Chapter 468: Eighth Place! Changes In The Black Pagoda! (2)

His defenses are barely holding up against my repeated sword strikes. Logically, he should be heavily injured, spending vast amounts of vital ether to recover. He shouldn't be able to sustain his defense for long.

Gao Yun also frowned.

Maintaining this large sword domain consumes an immense amount of mana on my end.

He had believed that defeating Wu Yuan would be a walk in the park, but reality proved otherwise.

“Gao Yun, both of us are at an impasse. There’s no point continuing. Farewell.” Wu Yuan suddenly retreated.

With the ether art Realm Crossing, his speed soared to a terrifying level. His wings tore through layers of golden qi streams like dual sabers. In a blink, Wu Yuan nearly broke out of the sword domain.

“Trying to escape?” Gao Yun's face darkened as he sped up, his movements as swift as a phantom.

With Wu Yuan suppressed by the sword domain, Gao Yun was not one bit slower than him.

Swish~

Another golden divine sword stabbed forward, forcing Wu Yuan to turn and parry with his saber once again.

“Gao Yun, stop wasting your efforts. You can't defeat me.” Wu Yuan’s voice resonated like a great bell, echoing through heaven and earth.

Blood mist poured into his soul chamber in a frenzy, generating vital ether at astonishing speed.

One had to understand that Wu Yuan’s soul chamber was already powerful due to his second-degree immortal root. With the support of the blood mist, coupled with the Longevity Dao, his ether recovery speed was ten times faster than ordinary body refiners, making him unafraid of attrition battles!

Most importantly, the True Celestial Body was primarily a defense-type advanced ether art!

Wu Yuan couldn’t harness the Longevity Dao for external moves. However, he integrated part of its profundities into the True Celestial Body, turning his physique as resilient as high-grade spirit equipment, nearly indestructible. This was why Wu Yuan could hold his ground so easily.

At the moment, he only executed the profundities of the Celestial Body Dao in his saber techniques. If he integrated the profundities of the Longevity Dao? Wu Yuan’s defense would be truly flawless.

His confidence to traverse the battlefield with impunity stemmed from his belief in his invincible defense. Not even Gao Yun could injure him!

“Kill.” Gao Yun remained calm, continuing to maintain the sword domain, repeatedly forming divine swords and striking Wu Yuan.

After thousands of rounds of exchanges lasting nearly a quarter of an hour, Gao Yun finally gave up. The battle left a trail of destruction spanning tens of thousands of li.

“Haha, Gao Yun, we’ll settle this if we meet again at the ultimate opportunity challenge.” Wu Yuan flapped his wings, soaring skyward. Soon, he disappeared from Gao Yun’s sight.

This Wu Yuan is a formidable foe.

Gao Yun felt apprehensive.

But how do I defeat him?

He felt a headache coming on. Though his Dao comprehension was deeper, his movement techniques superior, and his attacks stronger, he couldn’t defeat Wu Yuan.

The waves of blade rays each time Wu Yuan swung his four arms formed an impenetrable shell, just like a giant tortoise.

There’s only one Wu Yuan. I refuse to believe the other geniuses of the Bloodforge Devil Hall are as formidable as him.

Gao Yun flew off in another direction.

In his mind, the threat Wu Yuan posed was second only to Ao Qi.

...

As Wu Yuan and Gao Yun were both top-tier geniuses, the numerous factions monitoring the ranking were unable to watch their battle and remained unaware of the result.

However, the Bloodforge Immortal Realm’s observation space was lively with discussion. As Archimmortals, they could observe any participant they wished. And indeed, this battle became the focal point of attention.

One was the current number one genius of the Bloodforge Devil Hall’s Silvermist Division, though young and not too powerful yet.

The other was a famous peerless genius with a long cultivation history, acknowledged as the strongest Golden Core cultivator in the Bloodforge Battlefield.

The outcome of their clash defied the expectations of ninety-nine percent of the spectating Archimmortals.

“Gao Yun was not holding back at all. His powerful sword domain was able to suppress Wu Yuan completely, yet he couldn’t win?”

