Chapter 701 - Seventh-Level of the Astral River Realm

Liu Wuxie had long observed the skies of the Yin-Yang Valley in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield. He discovered that the swirling storm formed by the yin and yang energies was extremely terrifying, capable of tearing apart the cultivators at the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm. Harnessing this power would be a tremendous help to him.

The millstone could only be used to suppress, and killing his opponents outright would be difficult. After all, they wouldn't just stand there like fools and wait for the millstone to crush them.

Taking advantage of their restricted movements, Liu Wuxie summoned the Heavenly Dragon Seal. Liu Wuxie wanted to catch them by surprise, and the surroundings were filled with poisonous fumes, ready to invade their bodies the moment they exhausted their true essence.

If Liu Wuxie had used the Heavenly Dragon Seal right from the start, it would’ve only caused them to scatter and flee, which wasn't the result he desired.

When the Heavenly Dragon Seal descended, the surrounding space and mountain range began to sink, and mountains reaching a few hundred meters were instantly leveled to the ground.

......

"Incredible!" The spectators muttered among themselves. The ability to move mountains and fill seas, instantly destroying an entire mountain, was mentioned only in legends.

"What terrifying power! I also wish to enter the cultivation world!" a student of the Imperial Academy exclaimed longingly. Their eyes sparkled with desire.

"This time, one of our missions is to recruit promising talents to the cultivation world and assist Liu Wuxie," Fan Zhen said to the Imperial Academy's teachers and students around him. This immediately sent an uproar through the crowd. They hadn't expected Liu Wuxie to return and recruit disciples to the cultivation world.

"Old Headmaster, is that true? Do we have a chance?" Zhao Enzhu said with his face flushed with anticipation.

"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future," Fan Zhen replied honestly. "Even if you can't join the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, you can work for the Heavenly Dao Society and establish yourself in the cultivation world. Though you might not be able to become a peerless expert, you can nurture your descendants in the cultivation world."

They weren't young anymore, meaning they had practically exhausted all their potential. If not for Liu Wuxie's influence and support, even Fan Zhen's achievements in the cultivation world would have been an unattainable dream.

Fan Zhen's words sent an uproar among the crowd as countless students of the Imperial Academy began to rub their hands together, hoping to be chosen. Liu Wuxie’s current status as one of the most powerful figures in the Southern Province promised boundless opportunities for anyone fortunate enough to follow him. After all, Fan Zhen was a living example.

......

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Dragon Seal came crashing down.

"Watch out!" roared the Hou Clan's grand elder as he swiftly retreated.

However, the others weren't as quick as him, and it was already too late when they came to their senses. Liu Wuxie used the millstone as a facade, and the Heavenly Dragon Seal was the trump card.

An elder from the Azure Crimson Gate who had reached the fourth level of the Nascent Transformation Realm was ripped apart, and even his primordial spirit was bound by the Demonic Purgatory Chains when he tried to escape.

Liu Wuxie cast the primordial spirit into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron for refinement. The Nascent Transformation Realm cultivator’s body contained a wealth of laws, offering immense benefits to Liu Wuxie. If he managed to kill everyone present, it could potentially elevate him to the seventh level of the Astral River Realm, significantly enhancing his chances for survival in the Western Barren. Refining multiple Nascent Transformation Realm cultivators was an opportunity unmatched in its value.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal continued to crush down, causing everyone to flee in various directions, unable to withstand the oppressive force.

A crimson dragon appeared in mid-air, exuding a terrifying aura. This was because the Heavenly Dragon Seal had refined a drop of the blood dragon's blood essence and gained a fraction of its power.

With a single sweep, an elder from the Hou Clan was severed from the waist down. In a brief moment, only four out of ten experts in the Nascent Transformation Realm remained.

The massacre continued, and Liu Wuxie brought out the Earth-Binding Chains for the second time while everyone fled. The chain wrapped itself around an elder from the Azure Crimson Gate, who could only die slowly in grievance as his energy was devoured by Liu Wuxie.

Meanwhile, aside from the Hou Clan's grand elder, the remaining two Nascent Transformation Realm experts began contemplating retreat. Liu Wuxie’s overwhelming power and his arsenal of rare treasures had left them utterly demoralized and terrified.

They had reached the Nascent Transformation Realm, but their treasure couldn't be compared to Liu Wuxie's, filling their hearts in grievance. After all, both the Heavenly Dragon Seal and Earth-Binding Chains were priceless treasures.

An expert in the fifth level of the Nascent Transformation Realm was killed, leaving the Hou Clan's grand elder and a sixth-level elder from the Azure Crimson Gate.

Looking at the lifeless remains of their companions, the two had deep fear reflected in the depths of their eyes. Even they couldn't accomplish such a feat of killing so many experts in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Liu Wuxie could no longer be considered an ordinary cultivator in the Astral River Realm. They couldn't imagine how powerful Liu Wuxie would become if he carried on cultivating, and he would even become the Azure Crimson Gate's nightmare the moment he reached the True Profound Realm.

At that time, no one in the Southern Province could hinder his progress.

"You're next!" Liu Wuxie turned to the two remaining foes. He had already cleaned out everyone in the low levels of the Nascent Transformation Realm, but trying to kill these two wouldn't be easy. He could only take one of them out with the Annihilation Fist, but the remaining person would be troublesome.

However, they didn't realize that the poisonous fumes were already invading their bodies, which was Liu Wuxie's chance. He could wait patiently for the right time.

