Chapter 239
Although the Dragon Phoenix True Scripture was now in his hands, for Liu Bai, entering it was easy, because his body already contained Dragon Phoenix essence blood. But continuing to cultivate it would be much harder.
This was because the scripture required the aid of divine beast blood, and not just a single type. To advance further, Liu Bai first had to collect all the necessary materials.
"In that case, I can temporarily ask Mandala for help. Later on, at worst, I can make a trip to the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan."
Liu Bai believed the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan would definitely have divine beast blood. At worst, they could spare some for him. After all, the Nine Nether Sparrows also carried phoenix bloodlines.
Of course, that was a joke. If it were really that simple, Jiu You would probably come after him for trouble.
Still, it was feasible to gather information about divine beasts from the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan, their locations and types. Then Liu Bai could approach them proactively and make a trade. There was no need for a fight to the death.
Returning to the Great Heavenlaw Domain, Liu Bai received a unanimous welcome from the top echelons.
It was inevitable. His actions in the Dragon Phoenix Heaven had greatly honored them. Even the Sky Vulture Emperor okingly said, "It seems our Great Heavenlaw Domain will soon have a Fourth Emperor!"
This reflected the thoughts of many. Although Liu Bai's cultivation was still at Sixth-grade Sovereign, his record of slaying Ninth-grade Beast Emperor spoke for itself. No one regarded him as an ordinary king-level figure.
"Perhaps this time you will truly ascend to Emperor," Mandala said to Liu Bai calmly.
Liu Bai was slightly surprised and asked, "Why ascend to Emperor? Becoming a king-level strong cultivator should be enough, right?"
This referred to the upcoming Great Hunt Battle. If Liu Bai became a king-level figure, he could personally lead the troops into the Fallen Battlefield. But if he ascended to Emperor, he would have to accompany Mandala to search for the Heavenly Sovereign's hidden treasures while constantly monitoring other top-tier forces' Emperor-level experts, preventing interference in the lower ranks' conflicts.
However, his words drew a coquettish glare from Mandala, who said in annoyance, "Do you think the leaders of other top forces are fools? With your strength, if you are only considered king-level, which of their king-level experts would dare compete with you?"
Never mind king-level, even Emperors would hesitate in front of Liu Bai. Not everyone could face and slay a Ninth-grade Sovereign Beast.
Hearing this, Liu Bai could not help but shake his head in regret. He had indeed wanted to eliminate a few king-level experts. After all, in old powers like the Netherworld Palace and Divine Pavilion, even the king-level experts included several Sixth-grade and even Seventh-grade Sovereigns. That was all valuable experience.
"But do not worry. The king-level forces in Great Heavenlaw Domain have all been strengthened, and with the Great Heavenlaw Army, we will bring forth the elite. We will not fall short of any top-tier power by even a fraction," Mandala continued.
"Oh, the kings have been strengthened? Is this thanks to Zhan Taiyun?" Liu Bai asked curiously.
"No, strictly speaking, it is your credit," Mandala said, her expression serious.
Seeing Liu Bai confused, the Sky Vulture Emperor explained, "If you had not brought a battle genius like Zhan Taiyun into our Great Heavenlaw Domain, would we have this scene today? The Domain Lord said it was your achievement, did she not?"
Liu Bai could not help but smile. That made sense, since Zhan Taiyun now served under him, technically belonging to the Nine Nether Palace.
"Unfortunately, only the Great Heavenlaw Army has successfully manifested battle intent spirits. The other garrison soldiers are still lacking," Spiritual Pupil Emperor added with some regret.
Liu Bai had a solution.
"Although Zhan Taiyun has talent, he has not had systematic training as a battle formation master. I promised that if he trained the Great Heavenlaw Army successfully, he would learn the Way of the Battle Formation Master. Since he has exceeded expectations, this will be his reward. With this, he will have stronger control and understanding of battle intent spirits. Later, when helping the other king-level armies manifest battle intent spirits, the timing will be sufficient."
Hearing Liu Bai, the three Emperors were first shocked, then delighted.
"I never expected Liu Bai, you are proficient in the Way of Battle Formation as well. Amazing! With this, our Great Heavenlaw Domain will surely lead in the Great Hunt Battle!" The Sky Vulture Emperor looked at Liu Bai as if he were a deity.
