Chapter 529 – The Number of Legends in Tianyuan City

The terrifying aura that seemed capable of extinguishing all life between heaven and earth came abruptly and vanished just as quickly.

Only the golden figure remained standing firmly on the earth.

The black scratches on his radiant golden body were particularly conspicuous, like a gilded statue…

that had lost its lacquer.

Hidden in the shadows, Grand Duke Dark Fang widened his dragon eyes in disbelief.

The Annihilation Nail bestowed upon him by Grand Duke Fire Wing was an upper-tier epic artifact containing immense conceptual power.

Unavoidable Strike, Decay, and Death!

When targeting the great bird earlier, Dark Fang had only consumed a quarter of the nail’s power. As expected, the azure-feathered giant bird plummeted from the sky, losing all capacity for long-distance escape.

Next was the core objective of this hunting operation—eliminating this human powerhouse with limitless potential, the Giant Spirit God!

Dark Fang exercised extreme caution.

To this end, he expended the nail’s remaining energy, concentrating it into a single decisive strike.

The Annihilation Nail possessed the effects of ‘Unavoidable Strike’ and ‘Certain Death,’ but with one prerequisite: he needed to successfully lock onto the target. This was his greatest concern.

The prudent Dark Fang had deployed three capable subordinates for diversionary attacks while disrupting the surrounding space.

His battle plan was flawless.

His Annihilation Nail struck the Giant Spirit God, Lu Liu, directly.

Yet…

His unavoidable, lethal strike only chipped off a few flecks of golden lacquer from Lu Liu’s body.

How could this be possible?

If not for the severe injury inflicted upon the azure giant bird earlier, he would have suspected Grand Duke Fire Wing had given him a counterfeit artifact.

“This human must be severely wounded! Assist me in cutting him down immediately!”

Dark Fang had prepared contingency plans.

He had long erected a barrier—should the Annihilation Nail fail to eliminate the human powerhouse in one strike, he would personally intervene.

After all, he was a world-class powerhouse, a male dragon bearing the title of Hunting Grand Duke.

Within the barrier, Lu Liu wiped nonexistent sweat from his brow.

Though blocking the Annihilation Nail appeared effortless, it hadn’t been particularly difficult in reality.

However,

this was achieved only through his ‘Undying Golden Body’ and a fraction of the ‘Celestial Barrier’s’ divine power.

Given the brief timeframe and lack of preparatory arrangements, the Celestial Barrier could only manifest minimal strength, forming a faint, giant-shaped protective glow around his body.

The barrier had been pierced, and his Undying Golden Body had lost some lacquer.

That eerie, glowing giant nail was truly a terrifying weapon of destruction.

And the crisis was far from over.

Lu Liu’s gaze swept across the barrier’s interior, noting three Soul Realm dragons with crimson, bluish-purple, and mottled gray scales respectively.

In his perception, their Divine Souls surged skyward like luminous pillars, surrounded by incalculable elemental particles dancing and swirling around them.

Yet the truly formidable opponent remained the petite, dark gray dragon.

“Hunting Grand Duke ‘Dark Fang’ obtained his title twenty-two years ago. He once incited monstrous tides to assault the Tower Federation, effortlessly retreating after slaying fourteen Heaven-Earth Realm and three Soul Realm powerhouses, inflicting massive damage upon the Federation. To this day, the Tower Federation continues devising plans to eliminate this Grand Duke, yet all attempts have ended in failure.””Two years ago, Hunting Grand Duke Dark Fang encountered the Law Realm powerhouse ‘Meteor Monarch’ from the Eternal Star Empire in the Land of Red Mist and escaped unscathed.”

This was one of Dark Fang’s two most famous battle achievements, though his actual record extended far beyond just these.

Information about Grand Duke Dark Fang flashed through Lu Liu’s mind.

All Tianyuan commanders like himself had long memorized the intelligence on every formidable enemy from Dragon’s Slumber Valley who possessed notable combat records – this was mandatory training.

Hunting Grand Duke Dark Fang’s specialized abilities were: elusive form, indistinguishable reality from illusion. Even when a distant figure appeared surrounded by vast elemental power, it might merely be…

Though Dark Fang seemed to be over ten kilometers away, sudden danger emerged from behind.

Lu Liu’s ‘Sword of Will’ was issuing warnings.

“Clang—”

Giant dragon fangs materialized mid-air, stabbing downward in a sweeping slash.

