Fu Heaven God shook his head.

"How long has he been cultivating? Even a Nine-Star Vein Demigod needs sufficient time to reach their peak." Qing Hong Heaven God added.

"Even the Solitary Cloud Heaven God, in his time, needed a long cultivation period to attain True Deity strength."

"To fully utilize one's principle comprehension, one must also master combat secret techniques." Qing Hong Heaven God smiled, "If we consider the current top thousand on the leaderboard, I doubt any of them were Demigods when they were Xu Yuan's age."

"It's just that Xu Yuan's luck is slightly worse." Zhuang Hong Heaven God said, "The Ancestral Realm Battle waits for no one. It seems Xu Yuan's path to becoming the top-ranked contender is filled with challenges."

Some Heaven Gods nodded in agreement.

History was filled with such tales. Often, the top-ranked contender in the Ancestral Realm Battle was the strongest, but not necessarily the most talented.

Time had a magical way of revealing the truth.

The Heaven Gods present, despite their exceptional talents, had rarely achieved the top rank in their youth, had rarely achieved the top rank in their youth.

"Zhuang Hong, don't gloat." Mo He Heaven God's voice was deep, "Xu Yuan's strength is already the best."

"Even if Ning Chi, those mysterious youngsters, were to reveal their true strength, I don't think they'd surpass Xu Yuan."

"His chances of becoming the top-ranked contender are very high."

...

Unaware of the Heaven Gods' discussion, Li Yuan remained fully immersed in his combat training.

Time passed.

With his full attention, Li Yuan would encounter other Demigod powerhouses at regular intervals.

After such a long time, the Demigods he met had some tricks up their sleeves, and some even teamed up in groups of ten or more, only to be swept away by Li Yuan.

Even when he occasionally encountered geniuses ranked within the top thousand on the Ancestral Realm leaderboard, they weren't a match for Li Yuan.

Li Yuan hadn't encountered any opponents as formidable as Dao Ying or Yu Ting.

One day.

"Hmm? Something's happening?"

Li Yuan sensed fluctuations in the heavens and quickly approached, immediately witnessing a distant battle scene.

It was Bai Feng, a Demigod, fighting against two other powerful Demigods, a red-feathered bird-like being, and a bald, muscular man.

The fiery red bird, its body radiating endless flames, unleashed a ferocious assault, its flames permeating the void and creating an astonishing display of domain might, causing the temperature in the heavens and earth to soar.

The bald man, on the other hand, wielded a heavy staff, and with each strike, it seemed as if he was tearing apart the very fabric of heaven and earth.

The half-god Bai Feng, with his two long swords, created a sword light that flowed like a stream, desperately fending off the attacks.

However, these two formidable half-gods were incredibly powerful, and their domain bindings made it impossible for him to escape.

"Bai Feng is at a disadvantage?" Li Yuan assessed the situation, sensing the fluctuations in the auras emitted by the three combatants. "It's the 'Fire Luan Divine Beast Clan' from Celestial Serpent Ancient City. It should be the 138th-ranked 'Fire Xiu Half-God'."

The Fire Luan Divine Beasts were not numerous, and it was rare for one to possess strength at the mid-stage of the Void Deity realm in this generation.

Therefore, even without receiving any messages, Li Yuan could deduce their identities.

As for the bald man?

"The 68th-ranked 'Ao Ming Half-God'? He hasn't even revealed his true form yet," Li Yuan thought to himself.

Ao Ming Half-God was an unparalleled genius in this generation of the Divine Dragon Clan, second only to Ao Feng Half-God.

The so-called divine beast bloodline, for the most part, only naturally granted a 'Five-Star Vein', and with normal growth and a few hundred years of law comprehension, they could reach the Void Deity realm... destined to become a Void Deity.

But ordinary divine beasts, compared to half-god geniuses ranked within the top 10,000 in the Ancestral Realm, were no match.

These two divine beasts were the top geniuses of their respective races, and their strength was no less than Bai Feng's. Together, they were terrifying.

"If the battle continues, Bai Feng might be forced to teleport away," Li Yuan thought.

Whoosh!

Li Yuan approached like a fierce gust of wind.

Although he didn't have much fondness for Bai Feng Half-God, the previous conflict was an internal struggle within Perception Star Ancient City.

Now, facing external enemies, they should stand united.

In fact, along his journey, Li Yuan had already rescued some members of the Divine Fire Palace... Many half-gods even wanted to accompany Li Yuan, but he directly refused them.

Having teammates at the apex of the Void Deity realm would only be a burden to Li Yuan.

...

The three powerful half-gods had already reached a critical juncture in their intense battle.

"I've already teleported once after encountering Lian Yun," Bai Feng Half-God gritted his teeth. "I've been extremely careful, yet I encounter such a great calamity again."

Due to being forced to teleport once before, Bai Feng Half-God's current ranking was only 162nd.

