C1660 One Wave of Ambush

Deep within a sea of yellow sand, upon a suspended expanse of yellow-brown earth, stood Yinn Tiehua. Her face, etched with wrinkles, was set in a somber expression as she leaned on her iron staff, gazing down at President Lyi, who was submerged in a pool of fiery liquid.

At this juncture, President Lyi was devoid of flesh and internal organs, reduced to a skeleton as resilient as gold metal. Each of his bones was intricately carved with Matrix Diagrams and adorned with minuscule symbols capable of tapping into the energies of the cosmos. The quintessential powers of gold, silver, copper, and iron coursed through his frame like streams of fine sand.

"The flames here are simply too feeble," Yinn Tiehua muttered, her brow furrowed in dissatisfaction with her creation. She shook her head, her voice laced with resolve, "Your body is extraordinarily unique. To perfectly integrate the Matrix Diagrams with your skeletal structure, it must undergo refinement with the Geocentric Fire. For your sake, I'm willing to brave the dangers and venture back to the Vast Ocean, but you must guarantee my safety."

Over the years, Yinn Tiehua had crafted relics for extraterrestrial races, and though her clientele was limited, her fear of Han Miaoyuan lingered, stemming from past transgressions against the Vast Ocean. This very fear had kept her confined to the Gray Domain for years on end.

The Gray Domain's harsh environment was notoriously unforgiving to the human inhabitants of the Vast Ocean, deterring many from venturing deep within its bounds, especially after the fall of a Primordial Spirit. Thus, even the most formidable cultivators and demons from the Vast Ocean seldom dared to tread too far into its reaches, knowing they would find little advantage there.

Yet, it was known among many foreign warriors that within the Gray Domain's depths lay a clandestine refuge, home to a nefarious Refiner from the Vast Ocean. This Refiner, Yinn Tiehua, who was presumed dead by her own people and had not set foot in her homeland for years, was willing to forge weapons for a price.

Consequently, it was the foreign races who most frequently sought Yinn Tiehua's expertise in weapon refinement. Recognizing the unique nature of President Lyi's body, she harbored ambitions of attaining a lofty position of distinction, and it was this ambition that compelled her to risk a return to the Vast Ocean.

"I will make arrangements," President Lyi declared.

His voice now rang out with the grating clash of metal, his sensitivity to flesh and blood ever diminishing, while his awareness of gold metal objects had increased a millionfold.

Within a ten-million-mile radius, any gold metal object would instantly trigger his senses.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Dark, blood-colored bolts of lightning intertwined within the iron crutch Yinn Tiehua leaned on, quickly forming an enigmatic Spiritual Array Diagram known as 'Blood Sense.'

"Who's there?!"

Yinn Tiehua lifted her iron crutch and thrust it into the ground once more.

Beneath her feet, the vast yellow-brown landscape revealed sprawling Spiritual Arrays. Intricate patterns, like fiery serpents, writhed wildly across the terrain.

Blood Shock, Soul Sense, Demon Moon, among other arcane Matrix Diagrams, all sprang to life simultaneously.

The Crypt Clan and Fire Lizard Tribe members, who relied on her, glanced around anxiously, yet saw nothing.

President Lyi, vigilant and alert, rose from the pool of molten earth. His skeletal frame was swiftly encased in layers of iron. His eyes, devoid of human sentiment, whirled about in search of something.

"A star is nearing at high velocity, containing black gold ore..."

Despite the distance preventing President Lyi from sensing the presences of Chaos Roc, Youyu, and Yu Yuan, he was aware of the black gold mine within the swiftly approaching star.

His judgments of people and objects were often based on the gold metal items they carried—

Not on the individuals themselves.

Slash!

The sound of flesh being torn echoed from the bodies of the Fire Lizard Tribe and Crypt Clan members.

A pale red shadow, as if wielding a shield in one hand and a curved blade in the other, gracefully unleashed a dazzling arc of light, swiftly dispatching the allied races dependent on Yinn Tiehua with a mere cough.

The multicolored radiance of the curved blade flickered in midair, at times blazing brightly, at others vanishing into nothingness, as it surged towards Yinn Tiehua and President Lyi.

In their eyes, the myriad blade lights appeared to dance gracefully through the air.

As the razor-sharp blade light struck, it was undetectable, vanishing in an instant from their sight, eluding their soul's perception and the awareness of their life force. Then, just as suddenly, it would reappear.

The vanishing and reemergence of the blade light happened over and over, each time drawing perilously closer to their necks, hearts, and brains—their most vulnerable points.

They were powerless to capture it, defenseless against it, uncertain whether the next reappearance of the blade light would be their last.

"Full protection!"

Yinn Tiehua acted decisively, stamping her foot. Instantly, the countless Spiritual Array Diagrams etched into the ground transformed into a web of interlocking blankets, enveloping the confined space around her.

Clutching her iron crutch, Yinn Tiehua vanished from sight, the Spiritual Array Diagrams becoming her impenetrable fortress.

Clang! Crack!

