Chapter 707: Becoming a Dragon

On the flat ground, Shentu Yue and Yan Dongchen stood facing each other.

Or rather, Shentu Yue was confronting a spear.

At this moment, Yan Dongchen had almost completely merged into the long spear, making his presence impossible to perceive.

Under the sunlight, the area where the spear was located swallowed all light, becoming increasingly deep and dark.

Without any unnecessary dialogue, without any prelude, the spear moved!

The deep shadow stretched forward, transforming into a long line that spread toward Shentu Yue.

The spear intent, spear force, spear technique, and even the person wielding the spear—everything was restrained; only the target locked onto by this spear could perceive the murderous intent surging like the raging waves of the deep sea!

The spear thrust in a single line.

Upon that line, Shentu Yue drew her sword from its sheath, advancing instead of retreating!

She had originally intended to use "Bright Phoenix Burning the World," the technique with the strongest killing power and most violent eruption in the *Bright Phoenix Sword Scripture*, to counter this spear strike from Yan Dongchen.

But the moment she drew her sword, she suddenly changed her mind.

Because when it came to a contest of killing power, she had no confidence she could outmatch Yan Dongchen, even though she was stronger now than she had been two years ago.

It was not that "Bright Phoenix Burning the World" was not strong enough; it was simply that her martial path was not specialized in pure killing power.

Thus, Shentu Yue chose to follow her sword heart, using the most gentle and lingering sword technique of the Red Dust Pavilion—

"Tying the Threads of Affection"!

The sword light wound itself around the dark shadow, gentle and elegant, like a lover's hand caressing one's cheek.

A single thread of affection is hard to break; how many times in dreams do we still call out?

In this world, what is more difficult to break than the threads of affection?

The sword light transformed into countless slender threads, constantly spreading and winding, as if to wrap Yan Dongchen's spear into a cocoon.

At this moment, everyone watching nearby was, to a greater or lesser extent, affected by the sword intent.

Some suddenly burst into loud laughter, while others suddenly burst into tears.

Some were filled with regret, while others felt a heart-wrenching pain.

They all recalled that person deep in their hearts whom they found it difficult to let go.

Unwittingly falling into the dream of the red dust, troubled by three thousand strands of worry!

There were many, many disciples of the Red Dust Pavilion who entered the world and chose to cultivate the *Red Dust Heart-Cleansing Scripture* through affection, far more than just Huang Jin.

Therefore, the Dao force of this "Tying the Threads of Affection" had been modified and added to by generations of predecessors in the Red Dust Pavilion.

From entering the world to transcending it, every time someone experienced deep affection and saw through the red dust, the sword intent of "Tying the Threads of Affection" was deepened a little more.

Although Shentu Yue did not enter the path through affection, she possessed a natural sword heart; no matter what sword technique she used, she could bring out its true essence, so when "Tying the Threads of Affection" was used by her, it was truly filled with endless, lingering affection.

But the cocoon formed by the sword light turning into threads had only just half-formed when it shattered inch by inch!

Yan Dongchen had only released a portion of the restrained murderous intent within the spear to break the entangling threads of affection!

Yet the technique "Tying the Threads of Affection" was not over; when the sword threads shattered, the already powerful sword intent actually surged even higher in that instant!

Who knows where the myriad threads of affection are sent? A time when the tender heart is broken to the bone.

When the threads of affection were severed, that was when this sword was at its most powerful and dangerous!

But Yan Dongchen's spear intent was not affected in the slightest, and the spear did not pause at all, continuing to thrust forward.

The Selfless Absolute Spear; when the spear is thrust, there is no self.

If even the self is forgotten, how can there be talk of affection? How could one be hurt for anyone?

Although Shentu Yue's "Tying the Threads of Affection" caused Yan Dongchen's spear intent to pour out prematurely, it failed to completely dissipate the strike.

The spear tip instantly broke through her protective force and thrust toward her chest!

Shentu Yue was wearing a level-six protective suit, but even this suit was instantly pierced with a hole!

The next instant, a resilient force surged from within Shentu Yue's body, colliding with the spear, buying her a tiny bit of time while also allowing her to borrow the force to retreat.

Core-level extraordinary ability—"No Leak"!

This was a means of self-preservation that could be used even when facing a Martial Arts Master.

