C1346 Give Me a Lesson
Du Yuan's eyebrows twitched as he gazed toward the distant Star River. His eyes deepened, seemingly piercing through the Endless Space in a mere moment, focusing on a particularly frigid star. Suddenly, he called out, "Dragon Slaying Stage!"
"What?" Yue Mu was taken aback.
The Sword of Destruction and Rillrender soared in tandem. Du Yuan stood alone atop the Sword of Destruction, his sleeves billowing, exuding a presence as formidable as a deity's.
Streams of Serpentflame sword rainbows carried an aura of desolation and decay, causing the Shura of higher bloodline levels to shudder.
Du Yuan's mastery allowed him to wield the sword through the void, his swordsmanship subtly influencing the surrounding laws.
Yue Mu's Rillrender had expanded tenfold to accommodate not just him but also the other Solar Spirit Stage cultivators. They stood upon his sword, unable to keep pace with Du Yuan's Sword of Destruction otherwise.
They cradled their swords, seizing the chance to temper their sword's will.
Sword lights radiated from within them, harmonizing with the Rillrender. Some sword lights crackled with the ferocity of thunder, while others basked in serene sunlight, exuding an air of peaceful times.
Yet, at Du Yuan's utterance of "Dragon Slaying Stage," all sword's wills abruptly stilled.
Their gazes turned to Du Yuan almost in unison.
"Yu Yuan has apparently called forth the Dragon Slaying Stage in the Glimmerdrift Nebula, engaging in battle with a Shura," he said, his face somber. After explaining, he swiftly averted his eyes, pausing for a few seconds before giving Yue Mu a stern look and huffing, "I faintly recall you had some rapport with his past life."
Yue Mu chuckled awkwardly, "That's history. Back then, he was the most promising herbalist in the Order of Healing. It's not surprising. Everyone who buttered him up did so for his medicines."
"You'll need to steer clear of any conflicts of interest going forward," Du Yuan advised with good intentions.
Yue Mu nodded in agreement.
"That girl, it's no surprise she broke the rules of the forbidden area and barged into the Glimmerdrift Nebula. She was drawn by something in the Star River," Du Yuan mused, his gaze fixed on the River of Swords. "Yu Yuan's fate is of no concern to us; he's insignificant. Our mission in the Glimmerdrift Nebula is to support the Stardust Blade and locate the entrance to Wintermaw."
At that moment, Du Yuan was unaware that Ji Ningshuang had been ensnared by the Earth-Tethered Cage.
He and Yue Mu had altered their course because he sensed that the intense sword light from the Stardust Blade had abruptly vanished at its brightest. He surmised that Ji Ningshuang must be in trouble and set off to her aid without delay.
"Master, why do you dismiss Yu Yuan so?" inquired a young female Sword Immortal, her brow furrowed as she spoke softly atop Rillrender.
She was a generation older than Chen Qingyan and had reached the middle period of the Solar Spirit. Her demeanor was serene, her features lovely.
Ji Ningshuang, the Stardust Blade, was her idol. She had joined the Sword Sect, inspired by tales of Ji Ningshuang's elegance. With her considerable talent, she could have joined the Sunlit Order or the Ebon Star, but she was determined to be part of the Sword Sect.
Yet, she didn't manage to become Ji Ningshuang's disciple and instead was mentored by Shatterblade, Van Heqing. It was through Van Heqing that she learned of Yu Yuan's existence. As she gradually learned more of his exploits, her curiosity grew.
Following the conflict at Moonfall Sanctuary, she discovered that Yu Yuan was none other than the legendary Hong Qi from three centuries past. Her interest in him deepened significantly.
She even gossiped with Chen Qingyan about him, seeking details on Yu Yuan's extraordinary nature.
Over time, she came to believe that Yu Yuan and her idol Ji Ningshuang, separated by three hundred years, could have made a remarkable tale. In her eyes, they were well-suited for each other.
Her disappointment stemmed from Yu Yuan's repeated rejections of the Sword Sect's offers, ultimately joining Boulderdawn and becoming a traitor in the eyes of many.
"What could someone like Yu Yuan possibly offer that would impress me?"
Du Yuan frowned, his impatience evident. "Even three hundred years ago, when he achieved the status of a Divine Level herbalist, he was nothing more than a mere alchemist."
He paused before adding disdainfully, "And then he strayed, foolishly attempting to concoct poison pills to extend his life as death approached. Utterly laughable!"
...
In the strange and icy expanse of the Frozen World.
Numerous Shura clanspeople gazed up at the distant heavens, observing an immense, elongated rock that spanned the sky like an odd moon, emanating a pearlescent glow.
The Shura of lower bloodline levels realized that this object was the cause of their world's catastrophic collapse.
Before they could further contemplate, a ninth level bloodline warrior, his spikes gleaming like platinum, burst into view.
And he was bellowing in the language of humans.
"People of the Everlands!"
"The platinum Shura has come because of him!"
Suddenly, the Shura clanspeople of the entire world were thrown into disarray.
For millennia, the Glimmerdrift Nebula had not experienced the 'attention' of human cultivators, though it bordered the infamous extraterritorial battlefield.
The formidable Shura of the Glimmerdrift Nebula would venture to that battlefield, clashing with the vast humans and archdemons of the Everlands.
Were they not aware of what the humans of Everlands signified?
Catastrophe, death, utter devastation...
Recalling the tales brought back by their higher-level warriors from the extraterrestrial realms about the humans, the Shura felt the chill of their Domain intensify.
Whoosh!
A minuscule, barely visible spirit body phantom suddenly emerged atop the elongated stone.
In this world, only the mightiest Shura, with the aid of special instruments, could barely discern the Lunar Spirit form of a human.
They watched intently, holding their breath.
"What's all this commotion?"
Above the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's figure, manifested by the Lunar Spirit, spoke with a steely tone, "Were it not for the fact that this is the Glimmerdrift Nebula, the domain of the snow bear, and that it would eventually belong to Elena..."
He looked down upon the shattered world and declared, "All life in this realm has perished."
"You're courting death!"
Ciara, who was beside herself with frustration, had been tolerating him for a long time, only refraining from acting rashly because of the Dire Bear's presence.
At that moment, Ciara could no longer contain herself as the blood within her veins began to boil with fury.
"I knew it; you think you can beat me."
Yu Yuan sneered, his Lunar Spirit vanishing from the Dragon Slaying Stage. With a mere thought, the elongated platform suddenly expanded a hundredfold, transforming into a colossal mountain of stone that loomed over Ciara.
Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!
Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, the roars of dozens of giant dragons, once masters of the Star River, thundered in rage.
Dense bolts of lightning morphed into hundreds of slender ice dragons that burst forth from the platform. Nourished by the aura of the Chronowyrm, they instantly tore through the fabric of the spatial tunnel.
Before Ciara could even activate her bloodline, she saw miniature ice dragons darting through the Frost Well she carried.
She was momentarily stunned.
Boom!
The massive Dragon Slaying Stage plummeted, and the overwhelming force of collapsing space and time bore down on Ciara. The ninth-level platinum Shura, along with her Frost Well, crashed to the ground like a meteor, carving out a deep cavern in the sturdy ice rock.
Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit materialized clearly. He gazed coldly at the cave and declared, "Now, let the facts show you that the Dragon Slaying Stage I wield can overpower your Frost Well."
No sooner had he spoken than thousands of radiant streams burst forth from beneath the platform.
The streams of light plunged into the cavern below, zeroing in on Ciara with the ferocity of a tempest.
"Truth be told, you're not as formidable as you imagine."