This young man was truly astonishing, as if there was nothing in the world he could not do.
"Very well, I will leave this matter in your hands. But merit must be rewarded. How do you want me to reward you?" Mandala asked with a smile in her gaze.
"Really?" Liu Bai asked, unable to resist.
Mandala nodded. Noticing Liu Bai's faintly upturned lips, she sensed something odd.
Unfortunately, Liu Bai did not give her a chance to reconsider. With a palm, he produced a jade slip and handed it to Mandala. "The reward does not need to be too heavy. Just help me gather these items."
Mandala immediately felt a bad premonition. When had he ever spoken so politely to her? She took the jade slip with some doubt. Her golden eyes flicked over it, and her expression stiffened.
The jade slip displayed flashing golden characters:
Ten drops of Ancient Nine-headed Serpent Blood.
Ten drops of Devouring Sky Sparrow Blood.
Ten drops of Void Beast Blood.
…
In total, the jade slip recorded the essence blood of ten different divine beasts. These were all extremely powerful beasts in the Great World, the weakest being mid-tier divine beasts, most being high-tier. The rarity of their blood was self-evident.
"This really is not a light request!" Mandala ground her teeth and glared at Liu Bai.
Even in the vast Great Heavenlaw Domain, gathering so much divine beast blood would be no easy task. It might even require the Domain Lord herself to intervene.
"Why do you need so much divine beast blood?"
Finally, Mandala could not hold back.
Liu Bai shrugged. "For cultivation. I gained opportunities in Dragon Phoenix Heaven. This divine beast blood will aid in refining my body. I've been careful the whole way. Without such luck, how could I have advanced so quickly?"
Mandala pursed her lips. It was obvious he was exaggerating, but she had already promised. Considering Liu Bai's contributions and that this concerned cultivation, she could not refuse.
Back at Nine Nether Palace, Liu Bai sought out Zhan Taiyun, who had returned from the Great Heavenlaw Army to retrain the Nine Nether Guards. Liu Bai fulfilled his promise, granting him the meditative techniques of the Battle Formation Master.
Unfortunately, Zhan Taiyun did not inherit the Sky Formation Emperor's teachings, nor, like Mu Chen in the original story, did he receive the Nine Tribulation Thunder Prison Visualization. Instead, he received a cultivation method called Golden Lotus Visualization, only covering the first three stages, capable of producing up to 300,000 battle runes.
It should be noted that a Battle Formation Master who manifests ten thousand battle runes can rival a Seventh-grade Sovereign. Fifty thousand battle runes make even an Eighth-grade Sovereign wary. A hundred thousand battle runes can challenge Ninth-grade.
Thus, even though the Six-grade Golden Lotus Visualization could only produce 300,000 battle runes, it was sufficient for Zhan Taiyun to dominate below Sovereign-level.
"Thank you, Lord, for granting this method. Zhan Taiyun will never forget your great kindness today!"
When he truly witnessed the cultivation path that the Zhan Tai family had pursued for countless years appear before him, Zhan Taiyun's excitement overflowed. He immediately knelt to the ground to show his loyalty.
Liu Bai smiled gently. With a wave of his hand, he released spiritual energy to help Zhan Taiyun to his feet and said, "No need for this. This is rightfully yours."
"Next, you need to rapidly advance your battle intent realm. I need you, before the Great Hunt Battle, to help the Nine Nether Guards manifest their battle intent spirits. Afterwards, you will lead them into the Fallen Battlefield."
"Of course, if you have any spare energy, it would be best to help the other king-level forces manifest their battle intent spirits as well. This will not only strengthen the overall power of our Great Heavenlaw Domain but also benefit the Nine Nether Palace. After all, when the time comes, you will all need to support each other."
"Your orders shall be followed. I will not disappoint your trust!"
As Zhan Taiyun departed, Liu Bai began to contemplate his next steps.
"The enemies we will face in the upcoming Great Hunt Battle are not weak. I still need to improve my combat strength."
