C1832 I Am also the Same!

"Shatterblade" Van Heqing and "Rillrender" Yue Mu, two Grand Sword Immortals, had long-standing ties with Yu Yuan. Upon realizing that their sect master's spiritual energy was depleted and he might never again cast a sword spell that could shake the heavens and the earth, they looked at Yu Yuan with earnest, pleading eyes. Their fear was that Yu Yuan might heed the deceitful words of the Abyssal Leviathan and seize the chance to strike down Lin Daoke.

"Hehe!" The Abyssal Leviathan cackled with a mocking glee, eager for chaos, and bellowed, "Yu Yuan, just say the word, and the old Lizard and I will lend you our strength!" Hearing this, the Unbound Grand Sword Immortals shot furious glances at the Abyssal Leviathan, silently vowing to settle the score with this creature once they ascended to the Unbound realm.

Lin Daoke's frown deepened. "If our Boulderdawn is to assert dominance in the vast Everlands, eliminating Lin Daoke is essential." Youqian, who had narrowly escaped death by Lin Daoke's blade thanks to the Tears of the Azurefiend, boldly proclaimed, "With Lin Daoke gone, Han Miaoyuan will have no one to rely on! His prestige, along with that of the Sword Sect, will crumble!"

"Though it may be somewhat dishonorable, taking out Lin Daoke would indeed benefit Boulderdawn," Tan Junshan chimed in, stoking the flames.

"Great Taishi!" Rebecca, an enchantress of the evilkind, whose elder had fallen to Lin Daoke, also raised her voice in persuasion.

From a distance, the Great Sage Beru of the Starborn, the Stoneborn warriors, and the Shadowkin powerhouses edged closer, all trying to sway Yu Yuan and Taishi. They were all terrified of Lin Daoke, awestruck by his unparalleled swordsmanship, and wished for his downfall. With Lin Daoke's demise, the coalition Han Miaoyuan had forged would surely collapse. Then, whatever principles or policies Boulderdawn wished to implement would face far fewer obstacles.

"Mr. Lin," Yu Yuan, presiding over the Dragon Slaying Stage, moved closer to Lin Daoke once more, under the watchful gaze of the crowd. Grand Sword Immortals Su Qingmo and Xue Jiu, witnessing his approach, glared icily, ready to encircle Lin Daoke and protect him.

Lu Hongpeng clenched his jaw, resolute in his decision to make Yu Yuan suffer, even if it meant mutual destruction.

"Why are you all so anxious?"

The Dragon Slaying Stage came to an abrupt halt. Yu Yuan, with a smirk, gestured for them to back away.

"Step aside."

Lin Daoke commanded in a steely tone.

Upon his command, Lu Hongpeng, Su Qingmo, and Xue Jiu, who were apprehensive, obediently stepped aside.

Yu Yuan advanced a few more steps, treading on the now luminescent white Dragon Slaying Stage, and came to a stop before Lin Daoke. With a radiant smile, he asked, "Mr. Lin, would you do me the honor of stepping onto the Dragon Slaying Stage?"

The crowd was visibly taken aback.

Lin Daoke paused, but after a brief hesitation, he complied with Yu Yuan's request and stepped onto the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Whoosh!

The instant his feet touched the Dragon Slaying Stage, he seemed to dissolve into it, as if merging with the sea.

"Yu Yuan!"

"How dare you confine our Sect Master!"

Lu Hongpeng, Xue Jiu, and the others erupted in anger. Yue Mu and Van Heqing were equally alarmed, fixing their gaze on Yu Yuan, expecting an explanation.

"This man is incredibly sly!"

"The Dragon Slaying Stage is the burial ground of the Dragon Gods! He feigned a ceasefire, only to deliberately entice Lin Daoke to the Dragon Slaying Stage. His actions are despicable!"

"This kid is merciless!"

As Lin Daoke vanished from the Dragon Slaying Stage, many extraterrestrial Otherkin warriors began to clamor.

They assumed that Yu Yuan's intent was not to slay Lin Daoke but to use the peculiar powers of the Dragon Slaying Stage to imprison the most formidable Grand Sword Immortal in history.

And for what purpose?

It was none other than Lin Daoke's unparalleled swordsmanship.

"Heh!"

With a soft chuckle, Yu Yuan's real body vanished from the Dragon Slaying Stage just like Lin Daoke.

Most onlookers believed that as the ruler of the Dragon Slaying Stage, he must have entered its inner realm, planning to take control of Lin Daoke when his sword energy was depleted.

"Taishi?"

Tianqi, towering like a mountain, and the refined Taixu both turned to Taishi, their faces marked with question marks, seeking answers.

Taishi spoke with a serene detachment, "In essence, Youyu and Lin Daoke are cut from the same cloth. Of course, Lin Daoke is more extreme and fanatical. From my perspective, the path he has chosen is just another form of heresy. Hehe, he has devoted his life to mastering swordsmanship and has indeed achieved the pinnacle of this art..."

"But what joy and meaning can be found in such a life?"

Taishi shook his head, a wistful sigh escaping him. Without offering an explanation, both Tianqi and Taixu seemed to intuitively grasp the answer.

...

Within the Dragon Slaying Stage.

The crimson hue of the sky began to recede, and the infinite expanse of vital energy, laced with streaks of scarlet lightning-like bloodline mysteries, flowed toward Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit on the distant Primal Blood Continent.

His Solar Spirit glowed with a prismatic shimmer, remotely absorbing the power.

The scarlet lightning reformed into meridians, and the overwhelming vital energy spread throughout his limbs and body.

As the blood color completely vanished, the world within the Dragon Slaying Stage was restored to its original state.