“Wu Yuan’s defense is simply absurd.”

“He rendered Gao Yun helpless.”

“In terms of attack power, Gao Yun is likely the strongest in the entire Bloodforge Battlefield.”

“If even he can’t defeat Wu Yuan, who can?” Countless Archimmortals discussed the result of the battle, marveling at Wu Yuan’s strength.

The Astral Lords sitting at the front were just as interested in the topic.

“Wu Yuan is this strong, yet he hasn't cleared level fourteen? Yin He, you’ve hidden your cards well,” Astral Lord Meng Jie smiled.

“Haha, he still has a long way to go before reaching Ao Qi’s level,” Astral Lord Yin He laughed. “Wu Yuan only trumps him in immortal root degree.”

While laughing, he exchanged glances with Astral Lord Chen Deng beside him. Both had a hint of puzzlement in their eyes.

Wu Yuan had never displayed such heaven-defying defense in the past. It made him practically invincible among his peers.

A strong offense enabled one to kill their enemies, but strong defense ensured one’s survival.

“Yin He, Wu Yuan’s second-degree immortal root is extraordinary. But ultimately, it is not a first-degree immortal root,” an Astral Lord joined the conversation. “His Dao comprehension is average, yet his defense is so formidable. His body must be extremely resilient.”

“Indeed, I agree.”

“That’s the only way he can withstand repeated strikes from the divine swords.”

“He must’ve mastered a physical ether art perfectly suited for him, its power is nearly at the grand ether art level.” The Astral Lords gave various opinions.

Though they couldn’t see the involvement of the blood mist or Longevity Dao, they could deduce parts of the truth from the overall battle. These went unnoticed previously because none of Wu Yuan’s opponents had forced him to take such extreme measures for defense. Only Gao Yun managed to do so, allowing the Archimmortals to deduce part of his hidden abilities.

“In terms of offense, Wu Yuan has reached the standard of level fourteen of the Dark Star at best. He’s unlikely to be in the top hundred.”

“But in terms of defense, he’s definitely in the top five, perhaps even first!”

“His defense is unbelievable. As long as he isn't besieged by a group of peerless geniuses, he has nothing to fear.”

“From a comprehensive analysis, he stands a real chance of breaking into the top ten of the Blood Devil Token rankings!” The Archimmortals and Astral Lords concluded.

“With Wu Yuan's talent, once he breaks into the top ten of the Blood Devil Token rankings, he has a high chance of surpassing others in the second stage and claiming the title of Bloodforge King.”

“Indeed, the probability is high.”

“His chances of claiming the king's title are second only to Ao Qi and Gao Yun, slightly higher than Dongfang Hongguang and the others.”

This battle prompted the Archimmortals and Astral Lords to recalibrate their predictions of the final rankings.

Wu Yuan leapt to third place.

...

As the days went by, the situation on the Bloodforge Battlefield unfolded just as the Archimmortals and Astral Lords had predicted.

Once in a while, a participant would reveal a hidden ability, emerging as a new peerless genius. But in general, among the hundred over peerless geniuses participating from the Bloodforge Devil Hall and Silvermist Immortal Nation, Ao Qi and Gao Yun shone the brightest. Following closely behind was Wu Yuan.

After his battle with Gao Yun, Wu Yuan continued his unstoppable rampage, sweeping through numerous powerful foes and accumulating Blood Devil Tokens without stopping. His ranking climbed steadily from fiftieth to fortieth, then to twentieth!

By the end of the fourth month of the Bloodforge Battle’s commencement, Wu Yuan's Blood Devil Token count had surpassed five hundred thousand and he was ranked in eighteenth place.

Then, Wu Yuan encountered the second peerless genius since the trial began—the peerless genius Long Shan, who had cleared level fourteen of Dark Star.

The two clashed for nearly two entire hours, with Wu Yuan pursuing Long Shan for a million li before defeating him, forcing him to use up his retry chance.

This battle pushed Wu Yuan's Blood Devil Token ranking up to fifteenth place.

