If had enough time now, he could assimilate at least four more Void-Warp Dragon Pills within a month! He could step into the Immortal Rank in about a year!

And that wouldn't even require the Zhou Shu to accelerate things— "Since it is so, then let this one be the whetstone upon which I, , sharpen my blade!" A defeat did not diminish 's fighting spirit in the slightest; on the contrary, it was soaring even higher. He did not view it as hardship, but rather as a rare tempering for him.

Only under immense pressure would the latent potential within his body erupt. They all said masters grow lonely, but hadn't felt that way at all.

At his current cultivation level, he was far from being unrivaled in the world. However, for the past few years, everything had gone his way.

Even those of peerless innate talent, like and , had never truly defeated him. Among those of the same rank, he could barely find a suitable opponent.

Except for the battle with the Dao Sect, he had experienced almost no genuine difficulty. The one just now was truly an excellent whetstone.

It could probe the heart's will, verify the swordsmanship, and stimulate the spirit. 's thoughts stirred, slightly repositioning the Star Dragon Pills he had used previously.

He also fully activated the Seven Revolutions Profound Aperture Micro-Restriction technique, suppressing the restless surging of his bloodline. The vital energy and blood surged within his body, completely dissolving the infiltrated medicinal power and scattering it throughout his limbs and bones.

And in that very instant, before 's brow—another silver-white spear phantom abruptly struck, almost point-blank. The voice of the spear-wielding youth sounded once more.

"Where do you intend to flee?" When this expanse of void returned to silence after a period of turbulence. 's figure had already vanished again.

And the spear-wielding youth had not shown himself. He refused to pause or delay even for a fraction, continuing to pursue the traces of .

His evasion speed was also exceedingly fast; although he couldn't match ’s method of directly shifting through space using the Void-Warp Dragon Pills, he could often arrive within a few breaths. This left with almost no chance to calmly regulate his breath, forcing him to change direction before even taking a single breath.

"Manipulating time and space, commanding all light and thunder—" After several changes, 's heart sank slightly. This person's martial arts allowed him to control and command anything, regardless of the object or the spell involved.

The speed of evasion was truly unprecedented. If this continued, although he didn't fear the exhaustion, it wasn't a sustainable method.

Constantly reacting defensively, where was the time to heal the injuries or comprehend the insights gained from this battle? What he needed most right now was time, yet this individual stubbornly refused to grant it.

"To leave no residual strength behind is far too reckless—" To gain peace, he needed to make this person lose all composure! ’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if electric light flickered within them.

In the previous fight, he had still hidden quite a few trump cards, but now he had no choice but to use them. He also wanted to see what the true extent of that person's strength was, and how he would react— With another flash, he appeared in another stretch of the void.

This was the furthest limit his Void-Warp Dragon Pills could take him. The moment he materialized here, the Ten Absolutes Imperial Dao Annihilation Sword Formation unfolded once more.

Forty Star Dao Seeds in the distance poured in various forms of spiritual energy through unseen threads, forty different yet interconnected laws that merged almost entirely with the sword formation. In this single instant, once again gathered the full strength of his body.

With a flash of light and shadow, he lashed out with another sword strike! The Universe Light of the Primordial One Sword!

This strike soared beyond three hundred breaths of evasion speed in the void. The bloodline resonance connected them; it wasn't just the other person who could clearly sense his location.

, likewise, knew exactly where this person was at this moment! The sword light cleaved outwards, as if the surrounding space itself was being violently torn apart.

The sword speed reached its zenith, causing time itself to nearly halt. The forty stars and the twenty-four Imperial Dao Dragon-Tooth Swords unified into this single strike.

The man followed the sword, traversing the void, trailing a magnificent and tragic swath of light and shadow; in just one three-thousandth of a finger snap, the nameless sword reached the spear-wielding youth’s front. Their gazes met, and clearly saw the look of astonishment in the young man's eyes.

It seemed he had not expected to still have the residual strength to counterattack under such circumstances. In haste, spear phantoms surged up, like a massive tidal wave, and also like an impenetrable wall.

Yet, this sword forcibly pierced through them. Then, their figures rapidly crossed paths.

The next moment, 's figure disappeared again in this space. The spear-wielding youth stood fixed in the void, his brow furrowed.

This time, he did not continue the pursuit, but instead reached up to stroke the area around his neck. The skin, which had been completely undamaged, immediately burst forth with a puff of snowy mist.

A three-inch-long blood mark appeared on the side of his neck and shoulder. If he had not evaded in time and blocked quickly enough, this strike would have cleaved off his head.

Pressing down hard again, forcing both internally and externally, a fierce and unparalleled sword energy was violently forced out. Even after several breaths, this lingering sword essence had been worn down by his internal True Essence, yet when it erupted, it still caused the normally stable void structure nearby to fluctuate violently, nearly shattering.

The youth looked at the dripping blood on his hand, his expression gloomy, then suddenly clenched his fist. "Remember this!