His exclusive battle armor had been delayed for several years, and now it truly needed attention. Fortunately, he had also obtained the Dragon Phoenix Golden Armor, a divine artifact with extreme defense. If he could integrate it with his previous designs, its quality would reach an even higher level.
Thinking and acting were the same for Liu Bai. Since he had everything prepared and now had the Dragon Phoenix Golden Armor as the base, he focused on adding additional Five Elements seals to the armor.
Once ready, Liu Bai secluded himself in the Forging Hall he had specially built on the rear mountain to begin crafting his first personal divine artifact.
Time passed day by day as Liu Bai remained in seclusion.
With the Great Hunt Battle approaching, the entire Great Heavenlaw Domain, or rather the entire Northern Region, was filled with a tense and deadly atmosphere.
Although the Great Heavenlaw Domain was a top-tier force in the Northern Region, every Great Hunt Battle brought the risk of top-tier forces being eliminated and their territories being absorbed by other top-tier powers.
As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Survivors from defeated top-tier forces could either flee or join another force. However, such losers would face ridicule and contempt wherever they went.
For this reason, everyone fought desperately to ensure that their own forces survived the Great Hunt Battle.
During this period, the Great Heavenlaw Domain was on full alert. The atmosphere was oppressive and grave.
Amid this, the Nine Nether Palace was operating at full speed. Chief Steward Tang Bing oversaw everything. The various commanders worked hard to advance their cultivation and strengthen the synchronization of battle intent with their troops.
Zhan Taiyun had already grasped the Six-grade Golden Lotus Visualization. His understanding and control of battle intent reached a new level. Under his guidance, the Nine Nether Guards quickly manifested their own Nine Nether battle intent spirits.
As the greatest battle intent talent in the Great Heavenlaw Domain, Zhan Taiyun then tirelessly assisted the armies under other king-level forces in manifesting their battle intent spirits, even those of the Blood Hawk Hall, which had always opposed the Nine Nether Palace.
Although exhausting, this greatly improved Zhan Taiyun's comprehension of battle intent. At present, he had reached seven thousand runes. While still not a true Battle Formation Master, his combat strength had already reached Fifth-grade Sovereign, making him the Nine Nether Palace's top combatant under Liu Bai.
In this tense atmosphere, the Nine Nether Palace finally awaited the return of their master.
"Big Sister Jiu You, you have finally returned!"
At first sight of Jiu You, little Tang Bing almost cried.
After learning that Jiu You had stayed with the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan, she had even thought her noble and elegant sister would never come back.
Jiu You gently embraced the two sisters, holding them closely, and spoke softly, "How have you two little girls been? Let me see if you've grown…"
The two sisters, who had been hiding in her embrace, blushed and hurriedly stepped back.
"Big Sister Jiu You!" Tang Bing cried and laughed helplessly. She felt that ever since Jiu You encountered Liu Bai, her usually composed sister had become somewhat unusual.
"By the way, where is Liu Bai? Is he hiding somewhere again?"
Tang Bing, calming her stirred emotions, explained, "Big Sister Jiu You, you have misunderstood him. He should still be in seclusion. After Dragon Phoenix Heaven, he went in and has not emerged yet."
"Oh? So diligent?" Jiu You was slightly surprised. When had he ever been so able to endure solitude for such a long period?
As Jiu You was about to speak further, her expression suddenly changed. She looked toward the rear mountain of the Nine Nether Palace.
There, dark clouds had already filled the sky. Black lightning streaked like serpents through the clouds.
"This is… a tribulation of lightning? And it is a divine lightning tribulation. What is Liu Bai doing?"
Jiu You's voice rang out as she flew toward the rear mountain.
"Bing'er, stay here and comfort the people in the palace. I will go and see."
Tang Bing, who had intended to follow, paused and pouted helplessly. She then turned and walked away.
Jiu You arrived at a solitary peak near the location of Liu Bai's seclusion, her gaze fixed on the storm clouds above. Her brows furrowed.
With her current strength, she was naturally unafraid of this level of tribulation. Yet she could not understand why Liu Bai had summoned such a fierce storm.
"This is a divine artifact tribulation!"
A sudden voice explained it. Space twisted, and the figures of Mandala and the three Emperors appeared on the peak with Jiu You.
.....
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