A dark golden pillar of light shot straight into the heavens. At the same moment, all other golden pillars violently shattered. Even the golden pillar representing the true dragon body failed to last long before collapsing, as though bowing before imperial authority.
This instantly stunned everyone around.
After all, Fang Yi and the Netherworld Prince had both already advanced to true dragon bodies. Yet when faced with Liu Bai's pillar of light, theirs still collapsed instantly. Did this not mean that Liu Bai's current physique was even more terrifying than theirs?
"Is there really a physique in the Dragon Phoenix Heaven that surpasses the true dragon body and true phoenix body?"
For a moment, everyone looked at one another in shock, feeling that what they had witnessed today had completely overturned their understanding of the Dragon Phoenix Heaven.
Gradually, the golden light faded, and Liu Bai opened his eyes.
At this moment, he felt the boiling sensation within his blood recede. Everything that had happened earlier was perfectly clear to him. These people could certainly guess that he possessed both dragon and phoenix essence blood.
So what?
Within the Dragon Phoenix Heaven, there was no one whom Liu Bai needed to fear.
"Brother Liu, congratulations. However, this little sister is very curious. How did Brother Liu manage to fuse true dragon and true phoenix essence blood?" Hong Yu stepped forward and asked with a bright smile.
Others such as Liu Yan, Ding Xuan, and even Fang Yi all pricked up their ears, eager to hear Liu Bai's answer.
"Oh, that. Perhaps my physique is special. Plus I was lucky enough to obtain a few Dragon Phoenix Divine Fruits, so I managed to cultivate the Dragon Phoenix Body," Liu Bai said with a light laugh.
Hearing this, Hong Yu immediately rolled her eyes playfully. However, upon hearing the words Dragon Phoenix Divine Fruit, she could not help but reveal a look of envy.
"So it was Dragon Phoenix Divine Fruit. That truly is a rare treasure. I wonder if Brother Liu has any remaining. If so, this little sister is willing to purchase them at a high price, or Brother Liu may name his conditions."
"None left," Liu Bai said bluntly, spreading his hands.
Hong Yu curled her lips. She did not believe a single word of that.
However, she had no choice, nor did she intend to snatch food from this man's mouth. Thus, she merely pouted, put on a delicate expression, and said nothing further.
In truth, Hong Yu's intentions were simple. She wanted to ride Liu Bai's momentum so that she could gain an advantage in the upcoming Dragon Phoenix Platform competition.
After all, Liu Bai was an unexpected variable in this Dragon Phoenix Heaven expedition. With someone whose strength far surpassed his peers, sometimes a single sentence from him was enough to change another person's fate.
"It seems no one wants to make the first move. In that case, I will go first. Miss Hong Yu, Liu Bai will take his leave."
As he spoke, Liu Bai transformed into a streak of golden light and shot across the sky like lightning, rapidly leaving layer after layer of stone platforms beneath his feet.
The moment Liu Bai moved, the calm atop the Dragon Phoenix Platform shattered instantly. Spiritual energy surged like a storm from every expert as the stone platforms trembled and figures shot skyward one after another.
Just as Liu Bai rapidly ascended, a sudden voice rang out from behind.
"The number of Dragon Phoenix Platforms has decreased."
Countless gazes followed the sound, and sure enough, high above in the distant heavens, the originally numerous Dragon Phoenix Platforms had suddenly diminished. A rough glance made it clear that there were no longer enough for everyone to continue ascending.
Boom.
The nearly hundred streaks of light that had been rushing upward suddenly split apart. The foremost figures shot forward like lightning, seizing the Dragon Phoenix Platforms first.
Unfortunately, this place did not care about who arrived first. Strength reigned supreme, and battle erupted instantly.
After occupying a Dragon Phoenix Platform, Liu Bai ignored the surging spiritual energy around him. He knew that no matter how fiercely these people fought, no one would dare provoke him.
Others enjoying similar treatment included those ranked near the top of the Dragon Phoenix Record, such as Liu Yan and Hong Yu, as well as Chi xue, the prodigy of the Serpent God Palace who had been slain by Mu Chen in the original story.
The higher one climbed, the fewer the Dragon Phoenix Platforms became. Since these platforms were the only path to the summit, everyone had to secure one for themselves in the end.
Soon, only thirty two Dragon Phoenix Platforms remained, and only thirty two people were left standing.
The elimination rate was extremely high.
However, those who remained were not without benefits. Each Dragon Phoenix Platform released corresponding Dragon Phoenix essence blood, flowing from the platform and entering their bodies through their feet.
