185: Fourth Generation: Overlord (81)

Amidst the explosive flash of light, the Purple-Gold Overlord Blade was incomparably sharp, forcefully cleaving and tearing through the terrifyingly fierce Crimson Flame Dragon!

Countless flames wailed as they scattered and exploded in all directions!

However, Flame Dragon True Person was experienced and cunning after all; the severed Flame Dragon did not dissipate immediately, but instead exploded with a thunderous roar!

The destructive flame shockwave slammed violently into the Purple-Gold Overlord Blade!

“Boom—!”

The Overlord Blade trembled violently, its phantom surface blurring for a moment before finally annihilating and dissipating along with the exploding flames!

In the first exchange, they were... evenly matched?!

“What?!”

“What?!”

Flame Dragon True Person's pupils suddenly constricted, and a stormy wave of shock surged in his heart!

His wrathful strike, which utilized his Golden Core Origin combined with his own Dao Fruit, was actually... blocked by the opponent?!

And in such a nearly evenly matched manner?!

How is this possible?!

He stared fixedly at Xu Yuan in the distance, whose aura was only slightly disordered but whose gaze was becoming increasingly sharp. A thought he found hard to believe, yet had to admit, surged frantically in his mind:

Although this boy has just entered the Golden Core stage, the quality of his Golden Core... the majesty and purity of his core essence... is actually faintly superior to mine?!

That's it... that's it!

Flame Dragon True Person suddenly remembered Xu Yuan's flawless Dao Foundation, and the chill in his heart grew even deeper. A Perfect Dao Foundation!

This boy condensed a Perfect Dao Foundation. During the Foundation Establishment stage, he used a wisp of Golden Essence to achieve an invincible Foundation Establishment. A Golden Core formed from such a Foundation would inherently surpass ordinary Golden Cores in quality and potential!

Furthermore, the innate overbearing intent in this boy's bones is perfectly aligned with the Overlord Golden Position he attained. Sharing the same fate as the nation, he can mobilize the majestic National Fortune to bless himself! His combat power absolutely cannot be measured by common logic!

Looking back at himself... a trace of indescribable bitterness and frustration welled up in Flame Dragon True Person's heart.

Although he had gone through three lives and had deep accumulations, Reincarnation and re-cultivation were not without a price! And the price... was extremely heavy!

Every time one undergoes Bingjie Reincarnation, although it can preserve the true spirit and allow one to live another life, it also means... Abandoning the Dao!

Two instances of Abandoning the Dao and two Reincarnations brought not only a drop in the grade of his Golden Core but also damage to his Dao Foundation, overdrawing of his potential, and a faint alienation from the Laws of Heaven and Earth! Compared to his Peak period, his strength had not only failed to grow but had instead... declined!

His current Golden Core of the Third Life, though an established one with seasoned experience and perhaps still having a vast total amount of core essence, was already inferior to some new Golden Cores with infinite potential achieved through Perfect Dao Foundations when it came to the purity of core essence, affinity with the Laws of Heaven and Earth, and the upper limit of Divine Ability power!

“Damn it!”

Flame Dragon True Person cursed frantically in his heart, his face turning ashen. He had thought this trip would be easy, allowing him not only to seize the method of the Perfect Dao Foundation but also to conveniently eliminate a potential threat. He never expected to kick such a hard iron plate!

“Arrogance!” Flame Dragon True Person was completely poked in his sore spot by Xu Yuan's words; he flew into a rage, his killing intent soaring to the heavens! “Junior! Do not be so insolent! This Immortal Master has roamed for a thousand years; how can you fathom my Foundation?! If not for this seat reincarnating three times and being bound by this damned ‘Calamity of Dao Abandonment,’ causing my Golden Core to be tarnished and my strength to decline, how could a junior like you, who has just formed a Golden Core, be allowed to act so presumptuously before me?!”

Amidst his angry roars, Flame Dragon True Person suppressed the shock and frustration in his heart, his gaze becoming incredibly ruthless and determined!

He knew that conventional means were already difficult to take down this boy, and he might even capsize in a small stream! He had to use his true trump card!

“Today, I shall let you, an ignorant junior, witness... what the true Foundation of a Golden Core Immortal Master is!”

He suddenly slapped an inconspicuous dark-red Storage Pouch at his waist!

“Buzz—!”

