Fortunately, the armor he wore was also a God Tool. Its divine patterns lit up and formed a light barrier that would prevent him from being wounded unless it was shattered.
The problem was, this barrier barely lasted for a moment under the frenzied attacks from the two elites, and it pretty much shattered after a few strikes. After a short while, Ding Li’an’s body had already become riddled with many new wounds. How much longer could he last?
“Great General Ding, what’s the point? He’s merely a weakling of the Mountain River Tier.’ King An Lan didn’t want to push him into a corner. Wounding his opponent was one matter, but trying to kill him was a completely different matter.
If such an elite unleashed their full strength, they would definitely be able to drag one of them down with him. Even if they didn’t die, they would still suffer unrecoverable wounds.
Ding Li’an wore a cold expression as he stood drenched in blood. Most of the blood was his, but some of it was also from King An Lan and Qi Feng. His black hair billowed in the air, and he appeared much like a Demon God. He roared with laughter, and said, “Speak after you defeat me!” His staff techniques suddenly changed, unexpectedly becoming extremely slow.
“yi?”
“Huh?”
Serious expressions appeared on King An Lan and Qi Feng’s faces. In fact, there was even a hint of nervousness.
“This is the Intent Realm of the Supreme Staff Technique’s ninth form!” Qi Feng exclaimed. He was an old rival of Ding Li’an, thus he was naturally extremely familiar with his staff techniques.
The Supreme Staff Technique had a total of nine forms, yet these were not specific techniques. Instead, they were nine different kinds of Intent Realms, each being extremely flexible and capable of a myriad of changes. This was common among god-level techniques—they taught one how to channel power and utilize Regulations rather than teaching one how to use set strikes or techniques.
For example, the Ultimate Arrow was a technique that taught one how to maximize the might of their shot.
Regarding the Supreme Staff Technique, each form was more powerful than its predecessor. The ninth form was more so rumored to be invincible.
Of course, the label “invincible” was clearly an exaggeration. However, since it could be labeled as an Intent Realm of Invincibility, this staff technique was definitely extremely powerful. Ding Li’an hadn’t been able to master this Intent Realm even though he had spent a million years practicing it. But what about now?
This Intent Realm could raise his battle prowess by one-third of a star, or perhaps even half a star!
He was already a four-star genius, thus elevating his battle prowess by even one-tenth would be extremely terrifying, let alone a full half star.
King An Lan and Qi Feng both cursed their misfortune in their minds. ‘How are we so unfortunate!’
Chapter 977 - Abandoning Killing Intent
Chapter 977: Abandoning Killing Intent
Ding Li’an had definitely only mastered this ninth form just then as the Intent Realm that he displayed was extremely crude. ‘Couldn’t you have mastered this later?’
King An Lan and Qi Feng both grumbled in their minds. At their tier, it was already extremely difficult to raise their strength any more. They had all been stuck at the Heavenly Body Tier for tens of thousands of years, thus they had already tempered their cultivation level to an extremely sturdy state. It was immensely difficult to raise their power by even a tiny amount.
However, if they could become even a tiny bit stronger, it would be enough for them to enjoy an advantage when facing off against powerful enemies.
Ding Li’an smiled proudly, and said, “Eat my staff!”
He raised his staff, and was just about to strike down.
However, streaks of golden light gathered as he raised his staff, and they surprisingly formed into a circle of 36 “Ding Li’an”. They encircled King An Lan and Qi Feng, and like a group of golden War Buddhas, they all raised their staffs in unison.
King An Lan and Qi Feng didn’t dare underestimate these Ding Lin’‘ans, and they both raised their battle prowess to the extreme. Their opponent had managed to take another small step beyond his limit, and this caused a sense of trepidation to well up in their hearts.
Boom!
The 36 Ding Li’an’s attacked in unison.
Peng, peng, peng, peng!
The sky once again became a swirl of brilliant colors, making the entire heaven and earth appear dim in comparison. The brilliant colors were too dazzling, and as such, the contrast was too stark.
When the brilliant colors disappeared, everyone could see the blood seeping from the corners of King An Lan and Qi Feng’s mouths. It was clear that they had been wounded.
“Pu!”
Ding Li’an also spat out a mouthful of blood. However, the blood was gold, and it immediately started to combust when it exited his mouth. It burned into thin air before it could even reach the ground.
“Hahaha!” Meanwhile, Qi Feng was roaring with laughter. “Ding Li’an, you haven’t truly mastered the ninth form of the Supreme Staff Technique yet. You only forcefully activated it by combusting your own blood essence. You’re fighting with your life! How many times can you unleash such a technique?”
Ding Li’an stood proudly in the air, his fighting spirit soaring as his black hair billowed behind his back. He appeared extremely confident, and he said, “Rest assured, it’s definitely enough to kill you!”
Qi Feng’s domineering aura was outdone, and he involuntarily humphed. He genuinely wanted to kill Ling Han and rid themselves of a future threat. However, he definitely wouldn’t persist if this meant receiving severe wounds or perhaps even sacrificing his life.
Ding Li’an showed that he had the determination to battle to the death, yet Qi Feng lacked this kind of firm resolution. Thus, it was very likely that he would lose if they continued to fight.