The purity of this essence blood even surpassed that of medium sized Dragon Phoenix Pools. However, for Liu Bai, who had absorbed an entire super Dragon Phoenix Pool and Dragon Phoenix Divine Fruits, it was merely the icing on the cake.
Before long, the thirty two Dragon Phoenix Platforms surged higher, carrying the thirty two individuals upward. Ahead of them, only sixteen Dragon Phoenix Platforms remained.
Liu Bai smiled lightly. At this pace, it would not take many more rounds to determine the final outcome.
Stepping forward, Liu Bai once again occupied a Dragon Phoenix Platform. He then closed his eyes calmly and waited for the others to decide the victors among themselves.
After exchanging glances, one person stepped forward and spoke first.
"I am Yu Lu of the Dominating Blade Sect. Which friend is willing to enlighten me?"
A Fourth Grade Sovereign spoke, and immediately someone of comparable strength stepped up to fight. After a battle, victory and defeat were decided.
In this way, thirty two quickly became sixteen, followed once again by Dragon Phoenix essence blood rewards.
After two such rounds, only eight people remained.
At this moment, everyone still standing on the Dragon Phoenix Platforms, aside from Liu Bai, were all top ten geniuses of the Dragon Phoenix Record. The upcoming battles would be far more intense.
All were now tense. The remaining seven watched one another closely, guarding against sudden attacks.
Suddenly, Liu Bai opened his eyes and swept his gaze across the other seven.
"Miss Hong Yu, Saintess Su, how about the two of you enter this Dragon Phoenix Platform with me," Liu Bai said, his eyes settling on the two women.
The moment he spoke, every other person besides the two women darkened in expression.
"What does Brother Liu mean by this?" Fang Yi narrowed his eyes. His previously gentle and refined demeanor instantly turned sharp.
"Nothing much. There are four Dragon Phoenix Platforms. One is left. You can fight over that one."
That single sentence made Fang Yi's face turn ashen.
In truth, the only ones truly angered were Fang Yi and the Netherworld Prince. Originally, everyone believed that the two of them, along with Liu Bai, were guaranteed to secure spots.
That would have left five people fighting over the final position.
Now, because of Liu Bai's sudden intervention, Hong Yu and Su Biyue became the fortunate ones, directly claiming two spots. Instead, Fang Yi and the Netherworld Prince were forced into a decisive clash.
The remaining three already felt they had little chance. Now, they could not help but feel a hint of schadenfreude, even beginning to look forward to the battle between the second and third ranked members of the Dragon Phoenix Record.
"Liu Bai, are you sure you want to do this? In the Dragon Phoenix Heaven you may act as you please, but once we leave, can you bear the consequences?" the Netherworld Prince said coldly, his words carrying clear threat.
"Heh. As if things would be friendly between our two sides even if I did not do this," Liu Bai replied calmly with a faint smile.
Previously, although the Palace Master of the Sky Profound Palace, Liu Tiandao, had secretly tested Mandala, across the entire Northern Region, the only true enemy of the Great Heavenlaw Domain was the Netherworld Palace.
In the past, the Netherworld Palace Master had schemed against Mandala and left her injured. Thus, Liu Bai paid no heed to the Netherworld Prince's threat.
As for the Divine Pavilion behind Fang Yi, its Pavilion Master had once attempted to devour demonic energy during the Great Hunt War in an attempt to break through the limits of a Greater Earth Sovereign and unify the Northern Region. A battle between them was inevitable.
By doing this, Liu Bai could also foster goodwill with the Demon Gate and Myriad Saint Mountain. When the Great Hunt War arrived, the three sides could temporarily join forces.
Liu Bai did not bother speaking further with these people and directly occupied a Dragon Phoenix Platform.
Hong Yu smiled happily, secretly sighing in admiration at how correct her earlier actions had been. She had passed another stage with ease.
Although the top four would be the furthest she could go in this Dragon Phoenix Heaven journey, the further one progressed, the purer the Dragon Phoenix essence blood became. At present, her pseudo phoenix body was already on the verge of advancing into a true phoenix body, so Liu Bai had truly helped her greatly this time.
Saintess Su Biyue shared a similar situation. Although she did not know why Liu Bai had chosen to help her, if she could elevate her pseudo phoenix body into a true phoenix body, she was more than willing to accept it.
Watching the two women cheerfully take their places on Dragon Phoenix Platforms, Fang Yi and the Netherworld Prince both had bloodshot eyes. Yet they did not dare disobey Liu Bai's words. If he wished to kill them now, a single move would suffice. They did not want to die.