If he teleported again, he would not only lose an opportunity but might also drop out of the top 300 in the rankings.

Therefore, Bai Feng Half-God was still struggling desperately, hoping to find a way out.

"Fire Xiu, bind him with your domain and be patient," the bald man, Ao Ming Half-God, transmitted his voice. "I'll restrain him from the front and force him to teleport away."

"Okay," Fire Xiu Half-God nodded.

The two had absolute confidence, and they believed that in such a short time, the probability of other powerful half-gods passing by was very low.

Just then—

"Gentlemen, can you let my friend go?" A calm voice resonated through the space, reaching them before the speaker appeared.

A black-clothed youth holding a long spear suddenly appeared, crossing the sky amidst the ripples of space.

His speed was terrifying.

"Hmm?"

Fire Xiu Half-God and Ao Ming Half-God turned their heads simultaneously, seeing the black-clothed youth, and their faces paled. "Xu Yuan? The fifth-ranked Xu Yuan?"

Li Yuan's expression remained unchanged.

Therefore, they immediately recognized him.

"Xu Yuan?" Bai Feng Half-God was shocked and felt a bit ashamed, remembering how he had once troubled Xu Yuan.

"Xu Yuan."

"Be careful, their frontal combat strength is no less than mine." Bai Feng Half-God transmitted his voice.

He knew Li Yuan was highly ranked, but he wasn't sure how formidable Li Yuan's frontal combat strength truly was.

Fast speed and strong soul attacks didn't necessarily mean powerful physical attacks.

"Escape!"

"Go!" Fire Xiu Half-God and Ao Ming Half-God exchanged a glance and then retreated violently.

According to the information they had, Li Yuan specialized in soul attacks, but they couldn't fathom how he managed to break into the top ten of the rankings.

Naturally, they didn't want to take any more risks.

"You want to leave?"

Li Yuan took a step forward through the void, blocking their path, and immediately unleashed the Heaven and Earth River domain.

Streaks of yellowish-brown airflow surged forth.

Under the suppression of the Heaven and Earth River domain, Fire Xiu Half-God's flame domain crumbled instantly, and both the flames and the fire law's power were annihilated.

Even Fire Xiu Half-God and Ao Ming Half-God were directly suppressed, their speed abruptly decreasing.

"What?"

"Such a powerful domain?" Fire Xiu Half-God and Ao Ming Half-God were shocked and terrified, their tension reaching its peak.

They had expected Li Yuan's physical attacks to be stronger than what the intelligence suggested, but they hadn't anticipated it would be this formidable.

"In terms of domain alone, this Xu Yuan is the strongest half-god I've ever seen," Fire Xiu Half-God gritted her teeth.

She had always prided herself on her domain, and in Celestial Serpent Ancient City, she was among the top ten half-gods.

But in front of Li Yuan's Heaven and Earth River domain, the domain star technique she cultivated seemed like a joke.

"Xu Yuan." Bai Feng Half-God stared with wide eyes, about to fly forward.

"No need to come over," Li Yuan's voice echoed in his mind. "You'll interfere with my combat."

Bai Feng Half-God felt extremely stifled but had to admit that Li Yuan was telling the truth.

"I don't want to fight you," Li Yuan said with a smile. "Surrender, and initiate the teleportation."

"If you insist on fighting, then your life will be at stake."

This had become Li Yuan's catchphrase, as he always gave each opposing half-god a chance.

The Demigods Huo Xiu and Aoming heard this and their eyes twitched.

How dare he look down on us so much!

Boom! Boom!

Huo Xiu and Aoming were decisive individuals. They transformed into two streaks of light and fled in separate directions.

With their 54th-level strength, they could only suppress the Heaven and Earth River Domain.

They thought to themselves, "Even if you, Xu Yuan, are powerful, can you possibly chase after both of us at the same time?"

Li Yuan shook his head.

Whoosh! Taking a step forward, Li Yuan's figure blurred as he rushed towards Huo Xiu.

"Damn it!"

"You're looking for me?" Huo Xiu gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with madness. The massive fiery body suddenly raised its head and let out a wild roar.

"Roar~"

The terrifying roar echoed through the sky, followed by countless long shuttles flying towards Li Yuan.

There were a total of thirty-six long shuttles, intertwining with each other like a giant net, completely enveloping Li Yuan.

"Divine Artifact Set? So many Divine Artifacts, even if they aren't Primal Divine Armaments." Li Yuan nodded to himself, "But if they are combined with Huo Xiu's combat secret technique, their power is still formidable."

"Huff!"

Li Yuan didn't dodge. He twisted the long spear in his hand and fiercely smashed it towards the shuttles.

The thirty-six fiery long shuttles possessed overwhelming might.

However, in front of Li Yuan's spear, they were as fragile as a castle built with blocks.

