Cultivators didn't inherently divide dao techniques by hierarchy or rank. Their power grew in tandem with the cultivator's strength.
Yet, certain dao techniques defied this rule. Once mastered, even without the highest cultivation, they possessed the power to obliterate everything. The Great Five Elemental Art was one such technique. The Death Dao Art was another.
While cultivating in seclusion at the Celestial Lunar Lake, Liu Wuxie had made tremendous progress. He had refined each dao technique, sharpening and condensing them to a higher level.
"Liu Wuxie, do you think you can threaten me with the Death Dao Art?" Miao Hanxuan scoffed coldly. A flicker of caution crossed his eyes, but no fear surfaced. His cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm, and he had long since become one with the world itself.
With a single gesture, he twisted the surrounding space, generating an oppressive force that repelled the Death Dao Art before it could draw near.
Overhead, the Mountain-River Seal descended with unstoppable momentum, crushing down like a divine judgment.
Liu Wuxie braced himself with all his might. His dao techniques kept him standing, but breaking through Miao Hanxuan's defense seemed nearly impossible.
"We'll see who threatens whom after the fight," Liu Wuxie replied with cold and resolute eyes.
He charged forward, unleashing a fierce surge of blade energy. He shot into the sky like a comet and cleaved the Mountain-River Seal apart with brute force.
"Origin Blade!" The technique had fully merged with both his sword and his body, forming a strike capable of severing even the sun and moon.
As the blade aura exploded outward, the entire peak trembled. Massive boulders rolled down in violent waves, shattering everything in their path.
The towering mountain crumbled into debris in a single breath's time.
Ji Lu'an struggled to his feet and helped Shao Qian move away from the collapsing terrain to a safer distance.
Everyone would have expected such destructive force from someone at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm. Yet, Liu Wuxie stood only at the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm.
Miao Hanxuan's expression finally shifted.
For the first time, he realized that conventional standards could no longer gauge Liu Wuxie's combat prowess. It seemed the natural laws of this world no longer applied to him.
A brilliant immortal rune flared into existence.
Liu Wuxie had made up his mind that he would seriously wound Miao Hanxuan today. Even if he couldn't kill him, he'd leave a fear that would haunt him forever.
The immortal rune merged seamlessly into his blade technique. A radiant arc of sword light burst forth blindingly, veiling half the sky in its brilliance. Daylight dimmed in an instant as though dusk had fallen, and the very order of the world seemed rewritten by his dao technique.
At that moment, Qu Su arrived, having rushed over the instant he received Liu Wuxie’s message. He had feared he’d be too late, but what he saw still shook him to the core.
After the commerce fair had ended, Liu Wuxie and Elder Qu Su had exchanged ways to contact each other. That connection now led him directly into the scene of overwhelming power.
"Miao Hanxuan, take my blade!" Liu Wuxie roared as his body shot higher into the sky.
"Dragon and Phoenix Dance!" With that cry, he unleashed the second form of the Divine Dragon Phantom, more potent than the Soaring Dragon. The Soaring Dragon emphasized speed and flight, but this form fused footwork and technique into devastating harmony.
"Coiling Dragon!" he continued, seamlessly transitioning into the third form. His blade surged with the force of a roaring tiger while his movements mirrored those of a divine dragon. The opposing energies converged into a perfect rhythm.
It had been a long time since Liu Wuxie had summoned the Divine Dragon Phantom. Now, as he unleashed it fully, his assault tore the sky itself open with a howling wind. A howling vortex formed high above, twisting wildly in the heavens.
Miao Hanxuan struggled to breathe under the unrelenting pressure. The suppression was overwhelming and brutal. Though both were wielding dao techniques, his own felt pitiful in comparison.
"Can anyone explain how he's mastered so many dao techniques?" disciples in the distance muttered through clenched teeth.
Strictly speaking, the Divine Dragon Phantom wasn't a true dao technique. Yet, in Liu Wuxie's hands, it had ascended to that level.