Just six days later, Wu Yuan faced another peerless genius from the Silvermist Immortal Nation, Shuang Luanxing, who had great potential to clear level fifteen of the Dark Star.

The two engaged in a fierce battle, and Wu Yuan ultimately left the fight without much effort.

When the Bloodforge Battle entered its sixth month, Wu Yuan met the fourth peerless genius, Zhen Nong from Silvermist Immortal Nation.

This battle was a brutal affair that darkened the skies and shook the earth. In the end, Wu Yuan relied on his formidable defense to kill (exhaust) his opponent, propelling his Blood Devil Token ranking into the top ten.

...

“This Wu Yuan, didn’t they say he wasn’t that strong?”

“Even if he was hiding his strength, I thought he would only be able to clear level fourteen of the Dark Star at best. But breaking into the top ten means he definitely has the strength to clear level fifteen.”

“Such a monstrous prodigy.”

“He possesses such terrifying strength after only cultivating for a few decades?”

Wu Yuan's entry into the top ten truly shocked the various factions of the immortal nation and the divisions of the devil hall watching the Bloodforge Battle.

Tenth place was already an astonishing rank. It signified that one's strength was among the pinnacle of all peerless geniuses.

...

“Top ten! Wu Yuan's Blood Devil Token count is in the top ten.” The immortals of the Redmoon Division of the Bloodforge Devil Hall erupted into a frenzy.

Wu Yuan's fierce outburst had given them a huge shock, and his ranking continued to increase each time the leaderboard was refreshed!

Moreover, with the surge in Wu Yuan's Blood Devil Token ranking and the sudden demise of several peerless geniuses, it was clear to all that Wu Yuan had defeated and killed other peerless geniuses.

This was the most startling part of it all. Although there were many peerless geniuses on the Bloodforge Battlefield, the majority were cautious and unwilling to engage with other top-tier opponents lightly.

Those who dared fight other peerless geniuses were extremely confident in themselves. For instance—Gao Yun and Ao Qi!

The two had claimed the first and second rank in Blood Devil Tokens respectively, because they had each defeated and killed four or five peerless geniuses.

Each peerless genius defeated would yield at least tens of thousands of Blood Devil Tokens.

Naturally, their rankings soared.

...

Within the Bloodforge Battlefield, in a vast passageway tens of thousands of li wide.

“Die!” Wu Yuan's figure flashed, attacking a seemingly empty, folded mountain range a hundred li away.

“It's Wu Yuan.”

“Run!” Three figures fled in terror.

Those who managed to survive until now mostly had sharp instincts.

Wu Yuan's relentless slaughter over the past six months had been witnessed by countless participants. Combined with his consistently high ranking, he was undeniably one of the most famous peerless geniuses on the battlefield.

After several clashes, the three participants who had been lucky enough to survive until now were all killed by Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan hovered in mid-air, a thread of consciousness checking on his ranking within his personal hall in the Bloodforge Immortal Realm.

Blood Devil Tokens: 943,332

Ranking: 8

Not far from a million Blood Devil Tokens.

Wu Yuan mused to himself.

But it's almost the seventh month.

Once the seventh month began, any remaining ordinary participants would likely depart from the battlefield. Once that happened, he would need to search for other geniuses to increase his rank.

Ten million Blood Devil Tokens? It’s impossible.

Wu Yuan shook his head slightly,

But I must collect one million Blood Devil Tokens at least.

If I can achieve this, it would save some trouble. Moreover, maintaining a high ranking would greatly improve my chances of ultimately claiming the Bloodforge King title.

Thoughts flickered through Wu Yuan's mind.

According to Astral Lord Yin He and the others, I have a huge advantage in the second stage.

Hm?

Wu Yuan's eyes widened suddenly. A flicker of astonishment and joy flashed through his pupils!

The black pagoda?

After killing those three participants, Wu Yuan sensed that the blood mist filling the region around the black pagoda seemed to have reached some sort of limit. The mist was so dense that it looked nearly pure black.

Boom!

The entire black pagoda began to tremble violently.

Abruptly, its gates opened for the first time.