Chapter 1276: Confrontation Of Top Rankers! Success! (2)

"Ming Jian, hand over the Chaos Jade Crystal," True Saint Luan Hai demanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

The white-robed figure retreated swiftly, maintaining the distance between them.

"Luan Hai, I am your opponent," Wu Yuan's ether body roared, moving to intercept. His eyes blazed with battlelust.

His palm techniques actually managed to suppress me earlier?

Wu Yuan paid no attention to the growing crowd of True Saints gathering to witness the confrontation.

Wu Yuan's ether body swung his saber and charged forward, empowered by the golden lotus domain that shimmered around him.

The two supreme True Saints finally engaged in direct combat. Both towered a million li tall, their Eternal Matter Bodies clearly cultivated to complete mastery.

One wielded the saber, emanating an aura vast and desolate like a god of war.

One moved with ethereal grace, his palm techniques flowing in an endless stream, each movement exuding imposing might.

Rumble~ Boom!

Their battle erupted with incredible ferocity, each combatant unleashing their full strength. Yet, Wu Yuan's ether body found itself at a slight disadvantage.

“Luan Hai.”

Wu Yuan's ether body retreated, staring at his opponent with undisguised shock. “You can actually suppress me? Have you taken the fourth step of your self-created Dao?”

If the first exchange had left room for doubt in his perception, Wu Yuan was now absolutely certain. The power of True Saint Luan Hai's palm techniques had increased by an enormous degree compared to when he had faced True Saint Xuan Xin earlier. It was nothing short of terrifying.

Moreover, Wu Yuan’s foundation as a body refiner, artifacts, and ultimate technique profundities ranked among the pinnacle of all True Saints. Now he even had the support of his mana body's domain.

Yet he still found himself at a disadvantage? The only explanation Wu Yuan could conceive was that his opponent had taken the fourth step of his self-created Dao.

"The fourth step?"

"True Saint Luan Hai has also taken the fourth step?"

"This! This is madness!"

"How can so many True Saints take the fourth step in the same era?" The gathered True Saints murmured among themselves, their voices thick with disbelief.

Throughout the ages, it was rare to see one or two True Saints taking the fourth step in a single era. While True Saint Luan Hai held the first position on the True Saint Rankings, most believed his strength was likely inferior to Cloud Saint and True Saint Luo Quan after their recent breakthroughs.

Who could have imagined that True Saint Luan Hai had also broken through?

Had anyone else made such a claim, many would have harbored doubts. But these words came from True Saint Wu Yuan, the super powerhouse ranked fifth on the True Saint Rankings.

"Haha, indeed, I have taken the fourth step. I didn't expect that you’d force me to reveal it," True Saint Luan Hai replied, his demeanor relaxing into a smile. "Wu Yuan, your strength is truly formidable. Had I not broken through, I fear I would not be your match.

"With you here, I have no way to seize the Chaos Jade Crystal from True Saint Ming Jian.

"With the two of you working together, even the hundreds of True Saints gathered here cannot stop you." True Saint Luan Hai sighed deeply.

He was, at his core, a free spirit. When vying for treasure, he fought with everything he had. But once he recognized that there was no hope of obtaining the prize, he simply relinquished his claim without hesitation.

"Without Ming Jian's domain empowering me, I could barely protect myself," Wu Yuan admitted frankly.

This was the truth. The gap in their Dao cultivation levels was simply too vast. Even with Wu Yuan's absolute advantage in domains and foundation, it was nearly impossible to bridge the divide completely.

Not far away, the ethereal white-robed figure remained silent, regarding True Saint Luan Hai with cool detachment.

"True Saint Wu Yuan is that powerful?"

"Even after taking the fourth step, True Saint Luan Hai admits he can't seize the Chaos Jade Crystal?"

"Doesn't this mean that if True Saint Luan Hai, Cloud Saint and the others hadn't broken through, True Saint Wu Yuan would have been ranked first on the True Saint Rankings? It's incredible."

"Truly strong." The crowd of True Saints continued to grow, now exceeding three hundred, yet none dared to make a move.

They had all been thoroughly intimidated. At the same time, they marveled at the exchange between True Saint Luan Hai and True Saint Wu Yuan, whose strength far exceeded anything they had imagined possible.

With twin flashes of light, powerful figures like True Saint Yan Huo and True Saint Tian Peng arrived, their expressions frozen in astonishment as they beheld the scene.