A simple and desolate buzzing sounded, and a streak of crimson light shot out, growing as it met the wind. In an instant, it transformed into a simple Cauldron with three legs and two ears, dark red all over, with countless complex flame runes engraved on its surface, floating above Flame Dragon True Person's head!

The moment this Cauldron appeared, the fire-element Spiritual Qi in the surrounding heaven and earth gathered frantically toward it, even triggering deeper levels of the Law of Fire!

Although the Cauldron had not been activated, it naturally emitted a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of burning the heavens, boiling the seas, and refining all things!

Its aura was so strong that it far surpassed any previous Divine Ability; they were completely not on the same level!

“Magic Treasure! It's a Magic Treasure!”

At the foot of the mountain, an experienced old official cried out in shock, his face turning pale!

First-rank Qi Refining uses Magical Weapons, second-rank Foundation Establishment drives Magical Artifacts, and only third-rank Golden Core... can wield Magic Treasures!

A Magic Treasure is a supreme treasure that only a Golden Core Immortal Master can truly unleash the power of!

Containing Laws within and birthing Divine Abilities naturally, its power far exceeds that of a Magical Artifact!

But refining one is extremely difficult; the Materials required are all treasures of heaven and earth, and the engraved Formation runes even involve the level of Laws, making them incredibly rare!

Even the lowest Low Grade Magic Treasure is not something an ordinary Early Stage Golden Core Immortal Master can possess!

Flame Dragon True Person has roamed for a thousand years and reincarnated three times; one of his greatest Foundations is this Low Grade Magic Treasure he obtained with great effort—the Burning Heaven Furnace!

This furnace integrates offense and defense, and can even assist in Alchemy and Artifact Refining, with infinite wonderful uses; it is his bottom-line life-saving item!

He rarely used it on ordinary days to prevent it from being coveted by other Golden Core Immortal Masters, but now, pushed to the brink by Xu Yuan, he finally sacrificed it!

“Junior! To be able to force this Immortal Master to use the ‘Burning Heaven Furnace,’ you have enough to be proud of!”

Flame Dragon True Person's hands rapidly formed seals, and the Golden Core Origin within his body surged into the Burning Heaven Furnace like an opened floodgate!

Boom—!!!

The lid of the Burning Heaven Furnace suddenly lifted, the runes on the furnace body shone brightly, and a streak of terrifying flame, condensed to the extreme and appearing dark gold in color—as if it could burn through the Void Realm and melt Laws—surged toward Xu Yuan like a volcanic eruption!

Wherever the flames passed, space distorted and all things melted; its power was many times stronger than the previous Crimson Flame Dragon!

This was the true power of a complete Magic Treasure, containing a wisp of Law power!

“Magic Treasure...”

Xu Yuan's gaze couldn't help but turn a bit more solemn.

Although he had seen Ye Feng use a Magic Treasure in his previous life, what Ye Feng used was only a damaged Magic Treasure with limited power.

But the Burning Heaven Furnace in Flame Dragon True Person's hand was a complete Low Grade Magic Treasure containing a wisp of the complete Law of Fire!

Its power was by no means comparable to a damaged Magic Treasure!

Before that dark-gold Void Refining True Fire even reached him, a terrifying heatwave that could incinerate all things and even melt through the Void Realm already rushed at him, making the purple-gold Imperial Fortune around him emit a “ Sizzle” burning sound!

“If it were anywhere else, with you holding this furnace, I might still need to temporarily avoid your sharp edge!”

Xu Yuan suddenly inhaled, and instead of fear, his eyes erupted with an even more blazing and overbearing Battle Intent!

Where is this place?

This is Tianzhu Mountain!

It is the territory of the Great Shang!

It is his, Xu Yuan's, land!

“But within my kingdom...”

His voice suddenly rose, and the purple-gold Imperial Fortune around him boiled frantically at an unprecedented speed. The newly born Imperial Dao Golden Core inside his body rotated violently, triggering the majestic National Fortune that was closely linked to the Great Shang Dynasty in the unseen!

Rumble—!!!

It was as if the entire territory of the Great Shang Dynasty was responding to its monarch's call!

A visible torrent of pale-gold National Fortune, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, surged frantically from all directions across the Void Realm!

The power of the mountains and rivers, the beliefs of the millions of people in the cities, and even the Luck of the newly annexed lands all converged upon Xu Yuan!

He held his arms out as if embracing the ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers and the hearts of hundreds of millions of people!

“I... am the Mandate of Heaven!”