Chapter Nine: The Realm That Touches the Heavens

As soon as Ni Yao Rao appeared, she unleashed a technique of life and death—a grand art befitting the Heaven-linking Realm, a realm far surpassing the earlier stages of Shedding the Mortal, Embryo Transformation, and Spirit Binding. The Spirit Binding stage focused primarily on perfecting the techniques realized during Embryo Transformation, refining the self, and solidifying the foundation laid in the earlier stages. But the Heaven-linking Realm marked the beginning of communion with the world, an initial mastery of the forces of heaven and earth from within to without.

A radiant five-colored divine light burst forth, surging toward Li Ruoyu, empowered by the might of heaven and earth. Watching the incoming five-colored divine light, Li Ruoyu remembered a technique described in the “Devil Crossing Sutra”—the Five-Colored Heaven-Severing Art. This art could only be pushed to its utmost by those skilled in the interweaving of five elemental forces. The technique was famed as “severing heaven, ending earth, leaving ten dead with no survivors.” Few arts could match its power, and unless one wielded a comparable technique, encountering it in the Refined Dust Realm meant certain defeat.

Li Ruoyu remained cautious. After all, Ni Yao Rao was a full realm above him, already beginning to grasp the mysteries of the world.

“Supreme Single Artifact Technique.”

Originating from the Devil Crossing Sutra, in the Refined Dust Realm, one could condense the Chains of Order into a single weapon—unleashing the ultimate power of the Supreme Chain Art, its purpose to suppress the world with a solitary artifact.

Li Ruoyu transformed his divine chains once more into a great bell, which manifested wondrous visions: celestial maidens soaring through the sky, demon lords shattering the heavens—phantasmagoria unceasing. The bell’s visions clashed with the five-colored divine light.

A resonant clang echoed as the great bell and the five-colored divine light collided, producing a thunderous sound. Though Li Ruoyu was a realm lower than Ni Yao Rao, his power was in no way inferior.

Ni Yao Rao’s elegant brows furrowed slightly. She summoned the five-colored divine light anew, transforming it into a petite, ethereal flying dagger. With a flourish, she sent the dagger hurtling toward Li Ruoyu, its speed extraordinary—like a meteor, it carried the force of heaven and earth as it struck against the great bell.

Li Ruoyu spurred the Supreme Bell to block the dagger. He felt as though ten thousand mountains weighed upon him, but managed to withstand the assault. After all, the Supreme Chain Art he cultivated from the Devil Crossing Sutra was an ultimate art, surpassing all manner of interweaving techniques. Furthermore, by strengthening his chains with star-metal, he had deepened their foundation and power, and the Supreme Single Artifact Technique served as a bridge between order and interweaving, allowing for the greatest display of might.

Ni Yao Rao was as seductive and enchanting as her name, wielding the five-colored divine blade as she battled Li Ruoyu, intent on destroying him quickly.

The Supreme Bell and the five-colored blade clashed again and again in a relentless contest.

Ni Yao Rao expended a tremendous amount of energy. After such a prolonged assault, she had still failed to defeat Li Ruoyu, yet she showed no impatience. She pressed her attack steadily and methodically. Were it not for Li Ruoyu’s extraordinary physique, forged by Xuanhuang Qi, he would have been unable to endure so long and would have fallen to her.

The divide between the Spirit Binding and Heaven-linking Realms was a watershed. Since ancient times, few had managed to overcome an opponent from a higher realm. The Heaven-linking Realm, which draws upon the world's mysteries and comprehends the wonders of existence, is truly extraordinary.

Li Ruoyu remained composed, his attacks both steady and ruthless. Guiding the great bell with his Supreme Single Artifact Technique, he launched fierce assaults on Ni Yao Rao. When his onslaught failed to break her, he placed the Supreme Bell atop his head, its deep blue radiance enveloping him.

Transformed into a bolt of blue lightning, Li Ruoyu charged at Ni Yao Rao.

“Demon Fist!”