While her body was rebounding backward, Shentu Yue executed "Flying Phoenix Shadow."

This was a technique combining a core-level extraordinary ability with Dao force, allowing Shentu Yue to traverse a distance of up to thirty meters as if by teleportation!

However, the very instant her figure was about to vanish, "Flying Phoenix Shadow" was forcibly interrupted.

If Yan Dongchen's absolute killing spear could be dodged so easily, then the saying that a spear strike decides life and death would be a joke.

The spear force and spear intent blossomed completely at this moment!

Within the dark shadow, a faint dragon shape appeared, as if carrying the gloom and despair of a world's destruction.

Shentu Yue's expression remained calm; although "Flying Phoenix Shadow" was interrupted, she had successfully bought herself the space for one more sword strike.

The sword light rose again, this time using the *Bright Phoenix Sword Scripture* she was most proficient in.

Countless bright yellow feathers appeared out of thin air, circling the dark dragon shadow, propping up the last light of the world.

"Feathers Facing the Phoenix"!

The phoenix inherently possesses the ability to be reborn from nirvana; this "Feathers Facing the Phoenix" technique, when pitted against this annihilating, decaying spear, was exactly a case of seeking life within death.

Streaks of bright yellow feathers pierced rapidly through the shadows, like a master butcher dismembering an ox, passing through key nodes of force circulation and rapidly weakening Yan Dongchen's spear strike.

Shentu Yue had once used the same method to break a Dao force technique of You Ming!

But at this moment, her "Feathers Facing the Phoenix" still failed to completely neutralize this absolute killing spear.

It was not that Yan Dongchen was stronger than the Martial Arts Master You Ming, but that their output was different.

You Ming had used a casual strike, while Yan Dongchen was giving his all, putting everything into it!

The dark shadow dragon swallowed all the light, and the spear tip passed through layers of force, arriving once again before Shentu Yue.

Following the previous trajectory, this time there was no need to pierce that level-six protective suit again, and the force automatically erupted by "No Leak" was powerless to block this fully unleashed spear.

The spear tip struck Shentu Yue's chest; the next instant, it would pierce her heart!

Yan Dongchen had no intention of withdrawing the spear, and he could not have stopped this strike even if he wanted to.

Just as the Martial Arts Master from the Red Dust Pavilion hiding on the side intended to intervene, Shentu Yue suddenly transformed into a cluster of blooming flames.

The long spear passed through the center, dreamlike and illusory.

The next instant, the flames re-condensed, Shentu Yue's figure reappeared, and Yan Dongchen's long spear was thrust into her lower abdomen.

*Bright Phoenix Sword Scripture*—"Nirvana"!

This was a technique of truly seeking life within death, a technique that could not be comprehended without truly placing oneself in a situation of certain death.

Previously, Shentu Yue could barely use it by relying on her natural sword heart, but it lacked sufficient essence.

That instant just now was the moment closest to death in her life, and she had finally truly grasped "Nirvana"!

It was just that Yan Dongchen's spear was too fast and too resolute; the space she had to maneuver was too limited, so in the end, she still failed to completely dodge the strike.

When the long spear pierced into Shentu Yue's lower abdomen, Yan Dongchen's strike reached its end; he restrained his force and did not continue to attack.

In fact, if he had continued to drive his force, he could have further severely wounded Shentu Yue, or even killed her!

Of course, Shentu Yue also had the opportunity to take advantage of Yan Dongchen entering a weakened state to strike back and kill him.

It was just that Yan Dongchen did not continue his attack, and Shentu Yue did not continue her sword strike.

If it were a matter of life and death, the outcome would be unknown.

But if it were a matter of victory or defeat—

Yan Dongchen slowly withdrew his long spear and nodded at Shentu Yue:

"You won."

He had said earlier that he would only strike once; as long as Shentu Yue could take it, she would be the winner.

Shentu Yue's lower abdomen was bleeding incessantly, and even driving her core-level healing extraordinary ability was of no avail.

She did not care about this; being able to truly comprehend "Nirvana," she was already very satisfied.

"Thank you."

Just at this moment, Yan Dongchen suddenly spoke again.

"Hmm?"

Shentu Yue looked at the man before her with some confusion.

A trace of satisfaction appeared on Yan Dongchen's stern face:

"I originally thought that this spear of mine could only be pushed to its limit against an opponent with extremely strong defense; I didn't expect you to be able to make me do it as well."

