I Am Overlord c1-962
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"Still not enough power," Xiang Shaoyun muttered as he clenched his teeth and refined a king medicine capable of growing the strength of its user in his astral cosmos sea. He very rarely used herbs to increase his strength. This time, he was left without much choice.
With the king medicine and a large number of spirit crystals, Xiang Shaoyun gathered a large amount of energy in his body. He circulated his Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual over and over, and with the presence of the middle-aged Emperor still weighing down on him, he finally charged into the next stage.
"Ahhhh!"
He faced the sky and roared. Blood was dripping out of the corner of his lips as he straightened his back. A large amount of power surged out of him, instantly shattering the barrier of the fourth stage. Immediately, his weakening presence of dragon and tiger was strengthened, becoming several times more powerful than its previous form.
"Roar! Roar!"
The purple dragon soared, the white tiger pounced. Their roars filled the air, shaking the world.
At that moment, the young geniuses who had remained unaffected by the presence's pressure all looked at Xiang Shaoyun in astonishment. The middle-aged man from the Yu Clan was also looking over. The nonchalant expression on his face was gone, replaced by a complicated look when he found that Xiang Shaoyun had broken through under the suppression of his presence. It was an inconceivable feat.
Breaking through was something any cultivator would treat with extreme caution. Generally, one would only wait for the optimal timing before breaking through, aiming to smoothen the process. Of course, there were some who were hit by inspiration in the midst of battle and broke through as a result, but breaking through under the suppression of an Emperor's presence was something unheard of.
More importantly, Xiang Shaoyun was only a third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. Not only had he broken through to the next stage under such suppression, he had even successfully broken free of the suppression. This was a shocking feat.
One ought to know that even some of the ninth-stage Kings here had failed to withstand the presence of an Emperor, but this young man who was only a fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator had done so. That was a display of his terrifying potential.
I can't allow him to keep growing. I must kill him at all cost after leaving this place, vowed Di Tong inwardly.
He knew very well Xiang Shaoyun had only started cultivating after he was driven from the Ziling Sect. It had only been three years, and he was already a fourth-stage King. A talent like that had surpassed even his two most remarkable siblings, his eldest brother and ninth brother. If he couldn't kill Xiang Shaoyun, in the future, he would bring their clan calamity.
Apart from Di Tong, Su Jun also had a similarly murderous look in his eyes.
This damnable kid! Su Jun cursed inwardly.
He had always liked Lady Shura, but she had always ignored him. Since his master had ordered him to participate in this banquet, he had decided to come. When he saw Xiang Shaoyun breaking through right before his eyes, his hatred for Xiang Shaoyun deepened.
Xiang Shaoyun was completely oblivious to all their gazes. He was still completely immersed in the pleasure of breaking through. A comfortable sensation washed over him as he felt the suppression grow weaker until it eventually became almost negligible.
It was at this time that the middle-aged Emperor's voice rang out, "Alright. Those who are still standing can now enter the third floor."
Chapter 435: Devil Fish
Along with the Emperor's announcement, the pressure vanished completely. Only 50 of the young geniuses remained standing; this included Xiang Shaoyun. As for those who had failed to remain on their feet, a depressed look appeared on all their faces.
They became even more distressed when they saw a fourth-stage King like Xiang Shaoyun walking onto the third floor. They became furious, feeling like they had been humiliated. After all, they were all late-stage Kings, with some of them being at the ninth stage. Even they had failed to withstand the suppression, yet someone like Xiang Shaoyun had succeeded. Nobody could accept something like that.
Unfortunately, that was the rule of the game. Their opinions no longer mattered, and the entire affair no longer had anything to do with them. In any case, at least 20 more people would be eliminated on the third floor, and they believed Xiang Shaoyun would be one of them.
When the group entered the third floor, they found it even more beautiful and serene than the first two floors. A lake greeted them, its waters occupying a large portion of the floor. It was as large as an average lake, and willow trees were growing all around it. Here and there, pavilions could be seen, and numerous lanterns pulsed with light, presenting a pleasant sight reminiscent of a lantern festival.
At the center of the lake was a massive ship 100 meters long and 3 stories tall. It looked extremely luxurious, and coming from it was a melodious zither music playing in the air. The music sounded like it was from the heavens, reaching straight into the depths of one's heart, cleansing one of all pressure and worry.
"Young masters, please come onto the ship," a melodious voice suddenly rang out.
The voice was akin to the sound of a chirping oriole and the sound of a flowing spring. Like the zither music playing in the air, it was extremely pleasant to the ears. Just from the voice alone everyone concluded that the owner was definitely a woman as beautiful as a fairy.
"Haha, Yu Clan beauty, your husband is coming!" said an arrogant young man with a laugh as he started flying toward the ship.
The others were not willing to fall behind and started flying over as well. For some reason, a large number of the young men remained standing. The lake was giving them some sort of pressure. Sure enough, accompanied by a dreadful hissing sound, numerous massive black figures abruptly shot out of the lake.
"Roar! Roar!"
It was too dark, so they found it hard to determine what were the beasts that had shot out from the water. The beasts' sudden appearance gave the people flying to the ship a fright. Some of them were directly struck by the beasts and gravely injured.
