Chapter 1345 - Great Divine Sun Crystal

The demonic beast's aim was simple—pin Liu Wuxie down and let the abyssal devil seize the treasure. The two races had already bargained to split any gains evenly.

Liu Wuxie faced grave danger. If that palm landed, it would cripple him if not kill him, and the ninth level's spatial suppression only amplified its force.

The Heavenly Dragon Sect's disciples watched from afar, anxious and helpless. No one could aid Liu Wuxie; he had to carve his own escape.

The commander of the abyssal race accelerated, indicating he would overtake Liu Wuxie. If the abyssal devil passed him, regaining the lead would be hard.

Meanwhile, the humans behind were closing the gap bit by bit.

Had those people jumped into the lake the second time, the lead would have been uncertain. With roughly ten meters between them and Liu Wuxie, catching up would take a miracle.

A miracle presented itself—if the demonic beast killed Liu Wuxie, the other humans would still have a chance at first place.

"Earth-Binding Chains!" With no better option, Liu Wuxie unleashed the Earth-Binding Chains. If he were to fight, the demonic beast would pin him down, so the best move was to avoid the clash entirely.

The Earth-Binding Chains streaked out, coiled around the demonic beast, and slammed it to the ground so hard the entire palace shuddered.

"How could this be?!" the surrounding demonic beasts cried, unable to believe it. Victory had seemed within reach, but Liu Wuxie had reversed it in an instant.

With the demonic beast bound, Liu Wuxie surged forward and again left the abyssal devil, about to overtake him, behind.

Seeing him break free, the Heavenly Dragon Sect's disciples erupted into cheers. They dared to hope their sect could take first in the Divine Sun-Shooting Tower.

"Don't give up! The deeper we go, the stronger the pressure. Liu Wuxie won't last long!" Grand Unity Sect disciples snarled, grinding their teeth as they pushed on.

The deeper Liu Wuxie advanced into the palace, the more his speed bled away. The commander of the abyssal race slowed as well, gasping beneath the tidal pressure.

Liu Wuxie's body swayed, on the verge of collapse. The bound demonic beast thrashed in pain; the harder it fought, the tighter the Earth-Binding Chains bit, carving bloody grooves along its body.

He drew a deep breath, circulated the Desolate Devouring Art, drew in surrounding spiritual energy to replenish his true essence, and sped up again.

"I'm at my limit!" Many humans couldn't endure the central region. One after another, they collapsed and dropped out of the contest.

Only three meters remained to the depths, and the final stretch proved the toughest. His gaze locked on the stone table where a strange stone lay; the radiance clearly came from it.

"It's the Great Divine Sun Crystal!" Liu Wuxie yelled inwardly. Now, he finally understood why Elder Long had urged him to claim the ninth-level reward at all costs; it turned out the reward was an exceedingly rare crystal.

With it, he could even make a breakthrough to the third-level Primal Origin Realm. Born in the sun, the Great Divine Sun Crystal contained powerful light-attribute energy and could also be used to forge Quasi-Immortal Artifacts.

The fact that Emperor Haoyuan had offered such a heaven-defying treasure meant he wasn't simple; even an Earth Immortal would stop at nothing for it.

He immediately quickened his pace, determined to seize the Great Divine Sun Crystal.

"Why isn't his speed dropping? What's going on?!" late-arriving humans exclaimed. They assumed he had to be out of true essence by now, but they were gravely mistaken. Liu Wuxie hadn't run dry; he remained vigorous. With twenty meters left, he led the charge and left the abyssal devil in the dust.

Everyone held their breath, wondering if the ninth level's treasure would fall to Liu Wuxie.

Just then, several members of the faceless clan surfaced in the crowd and struck at his soul sea.

"Damn faceless clan!" Rage flared in Liu Wuxie. His soul sea was already under heavy suppression, and he lacked the spare strength to fend off their attacks.

Most of the Heavenly Dao Book's power held off the ninth level's soul suppression, and the pain in his primordial spirit drove him into a crouch.

"The faceless clan has made their move!" Exclamations rippled through the crowd, and smiles bloomed—at last, their chance. The faceless clan couldn't control many targets; handling Liu Wuxie alone pushed them to the limit.

A terrifying surge of cursed energy erupted from Liu Wuxie, turning the surroundings into a cursed land.

"What terrifying cursed energy!" someone cried, rooted to the spot by fear.