Instantly, the surrounding earth cracked, shattered, and turned to dust, yet Lu Liu who took the direct hit remained completely unharmed, his golden body glowing brilliantly.

The next moment,

A colossal giant reaching between heaven and earth manifested as Lu Liu spun around and swung his sword, the giant delivering a blow capable of cleaving mountains.

“Boom—”

Shockwaves rolled across the land, extending over ten kilometers until they struck a towering mountain peak.

Immediately, the peak was split in two, collapsing with thunderous roars.

But Dark Fang who was directly struck shattered and dissipated like a shadow – his true form had already dodged and hidden somewhere nearby.

“Grand Duke Dark Fang’s ability involves creating real and false shadows. It was through this technique that he escaped unscathed from the Law Realm powerhouse ‘Meteor Monarch’.”

While this appeared somewhat similar to Sophia’s Black Crow substitution technique, Dark Fang actually needed to attack with his true form first, then leave a replacement shadow behind while his real body escaped into darkness nearby.

His true form was merely skilled at concealment and possessed high speed, but couldn’t freely switch between his shadows.

It was precisely because Lu Liu understood this that he prepared for a direct confrontation.

Otherwise, even if Dark Fang only possessed the survival capabilities Sophia had during her epic rank phase, Lu Liu would have no chance of killing him.

Still, the situation remained quite troublesome.

General Lu Liu simply wasn’t adept at dealing with this ghostly type of enemy.

Little did he know that Dark Fang was gritting his teeth in frustration, his repeatedly tempered and enhanced fangs now throbbing with dull pain.

He couldn’t breach the defense at all!

He glanced toward the distant split mountain and clicked his tongue in amazement.

He feared he couldn’t withstand even a single blow from such an invincible slash.

What a monster!

He had specifically chosen what seemed like a less formidable target, yet still encountered a monster!

“Plan C!”

Grand Duke Dark Fang sent the signal.

Immediately, two Soul Realm dragons flew cackling toward the crashing azure-blue great bird.

The grey decay continued spreading across the great bird’s body.

Although Asun could use its ‘Sigh of the Wind God’ skill to imbue its winds with traces of conceptual power, it didn’t actually wield concepts itself and couldn’t eradicate the decaying energy affecting its body.

Straining every muscle, washing itself with azure-blue flowing light, it could only barely suppress this grey deathly intent.

Asun: Severely wounded.

Combat power -30%-30%-30%.

It felt like a delicate young boy while two fierce, rough-faced brutes approached cackling in the distance.

Absolutely terrifying!

If only it, the Falcon Lord, could recall its days of ruling the skies unchallenged – in its prime, it wouldn’t have feared these mere ‘underlings’.

At the very least, it could have kept kiting them endlessly.Now then, all I can do is…

“Brother Lu, save me!”

“Rest assured, brother, I will avenge you.”

Lu Liu said seriously.

Asun: “…”

Only when it heard Lu Liu’s words did it suddenly remember that it had already bound its soul to the Hall of Heroic Souls and was wearing the Sky Patrol Robe, though the robe had transformed into invisible power clinging to its body.

It could revive!

What was there to fear!

Well… it was still afraid, after all, this was its first time.

But Asun was deeply principled. Gritting its teeth, it put on an expression of heroic sacrifice.

Two Soul Realm dragons pounced.

“Boom—!”

Golden light flashed as another golden giant abruptly appeared, swinging down a crescent saber.

But the two dragon Divine Souls, already prepared, sensed the danger and retreated.

Grand Duke Dark Fang revealed an “as expected” expression.

Lu Liu dispelled his Undying Golden Body, planting his spear and shield into the ground.

In truth, having originated from the Imperial Guard, while it would be difficult for him to slay Grand Duke Dark Fang, protecting Asun wasn’t particularly challenging. There was no need to expend effort summoning another Fearless Great Mountain Divine Venerable.

He had the Glory Guard, had battle cries for taunting—his protective skills were far from few.

However,

Lu Liu had his own plans.

…

Mountains collapsed, birds and beasts fled in panic.

A hundred kilometers away, the group from the Gemstone Nation riding the ‘Dark Cyan Purple-Winged Bird’ naturally detected this commotion.

“Powerful beings are fighting!”

“Should we go take a look?”

“Let’s go!”

After all, this was within Taixuan Territory. Without a doubt, one side in this battle was from Taixuan.

They had requests to make of Taixuan. If they could earn some favor with Taixuan now, their subsequent pleas for help might go more smoothly.