"He's too powerful... Is he only at the Spirit Profound Realm?"
Those who had rushed over could only offer silent nods of awe, their respect unspoken but apparent.
Everyone knew of Miao Hanxuan's vile reputation, and yet, none had dared to oppose him, not until now.
"As expected of the chosen one. With strength like that, only those at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm can stand against him."
Though few dared say it aloud, everyone now recognized Liu Wuxie as a true force, powerful enough to threaten even the highest-level Earth Profound realm cultivators.
The fierce clash between Liu Wuxie and Miao Hanxuan had sent shockwaves not only through the upper echelons of the academy but also among its elite legacy disciples.
Despite the academy housing countless disciples, there were only around a hundred legacy disciples in total.
Advancing to the Earth Profound Realm wasn't enough to qualify. Even Miao Hanxuan had failed to qualify in his youth.
Legacy disciples were those with the potential to break through into the Heaven Profound Realm. Without that potential, admission was impossible.
In the battle, the Mountain-River Seal finally buckled under the might of the Origin Sword. It shattered into fragments, and in that instant, Liu Wuxie's Spatial Dao Art surged forward like a rising tide, engulfing Miao Hanxuan.
"You deserve to die, Liu Wuxie!" Miao Hanxuan roared, but it was already too late to escape. Liu Wuxie tore apart the prison Miao Hanxuan had built and reversed it upon him.
Deathly energy rushed into his body, severing his vitality and critically wounding his core. As it coursed through his veins, it drained his life force in a slow, horrifying tide. Though the process unfolded gradually, the dread it carried was overwhelming.
As someone at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm, he had long since grown unafraid of death. His vast lifespan had made the concept of mortality seem distant and irrelevant.
However, now, for the first time in ages, true terror took hold of him.
His life force was being consumed, second by second, breath by breath. It wasn't a question of if, only when.
With rage erupting in his heart, Miao Hanxuan shot into the sky, summoning a sword of profound energy and hurling it down at Liu Wuxie in a final act of desperation.
A thunderous shockwave ripped through the heavens, splitting the clouds in every direction. The tremor swept across the sky, sending celestial cranes fleeing in panic the moment they sensed the terrifying aura.
Liu Wuxie's blade clashed with Miao Hanxuan's sword. Sparks exploded, but neither could overpower the other.
In truth, Miao Hanxuan was already on the brink of collapse. Despite his vastly superior cultivation, the deathly energy corroding his body had taken its toll on him.
"Great Dragon Aspect Art! Heavenly Dragon Seal!" Liu Wuxie bellowed, showing not the slightest mercy.
Now that he had revealed his dao techniques, he used this battle to sharpen them further. Testing his abilities against someone at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm was a rare opportunity, one that would serve as preparation for his journey to the Eastern Domain.
He had a nagging feeling that the Eastern Domain wouldn't be as straightforward as it appeared. Information about it was scarce, and danger likely ran deep.
More cultivators at the upper ranks of the Earth Profound Realm soared into the sky, drawn by the explosive battle.
"Who's fighting Miao Hanxuan?" several elders asked, unfamiliar with the young man's presence.
"Liu Wuxie," an elder replied quietly.
The name stirred memories.
Elder He of White Dragon Peak recalled how he had once tried to kill Liu Wuxie at the Astral Moon Valley, only to be struck down by Elder Madman in retaliation. Now, seeing Liu Wuxie again, he trembled. The young man before him could probably crush him with a single finger.
"I remember... a year ago, wasn't he still at the True Profound Realm? How has he grown to the point he can battle someone at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm?" one elder muttered, astounded.
"A year ago..." The elders who had overseen Liu Wuxie's recruitment back then let out hollow chuckles. At that time, he had only been at the Astral River Realm, not even at the Nascent Transformation Realm.
Now, the Heavenly Dragon Seal blazed in the air, condensing into a colossal divine dragon that coiled majestically across the sky.