"You bastard! Do you think you can flee from us?" The Hou Clan's grand elder was thoroughly enraged. The Hou Clan had suffered significant losses today, and they were all the higher hierarchies of the Hou Clan. After losing so many experts, the Hou Clan's status would undoubtedly fall to a third-tier clan.

"Old bastard, I didn't go looking for trouble with the Hou Clan, yet you dared to come after me? After today, the Hou Clan will cease to exist!" Liu Wuxie sneered, his tone filled with provocation.

His words angered the Hou Clan's grand elder, turning his face red, and his breathing became hurried. This only accelerated the process of the poisonous fumes infiltrating his body.

"What's going on? Why can't I gather my true essence?" exclaimed the elder from the Azure Crimson Gate with a hint of shock.

"This cunning brat must've tampered with our bodies! We have to kill him quickly!" The Hou Clan's grand elder also realized that Liu Wuxie was purposely dragging the battle and using words to provoke them.

"Attack together!" The Azure Crimson Gate elder couldn't wait any longer. His true essence was dissipating, which wasn't a good sign.

Throughout the fight, Liu Wuxie had used the Earth-Binding Chains twice, the Soul Shield to protect his primordial spirit, and the Heavenly Dragon Seal once. This had taken a heavy toll on his soul energy, and only one-third of his true essence was left.

While it might have seemed effortless for Liu Wuxie to kill eight experts in the Nascent Transformation Realm, the effort had nearly drained him completely. Facing such formidable opponents, he couldn't afford to hold back.

Two experts charged at Liu Wuxie from opposite directions, and the Hou Clan's grand elder brought out his strongest attack. This was the Hou Clan's Sky Crushing Seal, capable of destroying an entire mountain range upon execution.

The Azure Crimson Gate elder didn't dare to hold back either and executed the Azure Crimson Gate's ultimate move. The two attacks intertwined and formed an even bigger millstone, crushing the surrounding space.

The destructive force formed into a black hole that enveloped Liu Wuxie. This was a shocking scene, and the dao techniques executed by two experts in the Nascent Transformation Realm were highly destructive.

Not to mention, they were in the mundane world, and the space here couldn't withstand the crushing power of the two dao techniques. The ground began to sink, and the entire mountain range was leveled to the ground.

This destructive force unleashed a powerful shockwave that spread a hundred miles away. The spectators were forced to retreat, and they felt as though countless needles had pierced them.

"Everyone, retreat!" Fan Zhen called out, urging everyone to retreat further. The shockwave caused by a battle of this magnitude was highly destructive, capable of claiming the lives of ordinary cultivators.

On the contrary, Liu Wuxie had no option but to confront this attack head-on.

"Breakthrough!" Liu Wuxie was only left with thirty percent of his true essence, but it wasn't enough to sustain the execution of the Annihilation Fist. If he attempted it recklessly, it would only rip him apart.

Despite obtaining the Divine Avatar’s power and the further evolution of the true dragon's bloodline, Liu Wuxie's true essence was too lacking. He would only suffer a backlash if he forcibly executed the Annihilation Fist.

After refining the energy absorbed from eight cultivators in the Nascent Transformation Realm, Liu Wuxie's cultivation welcomed another breakthrough, and he reached the seventh level of the Astral River Realm.

The seventh level marked the late phase in the Astral River Realm, and his cultivation began to rise with no signs of slowing down. The surrounding spiritual energy could no longer satisfy his need, and he threw countless high-grade spirit stones into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron.

While ordinary people needed a long time to consolidate their breakthroughs, Liu Wuxie didn't have to be concerned about that. He had a heaven-defying treasure like the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, and he could complete the conversion of his cultivation instantly.

The energy from the high-grade spirit stones was converted into liquified spiritual energy, flowing into the desolate world. His exhausted true essence began to recover at a stunning speed.

"This is bad! We can't let him make a breakthrough!" The Azure Crimson Gate elder’s expression turned grave.

Liu Wuxie was already so powerful in the sixth level of the Astral River Realm, and they couldn't imagine how strong he would become after reaching the seventh level of the Astral River Realm. This was why they had to strike now while Liu Wuxie was still making his breakthrough.

"Isn't it too late for you to react now?" Liu Wuxie's lips curled into a devilish smile. They might have had a chance if they had acted earlier, but they had hesitated and allowed the poisonous fumes to further infiltrate their bodies. This had brought precious time for Liu Wuxie.

He had already refined the energy from eight cultivators in the Nascent Transformation Realm and was unstoppable. Countless treasures shattered, and they were all precious treasures the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had offered him.

Aside from tenth-grade pills, there weren't many treasures that were helpful to him. In just half a breath, Liu Wuxie's cultivation had reached the mid-seventh level of the Astral River Realm, though there remained a noticeable gap to the pinnacle.

However, if Liu Wuxie could kill these two people and refine them, he would reach the pinnacle of the seventh-level Astral River Realm.

After his true essence recovered, his soul and physique advanced. His primordial spirit now had distinctive facial features, which was no different from the primordial spirit of someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm. Most importantly, Liu Wuxie was only in the Astral River Realm!

No one would believe it if someone told them that Liu Wuxie had awakened his primordial spirit. But that was the reality, and a cultivator in the Astral River Realm with an awakened primordial spirit was unthinkable. Liu Wuxie now had another miracle under his belt.

This meant that Liu Wuxie's strength and soul energy were long comparable to those of cultivators in the Nascent Transformation Realm, aside from his cultivation. He raised his hand and took the Annihilation Fist's stance, causing winds to howl and mountains to collapse.