Chapter 589: I Refuse

Hum~

Divine light flowed, sound waves scattered in all directions, echoing in the ears and hearts of everyone who was watching this scene unfold, like a thunderclap.

Silence!

Beneath the Eight Directions Mountain, beneath the Star Gazing Platform, even within the Dragon-Tiger Ranges where two crimson suns hung high, there was a momentary hush.

"Divine-Demon?!"

Beneath the shroud of crimson light, the Lord of the Thousand Eyes Art suddenly raised his head. Within his thousand dharma eyes, the figure of Wan Wan Zhuliu was reflected, but his attention fell instead upon the Daoist standing across the dueling arena, leaning on his hammer. Shock flashed through his gaze:

"How could this be?!"

As a deity who had lived through the fall of the Origin Divine Dynasty, he had seen no shortage of Divine-Demon-grade prodigies—in fact, he himself had once possessed a Divine-Demon endowment.

What shocked him was not the Divine-Demon endowment itself, but the speed of this boy's transformation.

Three years ago, he had stood in the very spot where Wan Wan Zhuliu now stood. He could state with certainty that the boy's endowment had only been Star-grade. A mere three years…

Boom!

The Lord of the Thousand Eyes Art was dazed for an instant, but the two crimson suns hanging high in the night sky did not pause.

Crimson flames scorched the heavens. Two figures in purple robes stirred the celestial phenomena and wind and clouds within the night sky. With every movement, the mountain ranges trembled and the earth roared, enveloping the momentarily dazed Lord of the Thousand Eyes Art and the wide-eyed, furious Yun Yun Yeshan within.

"Ah!"

Yun Yun Yeshan's eyes bulged in fury. His figure flickered in and out of existence, fleeing in disarray through the firelight. Even with his Fiend-Demon body, without having entered the Divine Palace realm, he could not withstand the flames of this Chi Yan Fa dharma-phase.

But even in such a sorry state, his thoughts could not help but fall upon the bronze mirror within his sleeve—or rather, upon the Eight Directions Cavern Heaven.

"That little beast's talent has actually transformed again?!"

"How could this be?!"

The pain of the raging flames searing his body could not suppress the shock and fury in his heart at this moment.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Yun Yun Yeshan's eyes reddened. As he dodged, his gaze involuntarily swept toward Nie Xianshan watching the battle from a distant mountaintop. The latter seemed to sense it and looked over, immediately feeling a chill run down his spine.

'That old bastard…'

Nie Xianshan immediately drew his sword and retreated warily, suspecting that old bastard wanted to perish together with him.

Rumble!

After the momentary hush, the Star Gazing Platform trembled violently for an instant.

Before Wang Gong and the others could recover from their shock and speak, they had already sensed the Qian Emperor's fury.

"Ah!"

His disheveled hair flew up and shattered his crown. The floor tiles beneath the Qian Emperor's feet all cracked. For an instant, his eyes turned blood-red, sending shivers down the spines of everyone around him.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Wu Wu Yingxing reacted swiftly, bowing as he offered comfort: "The Martial-Suppressing Wang Gong is unrivaled in this age. In his old days, when exchanging blood, he already possessed the strength to challenge a Grandmaster of the Nifa Sect, let alone now?"

"Indeed! His Highness is unmatched under heaven. Even if he fights one realm above, he is absolutely beyond comparison with that whelp!"

"Your Majesty need not panic. His Highness has fought through ten thousand battles undefeated. What fear has he of this boy? He will surely prevail…"

Once Wu Wu Yingxing spoke, Wang Gong and the others hurriedly echoed in agreement.

"Hah!"

The Qian Emperor pinched the bridge of his nose, and his heart reluctantly calmed down.

"What you all say is not wrong."

Huang Huang Longzi smiled and added: "No matter how heaven-defying his talent, that boy has only practiced martial arts for a little over ten years. How could he be a match for His Highness?"

He spoke lightly, but the fingers gripping his umbrella had gone somewhat pale. His gaze drifted as he looked at the light screen, his thoughts clearly elsewhere—his very form trembling slightly,

as if he had seen a ghost:

'Divine-Demon, Divine-Demon…'

Tian Shi Yuan inherited from the Origin Divine Dynasty, and many aspects of its realm still bore the shadows of that dynasty—from sacrifices and realm-conquesting wars down to the classification of endowments.

The Origin Divine Dynasty divided the endowments of all living beings, from lowest to highest, into seven grades: from 'One in Ten Thousand,' 'Dragon Among Men,' 'Peerless Talent,' 'Unparalleled Through the Ages,' to 'World-Shaker,' 'Star,' and 'Divine-Demon.'