Meanwhile, at the Celestial Lunar Lake, the Scarlet Dragon Python rose from the depths, its eyes sweeping the sky for any sign of Liu Wuxie.
However, just as it surfaced, a crushing dragon aura washed over the entire Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy.
Terror seized the python's heart. Its dao heart almost collapsed under the pressure. Without hesitation, it dove back into the water.
"Good grief! Since when were there so many divine beasts on the True Martial Continent?" it muttered before disappearing once more. The beast made up its mind that it wouldn't emerge again until it fully evolved into an actual dragon.
Back in the sky, the Great Dragon Aspect Art hovered in the air, merging with the Coiling Dragon technique like wings added to a tiger. NovelHub
Liu Wuxie combined the dao technique and movement art into a storm of power that locked tightly around Miao Hanxuan.
Liu Wuxie's battle spirit burned brighter than ever. Every cell in his body seemed to awaken as torrents of true essence surged from his acupoints.
The desolate world echoed in response. Countless elemental forces and natural laws surged with a deafening roar in answer to his call.
"Brother Liu is too strong..." Lu Ji'an stared blankly into the sky, still reeling from what he had witnessed after helping Shao Qian settle down.
"Senior Brother Ji, who is he? He doesn't look that much older than us," Shao Qian asked softly, her strength beginning to return.
"He's our savior," Lu Ji'an said solemnly, turning toward his junior sister with grave eyes.
"Qu Su, should we step in? This might go too far," some elders asked, growing uneasy. If word of this battle spread, the academy's reputation could suffer.
"Not yet," Qu Su replied, waving them off with a calm hand.
"Agreed. I want to see what other cards he's holding," a few elders echoed, their eyes fixed on the sky with mounting curiosity.
The masters of the five institutions, three courts, and the Celestial Cavern had all gathered.
As for the seven peak masters, they had been silently observing for quite some time.
Each one, a titan of their generation, now stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the same astonishing scene: a lone junior battling an elder at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm. Not only was Liu Wuxie surviving, but he was holding his ground.
The mountain beneath them continued to collapse, its ruin spreading rapidly toward the borders of Heavenly Dragon Peak. The once-proud terrain had crumbled into a massive basin, and water now surged upward from its depths like a primordial sea reborn.
"Liu Wuxie, this ends now!" Miao Hanxuan's voice exploded through the sky, resonating with fury.
Though the Heavenly Dragon Seal had restrained him, it had not broken him. He still possessed strength, and he was determined to unleash it.
He lifted his longsword high above his head, and illusory phantoms of divine elephants burst into existence. They raised their trunks and bellowed toward the heavens in unison, shaking the very clouds with their might.
"The Four Phase Divine Sword!" several elders exclaimed in unison.
Miao Hanxuan had comprehended this legendary technique, an ancient, formidable sword art that few had ever witnessed firsthand.
Now that he had fully drawn it forth, even other pinnacle-level Earth Profound elders watched with unblinking eyes. Their gazes burned with longing, hoping to grasp even a trace of insight that could elevate their dao paths.
"Four Phase Sword Slash!" Miao Hanxuan roared.
The space around him crumbled into radiant dust. The four divine elephants transformed into four blinding sword rays, converging on Liu Wuxie from all directions.
There was no path to dodge, no moment to retreat.
Though the technique appeared simple in structure, its execution had far exceeded the limits of traditional dao arts. It belonged to a realm entirely different, a realm of perfected mastery.
Liu Wuxie's gaze sharpened. He didn't dare to underestimate the strike.
Through his Ghost Eye, he captured every movement, every ripple of energy, every shift in dao.
"Frost Seal Ray!" he countered, unleashing a new surge of power.
The atmosphere around him transformed instantly. The world slowed.
Snow and frost surged across the battlefield, sweeping everything in a tide that transformed the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy into a frozen dreamscape.
Since refining the Frost Bead, Liu Wuxie had never fully unleashed the Frost Dao Art until now. For the first time, he cast it forth without holding anything back.