The faceless clan, however, was prepared; they retreated and hid behind the crowd. They had already given up on first place and came solely to kill Liu Wuxie. The Great Curse Mythical Art was their nemesis, and they wouldn't let someone like him live.

Agony mounted in his soul sea as the abyssal race's commander closed again, a bad sign, as it meant his advantage was slipping away.

Unwilling to yield, Liu Wuxie roared. His soul sea churned, and terrifying soul energy surged like a tide to smash into the faceless clan's assault. In that instant, the Ghost Pupil in his upper dantian opened, unleashing a powerful burst of dark-attribute energy.

The three members of the faceless clan screamed under the Ghost Pupil's suppression.

When the force binding his primordial spirit vanished, clarity returned to him. He knew the Ghost Pupil had saved him at the critical moment. He also found his soul sea stronger than before, nearly twice its size when he entered the Divine Sun-Shooting Tower.

Liu Wuxie marched with firm steps toward the palace's depths. This time, no one moved to stop him; at this distance, their attacks couldn't reach him. With roughly ten meters left, a violent gale tore through the palace and sent him stumbling.

"No one can stop me! It's only the suppression of a Quasi-Immortal Artifact!" Liu Wuxie's eyes blazed as the will of an Immortal Emperor swept from him and shoved the gale aside.

By contrast, the abyssal race's commander was blasted away by the wind, rolling across the ground.

Seizing the moment, Liu Wuxie increased speed and advanced several meters. He now saw the Great Divine Sun Crystal clearly—fist-sized and packed with terrifying light-attribute energy.

He believed that devouring it would let him comprehend the Great Light Mythical Art, though he didn't know how potent it would be.

"Five meters left." Those far behind had already conceded. Even the abyssal race's commander had fallen back; they could only watch as he edged toward the stone table.

One meter from the table, Liu Wuxie's face turned purple as he hit his limit. Forcing the final step, his legs trembled and his bones creaked under the strain. He managed it because his physique had reached unity with heaven and earth.

"Junior Brother Liu has done it!" Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples cheered and hugged one another.

At last, he reached the palace's depths. When he reached into the radiance, he felt the Great Divine Sun Crystal struggle, trying to break free of his grasp.

"You dare resist?" He tightened his grip until the Great Divine Sun Crystal went still and obedient in his palm. There was no place to refine it here; he would wait until he was out.

The instant he retrieved the Great Divine Sun Crystal, all suppression vanished, and a portal opened on the ninth level.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

As the suppression faded, abyssal devils and demonic beasts lunged at him without hesitation.

"All of you, die!" Free of restraint, Liu Wuxie cast the Great Darkness Mythical Art. Darkness swallowed the field, and all the demonic beasts and abyssal devils lost track of him.

Though the Great Darkness Mythical Art lacked raw lethality, it excelled at seizing control of the surrounding laws, and that was enough.

He shuttled through the darkness and reaped lives without hesitation, blood splashing skyward. When the darkness receded, nearly a hundred corpses—demonic beasts and abyssal devils—littered the ground.

The three members of the faceless clan tried to flee, but a mysterious force bound them in place.

"Where do you three think you're going?" Liu Wuxie growled, murderous intent surging.

The Great Curse Mythical Art speared their souls, and the three members of the faceless clan collapsed. The remaining Grand Unity Sect disciples quickly retreated to the eighth level.

Liu Wuxie's strength was too terrifying; they knew only Void Realm experts could suppress him now. Aside from the Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples, he had slain all the demonic beasts and abyssal devils on the ninth level, and the other races had already left.

"Junior Brother Liu, congratulations on taking first place in the Divine Sun-Shooting Tower," the Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples said as they stepped forward.

"Thank you, everyone. Consider these interspatial rings, my thanks," Liu Wuxie replied. He had collected many interspatial rings from the demonic beasts, abyssal devils, and humans he slew.

He casually took out dozens and distributed them to the Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples present. These disciples hadn't helped; they had merely offered polite words. He wasn't being generous or foolish; he had his reasons.

He had already met his goal and gained leverage to negotiate with the Heavenly Dragon Sect's upper echelons. Now, he needed to gather more support on his side—negotiations always demanded more chips.

Each of these disciples had a powerful supporter behind them. If he were to bribe the disciples, he would be bribing those supporters. He didn't need their backing; they just had to cause no trouble, which would be enough for him.

Seeing their smiles, a smile tugged at Liu Wuxie's lips as well. Compared to the Great Divine Sun Crystal, ordinary pills and astral stones were nothing; not even ten million astral stones could buy one.