Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 519 The Heavenly Demon King, Clash

In the Central Region of Zhongzhou, in the Valley of Purgatory.

Looking at Lin Yuan busily working ahead, Feng Qing'er recalled her recent experience and still felt a sense of déjà vu.

Lin Yuan led her, disregarding the Tianming Sect's strong barrier and strict defenses, and directly entered the mountain gate of its Mingshen Mountain Range. Afterwards, he did not conceal his presence at all, and swaggered towards the main hall of the Tianming Sect as if taking a stroll.

When the two passed through a large martial arts arena, they were caught in the gazes of several Dou Zun (Battle Venerables) on the field. Feng Qing'er was so nervous that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

After all, there were nearly a hundred people in that training ground whose auras surpassed her own.

With their striking and conspicuous appearances, once they were noticed by the people of the Tianming Sect, they would inevitably be discovered to be outsiders rather than members of the sect.

However, everyone they encountered along the way, even those who were Dou Zun experts, seemed to have lost their minds and completely ignored the two of them.

After that, Feng Qing'er witnessed Lin Yuan's bloody rampage.

She casually slapped Yi Chen, the young sect master of the Tianming Sect—a peerless genius she still had to look up to; she kicked a peak Dou Zun elder to death; and easily annihilated the sect master and others of the Tianming Sect.

The experience of just one day was far more stimulating than anything she had experienced in all the years of her life.

At the same time, the experiences during this period made Feng Qing'er fully aware of her own weakness, making her desire for evolution even more persistent and intense. This is precisely the purpose of Lin Yuan's recent trip to "see the world's splendor" with her.

According to the current design of the atavism plan, Feng Qing'er's transformation will be more painful than Medusa's evolution, requiring a strong will and determination to overcome.

The aversion to one's own weakness and the obsession with strength are the best nourishment for overcoming suffering.

Of course, Feng Qing'er was unaware of these matters.

"Lin Yuan, are you really planning to make a deal with a half-saint from the Heavenly Nether Sect?" Looking at Lin Yuan, who seemed to have finished his preparations, Feng Qing'er frowned slightly and reminded him in a deep voice, "You killed the Heavenly Nether Sect's Sect Master, Young Sect Master, and their eight Dou Zun elders!"

"As far as I know, the Heavenly Nether Sect has always been extremely cruel and domineering. I don't believe that the Half-Saint would be honest in his dealings..."

The thought of a Saint Realm expert arriving soon made her somewhat worried, even though she had witnessed Lin Yuan's strength briefly at the Tianming Sect.

The reason is simple: the word "saint" is simply too intimidating.

Even in her own Heavenly Phoenix Clan, which has hundreds of Dou Zun level experts, only about a dozen are associated with the title of Saint.

"Hehe, of course the Heavenly Demon King won't obediently make a deal, but it doesn't matter!" Lin Yuan chuckled, inspecting the array nodes he had set up while patiently explaining, "I have no intention of making a deal with him anyway; what I want is his life..."

"Killing the Heavenly Nether Sect Master and others, extracting their souls, and leaving them alive to convey a deal to the Heavenly Nether Old Demon... all of this was just to lure him here!"

"To fight a half-saint who is of a higher level, but to fight on the opponent's home turf, isn't that too arrogant and too irrational?"

"Hmm... all ready, now everything is foolproof!"

As he spoke, he finally finished checking all the array nodes, then turned around and looked calmly at the girl behind him.

"I see!" Upon hearing this, Feng Qing'er looked at the scorching environment around her and suddenly realized what was going on, connecting all the events in her mind.

"In that case, the timing was just right!"

"The fact that the 'transaction' was scheduled for two hours later and the barrier was set for one hour later was also calculated to create a time gap, so that the half-saint would not have enough time to prepare, while you would have ample time to prepare."

"The fire element energy in this Purgatory Valley is so abundant that it should suppress the Yin-cold body of the Heavenly Nether Sect, but it can enhance the fire element... making it the most favorable environment for your battle."

"So that's why you were studying the map and confirming the intelligence all along!"

Having said that, she withdrew her gaze from the surrounding volcanoes. Her beautiful, watery eyes, filled with worry, anticipation, and excitement, gently looked back at the young man before her—he wasn't joking about using non-saint cultivation to challenge a saint!

Although reason told Feng Qing'er that it was "impossible," her heart couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation and excitement.

Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping.

If she can successfully revert to her ancestral form, she really wants to try to defeat a half-saint in the future... With the divine power and strength of the ancient phoenix, it may not be impossible!

Thinking of this, the Phoenix Girl became even more eager for the matter of reverting to her ancestral form.

"Excellent, very well analyzed!" Lin Yuan smiled and nodded, then softly advised, "Therefore, you need to remember what happened today. In the years to come, don't fall into other people's schemes, and don't easily enter battlefields set up by others..."

