Ye Yun's breakthrough to the sixth level of the Foundation Building realm was nothing short of astounding.
Both the disciples of the sect and the reinforcements from the Xuanming Immortal Palace stared at him in disbelief.
Mu Xuankong, across from him, had his eyes bulging to the point where he almost lost them. If not for the public setting, he would have unleashed a torrent of curses.
"It seems the descriptions of you were indeed accurate. You truly are a monster."
Despite his shock, Mu Xuankong's killing intent intensified.
How had Ye Yun grown to such a level in such a short time? He shuddered to think what would have happened if he had arrived any later.
Mu Xuankong tightened his grip on his saber, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes after his initial astonishment.
"However, what does matching realms matter? With this Heaven-Covering Demon-Sealing Formation suppressing you, I refuse to believe you can still turn the heavens upside down!"
"Whether I can turn them upside down or not, we'll know after trying."
"Heh, very well. Then unleash your sword intent."
Ye Yun chuckled, patting his sword as he spoke.
"To kill you, I don't need sword intent!"
"You court death!"
Mu Xuankong snorted and charged forward instantly. A brilliant saber light sliced through the air, its speed so great that the space itself roared and the ground trembled violently.
In a flash, Mu Xuankong was upon him. A saber strike, imbued with the might of heaven and earth and a supreme-grade saber intent, tore through the void and descended upon Ye Yun.
He had expected that facing his full-power attack, Ye Yun, suppressed by the Heaven-Covering Demon-Sealing Formation, would choose to evade.
Instead, Ye Yun smiled and said, "Perfect, I'll test my strength against you!"
As the words left his lips, he lightly tapped the ground, causing a violent tremor in space. In the next instant, he shot out like lightning, his Fenglan Sword meeting Mu Xuankong's attack head-on.
As the top cultivators on the continent, this battle was a clash of titans. The sheer power they wielded could easily overturn mountains and seas, and shatter the heavens and earth.
The saber and the sword met, and two terrifying forces erupted simultaneously. A dull roar echoed through the world, and the devastating aftershocks swept through everything within range like a destructive tide.
Even the Xuanming Immortal Palace cultivators waiting in the distance were forced to retreat further, lest the mere shockwaves nearby claim over ninety-nine percent of them.
Yet, this was merely a preliminary exchange. As soon as the aftershocks pushed them back, both combatants stabilized themselves and charged at each other again. Their figures, like streaks of light, continuously collided in the air.
The void had barely begun to mend before it was torn open again by even larger gashes. Endless spatial turbulence filled the battleground, reaching a point where it could instantly kill any cultivator below the Foundation Building realm.
"This is the battle of peak powerhouses! Truly magnificent!"
At this moment, everyone, regardless of their affiliation, let out a genuine sigh of awe.
Within the Ancient Dao Heavenly Sect, Lan Zhaoyue exclaimed, "What a monster. His cultivation has surged despite just breaking through to Foundation Building, and his combat power is terrifying. Does he want anyone else to live?"
Yu Wenya nodded, also speaking with admiration.
"Indeed. But even more terrifying is the power of their battle. No wonder father and the others were always reluctant to wage war against each other. Such battles between supreme experts are truly frightening."
Although they were of noble birth and well-traveled, they had never witnessed top experts engage in a life-or-death struggle. The previous battles among the Foundation Building realm cultivators had been shocking enough, but the current fight between Ye Yun and Mu Xuankong had truly opened their eyes.
What did it mean to be still as a mountain, yet to move the heavens and shake the earth?
Especially Mu Xuankong, who was fighting on enemy territory. If he were at his home ground in the Xuanming Immortal Palace, his power would likely double or more. One should never underestimate the foundation of an Immortal Palace!
As Ye Yun and Mu Xuankong engaged, the other Foundation Building realm powerhouses also resumed their battles. The area outside the Ancient Dao Heavenly Sect became a chaotic melee, with the sky darkening and the earth shaking. It could be described as a battle of gods.
However, things were not going smoothly for Mu Xuankong in the core battle. He had intended to suppress Ye Yun with the Heaven-Covering Demon-Sealing Formation, but he soon discovered an absurd fact.
In the aerial battleground, every sword Ye Yun unleashed possessed a power far beyond Mu Xuankong's imagination. Moreover, Ye Yun's speed was even greater than his, leaving him entirely suppressed throughout the fight.
Even though Ye Yun was within the Heaven-Covering Demon-Sealing Formation and Mu Xuankong was using his supreme-grade saber intent, Ye Yun's strength was in no way inferior to his. This was utterly preposterous!
Especially in the attack below, Ye Yun, during a full-power clash from both sides, directly blasted him away with a single sword strike.
When he regained his footing, his gaze towards Ye Yun was already somber.
"How is this possible? You should be suppressed by the Heaven-Covering Demon-Sealing Formation, and you haven't even used your sword intent. How can you be suppressing me?!"
To this point in the battle, he simply couldn't understand it. This guy was practically cheating!
Seeing his incredulous expression, Ye Yun looked at him with the gaze of an idiot.
"You still haven't realized? When was I ever suppressed by that damned formation?"
"Impossible! This formation can suppress all Dao power. You couldn't have possibly avoided it!"
Mu Xuankong refused to believe it. Ye Yun simply shrugged and said with a smile, "So, I've never used any Dao power at all."
"From beginning to end, I've only been playing with you using my origin power. Didn't you notice anything unusual?"
He had spent so long in the Sea of Dao, half of it to advance his sword intent, and the other half to comprehend his own Dao origin. Strictly speaking, Dao origin was the ultimate form of Dao power.
"Origin power?"
Upon hearing these four words, Mu Xuankong didn't react at first, but soon realized something, his face turning ashen.
"Dao origin? How could you have comprehended it?!"
Anyone striving to reach the Saint Ascension realm knew that Dao origin was the key to stepping onto that path.
The problem was that in the past thousand years, no one on the continent had managed to comprehend it, leading many to doubt its very existence.
Mu Xuankong himself had been pursuing that step for years, but had found no success. Yet, Ye Yun, who had just broken through to the Foundation Building realm, claimed to have comprehended it?
Ye Yun, however, was too lazy to explain. He chuckled and said,
"You'll know if I've comprehended it when you're in hell!"
With that, he shook his head and said, "Alright, the warm-up is over. Prepare to die!"
In fact, the power of Dao origin was far more than that. The previous battle had primarily been to gain more proficiency with his newly comprehended origin power.
Now that he was familiar with it, he no longer needed to deliberately restrain a portion of it. The origin power erupted completely, his aura soaring and directly overwhelming Mu Xuankong.
Mu Xuankong's expression changed drastically. Seeing Ye Yun, whose aura had surged, about to attack, he cast aside all other concerns and shouted sternly,
"Where are the people of the Immortal Palace? Assist me in slaying Ye Yun!"