C1828 Please Teach Me!
Lin Daoke's disdain was not directed at Yu Yuan the person, but rather at his level and combat prowess.
In fact, Yu Yuan was the only member of Boulderdawn who Lin Daoke viewed favorably.
Yu Yuan had not only received the legacy of Nie Qingtian's swordsmanship, but due to his past life as Hong Qi, he also shared a romantic connection with Ji Ningshuang, who was the perfect match for Lin Daoke's temperament.
Before Yu Yuan's involvement with Boulderdawn, the Sword Sect had looked after him and had been keen to recruit him into their ranks.
Lin Daoke was unaware of the events that had transpired in the Ashlands and the Dark Star Region. He had only heard snippets about Yu Yuan's astonishing feats in the Everlands from others.
He couldn't believe that Yu Yuan, who hadn't ascended to the highest echelon nor claimed a Divine Throne, could truly harness such formidable power from a Divine Artifact.
"You're too weak."
With that, he shook his head serenely, his face conveying his reluctance to engage in battle with Yu Yuan, "Choose someone else. Taishi, or... this big fellow, or perhaps all three of you God-Kings together."
The 'big fellow' he referred to was God-King Tianqi.
"Heh."
Abyssal Leviathan chuckled with a look of amusement, slapping his thigh in laughter: "Lin Daoke, you've been out of the loop for far too long. You're completely oblivious to the shifts in the Star River!"
Lin Daoke regarded him with a placid gaze.
The mocking laughter of Abyssal Leviathan came to an abrupt halt, and he added awkwardly, "In the Dark Star Region, Yu Yuan has already clashed with your Everlands' Dark Phoenix. Yu Yuan didn't lose that battle. You might want to weigh that."
The revelation left everyone, whether visitors from the Everlands or the Otherkin from beyond, utterly astounded.
He had battled the mighty Dark Phoenix and... had not been defeated?
Jun Chen, Tan Junshan, Sky Fiend Youqian, Rebecca, and even Leo, Beru, and numerous Stoneborn and Shadowkin warriors were left speechless by Abyssal Leviathan's statement.
The purple phoenix of the Everlands was deemed the strongest being in the world.
Yet here was this rising star from Boulderdawn, without even a Divine Throne to his name, who had managed to stand his ground against the supreme Dark Phoenix in the Dark Star Region.
He simply wasn't up to the mark!
Had anyone other than the renowned Abyssal Leviathan made such a statement, it would have been met with disbelief.
Yet, the Abyssal Leviathan was none other than a Cosmic Giant Beast!
"Is that so?"
Lin Daoke, a man with a lifelong passion for battle, seemed to have an infinite zeal ignited within him by the Abyssal Leviathan's declaration.
Within the sea of his consciousness, his Divine Sword, forged from his own divine status, unleashed a sword's will so powerful that it warped and collapsed the surrounding space.
To those perceiving him, Lin Daoke had become one with the fearsome Divine Sword. The sword light coursing through his body was poised and ready to strike.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The Otherkin nearby, figures like Tan Junshan and the Everlands Great Cultivator, wisely transformed into rainbows and retreated.
Grand Sword Immortals such as Van Heqing, Yue Mu, and Su Qingmo, upon witnessing the Sect Master's explosive will to fight, cast a sympathetic glance at Yu Yuan.
With Nie Qingtian on friendly terms with Ji Ningshuang, the Grand Sword Immortals, who had always looked favorably upon Yu Yuan, braced themselves for trouble.
"Stay away from me."
Yu Yuan didn't respond to Lin Daoke's challenge but instead gestured dismissively at Taishi and Tianqi, then pointed to the central group of Grand Sword Immortals, saying, "You as well."
A blood-colored wraith abruptly materialized among the Grand Sword Immortals.
The God-King Taixu!
The faces of Yue Mu, Van Heqing, and the other Unbound Grand Sword Immortals contorted with dread as they noticed a single drop of blood on their necks and chests only after the wraith's appearance.