Simultaneously, President Lyi's body, as sturdy as forged steel, was ablaze with Geocentric Fire.

Thousands of brilliant blade lights descended upon him like a torrential downpour, as if invisible, fierce cultivators were relentlessly attacking him with divine weapons, intent on hacking him to pieces.

Sparks flew from President Lyi's body, the Matrix Diagrams etched into his bone and iron-like flesh coming to life.

Particles of gold, silver, and copper sand mingled like flowing blood, infusing his sinews and skin with energy.

Wielding the shell of the heart clam beast, the Void Divine King employed his secret arts and arcane techniques, leaving a multitude of dense cuts on President Lyi's body. Yet, not a single bone was severed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The surrounding yellow sand surged like an overflowing river, the bright, silver torrent roaring as it scattered the dust, revealing the land that had been shrouded in mist.

High above, Yu Yuan stood on the Dragon Slash Platform, surveying the land now clear of the sandstorm. He saw the sky filled with lightning-fast blade lights, a deluge that engulfed both President Lyi and Yinn Tiehua.

Without a closer look, he knew the Void Divine King's manipulation had produced countless sword lights and blade shadows, seemingly omnipresent.

And yet, despite their vast numbers, these sword lights and blade shadows could vanish and reappear at will, eluding capture.

If it weren't for the Life Altar within him resonating with his Yang God, he wouldn't have been able to track the movements of the Void Divine King.

Yu Yuan suddenly turned his gaze to the Chaos Roc.

The Chaos Roc, which had previously sunk into the deep sea, had resumed its human form upon realizing that the Void Divine King was nearing his target.

The Chaos Roc was intently observing the land, witnessing the Void Divine King's assault on President Lyi and Yinn Tiehua, its face quivering slightly.

"What's your take?" Yu Yuan asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"What do you mean?" retorted the Chaos Roc with a huff.

"If the Void Divine King were attacking you instead of President Lyi and Yinn Tiehua, would you be feeling the pressure?" Yu Yuan quirked an eyebrow.

Despite being a Starry Behemoth and having regained its strength by consuming the heart clam beast, the Chaos Roc's form was likely still inferior to President Lyi's.

In its aqua-hued fish form, facing the myriad slashing blades, it would probably be torn to shreds in an instant.

Its scales had gaps, and the Void Divine King could deftly maneuver the blades to pierce through, making it nearly impossible for the Chaos Roc to defend itself.

Moreover, locating the Void Divine King's presence was a challenge in itself.

"Had I been prepared, I would have established a Water Foreign Domain first. Within my realm, I could discern the paths and trajectories of those blades," the Chaos Roc mused seriously. "With prior preparation, I could avoid much of the trouble and not be caught off guard."

"But the Void Divine King's specialty is the ambush. If he catches me unawares with a sudden strike..."

"I'd be wounded instantly, and the injuries would be severe."

The Chaos Roc spoke candidly, not pretending it could effortlessly evade such an attack.

"An injury is just that, but if I withstand the initial onslaught and manage to set up the Water Foreign Domain, I can shift from defense to offense. Once I've pinpointed him in my domain and he fails to escape promptly, we'll be in for an open and fair fight, and he won't have the upper hand anymore."

"And what if he launches a sneak attack followed by a fully charged Tianqi?" Yu Yuan inquired, still smiling.

The Chaos Roc fell silent abruptly.

"I'll go over."

Youyu, who had been listening, spoke up during the silence, "President Lyi now resembles the Golden Dragon God of old. Merely attacking with the divine weapon's edge won't breach his gold metal body."

"His soul must be extinguished first."

Whoosh!

Youyu transformed into a streak of gray-white light and vanished in an instant.

Xuanli hesitated briefly before deciding to remain where he was. "This isn't my fight; I'm merely an observer. You wouldn't mind that, would you?"

Knowing he hadn't ascended to a higher rank, he was well aware that he stood no chance against the likes of President Lyi, Youyu, the Chaos Roc, Yu Yuan, or the Chaos Roc.

He couldn't partake in a battle of such magnitude, not at his current level, and certainly not after sustaining a serious injury.

Boom!

The Chaos Roc, which had been navigating the stars for a long time, came to an abrupt halt.

"Void Divine King, Yu Yuan."

On the ochre land, as President Lyi was being cleaved by the light of the blade, his eyes shone with a metallic, icy gleam. He looked up at Yu Yuan, who stood amidst the stars.

He knew the moment the first blade light vanished into thin air that the assailant was the Void Divine King.

He had shown him a clear path, enabling him to assimilate Alonso's flesh and blood and advance in a manner akin to other races.

Regrettably, the path laid out by the Divine Soul Sect and the Void Divine King was still insufficient for him.

It wasn't enough to ascend to the ultimate realm using the Metal Dao, to stand against Loong Jie, or to vanquish beings like the Asura King Sabonis.

—Thus, he made his current choice.

When he decided, he knew he'd positioned himself against the Divine Soul Sect, the Void Divine King, and Yu Yuan. He just hadn't anticipated the Void Divine King's swift and decisive action.

—Launching an assault on him directly.

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