C1739 Even Though He Was Defeated He Was Still Proud!

What happened?

Confusion reigned as everyone searched the area, but there was no sign of Loong Jie and Zhong Chichen.

Lin Daoke, the master of the Sword Sect, had lost his Divine Transcendence. Now in his usual green attire, he hovered in midair, frowning slightly as if deep in thought.

At that moment, Lin Daoke was disheveled, his face smeared with golden, silver, and black dust—residue from the Sunsilver essence that comprised Loong Jie's Ultimate Golden Body and the source of his formidable power.

The dust on Lin Daoke suggested that his sword strike had been effective.

But what had become of Loong Jie?

Was he gravely injured, or worse, dead?

The situation was baffling; when Lin Daoke's radiant sword light had struck at the heart of Loong Jie's abdomen, everyone was deprived of their senses.

Blind, numb, scentless, and deaf to the world around them.

This eerie sensory deprivation persisted for some time, and upon regaining their senses, they found themselves in the current state of affairs.

Swoosh!

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Daoke's sword had already returned to his Mindscape. With empty hands, he descended once more before the devastated Ionodios, taking a seat in front of the Starway.

Those who had just survived a cataclysm in Ionodios watched him in stunned silence.

The wall had been breached, allowing extraterrestrial cosmic energy to flood in. The land, mended by Taishi, was now marred with cracks and gorges, some oozing dark liquid.

Palaces of exotic architecture lay mostly in ruins.

Ionodios was a shambles, its former glory seemingly obliterated by Loong Jie's claw and his metal magic.

"Those of lesser strength should take refuge in the starship for now, to prevent the corrupt cosmic energy from permeating their flesh and transforming them into Warpbeasts," Taixu instructed quietly.

Hei Xun and Jiang Miaojie nodded in agreement, glancing at Lin Daoke as they set to work.

"Sect Master?"

Yue Mu, having stood in the outer space of Ionodios for a long while without finding any trace of Loong Jie and Zhong Chichen, finally descended in resignation.

Scratching his head, he was nearly driven mad by his curiosity. "Is Loong Jie dead?" he inquired.

Lin Daoke shook his head, responding with equanimity, "I didn't pierce his dragon heart."

"Was he gravely injured?" Yue Mu pressed on.

"No," Lin Daoke shook his head once more.

Upon hearing this, Yue Mu, Van Heqing, Su Qingmo, and the other Grand Sword Immortals grew solemn, a newfound respect for Loong Jie emerging within them. To have survived a blow from their Sect Master without death or serious injury was a feat that commanded awe from all beings under the heavens!

"His Ultimate Golden Body is not yet fully developed. Give it some time, and I might not be able to wound him at all," Lin Daoke admitted candidly, without any pretense of deception. "For now, a few more strikes, targeting the sword wound beneath his abdomen, could breach his Golden Body."

"Had Zhong Chichen not arrived, he wouldn't have escaped and would have perished here. But now, I'm not so sure," Lin Daoke confessed the truth.

Loong Jie, with his nascent Ultimate Golden Body, was no match for him. With successive strikes, Loong Jie would have inevitably met his end here. Yet, a single sword strike could only leave a sword wound on Loong Jie's body. It would take several more slashes to deepen the wound enough for the sword light to penetrate Loong Jie's dragon heart.

Without Zhong Chichen's intervention, Loong Jie, in his current state, would have had no chance of escape and would have surely died in the Annihilation Nebula. But once Loong Jie's Ultimate Golden Body was complete, achieving the same Great Perfection as his ancestors, Lin Daoke's sword might not even scratch Loong Jie's flesh. At that point, Loong Jie would become an unsolvable problem for him.

"Loong Jie!"

"A tenth-level golden dragon god!"

Hidden observers like Brie, Rebecca, and the Starborn powerhouses didn't belittle the golden dragon despite Loong Jie's departure with Zhong Chichen. Instead, they finally acknowledged the formidable might of the golden dragon god.

Outside the Everlands, Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, his expression growing significantly graver.

The sword wielded by Lin Daoke was unexpectedly fierce, piercing through Loong Jie's golden scales and leaving a profound gash in his abdomen.

As the radiant sword light made contact with Loong Jie's belly, Yu Yuan, gazing at the river scene from across the vast expanse of the Infinite Galaxy, saw nothing—the image had vanished.