If the beasts hadn't been ordered to not kill, they would have died. Xiang Shaoyun pushed his eyes to their limits and found that the beasts had a shape similar to a devil blood bat, yet they were also obviously different from the devil blood bats.
Soon, he heard someone shouting, "Devil fish!"
The so-called devil fish was a species of aquatic devilish beast in the Devil Domain. They were extremely powerful in water and would feast on any life form, an extremely savage species. It was obvious the ones living here had been enslaved by the Yu Clan. Otherwise, with their ferocious nature, the young Kings flying toward the ship would have all turned into fish food by now.
"Those capable of getting through this defensive perimeter will be qualified to step on the ship. If you fail, leave," the same melodious voice rang out from the ship.
Evidently, these devil fish were the second test for these young geniuses. There were more than 100 devil fish in the lake, each of them at least a ninth-stage Devil King. Some were even peak Devil Kings capable of releasing terrifying and powerful devilish energies. The devil fish kept making an odd sound as they looked around with their shiny, sinister eyes.
"Everyone, remain calm. Work together and charge through the perimeter," said Tang Longfei.
"That's a good idea. But those without any draconic aura are not qualified to come with us. Only those with draconic aura can work with us," said Long Yunfei, the Thirteenth Crown Prince.
"I agree," said Xie Gongzi from Dark Devil Sect.
"I agree."
"I agree."
...
All the Kings who had already formed their draconic aura voiced their agreement. There were about a dozen of them, and they were all people who would one day enter the Dragon Ascension Realm, each of them a genius from their respective organizations. It was thus natural for them to despise working with the Kings who had yet to form any draconic aura.
/> The other young Kings were furious, but they did not dare to say anything. After all, each King who had formed his draconic aura was far stronger than an ordinary King. They had terrifying combat prowess and were not the type of people these ordinary Kings could afford to offend.
Suddenly, Tang Longfei looked at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "You may come with us."
He spoke with a firm tone, as if that was the only choice Xiang Shaoyun had. Xiang Shaoyun looked at Tang Longfei in astonishment. He had a feeling they had met before, but he couldn't remember when and where.
"No thanks," said Xiang Shaoyun with a shake of his head. He did not care why Tang Longfei had invited him. He had no intention of working with strangers, nor had he any intention of owing anyone a favor.
"Sure. Do as you wish, then," said Tang Longfei with a complicated look in his eyes.
They then started charging toward the devil fish. They were each extremely powerful, displaying a combat prowess comparable to even some Emperors'. These were the outstanding geniuses of the various provinces. Common cultivators were completely incomparable to them.
As the geniuses were battling the devil fish, someone else shouted, "They can do their thing, but we should join up and charge over together as well."
"Yes! Working together is better than going at it alone!"
"Let's go! We only need to get across the water! We can do it!"
"Don't hide anything. Use everything you have. These devil fish are no joke."
...
All the remaining Kings drew their weapons and charged the devil fish. Multicolored energy explosions started erupting all over the lake like fireworks.
Rumble! Rumble!
The impact of the unending explosions created numerous towering waves. This was quite a spectacular sight to behold. These Kings were all younger than 30 years old, yet they already possessed such extraordinary combat prowess. However, that wasn’t a surprise as they wouldn't have been able to pass the first test to make it here otherwise.
Shortly after, some of them started reaching the ship. Those capable of arriving before the others would naturally be able to give the Holy Maiden candidate a better impression. After all, this was a world where strength reigned supreme.
Chapter 436: The Yu Clan's Holy Maiden Candidate
Excluding the young geniuses, there were only two other people on the ship. One was an old woman that looked like an ordinary granny but whose turbid eyes occasionally shone with a bright radiance. She was definitely a super expert hiding her strength. The other person was a young woman. She had a veil covering her face, and as a result, only a rough outline of her face was visible. Even so, when one looked at her, one would lose their breath.
That was due to her boundlessly elegant temperament, which made her seem like a goddess that had descended upon the mortal world. She seemed unblemished in both body and soul, her amber eyes capable of drowning any man in her grace. She radiated a natural temptation, one that was much scarier than the temptation of those using beguilement techniques.
On top of that, she also had a flawless, impeccable hourglass figure. It was always said that each of the Yu Clan's Holy Maidens was a remarkable beauty. This Holy Maiden candidate was known as the number one beauty of Yu Province, and it would seem like she was indeed worthy of her reputation.
The first few young geniuses to step on the ship were instantly attracted to her. Even before they saw her face clearly, she was already radiating such attraction. How beautiful would she be without her veil? The young geniuses did not even dare to imagine the scene of her lifting her veil.
They were also incredibly satisfied with this young woman, rejoicing inwardly that this trip was definitely worth it. They would be willing to fight for a bewitching beauty like this even if she wasn't from the Yu Clan.
"Long Yunfei of Dragon Society greets the Holy Maiden," Long Yunfei greeted in a refined and courteous manner.
"Xie greets the Holy Maiden," Xie Gongzi from the Dark Devil Sect also greeted with a charming grin on his face.