Being Legendary Realm cultivators, led by Hong Shi Jing, a Peak Heaven-Earth Realm expert, and riding the Dark Cyan Purple-Winged Bird, they feared nothing even if their enemies were at the Soul Realm.

To the vast Taixuan, they were insignificant, but for a localized battlefield, their squad’s strength was considerable.

The massive dark cyan transport bird immediately accelerated, flying toward the distant source of violent energy fluctuations.

Suddenly, it screeched to an abrupt halt.

In the distance, dragons were unleashing their auras without restraint, going all out. From afar, they could sense those terrifyingly powerful presences.

“They’re… Soul Realm monsters!”

Against one Soul Realm opponent, they were fully confident.

Against two Soul Realm foes, they believed they could hold their own for a while.

But here, there were three.

“No, it’s not just that. That inconspicuous gray-black dragon is the notoriously fierce Grand Duke Dark Fang of the Hunt!”

Having survived in the Twilight Great Domain, how could they not recognize these formidable figures of fearsome reputation?

Hong Shi Jing, the Gemstone Nation’s leader and Peak Heaven-Earth Realm expert, wore a grave expression.

He very much hoped to use this opportunity to gain some favor with Taixuan, but the enemies were overwhelmingly powerful.

Before a powerhouse of Grand Duke Dark Fang’s caliber, their Dark Cyan Purple-Winged Bird was merely a slightly larger toy that wouldn’t last long before being torn apart.

He coveted this chance, but he had to be responsible for his teammates, loved ones, and nation.

They bore heavy responsibilities.

“However, who is the powerful being that a Hunting Grand Duke would personally cross into Taixuan Territory to hunt?”

Within the barrier,

There was a dying pale cyan large bird and a burly man wearing a White-Purple Cloud Robe.The burly man held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other. Even surrounded by several powerful Soul Realm experts, he exuded an aura of fearlessness and invincibility.

By the looks of it, the burly man seemed capable of rivaling Grand Duke Dark Fang?

This was clearly another world-class powerhouse.

And he didn’t recognize him?

“Do any of you know this expert? Such a valiant warrior—I wonder which Lord commands such a powerful General. He must be one of the top dozen or so in Taixuan, right?”

Those dozen or so figures each governed territories comparable to an entire nation.

They were truly influential figures, standing at the pinnacle of the world.

Thinking this, Hong Shi Jing felt the urge to take a gamble.

If they could help this General escape the crisis, they would gain a significant favor. After all, behind this General likely stood one of the highest-ranking Lords of Taixuan.

“Gamble or not?”

“Gamble!”

His deliberation was brief, lasting only a dozen seconds or so.

On the battlefield, the stalemate seemed to persist.

The Taixuan General was at a disadvantage but still managed to repel the powerful enemies time and again.

Even Grand Duke Dark Fang grew suspicious and uneasy. “Why does this human’s strength remain unexhausted? Wasn’t he severely wounded by the Annihilation Nail and barely holding on?”

He refused to believe anyone could emerge unscathed from the Annihilation Nail.

Even if it appeared that way.

He was already considering retreat.

Suddenly,

beside the two golden giants towering between heaven and earth on the battlefield, a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth majestic figure surged forth amidst a flash of golden light, manifesting upon the land.

The six giants stood in six directions within the confines of the barrier.

“In the name of fearlessness!”

“With will as the sword!”

“With the Heavenly God as the barrier!”

“Ignite the power of the Undaunted Mountain Divine Venerable!”

The six majestic figures seemed to stand among the clouds, brandishing crescent sabers hundreds of meters long, descending with the awe of heavenly might.

Strike—

Golden light surged, filling the entire expanse.

The sturdy purple-flame barrier shattered instantly as the golden light descended, and immediately after, the overwhelming power akin to heavenly wrath was confined within a larger barrier formed by the Celestial Barrier.

The vast, turbulent force, unable to dissipate, relentlessly battered and destroyed the space within.

Beneath the golden radiance, layers of land vanished, and space fractured, shattered, or even collapsed entirely.

Lu Liu, piloting the Undaunted Mountain Divine Venerable, was like using a cannon to swat a fly—he found it difficult to land a hit.

In that case,

why not just destroy the entire battlefield?

This was the tactic he had developed after thoroughly studying The Art of War, Tianyuan Will, and Steadiness.

And indeed, it proved remarkably practical.

…

In Tianyuan City, Mu Yuan soon received news that Lu Liu Squad had been ambushed but had utterly annihilated their enemies.

