Yuan’s Ascension

Spectators launched into fierce debates as they watched the battle unfold, yet none of this affected the two combatants in the arena.

This...this aura? Though Wu Yuan was unclear as to why Hao Shanjing’s aura had suddenly spiked, there was no denying the alarm bells going off in his head, warning him that this individual posed a deadly threat.

Without a doubt, in his current state, Hao Shanjing could unleash far more power than Xing Luo.

Numerous tendrils encased him, enlarging his body to an incredible size, towering over a kilometer high.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan wasn't even two meters tall, it was like a giant battling a dwarf.

According to my intel, Hao Shanjing only comprehended the Wood Origin Dao in the last Dragon Star Tournament. But now? I'm afraid it's not that simple. Wu Yuan made a quick assessment.

The Wood Dao, a Greater Law, was no less broad in scope or profound in depth than the Earth Dao, encompassing numerous Lesser Laws and Intermediate Laws.

The Hao Shanjing that Wu Yuan was currently battling against was worlds apart from the Hao Shanjing he had seen in the battle recordings.

This could only mean that Hao Shanjing had concealed a significant portion of his strength in the past.

However, despite Wu Yuan's knowledge, he lacked experience in life-and-death fights with high-level immortal cultivators, and thus was unable to identify it right away.

These tendrils, Hao Shanjing's aura...why do they feel so familiar? This thought flashed across Wu Yuan's mind.

But he couldn't afford to spend too much time pondering.

The moment Hao Shanjing unleashed his power, the final battle began.

Wu Yuan acted instantly. Nine lifebound flying swords with formidable auras appeared, while countless flying swords rained down like a torrential downpour.

With the nine lifebound flying swords as the core and the Hundred Swords Array as the body, 729 fourth-grade spirit flying swords erupted with power simultaneously.

Countless Celestial Body cryptic patterns shone, and in an instant, the color of the world changed as he formed a Domain, covering a radius of hundreds of li.

Sword qi rampaged and the earthy-yellow qi currents howled as Wu Yuan's aura also soared to its peak.

The fifth step of the Dark Earth Sword Array – Sword Intent Tempest.

“A sword cultivator with nine lifebound flying swords? What a peerless prodigy. It's a pity that you do not possess a first-degree immortal root, Li Xia. Otherwise, you could take a shot at becoming the legendary supreme sword cultivator.” Hao Shanjing's voice resounded as the huge vines shot out.

Each vine extended for tens of li, with green and red Domain qi currents swirling around it.

At this moment, Hao Shanjing seemed like a huge plant spirit, yet retained the vitality of a living creature of flesh and blood.

Boom! The two Domains collided.

In terms of our Domains, I’m only slightly superior? Wu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly.

He understood that he had encountered serious trouble.

One had to understand that when the strength of two immortal cultivators was close, qi refiners often had an absolute advantage in domain strength due to the boost from their essentia and artifacts.

Such a strong Golden Core cultivator is indeed rare. By defeating you, I can truly take pride in my abilities. Wu Yuan's battle intent was equally stoked.

Whoosh! Whoosh! As Wu Yuan commanded the massive Dark Earth Sword Array to exert more force on Hao Shanjing, the clash of Domains intensified.

At the same time, three earthy-yellow divine swords spiraled like a twisted braid, cutting through the sky.

"Come!” Hao Shanjing laughed loudly.

His one-kilometer-tall body moved, as though he was a real giant. At the same time, the massive vines growing out of his body, resembling lengthy dragons, whipped toward the three incoming yellow divine swords.

The vines covered an overwhelmingly large area. Combined with the Domain, the divine swords were unable to bypass them.

Can't avoid an obstacle? Then slash it. Wu Yuan commanded his divine swords to charge straight into the tangled vines.

As the divine swords sliced across the sky, the intertwining vines that filled the air were instantly cut down.

One after another, huge sections of chopped vines fell incessantly.

However, their velocity began to slow against the overwhelming siege of vines. By the time they reached Hao Shanjing, they were nearly spent, perhaps only retaining a mere fifth of their original power.

"Scram!" A broad, sturdy saber materialized in Hao Shanjing's enormous palm, radiating endless killing intent as he slashed it mercilessly through the air.

Clang~ The clash of saber and sword sent the three earthy-yellow divine swords flying back.

One of them bore countless cracks, appearing on the brink of shattering apart.

What? Wu Yuan was taken aback, his eyes solemn. He gritted his teeth. You may block me once, but let's see how many of your vines I can cut, and how long your Beast Fusion state will last!

As a fellow body refiner, Wu Yuan knew what was happening all too well.

His body refiner self experienced a power boost each time he fused with the Teng Snake, but once the Teng Snake was injured, it would take a while to recover.

The same applied to Hao Shanjing who chose a lifebound plant. These vines were merely weapons in his Beast Fusion state.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The three earthy-yellow divine swords returned to the sword array.

Then, another trio of divine swords shot forth, following the same previous trajectory to launch another assault on Hao Shanjing.

By right, the second wave of attack should be met with less resistance.

Rustle~ However, to Wu Yuan's surprise, the huge vines, which had clearly been severed earlier, seemed to come back to life as they fell, integrating back into the undamaged vines with astonishing speed.

Immediately after, the broken vines grew back at an unbelievable rate, recovering to their original state. Then, they lashed out at the three approaching earthy-yellow divine swords, greatly reducing their power.

The divine swords were easily blocked by Hao Shanjing once more.

