C1661 Surround and Annihilate President Lyi
When President Lyi caught sight of Yu Yuan, he couldn't help but notice the Abyssal Leviathan as well. The grayish-white streak of light that Youyu had conjured caught his attention between them. Deep within that light, there was an unsettling aura that disturbed his soul. He was taken aback for a moment but quickly sensed trouble.
Yu Yuan, the Abyssal Leviathan, Taixu, and... the God of Ghosts Youyu!
He hadn't anticipated that Taixu's ambush was merely a prelude, nor had he expected Boulderdawn to possess the capability to enlist both Youyu and the Abyssal Leviathan in their attack.
"I'll be leaving first."
With a whoosh, President Lyi, standing amidst the fiery maelstrom, hurled himself through the barrage of lightning blades. Disregarding Yin Tiehua's fate, he propelled himself like a piercing human spear straight toward the heavens.
Taixu's surprise attack and the might of Yu Yuan and the Abyssal Leviathan didn't faze him, but Youyu was a different story. His fear of the God of Ghosts was profound.
He understood that Youyu, a spokesperson for the Root of the Lunar Meridian and a master of Mind Magic, wouldn't waste time on his Sunsilver Body. Instead, Youyu would target his soul, seeking to shatter it before breaking his body. The golden dragon of old had met its end at the hands of the Taiyin God-King in just such a manner, its soul extinguished before its body could be transmuted into metal.
He feared a similar fate for his soul, a devastating blow that could leave his Sunsilver Body vulnerable.
"Why are you in such a rush to leave?"
As Taixu's calm voice echoed, a vast shell spanning millions of acres materialized out of thin air, hovering in the sky. Positioned directly above President Lyi, who was soaring upward, it loomed like an immense shield.
The shell, left behind by the deceased Mirage of the Mind and now consecrated by Taixu, glimmered with radiant starlight, as if adorned with a constellation. On its surface, a fantastical and enchanting microcosm seemed to emerge, teeming with tiny, bustling life forms.
With a resounding crack, President Lyi, like a spear in human form, managed to pierce through the colossal shell.
Countless tiny lives on the shell instantly transformed into numerous specks of blood before coalescing into the youthful form of Taixu.
"I anticipated this, which is why I specifically refined this shell. And it just so happens that this shell isn't made of Sunsilver."
The youthful Taixu radiated vitality and ambition, seemingly fearless in the face of any formidable adversary.
He coldly regarded President Lyi, whose head had been bashed by the shell and neck caught within its grasp, and said, "We've always given you opportunities. We merely wanted you to wait a bit longer. You were too impatient, wanting far too much."
Boom!
The shell, as if it had become another piece of land, suddenly plummeted and pressed down with immense force.
It was as if the weight of countless mountains bore down on President Lyi, sending him plummeting like a meteor toward the yellow-brown earth.
Puff!
The continent, crafted by Yin Tiehua, was pierced as easily as tofu when President Lyi crashed down.
Unable to ascend, President Lyi opted to burrow through the earth, seeking escape below.
He effortlessly pierced through the thick crust of the land.
Crack!
The same eerie noise echoed, and the same scenario unfolded.
President Lyi, like a human spear, impaled another massive shell, only to find himself trapped once more.
The refined and elegant Taixu, now the God-King, materialized on another shell and declared, "Neither the heavens nor the earth offer you passage."
With a resounding boom, President Lyi, who had penetrated the shell, was forcibly pressed back beneath the earth's surface.
"I may not be able to shatter your Sunsilver Body, but I can ensure you remain trapped."
The two Taixus, one atop the shell in the heavens and the other within the shell below, spoke in unison.
The yellow-brown earth, now bearing two gaping holes from President Lyi's efforts, mirrored the pierced shell of the Mirage of the Mind. When President Lyi reemerged, he found himself once again beside Yin Tiehua.
At that moment, the ashen-white radiance conjured by Youyu also manifested across the land.
"Remarkably powerful, nearly rivaling the edge of the golden dragon god," the Abyssal Leviathan remarked with a hint of admiration. It cast a sidelong glance at the ground beneath Yu Yuan's feet, where the keen edge of the Dragon Slaying Stage lay, and suggested, "If Youyu fails to inflict a grave wound upon his soul, perhaps you could penetrate President Lyi's Sunsilver Body with the metal tip of the Dragon Slaying Stage."