“Asun is quite severely injured, but conceptual injuries aren’t much of a problem for Tianyuan City to heal.”

He had a Legendary Realm ‘Nature Spirit,’ and the epic treasure ‘Life Droplet’ it condensed could cure conceptual injuries.

Of course, there was an even simpler solution: let Deadbone handle it.

Deadbone was a Great Master in matters of Death.

The injuries on Asun were imbued with immense conceptual power, but compared to what Deadbone commanded, it was less than a drop in the ocean.

“What’s worth noting, however, is the Gemstone Nation squad that Lu Liu and the others encountered.”The Gemstone Nation squad didn’t get the chance to intervene and secure assists, but since it was a chance encounter in the wilderness, they respectfully greeted the world-class powerhouse Lu Liu, briefly explained their situation, and proceeded deeper into Taixuan territory.

“A great calamity in the Gemstone Nation? Facing the threat of destruction.”

This…

Was actually quite normal.

After the appearance of the Sky-Splitting Calamity, it wasn’t just possible for medium-sized nations like the Gemstone Nation to suffer disasters—complete collapse wasn’t out of the question either.

Such was the turbulent state of affairs.

If not for Tianyuan City’s repeated repulsions of the Hunting Grand Duke and its current capability to resist Law Realm powers, it too would have long become history.

Taixuan had many allied nations, but Mu Yuan remembered the Gemstone Nation mainly because…

“The Gemstone Nation produces a key material for Legendary Realm breakthroughs. Nearly half of the breakthrough materials currently supplied for exchange on the Alliance platform come from the Gemstone Nation.”

And this key material was precisely what Mu Yuan needed most right now.

After all…

He rubbed his forehead. “There are too many Fourth Order elites at the limit waiting to be fed at home. Tianyuan City is about to enter a Legendary eruption period, yet our current reserves of Legendary breakthrough materials are far from sufficient.”

He always ensured his soldiers received the highest possible treatment.

They worked themselves to the bone, but their compensation could never be lacking.

It would be utterly embarrassing if his elite forces possessed both Domain and Willpower Light yet lacked the materials to break through.

However, to be frank, his shortage of Legendary breakthrough materials wasn’t just ten or a hundred units.

His initial target was one thousand units.

Gathering that many would indeed be quite difficult.

He currently had ample Contribution Points, but the breakthrough materials on the Alliance platform weren’t available for unlimited exchange—after all, the total supply was finite.

He had exchanged for quite a few and commissioned various major merchant associations to purchase more, but altogether he had only acquired about a hundred units.

Too few, far too few!

As an emerging major power, Taixuan’s reserves in this area were still insufficient, forcing Mu Yuan to look further afield.

“The Gemstone Nation connection might be usable.”

Following his instructions, Lu Liu had already given the Gemstone Nation envoy a subtle hint.

Whether they could interpret it correctly depended on their Comprehension Ability.

“The Lu Liu Squad will return temporarily. As for other Legendaries…”

Mu Yuan contemplated whether to arrange personnel replacements.

He opened his panel and filtered for Legendary Realm.

Deadbone, Dolai, Isloria, Lu Liu, Tree Spirit Grandma, Rakshasa, Sophia, Red Robe, Uta, Seventeen, Sario, Xiliu, Asun, Sickle Moon, Xie Yi, Laney.

Sixteen T0 and T1 level commanders in total.

Additionally, there were T2 level commanders like Bone Two, Bone Three, Bone Four, Tiff (Water Mirror Dragon), Mirena, Flower Spirit, Wood Spirit (Nature Spirit), Grass Branch, Azure Frost, Cold Frost, and others.

Non-combat personnel such as Forging Great Master Li Erniu, Chef Pao Ding, Ailin, Daisy, and others.

Deputy Guard Corps Commander Niu Si, Hundred Fierce and Soul Loss among the ghosts, Zhou Yi among the archers, the vampire Kibi, Tree Guard Two among the treants, and the dragon swordsman Deng Long.

The Wind King’s Wings should have produced a second Legendary, but the breakthrough failed at the last moment, becoming Tianyuan City’s first defeat.

Even with large numbers, Epic elite breakthroughs could still fail.

Their training time was still too short, lacking sufficient accumulation.

Altogether, these amounted to fewer than forty Legendaries.

“With such a vast Tianyuan City having only this many Legendary Realm experts, it’s truly still too few.”

(End of Chapter)