Suppressing their pent up fury, the two did not waste words. They directly treated each other as targets and instantly launched a world shaking battle.
Liu Bai and the two women watched with great interest, while the crowd below was equally fired up.
It had to be said that a battle between two evenly matched geniuses was truly spectacular. Fang Yi's cultivation of the Sky Piercing Divine Art and the Netherworld Prince's Nether Divine Art were both top tier techniques. Their exchanges were relentless and fierce.
Although their cultivation levels were equal, their combat strength comparable, and even their divine weapons equally powerful, Fang Yi's Sky Piercing Divine Art possessed exceptionally strong defensive power and deep reserves of spiritual energy. In the end, he forcibly exhausted the Netherworld Prince and secured victory by half a move.
At this point, the top four of this Dragon Phoenix Platform had been determined.
Soon, the Dragon Phoenix essence blood reward appeared once more, and the final battle was about to begin.
Hong Yu and Su Biyue were both very smart. They did not continue asking Liu Bai for help and instead chose to withdraw directly.
Thus, only two people remained to contend for the final Dragon Phoenix inheritance.
Liu Bai glanced at Fang Yi and said with a light laugh, "How about it, Brother Fang. Shall you and I spar as well?"
Fang Yi snorted coldly and then left without even turning his head.
It was clear that the next stage was the final inheritance trial, the Dragon Phoenix Stairway. With Liu Bai present, he had no chance whatsoever, so he could only make the same choice as Hong Yu and Su Biyue.
Sensing that the outcome below had been decided, atop the Dragon Phoenix Platform, golden spiritual energy surged forth like flowing water and condensed into a golden staircase. This was the Dragon Phoenix Stairway leading to the summit.
As the final victor, Liu Bai stepped onto the staircase first and ascended step by step toward the peak.
Behind him, Fang Yi followed at a distance, far behind Liu Bai. After him came Hong Yu and Su Biyue, followed by the Netherworld Prince and the others.
The group ascended along the golden staircase and finally came to a halt. Liu Bai raised his head and saw that at the end of the stairs stood a golden altar with distinct layers.
The altar took the form of intertwined dragon and phoenix, exuding an ancient aura that made the surrounding heaven and earth feel as though it had returned to primordial times. Moreover, upon reaching this place, a terrifying pressure was being released that even caused Liu Bai's expression to change slightly.
Liu Bai had heard the introduction before. The Dragon Phoenix Platform was said in legend to have been formed from the hearts of a true dragon and a true phoenix, sealing their final inheritance. To obtain the inheritance, one had to pass the trials of both the true dragon and true phoenix.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Bai looked at the final ten steps and directly stepped forward.
Boom.
A thunderous dragon roar suddenly echoed through the air. Immediately afterward, a terrifying pressure surged forth like a collapsing mountain range.
Liu Bai frowned slightly. The Dragon Phoenix Stairway was indeed terrifying, but it still could not stop his steps.
Step by step, Liu Bai climbed upward.
Behind him, Fang Yi and the others were also struggling forward.
Yes, struggling.
Although the ten steps appeared simple, for Fang Yi and the others, it was as though they were carrying a mountain while climbing another. The overwhelming pressure forced them to bend their backs, making every step incomparably difficult.
In the end, Ding Xuan and Liu Yan halted at the fifth step. Hong Yu and Su Biyue, having already achieved true phoenix bodies, reached the sixth step and prepared to challenge the seventh.
As for Fang Yi and the Netherworld Prince, not only were they slightly stronger than the two women, but they also possessed true dragon bodies. They had already climbed onto the seventh step, but could advance no further.
They could faintly sense that if they forced themselves onto the eighth step, they would likely be crushed into pulp by the terrifying pressure. Thus, no matter how unwilling they were, they could only stop there.
At this moment, everyone's gaze converged on the final person.
Liu Bai was already standing on the ninth step. This was a height that no one had ever reached in nearly a thousand years of Dragon Phoenix Heaven openings.
Yet at this moment, Liu Bai was gasping for breath, sweat pouring down and soaking his clothes.
This was already the absolute limit of his Dragon Phoenix Body. If he went any further, even the Dragon Phoenix Body would be unable to endure it and would collapse outright.
Liu Bai took a deep breath, feeling his muscles trembling violently. Golden streams of light raced through his body, while the Dragon Phoenix spiritual markings on his body had reached their limit, their glow beginning to dim.
Finally, after remaining still for more than ten minutes, Liu Bai completed all preparations and then leapt forward in a single step onto the final tenth step.
.....
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