Divine-Demon grade, looking across the holy lands of all races and even other realms, represented an absolute prodigy among prodigies. An ordinary life-bearing star, from its birth to its destruction, might not even produce one!

Legend held that every Divine-Demon-grade prodigy was born bearing the great fortune of heaven and earth and the laws of the cosmos, possessing the exceedingly rare 'Divine-Demon Body,' and was a being who could become an Upper God.

A prodigy of this caliber, if in Tian Shi Yuan, would mean someone like him didn't even have the qualification to ride in their wake!

"A prodigy of this caliber—if only I could lure him into enrolling in the Academy…"

Lost in a momentary daze, Huang Huang Longzi swept a glance at the oppressive atmosphere among the Great Fortune sovereign and his ministers. His eyes flickered, and he quietly vanished from the altar.

That Wan Wan Zhuliu was indeed a prodigy of his generation, but across from him was a Divine-Demon-grade monster. Even fighting within the same realm, the odds of victory were uncertain—let alone fighting across realms?

What a joke…

……

"Divine-Demon, ah…"

Within the dueling arena, upon hearing Dong Dong Ershisan's voice, the hand Wan Wan Zhuliu rested on his blade trembled for an instant. His expression shifted several times before settling back to calm.

Only his gaze, fixed upon Li Yuan, could not help but twitch violently.

He knew all too well now what those two words—Divine-Demon—meant. He had paid the price of eight hundred years of lifespan, endured three years of being burned by raging flames, washed away the mixed blood of his human lineage, and still had only just barely crossed the threshold of Star-grade.

This boy, this boy…

Feeling the gazes from the dueling arena—some cold, some delighted—Wan Wan Zhuliu slowly closed his eyes, and all the intelligence he had gathered about this boy churned within his heart.

The casual indifference when he first learned of him, the killing intent after his illegitimate son was slain, the thrill of the hunt upon discovering he had purged his blade intent…

Resentment, envy, unwillingness, killing intent, shock and fury…

When he opened his eyes again, Wan Wan Zhuliu had already severed every stray thought within his heart.

"Do you accept the challenge?"

Dong Dong Ershisan's voice came across; he watched the two figures in the arena from the observation platform, his calm demeanor tinged with a hint of regret.

"Yes."

Without a moment's hesitation, Wan Wan Zhuliu nodded and walked forward, his hand resting on his sword.

In that instant, the surrounding world vanished from his perception; within his sight and spiritual sense, there remained only the Taoist standing in the distance, leaning on his hammer. He held his sword and clasped his hands, saying:

"Wan Wan Zhuliu."

Wooo~

A faint aura of sword energy rose up. Sounds of tearing silk echoed through the void. In a daze, among the observers, it felt as though a divine blade was slowly being drawn from its scabbard.

'The number one under heaven.'

Feeling the intense spiritual pressure rising from the opponent, Li Yuan felt a slight sense of dissonance in his heart.

Once upon a time, this greatest imagined rival in his heart had actually approached him in the guise of a challenger. The sword energy that once made his whole body tremble now felt like a gentle breeze brushing his face.

Even without using the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, with his current talent and cultivation, he feared no one within his own realm.

Years of bitter cultivation seemed to have found their greatest validation at this very moment?

"Li Yuan."

Elder Li returned the greeting. He was adjusting his state; he always gave his all against an opponent. Even with an advantage in realm, he would never look down on his foe even slightly.

He adjusted all his controlled artifacts one by one, taking the Liehai Shan Xuan Whale and the Dragon-Tiger Health Furnace, both Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, as the main forces, and the Spirit Boots and Bone Ornaments as support. This was his strongest combination of controlled artifacts currently, balancing offense and defense.

In the Zang Guan Mi Jing, he had tried this combination many times. With these controlled artifacts, he could defeat a Grandmaster!

'The first time I removed the sword intent for the Master of the Star-Picking Tower back then, I used every trick I had just to withstand four or five strikes...'

Li Yuan slowly raised his hammer, gazing solemnly and calmly at Wan Wan Zhuliu. A stray thought flashed through his mind: 'How many hammer strikes can he withstand now?'

"Li Yuan!"

At this moment, Dong Dong Ershisan's voice came from the arena.

"Hmm?"

Li Yuan was stunned. He looked up, and upon seeing the old man's expression, his heart skipped a beat. He vaguely felt something was amiss.