"Now, you should go sit in the 'spectator stands'! If you stay here, the aftershocks of the subsequent battle will crush you."

"This is a guard, go with him..."

After speaking, he used a secret technique to conceal Feng Qing'er's aura, and then with a flick of his sleeve, Tian Kui Yi, who was comparable to a sixth-level Dou Zun, suddenly appeared in front of Feng Qing'er.

Sensing the extremely fierce aura of the Heavenly Puppet, Feng Qing'er's face showed no surprise—this puppet is so powerful!

Tiankui nodded mechanically and gestured for Feng Qing'er to proceed.

Feng Qing'er frowned slightly, bit her rosy lips, and said thoughtfully, "No matter how well prepared you are, this is still a battle against a Saint Realm expert. Be careful! If you lose this battle, or are killed or captured, I will go to the Pill Tower to inform you..."

Having said that, she turned around, her phoenix eyes avoiding Lin Yuan's amused gaze, opened her battle aura eyes, and chased after Tian Kui Yi ahead.

Watching Feng Qing'er's departing figure, Lin Yuan took a deep breath and turned his gaze into the distance.

He could sense a powerful aura rapidly approaching.

"A demigod, huh!"

Lin Yuan chuckled, sat down cross-legged on the spot, closed his eyes and began to circulate the Heavenly Burning Yuan Scripture to recover the massive amount of battle qi consumed when setting up the formation.

As he activated the intermediate-level Heavenly Rank cultivation technique, the immense fire elemental energy within Purgatory Valley rapidly converged upon him.

Suddenly, a fierce wind howled through Purgatory Valley, causing Lin Yuan's clothes to flutter wildly. The surrounding volcanoes seemed to sense the tense atmosphere, spewing out scorching lava from time to time, as if offering a gift for the upcoming great battle.

About fifteen minutes later, a powerful soul force swept across the entire Purgatory Valley like lightning, and then swept back and forth several times.

Then, a streak of blood-red light streaked across the sky and appeared above Purgatory Valley.

Lin Yuan stopped his cultivation hand seals and looked up at the sky. He saw the blood-red light dissipate, revealing a figure dressed in a dark gray robe.

This person had long gray hair and a face that was not wrinkle-free but rather exceptionally smooth and fair. If it weren't for the aged aura emanating from his eyes, no one would mistake him for an old demon who had lived for hundreds of years.

This person was none other than the Heavenly Nether Sect's most treasured member, the former sect master, a high-level half-saint, the Heavenly Nether Old Demon. "Heavenly Nether Old Demon... a pleasure to meet you!"

Lin Yuan smiled calmly and greeted the gray-robed figure with a composed expression.

"Heh heh, Medicine Lord Lin Yuan?" The Heavenly Netherworld Demon chuckled, a meaningful glint in his eyes. "I've only been in seclusion for a few years, and the Pill Tower is truly 'lucky' to have produced a junior like you?! But it seems they haven't taught you how to behave or how to greet your seniors..."

"You dare to kill my Heavenly Nether Sect's Sect Master, Young Sect Master, and many elders, and even dare to try to trade their souls with me? Boy, do you really think my Heavenly Nether Sect is made of clay?"

"Hand over Yi Ming and the others' souls, then obediently surrender, and I might spare your life."

As he spoke, the Heavenly Demon's cold eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice became as icy as if it came from the deepest hell, sending chills down one's spine.

He had just scanned the valley several times with his soul power and confirmed that there was only Lin Yuan in the valley, and no other Pill Tower experts.

In that case, we cannot let go of the opportunity to capture this child.

After hearing the information about Lin Yuan from the Ghost Lord of Senluo, even the Old Ancestor of Tianming couldn't help but be greedy for Lin Yuan's cultivation secrets.

On the other side, Lin Yuan stared directly into the eyes of the Heavenly Demon, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "A deal? It was just a pretext to lure you out. Now that you're here, you might as well obediently submit to me!"

Tianming Old Demon's eyes flashed with sternness, "Arrogant!" Ban Xiong roared angrily, and his powerful aura at the half-saint level was completely unleashed, pressing down on Lin Yuan like a mountain.

The surrounding air froze instantly, as if it were being held tightly by an invisible hand.

However, Lin Yuan's expression turned pale, as if he didn't care about the powerful pressure. He stood up slowly and glanced at Tianming Old Demon with disdain.

"Whether it's arrogance or not, you'll find out soon enough... Lotus Fire Sealing Heaven Formation - Activate!"

With a deep shout, Lin Yuan swiftly formed several hand seals, and a mysterious wave emanated from his body, triggering the pre-set array nodes.

Instantly, many volcanoes in Purgatory Valley were activated at the same time, and began to tremble violently.

"Boom—" "Boom—" "Boom—"...

With a series of deafening roars, beams of light, condensed from vast fire elemental energy, erupted from the volcano, converging in the sky and finally blooming into a huge lotus-shaped light curtain, completely sealing off the entire Purgatory Valley.

