459: The power of a single strike

Just as Ye Mao hesitated and had not yet made up his mind, Xun Xiuyuan released his World Power without the slightest hesitation, clearly prepared to strike.

The moment that vast and magnificent World Power descended, covering the sky and earth, Ye Mao's expression changed drastically. He clearly felt that the vastness of this power far exceeded his initial estimates, even instantly severing all his connections with the surrounding heaven and earth, plunging him into unprecedented passivity and isolation.

Xun Xiuyuan also felt it in his heart, his understanding of his own strength now clearer and more thorough. After the previous probing and confrontation, he clearly realized that his cultivation Realm was not only not inferior to the opponent before him but, in fact, very likely far surpassed him.

This judgment was not based on groundless speculation but stemmed from a precise grasp of his own power and a detailed insight into his opponent's aura.

Thinking of this, Xun Xiuyuan no longer hesitated or stood on ceremony. The person before him was a life-or-death enemy; whether from the standpoint of the Origin of Dao techniques and the Ancestor's Legacy, or for the sake of contending for those three supreme treasures concerning destiny and the path of the Dao, their relationship was doomed to be a life-or-death struggle where they could not coexist.

Since there was no room for maneuver, the only option was to stop killing with killing and stop war with war.

He suddenly drew the long saber at his waist; the saber light was as cold and clear as autumn water, reflecting the icy killing intent in his eyes.

This was no ordinary Move; it was the supreme strike Xun Xiuyuan unleashed by pouring out all his Qi and blood and burning his life's Origin—the "Heaven Piercing Slash."

In the state of extreme burning of Qi and blood, his Physical Body strength climbed to an unprecedented Peak, and the Qi and blood surging around his body reached a near-terrifying level.

As soon as this slash was unleashed, the wind and clouds changed color, and the Saber Qi crisscrossed as if the very heaven and earth were about to be severed.

Its might was so great that it caused the entire Yuan Ling Universe base to tremble violently, the Void Realm to hum, and the Law to fluctuate, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

Facing this world-destroying strike, Ye Mao could not help but look solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy.

This was the first time Xun Xiuyuan had unleashed his earth-shattering ultimate technique—the Heaven Piercing Slash—after successfully completing the Fusion of eight cosmic cores.

This slash condensed all his power and his comprehension of the cosmic Law; the saber light sliced through the Void Realm, as if intending to split the entire heaven and earth apart.

Opposite him, Ye Mao's expression changed abruptly the instant Xun Xiuyuan swung his saber.

He clearly felt that this slash seemed to have locked onto his Divine Soul and Physical Body; no matter how he dodged or maneuvered, he could not avoid its fierce saber momentum and destructive pressure.

At this moment, a sense of unprecedented crisis surged in Ye Mao's heart.

With no other choice, Ye Mao had to hurriedly bring out his most relied-upon protective Magic Treasure, attempting to forcibly block this fatal strike.

This process seemed slow to describe, but in reality, it was as fast as a flash of lightning—the moment Ye Mao took out the Magic Treasure, Xun Xiuyuan's long saber, carrying endless might, had already slashed down heavily, striking the Magic Treasure directly.

The Magic Treasure was shaped like a huge umbrella, with verdant radiance flowing throughout its body. It had been forged from the thousand-year-old canopy of Ye Mao's original body after much painstaking effort; it was not only his Lifebound Treasure but also the foundation of his cultivation, possessing extremely powerful defensive capabilities.

However, the moment the saber edge touched the umbrella surface, an irresistible force surged in like a flood, causing Ye Mao to lose control of his body and retreat rapidly, eventually being forced out of the Yuan Ling Universe base by the power of this slash.

It must be known that even if this base was small, it was comparable to a Small World with its own heaven and earth and complete Laws, its stability far exceeding ordinary space.

That Xun Xiuyuan could force Ye Mao out of the base with a single slash showed just how strong his power and how fierce his saber momentum were.

Ye Mao steadied himself in the distance, his expression shifting between dark and light, his heart filled with shock and doubt.

He concluded that the opponent must have hidden his true cultivation; otherwise, it would be impossible for someone in the Great Saint Realm to unleash such a world-destroying strike.

His suspicious nature caused him to fall into deep wariness and hesitation at this moment.

Meanwhile, seeing that his one slash had not completely defeated Ye Mao, Xun Xiuyuan could not help but feel a surge of frustration.

The current "Heaven Piercing Slash" was the strongest killing Move he could unleash with all his might, its power reaching the limit, yet it still could not severely injure Ye Mao.

Since the opponent could withstand the first slash, presumably the subsequent second and third slashes would also be difficult to achieve results.

Therefore, Xun Xiuyuan did not press his advantage, but stood holding his saber, watching the opponent with cold eyes.

For a time, the two were in a stalemate. Ye Mao dared not act rashly due to fear of Xun Xiuyuan's unfathomable strength, while Xun Xiuyuan felt pained by the precious exotic beast value consumed to unleash this slash—after all, he was nearing the critical stage of advancing to the Saint King Realm, and the accumulation of exotic beast value was crucial for his Breakthrough in Realm; unless absolutely necessary, he would never wish to waste it.

He longed to step into the Saint King Realm as soon as possible, at which point his strength would surely undergo a qualitative leap.

Xun Xiuyuan stood proudly at the Peak of the firmament, his body radiating an awe-inspiring and majestic aura. The Void Spirit Beast looked up at him, its eyes shining with incomparable reverence, as if gazing at a supreme deity.

It knew deeply how terrifying Ye Mao's strength was—in the vast Cosmic Battlefield, Ye Mao was undoubtedly among the top experts; even if slightly inferior to Bai Guang, the difference was minimal, and he was almost unrivaled.

Ye Mao remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly, his tone carrying a touch of complexity: "Since Fellow Daoist insists on not revealing your background, then we shall let this matter rest for now. But I hope Fellow Daoist will carefully consider whether you can truly stand against the entire Cosmic Alliance alone."

Although his words did not constitute a substantial concession, they clearly revealed an intention to show weakness; behind that lukewarm threat, anyone could hear the underlying unwillingness and helplessness.

Xun Xiuyuan sensed that the opponent intended to retreat and did not wish to entangle himself further; at this moment, an excellent Cultivate plan had already emerged in his mind—that was the mysterious Secret Realm used by the Shadow King to nurture exotic beasts.

He calculated secretly that as long as the Shadow King Yuan Yi was willing to sacrifice the Saint-Grade exotic beasts in the Secret Realm, he could take this opportunity to Breakthrough to the Saint King Realm in one go, and possibly even obtain another precious cosmic core.

Thinking of this, Xun Xiuyuan completely abandoned the thought of continuing the fight.

The earth-shattering slash just now made him clearly realize that although his strength had reached the Peak of the Hongmeng Realm, he still lacked the power to kill an expert like Ye Mao who was also at the Peak.

Therefore, after hearing Ye Mao's words, Xun Xiuyuan responded indifferently: "Fellow Daoist Ye, since you say so, I will not make things difficult for you today. Please go back and tell Bai Guang that I am determined to protect the Yuan Ling Universe, so please consider it carefully."

His words were watertight, showing no sign of timidity, while clearly expressing his attitude that the matter ended here.

Seeing this, Ye Mao nodded slightly, said nothing more, and with a flicker of his figure, vanished like a phantom into the vast Void Realm.