The silver-white frosty ground, the torn veil between the three worlds, and the remnants of the Dragon Gods' division were faintly visible.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Clouds of milky-white smoke converged from every direction, furiously rushing toward the lower elixir field in Lin Daoke's abdomen.

Amidst the thick spiritual energy, Yu Yuan floated serenely, a smile playing at his lips.

In contrast, Lin Daoke, with his hands raised emptily, gazed down in bewilderment at the pure divine force within the smoke, which infused his Golden Sanctum with a vigor rivaling that of the Banner of Duality.

The lower elixir field, a wellspring of sword force, was at first shrouded in white mist before rapidly condensing into liquid spiritual energy.

The foggy sea of spiritual energy filled his Golden Sanctum, raining down "hualala" with droplets of life-giving force upon his parched lower elixir field.

A look of utter bafflement crossed Lin Daoke's face.

Firstly, he couldn't fathom why Yu Yuan had brought him to the Dragon Slaying Stage only to aid him in regathering spiritual energy.

Moreover, he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity with the environment inside the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, there was an astonishingly pure and dense spiritual energy, identical to the divine force found throughout the Everlands!

He suddenly glanced upwards at the dome, sensing new spiritual energy still seeping in from the outside.

The Dragon Slaying Stage seemed to be inhaling...

Much like the Everlands, it ceaselessly absorbed cosmic energy from the external world. After being filtered and purified by the wall, it transformed into spiritual energy conducive to the strengthening and advancement of all within the Everlands!

Spiritual energy was the most pristine form of power in the whole Star River!

Lin Daoke remained dumbfounded for a moment before finally turning to Yu Yuan, his gaze inquiring, "Why?"

"I won't be escorting you back to the Everlands myself, Mr. Lin. As everyone has witnessed, your elixir field is nearly depleted from the successive battles. Even if we refrain from intervening, it's unlikely we could ensure that the powerful beings from the extraterrestrial Otherkin won't attempt an interception."

"Starborn's Ballo, Dawnbringers' Cardo, and the Sky Fiend's High Priest Reid—if they conspire to kill you, the person you were before... wouldn't make it back to the Everlands."

"Of course, once they realize you've replenished your spiritual energy, no one would dare lay a finger on you."

Yu Yuan explained, his smile unwavering.

Lin Daoke continued to gaze intently at him, his eyes still questioning.

Why?

"Shuangshuang and my Solar Spirit are now on the Primal Blood Continent. Cough, cough, don't give me that look; I've always called her Shuangshuang."

"Since embarking on my cultivation journey, my ties have been closest with the Sword Sect. I earned the recognition of the Titanblade's sword spirit. When I nearly met with disaster in the Sundering Isles, Van Heqing was the one who came to my rescue."

"Without the River of Swords in the Glimmerdrift Nebula of the Shura, I would have been obliterated by the Abyssal Leviathan and Alonso of the Shura."

"My connections with the Sword Sect run deep, and I owe them greatly."

"Furthermore, I've always held you in high regard, Mr. Lin. We bear no grudges against each other. Regardless of your reasons for following Han Miaoyuan's commands, even if our paths may lead to conflict in the future..."

Yu Yuan's smile was radiant as he spoke.

"I hope for a truly fair battle, not one where you've been drained by Kaiya, left with only thirty to forty percent of your strength to face me!"

"Just like you, when you face Tan Xiaotian and the Dark Phoenix, you're not willing to draw all three swords at once."

"I feel the same way!"

Boom!

At that moment, the force within the Dragon Slaying Stage propelled Lin Daoke outwards.

Accustomed to voraciously absorbing spiritual energy and harnessing power from the Banner of Duality, Lin Daoke had managed to draw a substantial amount of strength from the Dragon Slaying Stage in a brief time.

At least sixty percent of his peak capacity.

With sixty percent of his fighting power, Lin Daoke was not someone any extraterrestrial Otherkin would dare to provoke. Now that the barrier to his return to the Everlands had been cleared, Yu Yuan sensed it was time to act.

He ceased the flow of spiritual energy and, with the control of a realm sovereign, sent Lin Daoke out.

Outside.

Swoosh!

Half an hour later, Lin Daoke, who had vanished from the Dragon Slaying Stage, suddenly materialized from nowhere.

"Master!"

Su Qingmo and the others, frantic with concern, quickly gathered around him.

"Lin Daoke!" The Abyssal Leviathan inhaled sharply, his expression darkening as he said with a hint of regret, "What a shame!"

He sensed a resurgence of potent spiritual energy within Lin Daoke's lower elixir field.

Enough for Lin Daoke to unleash many swords!

"Congratulations, Mr. Lin, on reclaiming your strength." Taishi said with a smile, gesturing respectfully as he shared the tale of Lin Daoke's experience within the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Those who had harbored malicious speculations felt a wave of shame wash over them upon hearing his words.

Many were confused about why Yu Yuan would assist Lin Daoke and enable him to replenish his spiritual energy.

And what other mysteries did the Dragon Slaying Stage hold?

"Did Yu Yuan help him regain his strength?"

Jiang Miaojie's eyes sparkled as she excitedly clapped her hands on the Tears of the Azurefiend, exclaiming, "Lord Youqian, this isn't quite what you expected, is it?"

Youqian huffed, "That arrogant fool will get his comeuppance eventually!"

With a whoosh, Yu Yuan reemerged. Standing tall and erect on the Dragon Slaying Stage, he offered a respectful gesture to Lin Daoke. "Forgive me for not escorting you further."

Lin Daoke nodded, his expression a mix of emotions. Without uttering another word, he transformed into a sword rainbow and swiftly departed.

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