As soon as True Saint Xuan Xin lost the Chaos Jade Crystal, he had immediately sent word to True Saint Yan Huo, no longer willing to involve himself further in the confrontation.

Under the collective gaze of the assembled True Saints, True Saint Luan Hai spoke again.

"Wu Yuan, your strength is formidable. If you take the fourth step one day, you would far surpass me." A smile played across Luan Hai's face. "Since taking the fourth step, I've also created a new ultimate move. I need worthy opponents to refine it further. Would you be willing to fight me?"

A ripple of excitement spread through the onlookers. Everyone recognized this as True Saint Luan Hai's invitation to duel. Would Wu Yuan accept the challenge?

"I refuse!" Wu Yuan shook his head firmly.

Boom!

Wu Yuan's ether body moved, his form turning as elusive as a phantom. His speed suddenly skyrocketed as he fled like a bolt of lightning into the distance.

Had they been alone, Wu Yuan would have eagerly tested his skills against True Saint Luan Hai. But with so many True Saints gathered, including numerous Full True Saint powerhouses, the situation was too unpredictable. How could he be certain his opponent wasn't setting a trap for him? It was wisest to withdraw.

The white-robed figure followed with astonishing speed, moving like a streak of lightning, easily approaching a thousand times the speed of light.

"What incredible speed. Don't run." True Saint Luan Hai pursued relentlessly, his momentum undiminished even within the golden lotus domain.

He unleashed his full power, swinging one massive arm forward.

The palm struck like a divine saber, causing heaven and earth to tremble violently. Spacetime tore open, a terrifying fissure splitting the void as the attack surged toward Wu Yuan.

The raw power imbued in this strike far surpassed anything True Saint Luan Hai had displayed previously.

A Dao Zenithel ultimate technique?

Wu Yuan's expression tightened as he sensed the horrifying power within that palm strike.

Dao comprehension and ultimate techniques were distinct concepts. When a True Saint took the fourth step, their strength increased dramatically, every movement they made imbued with unfathomable profundities.

However, True Saints who had just taken the fourth step often lacked the foundation to create true Dao Zenithel ultimate techniques, so the increase in combat power, while significant, wasn't truly overwhelming.

But once they created genuine Dao Zenithel ultimate techniques, they became truly heaven-defying.

This True Saint Luan Hai's strength may even surpass that of Tian Chan from back then.

The thought flashed through Wu Yuan's mind.

At that time, True Saint Tian Chan had finally taken the fourth step, creating multiple Dao Zenithel ultimate techniques. Though he lacked a Chaos Treasure, he could still easily unleash Threshold Dao Zenithel power.

The stronger Wu Yuan became, the more he recognized True Saint Tian Chan's strength. While Cloud Saint and True Saint Luo Quan were undeniably powerful, Wu Yuan had an inexplicable feeling that they fell short of True Saint Tian Chan.

But today, the power True Saint Luan Hai displayed seemed to surpass even that of True Saint Tian Chan from that time.

"Domain of the Abyss," Wu Yuan unleashed this technique without hesitation.

Nine sabers flashed through the air, their edges gleaming with cold light.

Nine blade rays blossomed across the void. Endless darkness erupted around Wu Yuan's towering form, transforming him into a shadowy Abyss that rushed forward to meet the incoming palm strike.

Boom!

Devastating power erupted from both divine bodies as they collided, sending shock waves rippling through the void.

"What a fearsome palm strike!"

"Such palm techniques..." Far off in the distance, True Saint Yan Huo, True Saint Tian Peng, and the other observers watched in stunned silence.

The strength True Saint Luan Hai now displayed vastly exceeded what he had shown earlier when battling True Saint Xuan Xin. Had he revealed such power then, True Saint Xuan Xin wouldn't have lasted more than a few exchanges.

Most crucially, the vast Abyss that Wu Yuan had transformed into shattered completely from the powerful assault. Yet in that same instant, it reconverged into his divine body. Though sent flying back millions of li, his vital aura hardly seemed any weaker.

While clearly at a disadvantage, the impact on him appeared minimal.

If it were me, I'd likely be seriously wounded.

True Saint Tian Peng marveled inwardly.

Wu Yuan's self-preservation ability is truly terrifying.

This Wu Yuan grows ever more frightening.

True Saint Yan Huo gritted his teeth, his face tight with concern.