Upon seeing this sudden turn of events, Tianming Old Demon was slightly startled. This kid seemed to have been prepared all along, actually hiding the array nodes in the magma.

"Alright, the preparations are complete!" Lin Yuan clapped his hands and said indifferently, "In this way, until we determine a winner, neither of us can leave this great formation..."

"Hmm? You want to challenge me to a duel?"

Upon seeing this, the old demon Tianming was initially taken aback, but then laughed in fury, "Heh heh, I have never seen such an ignorant and arrogant junior before."

Lin Yuan shrugged: "Now you'll see!"

Then, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure flashing to a point a hundred meters above the Heavenly Demon, and then cast his gaze down, beckoning to the other party with his palm.

"Come, Heavenly Demon, fight for your own survival! My subordinates leave no useless people behind..."

"I must say, you really know how to provoke people." The old demon Tianming looked at Lin Yuan with a sinister gaze, his blood-red eyes filled with coldness and killing intent. "In that case, let me see if you have the strength to utter such arrogant words."

Before he finished speaking, he stomped his foot on the sky, unleashing a torrent of battle aura. In a flash, he appeared in front of Lin Yuan.

"Boy, die for this holy man!"

With a sharp shout, Tianming Lao's fair hand slightly curved, transforming into an eagle claw, flashing with thick blood light, directly piercing through the void, grabbing at Lin Yuan's throat.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan showed no intention of dodging; instead, a smile of eager anticipation appeared on his face.

A bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes, and his hand clenched into a fist. His powerful blood and qi intertwined with his mighty fighting spirit, transforming into a terrifying force on his fist. A scorching, icy-blue flame swirled around it, and it slammed towards the claw without backing down.

"boom--"

Fists and claws clashed, and a terrifying gust of wind, carrying scorching flames, swept across the sky.

A huge rift was torn open in the sky, and dark spatial cracks spread out, causing ripples to spread through the surrounding space.

The Heavenly Demon King also let out a muffled groan, his feet stomping as he staggered back several steps in the void; Lin Yuan, on the other hand, felt an overwhelming force, his arms went numb, and his body involuntarily flew backward.

He did a few somersaults in the air to steady himself, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but the fighting spirit between his brows burned even hotter.

"A high-level demigod, indeed possessing some strength!"

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a flick of his sleeve, smiled proudly, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes—the Saint Realm was not difficult to approach or measure!
Having already reached the Tenth Rank Dou Zun level, with the support of a Heaven-Rank Body Refining Dou Technique and the powerful burst of Strange Fire Dou Qi, even without using his many trump cards, his basic combat strength alone is enough to fight a high-level Half-Saint head-on.

In this situation, although they may be at a disadvantage, they will not easily be defeated.

Within his body, a purple flame surged from his dantian, rapidly healing the damage he had sustained during the earlier fierce battle.

On the other side, Tianming Laoyao's heart sank slightly. He gently placed the burned hand behind his back and then used his battle qi to heal it. Although his expression was calm, a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes.

This kid has quite a reputation in Zhongzhou, he must be really capable.

His strength and physical body were extremely powerful; even taking a direct hit from him only resulted in minor injuries. His aura was quite strange, surpassing the Ninth-Rank Dou Zun but not the Saint Realm.

More importantly, the strange fire he used was extremely dangerous, however...

"Boy, I underestimated you. You do have some skill!" The Heavenly Demon King sneered, his figure flashing once more as he pounced on Lin Yuan like a ghost. "But that's all! Before the absolute difference in power between a Saint Venerable, all petty tricks are nothing but empty words..."

Lin Yuan was not to be outdone, and he launched himself out almost simultaneously, without resorting to tricks, but instead engaging in a direct and head-on confrontation.

Although there are shortcuts, what he needs now is to hone himself through combat.

Thus, two figures flashed across the sky, and terrifying ripples of battle aura spread out in a ring shape. The terrifying fluctuations were enough to shred an ordinary Dou Zun powerhouse.

Vast areas of space collapsed during their terrifying battle...

　Due to the Nine Revolutions technique and the need to deliberately highlight Xiao Yan's strength, the combat power of the Half-Saints in the original novel is truly awkward. Yao Lao, a high-level Half-Saint, couldn't defeat two of the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts (Nine Revolutions + Eight Revolutions) for a long time. The Dou Zun peak (not Nine Revolutions) Little Fairy Doctor, Qing Lin, and Medusa could hold off a low-level Half-Saint. Xun'er, at the peak of Eight Revolutions, could exchange a few blows with a high-level Half-Saint. Xiao Yan, with his Four-Colored Half-Fire Lotus, comparable to a mid-level Heaven-rank Dou Technique, could injure a high-level Half-Saint, and a high-level Half-Saint could even fight a Dou Sheng… Tsk, I'll just go by my own feeling; I hope everyone can understand.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)