Spiritual flesh and blood? An undying body? Wu Yuan's expression subtly changed. This Hao Shanjing, he's only at the ninth-stage Spiritual Body phase, how could he have reached this level? Did he cultivate some special ether art?

If well integrated with one's unique traits, even basic ether arts could unleash incomparable terror, rivaling even advanced or grand ether arts.

It was just like the True Celestial Body cultivated by his body refiner self. When combined with the Celestial Body Dao he comprehended, the power he could unleash was shocking.

…

"What kind of technique is this?"

"How did Hao Shanjing achieve it? Although it’s a plant life form, this regeneration ability is a little too exaggerated, right?" A flurry of comments erupted from the spectators.

"He's just at the Spiritual Body phase, yet the vines severed from him can autonomously integrate back into his body?" Even the many Amethyst Cradle Reverends found it hard to fathom.

In that special observation space.

"The Longevity Dao, one of the three Intermediate Laws of the Wood Dao. Even among the many Intermediate Laws of heaven and earth, it's still the greatest for recovery." Mountain Master Xu exclaimed.

"Moreover, judging from the wood spirit Hao Shanjing has nurtured, his immortal root is likely extremely strong."

"Hao Shanjing’s performance is indeed commendable." Abbot Wu said nonchalantly.

"Li Xia comprehended the Celestial Body Dao, and now Hao Shanjing has comprehended the Longevity Dao." Mountain Master Xu laughed. "Abbot Wu, your Dragon Star Immortal Sect truly is brimming with talent. It’s enough to make others green with envy."

"Haha, you flatter me, Mountain Master Xu." Abbot Wu replied with a faint smile.

"Abbot Wu, who do you think will win?" Mountain Master Xu asked casually, but his eyes remained fixed on Hao Shanjing.

"What do you think?" Abbot Wu reclined back comfortably, seemingly indifferent to the outcome.

"It’s hard to say. The Celestial Body Dao is known as the strongest Dao in defense." Mountain Master Xu chuckled.

"It's just a pity that Li Xia is a sword cultivator, a class that is slightly lacking in durability. If it were the Nine Great Cauldrons, he could truly be impervious to all laws, standing undefeated among his peers."

Abbot Wu nodded slightly.

The artifact most suited for Earth Dao cultivators was the cauldron, which emphasized defense.

The Dao most suited for the flying sword was the Metal Dao, focusing on slaughter and penetration force.

"Of course, although Li Xia is a sword cultivator, applying the Celestial Body Dao to his defenses allows him to put up a strong defense, and his attacks are just as powerful." Mountain Master Xu chuckled, "Let's wait and see."

…

Countless spectators argued about who they thought would win or lose.

Meanwhile, inside the spherical arena.

"Li Xia, admit defeat, you cannot stop me," Hao Shanjing's voice thundered.

His massive body moved, surprisingly quick for his frame. Gripping a war saber in his hand, he lunged toward Wu Yuan.

It was as though a mountain was in motion. With every stride Hao Shanjing took, he covered hundreds of li with terrifying speed. Each time he landed, the ground shuddered.

The entire spherical arena was only eight hundred li in diameter. The distance between the two was approximately 550 li.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Wu Yuan made his move as well. Without hesitation, divine swords of earthy yellow hue whistled, piercing the vast sky as they streaked toward Hao Shanjing.

Cling~ Cling~ Cling~ For every attack he received, Hao Shanjing would first obstruct the strike with a dense cluster of vines, then follow up with a counter strike with his saber, scattering those earthy yellow divine swords.

His power was overwhelming!

Finally, after both parties collided dozens of times in lightning-fast exchanges, Hao Shanjing almost closed the distance. The waves of sword qi formed by the Celestial Body Domain could not stop him at all.

"Kill!" Hao Shanjing's spat.

With a sudden motion, countless vines lashed out in all directions, clearing all obstacles in his path. At the same time, he slashed fiercely with his saber, aiming directly at Wu Yuan.

If this saber strike landed, Wu Yuan was done for.

Suddenly, Wu Yuan's sword array transformed, and the nine earthy-yellow divine swords formed by the Hundred Swords Array dispersed.

Endless earthy-yellow qi streams surged. Celestial Body cryptic patterns appeared, linking and extending.

In the blink of an eye, what was once a Thousand Swords Array was now compressed into a miniature star, swirling with an earthy-yellow aura. Wu Yuan was enveloped within.

This tiny star, compressed to the extreme, merely spanned a li in diameter. Formed with 729 flying swords, including nine lifebound flying swords, its defensive strength was unimaginable.

Star Ruins Sword Array—Solid As A Rock.

Boom~ A saber, capable of cleaving worlds, struck fiercely at the small star. As it sliced through space, it almost seemed to freeze it in place.

A terrifying shockwave rippled out.

Crack~ Crack~ The surface of the star comprised of countless flying swords caved in considerably, and the layers of cryptic patterns within the qi streams bore countless cracks.

As the horrifying shockwaves rippled in every direction, the force was transmitted into the interior of the tiny star.

Boom~ As the tiny star was repelled, it attempted to leverage the momentum to escape. However, an overwhelming number of vines quickly wrapped around it, slowing it down.

"Kill!" Hao Shanjing roared in fury, the thrill of the battle coursing through his veins. His colossal body moved, brandishing his saber for another strike.

Just one strike was enough to send Star Ruins Sword Array to the brink of collapse. Hao Shanjing believed that a few more strikes was all that was needed to fully destroy the Star Ruins Sword Array.

By then, Wu Yuan who was hiding inside would surely die.

This was a body refiner, the toughest and strongest, whose strength shattered all laws.

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