The Lunar Meridian's reflection of that world and the surveillance of the situation were obscured by Lin Daoke's blade.

Yu Yuan even sensed that at the instant the sword touched Loong Jie's abdomen, the perceptions of all intelligent life within the Annihilation Nebula, covertly observing the conflict, were warped, leaving them unable to sense anything at all.

This included Loong Jie.

Loong Jie might not have comprehended what transpired; as the sword struck the sturdiest part of his abdomen, he felt no pain.

Blind, numb, unable to smell or hear, he had no chance to evade.

Loong Jie could only bear the assault passively.

By the time Loong Jie registered the sensation, the sword had already carved a deep scar into his flesh.

Lin Daoke was poised to strike again, potentially driving the wound deeper, reaching Loong Jie's heart before any effective defense could be mounted.

However, Zhong Chichen's intervention meant that Loong Jie faced only the initial strike, sparing him from subsequent blows.

"The Ebon Star's swordplay is strikingly beautiful. Mr. Lin's sword, though unadorned, is without equal," Qin Luo remarked, glancing at Yu Yuan. He was moved by the memory of Yu Yuan's "Heaven-Opening Sword Array" and Lin Daoke's prior attack, shaking his head in admiration. "The Sword Sect truly commands respect!"

"It's unbelievable, just unbelievable..." Han Miaoyuan murmured to himself.

His face was etched with the same gravity as Youyu and Yu Yuan, yet the reasons for their solemnity differed.

Youyu and Yu Yuan were astounded by the sheer terror of Lin Daoke's swordsmanship, never anticipating that even Loong Jie, with his nascent Ultimate Golden Body, would falter under Lin Daoke's sword light.

Throughout history, the title of the mightiest Sword Immortal, rightfully bestowed upon Lin Daoke, has never been in question.

Han Miaoyuan's grave expression stemmed from the fact that Loong Jie was not only alive but had sustained merely a sword wound in his abdomen, far from a critical injury. How much time had passed since Loong Jie ascended to the status of Dragon God? Lin Daoke himself conceded that, given sufficient time, once Loong Jie achieved Great Perfection of the Ultimate Golden Body, he might not be capable of inflicting even a sword hole upon him.

When the time comes, who among the humans of the Everlands could contend with Loong Jie? Could Youyu, the God of Ghosts, be the one? Han Miaoyuan's gaze drifted towards Youyu, and he couldn't help but draw comparisons with the God-King Taiyin of yore.

It was not to be. Han Miaoyuan inwardly shook his head, realizing that Youyu, still bound by the Root of the Lunar Meridian, was not yet on par with the God-King Taiyin.

"What's your opinion?" Youyu inquired, turning to Yu Yuan with a sudden question.

"What exactly do you mean?" Yu Yuan responded, caught off guard.

"Lin Daoke, is there anyone in your Boulderdawn who can surpass him?" Youyu asked bluntly, his head bowed slightly as if in communion with the Root of the Lunar Meridian, seeking its insight.

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed. Among the known God-Kings, only the Soul-Capturing God-King, who resided in the Boulderdawn's extraterrestrial headquarters and had been personally invited by Taishi, was a complete enigma to him.

Currently, not Taishi, Taixu, nor Tianqi could individually match Lin Daoke's combat prowess. But what about the enigmatic Soul-Capturing?

Suddenly, the river of Yin Qi around Youyu churned violently, as if an alien presence had infiltrated from a distant corner of the cosmos. The gray-white lightning flashing in Youyu's eyes appeared to be forged from countless particles of Shadow Moon Essence. This river, connected to the soul and part of the Lunar Meridian, was now under siege from an outside force.

The Lunar Meridian seemed to be on the brink of collapse!

"Handle Han Miaoyuan yourself; I'll take care of Lin Daoke. As for Wei Zhuo, I've located him beyond the stars. His essence is crucial to me. Although my primordial spirit has formed in the extraterrestrial realm, it lacks the bolstering power of the Everlands."

"With an essence from the Everlands, my primordial spirit will be armored, providing me with the confidence to engage Lin Daoke in battle without hesitation."

This voice emerged from the stream of Yin Qi beneath Youyu.

"..."