, today I, , swear by this blood. Whether in heaven or earth, whether I slay gods or slaughter saints, even if my soul suffers eternal damnation, I will absolutely make you perish under this spear!" The voice was cold, as if emanating from the deepest reaches of the Nine Hells, its sound traveling ten thousand miles, reverberating throughout this River of Worlds' void, lingering on and on.

, from a distance, heard this and raised an eyebrow slightly. So this person was called ?

This person's martial Dao and spear techniques were indeed worthy of the name 'Unparalleled'— He then shook his head; it was better to have fewer such musings now. The immediate priority was to heal his own injuries.

That last strike, while narrowly missing the beheading of , had not been without cost. He himself was not lightly wounded.

His arms and legs had been grazed by spear phantoms. Large swathes of flesh had been stripped away, revealing the stark white of bone in places.

It was a pity; such a heavy price, yet it ultimately amounted to failure. Under those conditions, this person still possessed the residual strength to counterattack.

Truly, he was harder to deal with than had imagined. The best opportunity had now been lost.

Having missed this chance, would undoubtedly be much more vigilant and guarded. The same tactics would surely be useless now.

Sensing remotely with his spiritual awareness, he felt the trace of that aura in the distance was still pursuing him, but its evasion speed had diminished by a full twenty percent compared to just a short while ago! immediately let out a light laugh and continued to shift through the void.

If he couldn't win the fight, he could only run. This battle with this individual would undoubtedly be protracted.

It might not end within half a year or so. There was a bloodline entanglement.

Unless actively retreated. Otherwise, between the two of them, only one could survive!

※ ※ ※ ※ "It's already been a day, why hasn't Brother Shou come back yet?" Beside the misty, ethereal pavilion, stood leaning on the railing, her willow brows slightly knitted as she gazed distantly into the void ahead. She couldn't actually see anything, but her eyes were still filled with expectation.

In the recent battle, although she hadn't directly participated in the conflict of the Yuan Lian Realm, the Outer Domain had been even more perilous. Only six airships had to defend against more than thirty vessels from the Nine Capital Immortal Court and the Tian Fang Association; the pressure was considerable.

After engaging in a fierce battle once in the Outer Domain River of Worlds, utilizing that complex branch of the spirit river, they managed to destroy two enemy ships in one battle, and even captured an entire airship. This made the enemy no longer dare to engage in rash engagements, and they had consistently kept those thirty ships firmly constrained outside the void, unable to enter the Yuan Lian Realm.

Originally, after returning this time, she was certain to receive praise and rewards from . However, upon returning, a full day had passed without any sign of .

A sense of worry immediately arose in her heart—what could have happened? Beside her was , looking equally concerned.

She had also just returned from the East Sea, and the usual languor was gone. Instead, her expression was solemn, lost in deep thought.

After a long pause, she lightly shook her head. "He might have encountered some trouble, but I believe the Sovereign can handle it." These past few months, had almost always been in seclusion, ceaselessly refining flying swords.

At the most critical moment of expanding the Outer Domain, he had inexplicably ignored everything else. After a brief arrangement, he had immediately returned to his quiet chamber.

Since the Dragon Shadow had reached the Zenith Realm a year ago and could truly conceal everything, no longer concealed matters concerning the Zhou Shu from them. She and could enter 's quiet chamber at any time to cultivate using the time acceleration provided by the Zhou Shu.

And every time they visited, they saw focused entirely—either refining Dragon Pills or forging the Imperial Dao Dragon-Tooth Swords, never resting for a moment. It was as if something was pressing him urgently.

Since he had prepared for some impending disaster months ago, it meant he likely already had sufficient confidence to deal with it. Otherwise, before departing, he would never have left behind not even a single word.

Just as she thought this, saw a golden light descend from above, heading straight for the direction of the main hall in the Yuan Jing Palace. "A talisman?" was stunned, exchanging a look with before they both flashed away toward that direction.

The Yuan Jing Palace, after the great battle, remained desolate. All the cultivators from the Sword and Buddha Sects were currently deployed outside.

The 300,000 strong army was also stationed in various locations. At this time, the Yuan Jing Palace held only the dependents sent by the various princes and nobles, but they were all keeping to themselves, still unaware of the finalized outcome of the conflict, and unwilling to venture out easily.

And then there were the newly accepted disciples from the various sects, who were also behaving quite obediently. As a result, along the path they took, there was no sign of human activity.

The vast Yuan Jing Palace lacked any atmosphere of great victory celebration. When the two arrived inside the main hall, they discovered someone had arrived before them.

, who had always been stationed at the Yuan Jing Palace, was already there. She stood quietly beside a talisman, deep in thought.

Seeing this, asked directly: "Is there news back from the Sovereign? What exactly did it say?" turned around, but shook her head: "There is a seal within this talisman.

The King's intention is that we can only open it after all of us have gathered here."