First "Tying the Threads of Affection," then "Flying Phoenix Shadow," followed by "Feathers Facing the Phoenix," and finally "Nirvana."

In this round of confrontation, Shentu Yue had almost pushed her strength to the limit, thereby forcing out Yan Dongchen's ultimate killing power.

As his voice fell, the aura on Yan Dongchen's body changed abruptly!

He slowly closed his eyes, and his whole person seemed to turn into a black hole, absorbing and swallowing all the light.

In the blink of an eye, the area within a few hundred meters became much dimmer.

Outside, it was a bright afternoon, but here, it seemed to have turned into the dead of night.

Shentu Yue thought of something, her expression changed slightly, and she retreated with a complex look on her face.

"This is..."

"Could it be..."

Among the onlookers, Lan Ruoyun and Zhou Yan, who were also at the peak of the Dao Foundation realm, both guessed the answer.

Yan Dongchen's aura began to rise rapidly.

He was breaking through his realm!

After two years of seclusion, he had merged several spears into one, forging a true absolute killing spear.

Yan Dongchen was just one final opportunity away from breaking through his realm.

He needed someone who could force him to unleash his realized lethal spear technique to its limit, which is why he chose to challenge Li Fei.

Because Li Fei, this "shield," was strong enough.

Although he did not get to cross blades with Li Fei just now, Shentu Yue's perfect performance still allowed him to achieve his goal.

Thus, he took that final step.

Soon, everyone present guessed what Yan Dongchen was doing, and all of them revealed expressions of excitement.

This was a breakthrough from the Dao Foundation realm to the Master realm; how many people get to witness this with their own eyes?

Yan Dongchen's aura grew stronger and stronger.

The next second, the dragon shadow that had been flickering in the gloom before fully took shape, transforming into a massive black dragon that soared into the sky!

A high-pitched dragon roar resounded through the heavens, as if announcing to the world—

There is one more Martial Dao Master in the human world!

Yan Dongchen's breakthrough was a matter of course, without many twists and turns.

When all the strange phenomena vanished, someone began to applaud, and then more and more people followed suit.

"Congratulations."

"Congratulations, Master Yan."

"Greetings, Master."

"."

All sorts of congratulatory voices came from every direction.

A trace of a smile appeared on Yan Dongchen's face.

His lineage was passed down through a single person, and the upper limit of his lineage's martial arts was merely the Dao Foundation realm.

No one had ever broken through to the Master realm before; he had created new history!

To walk step by step to this day as a rogue cultivator and become a Martial Dao Master was indeed not easy, and it was truly worthy of respect.

Shentu Yue looked at Yan Dongchen, who had successfully broken through, with a complex expression.

Although she was the one who had won just now, Yan Dongchen was undoubtedly the focus of the entire scene at this moment.

In the future, when people mention this battle, the protagonist will certainly be Yan Dongchen, who broke through on the spot.

"What a pity."

Zhou Yan, standing to the side, shook his head.

"What is the senior regretting?"

Zhang Hanjiang asked.

Zhou Yan said: "Actually, Shentu Yue did not manage to block that lethal spear strike from Yan Dongchen; she merely survived under his spear. I regret that the Marquis of Jing'an avoided the battle today, and there will never be another chance to verify whether he could have blocked that spear strike of Yan Dongchen's just now."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hanjiang nodded: "Thinking about it that way, it is indeed a pity."

Yan Dongchen had just proven with facts that his spear was indeed the number one in lethality within the Dao Foundation realm, and Li Fei was undoubtedly the strongest "shield" of the Dao Foundation realm.

It was a pity that Yan Dongchen had already broken through; people would never know which was stronger, the strongest spear or the strongest shield within the Dao Foundation realm.

On the field, Yan Dongchen turned and walked toward the place where he had placed the wooden box, preparing to put away his spear and leave.

"Wait!"

Just as the onlookers were planning to disperse, a voice suddenly came from inside the residence.

Yan Dongchen paused and turned to look at the gate of the residence.

A figure in dark gold robes came into everyone's view.

"Congratulations to Brother Yan on your breakthrough. Since you came specifically to spar with this Marquis today, how could you return empty-handed?"

The person who arrived said this.

(End of chapter)