C69 The Dark Deity's Shadow

A mighty roar erupted from within Zhao Yafu, as if a giant dragon were bellowing from her acupoints. The dragon's call reverberated through the heavens and earth, causing the spiritual energy in the forbidden area to spiral out of control. It seemed as though Zhao Yafu harbored furious giant dragons within her, all desperate to break free and soar from the depths.

The onrush of spiritual energy headed toward Zhao Yafu and Yu Yuan, along with the others, was like a fierce torrent crashing against a towering mountain. Zhao Yafu was that unyielding peak!

"Puff! Puff! Puff!" Spiritual energy sprayed in all directions from her delicate form.

With a light chuckle, Zhao Yafu turned to Zhan Tianxiang and declared, "Dragon's Blade Slash!" Her dainty hand made a swift downward motion, as if she intended to cleave the very air.

With a sharp hiss, a Dragon's Edge materialized between her and Zhan Tianxiang, its brilliance so intense that it pained the eyes of the Observers.

The Dragon's Edge descended from above, cleaving the unseen currents of spiritual energy into segments with its radiant glow. Those who watched closely could see that the Dragon's Edge was no mere figment; it was a tangible weapon, radiating a blinding divine light.

The roar of dragons continued to thunder from Zhao Yafu's acupoints as she illuminated and stepped forward. To Zhan Tianxiang, that single step felt like a mountain collapsing upon him, an overwhelming force bearing down.

The spiritual energy that shimmered along the rim of the green umbrella suddenly shattered.

"Go." At Zhao Yafu's command, the Dragon's Edge transformed into a water-blue, crystalline, and fierce giant dragon. In a flash of light, it vanished.

The water-blue dragon struck the green umbrella, obliterating the protective screen of spiritual energy.

Zhan Tianxiang let out a muffled groan and bellowed, "Godly Elephant Protection!" A colossal elephant, seemingly a hundred feet tall and ethereal in form, materialized above him. Adorned with a golden mask, the light from its tusks appeared capable of slicing through the cosmos, while its breath cascaded like an eternal energy waterfall.

This phantom giant elephant stood as Zhan Tianxiang's guardian, or perhaps the deity he worshipped.

Whoosh!

The giant elephant adorned with a golden mask contracted into Zhan Tianxiang's body in a most bizarre fashion.

In a flash, Zhan Tianxiang seemed to be imbued with divine strength, becoming immensely powerful. Clutching a green umbrella, he engaged in a fierce battle with the Dragon's Edge.

"Golden Elephant God!"

Yu Yuan watched, spellbound, as he whispered to himself.

In the northern reaches of the Land of Quiescence, there stood a Devil Palace and a Shadow's Keep.

The Shadow's Keep was home to numerous exalted archdemons.

The Golden Elephant God originated from the Shadow's Keep and was a formidable tenth level archdemon.

A tenth level archdemon, also referred to as a Dark Deity, was equivalent to a human cultivator's primordial spirit.

Regrettably, the Golden Elephant God suffered a severe setback from the Sword Sect's formation during a previous clash between the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea, causing this tenth level archdemon to descend to the ninth level.

Despite the Golden Elephant God's significant contributions to the Shadow's Keep, after the fall to the ninth level, he was temporarily expelled from the inner sanctum of the Shadow's Keep.

Legend has it that for nearly a thousand years, the Golden Elephant God has been honing himself, striving to reclaim his status among the Dark Deities.

Zhan Tianxiang, still so young, had mastered a spell that somehow enabled him to communicate with the Golden Elephant God and even receive a boon from him, which was far beyond Yu Yuan's expectations.

At his peak, the Golden Elephant God was one of the top seven combatants among the many Dark Deities within the Shadow's Keep.

Sadly, the once mighty Golden Elephant God, now grievously wounded, could no longer reside within the Shadow's Keep, and his power was significantly diminished, limiting the assistance he could offer to Zhan Tianxiang.

"Could the Zhan family have some ancient connection to the Golden Elephant God?"

Pondering this, Yu Yuan abruptly stamped his foot and lunged at the young man who had once been the subject of his ridicule.

"You're asking for trouble!"

The youth from Sillserine City, who had paused due to Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang's skirmish, was taken aback that Yu Yuan, who had only recently advanced to the Soul Awakening stage, would dare to confront him once more.

He was in the middle period of the Soul Awakening Realm!

"Yu Yuan!"

"Brother!"

Yuan Ting and Yu Feifei shouted in alarm and immediately charged forward.

Everyone had been captivated by Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang's battle. No one anticipated that Yu Yuan would suddenly strike the young man.

Not even the youth himself saw it coming.

Han Hui and Wu Ji from Asenalenor had been staring in shock as Zhao Yafu soared with the Dragon's Edge in her grasp, engaging in fierce combat with Zhan Tianxiang, who was empowered by the Golden Elephant God's might.

It was only after Yuan Ting and Yu Feifei's cries that they turned their attention to Yu Yuan.

They then realized that it was Yu Yuan who had initiated the attack, not the lean, dark-skinned youth who had vowed to show Yu Yuan who's boss.

"Who will die?"

Yu Yuan's eyes sharpened dramatically, fixating on the lean, dark-skinned youth.

He concentrated all his energy, deliberately refining his heaven soul, and used his eyes to shine a piercing light on the youth.

The youth instinctively reacted.

He saw Yu Yuan's eyes transform into a massive source of light, which suddenly dazzled him.

Yu Yuan was incapable of harming the youth with a soul attack, as he hadn't yet refined his spiritual sense to reach the Subtlety Stage.

All he did was use the strength of the heaven soul to make his eyes shine brighter.

If the lean, dark-skinned youth had looked away when he felt discomfort, he would have remained unaffected and not been put on the defensive.

But he stubbornly resisted, refusing to back down, fixating on Yu Yuan's eyes.

And then, he was blinded.

Next, Yu Yuan was upon him, his iron fists pounding like raindrops against his chest, making him stumble backward before he could react.

By the time he felt the pain and finally shifted his gaze, the blinding sensation didn't immediately dissipate.

Like staring at the sun or a bright light for too long, it took time to recover.

In those brief moments, he was effectively blind.

Unable to see Yu Yuan, he could only passively endure the blows. Even though his cultivation level was higher than Yu Yuan's, being only at the middle period of the Soul Awakening Realm, it wasn't an insurmountable advantage.

Soon, he realized that he was coughing up blood.

After some time, his eyes adjusted and he noticed that his body, in the middle stage of Soul Awakening, was no longer responding to his commands.

He lay paralyzed on the ground, devoid of any strength to continue the fight.

Once more.

Yu Yuan crouched before him again, tearing at his face with renewed vigor.

"Isn't it the same? You raced here just to throw yourself at my feet for humiliation?"

While speaking, Yu Yuan continued to claw and rip, distorting the thin, dark-skinned youth's face into various grotesque shapes that he conjured in his mind.

The young man, subjected to humiliation yet again, was on the verge of tears but couldn't cry.

"You truly are contemptible."

Yu Yuan shook his head, his words dripping with scorn, as his hands worked to physically and verbally belittle him.

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