Chapter 916: Two Paths (2)

He's actually on par with me?

Bai Shui's eyes flickered, hardly believing it. Just moments ago, her opponent had clearly been at a disadvantage.

In terms of mana and Yuan Soul, the two were very close. In terms of artifact mastery, they were also nearly equal.

Bai Shui's Dao comprehension level was higher, but Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had a deeper understanding of the Primordial Technique, enhancing the power he controlled and compensating for his shortfall in Dao comprehension.

The mana body is merely support. In a battle between qi refiners, the true self is the core.

Bai Shui didn’t show a hint of panic, her eyes shimmering with light.

Lifebound divine cauldrons, suppress!

Bai Shui immediately unleashed her strongest killing move.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Purple divine cauldrons, their surfaces shimmering with a hazy light, flew out one after another. There were nine in total, simultaneously dispersing to various points within her domain.

Nine lifebound divine cauldrons, all upgraded to high-grade celestial artifacts through the optimal evolution pathway.

Just like how dropping massive boulders onto a crumbling dam instantly made it unshakeable, Bai Shui’s domain underwent a similar transformation. The invisible connections between the divine cauldrons, manifested through chains, became almost tangible. Around her, space seemed to congeal.

Rumble~

As they clashed, Wu Yuan's sword domain began to collapse thunderously. It could no longer withstand the pressure.

It was like a boulder crashing into a pond, raising waves of muddy water while remaining completely unaffected. Wu Yuan's sword domain was that pond.

Is this the strongest domain on the Megaverse Crossroads?

Wu Yuan marveled inwardly. It was too powerful.

In the past, he had only heard that Bai Shui's domain control was invincible, but he had never truly faced it before. Only in this confrontation did he understand its terrifying might.

No matter how strong your domain or how perfect your control, you still have to guard against attacks from all directions. Let's see how many fronts you can defend.

Wu Yuan's eyes turned cold.

Kill!

Hum~

Wu Yuan's mana body manipulated the sword domain, rapidly shrinking it. Though the area the sword domain controlled decreased, its overall power grew even more formidable.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Under Wu Yuan's true self's full control, nine lifebound flying swords and numerous Dao Instrument flying swords launched a devastating assault on Bai Shui's domain.

The mana body's sword domain defended Wu Yuan, allowing his true self to attack at full power without worry.

Wu Yuan's nine lifebound flying swords, which had never failed him before, pierced into Bai Shui's domain, only to encounter unprecedented resistance. Gaining a single inch was incredibly difficult, their power continuously diminished.

This?

Wu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. By his estimation, the power of his nine lifebound flying swords might be exhausted before they could reach Bai Shui. Her domain's might was truly terrifying.

"This?”

“First in domain control! The Law of True Domain as its core, the complete Law of Space as its foundation, coupled with nine flawless lifebound divine cauldrons."

"And assisted by a mana body."

"This level of domain power can undoubtedly be called supreme." The observing peerless geniuses sighed in awe.

It wasn't that Ming Jian's attack wasn't strong enough. If other Supreme Geniuses faced the same assault by his nine lifebound flying swords, they would certainly be in a frantic state even if they could block it. Only Bai Shui could remain so composed.

"Ming Jian is in trouble."

"Sword immortals excel at offense. If he can't shake Bai Shui's domain defense, defeat is inevitable." These geniuses realized the predicament Wu Yuan faced.

...

As the observing geniuses discussed, the battle inside the grotto-heaven had reached a fever pitch.

"Ming Jian, admit defeat." Bai Shui's voice was melodious yet filled with endless killing intent. She manipulated her domain like a miniature star, sending it crashing towards Wu Yuan again and again.

But Wu Yuan's qi refiner self employed the Moonlight Shadow technique, evading each time.

Nine swords, unite.

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self's eyes turned ice-cold. He finally unleashed his strongest move.

Wu Yuan rarely used this technique as it consumed too much mental energy. It also drained an enormous amount of mana.

However, Bai Shui had pushed him to the edge of the cliff. A prolonged defense was unsustainable, and her domain's vast range made evasion extremely difficult. One slight mistake might trap him within her domain, resulting in defeat. He had to break out of her domain, or at least force her to shrink its range.

Boom!

With the nine lifebound flying swords as the core, the Dao Instrument flying swords circling around suddenly overlapped and assembled, rapidly forming an extremely compact sword array. The array then began to shrink dramatically, finally transforming into a transparent Spacetime divine sword.

A Hundred Swords Array centered on nine lifebound flying swords, supported by seventy-two mid-grade Dao Instrument flying swords.

In the past, during the Divine Domain stage, Wu Yuan had used this technique, but it had been extremely taxing, and his control over its power had been crude. Now, he could truly unleash the array's full potential.

Boom!

This compact Spacetime divine sword howled across the sky, warping space and altering the flow of time, reaching extreme speeds. It pierced straight into Bai Shui's domain.

Hmm?

Bai Shui's beautiful face paled as her perfectly controlled domain suddenly shook violently. It was as if a war saber had suddenly cleaved through a lake.

Boom!