King An Lan also frowned. He hadn’t expected that Ding Li’an would be willing to sacrifice his life for a cultivator of the Mountain River Tier! It was said that Ding Li’an was the most loyal to the empress of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire out of the Seven Generals. By the looks of it, this was not false.
The empress had tasked him with escorting and protecting these cultivators, so he did so without cutting any corners at all. In fact, he was even willing to sacrifice his life to complete this task.
‘An elite of the Heavenly Body Tier is actually this foolishly loyal?’
King An Lan had never seen the empress of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire before, and he had only heard of her great renown. She was lauded as the greatest beauty of the world, and even the emperors and kings of the other two Majestic Empires were enchanted by her beauty.
Curiosity involuntarily welled up in his heart, and he suddenly felt a strong desire to meet this empress, who was surprisingly able to elicit such a “stubborn loyalty” from Ding Li’an.
Qi Feng’s mind had already been thrown into disarray, and he also didn’t have the resolve to battle to the death. As such, there was no need for this battle to continue.
King An Lan smiled faintly, and said, “Since Great General Ding is so determined, I’ll give you some face. This brat… I won’t try to kill him anymore!” In any case, Ling Han was only at the low extreme of the Mountain River Tier right now, and he was still eons away from reaching the Heavenly Body Tier. There would be numerous chances to kill him in the future.
Qi Feng remained silent. He was extremely unhappy about his aura being suppressed by his mortal enemy.
Ding Li’an chuckled coldly as he rested his staff on his shoulder, completely ignoring King An Lan’s words.
Face was earned, not given.
“However, we can spare him, but it should be fine if the youths test their mettle against each other, no?” King An Lan’s tone suddenly changed, and it was clear that he still hadn’t abandoned the thought of killing Ling Han.
“No problem!” Ding Li’an
answered without hesitation. He waved a hand, and said, “I won’t interfere if their cultivation level is the same or if their age is the same.” If Ling Han lost under such conditions, then such trash didn’t deserve pity even if they died.
The three elites descended back onto the ground.
King An Lan wore a sinister smile as he asked, “Which of you is going to battle against that prodigy from the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire?”
“T’ll accept whoever can kill that human as my disciple!” Qi Feng directly offered a valuable reward.
At this moment, no one dared to accept.
Numerous people had witnessed Ling Han’s abilities at the Crimson Lake; in their minds, he was a complete freak. He was completely unscathed even after falling into the corrosive Crimson Lake. Who could defeat such a formidable defense? Moreover, him reaching the island three times spoke volumes about his abilities.
The gravity fields of the floating stones didn’t change according to one’s cultivation level. Rather, they remained the same for everyone. So, what did Ling Han reaching the island three times signify, then?
It signified that his power and physique were above any other person’s at the low extreme!
Winning honor and glory for one’s own Majestic Empire was undoubtedly desirable. However, what if they lost? Under the watchful gazes of so many people, it would be a complete and utter humiliation.
King An Lan and Qi Feng’s expressions involuntarily darkened. No one dared to challenge Ling Han, and this result brought them great embarrassment.
“Wah! Blockhead is so impressive now! He’s so impressive that no one dares to challenge him?” Li Weiwei was both astonished and excited. Even when Zhao Lun had been shooting to fame, there was still an occasional prodigy or two from the other two Majestic Empires who would come to challenge him.
However, Ling Han was so powerful that no one dared challenge him. This was definitely a historical feat.
Tang Feng involuntarily clenched his fists in jealousy and hatred.
He swore that he would challenge Ling Han when he got back, and he swore that he would knock Ling Han off his divine altar!
“Bunch of trash!” Qi Feng angrily waved his hand. “F*ck off back to the ship!”
The cultivators from the Eternity Sky Majestic Empire all hurried back to their warship with their tails between their legs. Who told them to lack the courage to challenge Ling Han?
King An Lan sighed, and also ordered his cultivators back to the ship.
The two elites both looked at Ling Han deeply before issuing commands to return to their respective Majestic Empires.
They decided to let the matter slide this time. At any rate, Ling Han was still a long way off from reaching the Heavenly Body Tier, and they could always employ the services of the Dark Night Hall in the future. How hard could it be to killa cultivator of the Mountain River Tier?
“Let’s return!” Ding Li’an also waved everyone onto the ship. After everyone boarded, he immediately entered a cabin.
His face instantly became gold, and he heavily kneeled onto the floor as cold sweat rushed down his face.
How could he not pay a price for facing two elites alone? Moreover, he had even forcefully activated the ninth form of his Supreme Staff Technique at the end. This placed a tremendous burden on him, and he had only forcefully retained his composure in order to deter King An Lan and Qi Feng. Otherwise, how would the two of them give up so easily?
The warship quickly entered the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire’s territory, and Ding Li’an was finally able to heal his wounds by drawing upon the power of the nation. This calmed him down greatly. Right now, he wouldn’t be afraid even if the two elites came to their senses and turned around to give chase.
He could utilize the power of the nation, and this would raise his battle prowess by another one star. As a result, he would be able to easily suppress the other two elites.
