Chapter 668 - Heavenly Dragon Emerges

Deng Yong charged forward, his palm transforming into a cosmic nebula that firmly locked onto Liu Wuxie. The oppressive aura it exuded was powerful enough to obliterate an entire city. It was evident that Deng Yong had undergone an extraordinary encounter, as his strength surpassed the typical bounds of his cultivation realm.

Liu Wuxie didn’t dare to underestimate his adversary. Though his confidence in his own abilities was solid, he remained cautious about facing someone at the second level of the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Still, having repelled Qu Yang with a single palm strike, Liu Wuxie believed he could achieve the same against Deng Yong. After all, Qu Yang was unquestionably the stronger of the two.

He sheathed the Heretic Blade, and his hands began forming seals. A powerful surge of energy emerged from the Suppression Steles in his internal organs. The stars above the desolate world began to spiral, unleashing boundless astral energy. This was the true power of the Astral River Realm.

The limitless power of astral energy shot to the sky, and a gigantic palm appeared in mid-air, covering the entire Thorn Peak Valley. Everyone, including Bai Yuan, was shocked by the appearance of the massive palm. That was divine power that could only be achieved by gods.

Deng Yong's expression finally shifted, and he quickly began forming seals. The power of his attack surged as his Nascent Transformation Realm aura enveloped the sky.

There was a stark disparity between the two. Had Liu Wuxie advanced to higher levels of the Astral River Realm, he could’ve easily crushed those in the lower levels of the Nascent Transformation Realm like crushing an ant.

The two palms collided like grinding millstones, tearing through the sky. The impact resembled the collision of two planets, sending a massive mushroom cloud rising into the heavens.

A boundless shockwave swept through the area, hurling ice and boulders from distant peaks into the air before disintegrating them into dust.

Amidst the devastation, Liu Wuxie's giant palm constantly changed shape, taking on the form of a tiger, a dragon, and so on. Each transformation shocked everyone.

Deng Yong was stronger, too. His palm summoned the wind, rain, thunderstorms, and other natural elements, enthralling the audience with a dazzling display of natural elements.

"This is too spectacular!" exclaimed some disciples from the Sky Rift Valley, waving their hands excitedly. Regardless of the battle's outcome, witnessing this duel alone was worth it.

"Such overwhelming power! I can't imagine this is the power displayed by someone in the Astral River Realm." If they hadn't known that Liu Wuxie was someone in the Astral River Realm, they would've thought this conflict was between two experts in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

However, in reality, Liu Wuxie was only in the fourth level of the Astral River Realm.

"Liu Wuxie will become famous after today's battle, irrespective of the result. He's the undisputed strongest prodigy of the Southern Province," said the Transcendent Plume Gate disciples.

At the very least, Bai Yuan was weaker than Liu Wuxie when he was at the fourth level of the Astral River Realm.

The two palms transformed into figures resembling Liu Wuxie and Deng Yong, controlled entirely by their will, channeling pure conflict between their true essence and soul energy.

Suddenly, the two palms exploded, forming a powerful shock wave that swept through the Thorn Peak Valley like a powerful gale. The impact was so intense that it could be felt from ten thousand meters away.

The storm swept away those with weaker cultivation and hurled them around.

Liu Wuxie and Deng Yong took a few steps back, neither gaining the upper hand. The confrontation had reached a stalemate.

A trace of solemnity appeared in Deng Yong's eyes. Although he hadn’t unleashed his full strength, he had used at least seventy percent of it—and yet he failed to overpower Liu Wuxie.

This was too unbelievable, and an unexpected sense of powerlessness surged in Deng Yong's heart. But there was no turning back when he had boasted about dealing with Liu Wuxie alone.

Calling for Bai Yuan's assistance now would be humiliating. Moreover, Deng Yong still had a trump card that was yet to be revealed.

Moreover, Deng Yong now had a sense of Liu Wuxie's true strength. Beyond his blade technique, Liu Wuxie had also comprehended an ice dao technique. Combined with the Earth-Binding Chains, these appeared to be the extent of his offensive methods.

As for the Heavenly Dragon Seal and the Annihilation Fist, only a select few were aware of their existence. Since Liu Wuxie began practicing the Annihilation Fist, he had never used it publicly. The Heavenly Dragon Seal was even more obscure—only Elder Tian Xing and Elder Yi Xuan were privy to its existence. Not even the sect master knew about it.

"Liu Wuxie, is this your best? I'm just starting to warm up, and I advise you to kneel and accept your fate!" Deng Yong said as a yellow seal hovered before him.

When they saw the yellow seal, the spectators exclaimed, "The Mountain-River Seal!"

The Mountain-River Seal was an origin artifact corresponding to the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Everyone's breathing became heavy. Many knew that Deng Yong had forged a Mountain-River Seal, harnessing the power of mountains and seals from the surroundings.

The ground began to tremble around Liu Wuxie and sank under the immense pressure.

"What a powerful artifact! Liu Wuxie is in serious danger now!" the exclamation resonated as onlookers marveled at the artifact's destructive potential. At higher cultivation levels, artifacts could be equated to raw strength, often turning the tide of battle with their power.