This Spacetime divine sword almost instantly penetrated tens of thousands of li into Bai Shui’s domain, rapidly closing in on her.

Not good!

Bai Shui finally realized something was amiss. With a thought, her vast domain rapidly contracted. Simultaneously, three divine cauldrons not far from her swiftly retreated, circulating around her body.

Whoosh!

Three lifebound cauldrons, arranged in a triangular formation, emitted invisible, hazy fluctuations.

It looked like a majestic mountain colliding with the Spacetime divine sword.

Space shuddered, and Bai Shui's domain instantly developed countless cracks. But it had stopped Wu Yuan's sword strike.

Retreat!

Bai Shui immediately pulled back, no longer daring to be careless. With a thought, her domain, which had originally spread across tens of thousands of li, rapidly shrank to a radius of a thousand li. Divine cauldrons and Dao Instrument chains enveloped her, increasing her defensive power by more than twofold.

Still can’t break through?

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self narrowed his eyes.

Against previous opponents, like the formidable Supreme Genius Lu Xing, he had defeated them just by uniting his nine swords, without even assembling a Hundred Swords Array. Yet he had given it his all to attack Bai Shui, and still couldn't overcome her defenses? This left Wu Yuan feeling somewhat vexed.

Do I really need to activate the Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance?

A flicker of hesitation crossed Wu Yuan's mind.

The Samsara Sword’s Dao resonance was his trump card, and it involved too many secrets. Wu Yuan instinctively didn't wish to reveal it.

Let's try again, the situation isn’t hopeless yet.

With a thought, Wu Yuan recalled the Spacetime divine sword.

The divine sword circled around him at a radius of ten thousand li, ready to launch an attack on Bai Shui at any moment.

"Kill!" Bai Shui once again manipulated her domain, charging towards Wu Yuan. This time, however, she dared not spread her domain too widely, fearing Wu Yuan's Spacetime divine sword might suddenly strike again.

Boom! Boom!

The divine sword howled as the two clashed repeatedly.

Bai Shui controlled her domain, attempting to bind Wu Yuan and crush him with its power. Wu Yuan repeatedly evaded, then unleashed his Spacetime divine sword to strike, hindering Bai Shui's advance.

The entire grotto-heaven battlefield spanned less than a million li in diameter. If Bai Shui's domain expanded to tens of thousands of li, she could easily hunt down Wu Yuan. It would be like catching prey in a small pond.

But now, she dared only maintain a domain range of one thousand li, as if trying to capture quarry on a vast plain - the difficulty had skyrocketed.

For the moment, both sides were at a complete stalemate. Neither could overcome the other.

...

Whether on the plaza or the viewing platform, all was silent as everyone watched in shock. Both Bai Shui and Ming Jian had displayed their strongest power to date.

When it came to offense, Ming Jian had reached the pinnacle, his strikes rivaling those of Wu Yuan.

When it came to defense, Bai Shui had likewise reached the peak – perhaps only Zhu Shan could breach her domain's defenses in direct confrontation.

At the same time, one comprehended Spacetime while the other had fully grasped the Law of Space, their movement skills both exquisite beyond measure. This made the battle extremely intense, yet neither could overcome the other.

"It's turning into a battle of attrition."

"Since neither can defeat the other, it comes down to who has deeper reserves - whoever has greater mana will last to the end."

"These two are truly nearly tied in strength, with almost no difference," nearly all the Supreme Geniuses realized.

If there was a clear gap in power, it rarely came down to the exhaustion of mana. Even for body refiners with powerful vitality, once injured, their ether consumption would spike dramatically. Only when evenly matched could such a situation occur.

Boom!

In the grotto-heaven battlefield, Wu Yuan's qi refiner self and Bai Shui continued to clash repeatedly, neither daring to relax for even a moment.

Bai Shui had to maintain her domain to avoid Wu Yuan exploiting any weakness in her defense. Wu Yuan had to sustain the Hundred Swords Array to block Bai Shui, otherwise her domain would quickly expand and engulf him.

And so the two battled fiercely for thousands of exchanges. Both were able to endure a prolonged battle.

"They've been going all out for this long?" Ninety-nine percent of the geniuses were astounded.

One had to understand that this wasn't normal combat – both were maintaining supreme burst secret arts, and their mana consumption was dozens of times greater than usual.

"Both have Apotheosis roots."

"There's no doubt." The Supreme Geniuses all realized, growing increasingly wary of Wu Yuan and Bai Shui. These two must both possess dual Apotheosis root and soul.

"Who will last to the end?"

"We'll see." This was the question on everyone's minds. Even Zhu Shan couldn't determine the outcome - the two were too evenly matched.

...

Finally, after hundreds more exchanges, Bai Shui's mana was finally depleted. No longer able to maintain her domain, she withdrew her artifacts one by one.

"Kill!" After being hunted for so long and feeling stifled the entire battle, Ming Jian finally erupted. His Spacetime divine sword howled as it slashed forward.

Whoosh~

The cauldron domain shattered. As the divine sword shot through, Bai Shui's true self and mana body instantly vanished.

Bai Shui was defeated, her journey ending at the top 20.

The victor was Ming Jian.