He's far surpassed me now.

Even without crossing blades with Wu Yuan himself, True Saint Yan Huo knew with absolute certainty that he would lose a confrontation between them. And badly at that.

Truly powerful.

Wu Yuan streaked backwards like lightning, his heart trembling in his chest.

Even employing my defensive ultimate technique, that single strike shattered my Abyss form and left a clear crack on my Eternal Psyche.

This was the most severe injury Wu Yuan had sustained since becoming a True Saint.

The gap in our Dao cultivation levels is too great. I'm no match for him. Retreat!

Wu Yuan shot backwards with redoubled speed, continuing his flight into the distance.

"Don't run. Wu Yuan, even Cloud Saint’s defenses are weaker than yours," True Saint Luan Hai's eyes gleamed with excitement as he pursued at full power, launching palm strike after palm strike.

It appeared that employing Dao Zenithel ultimate techniques took a tremendous toll on True Saint Luan Hai. Thus, he could only unleash one or two palm strikes at a time.

If he could launch nine palm strikes simultaneously, Wu Yuan would have fallen long ago.

Yet even with this limitation, faced with True Saint Luan Hai's relentless onslaught, Wu Yuan could only defend, barely holding his ground with the support of the golden lotus domain.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a thousand blows, one pursuing, one fleeing.

Their speed far outpaced the observing True Saints, leaving most of them in the dust.

Only True Saint Tian Peng and a few others managed to keep up, watching the battle unfold with wide eyes.

In mere moments, both combatants had fled beyond the array's range, plunging directly into the endless, gloomy void beyond.

Yet True Saint Luan Hai refused to relent, pursuing with unwavering focus.

Though not particularly renowned for speed, his powerful self-created Dao granted him inconceivable strength, enhancing his attacks, physical defense, soul defense, speed, and various other attributes across the board.

Suddenly, a cold voice sliced through the void: "Luan Hai, stop chasing. Don't force me to act."

"Ming Jian? You think you're a match for me?" True Saint Luan Hai sneered, clearly unimpressed by the white-robed True Saint.

But in the next instant, his expression shifted subtly.

At the edge of the void, a dark divine sword materialized above the head of the white-robed figure that had been following Wu Yuan. Obscure and unfathomable, it radiated endless killing intent.

This sword did not affect the spacetime around it, yet it possessed a soul-shaking power that instilled involuntary terror in all who beheld it.

"A Lifebound Psyche Weapon?" True Saint Luan Hai's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is this possible? I thought you were a practitioner of the Psyche Dream class!"

From his eons of experience and accumulated knowledge, Luan Hai instantly recognized the devastating nature of True Saint Ming Jian's psyche weapon. This was no ordinary External Psyche Weapon.

Though he had previously studied recordings of Ming Jian in combat, such viewings had revealed only the superficial aspects of battles, failing to capture their auras. He never knew the truly horrifying qualities of the Netherworld Sword until now.

"Even with your Lifebound Psyche Weapon, you still lack the power to destroy me," True Saint Luan Hai declared, his lips curling into a sneer.

"Indeed," True Saint Ming Jian acknowledged. Then, his smile grew cold. "I cannot kill you outright. But consider this: if I were to launch a strike without any regard for my life, burning the essence of my Saint Realm existence..." He paused. "I wonder how much clarity your Yuan Soul’s essence would retain afterward? Would you still possess enough strength to challenge Wu Yuan then?"

True Saint Luan Hai's pupils contracted to pinpricks.

"From what I understand, you've already tasted death several times," True Saint Ming Jian continued, his words like shards of ice. "My resurrection would prove far easier than yours.

"Furthermore! Do you truly wish to earn the eternal hatred of both myself and True Saint Wu Yuan? All for a Chaos Jade Crystal that fate has already decided will never be yours?"

True Saint Luan Hai's breathing steadied as he finally regained his composure. For the span of half a breath, silence reigned between them.

"Ming Jian, I have to admire your ruthlessness," True Saint Luan Hai said at last, his penetrating gaze fixed on True Saint Ming Jian. Then, he turned toward Wu Yuan, his expression shifting subtly. "Wu Yuan, I envy you for having such a brother who would willingly embrace death alongside you."

He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "This Chaos Jade Crystal belongs to you."

With that, True Saint Luan Hai transformed into a brilliant streak of light and departed.