Within that drop of blood lurked another phantom of Taixu, poised for an ambush.
Tianqi hadn't exaggerated. If Lin Daoke were to launch another attack, the blood drops that had mysteriously formed on their necks and chests would transform into the God-King Taixu, intent on their demise.
Taixu's return heralded not a solitary death.
It was likely to be their collective end!
Now possessing the physique of a Demon God and having amassed sufficient power in the Ashlands, Taixu was potentially capable of assassinating peers or even those of higher standing.
If their target was someone like them, who had not claimed a divine throne, it would be a certain death with a single strike!
"Alright."
With a hint of reluctance, Taixu retracted the droplets of lifeblood that had been scattered over their critical points. The stars shimmered, and alongside Tianqi, he landed on the bronze coffin where Taishi stood.
The three God-Kings were surprisingly compliant, withdrawing from the battlefield and leaving Lin Daoke in the care of Yu Yuan.
"Back off some more."
Yu Yuan, gripping the elongated Dragon Slaying Stage, traced a ring of radiant light in the celestial expanse with its sharp end.
The Dragon Slaying Stage, typically seen in only white, multicolored, or golden hues, suddenly flared into a deep red.
It resembled a red crystal!
Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, now akin to a red crystal, fine threads of blood-colored lightning wove together, each strand seemingly etched with the esoteric truths of various creatures' bloodlines.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The circular ribbon of light was bathed in the blood-colored glow, transforming into what appeared to be a vast sea of blood within the Annihilation Nebula.
The Abyssal Leviathan's enormous eyes fixated on the crimson sea, retreating in silence.
The Lizard's colossal heart throbbed irregularly at the sight of the enigmatic Dragon Slaying Stage. After a brief silence, he remarked, "It seems Zhong Chichen wasn't bluffing."
The Abyssal Greater Basilisk had come to believe the news Zhong Chichen brought from the Dark Star, convinced that Yu Yuan had indeed engulfed the Bloody River and engaged in a fierce battle with the Dark Phoenix!
Indeed, Yu Yuan, wielding the Dragon Slaying Stage infused with the profound mysteries of bloodlines and the Secrets of Life, was truly worthy!
"That enigmatic sea of blood!"
"My heart! The bloodline chain branded within me!"
"What's happening? Why do I feel an overwhelming sense of fear just by looking at that red crystal?"
"It's not fear I feel; I want to revere it, and Yu Yuan who holds it!"
"..."
Regardless of their rank, any Otherkin with flesh and blood became incoherent in the presence of Yu Yuan at that moment.
The sole exception was the distant Sky Fiend.
All the living creatures, including the Cosmic Giant Beast, were stirred by the Dragon Slaying Stage in Yu Yuan's grasp and the blood-colored ribbon he brandished.
The Wraithlands influence the souls of the Otherkin. Neither the Cosmic Giant Beast nor the Sky Fiend is affected by the human primordial spirit.
Currently, the power of the Secrets of Life, which is being harnessed through the Primal Blood, has alerted all entities with flesh and blood, except for the Sky Fiend.
Yu Yuan pondered for a while and gradually began to understand.
The heavens within the Dragon Slaying Stage had transformed into the barrier of the Primal Blood Continent, with numerous enigmatic blood patterns emerging amidst the spatial ripples.
Far away in the Dark Star, Yu Yuan, seated at the core of the Primal Blood Continent, became a beacon of blood-red light.
His vast vital energy, channeled through the connection between his Solar Spirit and the Dragon Slaying Stage, spanned the immense distances of the Star River, reaching the heavens of the Stage.
Clusters of blood-red vortexes formed, resembling the energy-spewing spatial vortexes near Tyria in the Ashlands.
The distinction, however, was that the blood-red vortexes above the Dragon Slaying Stage surged solely with the vital energy from Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit.
It was at this moment that Yu Yuan clearly recognized the truth in Taishi's words.