After arriving at the Imperial Capital, everyone scattered to return to their own clans and sects. However, everyone cast an extra glance toward Ling Han before they left. This prodigy would soar without limits, yet without a firm backstage, such geniuses were prone to dying on their path to glory.
Chapter 978 - To the Library Again
Chapter 978: To the Library Again
When those who had entered the Heavenly Sea Mystery Realm returned, a shocking piece of news spread, instantly shaking the whole Imperial Capital.
… someone had crossed the Crimson Lake Island three times!
But to the majority, they completely did not know what that meant. Was that very awesome?
Immediately, someone told them, “Do you know Zhao Lun? In the past, even Zhao Lun managed to reach the island twice, and he was already the first in a thousand years!”
With such a comparison, everyone had some idea.
Who was Zhao Lun?
He was a real genius that everyone thought highly of, certain that he could advance into Heavenly Body Tier in future! Moreover, it was possible that such a genius only appeared once every million years!
Now, there was another one that was even greater than Zhao Lun.
“Who exactly is this Ling Han?”
“You still don’t know? He came from a small world.”
“What, someone from a small world could also be that awesome? You think you can deceive me just because I haven’t studied much? I am not someone that has not seen a cultivator that has ascended from a small world. In the Shattering Void Tier, they would only have battle prowess of 15 Stars at most, and are practically trash”
“That’s your fault for being ill-informed and ignorant. This person is the emperor of a small world that has come through opening the sky.”
“Hiss!”
If the fact that Ling Han represented the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire and won the first place in the competition between the three nations caused his reputation to rise, then now, his name really rung out through the whole Imperial Capital, and became known to all the forces in the city.
If he could mature, this man could very possibly become an ultimate elite of the Heavenly Body Tier in the future!
Of course, the Heavenly Body Tier was too difficult to reach. Firstly, doing so required a great amount of time, and secondly, required an extremely large amount of resources. If there wasn’t a powerful force to support him, this perhaps would remain only a possibility.
Some Sun Moon Tier forces had already decided to make Ling Han their son-in-law. As long as Ling Han nodded, they would nurture him with all their resources in hand, and in the future, their own clan would naturally become a clan with a Heavenly Body Tier elite, and become an influential force on the Joint Peace Planet.
But there were also some forces that revealed killing intent towards Ling Han, for example, the Luo Clan. They would definitely not allow Ling Han to mature and reach his full potential.
Amidst these turbulent waves in the darkness, Ling Han returned to the Academy.
The first thing he did was inform the Academy beforehand that he was planning to attempt breaking through into the Mountain River Tier.
Presently, he had only raised his cultivation level with the aid of Mountain River Stones, and lacked personal comprehension. He would only be limited to the peak stage of the low extreme, and could not possibly advance further than that. He had to cultivate an Immortal level cultivation technique to truly become an Immortal.
The Academy attached great importance to this matter, and deliberately sent out a well-experienced elder to safeguard his Dao.
Firstly, he naturally had to learn an Immortal level cultivation technique. Without the experience of a predecessor, and he had to invent his own cultivation technique, and that was definitely not a matter of eight or ten years, but an extensive project that would take a few hundred to a few thousand years of time.
Cultivation techniques of the low extreme were gifted by the Academy, but from the medium extreme onwards, cultivation techniques had to be re
deemed through academic credits. However, because Ling Han had reached the Crimson Lake Island three times, the higher-ups of the Northern Institution were naturally very pleased, and hence rewarded him with 1000 academic credits.
… One had to understand that an ordinary student of the low extreme would not be able to earn so many academic credits even in 10 years. This was very, very generous.
The cultivation technique that he was cultivating now was called “Seven Star Secrets’, a very ordinary cultivation technique; every student could obtain this cultivation technique from the Academy after they had reached the ninth layer of the Shattering Void Tier.
Since it was free, it was naturally impossible that it would be any high-grade item. After all, there was nothing so nice like reaping a harvest when no seeds were sown.
The person safeguarding his Dao was responsible for explaining cultivation techniques, and Ling Han could ask him for guidance if there was anything he did not understand.
An ordinary student would have three days to ask for guidance, but Ling Han had seven. This naturally was proof of the generous fondness of the higher-ups of the Northern Institution.
However, Ling Han merely used one day to ask for guidance, and on the second day, he began to achieve enlightenment in seclusion.
Firstly, his comprehension ability was indeed amazing, and secondly, he was already standing in the low extreme, so if he turned back to achieve enlightenment of his cultivation on this level, the difficulty was naturally considerably lesser than it was for others.
After all, the difficulty was in teaching you how to achieve enlightenment regarding the Regulations of the heavens and earth to form your Mountain River; now that his Mountain River had already taken form, he had skipped the most difficult step.
Ling Han drew out a Flame Mountain River Stone, and as he comprehended the secrets of the Mountain River Tier, he continued to refine it. In this manner, he would be able to attain a more visible and physical comprehension.
After this Mountain River Stone was refined, he had also advanced into the peak stage of the low extreme. He did not stop, but rather continued to refine Mountain River Stones, wanting to charge up to the maximum limit of the low extreme in a single go.
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