"Tang Longfei greets the Holy Maiden," Tang Longfei greeted as well.
The other young geniuses also greeted the Holy Maiden candidate one after another. Her beauty caused their eyes to be burning with excitement as they could no longer wait to win the heart of this Holy Maiden candidate.
"Caidie greets all of you, misters," greeted the Holy Maiden candidate. Her voice was melodic, causing the hearts of all who heard her speak to flutter and their looks of infatuation to deepen.
"Granny Wu, please serve our guests some wine and food," said Yu Caidie.
Granny Wu, who was standing behind her, nodded and waved her sleeve. Instantly, the tables before the young geniuses were filled with spirit fruits and excellent liquors. The young geniuses knew that this old woman was definitely a super expert. None of them dared to be impolite as they all sat down quietly.
More and more people arrived on the ship. Naturally, there were also some who were injured and could no longer get on the ship. Even after an hour, only 18 people had managed to get on the ship. Meanwhile, 31 people had been completely eliminated from the race.
In other words, the number of people that could ultimately go to the Devil Domain with the Holy Maiden candidate would be lower than 30. Currently, only one person was still trying to get across the lake.
This person was none other than Xiang Shaoyun, the person with the lowest cultivation level here. Although he had advanced a stage during the first test, that still did not change the fact that he had the lowest cultivation level. Therefore, when the young geniuses were joining hands to cross the lake, none of them invited him. All of them thought of him as a burden.
Xiang Shaoyun understood the situation he was in. Therefore, he never planned to work with anyone. He would cross the lake with his own strength, and he was confident he could do it. Otherwise, let alone capturing the heart of the Holy Maiden candidate, he wouldn't even be able to get anything from the Devil Domain trip.
He was the last to cross not because he had no way of crossing. He simply wanted no interruption while he was crossing. After all, the battlefield would get chaotic with too many people and might accidentally spread to him if he was to attempt the cross at the same time as everyone else.
The source of his confidence wasn't his combat prowess. Rather, it was his unrivaled speed. Naturally, the people on the ship did not look too highly on him. In their eyes, he was simply making a pointless struggle.
Di Tong said, "A person with only this much strength will not be able to get past the devil fish. We should just kick him out so he doesn't injure himself trying."
Di Tong might seem like he was speaking out of kindness, but he was really trying to destroy any chance Xiang Shaoyun might have of getting onto the ship. He was worried that Xiang Shaoyun would actually be able to get on the ship and head into the Devil Domain with them. He was even more worried that by some luck Xiang Shaoyun would manage to become a candidate to become the Yu Clan's son-in-law. Although that seemed unlikely to happen, he still did not wish to risk that happening.
Su Jun immediately agreed, "Yes, we don't have to waste our time waiting for someone like him."
A few other people also agreed and started requesting for Xiang Shaoyun to be directly eliminated from the race. Before Yu Caidie could say anything, Tang Longfei opened his mouth, "It doesn't matter if he can or can’t get here. That is his choice, and we shouldn't interfere."
"True, but he is only a fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. Even if he is strong enough to punch above his weight, he is still not qualified to walk alongside us," said Di Tong.
Xie Gongzi of Dark Devil Sect also sneered and said, "That's right."
These geniuses had their own pride. They viewed battling alongside the weak as some sort of insult. Thus, many of them were in agreement that Xiang Shaoyun should be kicked out. Yu Caidie still hadn't managed to say anything when everyone suddenly stared at the lake in astonishment.
Xia
ng Shaoyun was dashing rapidly toward them. They all thought that he stood no chance at crossing the lake, but they found that they couldn't have been more mistaken. Like a wind, he drifted about in the midst of the devil fish as he approached the ship.
The devil fish cried out repeatedly as they attacked with a large amount of devilish energy. However, like a slippery fish, Xiang Shaoyun was always able to find an opening and sneak away, moving completely unharmed amid the rain of attacks. The lake wasn't exactly big. With a few moves, Xiang Shaoyun was already only about 100 meters away from the ship.
"This...this is footwork intent!" Ruo Suifeng cried out in alarm.
Ruo Suifeng was one who cultivated the power of wind and had also grasped the first stage of footwork intent, moving like the wind. That was how he had earned his title as the Little Wind God.
Now that someone else who had also comprehended footwork intent was before him—and with a lower cultivation level—he was understandably shocked.
Chapter 437: Only I Can Be Your Husband
Ruo Suifeng was right. Xiang Shaoyun was using his footwork intent, and coupled with his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps, he was moving at a speed exceeding even the speed of a peak King who was on the verge of entering the Emperor Realm.
In other words, Xiang Shaoyun's speed was comparable to the likes of Long Yunfei, Xie Gongzi, and Tang Zhanfei. In fact, if Xiang Shaoyun fully activated his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps, he would be even faster than them.
Of course, footwork intent alone was not enough to get through the perimeter of devil fish. He still needed to use his Nether Soul Domain to reveal the openings of their attacks to be able to move smoothly amidst them.
Before the people on the ship had even recovered from their shock, Xiang Shaoyun was already standing on the ship in a carefree manner. With his arrival, there were now 19 youths in total who had managed to cross the lake and get on the ship.