"Right now, you should be fine, but I can't say for certain about the future."
He offered his advice loyally.
Yu Yuan nodded thoughtfully, his mind flashing back to the moment under the Defiled World and above the Seven-Colored Lake when Rovi suffered the Chronospatial Lock. It was then that Yu Yuan had thrust the tip of the Dragon Slaying Stage's metal into Rovi's heart.
The edge of the golden dragon god could pierce through any barrier or hardness in the world, making the stars and the earth seem as delicate as paper.
President Lyi, standing before him, had not yet reached the level of being impervious to all edges. It should not be difficult for Yu Yuan to penetrate President Lyi with the metal of the Dragon Slaying Stage.
"There's no need."
Youyu, standing upon the land, offered his response upon hearing the exchange between Yu Yuan and the Abyssal Leviathan.
"Soul Silence."
In Youyu's grayish-white eyes, fine streams interwove, giving rise to a form of Mind Magic.
Shhh!
A gray wraith emerged at President Lyi's brow, transforming into a murky river of souls that invaded his mind.
Inside his mind, the soul thread Youyu had previously laid became a false President Lyi, twisting his mental will and causing a momentary befuddlement.
For a brief second, President Lyi was shocked to feel as if his soul had split.
Once he realized something was amiss, he knew his Sea of Souls had failed to erect a timely defense, allowing Youyu's invasion to succeed.
A turbid river now flowed in his mind, filled with the wails of countless tormented souls.
Before, when he had ventured into the Mindscape, he had seen the souls of the Otherkin and the lingering thoughts of alien beasts, all swirling within that murky river.
A colossal rotting spirit bird, with wings reeking of decay, burst forth from the river, clawing at his soul.
Warriors from the Silverscale Tribe, transformed into vengeful ghosts, lunged at him.
Enchantresses and a host of demons, in the guise of soul spirits, emerged from the murky river, wreaking havoc in his mental world.
President Lyi was suddenly gripped by an excruciating headache.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The arcane circles etched onto his skull and neck flared to life, casting a greenish glow. They transformed into ethereal lightning, burrowing into his eyes, nose, and ears.
After Youyu refined the consciousnesses of the warriors from various tribes and the alien beasts within the Mindscape, along with the murky river, they were obliterated by lightning.
President Lyi's spiritual wisdom was instantly restored.
"Yin Tiehua."
Youyu, having failed in his attempt to kill Yin Tiehua, watched with a hint of coldness as Taixu descended slowly, stepping on a seashell. "Why did you hold back? Given Yin Tiehua's level and combat prowess, he shouldn't have survived your assault."
"Yin Tiehua is a talented individual that our Boulderdawn needs. We have brought her to the extraterrestrial realms," Taixu explained, coming to a halt.
The myriad blades that had been slashing towards Yin Tiehua vanished abruptly, revealing Yin Tiehua, who had been obscured by a web-like pattern.
"Her name is Yin Xueqi, and she hails from the Artifact Sect. An elder from the Artifact Sect deliberately taught her your forging techniques. Yin Tiehua, your approach to forging was only unacknowledged by Han Miaoyuan and the others in the past, leading them to brand you a heretic. The times have changed; we are ready to embrace you and your forging arts."
Taixu God-King looked earnestly at Yin Tiehua as all attacks against her ceased.
Wrapped in the magic diagram, Yin Tiehua's face was a mask of skepticism, uncertain whether to trust these words.
"Yin Xueqi?" Yu Yuan, arriving on the Dragon Slaying Stage, hovered alongside Taixu and asked with astonishment, "Is that Yin Xueqi, or her descendant?"
"Yes."
Taixu nodded and continued to persuade Yin Tiehua, "Whatever President Lyi can offer you, we at Boulderdawn can match. With your exceptional forging skills, you shouldn't confine yourself to the Ashlands indefinitely. With President Lyi's return to the Everlands in his current state, both we and Han Miaoyuan's forces will intercept him."
"Staying by his side offers no future or hope, only certain death."
Taixu's restraint was an attempt to recruit Yin Tiehua, hoping to utilize her forging expertise to craft more suitable tools for the powerhouses of Boulderdawn.
Yet, if President Lyi were to survive and successfully transform into a humanoid Divine Artifact, he would command the use of all tools under the heavens.
This Way of Heaven was exceedingly harsh, and every living creature would hinder his ascent to the summit.
...