In the distance, the ice on the mountains began to crumble, triggering miniature avalanches cascading down the slopes. Fortunately, these avalanches were relatively small; otherwise, everyone would have been forced to flee. After all, the destructive force of a full-scale avalanche could even tear apart the cultivators in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

"Quick, look! The surrounding space is collapsing from the pressure!" an exclamation came from the surroundings. The Mountain-River Seal grew in size until it manifested into an actual mountain and river, descending down on Liu Wuxie at Deng Yong's command.

Even if Liu Wuxie had a powerful physique, there was no way he could withstand such force. Even cultivators in the True Profound Realm might perish beneath oppressive power. While the Mountain-River Seal couldn't manifest into a mountain range, it couldn't be underestimated.

Liu Wuxie immediately felt like he was bearing a mountain on his shoulder. He would collapse sooner or later if he couldn't resolve this crisis.

"The Mountain-River Seal? Perfect to upgrade my Heavenly Dragon Seal with it," Liu Wuxie murmured with a devilish smile. He was already plotting to seize Deng Yong's Mountain-River Seal.

The Mountain-River Seal had been forged by Deng Yong, who had spent over a decade seeking help from the Indigo Cloud Gate's experts. Thus, one could imagine its power.

“Liu Wuxie, come and die!” Deng Yong sneered, directing the Mountain-River Seal to crush Liu Wuxie completely.

A vacuum enveloped the space within a few thousand meters of Liu Wuxie, the overwhelming pressure obliterating everything inside. Even a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm would have been instantly crushed under such immense force.

Liu Wuxie's bones emitted sharp cracking sounds under the strain, and blood seeped from his pores as the relentless force bore down on him.

This was why Liu Wuxie had sent Xu Lingxue away earlier—had she stayed behind, the immense pressure would have killed her.

Meanwhile, the remaining Indigo Cloud Gate disciples sneered, confident in Liu Wuxie's imminent defeat. They watched smugly as his feet sank into the ground and his spine bent under the oppressive weight.

The surrounding discussions vanished, with everyone waiting, curious about how long Liu Wuxie could endure.

At the valley's exit, Lan Ling and others all wore concern on their faces.

"Why isn't Junior Brother Liu fighting back?" a Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciple questioned.

"Don't worry. I believe Senior Brother Liu has a plan," another disciple replied, his confidence in Liu Wuxie unwavering.

And he was right. Liu Wuxie didn’t retaliate immediately because he was using the Mountain-River Seal’s immense pressure to temper his physique. Much of the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus’s energy remained dormant within him, yet to be fully refined. The seal’s oppressive force was the catalyst he needed.

Under the relentless pressure, the dormant energy of the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus erupted, coursing through his body like a raging river. The blood seeping from his pores ceased as his body began to adapt and straighten against the weight.

"What's going on? He seems even stronger now!" someone exclaimed, noticing the gradual increase in power radiating from Liu Wuxie.

"Is he tempering himself with the Mountain-River Seal?" The gathered disciples were elites of their respective sects. While they weren’t on par with Bai Yuan or Deng Yong, they were prodigies among their peers in the Southern Province. It didn’t take long for them to realize what Liu Wuxie was doing.

They gradually realized that Liu Wuxie was cultivating using the pressure released by the Mountain-River Seal. This discovery nearly made the Indigo Cloud Gate disciples spit out blood.

Deng Yong noticed Liu Wuxie's actions but remained unfazed, continuing to form seals. What did it matter if Liu Wuxie was using the Mountain-River Seal to cultivate? It wouldn't alter the inevitable—Liu Wuxie would meet his end here today.

Once Liu Wuxie's physique reached its current limit, he stopped his cultivation with a hint of disdain in his eyes as he sneered.

"After suppressing me for so long, it's your turn to take a strike from me?" Liu Wuxie suddenly exerted his strength, and the desolate world within him surged forth like a towering pillar, effortlessly resisting the pressure of the Mountain-River Seal.

"This is bad! Does Liu Wuxie still have any trump cards left?" murmured an Azure Crimson Gate disciple, a sense of dread creeping over the group. They knew better than anyone about Liu Wuxie's terrifying talent.

After all, Liu Wuxie had turned their sect upside down, thwarting their plans repeatedly. If it weren't for him, the Azure Crimson Gate would've undergone rapid development.

Since Liu Wuxie had appeared, the Azure Crimson Gate's development had been hindered, and they were gradually losing their market in alchemy.

No one knew what Liu Wuxie was trying to do, and Bai Yuan's eyes were fixed on him. He was prepared to intervene if Deng Yong failed to take Liu Wuxie down.

While reputation held importance, survival took precedence over death. Since ancient times, only the prodigies who survived were remembered—those who perished were forgotten within a few years.

After all, prodigies emerged every year in the Southern Province, and who could recall the names of those who had fallen?

Suddenly, Liu Wuxie waved his hand to summon an ancient seal. The moment the ancient seal appeared, thunderclouds appeared above the Thorn Peak Valley, and a golden divine dragon could be faintly seen within the clouds.

The unexpected phenomenon caught everyone off guard.

"What the hell is that?" gasped the disciples from the Indigo Cloud Gate and Heavenly Origin Sect. They had never seen such a heaven-defying artifact in their lives.

Divine dragons were creatures of legend, rarely seen even in ancient times. Artifacts with a divine dragon as their artifact spirit were exceedingly rare, likely forged only by the mythical dragon clan themselves.

If humans dared to use divine dragons as their artifact spirits, it would provoke the wrath of the entire dragon clan, leading to relentless pursuit and retribution.