"Boom!"

With a single sweep of his spear, the thirty-six fiery long shuttles exploded and completely scattered.

The simplest move contained the most terrifying power.

"What?"

"I paid a huge price for this set of treasures, and I had the Old Ancestor refine them specifically for me. He said that when combined with my own power, it would be even more suitable for me than 99% of top-grade Void Divine Artifacts." Huo Xiu couldn't believe it, "Even the first Demigod of Perception Star City, Jing Kui, wouldn't be able to shatter it with a single strike."

"Just what kind of strength does this Xu Yuan possess?"

This set of Divine Artifacts was worth over ten thousand Divine Crystals, but to Huo Xiu, it was worth even a hundred thousand Divine Crystals.

Suitable weapons were hard to come by.

"Still not admitting defeat?" Li Yuan glanced at Huo Xiu again, "Then, don't blame me if you die."

Boom! The silver spear stabbed out once more, this strike was so fast it was almost at its limit, and its might was even more terrifying, causing the void to ripple like flowing water.

"Not good." Fear gripped Huo Xiu's heart, and he immediately activated the Realm Token on his wrist.

Survival was the priority.

Buzz~ Huo Xiu vanished from his original spot.

"One left."

Li Yuan's gaze fell on the bald, crazily fleeing man, as Aoming had already escaped his domain's range.

"Is Huo Xiu admitting defeat?" Aoming's heart trembled, "Not good, Xu Yuan is coming for me."

In his imagination, for Li Yuan to defeat Huo Xiu, he should have at least escaped a few thousand kilometers.

But now, he had barely escaped three hundred kilometers.

"Hiss!" Aoming descended, and he immediately activated his Realm Token. He felt the space before him subtly distort, a light flashed by, and then he had already left this area.

The teleportation was successful, but then—

Buzz~ Quietly, Aoming's consciousness was extinguished.

He was dead!

...

"What? What's going on? Why didn't Aoming fight back at all and just allowed Xu Yuan's divine spear to strike his head?" Bai Feng was stunned, his eyes wide.

In his perception, at the moment Huo Xiu fled for his life, Aoming's expression turned bleak, as if he had completely sunk into the void, and he directly stopped in the emptiness.

Then, as Li Yuan rushed over, a long spear silently sliced through, like a thread, directly piercing Aoming's head.

Death!

"Was it a soul attack?" Bai Feng was secretly shocked, "Didn't Aoming regain consciousness even at the brink of death?"

Bai Feng trembled at the thought of Li Yuan's power.

In the void—

Buzz~ With Li Yuan as the center, a few hundred kilometers around him were enveloped by an invisible soul power.

"Was it that easy to fall for it?" Even Li Yuan was momentarily stunned.

During his confrontation with Huo Xiu, he had unleashed a soul attack that enveloped Aoming.

He had assumed Aoming could withstand it, but instead, he had directly sunk into the void.

Even when facing Li Yuan's physical attacks, Aoming didn't regain consciousness until he was completely annihilated.

"It seems..."

"I was misled by Blade Falcon and Yu Ting, underestimating the power of my soul attack." Li Yuan seemed to be deep in thought, "Although I haven't cultivated a True Deity Level Soul Secret Art, by drawing upon a strand of the Dreamstone's power, my soul attack's might has indeed skyrocketed."

"These peerless Demigods, in terms of soul defense, are no stronger than the Void Deity Apex and Void Deity Limit experts I've encountered before."

"Once unleashed, even the 'Half-Divine Son' of Sky Serpent Ancient City would have no power to resist."

It wasn't that his soul attack was weak.

"It's that Blade Falcon and Yu Ting's soul defense is too strong, stronger than I imagined." Li Yuan seemed to be deep in thought, "Even if they were True Deity experts, if they weren't proficient in the soul path, they probably couldn't be directly soul-killed by me."

"How did I do it?" Li Yuan's mind was filled with questions.

Like himself, even after years of relentless cultivation and deepening his understanding of the Soul Illusion Six Realms, his soul had remained at the Void Deity level...

Without a powerful enough soul, he couldn't truly activate the Dreamstone's power.

Similarly, a Demigod, even with a Soul Defense Divine Artifact guarding them, will have a limit to their Soul Defense unless their Soul Will reaches the True Deity Level.

"Could it be..."

"Those newly emerged Demigod geniuses, are they also like me, possessing a Dao Treasure similar to the Dreamstone?" Li Yuan wondered silently, but then felt it was unrealistic. "Or perhaps they cultivated some special secret technique?"

"Or maybe it's a Soul-type Primal Divine Armament?" Li Yuan couldn't discern which was the case.

Hoo~

Li Yuan waved his hand, collecting the numerous treasures left behind by the Demigod Aoming. He felt the message conveyed through the purple light on his wrist: "Oh? The points are quite substantial, allowing me to surge to the fourth place."