"The cultivation of the Martial Way is solely about contention. Among all methods and techniques, killing is paramount..."

"?!?"

Hearing Dong Dong Ershisan's words, Li Yuan's eyelid twitched. Across from him, a hint of surprise flashed in Wan Wan Zhuliu's eyes.

"What does the elder mean?"

Li Yuan feigned confusion and asked, though his heart was already burning with anger.

He knew Dong Dong Ershisan was very dissatisfied with his taking a shortcut to enter the temple. He had once thought Li Yuan should have taken the normal trial to enter the temple, fighting and struggling against the many others who entered.

He never expected this old man to pull such a move at this very moment...

"This person's aptitude is inferior to yours, and the potential of his spiritual phase is also inferior to yours. He is qualified to serve as a whetstone."

Dong Dong Ershisan raised his hand to brush away the screaming, human-headed strange bird, then glanced at Wan Wan Zhuliu:

"In my opinion, you should fight him at the same realm. If you agree..."

Boom!

As if a hundred or so thunderclaps exploded simultaneously, the roaring sound covered the entire arena, drowning out all other noises and cutting off Dong Dong Ershisan's voice.

Amidst rolling dust, Li Yuan rose from the ground. The heavy hammer in his palm erupted with dazzling divine light. In a single instant, moving like a mountain shifting, it carried the explosive roar of mountains calling and seas surging,

smashing heavily down upon Wan Wan Zhuliu, who had drawn his sword and risen.

Sound waves echoed; air currents rolled.

When this hammer strike was launched, Li Yuan simply could not suppress the anger in his heart.

Now, even if he fought at the same realm, he was certain Wan Wan Zhuliu would have absolutely no chance of victory. But on what grounds should he fight at the same realm?

As the temple opener, he was the one being challenged. Fighting against a higher realm was the rule of the Eight Temples. His current advantage was gained through the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing and the bitter effort of changing his form.

Why should he give it up?!

And...

'This truly wastes Elder Li's Spirit Puppet Heart. This old traitor who eats from the inside and betrays from the outside is simply bullying people too shamelessly!'

Anger rose in Li Yuan's heart, and lightning storms erupted from the heavy hammer.

Boom!

The arena trembled violently. Li Yuan's hammer strike was extremely fast. The Grandmasters watching from the sidelines had not reacted in time. When they came to their senses, they felt the arena was covered by Lei Hai. Even through the invisible barrier, they felt a certain numbness in their hands and feet.

"This young man..."

Yuan Qing Taoist's eyelid twitched. He exchanged a glance with Grand Master Master Dading. Both saw the Solemn awe in each other's eyes. The terrifying force of this hammer strike had even made them feel pressure.

"Roar!"

Even from a distant observation, it was like this. Wan Wan Zhuliu, who was the first to be struck, felt only white and black before his eyes.

That heavy hammer, cutting through the void to arrive, was like an incredibly ferocious thunder dragon, filling his field of vision and even all his senses.

This hammer strike gave him the terrifying illusion of reaching the eight extremes, covering the four wilds, like a dome pressing down!

It was not an illusion!

His clothes and hair were thrown back, torn by the whistling air currents. Wan Wan Zhuliu's face twitched violently:

"This hammer strike..."

Terrifying spiritual energy rolled and scattered in all directions. Dust spread for dozens of li. The magnitude and ferocity of this hammer strike had exceeded the scope of entering the Dao!

It was like a Grandmaster...

"Cannot avoid, cannot dodge, cannot block!"

Looking at the hammer shadow and thunder dragon filling the sky, Wan Wan Zhuliu looked at Dong Dong Ershisan. Seeing the latter's face as calm as water but with no movement, he sighed in his heart and drew his sword, rising up.

Boom boom boom!

As if heaven itself were shocked and the earth itself were trembling.

The instant the heavy hammer fell, the entire arena trembled violently, as though it would be torn apart by that terrifying collision; countless clouds of dust surged skyward, then rolled outward in every direction.

Dust and light intertwined as they spread.

For a time, even the grandmasters of the Yiganda Sect watching from the spectator stands could not make out the scene within; they could only faintly see two dragon-shadows streaking past each other at extreme speed.

Dong Dong Ershisan's gaze darkened.

In the arena, now a wasteland, Li Yuan stood with Yang Jian Kang Zhong resting on his shoulder and slowly turned his head; through the rolling dust, he saw Dong Dong Ershisan, whose face was dark as still water:

"Laozi refuses!"

(End of this chapter)