This fist technique exuded a demonic aura—though “demonic” here meant more sinister than evil. It was inherited from the relics of the Grand Evil Lord, the Supreme Evil Celestial Art, a fist technique from an unknown creator, now surviving only in its incomplete Refined Dust Realm form.

Whenever Li Ruoyu used the Demon Fist, he felt as though the technique guided him, not the other way around—his actions driven by the fist, not his will, suffused with a demonic presence.

Ni Yao Rao, channeling the world’s energy, transformed her blade from five colors to an ashen gray, and engaged Li Ruoyu in a fierce exchange. Li Ruoyu could feel the terror of the Five-Colored Heaven-Severing Art—each clash with the gray blade sent pain lancing through his fists, a chilling sensation. Though his body was shrouded in deep blue light with the properties of star-metal, that gray blade still managed to injure his fists—an astonishing feat.

“She’s surpassed the utmost limits,” Li Ruoyu thought. “Ni Yao Rao must have elevated the Five-Colored Heaven-Severing Art to a new level, refining it into its most fundamental gray form.”

He used the Demon Fist again, deliberately avoiding the gray blade, aiming for her body instead.

Empowered by the Demon Fist, his combat instincts grew increasingly fearsome—he could often anticipate Ni Yao Rao’s attacks, an unnerving ability. This technique was truly sinister and demonic, enhancing his instincts to the point where he fought with the chilling composure of an icy spring—deep and terrifying.

Unnoticed, their battle had stretched to over three hundred exchanges—a harrowing struggle.

By the Spirit Binding Realm, Li Ruoyu’s cultivation and resources were all of the highest order; most opponents in the same realm could not withstand even a few moves. Yet Ni Yao Rao had battled him for more than three hundred strikes. Of course, this owed partly to Li Ruoyu being a realm beneath her, and also to Ni Yao Rao’s own prodigious talent for combat.

At last, after nearly five hundred exchanges, Li Ruoyu seized upon a mistake from Ni Yao Rao, suppressing her. Another thirty moves passed before he finally broke her resistance.

There was no time to rest. The next opponent was teleported onto the Celestial Ascent Platform. By now, the number of contestants on the platform had dwindled greatly and could be counted at a glance.

This new challenger was a youth of similar stature to Li Ruoyu, with short, handsome hair and dressed in blue. A shrewd glint sparkled in his eyes, suggesting he would be a difficult adversary.

Upon seeing Li Ruoyu, still panting from his previous exertions, the blue-robed youth immediately launched his attack, clearly intent on denying Li Ruoyu any chance to recover.

He was formidable, wielding lightning around his body, arcs flashing without pause.

Li Ruoyu raised the Supreme Bell to shield himself from the lightning and swallowed a fragment of precious medicine. Yet he underestimated his opponent—the youth split his lightning into several streams, circumventing the bell and striking Li Ruoyu. Hastily, Li Ruoyu summoned the bell back to cover his head, but even so, he suffered the effects of the lightning, a numbing sensation spreading through his body.

“As I thought, at this stage, there are few who aren’t ruthless,” Li Ruoyu mused, fully alert.

The blue-robed youth, aware of the consequences of his lightning strikes, pressed his advantage, attacking relentlessly. Li Ruoyu quickly employed the Demon Fist to meet him head-on.

The Demon Fist proved formidable, intercepting the youth’s assault with ease. Li Ruoyu knew he was at a disadvantage physically and needed to end the battle swiftly, leaving himself time to recover before facing the final challenger.

With this in mind, he hurled the Supreme Bell at the youth and followed up with the Demon Fist. The youth dodged the bell but could not evade the fist—Li Ruoyu struck him squarely in the chest, then, seizing the opening, unleashed three more punches in rapid succession. The youth took the blows to his chest and was immediately incapacitated.

After all, this youth, like Li Ruoyu, was still at the Spirit Binding Realm and had not yet reached Heaven-linking. His strength could not compare to the likes of Ni Yao Rao, who were true calamities to nations. In the end, he too fell to Li Ruoyu’s might.