Killing an opponent grants all their points!

However, the higher the ranking, the more astonishing the point difference... Li Yuan had no idea how many points the top three had.

"Take it slow."

"There are still three months left." Li Yuan glanced at the White Peak Demigod and transmitted his voice, "White Peak, be careful, I'm leaving first."

Hoo!

Li Yuan had already quietly departed, leaving behind a somewhat desolate White Peak.

"Six years ago..."

"Xu Yuan's Soul Attack could only affect me, and a single attack would make me regain consciousness." White Peak Demigod sighed inwardly, "At that time, his physical attack was weaker, and he was defeated by Yan Dong in just a few moves... Now, his Soul Attack has become terrifying, and his physical attack can defeat me, a Fire Peak Demigod, in just two moves..."

"His strength..."

"Should have surpassed Jing Kui."

"Such a rapid progress? It's simply unbelievable." White Peak Demigod sighed inwardly, feeling grateful that Li Yuan had come to his rescue without bearing a grudge.

...

In the sky above the Ancestral Realm.

"This kid could have spared Aoming's life." Mo Hai Celestial Deity frowned slightly.

"Mo Hai, Xu Yuan is very kind. He gave Aoming a chance to live." Jiang Yuan Celestial Deity glanced at him, "If you want to blame someone, blame Aoming for not seizing the opportunity."

"Hmph." Mo Hai Celestial Deity coldly humphed and said no more.

However, Mo Hai Celestial Deity didn't know that Li Yuan's decision to deal harshly with Aoming Demigod was influenced by Liu Bing's previous words.

"Has Aoming been eliminated from the Ancestral Realm?"

"Or has he fallen?" The changes in the Ancestral Realm Rankings immediately caught the attention of many interested parties.

"Aoming's ranking didn't drop drastically before, indicating he never used teleportation... Now, his points are zero, which can only mean one thing—he's dead." Many Demigods deduced this outcome.

Aoming Demigod is dead.

"The culprit should be Xu Yuan! At the moment of Aoming's death, he surged from fifth on the overall ranking to fourth, with a high probability of being the killer."

"Xu Yuan killed Aoming?" These powerful Demigods weren't fools; they could infer the approximate battle outcome from the simple changes in the Ancestral Realm Rankings.

In a mountain range.

"Xu Yuan!"

"Xu Yuan, ah, ah! Damn you, Xu Yuan!" A massive black dragon roared hysterically, his enormous dragon eyes red with rage.

He was the contemporary first Demigod of the Divine Dragon Clan—Aofeng.

"My brother." Aofeng Demigod roared, his killing intent almost tangible: "I will avenge you, I will kill Xu Yuan."

Aofeng and Aoming grew up together since childhood, not blood-related but as close as brothers.

...

In the first stage of the Ancestral Realm Battle, during the final three months, the battle for points became increasingly fierce as all the Demigods fought crazily.

Many extremely powerful geniuses who had been hiding their strength began to emerge.

Among the numerous Demigods, Xu Yuan's name was undoubtedly the most dazzling.

He no longer focused primarily on secluded cultivation but truly revealed the terrifying strength that all the Celestial Deities believed could 'claim the first place'.

Three days after killing Aoming.

Li Yuan encountered a joint attack by three powerful Demigods ranked 89th, 111th, and 206th.

The result? One Demigod died, and two escaped.

... Seven days after killing Aoming.

Li Yuan' to fight.

... Eighteen days after killing Aoming.

Li Yuan encountered the unparalleled Demigod Kuang Fu, ranked thirteenth, a stranger who had never appeared in any intelligence reports.

He also burst forth with the strength of a Void Deity Apex, not inferior to the Blade Falcon.

But alone, after a thousand moves and a battlefield spanning tens of thousands of kilometers, he was soundly defeated by Li Yuan and forced to use the Realm Token to teleport.

... Twenty-nine days after killing Aoming.

Li Yuan encountered the tenth-ranked 'Painted Clouds', a stunningly beautiful girl.

Her strength was also terrifying.

But the result was the same; after a bloody battle, she was defeated by Li Yuan and forced to leave via teleportation.

After this battle, Li Yuan surpassed Liu Bing and became second on the points ranking.

...

Forty-eight days after killing Aoming.

Li Yuan encountered the Divine Dragon Clan's top powerhouse, 'Aofeng', also the first Demigod of the Sky Serpent Ancient City.

Enemies meeting, their eyes burned with hatred.

But in the end, Aofeng Demigod suffered a crushing defeat. Facing Li Yuan's Soul Attack, he found it extremely difficult to resist.

His strength was greatly affected, and after just over ten moves, Aofeng was defeated.

It could even be said that if he hadn't escaped, he might have died.

In this battle, Li Yuan thoroughly surpassed Ning Chi Demigod and rose to the top three on the points ranking.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end