Chapter 609: Dawn

"It's useless. Once the Bloodlight Shadow Array is activated, it won't stop until it absorbs enough blood and baleful aura. With your strength, you simply can't break this array," said Shangguan Lingyun.

"It seems this Bloodlight Shadow Array wasn't set up by you, but is an array inherent to this small pot," Ye Yuan suddenly said.

"You're too clever. Clever people usually don't live long." Shangguan Lingyun essentially conceded Ye Yuan's point.

"My fate is determined by me, not by heaven, and certainly not by you," Ye Yuan said calmly.

"Arrogant! The Heavenly Dao is supreme. Even if you reach the Divine Realm, you cannot transcend the shackles of the Heavenly Dao!"

Martial artists hold the greatest reverence for the Heavenly Dao. Before the Heavenly Dao, even the strongest martial artist is but an ant.

No matter how proud Shangguan Lingyun was, he dared not speak lightly of the Heavenly Dao.

But Ye Yuan was someone who had already died once. He felt that the Heavenly Dao was unjust, and in this life, if given the chance, he would surely transcend the bonds of the Heavenly Dao!

Ye Yuan was not angry; instead, he smiled and said, "How can a sparrow know the ambitions of a swan?"

Shangguan Lingyun's face darkened. Ye Yuan's words had struck a nerve.

Although he repeatedly claimed to be inferior to Ye Yuan, that didn't mean he had truly accepted his fate; otherwise, he wouldn't have cultivated this baleful demonic art.

Ye Yuan's appearance had brought a tremendous shock to his life.

All along, Shangguan Lingyun had believed himself to be the most talented, without equal!

Even against Zhao Chengqian, Shangguan Lingyun could slightly suppress him. But Ye Yuan's appearance had completely shattered his perception.

Back then, Ye Yuan, at the Crystal Condensation Realm, had beaten Zhao Chengqian to such a state, and the impact it had on Shangguan Lingyun was far too intense.

For a long time afterward, Shangguan Lingyun lived in Ye Yuan's shadow, unable to extricate himself, until Zhao Tianyin appeared before him.

And thus, today's scene came to be.

Before Ye Yuan, he was truly nothing more than a tiny sparrow.

Setting aside Ye Yuan's identity from his previous life, his talent in this life had definitely reached the pinnacle of the divine realm.

As for Shangguan Lingyun, he was merely a top genius of the lower realm.

No matter how strong he was, before Ye Yuan he remained but a small sparrow.

"Then let me see if this swan is truly that powerful!" Shangguan Lingyun gritted his teeth.

"Lesser Sun Demon Palm!"

Shangguan Lingyun let out a fierce shout, and a blood-red giant palm print struck toward Ye Yuan.

Although Ye Yuan's dragon blood had a restraining effect on this demonic technique, Shangguan Lingyun was still a major realm higher than him. Naturally, it was impossible for Ye Yuan to win easily.

The giant palm print was extremely powerful, carrying a thick aura of blood and ferocity.

Ye Yuan's expression darkened slightly, and he instantly unleashed Flame Motion Kill, directly dispersing the giant palm print.

"Go to hell!"

Shangguan Lingyun struck palm after palm, exchanging over a hundred moves with Ye Yuan in an instant, and the two were evenly matched!

Deng Sheng, watching from the side, was stunned. Only then did he realize how powerful Ye Yuan was.

Fighting against Shangguan Lingyun without falling behind despite being a major realm lower—such combat prowess was too terrifying.

From the battle, Ye Yuan did not seem like a Sea Transformation realm martial artist at all, but rather a Soul Sea realm powerhouse!

Ye Yuan's techniques were so formidable, yet he showed no signs of yuan power depletion—this was simply inconceivable.

How could the yuan power of a Sea Transformation realm martial artist sustain such powerful martial techniques?

"Flame Motion True Dragon Kill!"

After a long stalemate, Ye Yuan decided to strike first and unleashed his ultimate move.

Unlike the previous probing, this time Ye Yuan showed his true skill.

He elevated the amplitude of the Dragon Pulse to the peak of the Earth rank, which was the limit Ye Yuan could achieve with the Blazing True Dragon Kill.

This move combined the True Intent of Scorching Heat and the power of the Dragon Pulse, making it even stronger than the Ten Thousand Rain Blades!

"Blood Moon Wheel Slash!"

Shangguan Lingyun did not hesitate either and countered with a move of his own.

This move looked exactly the same as the probing move from last time, the only difference being that the white moon wheel had turned blood-red.

But that was clearly just a superficial difference; the power of the Blood Moon Wheel Slash was far greater than the Moon Wheel Slash.

Shangguan Lingyun was indeed a genius martial artist; he had integrated the power of blood evil into his martial skills, making them even more formidable.

"Boom!"

The fire dragon and the blood moon collided violently, causing a massive tremor.

"Pfft!"

The two had struck too suddenly, and Deng Sheng, caught off guard, was sent flying by the shockwave of their clash, spitting blood in midair.

Such was the ferocity of their battle!

Deng Sheng was a powerhouse at the ninth level of the Soul Sea, a higher realm than Shangguan Lingyun, yet he could not even withstand the aftermath of their fight.

If he were to face them directly, he would have been reduced to nothing long ago.

After the exchange, both Ye Yuan and Shangguan Lingyun were sent flying backward.

This strike was evenly matched!

Shangguan Lingyun hid his hand behind his back and looked at Ye Yuan with a grim expression.

Though the exchange seemed equal, he had actually lost by half a move.

Ye Yuan's punch was extremely peculiar, carrying a violent vibration that numbed his hand!

Shangguan Lingyun felt intense unwillingness; he had made such great progress, yet he still could not defeat Ye Yuan.

Was this guy simply insurmountable?

Ye Yuan looked at Shangguan Lingyun and said calmly, "You are indeed strong, even slightly stronger than Zhao Chengqian. If you do not stray onto the path of evil, you have great potential to ascend to the Divine Realm in the future. Turn back from the brink; it is not too late to stop now!"

"It's too late! Besides, I don't think there's anything wrong with what I'm doing. I don't need your preaching!" Shangguan Lingyun snorted coldly.

Ye Yuan shook his head and sighed, "Then there's no choice! Evil heretics must be slain by all!"

With that, Ye Yuan gathered his Yuan power, preparing to unleash the Blazing True Dragon Kill again.

...

The trio of Chu Shi charged ahead like a sharp knife plunging into the army of the Windstorm Realm, breaking through all obstacles.

Though surrounded by many Windstorm Realm martial artists, none could withstand even a single move from the three.

The others, though not as strong as Chu Shi's trio, had greatly improved their combat abilities after training in the修罗 Three-Spear Formation.

Unless they encountered martial artists of much higher realms, they were equally unstoppable.

As dawn approached, after several hours of slaughter, Chu Shi's trio suddenly noticed that they were close to breaking out!

This discovery filled them with excitement; they had never imagined that after that kid's training, their strength would reach such heights.

Just now, a martial artist at the seventh level of the Soul Sea had fought them, and with one misstep, he was cut down by them.

In the past, he would never have dared to think such a thing!

"Brothers, charge forward with me! We're about to break through!" Chu Shi shouted hoarsely.