Since the breakthrough of his Solar Spirit, reaching its current pinnacle, the most fitting instrument for him was indeed the all-powerful Dragon Slaying Stage, followed by the Baneblade and Bloodhell.
The Titanblade, with its constrained transmission of vital energy, was no longer his weapon of choice, unable to manifest his full strength.
Boom!
With a thought from Yu Yuan, a circle of crimson light expanded, infusing the central ribbon and completely obscuring a section of the Star River.
He and Lin Daoke found themselves abruptly isolated from the Annihilation Nebula, transported to an entirely different realm.
Slash!
Ribbons of blood-colored light danced through the void, morphing with Yu Yuan's will into figures of lore—be it a Dark Deity of the Everlands, a renowned alien beast of the heavens, or peak warriors from various races.
"Mr. Lin."
Yu Yuan, still wielding the Dragon Slaying Stage and having transformed the space into his domain of blood, greeted the Sword Sect Master with a respectful gesture.
Lin Daoke's eyes sparkled as he nodded in acknowledgment, "It seems the Abyssal Leviathan wasn't spouting nonsense after all."
"Please, teach me!"
Yu Yuan flashed a wide grin, spreading his soul and vital energy, feeling the intricate weave of countless bloodline rules. With a casual flick of his empty hand, he crafted an array of fresh blood magic circles.
He and the Dark Phoenix had gleaned numerous arcane secrets and mystical arts from their clash in the Dark Star realm. These insights, once pondered and assimilated by the Solar Spirit, were now bestowed upon his true form.
As the Dark Phoenix delved into the Secrets of Life, Yu Yuan reaped immense benefits, which he now employed in his battle with Lin Daoke.
A resplendent Divine Sword was gradually drawn from Lin Daoke's brow. Crafted from the Divine Throne's essence, the sword's presence alone suffused the bloody world with its will as it hovered an inch from his forehead.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
The magic circles, spun from the fabric of bloodline rules, began to disintegrate cluster by cluster. The radiant red crystals shattered under the relentless assault of the sword's will.
With a resounding crack, the expansive bloody Otherworld was etched with deep sword scars.
To the onlookers outside, the blood-colored domain that Yu Yuan had conjured was fringed with brilliant sword light, threatening to shred the realm from within. Yet, the sword had not even fully left Lin Daoke's forehead.
"It's my turn to strike first."
Inside the altered scene, as Lin Daoke withdrew the sword, the Dragon Slaying Stage transformed into a gleaming golden Divine Sword, the blood hue abruptly vanishing.
In an instant, three thousand beams of golden sword light overwhelmed Lin Daoke.
Each beam, guided by Yu Yuan's remnant soul, formed an array, evolving into myriad esoteric sword techniques. They traced the paths of the sword, channeling the wisdom of Sword Immortals from ages past into a spherical form.
The Heaven-Opening Sword Array.
"Good."
Lin Daoke squinted, adopting a defensive stance with his Divine Sword, allowing Yu Yuan's strike to fully materialize into a globe of sword light that descended upon him.
The Heaven-Opening Sword Array swiftly contracted, the multitude of sword lights drawing inward.
The massive orb, flickering with divine sparks and flashes, shrank until it was just enough to envelop Lin Daoke.
Lin Daoke, poised in defense, finally swung his sword amidst the orb of sword light.
A beam of sword light, indescribable and reminiscent of the first glimmer in a dark and chaotic universe, burst forth from the sphere formed by three thousand sword lights.
This radiance eclipsed all else, overpowering the three thousand beams of sword light, overshadowing every swordsmanship mantra known to the world.
Boom!
As if a planet forged from myriad sword lights, it was obliterated by that single stroke. Yu Yuan's three thousand sword's will and remnant soul dissipated into ephemeral wisps.
The shattered orb of sword light peppered the bloody world with millions of gaping holes, leaving the realm in tatters.
